Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday. The whole place was packed - indoors and out - for a very good portion of the night and there was plenty of dancing, drinking, and general good times. Also thanks to Kinetic for coming through and murdering an all vinyl set.
More pictures here
One of my favorite things to do in NYC is unwittingly roll up on something totally unexpected, fun, and unique. Maybe its the element of surprise or the fact that you've put absolutely no hype or expectations into it, but stumbling on a party, concert, street fair, or any other event like this and having the time of your life is a great feeling. Of course, summer time is the best for this, as a city like New York has a million things to choose from.
One of my personal best moments like this was a couple years back when my family and a friend of mine went to Coney Island on closing weekend to play some games, go on some rides and walk around. As we're walking on the boardwalk around sundown, we suddenly hear music and see that there is a section of the boardwalk ahead that's full of people. As we get closer, we realize that the people are dancing and that the sound is coming from a DJ in a hut. What made it even better is that the people seemed to represent all ages, races, and backgrounds and they were all dancing together to house, disco, latin and other not-poppy sounds. I don't have any videos or pictures from that night, but according to some videos on YouTube this goes on all the time (and sometimes with legends like Louie Vega):
Be sure to check it out some time, and sorry that I ruined the surprise!
An East Carolina University biologist, Jason Bond, discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and opted to call the arachnid after his favorite musician, Canadian Neil Young, naming it Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.
"There are rather strict rules about how you name new species," Bond said in a statement.
"As long as these rules are followed you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice."
{Reuters/BKvegan}
Even though there will be some relief from this heatwave by Saturday, we'll still be keeping things hot at Seamless with:
- Free BBQ from 9pm until supplies run out
- Extended Happy Hour through 10pm, including $3 drafts
- Teenwolf, Elsewhere, and Knomad on the mix until we get shut down
432 isn't just about parties- we like art too! Our past (and hopefully future) collaborator Corren Conway will be part of a new art show called "Positivity," curated by the well known hip hop photographer Jamel Shabbaz. It features over 25 amazing photographers showcasing their interpretation of Positivity. Flyers are below:
Well, its Monday morning and i'm going on about 10-12 hours of sleep for the entire weekend combined. Other than that, I had a good time and want to say thanks to everyone for coming out to the parties I was playing at - especially Sala this past Friday.
I managed to take a few pictures the other night, so i'll try to get some of them uploaded soon.
Also, big thanks to Brainchild for coming down and guest spinning with me. For those that liked his style, check him out on his new internet radio show called Gordon Gatrell radio that he's doing with Phonte from the group Little Brother. Its bound to be a nice mix of good music and funny banter:
Gordon Gartrell Radio
Up next in the wacky world of DJing, i'll be playing at a High School Prom this week. Then next week, it will be already time for Seamless again!
sa·la: [sah-luh]- noun - large hall, living room, or reception room.
When you were younger, did you ever play your favorite songs of the time and put on a little dance show for your family in your living room? Songs that are played in moments like these often become our guilty pleasures in the future, and you're bound to hear some of them on occasion at 432 parties - since what we're ultimately about is making people feel good and dance.
Living rooms also make me think of house parties. You know, those times where you see your couches and chairs pushed up against the walls to make room for your friends and their friends and their friends' friends to dance and mingle. 432 parties are sort of like that too, since what we started with was hosting parties in bars for our friends and watched as everyone started inviting their friends, and our network just grew and grew.
This is why having our newest party in the basement of a place called Sala is perfect for us. You're meant to come out, feel at home, bring family and friends, and let loose to the music. The only difference this time, at least compared to my house, is that there will also be plenty of Sangria and Spanish decor.
PS - if you're looking for a place to eat that night, Sala's upstairs is a Tapas restaurant. Check out the review at New York Magazine.
Looks like the temp will be in the high 70s on Friday, which is the perfect Temperature for a party we have decided to call Summer Vacation kickoff. We'll be in the downstairs lounge all night playing feel good music. Come shake off the winter and rainy spring weather blues........
This is major! My Dj partners from our monthly party Seamless have just dropped three of their productions on a 12" slab of vinyl. Whether you collect vinyl or not, you need to go and cop this. After all, what better way is there to immortalize the Sound Advice productions you've heard come through the speakers at 432 and Sound Advice parties over the past year or so.
I was playing the Bmore Eyed girl track out at gigs (i.e. Uncle Mings) before I even met these guys, so this is pretty exciting. I think they might even be the first DJs that i've ever worked with that have their own official vinyl out (???).
Check it out here:
http://www.turntablelab.com/vinyl/153/258/46010.html
Congratulations guys. Keep grinding.
A couple years ago, as a dj who was slightly more desperate to get gigs, I used to scout out postings on craigslist. While I had one or two successful tries at getting gigs there, it ended up actually being more valuable for a laugh, since most of the gigs posted there are either for fairly ridiculous situations or for practically negative compensation (i'm sure all you photographers and artists out there can relate to this notion).
I still happen to catch a doozy from time to time, via an RSS feed for DJ on the site, and today my eyes caught one of the best i've seen in a while:
Subject: I NEED A DJ ASAP FOR A 2 PERSON PARTY PLEASE READ HEADLINE (CHEAPEST GUY)
Text: I M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY LANDLORD AN THE OTHER TENANT EVERYTMORNING THEY LEAVE HE VACUUM RUNING FOR TWO HOURS SO I DECIDED TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE . IM LOOKIN TO HAVE A DJ COME BY AN PLAY LOUD MUSIC FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS SEND ME A PRICE
Well, what can I say. Another successful installment of Seamless. Despite the absence of Elsewhere and most of Varghese's crew (big thanks to those that came out even though V wasn't there), K-ross and I still managed to turn up the heat and keep rumps shaking until 4am. With that level of energy at that time of night, its always so hard to hear the security guards telling us to shut down the music.
Here are a few picture highlights. More can be seen here.
See you next month.
Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame on May 4, 2008. Here's my favorite excerpt of his speech:
...........So let me finish with a Garden State benediction. Rise up my fellow New Jerseyans, for we are all members of a confused but noble race. We, of the state that will never get any respect. We, who bear the coolness of the forever uncool. The chip on our shoulders of those with forever something to prove. And even with this wonderful Hall of Fame, we know that there's another bad Jersey joke coming just around the corner.
But fear not. This is not our curse. It is our blessing. For this is what imbues us with our fighting spirit. That we may salute the world forever with the Jersey state bird [as he raised his middle finger], and that the fumes from our great northern industrial area to the ocean breezes of Cape May fill us with the raw hunger, the naked ambition and the desire not just to do our best, but to stick it in your face. Theory of relativity anybody? How about some electric light with your day? Or maybe a spin to the moon and back? And that is why our fellow Americans in the other 49 states know, when the announcer says "and now in this corner, from New Jersey...." they better keep their hands up and their heads down, because when that bell rings, we're coming out swinging.
God Bless the Garden State.
{star ledger}
Organizers of a major California music festival are offering a $10,000 reward and four festival tickets for life in exchange for ex-Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters' two-story inflatable pig, which was lost on Sunday night.
The giant flying pig, part of Pink Floyd's stage show since their 1977 album "Animals" featuring the song "Pigs on the Wing," broke free from its tethers above the Coachella crowd and drifted off.
It's not the first time Waters has lost his flying pig. Back in 1977, it floated away on the second day of a photo shoot at the Battersea Power Station in London and was later recovered and used for an album cover.
Anyone with information on the lost pig, should email lostpig@coachella.com.
{reuters}
UPDATE:
The pig was found by a couple who thought it was trash on their driveway and threw it out only to hear the news reports and let festy organizers know that they had it.
Today Bob Dylan became the 1st ever rock musician to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The 66-year-old Dylan won the special music citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." In 1999, the Pulitzer board gave a posthumous citation to jazz great Duke Ellington "in recognition of his musical genius," while another special posthumous citation went to jazzman Thelonious Monk in 2006. Two other jazz artists won regular Pulitzers in music, Wynton Marsalis for a jazz oratorio in 1997 and Ornette Coleman last year.
