turkISH deLiGhT - Orale !

June '09

Greetings and best wishes to all,

I've taken some trips recently and haven't kept to my duties of updating. Last week I was in Istabul Turkey where I spent a solid 7 days balancing my time between business and pleasure. In April we took a trip to Mexico City for a sweet vacation pre-swine flu season. The pics captured this week are from Mexico City and Istabul.

If you haven't been to Mexico or Istabul or previously considered it I strongly recommend the trips. In a way the two countries share some things like: * densly populated global metro areas with ancient, classic and modern architecture * croosroads countries ( Mexico is the crossroads to North and Central America as Turkey to Asian and Europe) * colors of life ( the street markets in Mexico City and Istanbul are diversly colorful )

vida en la playa

I love the beach and particularly when its secluded and clean. In order to accomplish this sometimes travel is required. My preference is to jump on a plane and go explore or lock down a spot in south florida in the winter time. The pics captured in this post are a collection of beach related adventures from Playa Blanca on Isla Baru (just outside Cartagena Colombia) and Cayo Costa State on Florida's west coast. 

beach bum at ten thousand islands and then some

Happy New Year to you and yours !    I hope 2009 will make all our dreams come true.

To start the year I disconnected for a few days by taking a canoe-camping trip with some friends to the West Coast of Florida to a place called ten thousand islands. In order to get there we had to drive from Miami to Everglades City on the West Coast of Florida ( 2 hour drive). At Everglades city we loaded up the canoes with gear and provisions and cannoed for four hours to get to our remote destination, Lulu Key, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. It was an excellent trip for all involved and the biggest challenge was the 5 hour paddle back to Everglades City at the end of our trip. 

The crew involved 6 people split 2 per canoe.  One of the challenges in the trip was paddling against the current in the waterways of ten thousand islands.  During the trip we camped out on a white sand beach during two amazing clear and fresh nights in the low 70s which gave birth to several shooting stars.

 This type of trip involves back country or primative camping which means no running water, no electricity and no civilization.  This was a great way to relax, detach and enjoy nature. 

We are looking at ways to travel to another key or island in the coming months and considering taking kayaks instead. Kayaks are much faster and we could likely cut travel time in half.  The canoe roundtrip was aprox. 20 miles.  One of the benefits of the canoe is the amount of storage space available for gear and provisions.  This extra spaced allowed for us to bring coolers with fresh food and drinks. During our days at Lulu Key we had exceptional meals which we prepared by hand and cooked by natural fire.  At night we saw the night sky come to life with bright still and shooting stars and saw the changing reflections of light from the moon onto the black ocean.  At night we burned fires, ate, drank, talked, laughed and danced to the almighty sounds of ToTo La Momposina amongst other classic music and gave thanks for continued blessings in the new year.    

hot music

Felices Fiestas pa' todos! 

A friend reminded me the other day of a very hot classic salsa mix  (right click save as for DL ) I did on vinyl back in early 2005 when I was living in the Frisco Bay.  I copped all the records for this mix ( and about 200 more ) from "La Esquina de La Musica", a garage like room in a rustic and run down part of downtown Medellin Colombia (pictured arriba).  What I came up on this day was what appeared to be a limitless and timeless collection of Latin and Colombian music.  With the help of the owner and Maestro DJ Don Carlos Ruiz I spent about 4 hours diggin' through singles, compilations and LPs of 70s & 80s era classic record labels like Fuentes Records, Fania Records and Top Hits Recordings amongst others.  

When I got back home to the bay from my trip to Medellin it was winter time and raining very hard so going out and socializing at at night was a very low priority.  During this time I spent my energy on two goals: 1. Snowboard as much as possible and 2. Produce a classic mixed compilation of salsa bangers from my last diggin' trip in Medallo.  The good news is that I exceeded my goals! I rode hard all season with fellow de la calle movement comrade AKillaWon and I recorded a brilliant mix which has been distributed globally via BrokenBeatRadio out of philly.  Nuff Respect to Argo for the love.  Enjoy the mix ! 

De La Calle Movement music downloads and more treats coming soon....

Winter in Mia

Its been a hot minute .... 

Happy Holidaze ! 

 

Pictured right is 

"El Rojo" Picot or Sound System, "La Cobra de Barranquilla" DJs Cesar Romero y Julio Pereira.  

Miami is a lovely place to live particularly in the winter time.  It's really the only time of the year when you can bust out that nice sweater or jacket that has otherwise been hanging in your closet for 10 months out of the year. Putting on an extra layer in Mia makes me feel as if I've spiced things up a little, if you will.    Many thanks as always to MylesTec for locking in timelessness. 

While I'm on the subject of spicing things up do note that Miami + December = Art Basel and a series of other art related festivals. In general Mia is poppin' off in a very major way this time of the year.  The 305 receives visitors from all over the world during this week and parties go off in clubs, warehouses, homes and outdoor private and public spaces.  I had an excellent time this year. The art and music was excellent at all the spots I hit. If you haven't been to Mia during this time of the year I highly recommend it.  

On the subject of Art and Music, of note this week is heavy hitter AfriColombia and their coverage on the Picot or Colombian Sound Systems found in the Cartagena - Barranquilla Region.  I've heard and seen some of these Sound Systems and it's an amazing experience. Nuff respect to AfriColombia for the education and excellent information. Also check AfricaAmbiance for more. 

 

dAiLy OpeRaTiOn

A big internet bear hug goes out to DeLaCalle MoVeMeNT aficionado DJ mYLeSteC who recently met me in the Lab for some electric relaxation.   

bubble man

It was amazing to see this man create large bubbles out of soapy water from his hands. I liked watching this man's expression and focus as he went from blowing in his hands until a large floating bubble came out which he then pushed towards the crowds at Plaza Bolivar.