Sunday, April 19, 2009

For Your Pleasure @ Hailey's

For Your Pleasure is a Sunday night weekly event at Hailey's Club in Denton, TX.
The night was taken over from Wild-in-the-Streets' previous residency. Now you can find me providing music among the ambiance of ping pong & pool playing afficianados. It makes for an interesting night.

You can hear my take on soul/r&b from 60s/70s, glamrock & its protopunk progeny, 60s garage rock, the motorik psych of german krautrock, jazz styles from 50s-70s, jamaican ska, rocksteady, roots reggae, dub & touches of afro-latin-brazilian flavas...

I play every Sunday when there's not a show at Hailey's, so check the show calendar before you come up.  Past guests have included: Gabriel Mendoza, Sir Anthony, Mark Riddlin, and Shane English. 

Here's a playlist of some tunes I have previously played there & are fondly growing an association (in my mind) to the night...

Gabor Szabo - Spellbinder
Joe Henderson- Inner Urge
Grant Green- Talkin Bout J.C.
Ramsey Lewis- Sun Goddess
Milt Jackson- Sunflower
Nina Simone- See-Line Woman
Alphonze Mouzon- Funky Snakefoot
The Commodores- Machine Gun
Aretha Franklin- Rock Steady
Intruders- Cowboys to Girls
Sly & the Family Stone- Ride the Rhythm
Ike & Tina Turner- Nutbush City Limits
Isley Brothers - This Ole Heart of Mine
Southwind Symphony - Coming Home
Stylistics - People Make the World Go Round
Earth, Wind & Fire- That's the Way of the World
Freddie Hubbard- First Light
The Crusaders- Snowflake
Weather Report- Man in the Green Shirt
Herbie Hancock- Sun Touch
McCoy Tyner- Passion Dance
Jackie Mittoo- Last Train to Skaville
Augustus Pablo- Far East
Gregory Isaacs- Night Nurse
Don Un Romao- Escravos de Jo
Neu!- Hallogallo
Can- Pinch
Kraftwerk- Tanzmusik
New York Dolls- Looking for a Kiss
Cozy Powell- Dance with the Devil
David Bowie - Secret Life of Arabia
Roxy Music - Both Ends Burning
The Glitter Band- Tears I Cried
The Count Five- Reaction

Friday, April 17, 2009

National Record Store Day


Jeff Liles has an article in the observer about National Record Store Day and some of the great record stores in the metroplex over the last 40 years.  There's a nice little snipit about Metamorphosis Records in there.  Click here for the full article.

"These days, the last remaining crate diggers represent the heart of the faithful; the club DJs, the record collectors and producers, the wax tourists who go from city to city looking for rare grooves they can sample for new hip-hop artists. There is an art to it. The lifestyle requires taste, patience, time and money. It also requires the ownership of a functioning record player and needles. All of that stuff takes up space and requires attention. 

In a world where people are downsizing and putting their lives on a hard drive, the commitment to collecting records usually means dedicating the extra bedroom in your house or apartment just for climate-controlled storage. You don't keep records in the garage. "

Thursday, April 16, 2009

[MAKE] A SCENE

The official launch party of untMAKE (the unofficial University of North Texas MAKE chapter) is this Friday April 17th at Hailey's Club.  There will be collaborative art and projects going on through the night, and the music will be provided by DJG, as well as Yeahdef and R9 (of downlow music).  The party runs from 9pm-2am, and there is no cover for the night.  However, there is a suggested donation to untMAKE, so spread the love.

Special thanks to Yeahdef and WMO2! for putting the party together!

You can visit the untMAKE website for more information on the party and the chapter.

If you have no idea what MAKE is........then visit their official website or pick up a copy of their magazine at your local bookstore.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Left of the Dial


Wednesdays at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, I've started a new weekly called "Left of the Dial". I'll be playing post-punk, goth, early industrial, shoegaze, and assorted 70s/80s alternative. The music is inspired by things I listened to in High School and music I still listen to at home. I'm hoping to build up enough of a crowd to keep this thing going, since there is no other place to hear this kind of stuff in Denton. Here's a little list of some of the artists I play:

The Church
Clan of Xymox
Sisters of Mercy
My Bloody Valentine
The Jesus & Mary Chain
Tones on Tail
Love and Rockets
Savage Republic
Echo and the Bunnymen
The Bolshoi
House of Love
The Chameleons UK
Cranes
Lush
Mighty Lemon Drops
Spacemen 3
Medicine
Loop
Galaxie 500
Dream Syndicate
Television
XTC
The Jam
Wire
Nico
Virgin Prunes
Siouxsie and the Banshees
The Creatures
The Glove
The Damned
Dead Boys
Lords of The New Church
Chrome
Hawkwind
The Cramps
Birthday Party
Big Black
Killing Joke
Pere Ubu
This Heat
A Certain Ratio
Swans
PiL
SPK
Gang of Four
The Stranglers
Magazine
Cabaret Voltaire
Front 242
Chris & Cosey
DAF
Section 25
Skinny Puppy
Severed Heads
Trex
Bowie
Dolls
Roxy
Iggy
Eno
ect...

I'll be playing tonight, April 15th, and then these dates in May: 6th, 13th, 20th. After that, who knows....

A little introduction....

As a kid, my older brothers turned me onto much of the music i still love & spin today: Kraftwerk, New Order, Human League, XTC, Einsturzende Neubauten, Sisters of Mercy, The Smiths, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Berlin, Yaz...these were my fertile years as a music lover.

in 1989, i heard "A day in the life" by Todd Terry/ Black Riot (on Jeff 'stotle' Steel's "Jackin' the Box" on Dallas radio KNON 89.3). That was my first encounter with 'house' music, with its samples and references, heavily indebt to disco. That era was was a turning point for many people in the Dallas area. i remember hearing mix tapes from a certain local dj named GO-Go Mike DuPriest. Playing disco, house, British indie dance and a new phenomena called 'acid house'. It was phenomenal and inspiring.

My brother Joshua soon started dj-ing at nightclubs. I, pre-teen, couldn't go out yet, so i stayed home, played his 12"s, teaching myself to mix on his equiptment. He soon earned a reputation as a local dance club jock as well as a deep house music dj, in the truest sense.

In the mid/late 90's, I played around in a few bands but focused on an improv, electronic, neo-classical outfit called Senter Divider w/ collaborator Christian Buss (now Center Divider based in NYC). It wasnt untill the turn of the century, when i became absorbed with classic electro funk, latin freestyle and garage disco. It was then I began to discover many of the vintage dance records that i heard sampled in house music. This was a revelation. I soon had the opportunity to dj-ing in public, aside from small 'listening parties' at home. A one-off gig was preposed to my friend, Chris Colley (now in NYC bands SOFT & Koko Ono) & I, playing alongside the local electro-bassmen, TRANSEXFORMERS (Tommyboy & Glen Blip) at Le Privilege (now The Mowhawk)in Austin. That was my first public dj gig and the beginning of a new era for me. The following year, i co-founded a party dj-duo known as "Poor-in-'84" with Brian Edwards (local dj Magic Fly). Engrossed in the sounds of late 70's and early 80's Italo Disco (an all electronic disco music pre-dating house), we forged an alliance, bringing this esoteric & neglected music to the masses under the guise of "80's dance" parties. It was here that i began to preach a promotional protocol of dance "music from the eighties, not just 80's music".

April 2004, i began a residency at Hailey's Club in Denton with much thanks to Glenn Squibb. His "Axis" parties were slightly modified into an "80's Dance" party. I held this position untill new year's morning of 2010. I continue to play music and curate parties & events with like minded people.

*******In the spirit of David Mancuso's legendary NYC LOFT parties, as well as the sincere love of privately sharing music with my close friends since i can remember, I seek events that will allow me to deliver my musical vision of recycling past treasures as well as new exciting sounds in a wholistic, deep, soulful experience of listening to music*************

special thanks to anyone who ever came, danced, enjoyed any music i have ever shared with them. your supportive feet & ears make it all happen.