I know Xmas is still a month away, but the snow outside up in the north pole motivated my spirit a little early this year! So got to makin' a lil' mini-mix for the Hopettes dance crew to choreograph a routine to back in the states. It's basically some ol school xmas rap sonsg you've probably heard already, but all rolled up into a 2 1/2 minute jam! :D
The Waitresses- Christmas Wrapping Quad City DJ's- What You Want For Christmas Strafe- Set It Off Jackson 5- Santa Claus is Coming to Town Kurtis Blow- Christmas Rappin' Treacherous Three- Santa's Rap B-Fast & G-Slow- Lil' Bass Boi Run DMC- Christmas in Hollis
So I found a lost dv tape of footage that I took of my violinist Sarina Suno for a tune we recorded back in 2006, called Global Warming... When she was living in Brooklyn, we scaffolded up to her rooftop to film the shots of her rockin' out on her old electric yamaha.. it was cool playing around with the coloring a bit for producing this quick sample of the track!
Check out my first project out here in Hyper Island that I collobarated with fellow motion designers Andres Berglund, Jakob Fyledal, Verena Grahm, Robin Gunthur, & Jacob Nathanson. We take a retro futurisic approach to the Food Industry...but with a twist focusing on food as a means for creativity and inspiration. With our subject species The Homo Motus Grafessio, we take a look at what fuels them!
here's a quick rough collage i threw together with a bunch of clips i synced to Lion Tamer's Keep It Goin' Instrumental.. Made it for my last show in the states in August, and many of you were asking me what the Fat Albert track was...so here it is! Some other cameos include Little Shop of Horror Plant, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Jumaine Clement, Paul Rudd, etc. etc.
So for those who don't know, my Shades of Grey band project will officially be on hiatus this next year while i pursue a new gig out at Hyper Island in Stockholm, Sweden. Only time will tell on whether we decide to write more future stuff together, but before leaving I wanted to finish up on a jam we had started a few months back. It's a reinterpretation of a gem we found crate diggin' one day called Bumble Bee, originally recorded by Lavern Baker in the 1950s.. Laura's sister Aria takes the lead vocal on the verses for this one. My former MystiQuintet violinist Sarina Suno performs an electric violin cameo. And I take a stab at laying down some virtuoso xylophone for the first time. The sound of bees you'll hear in the tune were recorded on a ranch in San Antonio this past 4th of July. I had just woken up and was sneakin' a morning smoke on my friend's outdoor patio when suddenly i heard a swarm lurkin' near in the distance. Rather than running like a bitch, i manned up and confronted the gauntlet, sticking my iphone right in the grills of what i thought were bees. In actuality they were hornets, but close enough! But yah, listen and cop this epic jam, it may quite possibly be our musical curtain call together!
So we're midway through this year's summer season, just we're about at the point when everyone starts complaining about the heat... It's humidity's prime time, where we all want nothing more than to just jump into a pool and cool our asses off! So to enhance your next swimming experience is a brand new track, dedicated to one of my favorite pool games of summers' past, Marco Polo!
Now if you've followed some of the tunes I've produced over the years, you are probably familiar with hearing some sorta female vocal element within the soundscape. However the featured soprano on Marco Polo is actually a dude... Nashville's Ukelele virtuoso/ Billy Zane dopelganger One-A Aron aka Aron Wright ( his myspace )... Some of you may have heard his acoustic make out music recently on a CW vampire show or on other various network drama love scenes.. but for this jam we decided up soul it up in sorta a Robin Thicke meets OMC kinda fashion! Lyrically we take a reminiscent dive into the days of our youth, a tale about kickin' game at the community pool...with a focus on the sights, the smells, and the human interaction that Marco Polo embodies and brings to the table.. Towards the end there's even a musical swimming motiff, with a vocal emulator solo that characterizes the sound of 80s freestyle!
So yah remember kid's this one is strictly for the pool and not the beach! We highly recommend not playing Marco Polo in the ocean, cause it may lead to some sorta fatal baywatch type situ...
R: Marco Polo, Marco Polo Marco Polo, Marco Marco Polo Marco Polo, Marco Marco Polo
A:Lately I've been dreamin' bout holdin' your hand at the community pool I can't remember if your hide and seek was for real or were you playin' it cool Let me see the sun bleach in your hair watch the water roll off your tight skin I be jumpin' in the deep end baby wishin' summer games will never end
Chorus A: Marco Polo, simple echoes of the past R: of the past A: Marco Polo, swimming blindly tag em fast Marco Polo, summer love will never last R: Love will never last A: Marco Polo, Marco Polo
A: Don't be cheatin' you peakin' i see ya i know you know i know the rules Watch where you reachin', I'm freakin' you almost tagged me in the family jewels Why you teasin' my senses splashin' chemistry up in my eyea If you feel like surrenderin' baby we can take it to the slip and slide
R: Tag your it tag your it Tag your it tag your it Tag your it tag your it Tag your it tag your it
Chorus A: Marco Polo, simple echoes of the past R: of the past A: Marco Polo, swimming blindly tag em fast Marco Polo, summer love will never last R: Love will never last A: Marco Polo, Marco Polo
So in August, Fo Sho & Tell's 2nd full-length release, Lion Tamer's- The Chase will officially drop. One of the featured tracks, the dharma inspired "Subsurface" recieves a remix treatment from our good friend currently living out in LA, William Flynn! Over the last couple years you may have seen him rockin' festivals and concert stages as member of The Prigs and St. Vincent, as well as Djin' ableton live sets from coast to coast. He takes an experimental sound design approach to re-creating tune! Vastly different from the original, he made the most of elements we gave him. An architect for collagin' a subtle yet effective mood shiftin' landscape!
Pretty random, but the Jonas Brother's musical director contacted me on facebook and hired me to come up with three 2 1/2 minute ol school rap mixes for them to incorporate with dancers for their upcoming tour! There are No Jonas samples in their just the straight up jam they requested and I play around with in a day...check em' out!
Earlier this year, my long time family fwend Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer Felix Cavaliere asked me to record some talkbox on his new album project with Stax recording guru Steve Cropper. The voice of the 60s group The Rascals, Felix is responsible for writing such legendary hits such as Groovin', It's a Beautiful Morning, and Good Lovin'. His new release sorta lies somewhere between a Hall & Oates/ Schoolhouse of Rock sound of vintage 70s and early 80s funk.. It's a honor to throwdown my Troutman-esque complement to their tracks "Move The House" and the instrumental finale "Do It Like This". Check em' out and the rest of the album which is now up on itunes this week!
So after years of doing the audio/visual DJ thang, I finally decided to post in it's entirety a full length Video Mix Set online, so that y'all can now stream at your next house party or download it onto your ipod (if you sign up for a vimeo account). Fo Reels!!! is my latest and greatest set that I put together for the recent RE-form event in Nashville, TN and performed up in Philly and NY last month. It features loads of original A/V edits & cinema mash ups customized the whole nine yards!...seamlessly blended both sonically and optically over the course of roughly an hour. Some highlights include my How I Met Your Mother Video Resume remix, Manny Pacquiao's Jimmy Kimmel karoake, Lion Tamer's The Chase video, and a few new Shades of Grey jams off the next album including JJC's remix of That's Right a Love Song! So if you've missed the live show or want to re-live the moment, peep it and pass it along!
Tracklisting:
1. Fo Sho & Tell Intro 2. Dusty Springfield- Spooky 3. Tittsworth- WTF (Sammy Bananas remix) 4. Gangpol & Mit- Stand on Waste 5. Mr. Oizo- Cut Dick (inst.) 6. How I Met Your Mother- Video Resume 7. Liquid Liquid- Optimo 8. Arrested Development- Tennessee 9. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros- Home 10. Nashville Teens- Tobacco Road 11. D-Jay- Hard for a Pimp (feat. Shades of Grey) 12. Dolly Parton- Jolene 13. Dave Chappelle & Fwend- N*gga on the Side 14. Shades of Grey- Possible Possibiliy (inst.) 15. Pat Benetar- Love is a Battlfield 16. Duran Duran- Electric Barbarella 17. Forbidden Zone- Bim Bam Boom 18. Ruckus Roboticus- I Dig Chicks 19. C2C- DMC Jazz routine 20. Triplets of Belleville- Belleville Rendez-Vous 21. Lion Tamer- The Chase 22. St. Vincent- Bang Bang 23. Nancy Sinatra- Bang Bang 24. Rye Rye- Bang Bang 25. Green Velvet- Everybody Wants (feat. Kid Sister) 26. General Larry Platt- Pants on the Ground 27. Ludacris- How Low 28. Savage- Swing 29. Busta Rhymes- Break ya Neck 30. Shiny Toy Guns- Major Tom 31. Revenge of the Nerds- Lambda Lambda Rap 32. Shades of Grey- Go Ape (inst.) 33. Queen- We are the Champions 34. Monsters vs. Aliens- Beverly Hills Cop 35. Parks & Recreation- Parents Just Don't Understand 36. Yaz- Situation (inst.) 37. Shades of Grey- Chicken or the Egg 38. Freaks & Geeks- How Funky Is Your Chicken? 39. Tapeheads- Roscoe's Chicken 40. Mad TV- IPad 42. Survivor- Eye of the Tiger 43. Manny Pacquiao- Sometimes When We Touch 44. Shades of Grey- That's Right a Love Song (JJC Alpha Juno Remix) 45. Isley Brothers- That Lady 46. In Deep- Last Night a DJ Saved My Life 47. Fo Sho & Tell Outro
Thanks to all those in Nashville who came out last Saturday to our RE-form event!! The art opening/ fashion show/ video dance party was a fun success! For those who requested some of the music I played out during the event, here are couple DJ sets I recorded... There's the Gallery warm-up mix as well as the music from the Parlour Fashion Show.. Mostly popular indie tunes you've probably heard before or already got on your ipod, but there are few edits and remixes i threw in there too.. But yah enjoy! I'll also post my special video set I made and performed specifically for the RE-form event at a later date..
Vampire Weekend- Diplomat's Son Broken Bells- A Ghost Inside RJD2- Shining Path (Alan Wilkes rmx) Aloe Blacc- I Need a Dollar MGMT- Electric Feel (Aeroplane rmx) Yacht- Psychic City Chairlift- Bruises (Shades of Grey rmx) Passion Pit- Sleepyhead (The Knocks rmx) The Bird & The Bee- I Can't Go For That Architecture in Helsinki- That Beep Human League- Don't You Want Me Phoenix- Listztomania (Holy Ghost rmx) The XX- Shelter (Them Jeans rmx) El Perro Del Mar- Change of Heart (What Kind of Breeze Do You Blow? rmx) Justice- Dance (Raymo Vocoder Remix)
RE-form Parlour Fashion Show Tracklisting:
Miike Snow- Animal Empire of the Sun- We Are the People (Shazam rmx) Hercules & The Love Affair- Blind Gorillaz- Stylo (Alex Metric rmx) Passion Pit- Little Secrets (Hey Champ rmx) Yuksek & Amanda Blank- Extraball (Breakbot rmx) Rupaul- Supermodel (Fo Sho & Tell rmx) Felix Da Housecat- Ready 2 Wear (U-tern Edit) Walter Meego- Girls LeLe- Breakfast (Fo Sho & Tell rmx) Tim & Eric- Petitte Feet (Spankrock & Kudu rmx) Carmen- Time to Move Madonna- Dress You Up (Fo Sho & Tell edit)
This Saturday Shades of Grey is throwing an event we've been planning for a few months at Nashville's Open Lot. RE-form focuses the theme of taking pre-exisiting items and creating something ne. Laura is the curator of the gallery, Laura's sister Aria will be running a fashion show, and I'll be taking care of the audio/visual DJing that night! For a previews, here's a video mix flyer i made RE-forming one of my favorite cult classics "The Forbidden Zone". It is an Elfman family production done in the early 80s directed by Richard Elfman, and the score was Danny Elfman's first flick during his Ooingo Boingo days. The accompanying track is a remix of the Jonah Jones 40s classic "I Dig Chicks". Enjoy, and hope to see ya at the event!
About done wrappin' up shop for the 2nd full-length release on Fo Sho & Tell. For the past year and a half I've been writing some tunes with MystiQuintet violinist Cody Geil and we're calling the project "Lion Tamer" cause a) cody always where ths lion bling around her neck and b) both of us are Aries and deal with the shit of Leos on a regular basis.... While Cody is known for her virtuoso violin skills, her talents extend to singin' and lyrics writing as well. We've come up with an electroacoustic sound that with make you dance and maybe cry as well. For a preview, snag a copy of "The Chase", a song about playin' games...like jenga, dominos, roulette, tabou, etc.
Congrats to my college buddy Matt Moldover, for developing this slick new midi controller The Mojo! Back in 2000, when I first met Matt, he was an experimental guitarist of the Boston livetronica group Schism, and now he's known in the Ableton nerd world as the Godfather of Controllism! What makes this thing cool is that instead of using mpc drum pads, it's equipped with video arcade buttons, so all the ol' mortal kombat combos you mastered in the 90s can now be applied musically! Along with his debut full length that's enclosed in a circuit-board Theremin CD case, dude continues to push some cool fun shit to play with!
Finished a mix on a new Shades of Grey slow drag for the new album slated for release in 2010 or 2011, depending on how the flow of creativity goes...This one goes out to the gearheads!
Lyrics: (Chorus 2x) Let's write a love song That's right a love song For tech nerd freaks and audio geeks who don't know right from wrong Let's write a love song That's right a love song For those who seek to take a peak Normalize a wave it's on
Hey Mister DJ... Wanna win my lotto.... Load me with wax.. On your serato.. Rocktron me a melody mr. roboto quantize up harmonies from head to toe
(Chorus 2x)
Tickle me.... Through Ivory.... Bend some notes... To find the key... Play me like an upright... And I will not be so uptight... Pluck me like a strang... Orchestrate and do our thang...
Oh My push my buttons like an akai Mpc me with some beats to get between the sheets Oh snap synchronize us with that love tap Tempo free me with that helicon switch it and sing along Oh damn, left and right it with with that hard pan Spacialize me in my ears reflect our bodies like a mirror Oh geez louise gimme some organ yes please Hammond b me with ya pipe and lets create life
So Sunday performed a fun Video DJ Set at this cool Speakeasy type joint Ella Lounge in NY... Here's the audio half of the recording if ya want something new to rock on your pods or at your desk! Threw in a bunch of random stuff i thought the crowd might like on the spot...some indie uhnz now jams, some space stuff, oldies mashups, some brat rap, and even some dirty south stuff towards the end .. Generally a Sunday night, crazy but not too crazy mix...I had left my needles on my decks down in Nashville, so don't expect to hear any scratching, i had to run off an mpc controller through serato without a pitch shift, so my mixin' might have been a bit rough...but whateva whateva pull the lever! I'm pretty proud of this 1 take mix... Enjoy!
1. Elvis Presley- Crawfish b/w Wings- Hi Hi Hi 2. Medium Medium- Hungry, So Angry 3. Of Montreal- Id Engager 4. Pacific- Hot Lips 5. Lykki Li- Breaking Up 6. Edwyn Collins- A Girl Like You 7. Lavern Baker- Bumblebee 8. KW Griff- Footstompin' 9. Chordettes- Lollipop 10. Sam Cooke- Cupid 11. Midnight Star- No Parking 12. Fukkk Offf- More Than Friends 13. Hot Chip- One Life Stand 14. Chromeo- Night by Night 15. Space- Magic Fly 16. Fake Blood- I Think I Like It 17. Daft Punk- Around the World b/w Unk- In Yo Face 18. Arcade Gang- When Doves Cry 19. B.O.B. & Marvin Gaye- I'll Be in the Sky 20. Munk- Rat Race 21. Karen O and the Kids- Heads Up 22. Breakbot- Runway to Elsewhere b/w Nas- I Know I Can 23. Marina & The Diamonds- I am Not a Robot 24. Paul Simon- 50 Ways feat. Amanda Blank 25. Dead Man's Bones- In the Room Where You Sleep 26. Tilly and the Wall- Pot Kettle Black 27. Shades of Grey- Movin' Up the Line 28. Mims- Move 29. Young Dro- Take Off 30. Project Pat- Googly Moogly 31. Animals- Boom Boom Boom 32. B52s- Dance This Mess Around 33. Specials- What I Like Most About You is Your Girlfriend
The last song I finished up in the 00s is a new Shades of Grey jam featuring Laura's twin Aria! We performed it live for the first time in January down in Nashville.. For the video backing track, I experimented with syncing up some of favorite musicians to create a video band! Maybe kinda hard to see on this live clip but we have:
Laura on V-drums Raymo on DJ Hero Zoot from the Muppets on sax Devo on the keytar Girl from Peter Bjorn song on the Whistle Brocolick from the California Raisins movie on guitar Baby Jacob on the hi-hat and a bunch of other youtube musicians!
This morning I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Philly Soul Legend Teddy Pendergrass. Back in the Summer 2006, I had the great honor of arranging and performing a medley of music for his tribute concert at the Kimmel Center in Philly. It was one of my greatest musical experience that I'll never forget. Afterwards I remember he shared some words of wisdom, telling me "As long as your follow your heart, happiness will always follow in that path"! Thanks Teddy you were truly a great influence, inspiration, and friend...and you're legacy will live on!
