So I rushed over to the Temple Bar in Santa Monica on a late Wednesday night thinking, “I hope I get in”. The reason being is that Black Sheep was making a rare L.A. appearance in a place that doesn’t hold that many people. Maybe it’s because I live under a rock but I’m thinking the place is going to be packed. My first inclination that it wasn’t is that I found parking right in front of the club. As I walked in Tre Hardson from The Pharcyde was setting up. He’s been doing his solo thing for a minute now. I saw him perform a few years back when he had members of The Rebirth in his group, but they are no longer with him. Trey’s music is not bad, it reminded me of something that I would have heard in a club on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley in the 1990’s, adequate at best. The half-filled room seem to feel the same way, as the only reaction he got from them was when he launched into two Pharcyde classics, “Runnin’” and “Passing Me By” at the end of his set. That seemed to wake people up.

Black Sheep is just Dres now, with Mr. Lawnge long gone from the group. After his DJ did a brief set, Dres came out with a few classics before launching into some of his newer material. I like Dres's new material. His new style is sharper and more aggressive, but he still has his signature flow. Unlike many of the older MC’s who stick to their style for years, Dres sounds like someone who evolved as Rap music evolved. Everyone at the show seemed hyped for the new stuff as much as the classics. Black Sheep closed with  “The Choice Is Yours” and place lit up. Where were you when you first heard that song? Can it be 15 years already?

When DJ Life used to work at Amoeba, he was everyone’s favorite. He’s always full of positive energy and never has anything bad to say about anyone. He is a glass half full in a world full of half empty glasses.  Besides his positive demeanor, he is a damn good DJ.
DJ Life always has the right cuts and the right time. His mixes are seamless and he's making Los Angeles believers in his blend of soulful Deep House.

Having had residencies at various L.A. hot spots such as the Standard and The Room, Life wanted to break away and do his own thing. Groove is where you will hear him at his best and doing exactly what he wants. Along with DJ’s Vika & Kaleem, Groove will keep you on the dance floor the whole night with their blend of Soul, House, Hip-Hop, Disco classics and World Rhythms. Then again, you’ll never know what DJ Life will bring out of the crates. All you need to know is that you won’t want the night to end.




Groove happens every Thursday @The Blu Monkey Bar & Lounge
5521 Hollywood Blvd. @ Western Ave.

Doors @ 9 p.m.
21 and Over

DJ Life’s deep house mix CD’s  are available in the house section of Amoeba Records Hollywood.

The other day I saw the legendary keyboardist from The Doors, Ray Manzarek, shopping at Amoeba. Seeing him brought back a flood of memories of hanging out with my stoner friends during my high school years that absolutely worshiped The Doors. They bought into the whole "Jim Morrison’s mystique" and his “Lizard King” persona.  Personally, other than a few songs, I was never really into them. The record we would listen to over and over again was posthumous An American Prayer.

American Prayer was released in 1978, a record that combined spoken word that Jim Morrison recorded in 1970 with music that the remaining members of The Doors created in 1977. It was a possible glimpse of what The Doors would have sounded like if they stuck around that long. I remember hating it. For one, it didn’t have any of songs I liked and two; I never liked Jim Morrison’s poetry.  There were even a few Discoesque tracks on the album. It seemed like all the rock artists at the time were trying to play disco back then: David Bowie, The Doobie Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, all had Disco hits on the radio. For most Blacks and Latinos in the 70's/early 80's, it was our first tastes of those classic rockers because they were playing music we familiar with.

A few years back I heard L.A. DJ Garth Trinidad spin “Ghost Song” at a club. It fit perfect with other R&B tinged house tracks he was playing that night. I few days later I was at a record shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, and found a copy of American Prayer for 99 cents. After a few listen it occurred to me that American Prayer was way ahead of its time. It was an updated version of the Beat poetry records that came out in the 50’s at a time when no one was doing anything like this. Most of Jim Morrison’s poetry on this album is dated but set with the semi-funky beats it comes off as modern club tracks.

Everyone's favorite Reggaeton group, Calle 13, released their second album on Tuesday. "Residente O Visitante" packs as much of a punch as their first release with many collaberations with other artists. Working with Calle 13 on this release are, Tego Calderon from Puerto Rico, La Mala Rodriguez from Spain and Orishas from Cuba. By far the most interesting pairing is Calle 13 with Bajofondo, the electro-tango group from Argentina. If you can imagine Kanye West, Luny Tunes and The Gotan Project getting together to make a song, then you get an idea what the song Tango Del Pecado is like. Check it out for yourself:


I know the infamous Viola Galloway, Amoeba Hollywood's world music buyer and Tango enthusiast, is just going to love the new Calle 13. She has been rallying for Reggaeton to fuse with Tango for the last three years!