Thursday, June 11, 2009

SUNDAY'S FORECAST 6/14/09

HELLO ALL,

I HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. HERE IS THIS WEEK'S AND NEXT WEEK'S FORECAST! IT APPEARS THAT THERE WILL BE SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WEEK WITH SUNSHINE PEEPING IN AROUND SUNDAY!!! STAY DRY IF YOU ARE IN ATLANTA. 

J-FINESSE


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

SUNDAY'S FORECAST 5/25/09

Unfortunately, this past weekend was pretty muggy and wet. Although I was able to dj four days straight, the weather made it a little hard to bare the long hours. Anyway, here is this week's forecast.

Enjoy!!!!



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

SUNDAY'S FORECAST 5/17/09

HELLO ALL,

HERE IS THIS WEEK'S SUNDAY FORECAST. THIS PARTICULAR MIX IS THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF THIS COLLECTION. AS AN ADDED FEATURE, YOU WILL NOW BE ABLE TO GET THE TRACK LISTINGS INCLUDED ON THE ACTUAL MP3. WHEN YOU PULL IT UP ON YOU IPOD, THE TRACK LISTING SHOULD POP UP ON YOUR SCREEN. ALSO, WHENEVER YOU GO ON THE INFO TAB ON THE FILE, JUST GO TO THE LYRICS TAB AND THERE YOU HAVE IT...THE TRACK LISTINGS. ENJOY!!!

J-FINESSE

Monday, May 11, 2009

JIM RUSSELL RECORD STORE (NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA)

DEEP IN THE HEART OF NEW ORLEANS LIES A STAPLE IN THE MUSICAL TAPESTRY OF THE CITY: JIM RUSSELL RECORD STORE. IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 40 YEARS, JIM RUSSEL HAS SEEN THE LIKES OF ERYKAH BADU, DR. JOHN, EDDIE BO, LIL' WAYNE, DJ JUBILEE & MASTER P COME THROUGH AND PATRONIZE THE STORE. THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE IS GREAT FOR MUSIC LOVERS THAT JUST WANT TO TAKE THEIR TIME AND PERUSE THE ENDLESS AMOUNT OF VINYL ON THE SHELVES.



UNFORTUNATELY, THE ECONOMY HAS TAKEN IT'S TOLL ON THE ONCE THRIVING STORE AND BILLS FROM HURRICANE DAMAGE HAVE FORCED THE STORE TO "TIGHTEN IT'S BELT". UPON MY VISIT TODAY TO THE FAMOUS MUSIQUARIUM, I TOOK THE TIME TO BUY SOME RECORDS AND CHAT WITH THE OPERATOR OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AND HER DAUGHTER. SHE EXPLAINED THAT BILLS AND LACK OF CUSTOMERS HAVE REALLY PUSHED THE STORE IN THE RED. SHE SAID THAT I WAS PROBABLY HER 3RD CUSTOMER OF THE DAY AND THAT IT WAS CUSTOMERS LIKE MYSELF THAT COME BY, BUT DON'T COME TOO OFTEN.



I APOLOGIZED BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE DOWNLOADING AND BUYING THEIR MUSIC FROM OTHER OUTLETS...i,e..BEST BUY, WAL-MART OR EVEN ITUNES. NOBODY IS SUPPORTING THE MOM & POP STORES ANYMORE AND BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF TRUE MUSIC LOVERS IS DWINDLING, THESE STORES HAVE A HARD TIME TRYING TO COMPETE WITH THE MAJOR STORE CHAINS.



SO, I IMPLORE AND STRONGLY SUGGEST NUMBER ONE TO PLEASE SUPPORT MOM & POP STORES SO THAT THEY MAY CONTINUE TO THRIVE. ALSO, IF YOU ARE EVER IN THE NEW ORLEANS UPTOWN AREA ON MAGAZINE STREET, YOU NEED TO STOP BY JIM RUSSELL RECORD STORE AND GET YOU SOME GOOD CONVERSATION AND GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY!!!



ALL OF THE CONTACT INFO IS BELOW.



JIM RUSSELL RECORD STORE

1837 MAGAZINE STREET

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70130

504-522-2602

jimrussellrecords@cox.net

http://www.jimrussellrecords.com/


Monday, May 4, 2009

SUNDAY'S FORECAST 5/3/09

Well, everyone....if you live in Atlanta then you know what this weekend was like. The forecast predicticted scattered showers and thunderstorms and on Friday afternoon, it seemed to be holding up. Then came Friday night's monsunal pour. At any rate, it was a great weekend for me as far as gigging. I had three gigs and they all went well in addition to other things. Attached is this week's forecast. Hopefully, this will get you through the week. Enjoy!!!


J-Finesse


Sunday's Forecast 5/3/09

1) Jazztronik - Room #204

2) Ain't No Ifs or Maybes - PPP

3) Icing on The Cake - Anthony Hamilton

4) Honey - Erykah Badu

5) I Know (Finesse RMX) - Jay-Z

6) Yeah - Havanna

7) Fall In Love - Flying Lotus

8) Loving Music - J-Dilla

9) Sounds Like Love

10) Work It Out (Dela Mix) - Q-Tip

11) Benson - J-Finesse

12) Don't You Have A Man - Drake ft. Little Brother & Dwele'

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

SUNDAY'S FORECAST V.3

HELLO EVERYONE,

HERE IS ANOTHER MORNING MIX. THIS PARTICULAR MIX CONTAINS SOME CUTS THAT HAVE A SOULFUL-HIP-HOP TWIST TO IT WITH A FEW RARE GROOVES. CHECK IT OUT!!!

SUNDAY'S FORECAST V.3
1) THE CROSS - 9TH WONDER
2) INNOCENCE - MAVERICK
3) REMIND ME - PATRICE RUSHEN (CLASSIC)
4) STAR WARS - SOUNDESIGNS
5) DREAM ABOUT YOU - MABANUA
6) TAKE OFF THE BLUES - THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE
7) YAGA YAGA - TERROR FABULOUS (CLASSIC REGGAE JOINT)
8) WHAT U DO 2 ME - DA TRUTH FT. KENNY GREENE (R.I.P.) FROM INTRO
9) PLAYERS - SLUM VILLAGE
10) REACH DOWN IN YOUR SOUL - SY SMITH





Tuesday, April 7, 2009

REMEMBER DIS?!

Can you remember when you first heard a reggae song? Better yet, do you remember being in a party and the DJ deviated and played dancehall or reggae and the reaction that the "out of towners" had. Well, I do. Interestingly enough, as the years grew on, I grew very fond of this type of music...especially watching how the girls would "WIND & GRIND" to the riddum of the drum. 

Attached is a mix that was done back in '98, but the music dates back to the late 80's and early 90's. Enjoy!!!


Tuesday, March 31, 2009

"STAY" with Brian Conley!!!


With all of the talk about Steve Harvey's new book, people have definitely overlooked the up-and-coming authors that traverse these same United States. One that comes to mind is my childhood friend by the name of Brian C. Conley. Brian, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been writing since he was a kid and over the years has perfected his craft. His latest masterpiece is entitled "Stay". 


Review:

“I thought you said this was a love story.”
“No, I said it was a story about love. There’s a difference.”
For most of his life, Anthony Bryant has been able to elude any kind of emotional attachments with the deftness of a running back avoiding tackle. But when he meets Natalie, the alluring friend of the woman he is currently seeing, it’s a struggle to resist the magnetic pull she has on him. She’s sexy, funny, and shares his love ’em and leave ’em philosophy. She also brings about feelings in him he hasn’t known since he was a child when jealousy, betrayal, insanity, and murder tore his family apart. Will Anthony be able to overcome his long-buried demons and experience love for the first time in his life or will it destroy him the way he has seen it happen to loved ones before?

Told in Anthony’s words to the new woman in his life, follow the story of a young man trying to do what few men attempt: To explain to his woman why he is the way he is.

Brian's novel is available at amazon, target and other major bookstores. Please support Brian in his endeavor to provide great reading material. Brian is currently working on several other novels including one that will be a tag-team effort with me, J-Finesse!!!

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/187-3449240-1020227?asin=0595442447&afid=yahoosspplp_bmvd&lnm=0595442447%7CStay_:_Books&ref=tgt_adv_XSNG1060

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Connect - 808's & Bette Midler


You love him...sometimes.  You hate...sometimes.  But no matter what, you're usually talking about him, and that makes him a very happy man.  I'm talking about THE Musical Genius, Kanye West.  Since we all know that 'Ye loves to use samples, I thought he'd be the perfect choice for this week's column.  Today we take a look at "College Dropout."  

All Falls Down



Sample:

Lauryn Hill - "Mystery Of Iniquity"


Spaceship


Sample:
Marvin Gaye - "Distant Lover"


Never Let You Down


Sample:
Blackjack - "Maybe It's The Power Of Love"


Slow Jamz



Sample:
Luther Vandross - "A House Is Not A Home"


School Spirit (Instrumental)


Sample:
Aretha Franklin - "Spirit In The Dark"


Last Call



Sample:
Bette Midler - "Mr. Rockefeller"

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Connect - Primo Hov


We've all been put into a trance by the hypnotic masterpieces created by DJ Premiere. The first thing out of your mouth is usually, "Damn that was dope." The second thing is usually, "Where did he get that sample?" Well gosh darn it, that's where I come in. But this week, we're gonna make it a little more special. This week we're looking at beats that Primo concocted for Jay-Z. Ahh yeah, I can see your head nodding already. On to the records.

D'Evils



Samples:

Allen Toussaint - "Go Back Home"


Friend Or Foe



Samples:

Wood, Brass & Steel - "Hey What's That You Say"


So Ghetto


Samples:

Ennio Morricone - "Sporca Ma Distinto"
Steve Cropper -
"Crop Dustin"


A Million and One Questions (Remix)



Dorothy Ashby - "Cause I Need It"
Latimore -
"Let Me Go"
The Main Ingredient -
"Car Of Love"

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Connect - The Debut

One of the more creative aspects of music is reinvention.  A skilled artisan can take something old, an eight bar loop, and turn it into something new to be loved by a different audience.  The last part of that statement is an interesting one.  How many times have we heard a song and went "What a great sample.  Who is that?"  Only, the answer is usually a shoulder shrug and an "I don't know."  That's a shame.  Here at THE MUSIQUARIUM, we're trying to bridge that gap.  So every week, I'm going to highlight a few old school artists whose music yo've probably heard time and time again, but just couldn't put a name to the beat.  Hope you enjoy.


The Nite Liters - Damn

Sampled By:
Dr. Dre’s “Lyrical Gangbang”




Debarge - Stay With Me

Sampled By:

Ashanti’s “Foolish”
Big L’s “MVP”
Funkmaster Flex’s “Safe Sex, No Freaks”
Musiq Soulchild’s “Ifiwouldaknew”
Notorious BIG’s “One More Chance”




Ohio Players - Exstasy

Sampled By:

A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario”
Jay-Z ft Notorious BIG’s “Brooklyn's Finest”




Minnie Riperton - Baby, This Love I Have

Sampled By:

A Tribe Called Quest’s “Check the Rhyme”
Black Star’s “KOS Determination”
Pete Rock’s “Play Dis Only at Night”
Soul IV Real’s “Candy Rain”
Xzibit’s “Rimz and Tirez”



The JB's - Pass The Peas

Eric B and Rakim’s “I Ain't No Joke”
Eric B and Rakim’s “Move the Crowd”
Souls of Mischief’s “What a Way to Go Out”
Stop the Violence Movement’s “Self-Destruction”




Monday, February 16, 2009

UP IN DA CLUB '09


For those who don't know, I have djayed many a places for different types of musical tastes and vibes. Even so, one thing remains constant: folks love music that makes them feel good. Whether it be crunk, bounce, house, R&B, Old School...you name it, people love to groove. As such, I have attached a recent mix that was done for a friend of mine in Chicago and two other mixes that give one a sample of how I get down in my sets. So in a sense, her request is everybody else's blessing.

Club Mix '09
1) Dey Know - Shawty Lo
2) Lolli Pop - Lil Wayne ft. Kanye West
3) Freaky Girl - Gucci Mane
4) My Dougie - Skee
5) Whatever You Like - TI
6) A Milli - Lil Wayne
7) Get Silly - VIC
8) Green Light - John Legend ft. Andre' 3000
9) U Turnin' Me On - Keri Hilson
10) Shawty - Plies ft. T-Pain
11) Bust It Baby - Plies ft. Ne-Yo
12) Live Your Life - TI ft. Rhianna
13) Walk It Out - DJ Unk
14) Buy U A Drink - T-Pain
15) Snap Ya Fingaz - Lil Jon ft. E-40
16) I Know - Jay-Z ft. Pharrell
17) Wipe Me Down - Foxx ft. Lil Boosie & Webbie
18) Mrs. Officer - Lil Wayne ft. Bobby Valentino
19) Paper Planes - MIA
20) Get Like Me - David Banner ft. Chris Brown
21) Independent - Webbie
22) Drink & My 2 Step - Cassidy ft. Swizz Beatz
23) Down for My Niggaz - C-Murder
24) U Want - Slim ft. Gucci Mane
25) Drop It Like It's Hot - Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell
26) So Fly - Slim
27) Should've Let You Go - Keyshia Cole
28) Diamond Girl - Ryan Leslie
29) Let It Go - Keyshia Cole ft. Missy Elliot & Lil Kim
30) Curtain Call - Nina Skyy
31) You - Lloyd ft. Lil Wayne
32) Girls Around The World - Lloyd ft. Lil Wayne
33) Singles Ladies - Beyonce'
34) Get Me Bodied - Beyonce'
35) Money In The Bank - Swizz Beatz
36) Ching-A-Ling - Missy Elliot
37) Blow The Whistle - Too Short
38) Headsprung - LL Cool J





Sunday's Forecast V.1
1) Shazz - Hermosa Maria
2) Sunkids ft. Chance - Rescue Me
3) Erro - Change For Me (Akabu Mix)
4) The Rurals - Rurals (95 North TLC Mix)
5) Shaun Escoffery - Space Rider
6) Hardrive ft. Lynae - Never Forget (When You Touch Me)
7) Tortured Soul - Fall In Love
8) Dubtribe Sound System - Equitoraial





Sunday's Forecast V.2
1) Migratenation - Society Of Soul
2) They Say (Inst) - Common
3) I Adore You - Caron Wheeler
4) Was It Something That I Said - Sylvester
5) It's My House - Diana Ross
6) Rock The World - Weeks and Co.
7) Anybody Wanna Party? - Gloria Gaynor
8) Space Funk - Manzel
9) Spread Love - Lenny Fontana Presents Black Sun
10) Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday - De La Soul
11) Caught Up In A One Night Love Affair - Inner Life

Sunday, February 8, 2009

DILLA PART II

HELLO EVERYONE. I AM BACK WITH A TREAT FOR YOU ALL. ATTACHED YOU WILL FIND PART II OF MY ODE TO DILLA TRIBUTE. AS WE APPROACH THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS UNTIMELY DEATH, WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF THIS GREAT MAN. ENJOY!!!



FINESSE

Sunday, January 18, 2009

NON ILLA THAN J DILLA (R.I.P.)

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST THREE YEARS SINCE JAMES YANCEY AKA J DILLA LEFT US AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. LUCKILY WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE HIS MUSICAL GENIUS PROVIDE US WITH 12 PLUS YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. ALTHOUGH HE LEFT THIS EARTH PREMATURELY, HIS MUSIC WILL STILL CONTINUE ON BECAUSE FOLKS LIKE WAAJEED, BLACK MILK, MANUBUA, Q-TIP, KANYE, FLOYD THE LOCSMIF AND MYSELF WILL MAKE SURE THAT HIS INFLUENCE WILL BE FELT THROUGH THE MUSIC THAT WE ALL CREATE. FURTHERMORE, THE MAN'S CATALOG WAS THICK WITH BEAT TREATS. SO, I AM SURE THAT WE WILL STILL BE HEARING FROM THE LATE-GREAT.

ATTACHED IS THE FIRST VOLUME THAT I DID THE DAY J DILLA PASSED. THERE WILL BE SUBSEQUENT VOLUMES COMING SOON!!!!

ENJOY!

FINESSE


ARTIST INFLUENCE CENTRAL V.4

What can one say about "The King Of Pop"? Well, whatever one chooses whether it be good or bad, everyone can agree that the brother is talented. Me personally, I enjoyed all of his music. I have followed him through the highs and the lo's, through his kid years to his young adult years and unto his status now. Many years later his music still shines through, which is evident by the enormous catalog this man possesses. Once again, I stumbled across a rare gem while shopping at the local "Wax-N-Fax" in little 5 points. This particular album was one of the solo projects that Motown released before cutting Michael and his brothers loose from the then fledgling record company. Amid all of the legal turmoil that the group was enduring at the time, Michael was able to release a gem of an album with "Forever, Michael". One can automatically sense that Michael was going through puberty as his voice changes between songs throughout the entire album. This album was a nice mix of mid-tempo grooves and sentimental slow jams. However, one particular cut that stood out to me was the track, "Dear Michael". Dear Michael is about a hopeful fan who is so in love with Michael that even though he receives many letters and no matter how many times she writes him she believes that one day he would read the letter.

All in all, it was such a groovy track that I immediately had to put my touches on it.....all out of due respect that is . Attached is both the original and my version of the song that will be released on my upcoming beat cd entitled "The Nod Factor". I hope you enjoy!!!



Finesse
Dear Michael - Michael Jackson

We Miss You Michael - J-Finesse

Sunday, January 11, 2009

SADE'S MANSION!!!

When Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan, Nigeria, about 50 miles from Lagos, she was the daughter of an African father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London. Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday. Sade studied fashion design at St. Martin's School of Art in London while also doing some modeling on the side. Around 1980, she started singing harmony with a Latin funk group called Arriva. One of the more popular numbers that the group would perform was a Sade original co-written with bandmember Ray St. John, "Smooth Operator," that would later become Sade's first stateside hit. The following year she joined the eight-piece funk band Pride as a background singer. The band included future Sade band members guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman (a key player in '90s urban soul singer Maxwell's success) and bassist Paul Denman. The concept of the group was that there could shoot-offs. In essence, a few members within the main group Pride formed mini-groups that would be the opening act. Pride did a lot of shows around London, stirring up record company interest. Initially, the labels wanted to only sign Sade, while the group members wanted a deal for the whole band. After a year, the other band members told Sade, Matthewman, and Denman to go ahead and sign a deal. Adding keyboardist Andrew Hale, the group signed to the U.K. division of Epic Records. Her debut album, Diamond Life (with overall production by Robin Millar), went Top Ten in the U.K. in late 1984. January 1985 saw the album released on CBS' Portrait label and by spring it went platinum off the strength of the Top Ten singles "Smooth Operator" and "Hang on to Your Love." Her second album, Promise (November 1985), featured "Never As Good As the First Time" and arguably her signature song, "The Sweetest Taboo," which stayed on the U.S. pop charts for six months. Sade was so popular that some radio stations reinstated the '70s practice of playing album tracks, adding "Is It a Crime" and "Tar Baby" to their play lists. In 1986, Sade won a Grammy for Best New Artist.Sade's third album was 1988's Stronger Than Pride and featured her first number one soul single "Paradise," "Nothing Can Come Between Us," and "Keep Looking." A new Sade album didn't appear for four years. 1992's Love Deluxe continued the unbroken streak of multi-platinum Sade albums, spinning off the hits "No Ordinary Love," "Feel No Pain," and "Pearls." While the album's producer Mike Pela, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale have gone on to other projects. The new millennium did spark a new scene for Sade. She issued Lovers Rock in fall 2000 and incoporated more mainstream elements than ever before. Debut single "By Your Side" was also a hit among radio and adult-contemporary listerners. The following summer, Sade embarked on her first tour in more than a decade, selling out countless dates across America. In early 2002, she celebrated the success of the tour by releasing her first ever live album and DVD, Lovers Live.

Nine years since her hiatus, Sade's music still lives through. What you are about to experience is my interpretation of her music in the form of "House Music". Attached is a mix that I did when her Lover's Rock album was out. Please enjoy!!!

J-Finesse