Hasidic HipHop Reggae

"Chop Em Down"
"Father In The Forest"
Video with history and live footage
There are so many Reggae artists who praise jah and preach about their love of about the ganja. Matthew Miller AKA Matisyahu has a different message:

"Me no want no sinsemilla.
That would only bring me down
Burn away my brain no way my brain is to compound
Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown
Thunder!
Let the blessings come down"

Matisyahu was raised by Dead-heads and later became a dread locked Phish tour kid, however he wanted something different out of life. He truly found himself when he moved to Israel and he spent his time, praying, exploring, and dancing in Jerusalem. In every nook he encountered, his dormant Jewish identity stirred into consciousness. When he returned he studied up on reggae and hip-hop. He attended a weekly open-mic where he rapped, sang, beat-boxed, and did almost anything he could to stay creatively charged. It was then that he started to develop the unique reggae-hip hop sound for which he would one day become known. I was turned on to Matisyahu when I was forwarded THIS VIDEO with some really nice beatboxing, singing, and an interview from the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Read more about this interesting musician HERE

Get Physical

DJ T "Time Out (Random Factor Mix)" (Get Physical Music)

I think it is safe to say that last year Kompakt was the "It" label. Friends who don't ever listen to minimal techno and tech house were randomly asking me what I thought of the new Michael Mayer album. Maybe it was the saturation of magazine articles about the German label combined with the virtual blowjobs that Pitchfork gave the label on a regular basis. Regardless, Kompakt was hot last year and this year the new label of choice is the German "Get Physical Music" label. I can honestly say I haven't been so excited about the future of a house label than I am for GPM right now. The fusion of minimal house music and melodic techno, a healthy dose of the TB-303, and a tease of electro are the perfect ingredients. I will probably wear out all of my GPM 12"'s and the new LP by Booka Shade titled "Memento" hasn't left my car in weeks. The track I put up is a remix of DJ T's "Time Out" by another one of my favorite producers, Random Factor.

from Get Physical Music:
In 2002 Thomas Koch (aka DJ T) founded Get Physical Music together with a couple of friends. The Berlin based label is a collective, which consists of six people who have proved to be very dynamic in the electronic music scene for a long time. The dj-and producer-duo Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung as well as the three-headed team of producers Booka Shade (Walter Merzinger, Arno Kammermeier, Peter Hayo) have been active together for more than 10 years, whilst releasing projects on labels like R&S (Degeneration), Harthouse (Synesthasia), Touché (Booka Shade) and Tommy Boy (Oakland Stroke). Bodmer and Jung have become well-known as M.A.N.D.Y. most of all through their remixes.

It doesn't get much better than Get Physical!

King Tut

Paul Hardcastle- King Tut MP3

One of my all time favorite styles of music is the old school electrofunk. I can still recite most of the lines from both of the Breakin' movies and I made a DJ mix titled "Linoleum Streets" which is all breakdance/electro tracks from 1982-1985. You can download it HERE Of all of the artists of that era, my favorite has got to be Paul Hardcastle. The keyboard master and producer from London dropped some of the best early 80's dance tracks to ever burn up the roller rinks. "19", "Rainforest", "Forest Fire", "Central Park", "Sound Chaser", and "King Tut" are all JAMS! I added "King Tut" which is a track I did not use on my "Linoleum Streets" mix. "King Tut" was a 12" and also is on his fantastic self titled LP from 1985.

cool ambient dj mix

Just found this one online and I am mellowing out to it while I read about NASA landing on Saturn's moon. Just when you think you have heard all of the downtempo artists out there you find another batch of them. Some nice psy/ambient tracks on this mix.

Chilled Desire Volume 1 - mixed by Cire

01. Tj Rhemi - The Warm Chill - The Warm Chill - 2004
02. Abakus - Igamatik - That Much Closer to the Sun - 2004
03. Adham Shaikh - Dubfire - Fusion - 2004
04. Gabriel Le Mar - Ffm(Beach Dub) - Short Stories - 2003
05. Adham Shaikh - Bombay mix - Fusion 2004
06. Gabriel Le Mar - Hope - Short Stories - 2003
07. Omimotion - Life hymn in Dub - Chillosophy 3 - 2003
08. Puff Dragon - Chinese Radio - Fahrenheit Project part 4 - 2004
09. Vibrasphere - Mananzilla - Chillosophy 3 - 2003
10. Dream Forest - Pacific - Chillum volume 3 - 2003
11. Solar Fields - Union Light - Fahrenheit Project part 4 - 2004
12. Ten Madison - Easy Living - Milk - 2004
13. Kukan Dub Lagan - Life is Nice - Life is Nice - 2004

Coping through music

Lindsey Green- "Devastation"

Soundclick- Lindsey Green (the track is "devastation" and I also love the track "morhine drip")

Everybody deals with pain, sadness, and tragedy a different way. The effects of the Tsunami are beyond belief and my thoughts and prayers go out to everybody affected. One way to cope with sadness is by channeling through art. Some of the best art ever created was inspired by grief and despression. Blues music was founded on sorrow and look how many rock and roll songs were written after a band member died or a wife ran off. I was sent an email from my good friend and also talented musician, David Hammond, about a track a friend of his created about the Tsunami.

David writes:
"every now and then, you stumble across something so beautiful, so ingenius, so sublime, that you just have to share it with everyone that you think might understand. this song was written, only a few days ago, about the tsunami that caused so much suffering, by a producer who is far, far beyond his time. i bow down to this guy and only hope that one day, i will be able to capture the raw power, energy, beauty, and grace that he can capture in a single, solitary afternoon. i don't know which is more amazing -- that he actually wrote this song (in a day, i might add) --or that i'm probably the only person he bothered to tell about it."

Charge Me Up

Chris Price- Charge Me Up

Well, I broke my iRiver mp3 recorder so I am unable to rip any of my records to mp3 to put on the site until it is repaired. However, since setting up this website I have been contacted by many musicians and labels who have been sending me music over email which is great. Chris Price is an independent electronic/synthpop artist from the D.C. area who contacted me after grabbing some of my DJ mixes from this site. This track is on his forthcoming EP, The Identity Crisis.

Washington Post said:
"Chris Price is a local artist with a wide spectrum of musical influences. His latest offering combines 1980’s electronic and new wave with elements of modern pop. Synth layers and driving beats provide a showcase for Price’s unique vocal styling.
Inspired by the forward-thinking artists and producers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Price delivers a sound that spans genres and timelines. Fans have compared Price’s work to the likes of The Cars, New Order, Gary Numan, and Devo.
Keep your eye on this innovative composer, producer, and performer."

Check out his website HERE

New Years DJ Sets

I thought I would share the DJ sets from NYE w/ Brothers Past and Lotus.
I had a blast that night and I can't thank the bands enough for having me.

***ALL 3 PARTS FIT ON ONE CD***

I played three sets at the TLA on NYE:

- A one hour downtempo set before Lotus took the stage.
It wasn't recorded but you can download the downtempo
mixes on www.orchardlounge.com to get an idea.

-A 30 minute set of electro/breaks/acid-y midtempo
kind of stuff after Lotus played and before BP began.
I also used some samples that I made specifically for
NYE.

- A 40 minute tech house setbreak between sets.
Brothers Past came out and jammed over my last
record for 5 minutes and segued into their second
set.

PART 1:
Ben Silver-NYE part 1 (pre BP electro/breaks set)

1)Paul Hardcastle- Rainforest
2)Cybotron- Clear
3)Momma Gravy- John Pill
4)Hardfloor- Dear MC Bain
5)Momma Gravy- Russian New Year
6)Da Damn Phreak Noiz Phunk- Grand Royal

PART 2:
Ben Silver- NYE part 2 (BP setbreak tech house set)

1)Joy Division- Love Will Tear Us Apart (Squarepusher
remix)
2)Jimmy Edgar- We Like You
3)Random Factor- Second Principles (Ame Remix)
4)Dan Berkson- Easy
5)Sieg Uber Die Sonne- Hot (Original Mix)
6)Jeff Bennett- Raindance
7)Jeff Bennett- Markings
8)Trapez LTD 20

PART 3:
Ben Silver- NYE part 3 (BP jamming over last record)

1)Brothers Past jamming over the Trapez LTD20 record
with me adding samples. This is from Scott
Schneider's mics.

A Photo is HERE

"Hip Bop"

DJ Krush and Toshinori Kondo- Ki Oku

Sun Is Shining MP3

I was just relaxing on this fine Sunday to the mellow sounds of one of my favorite albums, Ki-Oku. It had been a while since I had listened to it and it was every bit as good as I remembered. The album, a fusion of hiphop and jazz, features DJ Krush's stylized hiphop-ish beats and Kondo layering Miles Davis sounding jazz trumpet riffs on top. The pair complement each other perfectly and this album is a fantastic blend of mellow, downtempo beats with a psychedelic jazzy feel. All of DJ Krush's albums sounds different, with some featuring guest vocalists supplying rhymes and other's with guest musicians but none set the mood like this one. Highly recomended listening.

19 for the 90's

Spencer Lokken- "19 for the 90's" MP3

Sorry for the lack of posts. It has been a rough last week or so and I was travelling through the holidays. The tragedy in the East has hit VERY close to home and we are praying that the missing family members and a close friend will be found. Please donate anything you can to the poor victims of this horrible natural disaster.

In the meantime, download the new Orchard Lounge early 90's hiphop mix that Spencer made. Shit is ILL!!

01.biggie - machine gun funk
02.the roots - next movement
03.atcq - electric relaxation
04.black sheep - flavor of the month
05.nas - represent
06.souls of mischief - '93 til infinity
07.black moon - who got the props?
08.gangstarr - mass appeal
09.wu-tang - wu-tang clan ain't nuttin' to fuk wit
10.das efx - they want efx
11.mobb deep - shook ones
12.digable planets - nickel bags
13.de la - stakes is high
14.dre - let me ride
15.pharcyde - runnin'
16.j-live - braggin' writes
17.camp lo - luchini
18.black star - respiration
19.pete rock and cl smooth - t.r.o.y.