Selected Discography w/ notes

Mixed Feelings

The recent guest spot mix from Dublab is now here on the Greasy Listening home base. A fitting and timely entry in the GL series as it hits the more relaxed dance musical mischief and b-side blissness spots, and has a narrative angle - starting with some sonic centering, experiments in archival bumps and J-word time-signature twists, then traversing many-a talented homie sound tapestries and upcoming cuts (including the full version of I:Cube’s mind-melting remix for the KAMM band), and finally putting landing gear out at the gorgeous closer from Gilles & Bluey’s love-zoned STR4TA project which sums up our feelings of gradual reopening and hopeful renewal atm, grab that scuba gear and dive in n out with us...

..........

01. Cheri Moya - Fernweh
02. Bongani GiveThanks - Indoda
03. Maulawi - Street Rap (Alt Version)
04. Theo Parrish - Hennyweed Buckdance
05. Afterlife - Lost Tribes
06. Adi - Indefinite Recession
07. Stump Valley - Mascalzone Latino
08. Benedek - Street Level
09. Underground Resistance - 303 Sunset
10. Becker & Mukai - More Eyes
11. Bufiman - Blow Your Head (Rhythm Trax)
12. Tavish DJ - Shari Safari
13. KAMM - Shleem (I:Cube Remix)
14. Session Victim - Guidance
15. STR4TA - After The Rain

Greasy Listening : Episode 008

Happy 2023 yall: Feelin good to be back home again and on the grid after a deep proper unplug.. so much so I finally laid down a lil mix for the long overdue Greasy Listening 009 entry.

A fitting # of fave cuts from the past year that fit the EG/GL stee to a tee, many of which are LA Love reps (including some hopeful words from our newly-elected mayor Karen Bass) with top-tier tracks made and released by friends n fam, also from the Bay, the D, Chi and beyond. May it help uplift your New Year spirit. Love, Peace, & Elbow Grease to all!

01. Sault - Love Will Free Your Mind
02. Brandon Coleman - Lucid Dreaming 
03. Cahl Sel - February
04. Kevin Reynolds - River Front
05. ZOiD - Space Station Dexaphonic
06. Portable - I Feel Stronger Now (Patrice Scott Remix)
07. Don Carlos & S-Tone - Music All Night 
08. Darone Sassounian - Prerequisite #4
09. DJ M-TRAXXX - Liquid Love 
10. Mayor Karen Bass - Acceptance speech excerpt
11. Vienna - Tell Me (DA EDIT)
12. Garret David - Work For Love
13. Masha Mar - Extended Release
14. Soul Of Hex - Heliocentrico
15. Lovebirds -Straightfromtheheart_(DA EDIT)
16. DISCOSXXX - Sadistic 9 (DX3EDIT)
17. Benedek - Better Dayz
18. Santiago Salazar - The Queen
19. Greg Foat - Psychosynthesis Part 1
20. Gifted & Blessed - Yamajando
21. Rekee - Never As It Seems
22. Javonntte - I’m The One
23. Dave Aju - Spacio Tempo (Domingo Dub)

(PSA: most tracks are available on the artist/labels’ Bandcamp pages, DJs please support producers!)

Greasy Listening : Episode 009

Rare live recording from the coveted DISCOSXXX warehouse jam in DTLA, enjoy! x

Live @ DX3 DTLA 04-07-23

Peace out 2023 and wishing y'all the best for 2024! While the year offered an amazing amount of new music from all angles, rather than a best-of mix for the Greasy Listening # 10 finale, I’ve opted to revisit the special guest mix I did for dublab radio in dedication to the Glossolalia LP as a kind of personal year highlight to close the books on 2023, for anyone that may have missed it live on the airwaves.

Highlighting many of the diverse influences for the album from direct sample sources to lifelong faves, it’s a fun listen that hits appropriately different, being far more subjective and auto-biographical than most dj mixes du jour, so please enjoy and a happy new year once again to you and yours<3

https://daveaju.bandcamp.com/album/glossolalia

Talking Heads - Burning Down The House (intro)
Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol
Mantronix - King Of The Beats
Tania Maria - Made In New York
Al Jarreau - Mas Que Nada 
Talking Heads - Girlfriend Is Better
Dave Aju & The Invisible Art Trio - Gravitron feat. Dina Moursi
Charanjit Singh - Raga Bairagi
3rd Face - Canto Della Liberta
Roberto De Simone - Secondo Coro Delle Lavandarie
OOIOO - UMA
Theo Parrish - Sawala Sayale
George Kranz - Trommeltanzer
Parliament - Aqua Boogie
Digital Underground - Sons Of The P
Azymuth - Morning
Arthur Verocai - Na Boca Do Sol

Greasy Listening : Episode 010

This was my very first collaboration with the elusive and almighty Invisible Art Trio project - and started it all in terms of this new space and direction in dance floor music for me. Equal parts rooted in the past and future, with a potent simplistic groove and message, the world rightfully felt the energy right away and collectively acknowledged this tribute to the power of our true source of heat, light, love, and life spirit.

The Love Always

Be Like The Sun

Taken from my debut album Open Wide, this is a direct breakdown of my personal musical history, spelled out in chronological poetry by album/song/track titles from the earliest recollections of music I fell in love with up until my favorite cuts at the moment I had written this piece, around the summer of 2007. You never forget your First, especially with so much endless Love to draw from.

Open Wide

First Love

Also from the Open Wide debut, this album closing track oozed so many influences of mine at the time, there isn't room to list all of them - some clearly obvious, some not so much - but many thanks, love, and respects to the teachers and predecessors. Also to those not afraid of some sugar in contemporary song in the right dosage, and to my pops who gave me my first direct production props for this one. Big moment. Always with you too.

With You

This was the first remix I did that felt like a true lesson and musical undertaking. Dflex was a side project of Darren House aka Diesel and Felix Hopkins on the Tiny Sticks label, and the sound stems were a pure thing of beauty, full of live instrument recordings including some lovely piano and synth work, it was an honor and blessing to have the chance to rework it, and the result was eventually a proper meeting of the minds, bodies, and souls. As always, I used only the sound set from the original track, except for finger snaps and backing vox, but in this special case it was more than enough great material to endlessly work with.

Waltz (Remixes) - Single

Dflex - Waltz (Dave Aju Remix)

This was my first musical adventure with the Sol Percussion Ensemble outfit, whose manifesto was simple: to create other-worldy dance music compositions using only one chosen percussion instrument per track, in this case the Flexatone. The resulting pulsating poly-rhythmic voodoo vibe-out here still gets mad love in many a DJ set to this day, and the S.P.E. project is alive and well, due for a return release real soon.

Flexa

This is the B1 cut off my first release for Matthew Herbert's Accidental label, the track and whole EP were made with a few hand-made percussion instruments I collected on journeys to the place of my Ute Indian relatives and ancestors in the Four Corners region of Colorado in the southwest US.

Strolling On Sunday

Taken from my second album Heirlooms, a loving tribute to my late father Joseph Anthony Barrite whose musical teachings and own roots jamming with legends such as Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson were essential to my world, this one is a culminations of the countless family bbqs I attended in my youth and the warm familial feeling of them. There is also an underlying narrative of a typical "cousin" unsuccessfully trying to court a girl at said bbqs which can be followed in headphones, and culminates in the pleading, infatuated chorus.

Heirlooms

You Gotta Know

Also from the love-labored tribute album Heirlooms, this one marks the first moment within the album where my voice actually joins my father's trumpet in unison, as we had intended to do live just before his untimely death, and in my mind and heart is the first of two earnest emotional moments on the album's subject of deep personal loss.

Until Then

One of my personal favorites off the Heirlooms album, as hard as it can be to choose which children you love most at times. A blatant call to action of moving onward, forward ever, and not letting the bs get in the way - a crucial mantra for myself in the time of mourning that spawned the album, it also features some slick sax lines from one of my father's yet-to-be-esteemed peers in the East Bay underground jazz scene.

Away Away

I've got nothin but love for this B-side, one-off, bizarre-mix-of-so-many-things-like-it's-creator track. The title is a loose nod to Shuggie Otis, the layers of vocals, samples, machines, and field recordings came together strangely tight, and I'm still grateful for and amazed by the lucky timing of the skipping end.

Inmahed

"Lovely Ladies and Gentlemen.." I still hear this one getting dropped to hungry dancers all around the world, so a special shout out goes to my fellow DJ and selector brethren and sistren for keeping the Streets Clean and the feets movin'. And of course to the father George Clinton.

Clean St

This remix selection is from the Freaks boys' excellent Psych album, when I had the choice of track to rework, this was an easy pick, loaded with fresh sounds, a wide spectrum of organic and synthetic tones, and of course the inimitable vocals of the mighty Diz Washigton as a cherry on top; melts away any doubts on the floor everytime.

Freaks - Situations (Dave Aju Remix)

This B2 cut off the Freee Lover EP on the wonderfully reborn Music For Freaks label is a Dub version release of a live set classic of mine "Givin It Up", which works wonders in all sorts of sets/settings, from summer eves at CDV to winter warm-ups in the 213.

Givin It Dub

The homie Thatmanmonkz hit me up early on to drop a vocal for his upcoming album project, after everything was dialed in on the original version (and the whole fantastic album production) he and Jamie approached me with the idea of remixing the track I had already lent some pen and voice to, and here we have it - done inna Open Wide-era stylee, only my original vocal tracks sent in for the original were used for the mix.

Thatmanmonkz - Turn It Out (Dave Aju Remix)

This one was formed out of the ashes out of a few live jams and boiled down to a straight-ahead 7 minute groove celebrating a love of oral fixations, it was snapped up and released by Brussels-based label Lessizmore for their massive 10-year anniversary compilation.

Get It

This one was inspired by and made with two handmade percussion instruments from the island of Bali - which were purchased in Ubud during an epic storm ("badai" means storm in Indonesian). There were a few dubs and versions of the track but this final one felt most complete with the vocal addition and rounded out with a bassline suggested by label boss Mr Herbert.

Badai

This was probably the best-known and received cut off the Heirlooms album, and also saw some additional legs later via the remix set up by our boy Seth Troxler. The original vibe was based on some late-night sessions at Facing West studios in San Francisco with JAW and I throwing around time-period ideas inspired by a janky old synth and recordings specially from the early 80s period my father and his friends had made. Reminiscent radio callers Worldwide were lovers, and the sunny West Coast BBQ vibes endless on this one.

Caller #7 feat JAW

The first transmission of the 10101 project I did in response to the new era of overblown classic analog gear fetishism - using only a Roland TR-909 and SH-101 which I fell in love with the first time around backin the late 80s/early 90s and since personally owned for ages, but recording and processing them in any way, shape, or form needed to breathe new life into the works. This one in particular is an homage to my home freeway, I-101, and is a soundtrack to the vibe of those many years driving up and down to visit fam in LA and the Bay, respectively.

Always Never

First episode in a delicious new mix series exploring the warmer crispier wonders of the current dance music world. Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.

3 Chairs - 3 Chairs Theme
Radius - Know Self feat Lailah Reich of Dia L
Jitwam - Whereyougonnago?
Dario Rosa - Something
Soulphiction - What Was Coming
Nick Monaco feat. Deinns Kennedy - For Some Reason (David Martson Remix)_DA Edit
Ned Doheny - A Love Of Your Own (World Air Heat Wave Edit)
Hello Skinny - Mr. P.Z.	
Move D - To The Disco '77 (Live Rework) 
The Mole - Little Sunshine
Alton Miller - Morning
Tee Mango - Confused / Shake - Interlude
Tim Zawada - Send Me Away
Tilman - Want You So Bad

Greasy Listening Mix Series

Greasy Listening : Episode 001

After a short pause here, the Greasy Listening mix series returns with a loving late-summer entry: This episode is inspired by our recently tragically lost dear friend and musical brother Navid Izadi. While it maintains the Greasy approach of literal soul-searching and looking forward toward new and upcoming productions, it's also steeped in styles and sounds he was a champion of, from futurist R&B-boy bumps and neo-hiphouse to deep space-trip electro and live LA vibes, including some exclusive edits of his own great works and extended fam. Rest In Purple for parsecs, brother Navid goes on, forever the Beat goes on... Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.

Dauwd - Analogische Memories (Piano)
Skinny Pelembe - I Just Wanna Be Your Prisoner_DA Edit
Blazers - Bel Air
Bella Boo - Boyboy
Superpeople - Astral Love feat. Dwight Trible
Inkswel - Edible Pyramid (Eddie C Remix)
Navid Izadi - Cmputrz Can Fonk too!
John Selway - Shimmerdown
D-Pulse - Let It Go feat. Charitha Big G
Tee Mango - Too Future
Youthman - Aemilia
Channel Tres - Top Down
Navid Izadi - Feelin Purple_DA Edit
Breach - S.O.S.T.
Body-San - Central Casting
The Meteors Project - Swimming With Astronauts
Kenneth Scott - The Future We Must Live In Now, Forever
The Internet - Beat Goes On

Greasy Listening : Episode 003

One of the undisputed jams from my debut album Open Wide, just enjoying its 10-year anniversary with a special reheat/re-edit/remaster treatment, downloadable free for a limited time to make it hot for all <3

Tapatio (10-Year Anniversary Edit)

The Greasy Listening series returns with the first episode of 2019. Happy Nu Nu! As always here, our focus is on the gooier end of the sonic tub, highlighting the warmest slickest dance music stylings of Today. Grab your can of pomade and promenade. Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.

Contours - North West
Autre - Frigo
Giovanni Damico - Rhythm & Drums (Original Mix)
Contours - Lisbon
Nightmares On Wax - Look Up (Dub / Stripper Beatless Version) 
IG Culture - Talkin Bout Mine
Minimalafrika - Tropifunkammammet
Linkwood - Another Late Night
Dreamcast - Outer Space
Dam-Funk - Bounce
Manuel Darquart - Gutterball
Eris Drew - Trans Love Vibration (Eris Goes To Church)
DJ Guy - July 1st 2014 Broke
Luvless - Hush
Local Artist - Dancer
Soulphiction - Bizzness (Original Mix)
Apparel Wax - 005B2
Jungle By Night - Pompette

Greasy Listening : Episode 004

Sky-high dancefloor dub of the first track from TXLAX

TXLAX Dubs

Bird's Eye (Look Up Dub)

And just like that, we're back - it's been a little quiet here at the Elbow Grease / Greasy Listening HQ lately, what with the producing and releasing of new LPs and the starting of new music teaching careers and all, but alas - new year, new mix (and a promise to stay on this shit :) This one is a lil lengthier to include a choice handful of a few 2019 favorites of ours, from that sweet spot in between the club and the casa, as always showing love for some of the freshest sounds around that deserve so much more credit in this image and algorithm-driven world. Happy 2020, hope you enjoy! Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.

Fernando Falcão - Disse Alguém
Motoko & Myers - Plover
People Plus - Ascension
Joe - Line To Earth
Whodat & Viola Klein - Funeral Song
CZ Wang - Just Off Wave (feat. Separated at Birth)
Waajeed - Let Your Love (feat. Ideeyah, Desean Jones & Khristian Foreman)
Yu Su - Watermelon Woman
Curt Cress - Sundance
Golpe de Estado - Liquido (Original Mix)
Soulphiction - Raw Trak I
Levon Vincent - Dance Music Pt.1
Bosq - Backstrokin' (feat. Kaleta)
Sex Judas - Tidens Angst
Bufiman - Sara Sara
Nicholas - A Message From The East
Autre - LA Funk
Benedek & Noble - World Gruuv
Warm (Ron Trent) - Night Ride
Ilija Rudman - S.O.S. Flight Theme
Theo Parrish - What You Gonna Ask For
Lindstrøm - As If No One Is Here
Dave Aju - Wish You Well

Greasy Listening : Episode 005

Slowly but slowly back on it here fam, it's been quite the ride so far these past weeks and months for us all. While taking a break from protesting injustice and wrapping up a few new studio projects, laid this mix down during a moment of serene quarantine. An ambient-not-ambient mix of new music to vibe inside to, with twists of emotional current states and occasional rhythmic cameos. May it help you contemplate and find meditative states, to recenter, realign, and recharge for the work ahead that must be done. As the sublime closing piece by Peaking Lights implies - change always comes... but it starts within with one. Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.


Jon Hassell - Caracas Night September 11, 1975
Aksak Maboul  - Mastoul Alakefak
David Cunningham - Two Different Places
Ruven - Ajna
Jeremy Hyman - Madness
Dazion - Eu Ñao Sei (Original)
Quaid - City of Dream
Laurence Guy - One More Love Song
Mija - Gypsy Woman (Underwater Dimes Dub)
!Sooks - ERA
Albert Karsberg - Control Of Natural Forces
Axel Boman - Echoes Of My Mind
Peaking Lights - Change Always Comes

Greasy Listening : Episode 006

What a damned year. No matter our particular angles or perspective, we can all at least agree on that much. “Unprecedented” in a two-way tie with the shrugging emoji for word of the year. A few highs and glimpses of empowerment, and several lows and mind-boggling low blows to contend with - obstacles masking opportunities, some moments of reflection and time gained, while many other things felt lost. 

One of the more remarkable aspects of 2020 was the sheer number of musical heroes and greats that have left this physical plane within the space of one year. Forces of huge influence, not only for myself but for countless individuals, music scenes, and artists from multiple generations. 

With this in mind for the annual wrap-up edition of the Greasy Listening mix series this year, while there was/is loads of amazing new and upcoming music to be shared and heard, it only feels just to pay respects and homage in memoriam to these many wondrous souls who poured themselves into their work over the last five plus decades, so we can forever be inspired and mesmerized by their greatness. 

While the selections may not be the most iconic/popular/rare or whatnot of each artist’s work, they are simply a few of my personal faves that fit the mix and are meant more as drop-in-the-bucket representatives of the incredibly extensive bodies of work that have been immortalized by these mighty creators (that also come highly recommended you dive into if haven't already).

So here it is: twenty pieces with timeless musical messages by twenty absolute legends that passed on in this most turbulent year of 2020. To the fallen stars, included in the set and not, Rest In Paradise - we offer our sincerest love and condolences to the families, and endless gratitude for the creative guiding light and healing power their music will forever bring us. Love, Peace, and Elbow Grease to all.

...

01. Jose Padilla - Walking On Air
02. Stanley Cowell - Travelin Man
03. McCoy Tyner - For Tomorrow 
04. Bohannon - Save Their Souls
05. Betty Wright - I Love The Way You Love
06. The Pointer Sisters - Yes We Can Can
07. Bill Withers - You Got the Stuff
08. Richenel - Autumn (Alt Version)
09. Vaughn Mason - Feel My Love
10. Candido - Thousand Finger Man
11. Manu Dibango - Sun Explosion
11. Throbbing Gristle - Hot On Heels Of Love
13. Gang Of Four - I Love A Man In Uniform (Dub)
14. Whodini - It’s All In Mr. Magic’s Wand
15. Kraftwerk - The Telephone Call
16. Two Lone Swordsmen - The Bunker (Original)
17. Mike Huckaby - Radiance
18. Tony Allen & Jeff Mills - Locked And Loaded
19. The Roots - Distortion To Static
20. Kool & The Gang - Summer Madness

**UPDATE: Two final gut punches of 2020 came in the form of the news of MF DOOM and K-maxx passing on Dec 31, two more amazing souls and musical titans who would certainly been included here as well. Travel safe through the lights, Kings. And infinite thanks for the inspiration.**

Greasy Listening : Episode 007

art:cast special | Dave Aju

Dave Aju is an electronic music virtuoso, an ace on deck master-selector who has appeared in dance hotspots across the globe and a wizard inside the studio, with vocal aptitude to boot. But more than that, the native Californian is just a fascinating human overall, we could talk to him all day long. And, we did. As things started to look up on the West Coast, we caught up with Marc Barrite in sunny Los Angeles to talk about music, California, the pandemic, and a little bit of tech geek speak. Find out about his journey from a jazzy upbringing through the HipHop scene and into the global house music arena as well as the real scoop behind some of his work, the all-too-clever meaning of TXLAX and some exciting new projects on the horizon. Additionally the Circus Company and Mule Musiq-mainstay mixed and compiled the latest art:cast, an hour full of deep and experimental (electronic music) just like Mr. Dave Aju is known for.

Read the full interview here: 
https://torturetheartist.net/2021/03/03/artcast-special-interview-dave-aju

Artist information
Dave Aju: www.facebook.com/daveaju.official // @dave-aju // www.instagram.com/daveaju

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art:cast special by Dave Aju

Interview

art:cast special | Dave Aju

Brand new Soundcloud van damn page fam!

Bookings/Inquiries: contact@elbowgrease.la

Dave Aju started out as an alias for a San Francisco experimental techno night in the early oughties. It has since become a name synonymous with a distinctive, unique blend of dance music styles - Aju was raised by a Bay Area jazz head father, an early peer of Pharaoh Sanders, then became an avid young B-boy and MC in the local hip-hop scene before eventually finding his niche in the deeper left-field corners of the global house music scene, channeling all of these influences. Having released three full-length concept albums praised and award-nominated for their originality with Parisian family Circus Company and a variety of special EP releases for labels including Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records, a history of DJ and live performances at renown international venues such as Fabric, Panorama Bar, and the Sonar and MUTEK festivals, as well as guest spots on tastemaker radio programs like Gilles Peterson's BBC Worldwide show, Dave Aju now finds himself in an accomplished and satisfied creative zone at home in Los Angeles, working behind the scenes on a variety of new projects, launching his mix series Greasy Listening that promotes warm futurist sounds for the headphones and floor, as well as his own label and fourth solo studio album coming soon.

Dave Aju

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