Spotlight on Zoolay

Zoolay, formerly ZooLA, is a duo (Don Ron and Big Illz) hailing from Los Angeles, California that I have had the opportunity to work with on many occassions in the last couple of years. I met Zoolay through Phazze Beats. Phazze Beats came to SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) looking for a DJ for a show with Zoolay. I quickly jumped at the opportunity and eventually hooked up with Zoolay for rehearsals at my former apartment in Palms. We did our first show at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood alongside Chino XL and Pharoahe Monch. The experience was pretty amazing and I wanted more. I did more shows with them from LA to Victorville and even as far as San Diego. They commissioned me to handle their mixtape (The Ape Tape) too but my tight work schedule hindered my ability to complete it so it was handed off to Tommy Blak who handled the job well. I don’t do as many shows with Zoolay anymore but I still make them show cds if I can’t be there in person. I may be performing with them soon though. Be on the lookout.

Besides working on new tracks, Zoolay has linked up with Main Vybe and Tommy Blak to promote The Lion's Den, a monthly hip hop show that has included acts such as Large Professor, the Beatnuts, Evidence, Blu & Exile, U-N-I, Dibiase, Fashawn, VerBS, 2Mex, Sadat X, Ras Kass, and THX.

Worthy Useless FYI: Play any 90s hip hop track for Don Ron and he will repeat the lyrics word for word.

Check out some of Zoolay's tracks:

Zoolay – Problems

Zoolay – Gangsta Bitch (Prod. by Dibiase)

Zoolay – Backstabbaz (Spingineer Show Remix)

Zoolay – B-Ball Love

Download:


The Ape Tape: Mixed by Tommy Blak (Click Here To Download)

Follow Zoolay:
Zoolay on Myspace
Zoolay on Twitter

New Mix: Silverlake Sessions Vol. 3

A practice session inspired by my closing set at the last Come Up party at the Terltdrace in Pasadena. The inspiration for my closing set was inspired by DJ Jedi’s funky fresh set. The practice session had potential but started to lose momentum towards the end when I tried to get into Hasim and Cybotron to immediately jump into Earth, Wind & Fire…it kind of killed my mood after that point and I just killed the mix. Otherwise, I am feeling it and I love to play music that I really like (love?). It seems like there are always some songs I always play when I get to play old school sets. Rock Steady, Saturday Love, And the Beat Goes On, I Can’t Wait, etc…whatever, I love that stuff so its all good in the hood.

Enjoy the mix. RIP The Come Up at the Terrace. The Come Up will rise again but be patient in the meantime and follow our work online. Peace.

Silverlake Sessions Vol. 3 (Week of 07.27.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Brothers Johnson – Ain’t We Funking Now
2. Brick – Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody
3. Cheryl Lynn – Got To Be Real
4. Cherrelle – Saturday Love feat. Alexander O’Neal
5. Janet Jackson – Escapade
6. L.T.D. – Love To The World
7. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – I Wonder If I Take You Home
8. Michael Jackson – Black Or White
9. Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots
10. Stevie Wonder – Do I Do
11. The Whispers – And The Beat Goes On
12. The Emotions – Best Of My Love
13. Evelyn “Champagne” King – Love Come Down
14. Rick James – Ghetto Life
15. Rose Royce – Car Wash
16. US 3 – Cantaloop
17. The Whispers – Rock Steady
18. Billy Ocean – Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
19. Freezepop – Pop Goes my Love
20. Mary Jane Girls – In My House
21. MC Shy D – Gotta Be Tough
22. Prince – I Want To Be Your Lover
23. Vanity 6 – Nasty Girl
24. MC Shy D – Bust This
25. Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough
26. Royal Cash – Radioactivity
27. Shiela E – A Love Bizarre
28. Hasim – Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)
29. Cybotron – Clear
30. Earth, Wind & Fire – Let’s Groove

New Mix: Sound Therapy Vol. 1

I put this mix together for the new pre-party The Come Up Crew is trying to build at Lost Souls Cafe in Downtown LA. I believe it will be going down every 3rd Saturday of the month. Beer, wine, food, shakes, and coffee will be available for all patrons to enjoy while they listen to the great music the Come Up Crew pumps out…what a whack plug.

So the mix is chill…I bring in a shitload of genres together that I felt might help one chill. Hip Hop, Indie, RnB, Neo-Soul, Soul, Funk, Disco, Dub, and so on. Check ‘er out.

Sound Therapy Vol. 1 (Week of 07.20.09) – Click to Download

1. Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
2. Aretha Franklin – Rock Steady
3. Kleer – Tonight
4. Minnie Ripperton – Young, Willing and Able
5. Pilotpriest – Shuffle Bored
6. 45 – I Believe feat. Stephanie McKay
7. Wale – Chillin’ feat. Lady Gaga
8. J Dilla – Fuck The Police
9. Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out
10. Miles Bonny – Nothin’ But Chu
11. The Meters – Hand Clapping Song
12. Nas – Life’s A Bitch feat. AZ (Jugg Remix)
13. Catcall – August
14. Kanye West – Heartless
15. Dorian Concept – Fort Teen
16. DJ JS-1 – Like This feat. Large Professor
17. Stacy Epps – Space
18. Madlib – Movie Finale (Instrumental)
19. Mos Def – Auditorium feat. Slick Rick
20. Royksopp – Vision One
21. Sigur Ros vs. Mobb Deep – Shook (Emancipator Mash Up)
22. Pharcyde vs. Ghostland Observatory – Passin’ Me By (Dave Wrangler Remix)
23. Redeye – So Sweet
24. Alkaholiks – All Night
25. Salma Agha – Come Closer
26. Chester French & Clinton Sparks – Life in LA feat. Pharrell Williams & Jermaine Dupri
27. BJ the Chicago Kid – Denial
28. Cody Chestnutt – Serve This Royalty
29. Radiohead – Nude (Shanghai Restoration Project Remix)
30. Kanye Wesy & Malik Yusef – Magic Man feat. Common & John Legend
31. Zero 7 – Somersault feat. MF Doom
32. Nuyorican Soul – I am the Black Gold of the Sun (4Hero Remix)
33. Roy Ayers – Everybody Loves the Sunshine
34. Animal Collective – Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix)

New Mix: Guilty Pleasures Vol. 1

I came up with an idea more than a year ago to create epic mixes that included a lot of the music that we all love so much that we never admit to like at all. The kind of music our parents used to force us to listen to when we were kids. Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, Sting & the Police, Queen, David Bowie, and the like. After hitting a lot of dive bars I found out that there are people that are proud to listen to this music and the rest of us need to join them and stop pretending to be too cool for this music.

So the original mix I created more than a year ago was never recorded and my setlist was lost in a move. This mix was actually created for my ex-girlfriend since she is really into cheesy 80s music. She never got the finished product and I thought about just deleting the mix altogether but I felt like it was decent enough to put out there and my older cousins might appreciate it as well.

The actual name “Guilty Pleasures” was thought up by the homie Alagy a.k.a. Budda Baboon, who is a dope MC/Producer that I met at SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans). Much love to Alagy for the name, whom I haven’t seen in a minute, where you at?

Check the mix.

Guilty Pleasures Vol. 1 (Week of 07.13.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Europe – The Final Countdown
2. Cherrelle – Saturday Love feat. Alexander O’Neal
3. The Whispers – Rock Steady
4. Midnight Star – Midas Touch
5. Nocera – Summertime Summertime
6. Kool & The Gang – Fresh
7. Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough
8. MC Shy D – Gotta Be Tough
9. Madonna – Holiday
10. DeBarge – Rhythm of the Night
11. Newcleus – Jam On It
12. Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots
13. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – White Lines
14. Parliament Funkadelic – (Not Just) Knee Deep
15. De La Soul – Me, Myself, & I
16. Evelyn “Champagne” King – I’m In Love
17. Skyy – High
18. Shalamar – Second Time Around
19. Tom Brown – Funkin’ For Jamaica
20. Luther Vandross – Never Too Much
21. Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
22. Pat Benatar – Love is a Battlefield
23. Beastie Boys – Paul Revere
24. Juicy – Sugar Free
25. Brothers Johnson – Strawberry Letter 23