Bought a new pillow the other day. Didn’t go with this one.

I just heard a rapper talking about dey’ spaceship again. Main, you’ ain’t got no spaceship d00d.

Anyone feelin juke music? Super fast (160 - 170bpm) ghetto-ass dance music from Chicago. Dancing is all about the footwork. Lots of repeated, pitch-shifted samples layered over lots of highs and super deep bass that comes in waves rather than knocks. The highs and samples do most of the work.

I already posted this classic last track, a straight up block-party rap banger. It fits in with the juke theme and it’s still hot.

Download audio file (02 Ima Burn Him.mp3)

DJ Nate - I’ma Burn Him

Download audio file (01 Whea Yo Ghost At)
Download audio file (Whea Yo Dead Man.mp3)

DJ Elmo - Whea Yo Ghost At, Whea Yo Dead Man

Download audio file (01 Chi Don’t Dance.mp3)

BBU - Chi Don’t Dance

Upon returning from work, I found this note atop a giant pile of laundry strewn across my living room couch. It’s from my maid.

“These clothes are all yours, and they’re all clean. Please put them away.”

I’m legitimately busy to the point where I need a maid to avoid total disorder in my house, and she’s basically asking me to pitch in and lend a hand.

I know some people reading this are like “it’s not cool to call them maids” and “it’s actually really not cool to have a housekeeper,” but there’s over a billion people here and at least she’s not working in a glue-stick factory or something. And I’m not even gonna be vengeful and give her like “some of her salary.” I’m just gonna write a note back, which involves an actually-pretty-enjoyable adventure through the Chinese dictionary, and I get to use markers.

They’re called “Ayis” here. That translates to “Auntie.” Chinese often people call friends and acquaintances by family names even when they’re not actually related. For example it’s polite if I say “Hey grandma, take this seat” on the bus.

Back in the pre-dayjob days, my auntie/maid and I were pretty close. We would cook together and talk about our lives. On days when I couldn’t or didn’t want to talk, she bounced about the house, yelling in a strong, animated (and completely unintelligible to me) dialect on her hands-free.

Somehow she always speaks in an exclamatory voice; never fails to be totally surprised by some minor circumstance.

Example, I’m eating oatmeal with brown sugar at the dinner table, she’s [poorly] drying dishes.

Auntie/Maid walks in, stares at the food for a minute, smiles.

Auntie/Maid: “Zhe shi shenme!?” What is this!?

Me: “Yan mai zhou, fang yi dian tang” Oatmeal with some brown sugar

Auntie/Maid smiles and stares for a few more seconds

Auntie/Maid: “Nimen zheyang chi shi ba!?” “Oh! You eat it like this!!”

So yeah, we used to be tight, but now we just communicate through these bullshit notes, and she’s even asking me to do her work. But it’s still way cooler than texting each other.

Some music.

Amazing track from 1970. Would love to get this on vinyl. Original pressing and shit, maiiiin.

Download audio file (01 Sugar Man.mp3)
Sixto Rodriguez - Sugar Man

I don’t understand how, but there is a proper, all-night beach party going down this weekend in Shanghai. It’s about an hour from the city center by a flock of  buses leaving from The Bulldog at 9:30 PM and then returning to People’s square at 5AM. Tickets are RMB180 presale, which you can pick up at The Bulldog (Dongping Lu/Wulumuqi Lu), or you can call this dude named Karl and he’ll hook you up (that sounds sketch right? but it’s cool).

I’m DJing along with two of Shanghai’s finest: Mau Mau and Steven Lorenz. Mau Mau, the other member of the now-defunct Baijiu Robot, needs no introduction and is one of the only people I enjoy watching spin hard party electro. Steven Lorenz is one of those kids you wanna hate because he’s 18 or 19 years old and already produces tracks and DJs better than you ever will.

+86 15800 417 360. They can deliver tickets to you.

Or email  contact@urbancatch.com

This is not some BS like that Daft Punk fiasco that went down last year. That’s what happens when French and Chinese criminals operate together..terrible.

Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the past few months.

Download audio file (04 Where You Should Be Ft. Sam Frank.mp3)

Skream - Where You Should Be

i’m won’t even attempt to apologize for my lack of posts lately. just come to this party and i’ll make it up to you on the dance floor.

Ahhhh. No time for posts lately. However, this is worth noting.

This Saturday at Logo, another round of the monthly party dedicated to playing a proper assortment of dance music all night without damaging your ears.

DJ Cavia - China DMC champion - unstoppable on the vinyl and also China’s number one Frank Zappa Fan.  Cutting up electro, hip hop, and rock on vinyl.

Evil Einsteins - Dance rap from the future. Stacks of original tracks.

Heatwolves - Hip hop, Mega Bass Party Jams, and Disco to make your girl dance, plus a late night dubstep set.

Some seriously sexy, deep grooves and really proper cocktails. Yes, they do a fine whiskey sour.

Half off before 10PM, best deal in town.

Lots of fine, fine new music out lately. Loving this track…summer vibes.

Download audio file (05 Aminals.mp3)

Baths - Aminals

Though we’ve got mad love for the lighthouse and we’re throwing another party there next month, I’m proud to announce we’re doing a pool party next weekend.

The first pool party of the year at Mandarin City’s giant outdoor pool. We’ve got a proper soundsystem and you’ll feel the bass even at the bottom of the deep end.

RMB140 with two drinks, swim all day.
RMB80 swimming only.

Music selected and mixed by some of Shanghai’s finest party starters The Ughhh, Mau Mau, and myself.

788 Hongxu Lu, near Huaguang Lu. You can take metro line four, three, or ten to Hongqiao Lu and get a cheap cab from there. Line ten may have a closer stop as well…not sure.

So far the biggest summer track of the year for me. Really looking for a WAV of this…

Download audio file (02 This Orient (Starkey Remix).mp3)

Foals - This Orient (Starkey Remix)

but no fireworks allowed in the new hood, damn.

and, the outdoor party in the park today got cancelled, by the man.

i’m hiding somewhere between the air conditioner, with its invisible shower of particulate matter, and the hot air monster lurking outside my building and on my balcony, so unforgivingly humid.

but don’t everybody love the sunshine?

Download audio file (Everybody Loves the Sunshine.mp3)

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Working in the office these days.

Can’t blog from there, hence the sparse posts lately.

I’m going to see Caribou tomorrow at the Dream Factory for sure. If you don’t know Caribou, start with this mix at pitchfork. Interesting dude from the interviews I’ve read. PhD in math who cooks up eccentric and often extremely danceable jams.

Cool animal name choice too. Not played out like panda or something.

And here’s a track from his latest album.

Download audio file (Caribou_Sun.mp3)

Caribou - Sun

This post is dedicated to Nocturnal Disco Aardvark (the nice lad from Bristol and his equally genial girlfriend). Kid put me onto a lot of good tunes, including this Talking Heads track I’d never heard before.

Download audio file (08 Pull Up the Roots.mp3)

Talking Heads - Pull Up The Roots