ROCK THE CASBAH | THE JORDAN 4 EXPERIENCE
Last night after my gig I swung by UNDFTD hoping to get a glimpse of a small line out front for the Jordan 4′s.
There was a line of 10 folks hanging out at 2 am. I figured I could go home and get some shut eye then wake in the morning
and hopefully score a spot. People tend to think Im crazy for wanting to wait in a line for X amount of hours for a pair
of kicks. But trust me when I say you see some crazy stuff and meet some cool folks. Okay back to the Jordan 4 quest.
Well, No luck! However I scored a couple of cool drunks singing one of my favorite Clashsongs! I kinda think it was worth
waking up at 9 am for. What do you think? Watch the video below.
JUST VISITING | EPK
I remember listening to certain songs over and over and over trying to get a basic mix
right. At times I would listen to it behind the mixing board and fall asleep. I would get
so lost in the mix. I am a perfectionist to a degree. Check out the making and process
of my new record “Just Visiting” which drops 6/5 on Plug Research!
-av
THE KILLING TIME SESSIONS.
During a recording session we decided to take a break and jam. Peep!
DJ WORKSHOP | MIGUEL CONTRERAS LEARNING CENTER
Im proud of my students at Miguel Contreras Learning Center in DTLA. The students have been coming in once a week
and developing basic skills and understanding the role of the dj. We began with vinyl and just started using Serato.
This was our first attempt at doing doubles on the turntables.
GET TO KNOW | BLUE CANVAS
Tonight we celebrate the launch of Issue 10 by the folks over at Blue Canvas. I am a fan of these guys/gals are doing
in the print/online world so Im always honored when they call me to do dj sets at their events. If your around LA tonight
or in the middle of Art Walk stop by! It’s free, lots of art, live painting and inside one of my favorite DTLA venues, The Exchange.
Info below. In the mean time, get to know the folks. Music provided by yours truly!
THE PARK | TWICE THE ZOMBIE
Little Dragon meets The Cranberries | Twice The Zombies
DARONDO X THE PARK | FLY ON THE WALL SESSIONS
I find myself constantly surrounded by creative people. I decided to kick off a series of shorts following these people
in their creative environments. Darondo is someone who captured my musical ear with heart breaking rendition of
“Didn’t I”. I was invited by one of my favorite bands “The Park” to come and hang out. I instantly gravitated towards
Darondo and his passion for both his music and a good laugh. I hope I was able to capture some of his magic.
Enjoy!
THE PARK – BELLEVILLE (DIRECTED BY ANTHONY VALADEZ
It was a cold Thursday night in Downtown LA. These guys traveled all the way from San Francisco
to perform at DIRTY KICKS. Right after I threw them all into my Scion and we shot a nice video. The timing
could not have been any better considering they have been getting radio play on my show on KCRW and
Gilles Peterson’s show “Worldwide“We shot till the sun came up and even had a casualty in the band.
However myself, the band and our assistant Diana worked through outthe early morning tirelessly to
create this clip. Its my directorial debut.
Enjoy!
Ps.. you can download the track here
THE PANGEA MAN MADE ORCHESTRA
Feat. Novena Carmel (Ipad drums), Lefto (Kalimba) and Anthony Valadez (Shaker). An original tune by the legendary trio who never tour nor record albums. Thats just how underground they are.
CALI ADVENTURES
Peep the one on one chat!
LA TIMES MAGAZINE | I LIKE TO WATCH
A special thanks to the LA Times Magazine for allowing to me to pick 3 of my favorite youtube clips as part of their “I LIKE TO WATCH” series. In an age where print is threatened I have to give a thumbs up to the Times for keeping up and having a foot in the online arena. Make sure to check out my picks by clicking here
EFTERKLANG VS VINCENT MOON | AN ISLAND
This is an incredible project by Vincent Moon featuring the music Efterklang (an 8 piece Danish live band) which incorporates a 4 day shoot with an island community creating visual interpretations of the full album released by the band. Over 200 people were involved in this project. Moon creates a soothing aesthetic with his directing and cinematic skill. This is one of the most incredible visual styles I have seen in a minute. Did I mention how incredible this song and performance is?
NYE AFTER PARTY | DENNY’S
After our amazing NYE jump off at Zanzibar we shifted the party over to Denny’s. My man KG is one classy dude! Here is some raw footage.
FASHION DESIGNER RUNS FROM THE DEAD
One of my goals in 2010 was to direct a zombie flick on the lot of Warner Brothers. With no financial backing and an I phone, I made it happen. If you know me, then you know I have a plan to survive an actual zombie attack. I am convinced that at some point in the future it could happen. Anyways, this is the story of a young French hip sexy guy named Anthony V who survives a plane crash and finds himself in a town where he is followed by what wishes to eat him. Enjoy!
INSPIRATION | SAADIQ
It’s been a long day however a great one. Thanks to KCRW pal Chris Douridas, a few of us at the station were able to sit in & listen to the new Raphael Saadiq album at his Blakeslee Studio. Being a studio geek, I could not help myself but to explore the studio. No need to parlay with the small talk going on in the various rooms, my eyes were too busy exploring the faders, the keyboards, the moog, the turntable, the vinyl and notes posted on a door to indicate possible additions to various music projects. To see the playlist of the full album and a few other perspectives on this amazing album click here
Once we all gathered in his studio, Saadiq pressed play and for the next 50 or something minutes, song after song, nothing but some of the best & honest material I have heard in a while. Stone Rollin’ is 10 songs complete with heavy drum breaks, beautiful string sections built around Saadiq’s lyrics and most importantly, just good music! Saadiq explained this is the next chapter of his sound. Im excited for this release which is set to drop in March of 2011.
