New Mix: Guilty Pleasures Vols. 3 & 3.5 featuring Siik

Short lived but forever funky, New Jack Swing seemed like a blur in history due to its quick creation and complete extinction within less than a decade. It was urban, but at the same time pop, while always staying very soulful and upbeat creating an all around dope sound. Songs that often used very similar kicks, snares, and drum rolls were matched with lyrics on subjects from courting a honey, looking for that someone special, love, and promiscuity. No matter what the songs’ subject matter was about, the music was funky, the singing was on point, the rhymes were hype, and the dances were fun.

The Come Up Crew homie, DJ Siik, also created a nice New Jack Swing mix that was recorded live at the last Come Up party which is included in this post as Guilty Pleasures Vol. 3.5. You may hear a repititon of tracks but don’t worry about it, you haven’t heard these songs in a long time and they are worth listening to twice.

I implore you to go back and give New Jack Swing a re-listen. Bring back memories from the good old days. Go watch House Party and it will all come together. You will be rocking Cross Colours and Karl Kani in no time.

Enjoy the mixes.

Guilty Pleasures Vol. 3 (Week of 08.03.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Strafe – Set It Off
2. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance
3. Tony! Toni! Tone! – If I Had No Loot
4. Heavy D & The Boyz – Somebody For Me
5. Guy – I Like
6. Hi-Five – I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)
7. Al B. Sure! – If I’m Not Your Lover feat. Slick Rick (Remix)
8. Another Bad Creation – Iesha
9. Boyz II Men – Motown Philly
10. Bell Biv DeVoe – Do Me
11. TLC – What About Your Friends
12. Wreckx-N-Effect – Rump Shaker
13. Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up
14. Blackstreet – Booti Call
15. Al B. Sure! – Off On Your Own
16. Bobby Brown – Every Little Step
17. New Edition – A Little Bit Of Love (Is All It Takes)

Guilty Pleasures Vol. 3.5 featuring Siik (Week of 08.03.09) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

1. Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel
2. LL Cool J – Around The Way Girl
3. Hi-Five – I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)
4. Jade – Don’t Walk Away
5. SWV – Right Here
6. Toni Braxton – Give You My Heart feat. Babyface
7. Bobby Brown – Something In Common feat. Whitney Houston
8. G-Wiz – Teddy Bear
9. Teddy Riley – Is It Good To You feat. Tammy Lucas
10. Keith Sweat – I Want Her
11. Michael Jackson – Remember The Time
12. Guy – Groove Me
13. Portrait – Here We Go Again
14. Joe Public – Live And Learn
15. Full Force – Ain’t My Type of Hype
16. Janet Jackson – Because of Love
17. Big Daddy Kane – I Get The Job Done

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: 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. 3: Top Songs of 2008 featuring Ocir, Dumlao, & Spingineer

It’s past due since the mix was supposed to be up on Wednesday (Christmas Eve). I am in SF, Dumlao is in Santa Barbara, and Ocir is in LA which made it hard for us to finalize everything. Although, the podcast was done on Wednesday, I was having trouble getting solid internet connections anywhere until today at my mom’s house. So finally I give you The Come Up Crew Podcast Vol. 3 highlighting the Top Songs of 2008 as chosen by The Come Up DJs Ocir, Dumlao, and Spingineer. Ocir and Dumlao play their top electro tracks while I play my top hip hop tracks. Enjoy.

Download: Dumlao_Ocir__SpingineerTheComeUpPodcastVol.3

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 3: Top Songs of 2008 (Week of 12.22.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Dumlao and Ocir (Background music is an original beat by Ocir)

Set #1: Ocir

1. Crookers ft. Kid Cudi – Embrace the Martian
2. Kanye West – Paranoid (Pocketknife Edit)
3. Fake Blood – Mars
4. E-40 & Method Man – N.A.S.A. Music (L.A. Riots Remix)
5. Adele – Cold Shoulder (Bassment Jaxx Remix)
6. Common – Universal Mind Control
7. Chromeo – 100% (Treasure Fingers Remix)
8. Edu K – Me Bota Pra Dançar feat. Marina (Crookers Remix)
9. Usher – Love in this Club (MSTRKRFT Remix)
10. The Lonely Island – Jizz in My Pants

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Villains – Thrilla Remix)

Set #2: Spingineer

1. Evidence – Chase The Clouds Away
2. The Roots – Get Busy feat. Dice Raw & Peedi Peedi
3. 9th Wonder & Buckshot – Hold It Down feat. Talib Kweli & Tyler Woods
4. Lupe Fiasco – Paris, Tokyo
5. Q-Tip – Gettin’ Up
6. Common – The Light ’08 feat. Marsha Ambrosius
7. Consequence – Feel This Way feat. John Legend
8. Strong Arm Steady – Can’t Let Go
9. Jay-Z – Roc Boys
10. Kanye West – Flashing Lights

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Termanology – This Is How We Rock instrumental)

Set #3: Dumlao

1. Kenna – Say Goodbye To Love
2. NERD – Everyone Nose
3. LMFAO – I’m In Miami Bitch
4. Santo Gold – Creator Remix
5. Kid Sister – Beeper
6. Kid Cudi – Day n Nite Remix
7. Yelle – Je Veux Te Voir Remix
8. Justice Feat Uffie – The Party Remix
9. Kanye West Feat ATrak – Stronger Remix
10. Dizzee Rascal – Flex Remix
11. Ida Corr – Let Me Think About It Remix
12. Does It Offend You Yeah? – We Are Rockstars
13. MSTRKRFT – Bounce
14. Black Ghosts – Anyway You Choose To Give It Remix
15. LA Riots – Switchblade
16. Villains – Cut Me Up
17. Chromeo – 100% Remix
18. Daft Punk vs Adam Freeland – AerOBAMA
19. Justice vs MGMT- Electric Feel Remix
20. Estelle – American Boy Remix

Outro: Dumlao (Background: MIA – Paperplanes Instrumental)

The Come Up Podcast Vol. 1: 90s Hip Hop featuring Spingineer & Dumlao

Dumlao

Spingineer

Podcast #1:
Theme: 90s Hip Hop featuring Dumlao and Spingineer

The Come Up Podcast (Week of 11.24.08) – Click to Download

Tracklisting:

Introduction: Dumlao & Spingineer (Background Music: Dela – La Bonne Attitude)

Set #1: Spingineer

1. Big Daddy Kane – Set It Off
2. Eric B & Rakim – J.U.I.C.E. (Know the Ledge)
3. Leaders of the New School – The International Zone Coaster
4. Organized Konfusion – Walk into the Sun (Remix)
5. Cypress Hill – Real Estate
6. LL Cool J – Jingling Baby
7. Eric B & Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique
8. Special Ed – Ready 2 Attack
9. Main Source – Looking at the Front Door
10. Leaders of the New School – Just Another Case of that Old PTA
11. Gangstarr – Who’s Gonna Take the Weight
12. Redman – Time 4 Sum Aksion
13. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Straighten it Out
14. Brand Nubian – Step to the Rear
15. Eric B & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul
16. Naughty by Nature – Uptown Anthem
17. Third Bass – Gas Face

Interlude: Dumlao (Background Music: Mad Skillz – Nod Factor – Instrumental)

Set #2: Dumlao

1. Craig Mack – Flava In Yo Ear Remix feat. Biggie
2. Keith Murray – The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World
3. Nas – Memory Lane
4. Common – Nuthin To Do
5. Dred Scott – Back In the Day
6. Lordz Of The Underground – Funky Child
7. Das Efx – They Want Efx
8. Fu Schnickens – True Fuschnick
9. Lordz Of The Underground – Chief Rocka
10. Redman – Rated R
11. EPMD – You Gots To Chill
12. The Alkaholiks – Daaaaaamn
13. Outkast – Call Of Da Wild
14. Main Source – Fakin The Funk
15. Del the Funkee Homosapien- Mistadobalina
16. Fu Schnickens – What’s Up Doc?
17. Kool G Rap – Poison
18. EPMD – Crossover
19. Naughty By Nature – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Interlude: Spingineer (Background Music – J Dilla – Make Em NV – Instrumental)

Set #3: Spingineer

1. Black Moon – Who Got Da Props
2. Black Sheep – Black with N.V.
3. Chill Rob G – Court is Now in Session
4. K-Solo – Your Mom’s in my Business
5. Poor Righteous Teachers – Shakyla
6. M.O.P. – Hardcore
7. Kool G Rap – Streets of New York
8. Nas – Halftime
9. Large Professor – The Mad Scientist
10. Ed O.G. & The Bulldogs – I Got to Have It
11. Shyheim – On & On
12. A Tribe Called Quest – Busta’s Lament
13. Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth – The Funky Technician
14. Ice Cube – Bird in the Hand
15. King Tee – Played Like a Piano
16. Inverse – Til the End (C.A.L.I.) feat. Trek Life

Outro: Dumlao & Spingineer (Background Music – Lupe Fiasco – Paris, Tokyo – Instrumental)

Spotlight on DJ Siik

I met DJ Siik at the May 2008 Come Up party. This San Fernando Valley kid’s mixes was real clean and his music selection was immaculate. His mixes sounded like they were meant to be together.

DJ Siik, Unknown Photographer

Getting to know Siik more I found out that he is still a beginner on turntables and that he never really touched any until that day at The Come Up. That amazed me because he just picked it up real quick and his mixes are hella clean. Later I got to see him mix in some acapellas for a 4×4 set with Mike Deuce and he even had great timing, which can take other DJs years to master. He is a natural and with a few more years on turntables he will become one of the siikest in the business.

Siik also has a blog that is very successful and has a huge following. He got a lot of mixes up there as well as remixes that sometimes seem to be a better fit to the song than the original track. Keep up with DJ Siik at www.siik.org and download his mixes and remixes.

If you are in Honolulu, Hawaii, pick up Siik’s mixtape “In Between” at In4mation.

DJ Siik - In Between at In4mation in Hawaii

Here are some of my favorite DJ Siik mixes and remixes (in no particular order):

Remix: Amerie – One Thing (Siik Remix)

Remix: Aaliyah – If Your Girl Only Knew (Siik Remix)

Remix: Snoop Dogg – Signs (Siik Remix)

Remix: Estelle – American Boy (Siik Remix)

Remix: T-Pain – Can’t Believe It (Siik Remix)

Remix: Robin Thicke – Wanna Love You Girl (Siik Remix)

Michael Jackson – Remember the Time (Siik Remix)

Mix: Siik – In Between

Track listing:
dem franchize boyz – oh i think they like me (remix?)
dan the automator – to catch a thief
the avalanches – tonight
blackalicious – deception
fantastic plastic machine – black dada
nightmares on wax – morse
black sheep – B.B.S.
camp lo – gotcha
cibo matto – moonchild
the roots – you got me
pharcyde – she said(mike caren mix)

Mix: Siik – How’s Your Lady

Track listing:
q-tip – blue girl
pharcyde – passin me by(fly as pie mix)
nightmares on wax-a night’s interlude
a tribe called quest – bonita applebum(hootie mix)
kick the can crew – nounai vacation
the roots – proceed ii
ugly duckling – another samba
nujabes – kumomi
black star – brown skin lady
will i am – lay me down

Mix: Siik – All I Want

Track listing:
lemongrass – lightning fire
kanye west – heard em say (instrumental)
federico aubele – postales
bonobo – ketto
thievery corporation – the supreme illusion
polyrhythm addicts – take me home
gift of gab – evolution
dwele – keep on
one self – over expose
nujabes – reflection eternal
the roots – act too (the love of my life)

Mix: Siik – Bous

Track listing:
kelis – glow
common – love is
glenn lewis – don’t you forget it
brandy – best friend
michael jackson – butterflies
dwele – hold on
cooly’s hot box – what a surprise
laurnea – keep your head up
carmen rodgers – dream
raphael saadiq – be here
lauryn hill – i used to love him
toni braxton – you’re makin me high

Mix: Siik – I Don’t Even Like Coffee

Track listing:
a tribe called quest – i c u doin’ it
the roots – what they do
black eyed peas – fallin’ up
andre 3000 – she lievs in my lap
amerie – why don’t we fall in love (richcraft remix)
kenny dope – horn joint
misia – escape (dj watarai remix)
miho – esperanza
shing02 – luv(sic) instrumental
monday michiru – when i’m with you (dj krush remix)
a tribe called quest – like it like that
yesterday’s new quintet – uno esta
the tribe called quest – like that
outkast – ms jackson
jazzanova – no use

Mix: Siik – Unable to Satisfy

Track listing:
pharcyde – on the dl
gift of gab – to know you
common – faithful
n.e.r.d. – run to the sun
thievery corporation – samba tranquile
dj cam – dieu reconnaitra les siens
gagle – practice and tactix(soljazz mix)
nightmares on wax – 70s 80s
shakkazombie – kokoro warp(4 hero friday nite remix)
tosca – chocolate elvis(boozoo bajou remix)
jaffa – sneakin
ratatat – crips
q-tip – movin with u
prefuse 73 – detchibe

Did I mention that Siik is a siik ass photographer with samples on his blog.

Sample of Siik's photos, Shot in Hawaii

No more sleeping on DJ Siik. Kid is dope…

I Am Now a VJ…New Music Video Remix: Estelle – American Boy (Siik Remix)

I have officially became a VJ with two music video gigs under my belt and a lot more to come.

1. My cousin Kim’s Debut 10.04.08
2. The Creep Up (The Come Up) 10.25.08

I now want to be able to VJ as universally as I DJ. I want to have a good music video collection. This is where it becomes hard. Downloading a music video just doesn’t cut like it would if you download a song. Quality becomes the number one issue and music video downloads usually have sucky quality. The other problem is that music videos ripped from MTV or BET or any other music video network cannot be played except for personal use without a chance of getting sued since you as a VJ don’t represent the network. The answer is Music Video Pools. Just like the exclusive record pools of the past, digital pools for music and music videos are now the industry standard and that same exclusivity has been thrown out the window with the ability of digital files to be copied over and over and over again.

There are many pools out there and most of them have all the same music every month. The only difference is price and quality. The best pool from my research is Promo Only. You sign up and pay per genre which is sent once a month in DVD format which will have to be converted into mp4s for use in Scratchlive Video. With a subscription with Promo Only you also have access to all the old collections of music videos, from the 70s to the more current hits. Those issues are $40 each and have an average of 40 videos. If I were to buy the whole collection of non-current stuff, I would spend $1200. Then I would have to convert them all.

I am really into personalizing my videos with hot remixes as well as mixable versions. I am really thinking of pumping out a bunch of remixed and mixable versions that I can use and sell to other VJs to make some money back for all the time I put in.

Here is my first video remix using my homeboy, DJ Siik’s remix of Estelle – American Boy. The beat should be slower but I didn’t know how to slow down the video track on Final Cut Express. Enjoy.