No, not the book, nor the movie. Today I’m talking about the hours spent traveling, and how to cope with them. Some people are excited by the thought of a flight or train ride, I remember a time when I was too. Something magical always seemed to happen on my first flights alone across the country as a kid… Well while I’m still relatively young, I don’t seem to have that same wide eyed approach to long flights as I used to. The airport staff doesn’t give me little plastic wing pins anymore, people don’t help me put my bag overhead or offer me an extra soda. Nope, the luster is gone my friends, and the only thing that seems to catch my fancy is hoping I get seated next to the attractive brunette across from me at the gate (never happens).

So I’m left with the dilemma of how to pass the time. With no outlets available laptops die fast, magazines are great but I gravitate towards fashion and lifestyle publications who’s articles never seem to be more then a few pages and with all that stale air floating around I can never make it more then a couple chapters into a book before my eyes dry out.

Alas, we have music! What better saving grace to shuttle our minds far away from the guy next to us who needed the extra seatbelt attachment to fit around his monumental belly… Now, while tastes may very, some music is just not fit for travel. For instance, if I’m going to be trapped in my seat for 7 hours I’m not going to spring for say, a slayer album or some drum&bass megamix. What I look for in travel music is something non intrusive, something that will mute the nintendo playing 8 year old in front of me, drown out the snoring an aisle across and most importantly, pacify my ears from that baby a few rows back.

So looking back at my most recent cross country playlist here are some personal recommendations for your next journey…

*Beach House, I’ve had both Devotion and their self titled release on my travel playlist for the past year or so. Amazingly cathartic and easy to float in and out of while you try to catch some Z’s.

Beach House - Heart of Chambers

*Burial, while Untrue is obviously a masterpiece in its own right. I prefer his first album for my red eye flights (minus that fucking Spaceape song I cant stand).

Burial - Broken Home

*Air France, I’ve never been more obsessed with anyone before. Their music is pure beauty to me… Complex simplicity to its utmost. If there was a drug that made you feel how these releases sounded, I would have overdosed already.

Air France - No Way Down (sorry no D/L)

*D1’s v3 release (Tempa 039) is what you want to listen to as you make your decent into Miami on a Friday night. It’s just minimal enough that you don’t try to rush the cockpit, but also just bouncing enough to prepare you for the madness that’s waiting once you touch down.

D1 - Effect

*Headhunter, another amazing release from Kode9’s Tempa label. My friend Red Foxxx turned me onto this on a trip we took with some friends to Iceland. It definetally made the flight back MUCH more bearable.

Headhunter - You Say

Bon Voyage!

Love,
The V

There are several groups and/or news agencies that send out news updates via txt. I spent the 29th to the 2nd in Kalpitiya outside of Puttalam, north of Colombo. When we were able to get reception on Friday the 2nd this came up via txt:

Kilinochchi is both a city and district located in the north of Sri-Lanka where the LTTE has based operations. The Sri-Lankan Army’s capture of this city is a symbolic one as it was the major hub of the Tigers. The Tigers said they had not lost the city but abandoned it moving their operations and people further north. Honestly who knows since journalists are not allowed in.

Checkpoint Charlie (this was super hard to get cos if they even see a camera out your down to be searched. We heard these officers confirming Kilinochchi as they finally waved us pass.)

Along the way home from Kalpitiya there was a suicide bombing outside the Air Force camp in Colombo and yesterday another in Pettah. On the day of the “capture” there were people celebrating in the streets and launching fireworks. I was really confused because this is clearly not the “end of the war” or “victory”. The most hopeful thing I saw was and envoy of at least 15 of these:

probably headed to Negombo and then back up to the north to the 100,000+ caught in the middle of all this.

Sentiments are mixed. Amongst my family is skepticism. One at the fact that there are no journalists to confirm or deny and two that this will actually bring about any changes. I asked one of the people I was travelling with, shortly after a radio warning cautioning against bombs along all routes linking north and south (we were on one), “Is this common? normal?”

“What, the tension?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes. We’re immune to it I guess. I can’t remember a time without war.”

Donnie Elbert - What Can I Do

People - 2nd Schloymo

The MFA - The Difference It Makes (Super Pitcher Remix)

A solid and sumptuous mix of some of the finest house around; Funky, jackin, bassline and up front this man has filled us an hour long mix that takes the MNUVRS MIXTAPE VAULT to another level and proving once again just how much talent is flowing through the city of Chicago right now. Overflowing with 37 outstanding tracks this mix contains more tracks than any other MNUVRS mixtape, but this has not meant a compromise in the track selection with absolute bangers from the likes of BIRD PETERSON, ROB 3 and RAMPAGE himself.

With classic tracks under his belt such as REACTIVATE, FIRE & LET IT GO, RAMPAGE has certainly made a serious impact on 2008 and is going to be a key name to watch out for on DONNA SUMMER’s label NIGHTSHIFTERS during 2009. RAMPAGE is currently working on a number of projects which we are extremely excited about here at MNUVRS:

The Bmore Project Part 2 w/ Rob 3, Rampage & Maddjazz
Nightshifters EP 2009
Rampage - Do You Ever (Content Recordings)
Plastique De Reve - Resist (Rampage Remix) (Supersoul Recordings)
Ghetto Division EP (Ol’ Head Records)

If this dude carries half the style and skill through to these projects which are present in this exclusive MNUVRS mixtape then everyone is in for an enormous treat in 2009!

DJ RAMPAGE MySpace
DJ RAMPAGE Blogspot

DOWNLOAD: Mnuvrs Mixtape Vault [9]: DJ Rampage (Mp3)

Tracklisting
01: Rob 3 – Mike Tyson Theme #2
02: DJ Sega – Woo Hah! 2
03: DJ Tameil – Bump Like This
04: Tim Dolla – Number Advisory
05: DJ Sega – Power Ranger’s Theme
06: DJ R.L. – Come On Baby
07: DJ Sega – Boss Theme
08: Rob 3- Bounce / Hoochie Mama
09: Maddjazz – Let Me Show You
10: Better Then You (Acapella)
11: Rob 3 – Xplosion
12: DJ Lil – Dis Shit Right Here
13: Jose 2 Hype – Be Free (Rob 3 Remix)
14: The Loungin Collective – Riddim Come 4ward (Herve’s Fire Pon Dem Mix)
15: Rampage – Fire
16: The Requesters – Strong Love
17: Mato Grasso – Thunder (Remix)
18: Bird Peterson – Shooked
19: Voodoo Child – Voodoo Child
20: Romanthony – Let Me Show You Love (Quick Dub)
21: Rejected – Let’s Go Juno (Harvard Bass More Chords)
22: Malente & Dex – Hyperactive (Bobmo Remix)
23: Maddjazz – I Don’t Play (Acapella)
24: 2wice As Hard – Feel the Beat
25: The Flight – Shuttle Flight
26: Rob Threezy – Let’s Go Ravers
27: Big Sister – Round & Round
28: Diplo ft Rye Rye – Wassup Wassup (Crookers Happy Remix)
29: Destroy Disco – Hello
30: The PJ Project – Cum On
31: The PJ Project – I Feel Good
32: Rampage – Do You Ever
33: Dave Spoon – Background Noise
34: Boy 8-Bit – Wolfen
35: Josh Wink – Don’t Laugh (Acapella)
36: Roy Davis Jr – About Love (Solid Groove Mix)
37: Kenneth Bager – Fragment Seven (Les Fleur) (Jesse Rose Remix)

The DJ game in Sri-Lanka is still pretty young. With no real cultural or historical link to hip hop, a good DJ is matter of selection and timing. There was no desire once CDs came around to stick to vinyl. No real need to scratch or do anything but beat match and fade. Tareeq Musafer wants to change that. DJ Tareeq was born in SL, moved to Australia for school in ’89, and came back to the SL in ’97. He has recently established the DJ Academy in Colombo to teach not only skills, but business savvy as well. Grabbing sponsors that include the likes of Q-berts’ Thud Rumble, the hope is to encourage creativity and community in a way that can also feed mouths (being a DJ isn’t the most valued vocation to say the least). I’ve been looking and it doesn’t look like many, if any, DJs down here produce or remix. Tareeq’s looking to eventually bring some people out for extended teaching stays in that regard. Heads up!

DJ Mass Ramli and DJ Tareeq

I showed up just in time for the DJ Academy’s first installment of the Uplift workshop series. DJ Mass Ramli of Dubai via SL, a Q-bert student, gave a demo on various scratch techniques in the garage of the Academy. It was kind of awkwardly silent, but crab-tacular nonetheless:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8UwXeyedSM

http://thedjacademy.net/

Happy Birthday Jesus

Thuggin for Jesus. A gent by the name of Paullmarie Medis recorded this, but the above broad apparently did it for proceeds to autism.

This guy thugs WAY harder

stay warm while i bathe in mosquitos!

Cold, Cold Night - being drunk on Christmas