J.PERIOD x Michael Jackson: "Man Or The Music (Vol. 1)"

Two legends have passed on recently - Roberta Flack and Gwen McCrae, both of whom had records that have been important to me for many years. Unfortunately some of my Roberta Flack records were damaged in a flood years ago, and so I tried to pull a few favorites from what I still have, and mostly less obvious pieces from both artists catalogs. That being said, I still included two big hits on here because of the impact that each song had on me - McCrae's "90% of Me" is such vintage funk, a record I got in my earliest days of digging, and I will always cherish. And Flack's amazing duet with Donnie Hathaway, "Back Together Again" - I will never forget when Bobbito dropped this at APT in late 2001 and DJ Center and I lost our minds. RIP to these incredibly amazing women.

Pullin from the Stacks - Roberta Flack & Gwen McCrae Tribute

It felt important right now to come back to the words and teachings of Howard Zinn, when the U.S. government is causing and propagating so much fear and racism and oppression and just plain meanness, and things seem tilted toward hopelessness. This is the third in my series of mix-tributes to Zinn, and the vocal samples here come from a few great interviews and programs you can find on Youtube, including a great interview Laura Flanders did with the amazing Staceyann Chin and Imani Perry a couple years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4R3-OyS2ho 

The beats are from a variety of producers, all vinyl selections from the crates. Finally, in these times, I always turn back to this essay from Zinn: https://www.howardzinn.org/collection/a-marvelous-victory/ "What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

Read Howard Zinn

Zinnstrumentals 3 (Mixtape)

BEASTIE BOYS
“To All The Girls”
(Capitol, 1989)

ZIMBABWE LEGIT 
“Doin' Damage In My Native Language” 
DJ SHADOW’s Legitimate Mix
(Hollywood Basic, 1992)

EPMD
“It’s My Thing” 
(Fresh, 1987)

BRAND NUBIAN 
“Travel Jam”
(Elektra, 1992)

COMMON 
“Heat” 
(MCA, 2000)

DIGABLE PLANETS
feat. JERU THE DAMAJA
“Graffiti”
(Pendulum / EMI, 1994)

HELTAH SKELTAH & O.G.C.
(THE FAB 5)
“Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka”
(Duck Down / Priority,  1996)

CAPPADONNA 
feat. GHOSTFACE KILLAH
“97 Mentality”
(Razor Sharp, 1997)

GHOSTFACE KILLAH
feat. RZA
“Nutmeg”
(Razor Sharp / Epic, 2000)

WU-TANG CLAN
“Cash Still Rules / Scary Hours”
(Loud / RCA, 1997)

WU-TANG CLAN
"C.R.E.A.M."
TOM CARUANA Magical Mystery Remix
(Loud, 1993 / Tom Caruana Remix Projects, 2013)

CYPRESS HILL 
“Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk”
(Ruffhouse / Columbia, 1991)

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
“Vibes And Stuff”
(Jive, 1991)

NAS
“The Genesis”
(Columbia, 1994)

NAS
“Represent”
(Columbia, 1994)

DJ KRUSH 
feat. TRAGEDY
“Real”
(Sony Music Japan, 1997)

MOBB DEEP
“Temperature’s Rising”
Instrumental Version
(Loud / RCA, 1995)

NAS
“Queens Get The Money”
(Def Jam / Columbia, 2008)

JAY ELECTRONICA
feat. LATONYA GIVENS
“Jazzmatazz (Guru Tribute)”
(Jay Electronica, 2010)

GANG STARR
“DJ Premier In Deep Concentration”
(Wild Pitch, 1989)

GROUP HOME
“Suspended In Time”
(Payday / FFRR, 1996)

JERU THE DAMAJA 
“Jungle Music”
(Payday / FFRR, 1994)

GANG STARR
“The ? Remainz” 
(Chrysalis, 1994 / Virgin, 1999)

DJ KRUSH
feat. BLACK THOUGHT & MALIK B
“Meiso” 
Silent-Gun Remix
(Sony Music Japan, 2006)

BLACK MOON
“Buck ‘Em Down”
(Wreck, 1994)

SUSPENDED IN TIME / MRE HIP-HOP SPECIAL
RARE & CLASSIC RAP ’87–‘13 (HD)

Produced by US&THEM and DJ GETLIVE! for the MIDNIGHT ROCKERS EXPRESS, 2013 / 04 14 2025

Art Direction by US&THEM and JOAKIM JANSSON

Cover: NEW YORK CITY 1997, 1997, by JEFF MERMELSTEIN; via GALERIE BENE TASCHEN, Cologne

SUSPENDED IN TIME / MRE HIP-HOP SPECIAL

A few jazz digs and tracks this time around, as I continue to get my set-up together. Dig in!

Tracklist: Grant Green, Peter Duchin, Los 5-U-4, Les Demerle, Karen Hernandez, John Wood

Subscribe!

Pullin from the Stacks - Carryin' On

Across 110th Street 5/24/25

Some recent digs and old records. Sending strength to everyone dealing with these ICE raids. Stay safe out there! If you have the funds, I recommend donating to the Coalition for Humane Human Rights - https://www.chirla.org/

Tracklist: Gil Scott Heron, Herb Drury Trio, Peter Herbolzeimher, Charles Tolliver, Masaru Imada and George Mraz, Paco Rossana

Pullin from the Stacks - Nothing New

Another celebration of the beautiful and revolutionary music from the Indigenous, Latin and Afro-Latin diaspora - only other thing to say right now is FUCK ICE and stay strong everyone! Donate to CHIRLA here: https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/

Tracklist: El Chicano, Eddie Palmieri, Ismael Rivera, Willie Bobo, Fania All Stars, Bobby Guajardo and the Latin Breed, Grupo Irakere, Mongo Santamaria, Los Van Van, Chucho Valdes y su Quinteto

Pullin from the Stacks - Summer Salsa 3

Tracklist: http://bit.ly/roy-ayers-75

Celebrating the 75th birthday of Mr Roy Ayers with this mix, showcasing some of my favourite tracks from his slightly lesser known material… Well, I mean compared to tracks like Everybody 
Loves The Sunshine, Searching, We Live In Brooklyn, Running Away, Love Will Bring Us Back Together…

I also hear new stuff that I hadn’t noticed before when I listen to his music - the track with Jack Wilson that opens the mix up is so heavy and cosmic for its time, and I’d forgotten about the track with Wayne Henderson! There are so many great albums out there including the 2 Virgin Ubiquities BBE put out... We could devote a whole week of radio programmes to Roy, his archive is so large… 

He is the key to all things between jazz, soul, disco and hip hop…. Thank you roy for all the music...


Tracklist

Roy Ayers 75th Birthday Mix

Back from a trip to Philadelphia with a few selections, plus a couple more from the Brooklyn crates. Enjoy!

Tracklist: Walt Barr, Synthesis, Groove Holmes, Connexion, Harold Johnson Sextet, Anthony Ortega Quartet, Paul Horn

July 17 2019

Subscribe on iTunes!

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 112 (Recent Digs & Classics)

NEEDLE DROPS Volume One

Dusty Donuts X. The 45 Sessions

feat.
The 45 Sessions
SHORTKUT
DJ PLATURN

Dusty Donuts
MARC HYPE
DJ ROBERT SMITH

A new monthly DJ streaming show, where four selected world class DJs telling a story in their own way, just through the selection of seven 45s in the mix, live on Twitch & FB Live.

Live recordings from friday, the 12th of february, with The 45 Sessions : SHORTKUT & DJ PLATURN from Oakland California ,& Dusty Donuts’ MARC HYPE & DJ ROBERT SMITH from Berlin in the mix for the first episode of NEEDLE DROPS.
The topic of this  live session was : “A night in NYC 1982“

www.keepitdusty.com

NEEDLE DROPS Volume One feat. The 45 Sessions : Shortkut & DJ Platurn

When I'm not at the dayjob, I'm probably at a record store. Pullin from the Stacks podcast most Wednesdays, available here, Apple Pods (please subscribe!) and elsewhere.

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 112 (Recent Digs & Classics)

DJ Ian Head