paper buddha

13 years ago, I spent a weekend in Austin, TX at the studio of a very talented DJ/producer (and good friend at the time), Scot Gray. Scot and I had a fondness for acid breaks and we spent this particular weekend creating what would be one of only two dance tracks I would produce as an active DJ. The things I remember most about this particular studio session were that we did most of the work in one weekend and we used Cubase as the sequencing software and a Mackie board (can’t remember the rest of the equipment). I was also committed to using a snippet of James Brown from “Make it Funky” and the baseline from “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays. If memory serves me right, we also did the bulk of the work the first day and auditioned the track live that night on a DAT at a now defunct club on 7th Street called OHMs. Scot was a resident DJ at OHMs and I was his guest DJ every now and then. I think Saturday nights were also broadcast on a local Austin radio station. Anyway, that night was the only time someone other than me or Scot would ever hear that track. A few months later I retired as a full-time DJ, and Kelly and I moved to LA to start a new chapter in our lives. I ran into Scot in 2000 when I was in town for SXSW and that was the last time our paths crossed.

So, I was rummaging through two big boxes of mix tapes yesterday and decided it was time to begin digitizing and posting them here on Paper Buddha. The first tape I pulled out was one called “DJ Gary-O & Scot Gray - Untitled”. I dropped the cassette into the deck, hit play and what started playing was not a mix tape, but that track from 1996. It sounded great for a 13-year-old tape so I digitized it for you to enjoy. It’s long - almost 11 minutes - and there are a handful of breakdowns and change-ups that could easily have been the foundations for alternate remixes. I guess we decided to throw everything together for that live audition at OHMs. Suffice it to say, I think it sounds pretty good for a mid-90s acid funk track that was never fully produced and mixed down. Maybe with sprucing up some elements could be repurposed. Only problem is I don’t have the original source file and the tape deck I’m using has a recognizable hum in the background. I’ll have to do some work to get this cleaned up, but I’m posting what I have for now so you can have a listen. I think I called this track”Q-bass’d” back in the day so I’ll leave it at that.

Scot - if you see/hear this and you’re interested in re-connecting, please drop me a line. I’d love to catch up.

DJ Gary-O & Scot Gray - “Q-bass’d”

Back in March, I published a post re: the lead single from Freeland’s debut release ‘COPE™’. The record debuted today and you can stream it from end to end in the streaming player below. I really like what Adam Freeland has done with this new band and the cast of contributiung artists makes the record that much more diverse and unique (Jerry Casale from Devo, Brody Dale from Spinnerette and Tommy Lee, to name a few). The record is getting great reviews, like this one from musicOMH which dubs ‘COPE™’ a modern counterpart to The Prodigy’s third record, ‘Fat of the Land‘.

You can pick up ‘COPE™’ directly from freeland.fm in a variety of digital and physical formats including CD, vinyl and and even a Deluxe Edition that comes complete wth a hardbound COPE™ book, vinyl, CD, digital (high quality MP3, FLAC and Apple Lossless) and an ipod compatible video of a complete album listening party shot in Adam’s studio with his closest friends.

It’s been four months since my last mix - way overdue for something fresh. I’ve been buried (in a very good way) helping a few very talented artists set up shop and sell music directly to their fans via the Topspin platform (Freeland, Van Hunt and Eminem to name a few).

Well, I made up for lost time digital crate digging this weekend at Beatport, and stocked up on some meaty, bouncy techno, tech, electro and straight-up house beats. Man, have I deprived myself of some good tunes. After straightening up my studio (the 4.7 magnitude earthquake we had a few weeks ago knocked over my monitors, among other things), I settled in for a two-hour mix session. I love stringing new tracks together for the first time, especially when the end result is something worth sharing with those who appreciate the bouncy stuff.

Hope you enjoy the ride.

Scrimps - DJ Gary-O

01 - PS. You Rock (Spektre Remix) - Marc DePulse
02 - Spunk (Original Mix) - Dopamine
03 - Stich (Bass Kleph Remix) - Twocker
04 - Word Problems (Original Mix) - Deadmau5
05 - Distrait (Nick Curly & Gorge Remix) - Steve Lawler
06 - Amelie (Format:B Remix) - Butch
07 - Yin (Original Club Mix) - Francis Preve & Wolfgang Gartner
08 - Again Again (Original Mix) - Matteo DiMarr
09 - Cheyenne (Uto Karem REmix) - Spektre
10 - Snapshot (Original Mix) - Sebastian Leger
11 - Positive Education (D’Julz Remix) - Slam
12 - Yes Ma’am ‘All Nite Long’ (Trentemoller Remix) - Visti & Meyland
13 - Cool (Afrojack Remix) - Spencer & Hill
14 - Monday Evils (Original Mix) - Richard Dinsdale & D-Unity
15 - Girls Speak Louder (Donique Remix) - Costello
16 - One Funky Fresh DJ (2009 DJ Hero Remix) - Huda Hudia
17 - Doggie Style (Zodiac Cartel Mix) - Calverton
18 - Shock Horror (Mike Balance Remix) - Z-Listers
19 - Sewer Gash Ft. Beardyman (Far Too Loud Remix) - Stereo Type
20 - The Answer feat. Margeau (Dabruck & Klein Mix) - Joachim Garraud & CB Lyon
21 - I’m Not Alone (Deadmau5 Remix) - Calvin Harris

Let’s Get It - DJ Bam Bam

Move Ya’ - Jak-Z + Scott Cooper

Hustler (Jesse Rose Mix) - Simian Mobile Disco

Depressed Mode - Sawtooth Sucka

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I apologize or this. I’ve been working 14-hour days on average lately and finding the time to break away and post on Paper Buddha has been a challenge. Anyway, enough of my excuses.

DJ Michael Todd sent me another mix that I think you’ll enjoy. Lots of techno and electro goodness. Head to Beatport is you like the tracks you hear.

Girls Love Techno - DJ Michael Todd

01 - Intro - Miles Dyson
02 - Hype Up - Stupid Bastard
03 - WTF (Nadastrom on Drugs) - Tittsworth
04 - No You Girls ( Zodiac Cartel) - Franz Ferdinand
05 - What U Do 2 Me (Stupid Fresh) - Ryan Murgatroyd
06 - Records Back (Electrixx) - Hardy Hard + Lady Waks
07 - Where The Party At - Lee Mortimer
08 - Raver Lovin’ (Nadastrom) - Edu K
09 - Minimal My Ass (Miles Dyson + Flutuance) - Miles Dyson
10 - Doo Doo - Calvertron
11 - Hey (Switch + Low Vis. 1990) - Diplo + Laidback Luke
12 - Breakdown - Calvertron + WONK
13 - Who Freaked Who - Dopefish
14 - Motherfucking Bass (Popof) - DJ Rush

One of my favorite producer/DJs Adam Freeland is gearing up for his first full-length record release in more than four years, only this time he’s doing it with a full band - appropriately named FREELAND. The album title is “Cope” (a fitting name given these challenging times in which we live), and Adam is making first single “Under Control” available for streaming. And, if you give an email you’ll get a bangin’ MP3 of the Alex Metric remix for free. Check it out the tracks below, get your free download, and visit www.adamfreeland.com often to get more info about the record release plans as they unfold. “Cope” will be available in a variety of formats, one of which will be a deluxe package with some special goodies for you diehard Adam Freeland fans.

BTW - if you’re headed to SXSW in Austin, Texas next week (like me!) you can catch FREELAND and Adam doing the solo DJ thing at the following joints:

Thursday, March 19
- 3:00 p.m. Little Radio/Topspin Party @ Red Eyed Fly (FREELAND LIVE)
- 9:15 p.m. BIG STEREO @ Canvas Bar & Gallery (DJ set)
- Midnight - The Great Escape Party @ Rooftop/Maggie Mae’s (FREELAND LIVE)
Friday, March 20
- Midnight - Official SXSW Showcase @ Vice (FREELAND LIVE)
Saturday, March 21
- Midnight - Firehouse Lounge (DJ set)

Calvertron is Alex Calver, who with DJ Will Bailey, formed Twocker and released a string of hits, the most recognizable being “Stitch” in 2008. He has collaborated with a slew of producers, most recently Tom EQ and WoNK. Calver has more than 10 years of production experience and 100+ vinyl releases under his belt. He is a heavyweight promoter of the fidget sound and has a brand new release on Laidback Luke’s label “Bugeyed Records“. The track, “Doo Doo“, samples the Suzanne Vega track “Tom’s Diner” and it’s a killer!

Doo Doo - Calverton

Also check this joint from Calverton & Banga, “Like Dat“, on Destination? Records.

Like Dat - Calverton & Banga

And, just in case you missed this release in mid 2008, have a listen to “Breakdown” a collaboration from Calvertron and WoNK. Love those funky old school beats!

Breakdown (Dirty Freek Mix) - Calverton & WoNK

God O.D. - Meat Beat Manifesto

Mars Needs Women - Meat Beat Manifesto

I found some time to whip up a mix this past weekend after picking up a batch of new tracks. I’ve really neglected my turntables over the past several months and it’s nice to be able to find more time to shake off the stress and get lost in the mix for a few hours each week.

“Glass Face” is a blend of tech, electro, and a little techno. No breaks this time (f you want breaks, check out Wasabi Bomb), just straight up 4×4 beats that I think you’ll enjoy. I picked up all of these tracks at Beatport. If you like ‘em, you should pick ‘em up there too.

Glass Face - DJ Gary-O

01 - Majuro - Sebastian Leger
02 - Guacamoli - Olivier Giacomotto
03 - Wide Reaction - Truati
04 - Reflex (Zodiac Cartel’s Tech Remix) - Harvey McKay
05 - Love and Changes (Defunct! Wham! Mix) - Trevor Loveys & Shab Ruffcut
06 - We Rock - Uppermost
07 - Amsterdam feat. Guerilla Speakerz - Mightyfools
08 - Control (Rogue Element Remix) - Lee Combs
09 - Jack the Joint (Zodiac Cartel’s Bumpin’ Mix) - Elite Force
10 - 2nd to None - Umek
11 - Socom - Maetrik
12 - Edding 850 - Format:B
13 - Pink Boots (Stephen Beaupre Remix) - Thomas Schumacher
14 - Failsafe - Hobo

The incredible DJ Michael Todd was kind enough to share another stellar mix with us that he calls “Noise and Stuff”. I could go on and on about the great selection of music, the flawless mixing, etc. but that hardly seems necessary. I’ll let the music speak for itself. Check it out.

Noise and Stuff - a mix from DJ Michael Todd

01 - Gimlet — Anja Schneider
02 - Requiem fur die Vernunft (Lutzenkirchen’s) — Oliver Koletzki
03 - Dios — Oliver Huntemann + Dubfire
04 - Dirty City (D-Unity Mix) — Adam Freemer + Mike Constantini
05 - Warehouse — Velkro + Ido Ophir
06 - Wake Turbulence — Koen Groeneveld
07 - Let The Bass Kick (Silvio Ecomo’s) — Chuckie
08 - Original Badman (Calvertron’s) — Calvertron + Tom EQ
09 - Gorilla — Idiotproof
10 - Ritalin — Nadastrom
11 - Bounce (Mansion’s) — MSTRKRFT
12 - Skewer (Kyle Watson’s) — Tom EQ
13 - Panic Attacks — The Rogue Element
14 - Like Dat — Calvertron + Banga