I have to be honest… I have not seen the value in attending music seminars for a long time. To me it’s really a lot of sales pitches, or panels about what COULD be.. rather than deciding on actionable ideas.

I see so much lateral thinking among music industry people… It’s like the quarterback running side to side but never throwing the ball. I’m happy to say a number of conversations I had in New York show that people share the same sentiment. As the standard music industry crumbles, many of these people are the ones who will reconstruct it.

I also got to introduce several excellent acts, (at a few APAP related functions), then Sunday night raised some hell at the GlobalFest afterparty.

VIDEO: Call Red Alert – MC ZULU @ The GlobalFest After Party with DJ Warp And DJ SoundCulture. Courtesy Of Ankur Malhotra (Amarrass Records)

NYC’s APAP conference, along with a concurrently running festival, GlobalFest have emerged as top tastemakers in Music industry booking circles. One of the main conversations I had with organizers is that electronic music could be given more consideration.

CROWD FOOTAGE Courtesy Of Marissa Neff: Call Red Alert

You definitely do NOT want to phase out the masters and virtuosos in favor of the local 13 yr old DJ/Producer with a World Beat sample pack… (that’s what the rest of the festivals are doing) but I believe there should be more of a balance. The simple fact is people all over the world are now making music electronically. That needs to be acknowledged.

VIDEO: Spanish Vocalist/Rapper “La Shica” is classically trained in the art of Flamenco dance and music.

The thing that has strained this argument before is because everyone was trying to RAP like Americans. As it stands today however, people have incorporated their indigenous feel into both electronic production and vocal delivery. There is no longer any pressure to sound like Tupac. Critics and consumers alike realize it’s not being done WRONG, it’s a different point of view.

VIDEO: Representing Electronic interests on the World front, A Tribe Called Red @ GlobalFest

True self-expression has entered into the picture. This is the same life cycle that Reggae/Dancehall followed. Once it evolved into something more than pale imitation, it caught fire on its own.

A promo vid for the new kids in town I am rolling with. I have two residencies in Chicago now. FreakEasy with the Burning Man contingent, and FEx Events. FEx is really a shortened version of “Foreign Exchange”. The music and philosophy are consistent with that as well.

We have an idea that we can build a scene around the artistic happenings in Chicago, while actually importing talent to the city at the same time.

The musical aesthetic is on a more global level. It is usually an electronic, uplifting, dance floor vibe with sounds that can hail from any and every corner of the earth. Hence the increasingly popular term Global Bass.

FEx parties are held on a monthly basis at Sub-T Lounge: 2011 W. North Avenue in Chicago
www.FExEvents.com

Just random pix taken around Maui.. in between heavy rain showers, and yes… I STILL take nerdy azz MySpace photos. What else you gonna do when you roll out solo?

Click the picture to see gallery

When I came back from the Army.. (Early-Mid 90s) Chicago’s Caribbean Music scene was huge. I could go on all day about Martin’s Intercultural Events, DJs on WNUR like MoBay 1, JahFe and Irie Princess. Max-A-Million dominated the mainstream airwaves with his mixture of Reggae/House. In addition to that, major league talent like Dennis Brown, Buju Banton, Sean Paul paid regular visits to the city. Terror Fabulous filled the Aragon..!

Enough with memory lane, although I believe life is not much more than time and memories… That’s all Chicago has though. Even The world famous Wild Hare closed down.lol..damn!

Some of my friends have started a small but dedicated party scene on Chicago’s North side. Their intention is to bring back that vibe. Tomorrow I will host one of their parties. I would love to contribute to the growth of this scene in particular. It is a VARIETY of people from all walks of life, who are descendants or aficionados of Caribbean Culture.

Caribbean Connection United
Infusion Cafe
6120 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Saturday, Sept 24
$10 / 10p-3a (21+)

Can we do this? In a NON-VIOLENT way… Where the community thrives…?
It is my hope that many people begin to find alternate means of income through these get-togethers and the various related industries.(cooking, attire, accessories, security, etc.) Incidentally, I’ve been on this vibe from ever since. Catch Up.

Killing off this way of life with incentives, like extra taxes, restrictive licensing, and sending the police to break up every festive situation has definitely put a DENT in the once thriving local economy; just like when the film industry fled Chicago for a few years, because of heavy taxation.

I have to say, every party of mine which was ever raided.. the cops were RELUCTANT, saying they should be out catching criminals, but the order came down. Let’s do this right, Chicago!

My faith in mankind is elevated somehow every time I go to Burning Man… although I cannot tell you why. Mostly I spend the days walking around solo, checking art exhibits… or watching movies in the rental car

For those of you who have never been… It is definitely one of those “bucket list” destinations…lol but don’t feel badly about your inability to take it all in at once. The whole camp Is the result of the personal expression that 60K+ people have to offer.

Burning Man 2011 (With The iPhone Quickness)

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a dream come true. It is… but then again, no one really wants their kids to aspire to be performers.

Performers ESPECIALLY don’t want that…lol
Also I am resolute in my policy of not going for the “cutsie” vote, by trotting my kids out. But this one has trained in this style of dance for years…. so THAT’S a DIFFERENT story… isn’t it? ..well?

This is part of Millennium Park’s ‘Electric Picnic’ concert series, where they have DJs spin in the HUGE, AWESOME Pritzker Pavillion, on Saturday afternoons.

There are a lot of random people just milling around the park…, sitting on the grass…, enjoying the day…, and hoping like hell the dude onstage with the mic doesn’t start swearing in front of their kids.

Good Times.

What a lucky break to have friends that consider you. Chrissy Murderbot hit me up with this great opportunity. Of course I had to make sure the fine folks at Pitchfork added “featuring MC ZULU” on all the stuff…

No problems there but my bio was never added to the page, so I was forced to wear one the infamous T-shirts with my name on it.. Many journalists have expressed their dismay about those shirts, but to no avail. Consider it my consolation prize for always being overlooked.

Anyway… It was a masive day, with Chicago fans showing up in full force.

Performing “Hyped Up” LIVE

Now really, I’m not one for “working kids into the act”. It makes me feel all Vaudeville-ish, but I also want them to know music does not separate us, so what the hell. I had (2/3 of) them there throwing those lip whistles out to the crowd. (Whistles were Murderbot’s idea.bigup)

Here’s my youngest son asking to get up on stage, and then getting all shy afterward. LOL

Youngest Kid Steps Up

I want to know who he learned his litle “Nasty Dance” from.. He’s 8.
Believe me there have been subsequent discussions.
Now that I think about it…, it’s probably inspiration from Murderbot’s nasty track playing in the background.

Race at your pace means WALK, as far as I am concerned (maybe even TRUDGE). This coming Sunday (Mother’s Day 2011) I am looking to beat my personal record (Longest Time To Finish 3 Miles), so I appreciate any and all contributions…!!

This is my URL

October of 2009 at Edmonton’s Starlite Room:
One of the coolest moments caught on tape by someone else, where I happened to be in attendance. Shamik Dynamik, the Beatbox / Rapper from Canada (who has been everywhere you can think of) does an impromptu jam session with Kytami, the violinist from Delhi 2 Dublin.

This is the outcome

I had just finished a set with Kush Arora and was called up after this with Shamik, and Delhi 2 Dublin, so camera was not in hand. I remember thinking, “Man, it’s a shame no one’s getting this on tape…” LOL, nice to see someone else had the same idea.