Winter Music Conference 2003 Mix

Here is another mix that I made for the previous Winter Music Conference back in 2003. This mix was a little more on the IDM/Experimental side as I was playing more of those genres during that time, especially being one of the label DJ's for Merck Records. Don't get me wrong though, it's got an electro edge so it's definitely fitted for the dance floor, but you'll notice most of the artists are straight up IDM. I start things off with Esem, then roll into some Chris Clark and what follows is a barrage of cuts ranging from Gescom, Soul Oddity, Two Lone Swordsmen, Rac, Autechre and a few others. Like the previous WMC mix I posted, over a hundred of these were distributed throughout the parties of conference 2003. The mix clocks in just under 50 minutes and was ripped at a superb 320kbps. Download it here and stay tuned for more of my mixes I'll be posting up real soon.

Memorial Ride Vid

Check out this wonderful video created by fellow miafixed forum member Mike Marshall. It was for last weekend's memorial ride in Key Biscayne that we did in honor of fallen cyclist Christopher Le Canne who was killed early morning while riding in the bicycle lane by some drunk douche-bag loser. Over 2500 cyclist showed up for the epic ride and showed the city that we are traffic!

Christophe Le Canne Memorial Ride from Mike Marshall on Vimeo.

Save the banks!

Last weekend was the "Save The Banks Jam" at the soon to be closed Brooklyn Banks. Presented by Fuel TV, hundreds of people showed up to skate, bike and chill at the coveted spot and to pay their respects to one of the best skate/BMX locales in NYC. For over two decades many have religiously met up there for sessions and bragging rights, and has been featured in just about every skate video. The NYC DOT is supposedly using the Banks as a staging area for construction of the Brooklyn Bridge which won't be completed till 2014. Read about that here and check out this great video of last weekends jam below.

BANKS JAM from y.arava on Vimeo.

As of late...

...I've been riding the 'Dale around town as my commuter of choice for the moment. I built it back up to ride around as a beater for a few weeks. It's got such classic road bike geometry compared to my other track bikes. I honestly forgot how smooth it rides with those legit as hell Tange Steel forks. Most that have seen it tell me to leave it set-up for a while, but by this weekend it shall be hung up on the rack for a few more months of hibernation as I'm way too comfortable with the Giant build right now. Call it greed, but the Cannondale plays second fiddle these days! Check out some recent shots I took below.

Dumped

Images courtesy of Massan Fluker, Takuya Sakamoto, ConditionNYC, myself as well as other random web-ishh.

Winter Music Conference 2004 Mix

A few years back when I used to DJ clubs, the annual Winter Music Conference here in Miami was the biggest week of the year for me. In-between attending shows featuring electronica's biggest producers or spinning at gigs such as Infiltrate, I would be handing out my demo mix to any and all promoters, artists, dee-jay's and producers I would run into, as if it were going out of style! Handing out at least 150 or so by the end of Conference, it was the best way to get my sound into the right hands. I would work weeks compiling, mixing, mastering and finalizing these WMC mixes each and every year. I wouldn't let a glitch of imperfection slide by as this was (hopefully) to be listened to by electronica's biggest players. It was an annual ritual for me and it was the part of DJing I took most seriously.

This mix was found recently within the many spindles of CD's containing mixes & demo's I created in the past. It was totally forgotten in my mind. Such a shame cause it's a perfect Electro/IDM set and I recall receiving huge compliments from most that lent it an ear. It contains tons of obscurities by Phoenecia, Silicon Scally, Brothomstates, Ellen Allien, Kero, Adam Johnson, Little Computer People and some serious others. The overall quality of the mix is excellent and was ripped @ 320kbps. The cover featured here was not the actual one, I just made a quick "winter theme" cover for the blogpost. In fact, it was distributed in white CD envelopes therefore a cover was never made.

Click here to download the mix.

Keep checking back as I am going to start posting a slew of mixes and old mix-tapes I recently unearthed from the dusty archives.

Sky's The Limit!

Miami's own homegrown, FreeGums! Click Here.

Minor Adjustments

Threw on some Origin-8 risers w/Oury grips, a pair of Odyssey pedals w/Hold Fast straps, rolling on a Vittoria Randonneur 28'er in the rear.

Blue Note Records Miami

From the early 1980's well past the year 2000 lived a record store like no other. A hub for music collectors worldwide as well as the local spot to find that rare gem you've been dreaming about. A void that has never been filled (or ever will be) in the Greater Miami area. The type of record store where patrons and employees knew one another. And finally, a shop so well known that it's become a historical piece of Miami's musical past. Any music aficionado knows about Bob & Leslie's Blue Note Records. The now defunct legendary music mecca that was once nestled in North Miami Beach, known to carry just about anything regarding music. I would go there almost every weekend during the 80's with my sister since we always went to the 163rd street mall nearby, and I was there till the very end in 2006, always stopping by to see what singles I could acquire for my DJ gigs. I remember seeing all types of people shop there. Families fresh from church on Sundays looking to score that gospel tune they just heard, to the hip-hop heads looking for that new Dilla LP as well as the indie/punk kids dropping off flyers for Churchills and chatting with longtime employee Lyndell about his band. There was always something going on. And the smell of vinyl was so dominant, it can be noticed outside the building. There were many shops such as this that would strive to attain Blue Note's credibility but to no avail. During their peak, the store housed the entire block and even had an extra annex filled with hundreds of more rarities just a few blocks north.

Of course, like everything else, all good things come to an end. A Super Wal-Mart was opened right across the street causing havoc with the real estate around the area ending with ridiculously increased rent and causing them to move 25 miles north to a hot, steamy warehouse which I went to a few times, but sadly it wasn't nearly the same experience as the original shop and had lost most of it's clients, music, and that pizazz that made it wonderful in the first place. The momentum and identity of the shop had been diminished somewhere within Miami's history.

As music shops came and went throughout the years, no one was more dedicated and knowledgeable than Blue Note. The average life span for most record stores in this city is usually 2-5 years, even for giants like Virgin Megastore. But for spots like this being gone, it definitely marked the end of an era.

Keirin Cycles 1yr Anniversary

Last night was the 1yr anniversary of Keirin Cycles. On a frigid Sunday eve on South Beach, with temps falling to the 30's, nearly 50-60 people showed up to support Miami's finest bicycle shop. There were sprints, drinks, sounds and plenty of BBQ'd goods going around all night. Quality time with quality people, just like it should be. Extra special thanks to Thomas, Nick and Fabian for all the hard work they have done and for keeping things flowing. Props to Ivan, Andres and Bradley for coming along on the ride...mashing down Biscayne Blvd as well as Washington Ave will never get old. Can't forget to thank Cullen from Vans for use of his, well, van! Check out some photos Rydel and I snapped below. To view the entire set click here.

Cinelli CMX

Unfortunately, they sure don't make em' like they used to.

Cog x Empire

Cog Magazine's latest issue has a preview of the upcoming movie about NYC messenger/track bike culture titled 'Empire', which I posted a short video of previously on here. It's good to finally hear something about this film as I've been feverishly awaiting it's debut. Check out some great shots from the making of Empire below, and peep the rest on Cog Mag's website here.

Hope is fading...

Great shirt for the New Year!