Amoeblog

DMC/ITF DJ CHAMPION ROC RAIDA OF X-ECUTIONERS DEAD AT AGE 37


It has been reported by several sources that New York turntablist Roc Raida of X-Men/X-Ecutioners fame has died earlier today. The DMC and ITF DJ battle champ was 37 years of age. The artist had reportedly been hospitalized for a serious spinal injury following a recent accident while kick-boxing training. Along with Rob Swift, Total Eclipse, and Mista Sinista, Roc Raida rounded out the best known line-up of the X-Ecutioners (formerly the X-Men), whose other members had included Steve Dee, DJ Boogie Blind and DJ Precision.

In addition to performing and recording with his DJ crew (in 2002 the X-Ecutioners dropped Built From Scratch on Loud), he also collaborated with numerous hip-hop artists over the years, including Big Pun, Immortal Technique, O.C., Buckshot Lefonque, and Smif N' Wessun. Above is one of Raida's great turntable routines from the 1995 DMC battle that he won in which he displays his typical playful, fun approach to the art of scratching, incorporating ample use of body tricks. Note that at this time his crew was still named X-Men (they eventually were forced to change it due to Marvel Comics sending a cease and desist) and the DJ was known as Roc Raider (with an "R" at the end). I knew Roc Raida for many years and last interviewed him about two years ago. I will try to find that interview to transcribe for a future Amoeblog. R.I.P. Roc Raida.
Posted by Billyjam on September 19, 2009 at 01:29pm | Comments (2)

WALK THIS WAY: TRACING THE ORIGINS OF MJ'S MOONWALK

by Guest Amoeblogger Dave Paul, producer of the Michael Jackson vs Prince parties

Origins of the Moonwalk

Michael JackMichael Jacksonson was known not just for his music, but also for his dancing abilities. There are many recorded instances of the moonwalk, originally known as the backslide or "walking on your toes," being used before Michael Jackson did it.

Similar steps are reported as far back as 1932, used by Cab "Minnie the Moocher" Calloway. It was first recorded in 1955 in a performance (in the film that same year Showtime At The Apollo) by tap dancer Bill Bailey.

Jeffrey Daniel brought "the backslide" to the tv show Soul Train. In 1980, Jackson asked Daniel (together with dance partners Geron Candidate and Cooley Jackson) to teach him the dance. Michael first performed this move during his "Billie Jean" performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever on March 25, 1983.

Jeffrey Daniel's Influence on Michael Jackson

I remember also seeing this move performed by Mr. Freeze (of the Rock Steady Crew) in the movie Flashdance, released April 15th, 1983. See Flashdance clip below.

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Posted by Billyjam on September 19, 2009 at 09:05am | Post a Comment

AMOEBA MUSIC WEEKLY HIP-HOP ROUND UP 09:18:09

                    

Amoeba Music San Francisco Weekly Hip-Hop Top Ten: 09:18:09  (c/o Luis)

Kid Cudi
1) Kid Cudi Man On The Moon: The End of Day (Motown / Pgd)

2) KRS-ONE & Buckshot Survival Skills (Duck Down)

3) Drake So Far Gone (Cash Money)

4) M.O.P. The Foundation (E1 Entertainment)

5) Q-Tip Kamaal the Abstract (Battery Records)

6) Nicolay City Lights 2 - Shibuya (Hard Boiled Records)

7) New Boyz Skinny Jeanz & A Mic (Asylum Records)

DJ Fresh8) DJ Fresh The Tonite Show (The Album) (Town Thizzness)

9) DJ Shadow Diminishing Returns (Reconstruction Productions)

10) Young Cellski/aka 2Took Mr Predicter (Inner City 2000)

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Posted by Billyjam on September 18, 2009 at 01:38pm | Post a Comment

FEMALE DRUMMERS: AMOEBITE KAITLIN INTERVIEW

In Celebration of The Drum: Part Seven
Kaitlin

One of the many highlights of the recent Amoebapalooza North 2009 at the Mezzanine club in San Francisco (August 2nd) was the power-duo-- the $helbyville $helbyvilllains' all too short set in which talented San Francisco Amoebites Josh Pollock (guitar/vocals) and Kaitlin Layher (drums, above) effortlessly channeled the White Stripes. Even more impressive was the fact I later learned: that Katilin had only been playing the drums for a relatively short time and that this was the first time that she had ever played drums out in public. I recently caught up with Kaitlin to ask her about her personal Moe Tuckerexperiences as a drummer, as well as about female drummers in general as part of the long running In Celebration of the Drum Amoeblog series.

Amoeblog: Who are among your favorite female drummers and why?

Katilin: My favorite female drummer currently drumming is Adrienne Davies of Earth. I love watching her controlled, deliberate movements.  She's hypnotizing. Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground was amazing as well as Karen Carpenter. And, of course, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Meg White of The White Stripes. But you can't forget the all-girl groups, too! The Bangles and The Runaways were simply solid bands with solid drummers.

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Posted by Billyjam on September 17, 2009 at 05:30pm | Post a Comment

COMETBUS ISSUE #52 THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS, ANOTHER GREAT READ

Available at Amoeba Music, the Cometbus series never disappoints
cometbus
I recently picked up Cometbus #52 (The Spirit of St. Louis) at the Berkeley Amoeba Music store -- one of several fine independent retailers that carry the legendary, decades old, punk-literary series. As with all the previous installments of this Aaron "Cometbus" Elliot- penned slim book, such as last year's Cometbus #51 The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah, ever since I started reading it I can't put it down...which is a problem, in a good way, because I know in no time I will have read the entire engrossing 66 pages of this latest Cometbus. So  I find myself rationing my reading, allowing myself just nine pages, which is three Cometbus chapters, a day.

Cometbus #51 was a sort of history of the subculture of Telegraph Avenue, focusing on its bookstores and record stores. It incorporates into its story Cody's, Moe's, Universal, Rasputin, and (of course) Amoeba Music, as well as such age old Telegraph Avenue characters as Ace Backwards and Julia Vinograd (aka The Bubble Lady), whose poetry was included in that last issue.

For the The Spirit of St. Louis Cometbus, as its title implies, Aaron writes about St. Louis and the close-knit cast of colorful characters (including Brett, Pete Feet, Spike, Wayne Two, Penguin, Jody Lee, & Katie from Haiti) in the local punk scene that he interacted with in a previous time -- he never says exactly when, but, based on the music references, it seems like it is circa early/mid nineties. 

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Posted by Billyjam on September 16, 2009 at 11:36am | Post a Comment
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