that veiled gazelle...

said fi halla

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:18:00 +0000

my new youtube crush, said fi halla rocking the bendir and some serious vocals.

(slightly longer version here)

fuck yes... all he needs is a bucket to get down. :)

here, he opts for a more pricey korg keyboard.

he would also like you to know his telephone number ...

for the record, his email is saidfihalla@hotmail.com

streamable album with him, female vocalist "najat" and keyboards here
download the album (track by track) here
the first video is my fave, really.

These are our weapons!

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Yesterday in Madrid 500,000 people took to the streets in protest. Here is a video of a full orchestra playing Betthoven's "Ode to Joy" live at the protest. The chants they say at the end translate to "These are our weapons! These are our weapons!" Un. Real. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUJ7s59aLSo

STOP BICKERING, PLEASE! (for a while...)

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

a note to the Occupy Wall Street Movement, specifically written for the Pittsburgh contingent.

I have a theory.

1. The real power of this movement is the coming together of an incredible diverse body of people. Among the occupy movement are many races, classes, political ideologies & belief systems.

2. We all agree that the current state of the world is, *ahem*, fucked. We have a laundry list of issues that most people agree are a problem... wide income disparity, corporate influence in elections, dysfunctional health care, multiple wars, etc...

3. While we can generally agree on what we're up against (what we don't like), it's a much more complex process to decide what to do to fix it. It's hard to be pro-active and constructive because there are as many opinions on what to do as there are members of the movement.

4. However, there is something we can do to make this process easier. Stop bickering... for a while. Let's be constructive in discussions about our personal politics, religion, philosophy or tactical desires. Rather than engaging in conflict over minutiae, focus on helping others to understand the questions. By all means don't be silenced, speak up if you see injustice. Just ask yourself if the world you want to live in requires everyone to agree with you on that one point. If not, maybe it can wait.

5. Instead, let us just occupy this space and time together. Let us work side by side. Let us continue to find consensus on issues we agree about. Let us do the obvious work to build a movement in solidarity with others around the country & the world.

6. While we co-exist, let us strive to increase our understanding of each other. Let us learn what each other's "language". Until you've spent significant time working with an anarchist or a libertarian or a conservative or a liberal, you will not understand what their real beliefs are (or what the ongoing debates are in that unique culture). Let us increase our literacy of each other while we invest in each others' futures together.

7. From this position of greater understanding and compassion, from a well-researched place where we understand the real differences we have, not just assumptions and inaccuracies, we will have our best opportunity to work through them. every day we spend working together will increase our respect for each other, will increase our desire for peace.

8. So some people think we need to reform the system, some people think we need to start over. Some people think we need to focus on monetary policy, others on education. Some people think we need to get involved with elections, other think we only need each other. But here's the thing. We're not there yet. What we should do in the future will be determined by what we do now and in the coming weeks. There is no "post-revolution" to plan for... it's a process, and should remain reflexive to the reality we wake up to every day.

by all means, start these discussions now, with each other. if possible, have them over coffee face to face. have them at the occupation, as you huddle to keep warm. remember that great ideas will come from everywhere, and together we will watch our goals come into view, informed by a deeper comprehension, shared context & common dreams.

it is not a sign of weakness to change your mind. so take some time, learn about each other from each other... and occupy! focus on the task ITSELF. occupy! the space ITSELF is a good enough goal for now. the time ITSELF we spend together is beautiful. occupy! learn! grow! together!

keep cool, babylon...

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:02:00 +0000

when sept 11th happened, i had just completed my junior year in art school at cmu, the automobile revision project & my first group art show (in holland with many other talented artists). i was taking a year off from school to re-assess and re-align... to figure out how to best use my last year of classes.

i was at my girlfriend's ancestral home when we saw the news... i was to fly to vermont to build a music studio with some friends the next day, and like many people, had to wait a few days until the planes started flying again. not much changed in those initial days, but the event certainly helped to define that year.

which brings me to reggae. i had just discovered reggae (beyond bob marley) through Suzie Silver recommending me Alton Ellis (and rocksteady in general) and listening to Lee Perry's Arkology. i had made a couple mixes, nothing special, but collecting my favorite songs i had been able to score off of napster (lol) or my friend Jim's palatial collection of dub & roots. i was (and still am) very fond of the Twinkle Brothers' album "Rasta Pon Top" with it's luscious harmonies and rock-of-gibraltar-solid rhythm section. i loved "Festival Wise", with it's imagery of people dancing outside evoking the outdoor raves and hippie festivals that had been so influential to me in the previous years.

but reggae became something much more to us after 9/11. to a young radical's mind, the patriot act, the violence & wars, the opportunistic business dealings, the utter perversion of justice... done in our name... brought us to a state of artistic, political and spiritual fervor. reggae embodied all of this. with it's soul fire, reggae was rife with referents we enjoyed identifying with. there was little questioning our appropriation of this black rebel music... it felt as if it was speaking to our very being... we let it educate us on the ills of babylon, political rhetoric & the wisdom of the spirit... that hot & cool play of the heart.

in reggae we saw the events of 9/11 connected to a historical context... the valentine's "blam blam fever" and not only spoke to the violence inherent in poverty, but offered a condemnation of our military reaction in afghanistan & iraq... "the gun fever is bad", indeed. the heptones (utterly, heart-breakingly beautiful) "country boy" offered a similar critique of gun violence (in a jamaican context), but also was an excellent diss to GW... "country boy, you shootin' up the place". despite feeling the immense pressure... the gravity of the situation, reggae taught us we could help... we could resist with righteousness & love... borrowed, though it was.

along with great books & greater people and experience... our resistance eventually took on an essence of it's own... artistically, politically & spiritually, we became more than the privileged caricatures we were that year in vermont. but everyone starts somewhere, and i'll always be thankful to reggae for being the kick in the pants that helped myself and my peers to have the courage to resist, the wisdom to connect our struggles with others' and the respect for the rhythms of the spirit... the time to go to battle, and the time to chill the fuck out and let things pass.

speaking of chilling the fuck out, we made a lot of reggae mixes that year, and sent them to our friends around the country. it was our little act of peace in the midst of all that war. they were in constant rotation. they we're our discipline, our meditation. "resistance reggae" vol. 3 and vol. 4 are below. enjoy them. light a fire. keep cool.

01. dave & ansel collins - double barrel
02. niney - blood & fire
03. the maytals - pressure drop
04. stranger cole & lester sterling - bangarang
05. justin hines & the dominoes - carry go bring come
06. lee perry - soul fire
07. yabby you - conquering lion
08. the upsetters & dillenger - rastaman shuffle
09. the heptones - coutry boy
10. ras michael - keep cool babylon
11. the melodians - rivers of babylon
12. lee perry & the upsetters - dread lion
13. johnny clarke - african people
14. alton ellis - arise black man
15. the congos - at the feast
16. desmond dekker - (007) shanty town
17. bob marley - bus dem shut (pyaka)
18. little roy - hurt not the earth
19. abyssinians - mark of the dub
20. black uhuru - guess who's coming to dinner
21. rhythm & sound w/ tikiman - spend some time

DOWNLOAD VOL. 3

01 - lee perry - good will dub
02 - the congos - education of brainwashing
03 - the valentines - blam blam fever
04 - johnny "dizzy" moore
05 - alton ellis & the flames - blessings of love
06 - herman marquis - tom's version
07 - u roy - festival wise
08 - cornell cambell - jah jah me no born yah
09 - prince far i - commandment of drugs
10 - honey boy martin - dreader than dread
11 - lee perry - perry's jump up
12 - lee perry - rub & squeeze
13 - the congos - youth man
14 - the ethiopians - train to skaville
15 - derrick morgan - blazing fire
16 - don drummond - don d lion
17 - blake boy - cambodia
18 - the maytals - take me home country road
19 - the heptones - cool rasta
20 - lee perry - city too hot
21 - ras michael - rise jah jah children
22 - lee perry - the upsetter
23 - heaven sisters - rasta dreadlocks

DOWNLOAD VOL. 4

note: jim mulhearn is at least equally to credit for these mixes. i couldn't find the version of the original artwork that properly titled. also... the struggle continues, modern reggae keeps moving .

minibahton!

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:40:00 +0000

I made a (mostly) moombahton mix. What's moombahton? It's hot summer music to me, and i had a blast putting this together. It allowed me to get a few of my old favorite tracks in the 111bpm range on a mix along with some hype new tunes. The mix, "Minibahton", is dedicated to John Reinhold

32 tracks in 36:45
mixed in Ableton with a Vestax VCI-100

DOWNLOAD YOURSELF THIS HOT MIX HERE

Boogat • Perfection (Prod by N-RON and Geko Jones)
DJ Lengua • La Jungla
Chancha Via Circuito • Break
David Heartbreak • Arroz Con Pollo
Filastine • To The Motherfucking East
Diplo • Turn That Shit Up (Mu-Gen Moombahton Edit)
Dj Rafa Caivano • The Salmon Cumbia
No Roux No • Esta Fiesta No Termina
Dillon Francis & Diplo • QUE QUE! Feat. Maluca
Dillon Francis & Dave Nada • Brazzer's Theme (Original Mix)
Ko-Wreck Technique • Metro Dade
The Death Set • Slap Slap Slap Up Down Pound Snap (Tigorilla Remix)
King Cannibal • Murder Us Featuring Jahcoozi
Munchi • Sandungueo
Matmos • Polychords
Señor Coconut • Music non stop (merengue)
Theo Parrish • Dusty Cabinets
James Braun • 20 Rocky
Adele & Jamie XX • Rolling In The Heat (The Heatwave Refix)
Munchi La • Brasilena ta Montao
Missy Elliot • Get Ur Freak On (Alvaro & Punish Moombah bootleg)
Distal • The Kurgan
DJ Javier Estrada • Levantate Rumbeando
MonoPoly • Punch The Troll In The Neck
Gwen Stefani • Hollaback Girl
Wilman De Jesus • Walk Like An Egyptian [Real Reggaeton Remix]
Slap In The Bass • Egypt [NEKI Edit]
Vendetta • Egyptian Riddim
Lata Mangeshkar • Thoda Resham Lagta Hai (Daniel Haaksman Remix)
Eardrum • Trickster Table
Micronost • Got Mad Love
La Yegros • Trocitos

http://soundcloud.com/jamesgyre/minibahton
Minibahton by james gyre

there was also some exciting DRAMA about moombahton, if you're interested.

new d.j. mix - "for heads to nod"

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:48:00 +0000

james gyre, d.j.
"for heads to nod"

45:40 of bump & crunk
dedicated to mr. jennings
mixed entirely in ableton live

GET IT HERE

tracklist:

∞ Intro
∞ Loops Haunt - Impact Omnihammer
∞ Eskmo & Amon Tobin - Fine Objects
∞ Opiuo & J Wikid - Panty Slingshot
∞ Copyfokking - Knippelsuppe
∞ Virtual Boy - The Future Holds a Beat
∞ Heyoka - Sonidas De La Cabeza
∞ Freddy Todd - Just Taking My Blastoise For A Walk
∞ Architeq - Birds Of Prey (Debruit Remix)
∞ Débruit - Re-New Real
∞ Flying Lotus & Declaime - Lit Up
∞ Africa Hitech - One Two
∞ DJ Orion - The Undertow (instrumental)
∞ Lukid - 56
∞ Harmonic 313 - Dirtbox
∞ Mono/Poly - Beatles Bitch
∞ Boreta - Bubblin' In the Cut
∞ BD1982 - Water Faucet Rhythm
∞ Danny Breaks & DJ Adlib - The Sound
∞ Vordul Mega feat. Billy Woodz - Mind Control (Remix)
∞ EPROM & Prof.I.See - Zoning
∞ Ana Sia & ill.gates - Extraordinary Rendition feat. Chris Sia
∞ Santogold - You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)
∞ King Midas sound - Lost (flying lotus remix)
∞ Rustie - Just for Kicks (Instrumental)
∞ Yo Majesty - GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR
∞ Architeq - Sleeping Bear Lament (James Pants Remix)
∞ Eprom - elephantkillers2
∞ Nosaj Thing - FWD
∞ Vibesquad - Punchingbag
∞ Moloko - Fun For Me
∞ Heyoka - Paradox
∞ Autechre - Fermium
∞ Elemental - Triple 116
∞ KnowSleep - All Buddhas (Instrumental)
∞ Dj Vadim - Beijos (feat. Heidi Vogel)

you can also do the soundcloud thing here:

James gyre - for heads to nod by james gyre

the music of the earth

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:36:00 +0000

So a friend of mine, Janus sunaJ (who happens to be quite a scholar of mysticism, particularly gnosticism & hermeticism), asked me to make him a mix of "armenian, sufi qawalli, persian, malian, balkan & morrocan music". i've been tinkering on it this past week and of course added in some other cultures... some tuvan, romani, indian, andalusian, egyptian, kenyan, japanese, native american, etc...

it's become a sprawling 5+ hour mix of beautiful music from around the globe, loosely based around a concept of an initiatory meditation journey. i had quite a lot of fun with it. i hope you enjoy listening as much as i did. each "disc" is approx 75 minutes long. i recommend downloading all 4 and listening to them in order (accompanied by your favorite person & favorite sacrament!)

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 1 "the surface is scratched"

✓ huun huur tu - prayer
✓ unknown west africa - Karamako
✓ Armand Amar - Song of the Red Dervish
✓ unknown sufi - Ferahfeza
✓ Istambul Oriental Ensemble - Basbasa
✓ Talvin Singh Taksim - Master Musicians Of Jajouka
✓ Sheik Yasin Al Tuhami - Qalbi Yuhaddithuni
✓ Claude Chalhoub - kaa
✓ Nass el Ghiwan - El Gasba
✓ Debashish Bhattacharya - Sufi Bhakti
✓ Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain - Raga Kedar, Gat In Ektaal
✓ Madjid Khaladj - Dayre
✓ La Notte - unknown
✓ Zakir Hussain - Where deserts meet
✓ Musafir - Moria Badnawa
✓ unknown african - Anklung
✓ Boubacar Diagne - Laye Laye
✓ unknown south african - Domba
✓ unknown sumerian - Hurrian Hymns, 19 And 23
✓ Hideaki Kuribayashi - Shouhin 1

download pt. 1 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 2 "the road is winding"

✓ Djivan Gasparian - My Home
✓ A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Kiraly Siratás
✓ Claude Chalhoub - Track 04
✓ Shri Subhankar Banerjee - Tabla Tale
✓ Hossam Ramzy - Sha-Awit Katie (Katie's Cheeky Playfulness)
✓ Hossam Ramzy & Rafa El Tachuela - Ahlam Ghernatah (Memories of Old Granada)
✓ Gritos De Guerra - Buleria
✓ Gnawa Diffusion - Gazel Au Fond De La Nuit
✓ Slonovski Bal & Krassen Lutzka - Oriental
✓ Boban Marković Orkestar - Magija [Magic]
✓ Rita Abadzi - Prepei Na Skeptetai Kaneis
✓ Romica Puceanu - Unde o--fie puiul de aseara
✓ Taraf de Haidouks - Balada Conducatorolui
✓ Shahram Nazeri - Selfless
✓ Huun-Huur-Tu - Mezhegei
✓ Sussan Deyhim - The Candle & The Moth

download pt. 2 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 3 "the book is blank"

✓ Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic - Polegnala e Todora
✓ Mohammad Reza Mortazavi - The Will
✓ Trio Chemirani - Le Retour de Molla Nasr'din
✓ Zakir Hussain - Kalpana
✓ unknown touareg - unknown
✓ unknown gnawa - Tramin
✓ unknown tuvan - tongue twister
✓ unknown native american - Beowawe
✓ unknown crow - Crow Traditional Song
✓ unknown african - Lukuji
✓ unknown inuit - girl's game & agnutn
✓ unknown new guinea - spirit flutes
✓ unknown navajo - night chant
✓ unknown northern japan - ainu hero narr
✓ Huun-Huur-Tu - Khöömei
✓ unknown javanese - pangkur
✓ Alemu Aga - Selamta (The Creation)
✓ unknown brazilian - Capoeira
✓ Master drummers of Dagbon - Gurinsi-Waa
✓ unknown haitian - Port-au-Prince Drumming Demonstration
✓ Boubacar Diagne - Dembe
✓ Idjah Gadidjah - Daun Pulus Keser Bojong
✓ Halima Chedli Ensemble - Healing in Morocco "Touhami Dikr (excerpt)"

download pt. 3 here

Michael's Meditation Musics pt. 4 "the child is born"

✓ Philip Glass & Foday Musa Suso - suso's song
✓ unknown ghanan - apatampa
✓ Ali Farka Toure - Savane
✓ Mamadou Sidibe & Jongo Traore - Prenpreni (Bush Spirit)
✓ Unknown Kalahari Bushmen - Nxai
✓ Umalali - Luwübüri Sigala (Hills of Tegucigalpa)
✓ Salif Keita - The Mansa of Mali
✓ Corale Corse - Paghjelle
✓ unknown indian - unknown
✓ unknown indian - unknown
✓ Carmen Amaya - unknown
✓ Toumani Diabaté & Ballake Sissoko - Kita Kaira
✓ Raul Garcia Zarate - Suenos
✓ Fernandor tor - unknown
✓ Qing ge le, Da ri ma - Jujube Tree On THe Holy Hill
✓ Unknown Tibetan Buddhist Monks - Nyen-seng
✓ Forward Kwenda - Mbira Spirit Ceremony "Tadzungaira & Gonamombe Rerume"

download pt. 4 here

MOAR juke (UPDATED with mp3s!)

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:49:00 +0000

i kind of can't get enough of juke. i'm playing a lot of other music right now, but what i want to listen to is juke.

i've been mining this stuff for a while and it's amazing... particularly the footworking stuff (the more abstract sub-laden tunes for the dancers more than the run-of-the-mill booty house tunes). it can be abrasive at times, but having seen it go down live i love the energy and i think the style is worth trying to appreciate... it could be compared to bmore club stuff, and has isn't that far off the more hyper dubstep tunes... but it's nearly 20 years old... and has a whole culture of dancing.

o.k. so... some links...

if you know nothing about juke watch this first... this track like many juke tracks features a short vocal sample cut and pasted into a main instrument sound (in this case, bob marley...)

pretty good juke/footworking mix (by µ-ziq!) - (don't bother if you don't have serious woofers hooked up. the bass in this shit is LOW LOW LOW...

via jeff macarthur, an endless thread on the style HERE - (quality videos, links to individual producers, etc...)

a very popular juke video compilation (which i've already posted in my big dance video post...) -

a good juke dancing battle... 1:15 is AMAZING -

chicago reader article (with some video and beautiful photos, including the one above...)

UPDATES:

AMAZINGLY informative Dave Quam article on juke... (his blog is good, too...)

DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn drop a mix for XLR8R & a mix for Fact Magazine.

dj rupture wrote a short post on juke, but more importantly upped THIS.

also... i packed up a few mp3s i found... mostly weirder footwork tracks... & not the straight juke stuff. the tunes are:

DJ NATE - "back up kid", "my heart" & "3peat"
DJ RASHAD - "teknitian" & "In Da Club Before Eleven O' Clock"
DJ ELMOE - "Where yo ghost at, Where yo dead man"
& a bonus Kill Frenzy remix that appeared on Kingdom's mix for low end spasm that has some juke vibes to it.

JUKE MP3s HERE!

feel free to send me more info, and more tracks! always down for more juke heat.

where you at?

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:28:00 +0000

blogging has been nearly impossible, but the basic situation is thus... things are great. laura and i just celebrated 8 years of being together. she has a new log up documenting our son's days. i keep doing deejay events, and the world keeps turning. i use facebook for most of my link-posting and hopefully some day i'll blog here again more often. there's still great music i'm working with, but it's best heard live. peace, all!

spectrum yum yum yum

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:26:00 +0000

a blog about rainbow colored things...
lots of nice images.
via laura gyre

the hood gang

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:43:00 +0000

local rock hoodlums, the hood gang, have a new song and video out. well done folks! i'm a tad late on posting it, but it was in honor of the year anniversary of the king of pop's death...

they're a real blast... definitely one of the highest energy shows you will ever attend. Sneaky Mike, their front-man is a party animal and spiritual force. also, my buddy miguel plays sick aux. latin percussion with them. he has a few projects of his own that are worth hearing too... anyway, the hood gang gets mad props from this (usually) non pop/rock fan...

remember, everyone's in the hood gang!

visualizing the oil spill

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:05:00 +0000

view the oil spill in a real personal way...

via count zero's facebook

real riot porn

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:22:00 +0000

awesome bark

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 16 May 2010 04:48:00 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_deglupta
looks like acrylic worked with a palette knife if you ask me... gorgeous... imagine growing this into a living space, like espalier but more three dimensional... even as an outdoor space it could be beautiful, especially closed off in portions with passion fruit vines or some such... but alas, the rainbow eucalyptus doesn't grow in pittsburgh due to the freeze, but it could work indoors...

a choice eight (and some 2009 awards)

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Mon, 03 May 2010 05:33:00 +0000

it's been a while since i posted any hot music. pardon that. life, and all... here's all the tracks below .zipped up on mediafire... but read! learn! click! (and when you can, find these artists and get them some money...)

first off, the best track of 2009 for me was undoubtedly James Blake's "Air & Lack Thereof". i'd think the tune had been hyped enough, but both DJ Ripley & DJ/rupture were unaware of it, so clearly it needs more props... besides having an excellent title, the tune is massive. and beautiful. and abstract. and melodic. and poised. it has great negative space, indecipherable voices and unbelievable humming bass. do it the favor of listening to it on your deepest system... better yet hand it to the deejay at a club with a look that says: "right fucking now".

James Blake "Air & Lack Thereof" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

He's been off in a few more directions, made a hot remix of an untold track (that while annoying at times, is amazing in sets), pop remixes under an alias, a new tinkery solo release that diplo and others have taken notice of, and an e.p. with airhead that contains this far out gem:

James Blake & Airhead "Pembroke" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

For me, the producer of the year for 2009 was Eskmo (Shackleton for 2nd place? 2562 for 3rd?) Watery, squishy bass, trudging along with humor, power & a sense of play. I've had a lot of fun going back into his early catalogue, with techy tracks like "process" & "willow grail" and the pots and pans freakout of "san fransisco: the rhythm". Late in 2009 he dropped this next tune, which combines a lot of these elements with a touch of his occasionally ascendant sonic drama. Wait for the late drop when the music box has been wound enough to spring:

Eskmo "Let Them Sing" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

I don't have a ton to say about this next tune other than it has mined the vein that rustie opened up to new levels of 8 bit deviance. the tune "goulash" from the same e.p. is probably the better tune overall, but the opening is so alienating i didn't want to punish anyone with it. De-quantized to the max:

Slugabed "Ultra Heat-treated" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

In a somewhat similar vein, though much smoother, is this one-off piece of brilliance from the diverse (and prolific) musical mind of mark pritchard. while pritchard has cranked out funky afrobeat sampling house jams, this 8 bit piece of swagger is a whole different animal. the vocal makes it a detroit booty tune, but luckily the sexual drama it plays out is very equal opportunity and dance-floor-centric. wind your butt! BIG TUNE at my parties...

Mark Pritchard & Om'Mas Keith "Wind it Up" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

This next one is the farthest off my normal playlist... at 120 bpm, it's the only tune on this list out of the (holy!) 130-140 bpm range. it's synth filled and a touch cluttered, but it's got a sense of funk and groove that's infectious, walking & somehow restrained. Tune worked great at a recent fashion show i did... Don't know much about Mono/Poly, but i also like their tune "Beatles Bitch". A tad repetitive by the end, maybe, but they're working it slick.

Mono/Poly "The George Machine" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

What's left? Monster bass. Another not to insult with your puny laptop speakers, this widdler tune (like almost all widdler tunes) features great sound design, a darkness flecked with tongue-in-cheek mood-lightening moments and cataclysmic sub-bass movement. Another artist I was a touch shocked Ripley & Rupture hadn't encountered. Big producer, in my opinion, just pure dubstep. The second drop in this one is the real prize. Squicky. Icky. Sicky.

The Widdler "Go Ask Alice" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

All right... last one. This tune has so much going for it... Kuduro-influenced rhythmic structure, bright African guitar samples, Bassline house bottom end, great vocal cut-ups, and a tight, fast-paced phrasing that makes it a banger on every dance-floor. hell, i played this at all three of my last gigs to great effect, including the fancy wedding. Débruit. Get hip. One of my blog-crushes, Wizards are Better, have a nice little primer on the man with a ton more mpfrees...

Débruit "Nigeria What?" mp3 320kbps (mediafire)

that's all for now... someday i'll have to post some of the not-dubstep-at-all music i've been listening to, but i know i have to satisfy those bass fiends out there first... yinz get twitchy! I don't know how I'd get through the cravings without torrentech... i'd guess i'd just have to spend a lot more money at boomkat.

dance your asses off...

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:13:00 +0000

Well... so much dancing & fun... DJ Ripley & DJ/rupture both played my monthly D.J. night (awesome, the both of em...), checked out the Tomb Crew with my favorite local deejays, and i've been going nuts on the resurgence of tribal percussion in dance music... but it was seeing a Chicago juke video that reminded me of my promise to Olivia of Zafira Dance Company to write a post about my the influences on my dancing... While i can't do all of these moves, i can do a lot of em, and i try to combine them into a fusion that reacts to the diversity in a great deejay set. note: the music in these videos is somewhat secondary... i picked 'em for the movement primarily...

first, wicked fast juke dancers to set the mood. pure gold.

so the club is packed, you have to move, but how? here's some kuduro dancers, which interest me because they dance at 140+ b.p.m., a tempo range that's very au courant...

the guy at 1:59 in that kuduro video blows my mind... love that walking in place shit... anyway, speaking of kuduro... get some legwork tips from this one... swing those knees!

there is some arm and hand miming in that one, but really no hand and arm work is complete without peeping the master himself, flattop...

here's another with terrible audio, but a bit longer... he's really the best popper/locker/strober i know of... very flexible, too... does some yoga-like stalls...

that movement is really all about isolation... working different sections of your body without moving the others... something any tribal style bellydancer knows all about... Mel here kind of does what i'm talking about... though a bit more fluid obviously than a pop-locker... i've seen her perform with her partner from Kassar some way slower shit than this, which is my real fave.

here's another... it's again similar to (but not as good as) the utter badass slowness one might have seen from the mid 2000s Zafira girls... I'm sure they still rock that style occasionally, though it's been more raucus and balkan from them lately. Note: if you're looking for great bellydance troupes and links, start nowhere but this collection (right at the top are the women of Zafira, our local tribal style geniuses...)

while it's a bit more ass-centric, the dutty wine is another of these isolation-based dances. based in dancehall culture, it's a farily sexualized dance, that non-the less gets some real props in my book from a skill level. humorously, the wiki cautions that "Some doctors have warned against performing the Dutty Wine, claiming it may cause serious muscle trauma, and ligament damage." this white boy is unafraid.

to me this all starts to get combined in liquid dance, or basic rave dancing... before going too deep into the liquid stuff... let's start with a fairly clubby version of breakdance one finds at the better, more cosmopolitan dancing events. I saw this woman at DEMF 2007, and she's still great on youtube.

but yeah... liquid... often made fun of, but pretty fucking cool anyway... it's an adaptation of tai chi, and is all about continuous, fluid movements, often very arm & hand oriented... he's doing tiny bits of "tutting" here, too...

this guy's a bit stiff and isn't moving the rest of his body much, but this is a great example of the basic hand movements of classic rave dancing. i swear this evolved because of the tightly packed
dancefloors that don't allow for wild arm movements...

there are two dancers in this next one, and while they incorporate a ton of pop-locking and other breakdance styles, there is a liquidity here that's great... especially the second dancer. don't be fooled by how much of a dork he seems at first... mad skills!

no post about dancing would be complete without crip-walking... especially the transcendant foot-work at 2:39.

ok... some details. my dancing also contains some small details i think make a big difference... i take a cue from kathakali dancing in terms of face control...

hands: tiny fluttering movements that complete the tighter areas of the body's natural spiral... the belly dance name for it is "lotus hands" i can't find any better examples of this, but she basically does it. I'd like to think my version of this is cooler... a lot more cascading individual finger movement...

fingers: this guy does some finger tutting, which is really fun... i use tiny bits of these actions...

directions: the dancer has a lot of axes to work with... in this clip from james brown's pilot t.v. episode, future shock, this guy at 3:15 is dealing with time in a mostly 90 degree way, but with a ton of moxie and funk...

feet: while we're with james brown, he does some great sliding footwork in this video early on...

feet: of course, there's always michael's footwork...

someone has adapted the moonwalk to the breakdancing style "gliding"...

i do a think where i glide in a circle with my feet basically never leaving first position, but i can't find anyone else doing that. i realize i'll have to step up at some point and upload a video... it will take goading... anyway, interms of other dancingthen there's the stuff that i don't even pretend to incorporate, but i find terribly inspiring... there's the lindy hop:

and of course really bad ass breakdancers... my buddy jubz had some videos of aerialists that youtube has never bested, but here's an amazing windmill compilation i found:

even further there is the not-exactly dance movement that rocks my world, like capoeria:

sometimes the music makes me move slowly, like in tai chi:

and sometimes it's all about spirit... "duende", as flamenco would call it. maybe it takes just being goofy, just being energetic or whatever, but you have to feel it. here are some Rajasthani dancers (who feel it!) from the spectacular film, Latcho Drom:

P.S. (i'm sure i forgot some AWESOME dancing that I love... and some that isn't even my thing but still rules... so feel free to leave some more tips in the comments... i'll update this post if anything is really crucial!)

videomg

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:23:00 +0000

via boingboing

via masala

via pure moxie

brian francis

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:36:00 +0000

bug me if you don't see a poem here by sunday night march 14th...

Awesome.

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:22:00 +0000

this the story of how karl rove got beat up by a 9 year old girl. she saw a nixon sticker on his bicycle and gave him a black eye. gawker thinks we should make this young child a folk hero. money quote:

"The little girl knew not what she did, that her fists would launch a thousand campaigns and a war in Iraq. All she knew was that Karl Rove was a snot-nosed punk and she could take him down with one hand tied behind her pigtails."

two animal abstractions

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:42:00 +0000

a mostly meh collection of cartoonish adobe illustrator drawings yields these two gems of abstraction involving animals...

stay strong.

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:24:00 +0000

things are awesome.
i've got a new daughter, violet ember gyre.
two of my all-time favorite deejays are coming into town soon...
i 'm fixing up a 95 year old house on an acre of woods within pittsburgh city limits.
replaced nearly all the utilities, removed lead & asbestos hazards
can now cook, clean, wash & sleep there...
play with the children.

also dojo. carpe noctem. u know who u r.

i'm going to try to use the internet less so i can blog more,
so look for more action soon at the event blog & here...
i owe the back catalogue of that veiled gazelle retagging...
i have tons of mp3s to post, and the sister mix to d.d.d.
.pdfs, book reviews, recipes, photos of the house, theory....

in the meantime you can join me on facebook.
note: my facebook links feed in here up top...

MORE MUSIC! MORE ART! MORE LOVE!

stay strong.

james gyre - "don't don't dance" a mix @ 130 b.p.m.

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:23:00 +0000

james gyre - "don't don't dance"

recorded live 11/11/09

turntables/traktor

wAgAwAgA - maytime daytime sun
Mochipet - Get Your Whistle Wet (DJ Sep & Jason Short Dub Mix Feat. Juakali)
Von Magnet - Mostar Angels
madera limpia - la lenta (schlachthofbronx remix)
Tony Allen - Awa Nare (Bonde Do Role remix)
Busy Signal - Da style deh (Douster Dagga remix)
Malente, Dex - Gipsy Kings feat. Analogik
Stereotyp Meets Al-Haca - Nu Styling (feat. DJ Collage)
Com.a - Ghetto Magic
Guns N' Bombs - Riddle Of Steel (Original Mix)
Workidz - Work It (Glitch remix)
DJ Sega - Paper Planes (Philly Club remix)
DJ DEEKLEIN - Dont Smoke Da Reefer (Twocker's Superskunk Re-Rub)
DJ Quest & Eskmo - Speakers Corner
DJ Blaqstarr - Shake It To The Ground (Claude von stroke remix)
Bounce Camp - Big Dancin
Zero DB - Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines
Toadally Krossed Out! - Toads Theme
Dorian Concept - Color Sexist
A-Trak - Say Whoa (Boys Noize remix)
Jack Beats - What (Foamo Edit)
Bok Bok - Nntf09
dj tameil - get silly
DJ tim dolla - We Are Ur Friends
Hot City - Head Work
Akufen - Deck the house (Herbert stops like this mix)
BRACKLES - Sutorîto Faitâ
Gucci Vump - Sha, Shtil!
Wiley - Eyes Of The Lord (Prod. By Nathan Retro)
Horsepower Productions - special 131
2562 - Flashback
Faltydl - Bravery
Illyah & Ltd. Candy - Fight the Formation

it's a fun, summery mix for mid-winter. clean your house. dance out of your clothes. it's 130 b.p.m. but not without bass-weight. one oldie, but mostly instant hipster classics.

props to and inspiration from dj ripley's "to the party members" mix, dj rupture in general, mad decent and cutups and keeb$ of lazercrunk! thanks to masala and wizards are better.

also, thanks to the party liberation front podcast / rva magazine for requesting the mix in the first place... sorry it took so long, and it's only pt.1! pt.2 will take it up a notch (10!) to 140 b.p.m...

flux

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:57:00 +0000

big deejay shows, and big changes:

new house (really soon)
new baby (soon)
other ish, 2.

updating eventually! in the meantime:

hip hop and the occult...

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:10:00 +0000

so i listen to part 1 of an interview with mitch horowitz on the (occasionally goofy or dull) occult of personality podcast (which is also sometimes fascinating). a little while later, i notice mitch horowitz is guestblogging over at boingboing. he has an article up on the occult and hip hop there, which links to a piece on npr, which has an excerpt from his new book, "occult america". the piece on npr discusses the influence of 5-percenters/nation of gods and earths on hip hop artists, as well as how they differ notably from the nation of islam movement. i first delved into 5-percent material through the wu-tang manual, written by rza, but mos def, busta rhymes, rakim & big daddy kane are all affiliated with the 5-percenters. they utilize a system of "supreme mathematics", including the 8th degree, "building", which is definitely a word i hear most around emcees... "let's sit and build for a minute." insha'allah we will! this all makes me want to go back and listen to old mystik journeymen albums to see if i can decipher any occult truths!

but for real, most of the great musicians (or artists or thinkers) ply some sort of spiritual dimension to their music (or art or thought), even when they mock it in the same breath... so the article seemed kind of obvious to me... but notable still for the fact that these idea seem more mainstream, more present in pop consciousness...

saul williams, whose self-titled album is littered with occult reference

recent playlists...

noreply@blogger.com (James Gyre) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Played two great parties this week... my opening night at the brillo box (beautiful!) and the very fun down n derby roller disco at belvedeere's (fun!)... the first was a great night... there had been g20 clashes in the streets all day, so the music leaned a bit radical, while still international and dancey... the second was a great opportunity to play all the house, techno & more funky tunes i came up on. props to vince and crew for a great event with good vibes. i'll def. be back.

Sept 24th (the garden of ) Earthly Delights debut night @ brillobox

10pm - 11:11pm cocktail social zone

Burnt Freidman & the Nu Dub Players - pater noster
Burial - Gutted
Manitas de plata - Track 05
pandit shivkumar sharma & ustad zakir hussain - Raga Kamod, Gat In Jhaptaal
Unknown Japanese (Splendeur du koto) - Piste 6
Dembu - Dagusa Dirarey
Ompeh - Effutu Area in 12
Boxcutter - kab 27
Beem - Is This the Future? (feat. Daniel Dermes)
Hugh Mundell & Augustus Pablo - Run Revolution A Come
Kinski - Badunk Gadunk
Mos Def - Revelations
Illyah & Ltd. Candy - Fight The Formation
Wary - Sallama
TONY ALLEN - Asiko
tlen-huicani - Track 13
Unknown Indian (4000 years of musical heritage) - Track 23
Nouvelle Vague - Guns Of Brixton
Yo Majesty - BUY LOVE
Henry & Louis featuring Steve Harper - Rise Up (DJ Pinch Remix)
The Spit Brothers - Roll And Tumble (Bakir And Dubsworth's VIP Mix)
Danny Breaks & DJ Adlib - The Sound

11:11pm - 12am 1st dance set

Cypress Hill - When The Shit Goes Down
DJ Vadim - Your Revolution (feat. Sarah Jones)
Major Lazer - Hold The Line (DJ C Remix)
Monaster - Pour Toi
Julieta con los Nuñez - Viernes Cultural (Dick el Demasiado Sabado Cultural remix)
Los Daddys - Cumbia Negra
Tifa & Natalie Storm - Talk Of The Town
Nicolette - No Government
Watcha Clan - Balkan Qoulou
Balkan Beat Box - Habibi Min Zaman (Mr. Tune Remix)
Michel Cleis - La Mezcla (Original Mix)
Madera Limpia - La Lenta (Schlachtofbronx remix)
Erick Rincon - Magdalena (Exclusiva Gales)
Busy Signal - Da style deh (Douster Dagga remix)
M.I.A. - Bamboo Banga
Douster - TASSPé
dead prez - Warzone (with Pete Rock)
Mohommad Reza Mortazavi - Travel Fever
ROB - Make It Fast, Make It Slow
Fambo - Unknown (creepa riddim)
the coup - laugh/love/fuck and drink liquor
Afronaut - Hencho En Casa (feat Hector Calderon - Landslide vox mix)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Diablo Rojo
Dr Meaker - Bad Boy Calling (Rob Smith's Festive Road Remix)
Ekstrak - Mass Dampers
Unknown Sufi - Müstear

12am - 1am - Pete Pandemic's set...

1am - 2am 2nd dance set

Mr. Marcus & The Hollow Sisters - unknown (prison jam)
Dead Prez & Outlawz - How U Like That
King - Dont Taze Me Bro (DTMB)
Filastine - Desordenador
Borgore - Foes (16bit Fuck Hoes Remix)
Clouds - Too Much
Digital Mystikz - Anti War Dub
Iration Steppas & Dan Man - Too Much War
Jahdan Blakkamoore - jahdan_blakkamoore-the_general_(original_mix)
damian marley - We're Gonna Make it
Schlachthofbronx - Good to go
Krazy Baldhead - Revolution (Para One remix)
Buraka Som Sistema - New Africas pt. 2
dj tameil - get silly
Joker and Ginz - ReUp
Meat Katie & D. Ramirez feat Odissi - Stop The Revolution (dubfire mix)
Daft Punk - Revolution 909
Dorian Concept - Color Sexist
Matthew Dear - it's over now
Claude von Stroke - Who's Afraid of Detroit
ricardo villalobos - Ichso
Ellen Allien & Apparat - Metric
Beat Pharmacy feat. mutabaraka - wata
Shackleton - Death Is Not Final (Feat. Vengeance Tenfold)
Kromestar Vs Hatcha - fuel head
Emalkay - My Story
The Widdler - Positive_Vibes_(HD4000_Remix)
Untold - Discipline
Burnt Freidman & the Nu Dub Players - life is worth dying for

Sept. 26th Down n' Derby roller disco night @ belvedeere's

9pm - 11:30pm - my set

Soulphiction - B2.What's Your Name
Matthew Herbert - Gang Of Boys
Willie Colon & Ruben Blades - Plastico (Bugz in the Attic Remix)
dJ food - Break
Boxcutter - Cosmic Parent
Boxcutter - Mp Post Funk
Trus'me - 12:12
Mike Monday - 11 11 (Original Mix)
FALSE - Love Letters
Isolee - Pillowtalk
Bloc Party - Where is Home? (Burial Remix)
Burial - Distant Lights
El-B Feat. Rolla - Serious (Locked On)
Artful Dodger - Movin' Too Fast (New Version)
Horsepower Productions - special 131
mj cole - Never Say Never (Duncan Powell mix)
akufen - radio shuffle
Moodymann - Freeki Mutha F cker
Troubleman - Strikehard
Richie Hawtin - shufflephunk
Patrick Dawes - crispy duck [Akwaaba Rmx]
Cooly G - Floating
Ark - E-Cone (Akufen Rmx)
THE EVASIONS & GARY'S GANG - Wikka Wrap
Chuck Love - Funkinwitdasystem - Original Mix
Aaron Roberts - Soul It As Funk - Scud Bloom's Velcro Bonus Mix
Angie Brown - Movin Up (Stupid Fresh Mix)
Kyle Watson - Setup - Original Mix
Solid Groove & Sinden - Red Hot
Solid Groove & Sinden - Gotta Get Up__Original Mix
Armand Van Helden - Illin N Fillin It (Lee Mortimer's Wearhouse Music Remix)
Chris Grant - The Jimmy Jam - The Sound Republic's Government Cheese Mix
Kenneth Bager - Fragment Seven (Les Fleurs) (Jesse Rose Remix)
luke vibert - Disco Bus
Luke Vibert - House Stabs
Junesex - Who Wants Freedom
Isolee - Enrico
Felix Da Housecat - What Does it Feel Like (Röyksop dmx)
DJ Mujava - Township Funk (Radioclit Remix)
DJ T - Funk on You (Original)
A Made Up Sound - Sunday
mouse on mars - Send Me Shivers
mr. oizo - Patrick 122
DJ Kue - Fuk It Up
DJ Mehdi - I am somebody (paris version)
Diplo - Veni Vidi Vici (Diplo Remix)

11:30pm - 3am - DJ Royale's set...

thanks to negrophonic, dutty artz, ghetto bassquake, masala, mashit, mad decent, palms out, heatwave & mr. jennings for tipping me to some of the tracks i played... keep up the ill curation, folks. props to torrentech for keeping the dubs coming. and of course respect due to all the artists... they make deejaying such a pleasure. If anyone has any trouble finding more information about any of these artist's i'd be happy to help pass along what i know...