It’s been quite some time since i’ve released anything but some stuff is coming up so i’ve added a discography page to commemorate past releases and celebrate those to come.
I spent the first 3 weeks of march in San Francisco working on OW mixes at Hyde Street with Gabe, tracking some keys and drums for new OW tunes with Ben Vigs, finishing up (what is now titled) ‘Boss Strutt Dub’ with Kush, finishing ‘Light It Up’ for GOONDA and getting started on a remix of ‘Legion’ by Eric D. Clark.
Then off to NYC for 5 days where I stayed with Vivi and Dhruva (thanks so much!). Dhruva and I got a solid start on a collaborative track with an intention to pass it on to Coppa for vocals.
My time in NYC was certified proper big thanks to Juakali who picked me up every night and took me out all over town for many excellent meals and adventures, including two nights of Stereotyp (who was in town from Vienna).
Big Thanks. Bless & Connect:
In SF: Brandon, Ryan, Gabriel and Hyde Street peeps, Kush, Sakura, Ben Vigs, Jeff Lifer, Maneesh, Daddy Frank, Ripley & the rest of the Surya Dub crew, Eric D. Clark, Nina, Gregory, Dubmission crew - Sep, Vinnie, Stephanie & Amar, R2V2, Natalie, Sean Leonard, David ‘Chrion’ Crook, Shaggy, Genie, Goyo, Neiel, DubLove and Zigaboo
In NYC: Dhruva, Juakali, Vivi, The Lady K, Dub Gabriel, Secret Agent Gel, Dave Sharma, Random Rab, Stereotyp, Dave Q, Orson, Guiliano, Bianca, Jah Dan and Spazecrafte (monumental effort to see me in those last minutes Boss!)
This is a very interesting and well done documentary about the cultural and subsequent economic boom birthed by sampling the Amen break.
Thanks to Maga Bo for the link.
Loading...I’m in the process of getting organized for a trip to San Francisco to mix a handful of OW tracks and do some recording at Hyde street Studios with engineer and friend Gabriel Shepard.
One song that just got put together is ‘What A Ting’ featuring Juakali on vocals. I ended up with 2 versions, a drum&bass and a more nasty slow grind version - mixing them to be different enough will be a challenge that i’m really looking forward to. The plan is to release one of these versions and ‘Call Me Blood Fire’ as a 7inch under the label Bomb Brooklyn.
Syd Sextone is currently penning lyrics and flow for a classic rock inspired tune that should be re ready for the SF sessions. I’ll be recording Ben Vigs on the Hammond at Hyde Street Studios for a third Sextone track that’s in the works titled ‘Rebel Bop’. Vigs has already delivered an excellent talk box track that is serving as the hook.
In the meantime i’ve started two new joints - ‘UgliFruit Riddim’, a dramatic club rocker on which i’m using orchestral string sounds for the first time and the other a tribal ambient vibe with a beautiful verb’d out synth line.
January 18: New Moon at 9:01 PM Mountain Standard Time. “A good time to anchor a project or a creative endeavor. If you have had to be flexible about a process or project, this is a good time to re-set it according to your emotional desires. Take some time just to be still especially if you have experiences increased chaos in your life.”
Yes, I’ve had to be flexible in the midst of increased chaos recently. One way was this past week, when manifested in a sudden blur of philosophical email exchange, a singer/lyricist that was to voice an Other Weapons song wrote some lyrics that I felt weren’t coming from a place that I wanted this project to radiate. I’m grateful for this lesson as the process has helped me understand more deeply what it is i’m trying to achieve and say with this music, which is fascinating to me since i’m not the one actually writing the lyrics LOL.
What am i trying to say? Well the music and lyrics that are contained in the songs say it.
Words like Juakali on ‘Release Me’ singing:
“come penetrate de status wah live on a high
natural de terrain different quo end de line
before it ah rain brimstone from de sky
touch 1 in I life touch 2 if I try
and here is a great quote that i perceive to be highly poignant.
“…word is reflected upon the universal Spirit, and the universal mechanism then begin to repeat it automatically. In other words: what man repeats, God then begins to repeat, until it is materialized and has become a reality in all planes of existence.
Hazrat Inyat Khan - from ‘Suggestion of Word and Voice’
From my consultation of The I Ching regarding this lesson I share this:
“Times of adversity are the reverse of times of success, but they can lead to success if they befall the right man. When a strong man meets with adversity, he remains cheerful despite all danger, and this cheerfulness is the source of later successes; it is that stability which is stronger than fate. He who lets his spirit be broken by exhaustion certainly has no success. But if adversity only bends a man, it creates in him a power to react that is bound in time to manifest itself.
Flexibility yeah!
Each One Teach One
Three of the songs that i posted about the other day are ready for listening.
I just posted at myspace.com/processrebel.
‘Call Me Blood Fire’ featuring Dr Israel
‘Pure Dub’ with Kush Arora
‘Gathering’ with Dub Gabriel
Feeling good and looking forward to 2007. Feeling much gratitude.
..it’s on.
I went to Berlin last week for 5 days to visit my friend DubGabriel who was spending his last week there after one year of residency. Sleepless nights included DrunkenSuddenDeathGroupPingPong at Dr. Pong, a 5 hour sit in a sisha bar, a monthly NinjaTune party at club Icon, wicked live techno guy at club 103, Russian Disco at Kaffee Burger (twice!), numerous beers, yummy mint teas and great food at fine establishments in and around Prenzlauerberg (where we were staying) and… all that times two and… made some good connections with Berlin music makers.
Just before i left for Berlin i worked on a new dub track that i’m doing with Kush Arora for his upcoming album. While in Berlin i was feeling the techno dance vibe emanating from the earth there and so was inspired to transform a track that i’d been working on with some cut up Dr. Israel vocals into a techno dance dub, which i intend to put on a seven inch record early next year opposite a new track with Juakali titled ‘My My, What a Ting’.
I came back from the trip with some material from DubG and have started on a nice African ambient joint that is conjuring up some nice mystical vibes and reminding me of a two of my favorite albums from 1996 - ‘Possession - African Dub: Off World One’ and ‘Second Nature’
so yeah… lot’s going on right now. Good stuff.
bless
