Monthly Archives: December 2009

Infinite Grey – Live @ Fluid 2003

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bassment_5.10.2008_1Infinite Grey is a one-man deep house machine. He’s been performing at raves and clubs since 2000, playing his gorgeous brand of house live from an impressive collection of hardware. Here is a great quote from his bio that sums up the Infinite Grey experience:

When you see Infinite Grey play live, you are guaranteed to see a live musical performance – not a guy huddled over a laptop. John can be seen turning on and off parts, mixing instruments, shuffling beats, manipulating effects, and playing keyboards live. He plays his tracks using pre-synced looping patterns, which are loaded and mixed together as they play.

This live set of his, from a rave in 2003, has always been a favorite of mine.  At a little under an hour, it has a sparkling “blue sky” quality to it while staying funky and totally house.  Check out his website for more free sets and tracks.

Listen now: [audio:http://www.infinitegrey.com/mp3/grey_fluid_4_24_2003_128k.mp3]

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 50:31 /// 46.2mb /// 128kbps .mp3

Kenny Dope – Hip Hop Forever

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hiphopforever

This will be the last Kenny Dope mix to post for a while, but also the best of all.  There have been many, many DJ mixes that blend these classic tracks, but Kenny’s version will always be one of my most favorites because he lets the tracks play out, smoothly beat mixing from one to the next without lots of juggling and scratching.  This is a tribute to the original songs, not an attempt to show off DJ skills or flip the tracks with new beats, and yet it is utterly perfect in the mixing and track selection.  DJ Jazzy Jeff attempted to put together a second and third volume of this series, but in my opinion they just don’t hold up, for exactly the same reason; too many cuts, juggles, and rough blends break up the flow.  Stick with this one, the original, the best…

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 65:29 /// 119mb /// 256kbps .mp3

Track list after the jump… Continue reading →

Portuguese hiphop: DJ NioSiddartha – Tuga Mix

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Dj_Nio_(zero_Plastica)_-_Tuga_Mix_-_Hip-hop___Reggae_Music_From_Portugal

I thought I knew about Portuguese hiphop because I’ve done two mixes of Brazilian baile funk, but this mix, by DJ NioSiddartha of Italy’s Zero Plastica crew schooled me to a whole new sound.  It’s jazzy, funky, and refreshing; you can hear the golden age influences in a number of tracks that have a distinct “Primo” style to them.  While I don’t know what they’re saying, the featured emcees all have an arresting flow, whether it’s in Portuguese, Italian, or even Wolof.

Here’s some more details that I lifted their press release:

Tuga Mix are 80 minutes of pure music selected by Dj Nio, more than 40 cuts from the classic to the experimental rap, from original reggae roots to the dancehall hits. The mixtape is hosted by the Italian-Brasilian mc Don Simon, of the famous rap group A Mafia (of Sao Paulo). Special guests appearence by Lure, that together with Nio forms Zero Plastica, one of the most interesting groups in Genoa (Italy): “Non è Hip-Hop” (“It’s not Hip-Hop”) it’s a new revolutionary, thought-provoking song on a deadly beat by Fuse (Daelema), the Portughese master of hardcore rap. Plus, even Dudu of the Senegalese rap group Janta-B – now living in Italy and singing with Ohimemì- drops a Wollof joint with his aggressive style. Tuga mix officially starts the collabo between Dj Nio and the American indipendent label Nomadic Wax, specialized in Hip-Hop and underground music from around the globe.

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Tracklist after the jump… Continue reading →

Kenny Dope – Break Beats

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More old-school goodness from Mr. Dope.  In the words of DJ Ayres:

This Breakbeats CD is a reissued classic in the Bronx tradition of doubling hard funk, disco & early rap breaks with precision. The production is impeccable, and manages a lot of multitracking to keep it interesting, without sacrificing a live feel. But that’s just one level of appreciation; it’s a digging tape too. Everything is on here, from obvious “my first breakbeat” records (James Brown, Headhunters, Meters) to that james flames rare shit that djs like Language and Roctakon cream their panties over. And apparently he’s only rocking original copies, scratching the shit out of $200+ 12″ singles. 37 tracks total, with a couple of extended live remixes at the end and a lot of composition throughout (39 records are listed on the back, but I would guess he used more like 70-80 joints total). I know we hype a lot of music up in our reviews, but honestly, this is a desert island pick.

Listen now: [audio:http://www.djcatnap.com/myoozick/KennyDope-BreakBeats2004.mp3]

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 72:20 /// 99.3mb /// 192kbps .mp3

Track list after the jump… Continue reading →

Alien Update

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alien_new_DS

I finished this build at the end of September, showcasing  it in this post.  However, I very quickly ran into a bunch of problems when I started riding it.  The Major Taylor handlebars were uncomfortable, so I replaced them with a set of bullhorns I made.  Then the vintage Brooks leather saddle literally ripped in half – I guess the leather had not been treated well and had dry rot.  I swapped it out with a 1970’s leather Concor Laser saddle.   A few weeks later, the 1930’s adjustable stem I was using cracked!   I located a more robust 1970’s-era 3TTT adjustable stem (a “Record Regolabile” according to Velobase.org) to replace it.  I also added Brooks leather bar tape to the bullhorns and top tube, and changed the gearing to a more mellow 47 / 17.

So here is the updated version of the Alien, which is far more comfortable and safer to ride, while still retaining a nice vintage-inspired look.  Check out more pics after the jump…

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DJ Sneak – Buggin’ Da Beats

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DJ Sneak is beloved among house heads around the world as one of the most famous and popular DJ’s of the “second wave” of the Chicago scene.  Sneak’s deep, yet funky style is exemplified by this mix, one that I feel is the best I’ve ever heard of his.  It includes many rare, sought-after house tracks, and has that deep hypnotic groove that Sneak is famous for without being too repetitive or minimal.

This is the sound of Chicago house that was contemporary to Daft Punk’s first album and provided the ground work for the French house and UK disco house genres that followed in the mid-to-late 90’s.  Without a doubt, a classic of the genre.  Track list after the jump…

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 72:45 /// 133mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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Review: Casco Attack Helmet

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Update (September 14th, 2012) – I’ve had this helmet nearly three years now and it’s still going strong.  It was stolen from me in a bar in 2010, and then resurfaced on Craigslist three months later – suffice to say I paid the thief a visit and reclaimed my beloved helmet!

The exterior is pretty scratched up and the leather has been stained very dark from sweat, but it’s structurally sound and quite comfortable.  I replaced the chin strap last year as the originals were a bit short (or maybe my face got fatter?  I hope not!)  To answer some of the size questions, the interior measurements of the helmet are 17cm at its widest point, and 20cm from the front of the helmet to the rear.  I wear it daily, except in the winter, when I wear a Casco E-Motion Cruiser helmet.  I’ll try to post a review of that one soon.

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Perhaps you’ve heard of the Casco Attack before, having attracted press as the helmet of choice for Olympic cyclist Theo Bos and getting top style points in many blogs and forums.  I recently decided to treat myself to an early Christmas and bought one through Ebay UK.  While I am not a professional cyclist, I commute daily around NYC by bike as well as taking part in century rides, and day tours whenever I can.  I wanted a helmet that would be comfortable and stylish enough for me to happily wear every day.  I justified the expense by reasoning that a head injury would cost me a lot more than the $350 price tag of this helmet.

I’ve been wearing it now for about a month – read on for my review and additional pictures.

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