As you know, I only post party info very occasionally. But as soon as I saw this flyer I knew it had to go up. How brilliant is that?! Listen to Felix here to get you rolling. Champagne wishes and caviar dreams…
Now, I don’t usually post stuff that I didn’t have a hand in making, but this is different. This is, quite possibly the greatest Red Bull Music Academy lecture ever, so damn right I’m going to put it up on Heads Down.
Moodymann aka Kenny Dixon Jr doesn’t do press, but it seems that when he does, it’s a cosmic event. Kenny arrived with a few of his finest lady friends, a fresh bottle of Hennessy and a whole heap of Detroit street science…
The dude looked like he wanted out, but kindly put up with my weirdly pitched questions and inane banter nevertheless. Kudos, as they say in Nerdsville.
By the way, I strongly recommend you check his RBMA lecture for the full monty.
I have two tickets to give away to this (frankly) awesome-looking Red Bull Music Academy night at the Renaissance Rooms in South (I know I know!) London this Thursday night. Moodymann’s a longtime Roller Disco supporter/instigator, and he’s repping it hard this week: he’s brought his finest skater/dancers with him from Detroit and has the Horse Meat Disco boys holding it down in support. I’m a bit nervous about it as I have the innate balance of a baby Giraffe.
If you want the two tickets all you have to do is tell me the name of the Detroit producer who wrote “Dusty Cabinets”. Duh! Email me at christopher.tubbs@mac.com…
All is not well at Chateau Tubbs. My records are currently piled high, like towering pillars of vinyl babel all over my living room. My living room resembles a panic room; not the kind of room you lock yourself in (in a potentially dangerous situation), but a panic room in the sense that it’s inhabitant is panicking.
This Saturday (i.e tomorrow night) I’m debuting on BBC 6 Music’s 6 Mix for a Heads Down special transmission. I have two hours to play whatever I want: post punk, disco, afro, freaky Balearica… You get the idea. I wish I could play it cool and be all “whatever” about it, but I can’t. I’m properly excited.
The other reason I’m panicking is because there are steadfast rumours that 6 Music is about to get axed during the upcoming budget cuts. It would be a huge loss to the BBC network, and a massive lifestyle disruption for so many people I know. For people who love to listen to consistently good music, 6 is it. You can do something about this by signing the petition.
James Pants makes me want to make more music, period. His productions have a level of joie de vivre and straight joyfulness that most music makers I know would give their left testicle (or ovary for that matter) to maintain. He wears his influences on his sleeve: post punk, disco, hip-hop and rock all get a look in, but it never feels token or kitsch. Intense bass, crazy atmospherics and drummer’s drums is what you get. Oh, and songs.
Not only that, but his inclusion on the modern Stones Throw roster is not only a indication of his own impressive abilities, but a sign that Stones Throw know, unequivocally, what time it is. He’s landed on the greatest independent label in the world today, and they’re lucky to have him.
I managed to corner James, because we’re both working for the Red Bull Music Academy (he’s a team member and I work in digital media). He could hardly say no, poor dude…
Today I’ve got something more than a little special for you: this Friday the 12th is Red Bull Music Academy’s techno extravaganza at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and I’ve got two free tickets to give away (for you and your fellow anorak).
The line up’s incredible: Carl Craig, Francesco Tristano & Moritz von Oswald. Matmos. Bugge Wesseltoft & Henrik Schwarz. DJ Sprinkles. Andras Fox & Red Bull Music Academy Allstars. What one might call the heavy artillery, basically.
All I want to know (in order to win the tickets) is the name of the Detroit radio DJ that was so influential to a young Carl Craig in the 80’s. First person to email me with the answer (christopher.tubbs@mac.com) gets a great night out. If you miss out on the tickets, you can buy them here. Well worth it I reckon…
Below is a an edit of a RBMA lecture with Carl Craig I just put together , to wet your appetite (and to provide you with an answer to the competition).
This week (after a rather lengthy wait) is my interview with Bitches Brew head honcho, Loft and Lucky Cloud Soundsystem acolyte DJ Cosmo. Hailing originally from Holliston, Massachusetts (near Boston), Cosmo (aka Colleen Murphy) is a ridiculously talented and passionate broadcaster slash music obsessive.
Here she talks about how she discovered dance music, her experiences at the loft, her radio show and the music she’s excited about in the here and now.
By the way, if you’d like to hear Cosmo espouse more on all things musically deep and cosmic, check out her excellent lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy here.
Hello everybody, and welcome back to the snug, reassuring geekery of Heads Down. I have been down (and am still down) with a cruel bout of chicken pox, so I’ve not been tending to this particular garden.
I get sent a pretty much continuous stream of bilious crap from record labels, so imagine my surprise when this arrived in the post. Carl Craig has been a little workmanlike on the remix front in recent times; it’s all sounded a little bereft of ideas. This is no such nonsense, I’m pleased to say. This is pure late night evil. I’ve tested it to a big dancefloor and it caused major issues as to what to play next. Enjoy. Oh, and happy new year!
