hip hop dan

here we go yo! 9:30 Club 7/17

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:48:49 -0400

great lakes brewery

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:10:00 -0400

Once I surpassed the notion that beer is a purely utilitarian device, I’ve attempted to develop what I would hope is an evolving palette and a greater appreciation for a good brew. While the craft-brewing movement is no doubt becoming quickly fashionable these days, I can’t say I entirely mind one bit at all.

There was most definitely a time in my life when I thought, by and large, beer was beer. Primarily a means to an end, it required a good amount of chug-a-lugging in order to obtain sufficient intoxication. However, the first time I tried a good IPA I realized that there was far more to beer than previously realized.

While I still love a good IPA, these days I’ve really been enjoying stouts and porters — a style of beer that, admittedly, I had to force down my throat the first time I ever sampled it. Ink-black and requiring the careful sipping of a fine wine, stouts can be complex, oaky, strong, and bitter at times.

Anyway, I digress — I LOVE Great Lakes Brewing Company. I stumbled upon Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porter in part due to their employment of fantastic illustrations and package design, but also because once I had a chance to research the brewery, I quickly saw that their beer was among the most consistently praised and highly regarded on the market. Lucky for me, the company’s regional distribution now covers Washington, DC.

While I haven’t had the opportunity to sit down with the entire line, I can say that so far there hasn’t been a dud in the group. The whole experience is spot-on, and by the looks of it, their Brewpub in Cleveland, Ohio puts the finishing touches on an expertly well thought-out and curated “family of beers” (housed inside Victorian-era structures, the Brewpub’s taproom is rumored to bear the scars of bullets from the gun of Eliot Ness). I would probably take a trip to Cleveland just to go there.

I’ve been able to find Great Lakes beer in DC at Cowgirl Creamery and Yes! Organic Market, although I’m sure it’s available all over the city if you do a bit of sleuthing.

If you’re looking to find out more information on craft brewing, and/or beer in general, both BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer are truly great resources for both beginners (like me) and the well-versed.

CATCH THE GAME AT MOS EISLEY Of all the fantasies I have ever...

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:49:06 -0400

CATCH THE GAME AT MOS EISLEY

Of all the fantasies I have ever had in my life, among them are to 1) be animated as a character on “The Simpsons”, and 2) have a video game character made of me. I never quite thought of imagining myself being placed in one of the classic films which make up the original Star Wars trilogy, but now that my good buddy DJ Neil Armstrong has had the honor of just such a thing happening, I may have to add that one to my list as well. Check for appearances by Daft Punk, Snoop, David Bekham, Larry David, and more, all in this very fine World Cup ad created by Adidas Orginals and, presumably, Lucasfilm.

real talk

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:36:00 -0400

I wonder if either of them is friends with Gaye Males?

LOVE HURTS One of my favorite songs gets re-rubbed by the...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:35:00 -0400

LOVE HURTS

One of my favorite songs gets re-rubbed by the enigmatic Tommie Sunshine.
I had the pleasure of working with a few members of Soft Complex when I was working in Washington, DC, and “Wounded Valentine” has always stood out to me as a pristine, polished, and quintessential slice of electro-pop, heralded by artists such as the Pet Shop Boys and perfected in the new millennium by the likes of Junior Boys. “Wounded Valentine” deserves a place right up there next to any track penned by the aforementioned artists, and I’m happy to see Mr. Sunshine giving it a whirl behind the boards.

THERE IS NO TRADER JOE, ONLY TRADER MING. Kyle Kinane has...

Sat, 01 May 2010 15:46:31 -0400

THERE IS NO TRADER JOE, ONLY TRADER MING.

Kyle Kinane has seriously some of the best stand-up I’ve heard in a very long time. In fact, it’s inspired repeated listenings, and it still makes me laugh all the way through. Here’s Kyle’s Myspace Comedy page, and he has a Tumblr too. Support this man’s extremely funny work by picking up a copy of “Death of the Party” at the A Special Thing Store.

thou art lost and gone forever

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:42:00 -0400

BLAQSTARR “OH MY DARLIN’” from FRESH KILL on Vimeo.

Homie for life Hilton Carter recently linked up with fellow L.A.-by-way-of-Baltimore transplant Blaqstarr to shoot the wonderful “Oh My Darlin’” video.

From a musical perspective, and as a citizen of The City That Reads for the last five years or so, it’s interesting to see the mutation of Baltimore club music after it’s renaissance within the electronic music community. In many ways, most forms of popular music tend to be quite constricting when it comes to genre rules, in particular forms of electronic music. So, in a sense, it’s exciting to look at what a regional staple has given birth to across a broader spectrum.

Carter has been on his grizzly bear for quite some time now. His current work can be seen at the Fresh Kill web site, and you can even catch his debut short “Moth” next week at the Milan International Film Festival.

greetings from angola, africa

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:21:00 -0400

Thanks to SAMK Eventos I was given the opportunity to travel from the States, alongside the legendary Little Louie Vega of Masters at Work and Neil Armstrong, Jay-Z’s tour DJ, representing the USA for the second annual Rave Dos Dj’s. This was the first time American DJ’s ever performed in Angola, and we threw down with help from countless local Angolan DJ’s and the invaluable support of Portugal’s Johnny Def and Mario Roque. More pics chronicling our trip to come soon…but needless to say, it was an unforgettable experience.

what more can i say?

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:39:17 -0400

cyanotype synthesis

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:03:23 -0500

Last week Mr. Carter’s disc jockey (and one of my favorite people ever) DJ Neil Armstrong dropped the incredible “DNA of the Blueprint” mix, which chronicles the illustrious career of the one and only Hova in fine 5th Platoon fashion. If you’ve ever heard Neil’s mixes before, this one is exceptionally good, and if you are new to Mr. Armstrong, be prepared to be blown away. You can download the mix for free on Neil’s site, and stay tuned for an all-new DjNeilArmstrong.com coming very soon…

Plus, be on the lookout for some big things coming up with Neil in the coming weeks…more info on the way shortly….

instant winner:3.05.10

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:03:07 -0500

malibu sunset

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:18:34 -0500

On repeat: Ólöf Arnalds - Klara (12 Tonar) Hilary and I heard...

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:01:00 -0500

On repeat: Ólöf Arnalds - Klara (12 Tonar)

Hilary and I heard the tail-end of this song on KCRW while driving down the PCH, after watching a Malibu sunset.

new mix: sort of like a dream

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:08:00 -0500

For the first mix under the Missile Command umbrella I decided to take things in a slightly different direction than I typically go in…so gone are the cuts and quick drops, etc., replaced by a more serene and balanced aural experience. The goal was to create a foggy, dream-like atmosphere, one with few peaks and valleys but instead spongey and shapeless. Sort of like a dream.

Download “Sort of Like a Dream” here via zSHARE.

1. Intermezzo - JJ (Secretly Canadian)

2. Hearts On Fire (Aeroplane Remix) - Cut Copy (Modular)

3. Skeleton Boy (Air France Remix) - Friendly Fires (XL)

4. Die Slow (Pictureplane Remix) - HEALTH (HEALTH & Lovepump United)

5. Everyday - The Avalanches (Toy’s Factory)

6. Illgresi (Them Jeans Dance Remix) - Sigur Ros (XL)

7. Deli - Delorean (Fool House)

8. Numb (Ruff & Jam Mellow Mix) - Sia (Limited/Go! Beat)

9. Collapsing at Your Doorstep - Air France (Something In Construction)

Photo

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:22:36 -0500

black dynamite in the hour of chaos

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:02:00 -0500

Last Friday Hilary and I trucked on down to Landmark’s E St. Cinema in DC to catch a midnight showing of a film I’ve been eagerly awaiting (to say to least) - Scott Sanders’ hilarious sendup of blaxploitation films, “Black Dynamite”.

Simply put — everything in Sanders’ film is pitch-perfect — from the look and feel of the film used in the project (which the director explained is only developed in one place in the country, and by Mormons, at that), to the score and the acting. A movie which is essentially one long-running in-joke can lose steam if it doesn’t maintain it’s conviction the whole way through — and thankfully, “Black Dynamite” does so with ease.

Sanders was on-hand for a Q&A after the screening and was able to fill us in on some trivia about the film, including some details about Adult Swim’s upcoming Black Dynamite cartoon. After hitting the festival circuit with the film for some time, “Black Dynamite” has finally hit it’s stride as a midnight movie with a cult following. The DVD and Blu-Ray release arrives in mid-February.

Hilary and I munched on some caramel popcorn while we were in line for the sold-out showing.

terrible music roundup

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:10:00 -0500

washington, dc 1.09.10: rjd2 official afterparty

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:54:00 -0500

I’ll be anchoring the 9:30 Club Backbar for RJD2’s upcoming stop in our nation’s capitol. Not only will RJ be prepping for the January 19th release of his new album, The Colossus, but he will also be hitting the road as Kenna’s tour DJ in the coming months. Check out RJ’s site for a free download of “Games You Can Win”, The Colossus’ lead single, featuring vocals from Kenna.

who can it be now?

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:43:00 -0500

Found this pic when I was diggin’ through the good ‘ol iPhoto the other day. I Had the chance to DJ a house party with DJ Drew “Grandmaster Dee” of the legendary group Whodini. The trio was responsible for the classics “The Freaks Come Out At Night”, “Friends”, ”Five Minutes of Funk”, and “One Love”, as well as a slew of other pioneering electro-rap jams.

For some reason the one thing I always remember about that night was when Dee threw on “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters (who was also in attendance) and how everyone there just completely lost their shit. I’ve always tried to replicate the moment by dropping the same track whenever possible (and appropriate), but I have to admit I’ve never been able to do it quite like the Grandmaster.

Edit — I stole the pic above from Soulbounce.com — Crystal Waters at the same event, next to Shane German of SoundExchange. Maybe she’s Shazam-ing “Gypsy Woman”?

flavor of love

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:29:01 -0500

And I thought Crystal Pepsi was odd.