The HighLife

This is an absolute must listen.  For a while now, XLR8R has been producing City Guide podcasts by various talented DJs and producers in different cities around the country.  They recently posted one from Boston nightlife impressarios Soul Clap.  Their set, especially after hearing the other city mixes, is a fitting tribute to the bean and how we get it done. Though all the mixes are great in their own right, definitely have to shout out the Philly mix from DJ/Producers Starkey and Dev79.  Splitting time on the decks to deliver a mix worthy of holding it down for the entire Keystone state. 


Soul Clap's Boston Mix
(Click to listen/download via XLR8R)


Starkey and Dev79's Philly Mix

and also of interest...

Ghetto Division's Chicago Mix
Star Eyes' Love from NY Mix
Nosaj Thing's LA Mix
Dubbel Dutch's Austin Mix

What's your favorite mix?

HBO's latest and probably best new show about the young and the reckless delivers on all counts.  You don't even need cable to watch it. Plus, it's got an amazing opening theme song (see below).  Which, oh by the way, is a Stones Throw Records track. What's not to love.


Aloe Blacc - I need a dollar

The Naked Heroes & Bodega Girls 2/24 from Bodega Girls

Your local dance party purveyors Bodega Girls
with special guest The Naked Heroes (NYC)
Dance Party Tonight!!! (02.24.10)
@ Middlesex Lounge
Cambridge, MA

Nneka - Heartbeat

For those unaware of the rare quality of funk and soul in and around New England, it might be partly because you've never heard the Galactic Fractures radio show.  It's hosted by PJ Gray and broadcast Sundays 2-4pm on WMFO 91.5FM .  Whether it's PJ spinning or one of the several amazing DJ's to have graced the decks at WMFO, the quality speaks for itself.  So do the archives, dating back to 2001.  The Galactic Fractures website might be exactly what your music library is lacking.  I'll jumpoff with two sick shows from the archive. The rest is in your hands. Start digging....

DJ Claude Money - 07/03/07

DJ Bogart - 09/30/07

...a new night of downtempo beats and chilled dance vibes with DJs EROK and Properly Chilled...spinning downtempo, hip hop, chill house, funk, soul, dub, reggae, nu-jazz and world beats for your listening and grooving pleasure from 9:30 PM to 1 AM.

 

Join the party:

The Upside @ Enormous Room w/ DJs EROK and Properly Chilled

Tuesday, Jan. 19
21+UP
NO COVER --- FREE!!!
9:30 PM - 1 AM

http://www.enormous.tv
http://downbeatscape.blogspot.com
http://www.properlychilled.com

Are you sitting comfortably?  Now let's begin.  Or more so, close out 2009.  It's seems that everyone is really eager to throw out 2009 with the bath water.  I personally beg to differ.  A common malady of our current web 2.0 generation is ridiculously short memory spans, and if some of us were to actually consider the entirety of '09 we'd find something to cheer about.  So here's my thanks to 09.  The year that connected all of us much closer than we are even yet to realize; giving way to the rise of social media, unreal NYC all night dance parties, the disco ball at Santos party House, pastel colored sunglasses, the most ridiculous Bonnaroo ever, Pretty Lights, Phish coming back, the most amazing concert i've ever been to with The Roots and Antibalas @ the Red Bull Soundclash, rocking out underneath the McGrath Bridge, free Chester French and Wale concert in Harvard Square, Jesse Dee, The Bodega Girls, Show Dem Camp, Blackjoy, Shepard Fairey at the ICA, dance parties at the ICA... i could keep going but it'd take too long.  So if you're of the opinion that this year wasn't that great, you probably weren't trying hard enough. 





As we proceed into the new year, the Highlife crew would like to thank you all for your support.  This enterprise has been a leap of faith from the beginning, and it wouldn't be possible without all of you out there.  The scary thing about leaps of faith is that you don't how or if you'll land.  But you have to jump anyway.  That said, our resolution for 2010 is to make the impossible possible.  Keep watching this space.

Jumpoff On Point 2009


Happy New Year!!!

Mr. Mayer is back with a new album, out today everywhere, and it's called Battle Studies.  I won't spend much time talking about him because he's been the subject of a few posts on this site already.  I will say though, you should probably watch these videos.  All these songs are on the new album.  The first is the lead single, Who Says.  I personally dig this video cos i feel like i've been there.  No, i know i've been there.  The second is called Heartbreak Warfare, and it's the first augmented reality music video ever made.  The third is a Robert Johnson cover called Crossroads, but the video is a live performance featuring Eric Clapton with the man of the hour, John Mayer.  And that's it,  go get yourself a copy.

I heard some lyrics recently that really caught my attention.  It went like, "nobody hikes up my skirt like you do...", and that was pretty much all that was needed.  I had to know which lady was classy enough to be so honest with her songwriting.  Fortunately it didn't take too long to find the sultry Alaskan who got her start singing in church, eventually moving to LA in 2004, and debuted with 2005's Fate is the Hunter.   Her latest work is the self-titled Kate Earl, and honestly it's hard to be mad at anything listening to the album.  So if you've got things to work out, this is definitely your remedy.  Enjoy!

I don't know how many truly sunshiny days we'll have left before the sun decides it only wants to do half of its job for the next 5 months, and since i can still hear birds chirping it seemed like a good day to break you off with some Zach Deputy.  He a South Carolina native that makes his way around these parts quite often.  His music is never down or sullen, surprisingly soulful, deeply funky, and just downright fun.  He's a one man band (a la Keller Williams), but you forget that once the music gets going. 

He played at the Wormtown sidestage off Shakedown Street at Bonnaroo this year, and i was literally drawn, like a moth to a flame, to the sound.  Phish had their glowstick war, he had the haystack hoedown.  Straight up ridiculousness! And trust me, that hay was not pristine.  There's a video of the Saturday latenight hoedown that i found.  Everyone in it is getting down, except that it's 6:30 am.  There was another dance party further up Shakedown that morning, and if i hadn't already been in one hoedown earlier in the night/morning you might have seen a dude attached to a gigantic 3ft in diameter pink balloon tied to a 20ft string bouncing along to the music in the back of the crowd.   True story.  Anyhoo, check out more of his music. We'll definitely keep you posted about upcoming shows.  It's an awesome live experience.  He's a pretty chill dude too... Here's to sunshine.  This is Zach Deputy (Sunshine, She Say, Haystack Hoedown)