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X-Ecutioners @ Knitting Factory

This was a perfect show to say good-bye to the institutional Tribeca venu. It’s been a very long time since I last saw this turntable quartet but they did not disappoint. Having DJ Precision in the mix still makes them a dominant force in the hip hop DJ world. However, anytime I can see Roc Raida live is a treat. Made me really miss the Wetlands, where they used to play all the time.

I took one last stroll through the tri-level venue and although I’ve had a bad breakup with the club, I had many amazing expereinces there.  I landed a dream job there after graduating  doing design direction and  producing new media events. We were the first club to broadcast live concert streams and worked on countless video shoots and concert promotions. Although the organization was a mess, somehow we always pulled off the impossible. Over time the Knit became less the go-to place for jazz and experimental music so many of us went to Tonic (which has also recently shut its doors). So another music institution succumbs to the “future of New York”, and I’m left wondering what’s left. Leaving the flier ridden hallways I felt proud to have worked in that building and helped unite so many great bands to eager audiences. Good luck in Brooklyn!

Pictures from the show.

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DecaComp is here!

I’m very proud to release the DecaComp. To celebrate the last 10 years of comping the best music of every year, I’ve compiled the last decade into one package, including this year’s 2008 supaComp. I’ve been doing this music curating endeavor for many years and it’s been a labor of love. The many hours scrutinizing what makes it on each year’s compilation always becomes an arduous task, but when it’s complete it’s great to listen to all the great tunes that made the cut. Starting out as an extension of my radio show over 14 years ago, its slowly developed into a yearly exploration of the year’s best and overlooked tunes. The “comps” have always been a celebration of new music and spreading my passion for new and unsigned bands. It’s also a good record of what my personal highlights of the year were and some bands one may have missed. Organizing (and locating) the old comps into the DecaComp was very time consuming but it gave me the chance to relisten to the old comps and go down memory lane. I was lucky to have people return some of the old comps (especially the tape ones) that I had no record of anymore. So I’m very happy to bring it all together and get it into your hands and ears.  And just in time for the holidays for you and your music friends 🙂