26 Hip Hop Tracks for my 26th Birthday on March 26th Mix

I fucking love hip hop! Since the days of my youth when I was listening to Arrested Development and Digable Planets alongside Das Efx and Boogie Down Productions adjacent to NWA and DJ Quik juxtaposed to San Quinn and RBL Posse. I love hip hop in all it’s forms, conscious, clever, gangsta, grimey, dancey, and dumb. It is the only type of music that can make you dance, think, nod your head, two step, fight your enemies, disrespect females, get drunk, and so much more.

Hip hop is so versatile that it has moved beyond its roots in The Bronx to become a large part of many sub-cultures in cities across the globe, touching lives from the poverty strictend in the slums to the rich folks in the hills. I refuse to ever say that hip hop is dead because it is a lifestyle and even though the elements of DJing, breaking, MCing, and tagging have become independent entities, when brought together, the term “the perfect fit” can only explain the outcome.

Hip hop is powerful and it has never been used as a type of propaganda for evil, as believed in the past. Hip hop is positive and those who choose to be a part of hip hop can only receive something positive in return. No matter how bad ass or hardcore hip hop representers come off when they perform, you have to understand that hip hop was born in areas where the only road to success was a competitive nature and that is what fuels the forward progression of the hip hop movement, giving you something greater as time goes on. I imagine the hip hop kid of the future will be able to rhyme in several languages in one freestyle, scratch, do a head spin, and drop a piece all at the same time. We ain’t prepared for what hip hop has to offer in 2109.

Sorry, the mix is early but I just couldn’t wait! Enjoy…

Happy Birthday to Me!

26.26.26 Hip Hop Mix (Week of 03.16.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Jay-Z – My President Is Black
2. Dilated Peoples – The Last Is First
3. Bambu – Like Us
4. DJ Babu – Deadly Habitz Feat.Gang Starr (Cuts/Beat Juggling By DJ Babu)
5. Evidence – To Be Determined Feat. Elzhi & Aloe Blacc
6. Brother Ali – Original King
7. Little Brother – Passion Flower
8. People Under the Stairs – Keepin It Live
9. Murs – Yesterday & Today
10. Cunninlynguists – Never Come Down
11. Dela – Vibrate Feat. Blu
12. Raekwon – Wu Ooh Feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man
13. Nas – Represent
14. J Dilla – Make ‘Em NV
15. Exile BEATS – For The Kids
16. Q-Tip – Official
17. De La Soul – Plug Tunin’
18. Common – Gladiator
19. Jay-Z – American Dreamin’ Feat. Fela Kuti (MikeLove’s Nigerian Gangster Remix)
20. The Beatnuts – No Escapin’ This
21. Zion I – Coastin’ Feat. K.Flay
22. Blackalicious – Swan Lake
23. Planet Asia – Pure Coke
24. Gang Starr – Discipline Feat. Total
25. The Roots – Stay Cool
26. Reflection Eternal – Chaos Feat. Bahamadia

New Mix: Feelin It Mix Featuring a Bunch of Songs Downloaded From Your Favorite Blogs

New mix for that ass!!! I have been trying to pump out as many mixtapes as possible so you guys always have something to listen to in your ipods, jeeps, and boom boxes while you are working out, working, or driving.

I have been staying up to about 1AM to 4AM for the last week for some reason. But instead of letting the pre-insomnia drive me crazy, I decided to be more proactive with that time. I hit the turntables. I found out that I am way more creative and my mind is much clearer in the late late late hours of the night. I never get tired of mixing like I may do in the day cause I am pretty much mixing until I get tired enough to pass out.

The routine goes like this:

1. Try to sleep
2. Get up cause I can’t sleep and go watch Adult Swim
3. Get bored with cartoons and head to my mix lounge
4. Prepare a lineup that may take me 1-3 hours
5. Record the mix the next day

I call this mix the Feelin It Mix since it was put together while I was feelin it in the wee hours of the night. I stuck to one folder which was packed with songs I downloaded from music blogs. So maybe we can call it the Music Blog Mayhem Mix (kind of whack name). I try to just build on top of each proceeding song with something that I felt that fit right even if the genre doesn’t match. So be prepared for hip hop, soul, neo-soul, disco, and so on…

Feelin It Mix (Week of 01.12.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2. K-Os – 4, 3, 2, 1
3. Notorious B.I.G. vs. Frank Sinatra – Nasty Boy (DJ Cappel Remix)
4. White Label – You Could Say I’m Sort Of The Boss
5. Kid Sister – Get Fresh
6. J*Davey – Slooow
7. The Final Solution – Brotherman
8. Family Tree – Family Tree feat. Sharon Brown
9. Escort – Starlight (Darshan Jesrani Dub)
10. Blue Boy vs. Ol Dirty Bastard – Shimmember Me (DJ Not I Remix)
11. Jay-Z – Brooklyn (Go Hard) feat. Santogold
12. Marlena Shaw – California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix)
13. Q-Tip – Gettin’ Up
14. Black Ivory – You And I
15. Bambu – Crooks & Rooks
16. Alchemist – Therapy feat. Evidence, Blu, & Kid Cudi
17. Ludacris – Do The Right Thing feat. Common
18. Wale – Nike Boots
19. Menahan Street Band – Home Again!
20. People Under The Stairs – Montego Slay
21. Madlib – Blow The Horns On ‘Em feat. Guilty Simpson
22. Raphael Saadiq – Seven
23. Da King And I – Tears (To My Eyes)
24. Paris – The Days Of Old
25. Erykah Badu – Soldier
26. Jose Feliciano – California Dreaming (Brendan Bring ‘Em Remix)
27. The Cool Kids – 88
28. Evidence – Rain Or Shine
29. The Blue Scholars – Southside Revival
30. Rick Ross – Hustlin’ (Dr. Dog Mix N Mash)
31. Common – Go (Beatnick & K-Salaam Remix)
32. Camp Lo – On Smash feat. Styles P & Pete Rock
33. U-N-I – Beautiful Day (Remix) feat. Evidence, Big Pooh, Aloe Blacc, Fashawn, Mickey Factz, Theo, & Kes Kaos

Peace out and pray to GOD, Allah, Buddha, and more that I get more sleep or that I pump out a shitload of new mixtapes while I am not sleeping.

Spin

The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 4: B’More vs. Grime featuring Spingineer & Siik

Getting right down to it for 2009, myself and Siik came at y’all with something new. We wanted to open up your ears to the scene outside of MTV, BET, and every major city’s major night clubs. One of the best things, in my opinion, about being a DJ is the fact that we are on the up and up on many different genres and we could be doing a straight underground hip hop mix one day, electro mix the next, and 80s freestyle after that. We spin it all cause we know it makes y’all dance, bob your head, and throw your hands in the air. Trust us, cause we have given our lives to music and we strive to give you guys something old, something new, something gangsta in crip blue, something to dance to like NWA, something to jam to at clubs that love gays, we got what you looking for…

Check the podcast we got for y’all with a spotlight on B’More (Baltimore Club Music) from Baltimore and Grime from East London. The kind of music that makes you want to move and jump while the beats are fast and bob your head and throw your hands in the air when them beat breaks down. Shit is fresh and y’all need to get with it…

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 4: B’More vs. Grime (Week of 01.05.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Dumlao, Siik, and Spingineer (Background Music: The Cool Kids – A Little Bit Cooler – Instrumental)

Set #1: B’More (Baltimore Club Music) featuring Spingineer

1. M.I.A. & DJ Blaqstarr vs. DJ Shadow – Save Ur Soul vs. Right Thing (Spingineer Blend)
2. M.I.A. & DJ Blaqstarr – S.U.S. (Save Ur Soul)
3. David Bowie & Queen vs. Three 6 Mafia – Stay Fly Under Pressure (DJ Slink Remix)
4. Big Daddy Kane vs. Pitbull & Nina Sky – Here He Comes Raw (DJ Day Blend)
5. A-trak – Wampercycle feat. The Clipse & Slim Thug
6. Top Billin – One Last Time
7. Diego Bernal – Bring It on Home (Mexican with Guns Remix)
8. Estelle – American Boy feat. Kanye West (Nadastrom Remix)
9. DJ Assault vs. DJ Slink – A&T
10. Twista vs. Colplay – Viva La Celebrity (DJ Slink Remix)
11. DJ Ayres – Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield Baltimore Club Remix)
12. Top Billin – San Fran
13. League 510 – To The Beat
14. Nick Catchdubs & DJ Ayres – Tell Me When to Go feat. E-40 (Remix)
15. Kid Sister – Pro Nails feat. Kanye West
16. Johnny Blaze – Dora the Explorer (B-More Remix)
17. Yung Joc – It’s Going Down (Bamabounce Remix)
18. Ms. Streamz – Tear It Up
19. The Hump Day Project – Real Hot for Everyone
20. Santogold – You’ll Find A Way (Switch & Graeme Remix)
21. Spankrock & Amanda Blank – Loose (DJ Ayres Potion Remix)
22. Eric B & Rakim – Let the Rhythm Hit Em (Omega One Remix)
23. Kid Sister – Damn Girl (Remix)
24. Aaron LaCrate – Get Um Gerl feat. Amanda Blank
25. DJ Blaqstarr – Shake it to the Ground feat. Rye Rye

Interlude: Spingineer, Dumlao, and Siik (Background Music: Baby Boy Da Prince – Naw Meen feat. Mannie Fresh – Instrumental)

Set #2: Grime (East London 2 Step Music) featuring Siik

1. Gwen Stefani – Luxurious (Remix)
2. Lady Sovereign – Cha Ching
3. Big Seac – Nah Nah
4. Sticky – Booo! feat. Ms. Dynamite
5. Platinum 45 – Oi! feat. More Fire Crew
6. Wiley – (Unknown)
7. Virus Syndicate – Karma
8. No Lay – Unorthadox Chick
9. Roll Deep – Heat Up
10. Lil Jon – Let’s Go (Remix)
11. Juelz Santana – We Don’t Give A Fuck feat. Paul Wall
12. Lil Keke – Chunk Up Da Deuce feat. Paul Wall & UGK
13. Jay-Z – Nigga What, Nigga Who

Outro: Siik, Spingineer, and Dumlao (Background Music: T.I. – I’m Illy – Instrumental)

Tiny Toones Need Your Help!!

Check out the new video about Tiny Toones.

I was asked by Jumakae if I could give up my turntables and get new ones so she could send a set to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. But at this time I can’t afford to get a new setup. I am offering my two mixers but they still need help. To get the kids started on DJing they need:

1. At least 2 Technics 1200 turntables
2. Cartridges and needles
3. Serato box, software, and records
4. A computer that supports Serato (almost all records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge)
5. Monitors and/or loudspeakers
6. Turntable and Mixer cases to be able to send them to Cambodia within ATA regulations

If you guys can help with these items or money to buy these items, contact me at spingineer@gmail.com and I will put you in contact with the folks trying to personally deliver these items to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. I hope you guys can all help.

Peace

Spingineer

The Aftermath: DJing My Company’s Christmas Party

Gig: AECOM Annual Christmas Party

After all the anxiety and pressure I felt going into this gig, it actually turned out pretty well and was pretty fun. I got to play music closer to my genres of choice rather than old school funk and disco. I was playing a lot of danceable RnB and top 40 songs. People wanted to dance. It’s funny cause there were 40 and 50 year olds along with the 20 and 30 year olds throwing their hands in the air when Fatman Scoop told them too. I was surprised to see everyone go wild when “The Choice is Yours,” by Black Sheep, came on. I found out later that one of my bosses, who is a white woman in her 40s, requested “Put A Ring on It,” by Beyonce, and “Gold Digger,” by Kanye West…dope. We also had a request by the planning committee to play some Bollywood for one person. I played the Punjabi MCs original and another Indian song that sampled “Informer,” by Snow. The guy never came out but another Indian lady got out there and started dancing it up by herself, thus causing the rest of the people to get out there and dance. It was an easy gig after all, even with all the anxiety and pressure beforehand, and we had the dance floor packed all night. Now we are just hoping for a fat tip and more future gigs.

The event was on the Queen Mary which made it harder for us (DJs). All of us showed up at 2:30PM and didn’t leave until about 1:30AM. It took us about 2 hours to set up all the sound and lighting which included ambient lighting at all of the windows (10 total). Other events throughout the night were a murder mystery which pretty much overpowered any other activity going on in the room. I didn’t even pay attention to the show and I didn’t even touch my food because I was nervous. And to make it all worse, DJ MIjo announced that we had a celebrity DJ coming up, and I was like who, even though he was referring to me. I am no celebrity in any form and him building that hype gave me even more pressure to perform and when I went on I felt like everyone was just staring at me like “what is he going to do.” They also gave out a shitload of prizes like $100 gift cards, a blu ray player, a Wii, an ipod touch, and a 42″ flat screen. There were about 25-30 prizes total and I didn’t win any…=(

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 2: Bay Area Rap featuring Spingineer & Dumlao

Back again with The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 2

Theme: Bay Area Rap, Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy vs. Hyphy

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 2 (Week of 12.08.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: The Jacka – Barney-More Crime Instrumental)

Set #1: Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy featuring Spingineer

1. Ya Boy – 16’s Wit Me
2. N2Deep – Back to the Hotel
3. Rappin’ 4-Tay – Playaz Club
4. Mac Dre – Too Hard 4 the Fuckin’ Radio
5. The Whoridas – Talkin’ Bout Bank
6. Messy Marv – That’s What’s Up
7. Keak Da Sneak – White T-Shirt, Blue Jeans, & Nikes
8. IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) – Shining Star
9. Messy Marv & San Quinn – How I Came Up
10. Zion I – Temperature feat. Talib Kweli
11. Hieroglyphics (Del the Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Souls of Mischief, & Pep Love) – Dune Methane
12. Casual & San Quinn – Fresh 2 Def
13. Heroes in the City of Dope (Zion I & The Grouch) – Trains & Planes
14. Latyrx (Lateef the Truth Speaker & Lyrics Born) – Lady Don’t Tek No
15. Total Devastation – Many Clouds of Smoke
16. Dre Dog (now known as Andre Nickatina) – Smoke Dope & Raps
17. Messy Marv & San Quinn – Pop Yo Collar feat. E-40
18. San Quinn – So Young feat. Mike Marshall
19. Keak Da Sneak – Town Business feat. B.A.
20. 3XKrazy – Keep It on the Real
21. JT tha Bigga Figga – Game Recognize Game feat. Mac Mall
22. 415 – Groupie Ass Bitch
23. The Coup – Fat Cats, Bigga Fish
24. San Quinn – Rockin’ Up Work (Brand New, Produced by Dex Beats)

Interlude: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: Andre Nickatina – Ayo 4 Yayo Instrumental)

Set #2: Hyphy featuring Dumlao

1. Frontline Now You Know (Mashup)
2. Keak Da Sneak – Superhyphie (Mashup)
3. Frontline – Bang It
4. Keak Da Sneak – Club Talk feat. E-40 & E-A-Ski
5. Nump – I Got Grapes
6. The Pack – Vans (Remix) feat. Mistah FAB & Too Short
7. Mistah FAB – Super Sick Wid It feat. Turf Talk & E-40
8. E-40 – U & Dat feat. T-Pain (Mashup)
9. E-40 – White Girl feat. Juelz Santana & Bun B
10. The Team – Hyphy Juice
11. E-40 – Tell Me When to Go
12. Bailey & J. Valentine – U C It
13. Too Short – Blow the Whistle
14. Dem Hoodstarz – Grown Man (Remix) feat. San Quinn & Mistah FAB
15. Big Rich – That’s Da Business
16. Ya Boy – On Fire
17. Snoop Dogg – Candy feat. E-40, MC Eiht, Goldie Loc, & tha Dogg Pound
18. The Federation – Hyphy (Remix) feat. San Quinn, Keak Da Sneak, & E-40
19. DJ Shadow – Turf Dancin’ feat. the Federation & Animaniaks
20. The A’z – Yadadamean
21. The Federation – Get Naked U Beezy
22. The Federation – I Wear my Stunna Glasses at Night
23. Mistah FAB – Ghost Ride It
24. E-40 – Go Hard or go Home
25. Bailey & J. Valentine – Fuck yo Couch
26. Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz – Snap ya Fingers feat. E-40 & Sean Paul
27. Mistah FAB – Stupid, Dumb, & Hyphy

Outro: Spingineer & Dumlao (Background Music: Hieroglyphics – Oakland Blackouts Instrumental)

Bonus Set: Pre-Hyphy/Non-Hyphy Power Mix featuring Spingineer

Power Mix (Week of 12.08.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. San Quinn – Come on in
2. Cellski – Livin’ in the Bay
3. Too Short – In the Trunk
4. The Jacka – The Bay
5. Mac Mall – Sic Wid Tis
6. E-40 – One Love
7. E-40 – Sydewayz
8. The Luniz – Playa Hata
9. Richie Rich – Let’s Ride
10. Frontline – Time 4 Business
11. RBL (Ruthless by Law) Posse – Bounce 2 This
12. GRP (Gangsta Rhyme Posse) – On da Unda
13. Messy Marv & San Quinn – Money over Bitches feat. Sky Balla
14. San Quinn – Butterfly (By my Side)
15. The Coup – Me & Jesus the Pimp in a ‘79 Granada Last Night
16. Mac Dre – California Livin’
17. 11/5 – Garcia Vegas
18. RBL (Ruthless by Law) Posse – Don’t Give Me No Bammer Weed
19. 415 – Sideshow
20. Andre Nickatina – Crack Raider Razor

Shout outs:
Thanks to DJ Phatrick for lacing me with the Coup songs I needed for this mix.
Thanks to Dex Beats for hooking me up with the new San Quinn track.
R.I.P. Mac Dre, Coughnut of I.M.P., Mr. Cee of RBL Posse, & Hitman.

Links:
www.thecomeupevents.com
www.mitcheldumlao.com
www.dexbeats.com

Wrap Up:
I actually got exicted about doing this mix and I had too much. So that is why I added the power mix so I could put it all out there. I had a lot of fun making this mix and my girlfriend was also happy to hear those Bay tracks again after all this time.

I stayed up until 4AM last night finishing the podcast after recording the vocals at Dumlao’s pad between 9:30P and 11:30P but I am very happy with the result. I actually had to add a last minute San Quinn track this morning after I got it from Dex Beats so I could lace y’all with new shit and put you on to Dex Beats’ work. The podcasts and power mixes are just going to get better and better from here on and most importantly our creativity will continue to grow and become more interesting to more people.

Keep following The Come Up Crew Podcast as we give you guys mixes highlighting the music of different regions, artist spotlights, and a let’s not forget all the other genres we will be touching, RnB, electro, B’More, Funk, Soul, house, downtempo, and more. Our first podcast topic request was a “sample vs. sampled” mix. This means we will be mixing tracks together like Ice Cube’s “Today was a Good Day” with Isley Brother’s “Footsteps in the Dark.” Look foward to that one.

Where are these rappers/rap groups/singers from?

San Francisco
San Quinn
Ya Boy
Messy Marv
Rappin’ 4-Tay
JT tha Bigga Figga
Dre Dog/Andre Nickatina
11/5
RBl Posse
GRP
IMP
Cellski
Sky Balla
Bailey
J Valentine
Total Devastation

Oakland
Keak Da Sneak
3XKrazy
The Whoridas
Zion I
Hieroglyphics
Casual
Heroes in the City of Dope
Latyrx (Lyrics Born from El Cerrito)
415
Richie Rich
Too Short
The Luniz
The Coup
The Team
Mistah FAB
The A’z

Vallejo
Mac Dre
Mac Mall
E-40
Turf Talk

Berkeley
The Pack
Mike Marshall

Richmond, CA
Frontline

Pittsburg, CA
The Jacka

Fairfield
The Federation

Alameda
Nump

Quick Bay Area Rap Facts:

-Oakland rapper Del the Funkee Homosapien is Ice Cube’s cousin.
-Fillmore rapper Ya Boy signed with The Game not to long ago and has lost some street cred for hanging with and writing for Kevin Federline
-Oakland duo the Whoridas were signed by Saafir’s label when they were making radio quality hits back in the day
-Oakland rapper Saafir is originally from Fresno and came up with Digital Underground as a dancer just lile 2PAC. He is also an actor, he played Kane’s cousin, in “Menace II Society,” who got shot in the head in the car jacking scene.
-Fillmore rapper/producer JT Tha Bigga Figga worked with The Game to release the “You Know What it is Vol. 1″ mixtape that gained him recognition by Dr. Dre. San Francisco artists like San Quinn did tracks with The Game on that mixtape.
-Fillmore rapper Sky Balla has been grinding in New York for the past few years doing tracks with The Game, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, and more on mixtapes. Find him in some of The Diplomat music videos.
-Hunter’s Point rappers Mr. Cee and Hitman of RBL Posse were both gunned down in their own hoods.
-Lakeview rapper Coughnut of IMP died in a car crash.
-Fillmore rapper Messy Marv jumped out of a fourth floor window while evading authorities and broke both legs.
-Richmond rapper Locksmith of Frontline was the runner up in a MTV rap battle. Reign Man from Philly won.
-Crestside rapper Mac Dre was mudered in Kansas City, MO in a car to car shooting after a rap show.
-Keak Da Sneak coined the term “hyphy” which was a combination of hype and fly. He also coined the term “fa sheezy” which later became Snoop Dogg’s coined term “fa shizzle.”
-Mistah FAB is a dope freestyler.

Playing Catch Up…12.04.08 – 12.07.08

It’s been awhile since I wrote a real post. Problem was I came home from SF last Friday and had The Come Up the next day. Then I was sick from Sunday until Tuesday. After recovering from my sickness, I was working to finish up my Bay Area rap mix for the podcast which should be posted mid-week. These podcasts will mainly be posted here and on The Come Up Events blog. Our submission was rejected from itunes so we are relying on blogs to get our mixes out.

Lets catch up…

Thursday, 12.04.08

SIPA Sessions

I headed to SIPA to get down on the turntables. Me and Laurent got some time to beat juggle and scratch. Surprisingly, Laurent had two students now. One was a repeat student and the other was a new student. I actually met her at Diggin Sunday because she was diggin my music. I guess she was interested in learning how to do what we do. The session was good that night but I had to leave early to meet my girlfriend.

Laurent & Wessam

Laurent

Laurent Teaching His Students

Downtown Lights

Me and Trisha signed up to take a walking tour of Downtown LA holiday lighting but we were running so late that we could not meet up with the group. We drove over to 4th and Main to hopefully catch up with the group at 4th St between Main and Spring where the lights were very impressive. There was one problem, they didn’t go that way and we waited there for a good 20-30 minutes.

4th Street Lights

4th St Lights

Harlem Pl Alley

Harlem Pl Alley

LA Live

We decided to park the car close to the 7th St Metro Station to take the Blue Line to Pico Station. We found out later that we only parked about 15 minutes away from LA Live and taking the Blue Line from 7th St Station to Pico Station took about 20-25 minutes including the walk from Pico Station to LA Live. We also passed by Staples Center and got me thinking why I have only been to one Clippers game and one Kings game both in the nose bleed section. A new priority of mine is to get close to court side tickets to a key Lakers game. I am not a Lakers fan but I know the game will be exciting.

Walking down to 7th St Metro Station

Staples Center

Anyways, back to LA Live. We were not really impressed withwhat LA Live had to offer as of yet. Most of the businesses promised weren’t open yet and it was not that large of a complex as we expected in the time we were anticipating its opening. They also had this fake light Christmas tree that was cool but not as good as the real thing. I would prefer a tree like that in Rockefeller Plaza in NY. Most things were closed that night for private receptions since it was opening night but there were only a few places open for business including ESPN Zone, the Conga Room, Nokia Theatre, Nokia Lounge, and Bowling. We heard that Britney Spears was there an hour before we got there but we didn’t really care. I guess I will give LA Live another chance since everything is not open yet. I have to admit that I am waiting for Yard House to open so I have a place to go to to satisfy my thirst for beer. ESPN Zone will be cool too for games as long as they stay open long hours.

Fake Christmas Tree at LA Live

Crane LA Live

Lots of Flash, But is There Any Substance?

Slick Escalators

Office Space at LA Live

Slick Lights

View from Upstairs

Weird Performer at LA Live

Friday, 12.05.08

The Shrimp Head Sucking Posse

At work, we decided to go have lunch at Grand Central Market to get several pounds of cooked shrimp with the heads on, of course. The group included Sinuhe, Jade, Camelia, Muna, June, Manuel, Marco, Angelka, and myself. We went to Maria’s and got 5 pounds of shrimp (3 garlic and 2 diablo). We also got 2 grande fried tilapias (prepared in the same way Filipinos prepare it), and a pound of salmon. I swear we waited for about 25-30 minutes for them to cook everything but it was worth the wait. When we finally got to sit down and eat, Jade showed us all the correct way to eat the shrimp. Stick the head in your mouth, suck out all the juices, spit the headshell out, and then eat the rest. It is really good and I hope to bring some homies from outside of work there to get their grub on.

Maria's at Grand Central Market

Maria's Menu

$6.49/lb With the Heads On and They Fry it Up For You at A Minimal Cost

Maybe Next Time

Sinuhe Waiting

Modelo While We Wait

Jade Posing

The Pound I Was Eating

Yummmm!!

Jade Will Probably Kill Me For Posting This One

Post-Large Meal Cancer, Camelia, Muna, & Jade

June, Angelka, & Mint Chocolate Chip

Sinuhe, The Big Payback

After Work Drinks at the Liquor Store

Myself, Marco, James, Sinuhe, and Alberd left work and went to the liquor store to have some beer. It is a store that sells liquor but also offers tables for people to dine on lunch, snacks, cheese platters, and drink alcohol. They actually charge more for those who decide to drink in store rather than take you liquor to go. They do have Happy Hour before they close at 7PM which is $4-$5 for a pint or 22 oz. beer. It is actually more expensive to buy small bottles. So I got a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cause I felt like having a hoppy beer. It was good as usual as we watched the Lakers kill the Wizards. After one pint and two wax covered cheese varieties, we left. James, Marco, and I went to my pad to use the bathroom before heading to Kike’s Tacos. Problem was that Kike’s was not open yet and we didn’t realize until we got there. I guess the early darkness threw me way off. We ended up driving to a Taco Truck next to the Walgreens in Echo Park. I had 4 tacos: cabeza, lengua, tripas, and some meat from the back of the ribs of I forgot what type of animal. I have never been upset with any meats I have tasted in a taco except the tripas (tripe). They deep fry it but it taste pasty/chalky and the flavor is not too pleasant. It was almost impossible to chew as well and I ended up just swallowing pieces whole. Yukkkk!!

True Beer Lover, Check the Closed Eyes to Enhance the Taste Buds. Sike

You Got to Open Your Own Shit Here

Saturday, 12.06.08

I had a lot planned for this day, Pacquiao/SIPAfundraiser, Scoops Tasting Challenge, watch UCLA vs. USC game, watch Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya fight, and check out the Block Party at 4th and Main St in Lofttown Los Angeles.

Pacquiao/SIPA Fundraiser

It was a fundraiser where a portion of the profits from Pacquiao t-shirts and silent auction went to the SIPA foundation, which you all know by now if you read my blog. It was at the Montalban Theatre, which was a makeshift Nike Store for the weekend, in Hollywood (Vine and Selma) which made it a bitch in regards to finding parking. I had no change for meters and lots were charging flat rates when I was only planning on staying for 30 minutes or so. I ended up parking on Hollywood where they have the new machine installed that take credit cards. I didn’t really know how to use it and paid for a full hour ($3, I think). We decided to check out Hollywood since we haven’t really been there since about 2003. Hollywood didn’t change much since then except for Hollywood/Highland. Just a bunch of souvenir stores, smoke shops, tattoo shops, suit shops, urban wear shops, memorabilia shops, and Scientology Centers. I was not surprised but that’s Hollywood.

Pacquiao is the Man

Pacquiao is my Height, Weighs 25 Pounds Less, and Can Knock Me Out in One Punch

Dance Crew at the Montalban Theatre

Capitol Records in Hollywood

Scoops Tasting Challenge

After Hollywood, Trisha and I went to Scoops for a tasting challenge to benefit an organization. We got 10 scoops for $10 and we had to guess the flavors to win a shirt. I was just there for the ice cream, even though I believe in donating to good causes, I had no prior knowledge that it was a fundraiser. We ate all we could before it started to melt and got nine out of ten of the flavors right, oh well.

10 Scoops

Trisha Going Gaga Over All That Ice Cream

Little Kids Loving the Ice Cream

UCLA vs. USC Game

Although we had season tickets for UCLA football, we didn’t know how hard it was to free up most of your Saturdays to go so in the end I only went to the Tennessee and Stanford games. We had to sell the UCLA vs. USC tickets to make some money back for all the tickets we couldn’t sell since nobody seemed to want to go to a UCLA game for a cost. We ended up going to the Arts District to find a place to watch the game. No one had the game on. But after walking into a closed e3rd steakhouse, we got the guys to let us sit at the bar and watch the end of the game. It was horrible though because UCLA was losing 28-7 to USC. We left the bar unhappy but moved on. Before leaving the Arts District, we stopped by Crazy Gideons to check out what the hype was all about. Honestly, everything was crap and all outdated.

Out the Side View in the Arts District

The Skyline from the Arts District

From the Stairway in Crazy Gideons

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya Fight

Although Sinuhe invited me to watch the fight at his pad in San Pedro, I was lazy to drive and we had plans that night in Downtown for the Block Party. That was a big mistake because we watched the fight on illegal live online streams. But everyone was getting shut down. There was one guy who kept starting new streams after being shutdown which allowed me to watch the fight in 4 short segments. I did get to see the 8th round though when they pulled De La Hoya out of the fight. Pacquiao defeats De La Hoya and I could hear the Filipinos in the Philippines go crazy from Los Angeles. I was very proud at that moment that we had another Filipino to represent our culture’s talent. If you guys didn’t know Filipinos are usually good at:

1. DJing
2. Swagger
3. Dancing
4. Boxing
5. Singing
6. Looking Fresh to Death 24/7

Downtown Lofts Block Party

All I have to say about this was WHACK!!! What happened to the real downtown residents. It was just another event taken over and exploited by hipsters. No one was coming down from their lofts. They were coming from their cars since they just drove from Malibu or the Hollywood Hills. It could have been a cool event with all the restaurants adding tables outside on the street, live bands and DJs, art gallery showcases, and a beer garden. Too bad…I will stick to the Downtown Art Walk, diversity is better than uniformity, in regards to style in this case. After leaving the block party soon after we arrived, we stopped by Pershing Sqaure to check out the skating rink and holiday lighting along the way home.

From Pershing Square

At the Citi Bank Plaza

Sunday, 12.07.08

Shopping

I needed to shop for an outfit for my company Christmas party and Trisha had to shop for gifts. We started at Ikea where she got a mugs and plates for her grandpa. I picked up a picture frame so I could finally out up some shots in my bathroom.

We then went to Glendale where I picked up a pin stripped vest and trousers for $50 at H&M. I wanted the blazer but they ran out of my size. The blazer was only $50. Hopefully they restock my size before Friday so I can get everything altered in time.

Trying it On in the Fitting Room

After H&M, we went to Carousel, a Lebanese Armenian restaurant, on Brand in Glendale. The food was good. I got yogurt kebabs and Trisha got a vegetarian dish. It only came out to $43 with tip after which was unexpected since the restaurant was pretty nice inside.

We finished up out shopping day with a trip to Glendale Galleria. This place was sooooooooooo crowded. We just stopped by Macy’s so Trisha could find pajamas for her grandma, she didn’t. We also stopped by the Apple store to see some of the Ipod dock/alarm clocks. None worked how I wanted them too when I tested them. Some alarms turned on the Ipod but had the volume at 0. Some didn’t allow you to use the Ipod to wake up. No success this time.

LA DWP Holiday Light Festival

We checked this out since we never did before even when we lived on Los Feliz Blvd off the 5 Freeway. It was cool but was definitely a one time thing. there were a few impressive light pieces but most were mediocre if not awful. I liked the Golden Gate Bridge and the entry/exit light tunnels, but not much more. It also rained once we got to the end before we had to turn around and walk back.

Tunnel of Lights

More Lights

Trisha & More Lights

Holly

Wood

The Golden Gate Lights

Wrap Up
The weekend was fun and eventful and it made me happy to get out of the house, especially since I spent most of my time with my girlfriend. Some great events are around the corner, including the free secret location Common show I got tickets for and my company Christmas party. Also, The Come Up Crew will be putting out our second podcast highlighting Bay Area Rap: Old and New featuring me, Spingineer, and Dumlao. If you are interested in checking out our first podcast, which was 90s hip hop, go to the music page on my blog or the podcast page on The Come Up Blog.

I’ll be back soon…Peace.

SIPA Sessions Are A Must!!

Whoever thought you could learn how to DJ, make beats, and record music for free without being a hot girl or having a Dj in your family or circle of friends. Well people this is your chance to learn it all. Come to SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans) Sessions, where the love for music brings together men and women of many different races, ages, class levels, and religious backgrounds to do one thing, make dope music.

Learn how to DJ from Laurent with opportunities to learn more from seasoned vets like Linotype, Jeffrey.Soulspeak, Phatrick, Waxstyles, and myself, Spingineer. Feed off each other in roundtable type mix and scratch sessions. Making beats your thing? Soulspeak and Phatrick are there too provide priceless knowledge in making beats, recording tracks, and so on. With a good amount of MCs that make their way to SIPA for every session are always down to freestyle with you over some hot beats.

So make your way to SIPA Sessions at the corner of Temple St and Dylon St every Monday and Thursday from 5PM-8PM. This also a great place to network for those DJs, producers, and MCs who already know a little something about the business. I was a DJ for almost 11 years when I first got to SIPA Sessions and the networking opportunities are never ending.

DJs currently affiliated with SIPA:
Linotype
Jeffrey.Soulspeak
Phatrick
Waxstyles
Laurent (Don’t know his alias)
Matt (His either)

MCs/Producers currently affiliated with SIPA:
Budda Baboon
Proda-Gz
Phazze Beats
Queen Herstory

SIPA Sessions Official Flyer

Shots from previous SIPA Sessions:

4x4 Session

Making Beats

More Session

New Mix Posted: Post-Diggin’ Sunday 11.16.08 Update

So Diggin’ Sunday was fun. The guy who runs the monthly open turntable jam session took a break and let Mike “Waxstyles” and Maya “equanimous1″ run the session. A good amount of people showed up to spin including author Ruben Molina, who laced us with some old soul 45s. Ruben wrote “The Old Barrio Guide to Lowrider Music: 1950-1975″ and “Chicano Soul: Recordings & History of an American Culture.”

Old Barrio Guide to Lowrider Music: 1950-1975 by Ruben Molina

Chicano Soul: Recordings & History of an American Culture by Ruben Molina

The big difference with this Diggin’ Sunday and those of the past was the inclusion of Serato Scrtachlive. Waxstyles decided to bring it along and it was not welcomed with open arms by the regulars but helped me to express myself the best way I knew how without the use of the limited selection of records I have. Don’t get me wrong, I have about 1000 records but I came up as a working DJ and most of the stuff is not fit for Diggin’ Sunday. I wanted to get down like they got down. The “Yes on Serato Scratchlive” speech is coming…But for now, I will try my best to use the records I have at Diggin’ Sunday. It will be a lot of 90s hip hop though…

My Record Collection with matching Ikea Shelf Converted into DJ Table

Here is a mix inspired by the chillin’ on a Sunday afternoon style that you get at Diggin’ Sundays at Tribal Cafe. It is a real loungy/downtempoish sounding mix and I had to pump it out after coming from Diggin’ Sunday last night. Enjoy.

11.16.08 Loungin’ Mix (Click to Download)

1. 7 Samurai – Uptown Rankin
2. 40 Winks – Soulful Sensitivity
3. Dean Zigoris – The Seasons: Barcarolle
4. Bjork – I Miss You (Dobie Sunshine Mix)
5. Everything But The Girl – Mirrorball (DJ Jazzy Jeff Sole Full Remix)
6. Freddie Cruger – Over the Ocean feat. Desmond Foster
7. Dela – La Bonne Attitude
8. Nujabes – Reflection Eternal
9. Kruder & Dorfmeister – Ocean Beat
10. J Dilla – Sometimes (Instrumental)

Here are pictures from Diggin’ Sunday.

Oooooh, Nice headphones

One Way of Lounging at Diggin' Sunday

Yours Truly on the 1s and 2s, Taken by Matt Nailit

Donald Byrd is Dope. Matt in the Background is as Well.

Ruben Molina Spinning and Discussing Life with Joel

Ruben Molina Spinning

Maya, Equanimous1

DJing My Company’s Christmas Party

Yesterday I found out that me and DJ Mijo will be DJing my company’s Christmas party which will be held at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I heard about this job from a co-worker in our accounting department who was friends with the organizers. She told me that they were about to hire a DJ who they didn’t like that much at $1500 for 6 hours. They wanted someone that was a great MC and they wanted great music that everyone would dance to. The problem is I am not a good MC. I really don’t like talking on the mic or even having all eyes on me while I am talking. So I had to call DJ Mijo to take care of the MCing portion of the party. I first met DJ Mijo at the Edison Bar and we assured each other that we would see what we were both capable of as far as DJing goes. I ended up DJing my friend Manuel’s 4th of July house party which DJ Mijo was at. He also got down on my turntables and was surprisingly good even though he uses rack mountable cd systems at his gigs. He also liked what I delivered and my style and wanted to work with me more. He later hired me to DJ for Santa Clarita Saturn at the Santa Clarita Concerts in the Park series and at Galpin Auto Sport for a revealing party. Both times were using the Remix Van created by Mad Mike of Pimp My Ride.

So both of us were looking to work together again. We also tried to DJ the Christmas party for the Port of Los Angeles for $600 but they went with someone else anyway. DJ Mijo handled everything. He went to my company for an interview and showed them some of the equipment that he would be using at the gig. The problem is that the $1500 DJ was not correct and the original DJ of choice was charging $5000. So last night at our company’s open house reception at Seven Grand, my Southern California Regional Manager, Gene, was asking why I bid so low. I informed him of the miscommunication and he told us we would either get a huge tip or that we should invoice the company $2700 instead of the original $1200. He also repeated the words “don’t fuck this up,” but in a joking matter. I assured him that I have done this hundreds of times and I have done gigs much more critical than this one.

In reality, I will probably only spin for 2 hours, maybe 3 at most. The party runs from 6PM-12AM and they are trying to fit open bar/networking, dinner, murder mystery, prizes, and music. So I will rock the shit with a mix of 70s and 80s funk, soul, disco, boogie, new wave, RnB, and pop. I have a couple people that I will get up in dance to ensure that no one sits there because no one else gets up to dance. We are talking about engineers here and we do have some older folks too that just leave after prizes. I am not sure how many people will be there after our company buying up a few large engineering companies, maybe 500, more or less.

No matter what I am confident that I will rock it. Hopefully I can record the mix and put it up on my mixes page.