Author Archives: naptrax

DJ Icey – Essential Mix

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icey_essenmix

DJ Icey has been a purveyor of ravey ravery since the early 1990’s.  Coming from the fertile “Florida breaks” scene, Icey’s DJ style and record labels (Zone and Tree Records) has always been about big BIG basslines and electro-acid synth noises.  I’ve always found his music a mixed bag but he shines as a DJ, with impeccable track selection and on-point mixing.

The Essential Mix compilation was released in 2000 at an interesting time for the breaks scene; Florida’s electro-inspired, sample-heavy “acid breaks” sound was being edged out by the UK “nu-school” breaks scene that favored more lush, orchestratal arrangements paired with dark, devastating bass lines drawn from drum ‘n bass scene.  Icey’s track selection reflects this, blending tracks from UK stars Orbital, Plump DJ’s, Freestylers, and Sabres of Paradise with plenty of American tunes (many of them being his own, and thankfully some of his best.)  This mix also includes a DJ Godfather tune, a nod from Icey to the sparse “ghettotech” style that exploded out of Detroit and into the dance music mainstream a year or two later.

This is one of those mixes that stands as a classic of the genre, an excellent snapshot of a sonic aesthetic in transition, and just a helluva lot of fun to listen to.  Track list after the jump.

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

time: 72:38 /// 132mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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Ore Records presents 24 Carat mixed by Todd Terry

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Ore Records was a short-lived UK house label, an off-shoot of XL Recordings.  From 1993 to 1996, Ore released classic house music (also known in the UK as “handbag house”) with lots of diva vocals and disco flourishes.  Notable artists on Ore included Tommy Musto (under the alias Colourblind), Jay Denes of Blue Six (who later saw much success on the Naked Music label), and legendary NYC producer and DJ, Todd Terry.

This compilation, released in 1995 and mixed by Todd Terry, brings together ten of Ore Records’ top releases from 1993-95 into a fabulous, flawless disco house mix that also happens to be pretty rare.  I first heard it in 1997, and often mixed Party Faithful’s “Brass: Let The Be House” anthem into my college-era DJ sets as a peak-time dance track.  What a tune!  Track list and more album art after the jump.

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 59:46 /// 109mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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Teaching Times Up! bike repair classes

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Here’s a great pic of me teaching the weekly bike repair class at Time’s Up.  I teach everything from the absolute basics (types of bikes, anatomy, cleaning, adjusting, and flat fixes) to advanced stuff like how to build your own bike, overhauling bearings, wheel truing, brake installation, etc.  We have two fully-equipped workshops and boxes of spare parts, too.

I really enjoy teaching the classes; I relish the challenge of explaining complex stuff in simple terms, meeting lots of cool people who come to the classes, and getting everyone to roll up their sleeves and do repairs themselves.  Come check it out, it’s FREE – Sunday 2-4pm @ 99 South 6th st. in Williamsburg and Tues. 6:30-8:30 at 156 Rivington St. in the Lower East Side.  www.times-up.org

Seiko Power Design Project: Otemachi

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This watch is one of the winners of the 2008 Seiko Power Design Project, where designers competed to create watches that exemplified the characteristics of different Tokyo neighborhoods, and the “dualities of Tokyo; the contrast between the avant-garde and the conservative, the structured and the chaotic and between the industrial and the human.”

I’ve never been to Tokyo, let alone Otemachi, but the simplicity of this particular design, coupled with the industrial touch of a knurled edge, really speaks to me.

To read more about the Seiko Power Design Project, check out this PDF on their site.  All of the 2008 winners can be viewed here.

TSOVET watches

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I haven’t written about watches in a long time, but recently the TSOVET watch collection impressed me enough to re-kindle my interest.  According to a short article I saw on Askmen.com:

TSOVET is a California-bred watch brand for the young and stylish. Inspired by vintage aviation gauges from the 1940s and ’50s, these uber-size fashion watches have some of the most distinguished looks of any watch in this particular price range.

The looks of this TSOVET are its greatest asset. Even the similarly shaped (but considerably more expensive) Bell & Ross watches don’t have the eye-catching color schemes and industrial design attributes of the SVT-AT76. Also, these watches are an enormous 48 mm; they simply cannot go unnoticed on even the manliest of wrists. Another unique characteristic of this TSOVET is that the crown is actually on the left of the watch, making this an ideal choice for southpaws (but righties are welcome too).

Each model features aerospace-grade 316L stainless steel, knurled crowns, Swiss Quartz movements, and premium Italian Calf leather straps.  The hands and markers are covered in a luminescent compound so they glow brightly at night, and features a small, just-visible date aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock.  The watch pictured above is the TSOVET SVT-CS79 model CS350312.  Buy it here, direct from TSOVET.

More pictures and models after the jump… Continue reading →

How To: spray paint a bicycle (like a pro)

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There’s a couple tutorials on the web about how to go about painting a bike frame using spray paints. Since a powder coat often costs $150 or more, many people opt to head over to the hardware store and give their bike a D.I.Y. paint job. However, it often comes out looking cheap and ugly because they use budget paints or don’t prepare the bike correctly first.

After discussing this with Lew Edinger of Memphis Bargain Bicycles, he was kind enough to re-write a tutorial I saw online to reflect his extensive experience painting bikes. Lew has carefully restored many vintage bikes and knows how to get a truly professional finish from paints and supplies you can get at any hardware store.  Check out this tutorial after the jump, as well as some pictures Lew sent me of the finished results.

Read the full tutorial after the jump…

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Icebreaker SS Apollo V merino t-shirt

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Ever since Outlier put out their $75 Empire merino t-shirt last year, I’ve been wondering what the big deal is. Well, as of today I am officially a convert – I picked up this merino t-shirt by Icebreaker last night and it is wonderful.

The cut and the fit are perfect, and it is incredibly comfortable as a base layer as well as all-day outerwear. Icebreaker’s shirt is $55 and available from their site. Or check out Outlier’s version, as well as their amazing merino hoodie.  I’m ready to get myself more merino shirts and outerwear; it’s absolutely worth the premium cost.