Raydio

Raydio was Ray Parker Jr's funk band from the 70's. If you don't know who Ray Parker Jr is, he's the dude that made the Ghostbusters theme song after Raydio broke up in 1981. They made a few hits such as "Two Places at the Same Time" & "You Can't Change That". But one of their songs, which is a b-side on the album "Rock On" from 1979 titled "More Than One Way To Love A Woman" has to be my all time Raydio personal favorite. I first heard it in a mix from NYC beat god DJ Ayres (congrats on the new baby!) and was hooked. I actually took that mix on a recent trip to New York with my wife, so during that whole trip this song was all the rage and every time I hear that song now, it reminds me of the greatest city in the world. Grab it here.

Props Overdue

If www.miamigraffiti.com isn't the best thing that has happened to Miami's graff scene since "Seme" VO5, then I don't know what the fuck is. Somebody's gotta sift through the good, bad and the ugly and put Miami on the map! Hats off to Merck, word!

Portishead Remixes & B-Sides Mix

I've always been a huge fan of Portishead. They are definitely in my top 3 favorites. The many moods their music carries can't be compared to any other band or product. The beats are always tight and it's just what the listener ordered right at the perfect moment. Even live, Beth Gibbons and crew sound amazing. Their tracks contain and wide variety of influences ranging from Hip-Hop, Shoegaze, Indie, Goth and even some slight Punk basically offering something for everyone. After more than 10 years their compositions are still strong and with a new album in the works titled 'Third' dropping this April, their sound and legacy continues. This past December they hosted the famous All Tomorrow's Parties in UK and made their first public appearance & performance since 1998 dropping 5 new tracks from their new album keeping their style and ideas unique. And just recently they've announced a US appearance at Coachella Music Festival in California during the same month the new album drops.

Throughout the years I've managed to collect all of their vinyl's in one form or another along with all of the remixes and collaborations they've put out between projects. To commemorate the new release I've decided to make this mix available to all. I actually made it about 4 months ago once I heard they were working on the new project. As the news of the album came about, I went through another one of my many Portishead phases and compiled and created this mix. In fact, I think the only other person (other than wifey) that has listened to this mix is my boy Merck. Personally, I think some of Portishead's remixes are better than some of their album material which is another reason I decided to create a mix such as this one. I promise you won't hear Sour Times or Glory Box. My main focus for this mix was the beats of Geoff Barrow, Portishead's beat composer. You will notice that I throw in some Geoff Barrow remixes and tracks that are NOT Portishead material but rather his own stuff. All in all the mix carries that unmatched Portishead soundscape all throughout and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did creating it. Tracklisting below, grab mix here.

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01. Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up (Portishead remix)
02. Portishead - Roads (AlexSins edit)
03. UNKLE - If You Find Earth Boring (Portishead plays UNKLE mix)
04. Baby Namboos - Ancoats2zambia (Geoff Barrow remix)
05. Massive Attack - Karmacoma (Portishead experience)
06. Earthling - Nefisa (Portishead remix)
07. Paul Weller - Wildwood (Portishead's sheared wood mix)
08. Ride - Moonlight Medicine (Portishead's ride the wire mix)
09. Junkwaffel - Mudskipper (Portishead's so-so mix)
10. Sabres of Paradise - Planet D (Portishead remix)
11. Machine Gun Fellatio - Horny Blonde 40 (Portishead remix)
12. Portishead - Wandering Stars
13. Geoff Barrow - G.B. Beats
14. Boca 45 - Stand Up (Geoff Barrow M.D.G.I. mix instrumental)
15. Portishead - Sheared Box
16. Earthling - 1st Transmission (Portishead's earthead mix)
17. Portishead - Key Bored 299 03 (Unreleased)

Konkrete Kamping...

Every morning for the past week I have noticed about 15-20 kids sleeping in front of the Shoe Gallery here in Downtown Miami. I've seen them do it before but just overnight. These kids have been there all week. They are anticipating the release of the new Air Jordan XX3 starting at $230.00 (can you imagine the re-sell price!) dropping today, January 25th. Only 23 stores in the USA are getting 23 pairs (of course, Jordan=23...duhh), and the Shoe Gallery will be getting em'. In fact, they are the only place in the S.E. other than Atlanta that's getting them in. So after the staff members get their first picks, about 16-18 pairs will be left for those kids. That's taking a huge chance. Can you imagine sleeping there for a week and not getting anything out of it? I mean those kids must have to put up with a homeless fiend every 10 minutes. It's funny cause they have their tent set up right on the sidewalk and chairs (just like the famous Alife & Supreme campouts in NYC) with coolers and all. But where do they take a shit or shower? I dunno, but I think that whole idea is pretty lame. I first heard of campouts from Supreme in NYC. Every year since 93, they close the shop for 2 weeks to bring in their new line for the season and kids have been camping out for those drops for years, but kids in Miami are doing this!?!? I never knew kids down here were so passionate about sneakers let alone risking their lives for them! Most campouts in NYC happen in SOHO where all the dope sneaker boutiques are, but Downtown Miami is nothing like SOHO. And mind you, these kids have $230.00 dollars in their pockets for the gear. If the crackheads only knew...lol. If you look at these kids once they get their kicks/gear they look like they've accomplished something. I mean they are just sneakers right? Don't get me wrong, I'm an addict for dope kicks/gear (especially nike's) and I pay whatever it is if I like the shoe, but you'll never catch me sleeping on the streets (especially in Downtown Miami) for any kind of apparel. Not here nor in NYC. But you know what, it's just a sign of our humanity. You can hype up dog shit and if it's hyped the right way, people will give their blood for it. My main question is, are they actually going to wear those Jordans after the shit they went through to get them, let alone the price! Is it really worth the hype? Well to some it appears so! Below are some viddy's of a few previous campouts and the madness the ensues.

Derek Riggs

Most recently, I've been drawn to the art of Derek Riggs. He's a contemporary British artist better known for his work for bands such as Gamma Ray, Stranglehold and most notably Iron Maiden. His work reminds me of the illustrations for the 1981 cult classic film Heavy Metal. The force, passion, and intensity his pieces carry is unlike any other. But the work he's accomplished for Iron Maiden was most prominent and that allowed him the exposure to become well known throughout the 80's and very well into the 90's. Derek created Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie and continued to work with them till just after 2000 when they turned down a concept he had for their 'Wicker Man' single (which I think was a dope as hell piece) stating they were too hard to work with (after all these years!?!?). I personally think it's time for his work to be revived. Maybe a collaboration with indy skate shop in NYC Supreme would be a good idea. They are known for bringing back 'dead artists'. Or maybe start working with music again! There's waaay more money involved these days! Either way, his art is too good to be ignored and something as real and pure as his work should never die. Check out his website here. Up The Irons!

Off The Bowery

Off Bowery productions is the downtown don aka A-ron Bondaroff's new offshoot. "The city's been whitewashed, it's time to give it a backwash" claims the puerto rican-jew streetwear mogul. After the drama that unfolded with his previous project, A New York Thing (read more about it here), and after disappearing for over 4 months, A-ron is back on the NYC scene with an exclusive interview on Youtube about his forthcoming project and what's to come. In fact, The New York Times wrote a small piece on his newest project/locale The Wreck Room in SOHO (read more about that here) which he claims will be a downtown hub for musicians, skaters, artists, etc. To hear it from the man himself, in his own words and description, peep the viddy's below for a full explanation of realness to come.





It seems true NYC legends refuse to sleep and let the city take it's own course. Go on A-ron, eat NYC whole! It's yours!

Steady Bloggin'...

It's quite embarrassing that this is my first attempt to maintain/create/use a weblog. I mean it's 2008 for shit's sake! But after years of serious denial, I finally figured it's all a very good idea! Being a former club/record label DJ, I've always wanted a space to post mixes, showcase records in my archives, upload photos of my many bicycle builds and just talk pure culture! So here I present you 'The Sinister One'. My journal about music, art, mixed-media, photography, film, street-life, bikes, graffiti, skateboarding, random fuck-shit and pretty much everything in-between. This blog in no way will change your life, but it might enlighten you in some shape or form, especially with all the bullshit that saturates our blog world. So welcome aboard, don't believe the hype, and 'Fuck what ya heard'...