I just got back from some very fun holidays in Vietnam and I’m all set to play lots of cool sounds in 2012!
Before I left to spend Christmas with my family in and around Hanoi I prepared two special Christmas and New Year’s 8tracks playlists.
I came back from the trip with some pretty cool photos, all taken with two different Panasonic Lumix compact cameras:
While I was there I looked around for some vinyl records.
I had prepared beforehand and had read up on the people I’d need to contact to find a fresh stash of records.
Unfortunately I didn’t get enough time to get in touch with the proper people and I ended up playing cat and mouse with various contacts.
Which is why I turned my attention to a little shop that was right behind my hotel around Hoan Kiem district.
The shop is small but packed full of old musical equipment: cabinet speakers, turntables, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and vintage pre-amplifiers line the walls of Mr. Pham’s shop.
At first I just stopped to admire all the equipment, but the more I thought about it the more a real vintage – and working! – reel-to-reel tape recorder would be the perfect Christmas gift to myself.
The more I talked with Mr. Pham (through his son Giang), the more I felt his love for maintaining and using old equipment that had endured the test of time.
I walked away with my own tape player/recorder, and I brought it all the way back to Singapore.
Catch me at the end of the month for the next Pushin’ On session!
I’ve been quite busy these past few weeks, so I haven’t been able to post much in a while. Get ready for an extra long update!
I’ve been involved in so many projects that I even forgot to post this session I recorded almost two months ago at Pushin’ On‘s monthly gig at BluJaz Café.
I’m pretty proud of this set as I played lots of my latest discoveries, some of which are becoming new favorites.
Among the various projects I’m working on are a couple of Christmas parties (one of which is very exciting but I won’t say anything yet in fear of jinxing it), my weekly radio show on Sonar (every Saturday from 8 to 10pm and a repeat on Wednesdays from 3 to 5pm), a guest stint at PS Café (a very colorful Mexican tequila night!), organizing the next latino party at Piedra Negra (most probably for January or February), and other work-related activities.
I’m also working on a couple of 8tracks playlists (a jazzy Christmas one and a hip-hop/funk one) and on an upcoming promo Mixtape for Pushin’ On (I’m hoping to focus it on my latest Blaxploitation discoveries. Speaking of which, I’d like to include soundtrack music from Mexploitation films, but such music is proving harder to find than I had initially expected…).
On top of all that I’m also going through my archives to find all the tracklists for all my Sonar radio shows. This week I streamed my 12th radio show and I haven’t posted any of the playlists for the past 6 or 7 shows…I promise to post it all as soon as possible!
In other news, there are a couple of videos and sounds I’d like to share, mostly stuff that good friends of mine have been doing these past few weeks.
You can catch him with a panel of other talented friends at tomorrow’s THEM event.
My good friend Flo also posted a couple of mixtapes. Not bad at all for a first (drunken?) dub session!
My good friends at Syndicate have also been extremely busy, and I wanted to congratulate them on their first gig at Esplanade!
I’m sorry I missed the first one, but I’m sure there’ll be many more to come!
Sadly I also missed last week-end’s event at HOME Club, where special guest Blue Daisy brought the house down!
Last but not least, I’m quite excited about the live video streaming sessions the Panoptkn crew is dishing out on Sunday nights!
Ever since I discovered Jeff Mills’ DVD series some 8 years ago I’ve always loved the idea of having a long video of a DJ showing his skills right in your living room.
So imagine how thrilled I was to discover that my friends Nez, Masterpiece, and Garuda would each be featured on long-running live streams!
*Phew!*
Well, that’s enough updates for one night, maybe tomorrow I’ll post something else with all of the latest songs I’ve found these past couple of weeks.
We went all out for the event and decorated the place with lots of traditional Mexican decorations brought back from our travels.
There were food and beer specials, live music downstairs, my friend Adrien prepared some very cool visuals, and all three DJs (including Sanakan, a regular at Lantern) helped the crowd dance their butts off.
Below are my recorded live set, the 8tracks playlist I had prepared for the event, and some photos I took when not sipping on a delicious margarita.
Hope you enjoy!
PS: Make sure you keep checking this space for announcements of upcoming latino parties the Colectivo Boda de Rancho will keep organising at Piedra Negra. Hopefully this will become a regular gig that latinos living or travelling in Singapore will recommend to each other.
Last Sunday afternoon was held the much-awaited second edition of Sunday @ The Training Shed, and just like last time, many people turned out to enjoy sunny weather, great food, cold drinks, fresh air, and outdoor music!
I played some of my newest jazz and funk discoveries, and the Pushin’ On crew later played some great reggae, hip hop, and soul.
The crew was also joined by Marc Hype, Jim Dunloop, and DJ DSK of the SoulClap! crew, currently on their Asia tour.
Some photos courtesy of SoulClap!, other photos by me
In other news, note that on Friday October 14th I will be playing some tunes following the live performances that will be held at BluJaz Cafe as part of its Latino Weekend.
I’ve heard the musicans, and they’re damn good!
And in other Latino news, some friends and I will be hosting a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) party at Piedra Negra.
We will most likely hold the party on Friday November 4th, and we are working on getting special drinks, special dishes, DJs, and live percussions.
Hopefully this party will turn into a regular gig, that way every month the Latino community in Singapore will know where to go for cold drinks and cool tunes.
So watch this space for more information!
Here’s a first draft of the flyers I’m preparing (original design courtesy of marcorecuero_ilustracion):
Throughout the night I was accompanied by my talented friend Adrien, who prepared some excellent visuals for the night.
* Hopefully I’ll soon have a cool video to embed here *
Note that this recorded live session will also be next week’s radio show (my fourth one!) on Sonar, so make sure you listen to it on Saturday October 8th from 8 to 10 pm and on Wednesday October 12th from 3 to 5 pm (all Singapore times).
1. Tennessee Ernie Ford – Sixteen Tones
2. Johnnie Ray – Ain’t Misbehaving
3. The Angels – My Boyfriend’s Back
4. Wendy René – Bar B-Q
5. Oscar Brown Jr. – Work Song
6. Ernie K-Doe – Mother-In-Law
7. Brenton Wood – The Oogum Boogum Song
8. Mel Tormé – Comin’ Home Baby
9. Burt Blanca – Tout En Fumée
10. George Fame & His Blue Flames – Yeh Yeh
11. Bobby Darin – Splish Splash
12. Michel Legrand – Di-Gue-Ding-Ding
PART 1b
1. The Bobbettes – Mr. Lee
2. Barry Gray – Captain Scarlet
3. Bobby Valentin – Batman’s Boogaloo
4. Ray Barretto – James Bond Theme
5. Peter Knight & The Nightriders – Lucky Stars
6. Jimmy Smith – Mission Impossible
7. Zoo Nee Voo – Green Onions
8. The Lind & The Linders – Do The Crap
9. The Qualitons – Overdose
10. The 5 6 7 8s – Woohoo
11. Sam Cooke – Tennessee Waltz
PART 2a
1. The Soul Lifters – Hot, Funky, and Sweaty
2. The Otis & Carla Band – Tramp
3. The Believers – Mr. Hot Pants
4. Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul – Color Blind
5. Rev. Jamel – Walking on the Moon
6. Edwin Starr – War
7. Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie
8. Alphonze Mouzon – Funky Snakeboot
9. The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back
10. Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers – Right On
11. Jimmy Hicks – Mr. Big Stuff
12. Barry White – I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Baby
PART 2b
1. Tenor Fly – Bump and Grind
2. General Levy – Gideon Boots
3. YT – England Story
4. General Levy – Professional Ganja Smoker
5. General Levy – Champagne Body
6. Beenie Man – Come Again
7. Bounty Killer – Sufferer
8. Burro Banton – Man Guinep
9. Shabba Ranks – Give Dem Di Shabba
10. Mad Lion – Take It Easy
11. The Herbaliser – Let It Go
If you like these sounds, make sure you join me on Thursday October 6th from 9 pm for some latin tunes (cumbia, salsa, mambo, mariachi) at PS Café (Ann Siang Hill, next to Club Street).
I havan’t had time to prepare a promo playlist, but this 8tracks selection I did for last year’s Cinco de Mayo party should give you an idea of what I’ll play:
And last but not least, if you’re in Singapore this week-end, do join us on Sunday October 9th at the Training Shed for the best Sunday party in Singapore!
I’ll be playing old tunes from 3 to 4h30 pm, then the party will continue with the Pushin’ On crew and other very special guests!
