Some of that old (new) soul...

Ok, its been getting a little sleepy around here again(ahem) so I thought I'd drop some recent soul thats been getting a lot of play from me these last couple weeks. As the temperature drops, I always seem to make a quick turn from the fledgling summer jams to some straight up summer soul. When its coat and gloves time, tinny Ron Browz joints are not gonna cut it, even if they would be getting serious burn in warmer weather. These joints have been keeping me warm, or better.....




The dude Raphael Saadiq's new album is retarded, straight up nailing that smooth northern Motown sound, the same way a number of outfits in recent years have aimed for the more funky Southern sound (Daptone, Quantic, etc). The album does get a bit sterile in spots, and the cameo from Jay is pretty much instant fast-forward material for me (sorry that whiney flow over the slow track is straight pain to my ears.) That said, when this album is good, its damn good. Upbeat party music you can play for your girl, your boys OR your parents. Rare...
Raphael Saadiq- 100 Yard Dash





More throwback retro-soul , this time with some classic-sounding East Coast boom-bap thrown in for good measure. Listening to this, I'm catching visions of both the Shirelles and Biz Markie, so there you go. I honestly don't know much about dude, besides the fact that he's a white dude from Michigan singing falsetto, the track is self-produced (and banging), and I had my checkout screen up for the limited 45, but walked away, and when I remembered 2 days later, shit was sold out. Damn. High quality file for sale here...
Mayer Hawthorne- Just Ain't Gonna Work Out





Lastly, I've looked around, and I doesnt seem like this shit is really "out there" on the interwebs yet, so I'm not gonna be the one to leak the mp3 thats currently for sale, but the dude Shoes has some real monster edits for sale over at Turntablelab. The one I was really feeling, and that's particularly well suited for playing out, is his edit of the Bill Withers classic "Grandma's Hands." Lava. I bumped it down to 128 out of respect for dude and my peoples at Turntablelab. If you're feeling this shit, go and show your support. Ok enough nagging, enjoy batches...
Shoes - No Hands, Gramma.mp3

ipod fodder.....

Quick post here, trying to get back in the swing of things, as Ive been a bit quiet around here lately. For my lazy midweek post, here's two mixes that really blew me away over the last couple months. Take note DJs, this is how its done. Honestly, these both kinda make me never want make a mix again, they're that good....


(all taken from around the web)


DJ. Format & Mr. Thing - Holy Shit

DJ Format & Mr Thing bring you closer to God with a mix of funky breaks, beats & extraordinary music found in religious records unearthed from charity shops & bargain bins from all around God’s green earth. Blows many other mixtapes you’ve ever heard away with its breaks/scratchiness and god-wonderful fonkiness. Praise be.

Download here or here




Next up....

DJ Steve1der's Nate Dogg Mix

From Steve: "Aiight fellas & felettes. I did this mix in July & since news of Nates 2nd stroke has surfaced, I feel now is the time to release this LABOR of LOVE on ya'll. The concept is this... Nate & nothin' but Nate, well a lil' Warren G, but it's all about the OG of this whole hook game. T-Pain & Akon need 2pay for this fools medical bills, if you ask me. Hope ya'll feel it, comments are more than welcome.
G-FUNK 4EVER.
1DER, OUT."

Download here...

Paint a Rumor

I've been working on an electro mix of mostly older records and a few new ones too. Working title is "yesterday's tomorrow" or something along those lines.

Can't seem to get that synth line outta my head...

Paint a Rumor.mp3

DJ Russian Bear @ Bloomingdales Mad Men Event

I DJ'ed this event for the AMC show MadMen at Bloomingdales last night. I hadn't seen the show at all but needed to know more about the music so I watched an episode for homework. I see why it's so popular. Dudes chain smoking and drinking scotch all through the workaday hours while smacking attractive secretaries on the ass. Sometimes I wish I'd been born 30 years earlier.

The event was cool and people really dug the music. My prep work got me into the 60's era loungy, ultracheese that embodies the era, as well as funkload of tasty 60's soul. I will upload some top gems of the night.

The Flamingos--I Only Have Eyes for You

RED HOT FIRE. I threw this sample over the EPMD Rampage Break for this one which is available below, in its current state. I also want to hear other people remix this joint so please feel free to post your edits and remixes!!!

Slow Down Baby (Bearclaw RMX)


Here's the title track Instrumental by RJD2 and Aceyalone, who seems to be back on the rise

A Beautiful Mine--RJD2 & Aceyalone

Truesday Triple Threat

So I'm trying to keep up the pace with the posts but blogging is hard. Here's a couple joints I had laying around.

Like everyone else and their mother, I gave the Santogold album a lot of play in mi casa this summer. Can't lie, I kinda agree with people who say the album is a little hit and miss, but when it hits it hits, and I also don't begrudge her for cashing checks off licensing parts of the album; its 2008, and CDs aint paying bills like they used to. Anyone with half a brain should be happy to have the music in commercials, and the concept of "selling out" is so 1998. Anyway, besides her album, Santi put out a mix cd with Diplo. One of my favorite tracks on the original lp is "I'm A Lady", despite it being on a more mellow 80's rock/new wave kind of tip. On the diplo mix, it gets reworked into a more club friendly track, with bonus "I Need Love" interpolation! I havent seen a full-legnth version of it around anywhere, so I just slightly edited it for clurb consumption, taking out the 30 second talking interlude from the middle of the track and looping the hook from the end a couple times to extend the originals 2 min running time a bit and make for easy mixing. Nothing too special on my end, but a great mix for Diplo. Peace to philly.
Santogold & Diplo - I'm A Lady RMX (edit)


Next up, here's a 12" I recently picked up in upstate NY, Freak In Me y MC Juice. I don't have time right now to fully research this track, but from what I can tell, its basically some New Jack Swing from the London-based Production House label, released around '92. I don't always get down with all the Euro-Rap, but when it works it works, and this track pretty much has the feel of the whole era down pat.
MC Juice - Freak In Me (Naughty Mix)


Lastly, I have the first Fly By Night exclusive. My homies Illfonics have been making all sorts of power moves over the last couple years, licensing tracks and placing beats on recent releases by the Clipse and LL Cool J. They flipped the masters to a pretty recognizable soul classic here, and basically, this is my shit. Jeddy sent the track my way, and I laid some seasoning on it in the form of Wayne and Jay. NEW SHIT!!!
Hello Illfonics

Till next time batches.....

THE COLD WAR IS BACK!!!

Since our grip on the title of World's Most Dominant superpower (WMD's) is slipping, I thought it suitable to name this mixtape after another reemerging superpower. We got exclusives--Putin trading shots with Palin--plus a former WWF star who is my namesake.


01 Bear's Mixed Bag

02 Club Electronic Dance

03 Club Hip-Hop

04 Club Dance Hall


SECTION 1: BEAR'S MIXED BAG
Erotic City (Dance Mix)—Prince
DaynNight—Kid Cudi (Crookers remix)
Travelling At The Speed Of Thought (Bearsmash Remix)—Ultramagnetic MC's
Brew Barrymore—Diplo
L.E.S. Artistes (Album)—Santogold
Beggin' (Pilooski Edit)—Frankie Valli
I'm Mad (DJ Scratch Jazzy Remix)— EPMD

SECTION 2: CLUB ELECTRO/DANCE
Brazilian Rhyme (Kenny Dope Remix)— Earth Wind & Fire/Beijo
STRONGER (A-TRAK REMIX)—Kanye West
Grooves in the Heart (Electro Mix)—Deelite
Body Baby (Sinden & Count Of Monte Cristal Remix)—Pharoah Monch
Paper Planes (Scottie B Remix)—M.I.A.
Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix Remix By Diplo)—Gwen Stefani
Keep Me Home—Kraak En Smaak
That Type Of Music (DJ Enki Remix)—Zeph & Azeem
NY Lipps—Soulwax
Pro Nails—Kid Sister f/ Kanye West

SECTION 3: CLUB HIP-HOP
Get Buck in Here— DJ Fellie Fel, Akon, Diddy, Ludacris & Lil’ Jon
Fire Fire—M.I.A./Diplo
Touch it—Busta Rhymes
I Want you—Common f/ Will.I.Am
Say it Right—Nelly Furtado
The Way I are—Timbaland f/ Keri Hilson
Say Whut?—B’more Club
Put that pussy on me—Spank Rock
Ride-Zion I

SECTION 4: CLUB DANCEHALL FIRE
Tell me—Kuttit
Tell me again—Kuttit
Verme—Baby Ranks & Notch
Beautiful—Jabaman
Big Up—Shaggy & Rayvon
Nuttin No Go So—Notch
California Soul—Marlena Shaw

Audio Daily Double

I was gonna try and post some clever shit up here for the first post. Instead, here's a couple tracks that I hope each represent Fly By Night and what we're trying to do. I'm going to attempt to regularly post up some of what i'm listening to, what's come back into rotation, basically just music I think everyone should know about. Nothing super rare just yet, just a little bit of heat for the fall. More soon....




Geto Boys- Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta

Headhunters- God Made Me Funky

Eugene Blacknell- Wah Wah Funk

Willy Hutch- Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold

Slick Rick- I Run This