A Day at Osakajo Park

Still going through tons of photos from my recent Japan trip, a few more from my trip to Osaka.  This day was a very relaxing one outdoors enjoying food and beer with with a few friends while the Boombox played the tunes for this Sunday afternoon.

A King And His Vinyl

An amazing view for all you vinyl heads out there as Dust & Grooves makes it's way to Philly to speak with DJ, Producer and all around cool cat King Britt on his love of collecting vinyl, video games, Japanese TV and more.  Salute to Dust & Grooves for the excellent job that they are doing capturing and preserving the culture of vinyl and it's stories that go along with them.

A Vinyl University

While in Toyoma I had the pleasure of visiting a university which archives, catalogs and houses Japan's largest record collection which is nothing less than amazing!  The great thing about this university is that you can go in and research a particular record that your looking for, pull the record then go to one of these Darth Vader style listening stations then lose yourself in a sound odyssey.  The stations are equipped with high end turntables, no Technics 1200's here, hi fi speakers right by your ears and a control system down by your right hand.  It's an amazing experience to say the least, even though I've heard some of the records I've pulled a million times I've never heard them like this!

A Vinyl Tradition

We continue the tradition of celebrating all things 7" and 12" vinyl with the Soul Flexin x Hot Peas & Butta Anniversary party in San Diego next Friday.  Feel really good to be spinning so many strictly vinyl events lately, you really have to prepare your music and make whats in your crates work.  If you were at last years event then you know early arrival is suggested as this place fills up fast!

For The Record

It felt good to do a Japan tour with nothing but vinyl and spinning with some of the best DJ's out there that still appreciate it to the fullest.  That same vinyl tradition will spill over for 2 gigs next week on the East and West Coast.  This months "For The Record" in NYC is honored to have Truth & Soul label head, heavy collector and all around great DJ, Akalepse on board playing some of this finest tunes. 

Red Bull BC One Chicago

This weekend I'll be DJing for the Red Bull BC One event in Chicago and also DJing the Afterparty.

Soul Sisters Stand up!

Every once in a while an amazing mix will make it's way into my inbox that I find myself listening to 2, 3, 4 and occasionally 5 times in a row, well I guess today is that lucky day for me and hopefully you!  We caught word in the office of this mix from the homies Skratch Bastid & The Gaff titled "Soul Sisters, Stand Up!" and knew this was something we needed to check out, what we didn't know was how perfectly sliced, mixed and blended it was going to be all with a fresh approach to a genre that we're so familiar with.  I gotta give it up and co-sign this 100%, definitely made my day to hear this mix so now I'm passing it on to you and hopefully you'll enjoy it to!

The Home of Anime (Japan Tour part 2)

It's always great when a promoter brings you in to do their party but it's equally as amazing when they understand you and the things you appreciate by taking you around to explore different sites.  Most promoters will take you diggin but Taizo stepped the game up by not only taking me to Osaka's finest dig spots but also by taking me to a place that he knew would eclipse almost anything on any trip, The Osamu Tezuka Museum which was a 40 minute drive away but well worth it!

Taizo knows that I'm a big Anime fan and that my appreciation for Japanese heroes and TV characters runs deep so visiting this museum definitely blew my mind.  The museum housed the very beginnings of Osamu Tezuka's legacy as the creator of Anime and characters such as Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy), Kimba (which Disney stole for the Lion King), Magma Taishi and many others.  Held in this location are his original drawings, comics strips, sculpts and more artifacts from his long career, definitely a history lesson for those interested in the genre.

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Osaka Soul (Japan Tour part 1)

Finally getting around to updating the blog with pics from my Magma Taishi  Returns / Hot Peas & Butta Japan Tour a week ago.  I'll have to make several entries since I took a ton of pics, did a lot of seeing, rocked a few parties and all around just enjoyed my time in Japan.

14hr Flights are not fun but hey, you read a little, sleep a little, watch a few movies and your at your destination before you know it.  (Sky Priority, it's just how we fly)

After arriving in Japan at 11pm I get greeted by my peoples Anijha and Sarasa the first thing on the menu was to hit one of my favorite spots The Room where the Champ Party was going on.   Champ is one of those parties that goes in heavy with the tunes, straight vinyl and keeping the floor rocking.   The first song I walk into was the DJ dropping an OG copy of the Willie Dynamite Soundtrack, gotta love Japan!

Late night stop at the best Ramen spot around then time to crash so that we can make the trek to Osaka via the Bullet train for the Hit The Spot! party.

Time for a ride on the Bullet train to Osaka to do some digging and rock Hit The Spot!

Great night spinning strictly Funk & Soul 45's with DJ's Taizo and Tanico.  

Also on the bill for the night was Taizo's band The Fabulous Vibrations.  And I'm gonna hip you to them know, they are the next big thing coming out of Japan.  Their sound is bold and amazing, the drummer is funky, the horn section screams, an all around complete package.

The place was packed by midnight and stayed rocking until 6am, such a great crowd for this All Nighter.

Definitely a perfect way to start off the tour, thank you Osaka!  Stay tuned for part 2.

The Batmobile Documentary

First look at the upcoming Batmobile Documentary being released along with The Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray boxset dropping this holiday season.

Tales of Avenging Eagle

Man you know we're always lacing you with something good over at Sesion31 HQ's right!?  Well Fredy Blast is back with a new episode of his podcast, The Supagenius Cereal Show and this one is dedicated to one of his favorite Shaw Bros flix of all time, Avenging Eagle.  Blast hand crafted some excellent beats with film sound clips to give you an amazing cinematic feel.

Tale of The 808

Interesting trailer for a new documentary by the legendary Arthur Baker on the infamous Roland 808 Drum Machine.  The 808 hands down was the most famous machine in the 80's and still held in high regards today.  Hopefully this project will interview people that were actually relevant during that time and not just new producers of today simply because of their popularity.


"Planet Rock and Other Tales of the 808" - Teaser 1 from You Know on Vimeo.

The Payback

It's great to see that Bboy, Graphic Designer, Hot Peas & Butta blog contributor and good friend The 45 Brains is starting a new monthly out in the Bay Area called The Payback which is a night dedicated to Soul, Funk and RnB delivered to your ears via 7".  Good luck with the new party!

The Service of Records

One of the highlights of being a DJ pre 2000's was being on the fortunate list of being serviced by labels and record pools and receiving their promo releases, future hits (and sometimes garbage).  With the internet age and labels spending less (and sometimes nothing) on sending promo material but focusing on sending you mp3 files it's always a great feeling when the Postman rings the bell to deliver a box full of goodies.  After being away for the last 3 weeks I came home to an assortment of those said items the first being one from Slice of Spice who has really been taking care of me with the gems.  I have to always give shouts and salutes to Mr. Smith for his hard work and dedication that he puts in on making sure that his label stands out from the pack, from the music to the presentation.

Everything from 7's to 10's to Flexi's was included in the package, now all I need is a free weekend alone to lock myself in the lab so that I can enjoy all this magical music!

Be sure to check out Slice of Spice for all the exclusives, special releases, classics, limited editions and more.

http://slice-of-spice.com/

Figure me this Batman!

Looks like Hot Toys is back at it again with a new figure release of Batman for the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises.  Hot Toys never let's down with their attention to detail and realistic looking characters from facial to costume designs and the same holds true with this 1/6th figurine designed by Kojun and J.C. Hong.

Jazzy Sensation

It's always good to see people with creativity putting their talents to use.  My homegirl Jazzy Jes from Switzerland recently started her brand for woman called Jazzy Sensation which carries an assorted line of really dope custom ear rings.  Everything is fresh but I'm really digging the music legends inspired ones by James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Jimmy Castor to name a few.  Peep a few of her pieces here then head over to her Facebook page to see more and place your order!

http://www.facebook.com/JazzySensation