The HAWT Blog

I Just Wanna Apologize...

2009-10-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

So the Blue Crew lost Game 5 yesterday and was eliminated once again by those Phuggin Phillies. Sure, they fought long and hard, and many people gave them a hard time as most fans do when their teams are down (esp. in the playoffs).

Anyways, having grown up playing competitive sports all my life from age 5 through college, primarily year-round baseball, I have always been very superstitious when it comes to competition. Baseball is a nutty sport. Sometimes you have a great game with your socks pulled up high and you won't change that, until you go into a slump and pull your pants back down over your socks. Some players tap their bat on their cleats 4 times on each side before entering the batter's box, ala Nomar Garciaparra, for good luck. Some pray, or give a "big ups" to the almight G-O-D everytime they score. And the list of zany tactics goes on and on. There are no rules, you just kinda come up with your own style, what feels comfortable.

So, as a fan who loves the game (baseball, basketball mostly), many of these things have stuck with me. And for that reason I wanted to apologize to the Dodgers. I think it was my fault that Broxton blew game 4. My fault that Torre left Kershaw in one pitch too late in Game 1. My fault that Game 5 ended in disaster. I'm utterly responsible and so so sorry Blue Crew.

Why?

I accidentally washed my blue Andre Ethier jersey after we swept the Cardinals. I shoulda known.

In all seriousness, they had an amazing run and met up with a defending champion who got even stringer in the offseason, a very scary thing. Kinda reminds me of a team in the NBA.... =)

Barack Obama: Auto-Tune

2009-10-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to put up a pretty funny clip, it's taken from Jimmy Kimmel's Late Night show and is a skit by the famous "Auto-Tune" Pop Rapper, T-PAIN, along with our President of the United States, BARACK OBAMA.

Sure, everyone has a different opinion on Auto-tune. I mean I always liked Roger & Zapp back in the day, but I think the horse has been beaten pretty badly now with all the music on the radio.

Check it out:

Barack Obama Uses Auto-Tune

Magañja Beatz - Top 10 Chart - October 2009

2009-10-19T16:22:00.001-07:00

Miles Maeda - Like House (Lil Mark Remake) - Bump Music

Worthy & Yankee Zulu - Concumbia - Anabatic

Groove Federation - Cut The Shit - Digi Funk

Soydan - One More Time - Maracuja

Rio Soldierman - Home In Garage (TBF Dirty Garage Mix) - Flatpack Traxx

Rambis & Coop - Razzle Dazzle - Guess Who

Luke Alan - Step One Subsky Remix - SOWAT

Junia Ovadose - Post Modernism (Sir Handmade Dub) - Lost My Dog

Easily Influenced - Rockit (Thomas White Reheat) - HAWT

Wattie Green - Moe - Juiced

Monday Morning Insight

2009-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

"Pay attention, hold nothing, have everything at once."

This Zen teaching is always useful, at anytime, for anyone. Often times we have a tendency to become unattentive; we lose focus of the positive things, go through the motions, and focus on the negative.

We can only control what is in our control. Life is so short, we should always appreciate the good things, love, happiness for we never know what will come tomorrow.

Have a great week everyone! =)

LA Dodgers Postseason Blog: Matt Kemp

2009-10-18T11:25:00.001-07:00

Okay so I am obsessed with the LA Dodgers. Duhh! I love baseball more than almost anything and it isn't often that my fave team in my fave sport are in the playoffs, let alone the National League Championship Series. Even moreso, they are ties 1-1 against a rival that took us out last year, and if we win 3 more games we go on to play either a long-time NY rival, stemming from our Brooklyn days, or a local rival from the OC that would make it a Freeway Series. In other words, I am very excited, but we gotta take care of business first!

One thing I love about this Dodgers team is their youth movement. Players like Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, Clayton Kershaw and many more, a squad I have never witnessed in LA in my lifetime and just so exciting to watch. Anyway, I stumbled upon our centerfielder, MATT KEMP's blog and figured I'd pass it on for any other Dodgers freaks out there.

http://mattkemp.mlblogs.com/

In a nutshell he gives you an inside look into the postseason, life in the clubhouse, etc. Check out, and Go Dodgers!

Game 3 @ 5:07PST Today!

Good Day, L.A.! Friday October 16th, 2009

2009-10-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

For some reason my insomnia has been kicking in hard lately so i stayed up til the sun came up doing work and writing this blog! Anyhow today is 92 Degrees in Los Angeles, a perfect day for some DODGER BASEBALL (Game 2 @ Dodger Stadium), and a perfect start to a weekend in October! The last couple weeks had been awfully gloomy and chilly, and I for one was in denial that our glorious summer weather was over, so I'm stoked!

I went to Game 1 of the Phillies @ Dodgers NLCS yesterday, and man it was fun. What a battle! Our buddy Parker asked us to go and we had amazing seats on the field level. Sure we lost, and yeah I can easily play Monday morning quarterback and question some of those pitching changes (why didn't we pull Clayton Kershaw as soon as he lost control?!?!!?) but it was still fun screaming at the top of my lungs the entire game and feeling the playoff energy in that place. I can only imagine what the World Series could feel like. Hmmmmmm...

Anyhow there's lots going on this weekend in LA:

Tonight is FREE THINKING celebrating the MAUF Crew's JOESH's Birthday, taking place @ Mal's in Downtown LA. Joesh is one hilarious individual, and also a phenomonal DJ so come out, it's FREE! There is also INGOGNITO with Santiago & Bushido @ King King in Hollywood.

Saturday Night, DROID is doing their 7 Year Anniversary INTERFACE Warehouse Party on the Techno side of things, and it will surely be a good one if you're into techy beats. Congrats to Vidal and the DROID fam for 7 years of techno mayhem in Los Angeles!

You can also catch SHADES which is the big House event that night put on by DISTANTBEAT, celebrating Becky's birthday at a very cool location in Downtown LA! Wear Sunglasses for discount entry, it's a theme party!

Who Hates The Beatles????

2009-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

So as some of you may know, i recently got back from visiting some family in Spain a couple of weeks ago. While out there, i got to do some traveling and met some really cool, very interesting people from all over the world.

Of all of these people, one of them in particular sparked some of the most engaging conversations i had on the entire trip. She was from Manchester, and cracked me up with her brutal honesty and witty sarcasm. She was very intelligent and she loved music more than anything. Needless to say, we all talked for hours and hours.

After talking music for quite some time, having so much in common, she made a HARD LEFT and threw me off by saying one of the CRAZIEST things I have ever heard in my entire life:

"I hate The Beatles".

I'm sorry what did you say?

"I HATE The Beatles, I really do."

It took me awhile to let this sink in. I mean, I know people that don't care for The Beatles, or maybe only like a song or two, perhaps think they're overrated, whatever. That's cool. Shit, even if you simply don't like them, I get that. Maybe you have some weird story about when you were a kid, bla bla bla and they remind you of bla bla bla. I get that too. However, "HATE"? Really?

So, of course i had to know why. I asked her if she really "hated" them, as that is such a powerful word, but she iinsisted that she did, saying they were one of the worst things to ever happen in music. (i know right!?!?!?!?!?!)

Anyhow, i went on for ages trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. Bipolar? Schizo? Deaf???? It was the first, and probably last time in my life that i'd hear someone say that and truly believe it. I am still in shock.

All I can say is, I LOVE The Beatles, bitch!

And of course, just when you think it can't get much worse, she added that she HATED Radiohead.

God help us.

Week 50 of HAWT Music Radio w/ DJ SNEAK

2009-10-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

This week on the HAWTCAST we have an exclusive mix by DJ SNEAK, celebrating our 50th week of HAWT Music Radio with a set that was recorded live @ JUJUBEATS in Southern California last summer. It was an amazing party and we are stoked to have the opportunity to share this mix with ya!

Some Reasons you MUST go to the Dynagroove 10 Year Anniversary Party!

2009-10-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

So there is this AMAZING party that is gonna go OFF tonight. It requires that you do a few things:

1: Bring your DANCING shoes because you will be dancing your ARSE off to Diz, Heather, Cade, Nonfiction, Natural Rhythm and many many more reedonkulous musical talents that will get your booty shaking uncontrollably.

2. Get some extra rest today, and bring your sunglasses because your behind may not stop grooving until the music stops, and the sun will likely be up by the time you finally leave to go collapse in your car.

3. Bring a camera because you will want to remember this special night, not to mention there are rumors around that CADE might be wearing a pink thong, AGAIN! Photo Opp!!!!

4. Be ready to have some serious FUN! It's a celebration people, so if you don't like having a blast with all of your closest friends, this party may not be for you.

5. Finally, practice your spanking technique! Cade specifically said that the only thing he wants tonight is to be spanked by every single person that walks through the door. Is that really surprising?

Anyhoo, I want to personally thank Cade and the Dynagroove family for playing such a critical role in shaping 10 of the best years of my life. I am sure that you can all agree, so come ready to PARTY!!!!!!

It's on like Cade's pink thong!!!!

Link to Event page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=249744795540&ref=nf

World's Shortest Fairy Tale

2009-10-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl 'Will you marry me?'

The girl said, 'NO!'

And the guy lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and went fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank beer and scotch and had tons of money in the bank and left the toilet seat up and farted whenever he wanted.

The End.

------------------------------------------------------------

hahahahahahahahhaha!!!!

-mikey

The HAWT MINUTE is HERE! Check it out!

2009-10-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hey people of the party!

So the HAWT MINUTE is here at last!

For the past several months, our HAWT San Francisco Family has been working long and hard on creating a new version of HAWT TV, a video show that showcases many of the artists we admire, complete with interviews, upcoming music releases, gigs, and just an outlet to show another side of those people that we often know so little about.

It is very seldom that we ever learn much about people in our underground dance music world, aside from knowing where they're from, what label they're a part of, or what parties/clubs they might play at. The idea with THE HAWT MINUTE is to change that, give another side of these artists, and of course lighten things up a bit, HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME while we're at it. Is that really surprising? ;)

The first episode features special guests DJ SNEAK and Stompy's DERON DELGADO. It's funny, informative and you should watch it!

Anyhow a very special thanks goes out to Roque Santos, Charlotte Narvaez, Joe Nutz and anyone I may have forgotten from HAWT San Francisco's HAWT MINUTE CREW who have been working very hard to get this thing going, meeting several times a week, researching, making logos, brainstorming ideas, etc. We look forward to many more to come on a regular basis!

So enough about that, now go check it out! It is streaming from our HAWT Website HERE, click the small box at bottom right corner to enlarge screen:

THE HAWT MINUTE: EPISODE NUMBER JUAN

Cheers!

mikey

Congratulations to HAWT's own Mike & Lori Magaña!!!!

2009-10-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

SO, I wanted to post a little something about out good friend and longtime HAWT Crew member, Mike Magaña, as he just got married this past weekend to his life's love, Lori. I must say, the wedding was magnificent in every way. The ceremony was classy, short and sweet. The desert setting was beautiful, the friends, the family altogether to celebrate such a joyous occassion.

I have known Mike for years, and I am proud to call him one of my brothers. So with that being said, I want to congratulate him and his wife as they embark on a new life together.

LOVE!

Mikey Velazquez

Day #1: High in the Sky

2009-09-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Day #1: High in the Sky

So it finally hit me while sitting at LAX. I am going back to one of my favorite places on earth, Spain! It was tough to get too excited until now, especially having such a hectic week with work to get done and our HAWT party the night before. But now its time and awaaaaaay we go!

Only 3477 miles to go until I arrive in Paris. From there I take a quick connecting flight to Vigo, where my Abuelo will be greeting me. How is it that I've already seen like 3 movies and were just flying over New York? Damn, think its sleepy time now. Of course I'm not counting the 17 two minute half-naps that I had on the first part of the flight. I guess itll probably take me a good couple days to adjust out there, especially since HAWT was last night and I only slept 2 hours. Packing up this morning was kinda rough too, especally having a major hawtover in 96 degree heat, but I hope I grabbed all the essentials. Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch! (passport too, laptop, and whatever clothing I slapped together in my post party packing plan. I think and hope I'm all set.)

Luckily my good buddy and roommate extraordinaire, Uncle Phil Virga was able to take us both down there, as it just so happened that our bud Nikola Baytala, the special guest @ HAWT the night before was staying at my house and had a flight just an hour or so before mine. Perfect.

So I made it through the airport entrance process which can be brutal (especially hungover) then changed some dollars to euros and walked around trying to stay awake til my flight. By the way, the dollar is getting crushed by the euro at about 1.56 exchange rate. Youch!

So I sat down and it finally started sinking in. I am very excited to make this trip in so many ways. First, everytime I go to Spain, I come back completely rejuvenated and inspired. Theres a special feeling I get when I'm there, like a home away from home almost, and being a writer who hasn't been inspired lately, I already feel I am again. Anyone who writes, whether music, songs, poetry, stories or anything knows that inspiration is something you can't really force, so I'm stoked to have them creative juices flowing again.

Aside from that and seeing my Abuelo and family in Galicia, I am also meeting up with one of my best buds since high school, my college roommate for years at UCSB, James Alvarez. This just was meant to be, I hit him up the second I found out I might be going, and he responded that his flight was already booked for the same time period! Crazy! Not to mention that his family is in Ponferrada, a town in Leon, only a couple hours away from mine in Pontevedra, Galicia. The stars were aligned on this one so you can imagine the excitement and trouble well be getting into ;)

Anyway I'm switching planes in Paris and off to Vigo. Then I'm staying with my Abuelo that night to rest up, then catch a train to Ponferada Monday morning. Its cool because the fiestas are going on there this time of year, and the two biggest fiesta days in Ponferada are the 8th and 9th and I get there on the 7th!!!! Hoooweeee!

Anyway I think that half xanny bar is finally kicking in but I'll write more in a bit. Hopefully i don't wake up slobbering on the girl sitting next to me.

I left my phone adapter in my room so there aren't pictures on this one, but ill add them next time around.

mikey

Never too OLD to DANCE!!!!!

2009-08-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

83 Year Old couple in England love to RAVE!

HAWT Music 001 Now Available on Beatport, iTunes & more!

2009-08-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

You can now purchase HAWT Music 001 on major retailers such as

iTunes
BEATPORT
TRAXSOURCE
JUNO
AMAZON
STOMPY

And most other online retailers!

Lookout for HAWT Music 002 coming very soon! =)

Easily Influenced
'Rockit'
With Reheats by Derrick Carter, Joshua Heath, and Thomas White
HAWT Music - HM001

Available to buy Tuesday July 28th 2009:
Stompy

Available at all major retailers August 4th 2009

Vinyl from:
Juno
Downtown 304

Sound Clips can all be heard at:
HAWT Music

Easily Influenced consists of Mikey Velazquez and Gelly Kusuma, the two originators of HAWT. No mere newcomers to the production scene, Easily Influenced have had previous well-received offerings via France's Robsoul, Belgium's A Second Smell, and DJ Mes' Guesthouse. Now the launch of the HAWT label introduces Easily Influenced's "Rockit", an infectious, bass heavy jam focused on bumpin' dancefloor. With a catchy vocal hook and jazz-tinged keys work, "Rockit" has already made waves for global DJ's such as Derrick Carter, Heather, Mark Farina and many many others.

DJ Reactions:

DJ Sneak: "This is a good look for the HAWT Crew. Tight release with awesome mixes, full of great grooves n swingy hooks. Full support 5/5"

Mark Farina: "Hot track! Jackin goodness 4/5"

Nick Holder: "This is more than HAWT! This shit is FIRE! 5/5"

Massimo Dacosta: "Been playing this for a year and it still rocks my sets! Josh and Derrick mixes are my fav. Good way to start a label, full support! 4/5"

Chris Harris: "Great start to the label! Quality bumpin dancefloor groove as you would expect from HAWT 4/5"

Laurence Ritchie (Inland Knights): "Great first release, good luck guys, you shouldn't need much though as this is solid as a rock 5/5"

Nathan G: "Lovin all the mixes here. Will be Rockin' these out everywhere in the months ahead! 5/5"

Husky (Random Soul): "Picked this up in LA earlier this year, been smashing Josh Heath's mix almost every weekend since! funky ass shit! 5/5"

Tommy Largo: "crikey what a dope release, all mixes are Hawt! 5/5"

Nikola Baytala: "Thomas White's Reheat is the one for me, will support 5/5"

Hope you all enjoy this release, be on the look out for our second release, a track by Easy Street featuring reheats from Dj Sneak and Bobby Valentine.

HAWT Music 001 Review on MycuppaT.com!

2009-08-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Well, our first record release is almost done with the 2 week exclusive on STOMPY, and starting this Tuesday it will hit almost every other online store like iTunes, Traxsourse and more. We are VERY excited and have been getting some tremendous feedback from all over!

People have been telling us that they hear it everywhere, it's been getting charted, and we have also gotten some GREAT reviews on blogs, e-zines etc.

This review below is one that definitely caught my attention most! It was written so nicely and I couldn't help but share it with everyone. It's on a music blog site called MycuppaT.com

Anyhow, check it out!

www.MycuppaT.com

http://www.mycuppat.com/2009/08/04/easily-influenced-rockit-ep-hawt-music/

-Mikey Velazquez

HAWT Music : The Website

2009-07-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hey people of the party!

So it's been a long time coming, but we are now officially live on our very own website,

http://www.hawtmusic.com

From the site, you can link to all of our other pages, from Facebook, Myspace, Podomatic, Blogger, and many others.

It is a work in progress as all websites always are, so lookout for much more to come on your one-stop shop for HAWT Music:

www.hawtmusic.com

On The Count of 3...

2009-06-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Everybody go back to your fantasy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm3xjzZM3PE

Time is NOW.

Master Cleanse Day 7-9: Almost There!

2009-06-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well i made it through the toughest parts of the cleanse now and am feeling GREAT. My energy level is back and stronger than its been in ages, so mission accomplished! The last 3 days have been pretty chill, at this point i don't get hungry much, and if i do i just pound some water. I haven't been able to stop thinking of all the meals i wanna eat next week though. So many delicious options and so little time! I think I'm going to start with a veggie diet for at least a week or so, and salads sound awesome. Definitely no ranch dressing though after all the effort ive been through ;)

Some people say it's kinda tough to workout on the cleanse, but i did throughout the 9 days. It wasn't easy days 2-5 but i just went at my own pace, and walked/jogged 5 miles. By day 6 i was doing bikram's yoga and by 8 i was jogging continuously on the 5 mile trek. However i did drink extra maple syrup in my lemonade for more nutrients.

One food i have been dying to try is Kogi Korean BBQ. They have a restaurant here in LA, but the main reason the

y have become so popular is their Korean BBQ Taco truck. Yes, that's right. Korean BBQ tacos! By strictly using Twitter to announce where the Taco Truck will be on the daily, they are the latest craze in Los Angeles. People flock from all over town to wait in line for these delish treats. I mean, Kimchee Quesadillas are making me salivate right now...

The Lakers just won Game 1 of the Finals, decisively at that! I loved what i saw it was rad to see the boys play that vicious DEFENSE that is gonna bring home a championship, if they keep it up at least. I gotta say it bugs me when some Laker fans celebrate early. Growing up playing baseball, i was always very superstitious and that makes me cringe. So yeah, i don't wanna hear about the damn parade anymore! At least not til we win 3 more games! =P

Game 2 on Sunday @ 6pm PST. All i know is tha Magic are digging a pretty deep hole to come out of....

Master Cleanse Day #6 - Hungry Again?

2009-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

So it's Day 6 of the cleanse and i feel pretty darn good. Getting past the halfway point is very challenging, but also very rewarding. I literally had a coworker tell me that my skin looked great, awwwwww thanks Noxema! =P

I dunno why but this morning i had hunger in the tummy. It isn't fazing me one bit but it keeps rumbling, which i thought was strange? Either way, at this point i have grown to enjoy the process, keeping in mind that the struggle now will help how i fee later, and you KNOW i got my eye on Friday and Day 10!

Tonight is the Focus 6 Year Anniversary with Miguel Migs and Lisa Shaw! If you have never been, Focus is the longest running House club in OC and is always a great time on any Tuesday night. 6 years is quite the accomplishment so big ups to the FOCUS familia on many many more! They also have tons of mixes on their site, so check it out! www.focus-oc.com

Finished up today on the mellow tip, went for a hike around the Silverlake Reservoir, a nice lil 5 mile trek. It's actually a pretty dope place to go running/walking/hiking and they even have a dog park where people bring their pups and let them run wild with like 40 other dogs. It's pretty cool to watch, dawg... Anyhow looking forward to Day 7 tomorrow and hoping that my energy rush kicks in hard soon!

Master Cleanse Weekend Update: Days 4 & 5

2009-06-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

So this weekend was another fun one here in Los Angeles, and yes, I had a great time while on the cleanse. Dotbleep on Friday Night was a sick party with the return of Justin Long and Shady Tvo, both rockin it hard! I kinds felt this surreal feeling all night, as if i was on happy drugs or something. I couldn't help but laugh at the stupidest things and had myself rolling. (The Master Cleanse is a helluva drug!) So ya by 3am i was done and had to rest up for the Beach party Saturday.

I woke up on Saturday morning pretty used to the drill already and ready for the beach. Sure, the food that was downstairs smelled delicious, but i had no temptations to eat it, and did not hear the breakfast burrito "talking to me" as they usually do ;) Around 1pm i headed out to Will Rogers State Beach and got there around 2:30pm. Right away the place was poppin! If you have never been to a SHADE party before, they throw the sickest day gatherings! Approximately once a month they put something together either at a beach, park, etc. and its dope! I saw tons of new faces and all of them were having a blast under the sun(on and off- stoopid june gloom!)

Anyhow i brought my lemon-maple concoction in a couple water bottles and made it through without a hitch. Every now and then a ciggy looks tempting, but its never a craving rather a bad habit of having something in my hand and smoking it. After the beach i went home, relaxed, and hit up the Jay Tripwire party that All Ours Ent. put on. I was only there for a couple hours but Jay was killin it! I had never seen him play before and i was very impressed.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! So I was talking to my folks and started discussing where we should have lunch, until i realized i couldn't! hahahahaha! It wasn't even a hungry urge either, more like i enjoy spending time with people i love over a nice meal. So Sunday was chill, i went for a 5 mile walk and it didn't fase me one bit. Safe to say i was now in the zone and ridding my body of them nasty toxins! I no longer had headaches from nicotine use, or fatigue. Got my eye on the prize!
I also read up on the cleanse and saw that Cayenne works better based on the more you use, so you KNOW i spiced up my drinks!

Lakers vs. Magic on Thursday. Man i love this time of year!!!!

Master Cleanse Day 3: It's Gettin Betta All The Tiiiiiime...

2009-05-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Betta, betta, betttttttaaaaaaaa!

Well, at least that is what i've been trying to believe. I remember Day 3 as being the toughest one, you're already deep into the cleanse, no looking back, yet you still have hunger in the tummy and the lemonade is getting old. God forbid you start a deep thought process about how a week from today, Day #3, you will STILL be on the cleanse! You gotta stay positive and keep your eye on the goal, sucka!

One thing i do to make things a bit more exciting, is tinker with the measurements. B

artender style. Yeah, i like to drink, so this makes it fun. Sometimes i'll make a drink with more juice than syrup, or vice-versa. (WOW!) If i'm feelin really rambunctious, i might even take a s

hot of lemon juice to the head piece, or even a spicy one with mad cayenne pepper.... PARTY TIME! So ya you gotta have fun with it.

So Tonight is Game 6 of the Laker Game @ Nuggets. I hope they can match the defensive energy they had in the 4th quarter of Game 5, cuz they were hittin it! We just need one more win to face the Cavs, or i mean, winner of the East, hehehhe.

Also check out the new HAWTCAST if y0u haven't done so yet! It featured FRANKIE J. of The Sound Republic and its dope!

Master Cleanse Day 2: WTF Was I Thinking????

2009-05-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

So, it's Day 2 and i wake up hungry as shit. I start imagining in my head what i should eat........but wait, that's not an option, oh yeah! Only 9 more days to go ;)

I go str

aight for the lemonade and chug a giant glass, immediately feeling better. I was

overall pretty energized throughout the day, except for 2 or 3 little lulls at work where i just had to sit back for a bit. Otherwise it was smooth. Plus it was sooooo inspiring finding out that Beyonce lives by the

Master

Cleanse having done it before. Heheheheh

Watched a

bit of the basketball game at home, and the Cavs won. Of course they did, duhhhh! Does anyone else feel that they are s

till gonna pull their head out and m

ake the Finals? You just know they are, and Nike, the NBA and every other commercial on TV makes sure you never forget that! Lakers vs Cavaliers.

SO anyhow that's that for Day 2. Starting to build some momentu

m I think...

The Master Cleanse Day 1: Getting Ready For Summer

2009-05-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez

So the summer is just around the corner. You can feel it, taste it. It's your favorite time of year, and you wanna be on top of your game when it comes around. You wanna feel great, have thunderous energy, look great, eat right, and be in control of your life in every aspect possible. If this is you, you should consider doing the Master Cleanse.

I have done the Master Cleanse 2 times before. Some will say you're nuts for doing it, some love it, its really just a matter of preference.

http://themastercleanse.org/

Why do I do it? First, I love a tough mental challenge. I am and always have been an athletic person, at times hardcore, but lately just doing enough to feel good as its part of who i am. As i have hit the dirty thirty mark last summer, i have realized how much tougher it is to lose weight. I am currently 205 and tend to plateau at the 200 lbs mark, but i am used to being 185-190 at my best. So, this gets me over the hump.

Is it easy to pull off? Not really. It is different for everyone, but for most it can be an emotional rollercoaster of hunger and doubting, cravings, lack of sleep and mood swings. I am doing it "to a T" so i am going to stop smoking everything as well. (wish me luck!)

Again if you want more info:

http://themastercleanse.org/

Anyhow this is day one so i will keep you posted on my days ahead here. So check back in for updates and feel free to ask me any questions you might have on here or to mikey@hawtmusic.com

Getcho cleanse on!

m

The HAWT TRIFECTA is coming!!!! Friday May 1st!

2009-04-14T02:50:00.000-07:00

....keep your eyes peeled.....

HAWT Music 3 Year Anniversary Party!

Friday May 1st

...some like it HAWT...

HAWT First Fridays GIOM (London, UK) in his first LA Appearance !

2009-04-02T02:20:00.000-07:00

Friday April 3rd, 2009
Friday we welcome one of our favorite producers, GIOM !
Plus HAWT resident players Mike Magaña & Neil G who
just released "Far Back" on Motion Music!

Upcoming Heat

Saturday April 18th
EDDIE B @ GRAVITY!
w/ JOHNNY FIASCO & MORE!

Friday May 1st, 2009
HAWT Music 3 Year Anniversary!
w/ DJ MES!

New HAWTCAST with Mike Magana!

2009-03-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

2009-03-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

An Excerpt From Lindsay Lohawt’s Guide to Partying and Panty Flashing:

HOW TO GET “HAWTED”

Hawtlist! To get an early bird discount, send your full name to mikey@hawtmusic.com.

Arrange to have a good time. Bring a friend, designate a driver… send a booty text.

Work it on the dancefloor. NO PARKING.

Tecate and other alcoholic beverages will be available at the bar for cheap prices and generous tips. Non-drinkers can enjoy various mixers and waters. The House special is Chilled Warm Tecate (sometimes not available chilled).

Eat something and rest up. Hawt parties have been known to start long weekends… see glossary for “Fraturunday”

Don’t forget Molly, Mary and Charlie and don't drunk text,! Look where it got me.

Jason Hodges- Soul Control Record Release Tour

2009-03-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

March 6th in LOS ANGELES

March 8th in SAN FRANCISCO
JASON HODGES
SOUL CONTROL
Record Release Tour

March 6th

Los Angeles, CA

HAWT First Fridays
w/ JASON HODGES,
SOUL CONTROL HAWT SF
& EASILY INFLUENCED

RSVP
for discounted entry B4 MIDNIGHT with names to:
mikey@hawtmusic.com

March 8th SAN FRANCISCO

BIONIC SF gets HAWT
w/ JASON HODGES,
EASILY INFLUENCED,
ROQUE SANTOS &
NIKOLA BAYTALA

Magañja Beatz - Top 10 Chart - March 2009

2009-03-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Magañja Beatz
Top 10 Chart
March 2009

Anhanguera / Hot Shit / Minority Music
Uneaq / We Came 2 Party / Clique Trax
Neil G. ft Jojo Villanueva / Far Back (Kirby Mix) / Motion
Rambis & Coop / Damita Knows / What What
Atnarko / Get Down To Work It Out / SOWAT
Little Man Big / Shine / Aroma
Tom Drummond / X Rated (Craig Hamilton Filthy Rub) / Shak Digital
Johnny Fiasco / Conduction / NRK Sound Division
Holmes & Watz / Like This Time / Minority Music
Alexander East / My Alarm / Planet East

Heat Rocks from the Crates
Thomas Sahs / Let Me Show You Love (Midas Rmx) / Knockin Boots

Non House Pick
Stevie Wonder / That Girl (All I Do EP) / Motown

Mumblin & Jumblin, Ramblin & Scramblin

2009-01-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

I was reading a book this morning and came across this quote, and it kinda hit home for me....

"A consistent man believes in DESTINY, a capricious man in CHANCE" -Benjamin Disraeli

I have always been a believer in destiny. I feel that we are all destined to do great things, and are all put here for a reason. Yet more often than not, we don't realize that we have much more control over our own actions, what we do and how we feel, much more than we know. That sense of control is something that I personally am always working on.

The weather here in Los Angeles has been crazy. Two weeks ago, I got the flu bug and it had alot to do with the weather hitting low 40's at nights where I live, and around 60 during the days. Out of nowhere, last weekend we were in the 80's! It was great, no doubt, since we had out BBQ on the rooftop @ Catalyst in downtown LA, but at the same time, WTF is going on???? It's mid January! I don't remember in my lifetime ever having such heat in January. But of course, there is no such thing as global warming, right? =P

OBAMA is officially our President of the United States. God Bless America. It's been a loooong time coming, and now I hope, I pray, and I send him as much positive energy as possible because he's got a pretty tough challenge ahead of him. I wish him the best, but I have no doubt he will do a great job at the helm.

The Dodgers still haven't signed Manny Ramirez. I dunno what's gonna happen with that, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they do sign him, hopefully to a 2 or 3 year contract and no more. He was such a spark for us last year, and I think the fans would lose their minds if he left us. Ned Coletti, figure it out!

This year I have set some pretty challenging goals. In my personal life, family, work, with HAWT, emotional and physical. It's a bit overwhelming at times, but I'm happy to be in this position and striving for new heights. The goals give you a guideline to keep you on track, and I look forward to a fun year ahead.

A Time 4 Change this Sunday! FREE Party!

2009-01-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hey All!

This is gonna be a fun one so we hope you can join us this Sunday to celebrate with us!

More info on our websites!

www.hawtmusic.com

www.myspace.com/thehawtmusic

New Moves

2009-01-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

The Hawt Movement is emerging from the studio and playing around town to refocus in the new year and bring LA underground what it does best: The HAWT Parties… and the scene could not be more eager to join the homies for another warm Tecate and the infamous heat!

This weekend we’ll get a special sneak preview of the 2009 debauchery at this Sunday’s “A Time For Change” a free Hawt Inauguration Party featuring eclectic music beyond the banging jack the Hawt boys do so well. The line up will surprise (and hopefully excite) you ☺ Featuring a beautiful view of downtown and roof top patio, this day time dance party is definitely going to be one for the record books. I just can’t imagine how they’re going to stop us at 11. Come out and party like a barack star!!! GOBAMA.

Starting in February watch out for fresh, new installments in dance party greatness featuring the two newest Hawt Players: OG Neil G and the rookie, Luke Alan. Who the hell is Luke Alan? I dunno either, but I do know that he’s young, super energetic and all about the music and good vibes, more on him later, I’ll have to interrogate him at Sunday’s bash…

But as for Neil Goodman, best known for rocking decks around town and practicing his Sleepy Tree poses on Todd’s couch… Neil is one of the few local homie producers that does WORK. This guy is almost always in the studio pumping out quality beats, collaborating with Hawt’s own Easily Influenced as Easy Street, Bobby Valentine as Proper Attire and Peter Briggs as Kite Hill. While most just talk about hitting the studio, Neil lives and operates in the studio. His label, Streetlight Recordings is another one to watch with productions landing on Stompy this week as well as limited vinyl copies available. For more details: Streetlight Recording's Myspace

Neil also brings his skillz as a film producer and editor, if you’ve ever seen any of the Hawt clips, it’s Neil both behind the camera and in the cutting room. Check the vids here: Neil G's YouTube

Teaming up with Hawt Veterans: Mikey, Gelly, Eddie and Magaña, Neil is going to be helping the boys dry behind the ears of Luke Alan while attacking the underground good vibe movement with blogs, the hawtcast, parties and releases…. and I gotta say, I can’t fucking wait! I was there to witness the beginnings, highs and lows and this return to the Friday night roots is going to be refreshing for all house heads and party people looking for a WONDERFUL TIME.

Progress, Hope, Change… Peace, Love and Party Pants!

see ya on the dancefloor!

~Lindsey Lohawt

A Time 4 Change! FREE Pre-Inauguration Bash & Art Show this Sunday!

2009-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

HAWT Music presents A TIME 4 CHANGE! This Sunday & FREE!!!!!

This Sunday, join HAWT Music and friends as we present a FREE Party to celebrate this truly monumental and exciting time in history. A new year, a new outlook, a new president, A TIME 4 CHANGE

We will also be celebrating BUDDY ROB’s Birthday!!!!

Featuring an eclectic, well-rounded day of music by some of LA's best local talent:

From The Still Going Crew

PETER BRIGGS (Love:Break)

JUNIOR (Sarcastic Disco)

From the MOVIN' LA Family

ARMEN

&

JB

Downtempo & Hip Hop Beats by

TOMMY BALTIMORE

&

VINYLTROOPER

From DROID BEHAVIOR

DEAN PAUL

And Finally our newest member of HAWT Los Angeles

LUKE ALAN (HAWT, LA)

Featuring the DREAM SOUNDSYSTEM

There is also an ART SHOW Brought to you by REFLECT Los Angeles

NYE 2009 Weekend Wrap-up & Thanks

2009-01-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

First off, Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you had fun at one of many awesome events here in Los Angeles or wherever you were!

We were fortunate enough to play at LUNAR, a great event put on by Deeper Moods and Spectrum. There was a tremendous energy all night, people smiling and grooving and gettin down from the get-go. Joe Rod and Scott K. played before us, and Sergio V, Nonfiction and Nic Alvarado also did. Everyone rocked it and had the house room bouncin! The techno room was reee-diculous! The lighting set up was on point, and i caught Alland and some others tearing it up. My fave set by far was Suli Belarto's, i'm hoping someone recorded that. I love when there is a techno-house collaboration because you can hop around from room to room and get your fix all night long! Many thanks to Joe Rod, Sergio V. and all others involved, we had a blast!

After a couple days of NYE recovery, we hosted the HAWT House Room @ New Beginnings on Saturday night. We had the pleasure of bringing back longtime LA favorite Johnny Fiasco, a true house music living legend. He has always been a fave of mine, not only for his versatile production and DJ sets, but for being one of the realest cats you'll ever meet. J-Splat also played with us and it was nice to finally put a face to the name after all these years. We had a very nice crowd out there and everyone was dancing to stay warm cuz it was rather chilly! Also The Premier Events Center is really dope, its the old Soul Folks Cafe in downtown and they renovated it big time, so hopefully people start using it more often. Many thanks to Teknowlwdge, Mike Voss and Sylvie for having us, they worked very hard to oput this on and have their War of the Roses event coming up in February that should be sick! Greenskeepers Live, Living Legends and more...

Anyhow that's pretty much it, looking forward to shaking more behind in 2009!

Love!

Mikey Velazquez
HAWT Music

Keep an eye out for a new HAWT monthly starting soon, as well as some other exciting news!

JACKFROST Art Show information!

2008-12-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Check out the pics we have up from last year's JACKFROST Toy Drive and Winter Wonderland! They're in an album on our myspace page!

www. myspace. com/thehawtmusic

And of course, the countdown grows nearer to our 3rd Annual this Saturday night, rain or shine or SNOW!

JACKFROST Art Show and Artist information:

KISKA 242:

Hailing from San Diego, she will be doing live art during the show, as well as displaying some pieces. Live Art was an integral part of our 1st JF, and we're adding to the artistic experience once again so keep an eye out for her work during the show!

LILIA, GINGER, & TATIANA:

These 3 ladies will be displaying their works, a series of current and past installments that will give you an idea of their styles, versatility, and creative passions.

===========================================================

AND OF COURSE, remember to arrive early as possible to enjoy the ART SHOW and get acquainted with the Winter Wonderland!

PLEASE DO bring an unwrapped toy for the TOY DRIVE, this is the main reason we're doing this event, so please do bring one for a local kid from NEW HORIZON'S FAMILY CENTER.

www. newhorizonsfamilycenter. org

JACKFROST Info & New HAWTCAST: Justin Long @ Jackfrost Part 2

2008-12-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

Some like it FROSTY! =)

*********************************************************

JACK IS BACK!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 20th in Los Angeles....

We transport you to another magical night in a Winter Wonderland, filled with beautiful art, music, friends and smiling faces. Please feel free to pass this along to those who might appreciate such a special event, one we only do once every December.

Our primary objective of the night is to raise more toys than we did the previous two years, which we will donate to the NEW HORIZONS FAMLY CENTER, a non-profit organization that gives these toys to Los Angeles families who are less fortunate and can really use a smile on their face in this season of giving.

www. newhorizonsfamilycenter. org

If you would like to get involved in this year's TOY DRIVE, please inquire within. It doesn't take much at all, and will only help us raise more toys for these kids =)

email for more info: mikey@hawtmusic.com

Below is a sneak peek of what's to come, with a video taken of last year's JACKFROST, featuring Justin Long performing his magic....

You can also go to our HAWTCAST to listen to Justin and Mes' mixes from the previous JACKFROST Winter Wonderlands!

..

......

......

HAWT Abroad w/ DJ Mes Part 1

2008-12-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

HAWT abroad Part. 1 with DJ Mes

by DJ Mes, HAWT San Francisco

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do, especially as a DJ. It’s a such great feeling to travel to a distant or unknown land to meet new people, rock a crowd and soak up unique cultures. I feel truly blessed to be able to see the world while doing what I love to do.

On this tour I’ve gone to some new countries and parties as well as some of my old favorites.

My tour kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. If you have never been let me just tell you that The Scot’s are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! They are so kind, very hospitable and really know how to show guests a good time. I played a party called ‘Fiasco’ for the first time but I felt right at home. Fiasco is definitely a top party and one of the best underground nights in Glasgow. The vibe was thick, party was rammed and everyone was well up for it! The show went off without a hitch and then we all carried on to an after party where it got a little messy [no pun intended] but that’s just par for the course when you go out for a proper house night here. All in all, it was a great way to kick things off. A shout out to Ed and Frazier for putting on such a bang on night and Shouts out to Chris Harris, Dom Martin, Craig Hamilton, Ch3fDa3P4rty and all of the other good folks I met.

Check out some videos and pictures from the night below and stay tuned for next weeks blog complete with front line reports France and Ireland.

DJ Mes Live @ Fiasco 21.11.08

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VYo9_7d6Le0

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eGMzPkP-fB0

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhs5lL-qOIw&feature=related

3rd Annual JACKFROST Toy Drive!

2008-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

PLEASE REPOST if you like it FROSTY! =)

*********************************************************

JACK IS BACK!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 20th in Los Angeles....

We transport you to another magical night in a Winter Wonderland, filled with beautiful art, music, friends and smiling faces. Please feel free to pass this along to those who might appreciate such a special event, one we only do once every December.

Our primary objective of the night is to raise more toys than we did the previous two years, which we will donate to the NEW HORIZONS FAMLY CENTER, a non-profit organization that gives these toys to Los Angeles families who are less fortunate and can really use a smile on their face in this season of giving.

www. newhorizonsfamilycenter. org

If you would like to get involved in this year's TOY DRIVE, please inquire within.
It doesn't take much at all, and will only help us raise more toys for these kids =)

email for more info: mikey@hawtmusic.com

Below is a sneak peek of what's to come, with a video taken of last year's JACKFROST, featuring Justin Long performing his magic....

You can also go to our HAWTCAST to listen to Justin and Mes' mixes from the previous JACKFROST Winter Wonderlands!

..

......

The VINYL Frontier

2008-12-01T15:12:00.001-08:00

Eddie Barajas, HAWT Music, Los Angeles

I came across this article some time ago, and I'm not sure where I found this article, but I hope you enjoy reading it :)

You hear music in a club or a bar. You start to nod your head to the beat; or you get up and dance; or maybe you chat up a stranger or you walk out of the venue. Regardless of your decision, do you think about the means by which this music is invading your head space? Probably not. But some folks do care?very much. Because to some, their livelihoods?and honor?depend on it.

For DJs, the matter of format is as crucial as instruments are for surgeons. Arguments rage online and in clubland about the pros and cons of various formats and gear: vinyl, Serato, CDs, MP3s, .wav/.aiff/FLAC files, iPods, etc. These debates crackle with the same irreconcilable fury as those dedicated to evolution vs. creationism, celluloid vs. digital video and the Beatles vs. the Stones.

Recent years have seen DJs increasingly deploying digital formats, with laptops and Serato interfaces becoming as common a sight as record bags among selectors. Every time you go to a club now, you can hear the paradigm incrementally shifting more to 0s and 1s and away from the analog medium?vinyl?with which deejaying has flourished for several decades. Serato Scratch LIVE (the consensus-preferred software program that incorporates platters and turntables hooked up to a laptop) is lauded as the logical transition product for vinyl DJs to switch to digital; its BPM readouts, ability to hold several thousand tracks and effortless navigation have made it wildly popular.

Is this cause for celebration, or weeping and gnashing of Ortofon cartridges? We decided to pick the brains of Orange County?s DJs and discover how they feel about this revolution.

First revelation: DJs who use vinyl exude much more passion?and verbosity?for their weapon of choice than do Serato/digital aficionados. In fact, many of the latter whom I contacted for this story didn?t even respond. That indifference speaks volumes.

Second revelation:Most vinyl champions resemble fire-and-brimstone fundamentalists, and many have sentimental attachments to wax that supersede its utility. Per the latter sentiment, Steve Fisch (DJ aDJective, who spins at Kitsch and Memphis Santora) gets all metaphorical about gatefold covers of cherished LPs, particularly Pink Floyd?s Dark Side of the Moon.

?The brilliant Hipgnosis cover for that best encapsulates the essence of vinyl: That prism is a needle, and that rainbow isn?t only the light hitting the spinning black disc; it?s also the concepts and sounds that flow out of the groove.?

Of the 10,000 records Fisch owns, he typically brings eight crates? worth to his gigs?as well as his laptop. ?iTunes is now an integral part of my spinning, and once you?ve let the digital interface in, there?s no looking back. The qualifier for this is that I?m the kind of DJ who places an emphasis on [song selection] and not so much on scratching a break or matching a beat; thus, programs like Serato have no appeal to me. Furthermore, though in the ?phones I can detect how analog sounds crisper and more warmly blended than digital, through the PA systems of the bars and events where I deejay, it?s very hard to discriminate the difference when there?s a crowd roaring.

?Vinyl will be around as long as the petroleum from which it?s made remains available,? Fisch continues, ?because in the hands of a grandmaster, turntables are an instrument, and they?ll no more disappear than flutes or grand pianos will, now that those sounds can be easily simulated on a synthesizer.?

Sean Harris (DJ TSC1 of the Definitely Maybe/Souled Out nights at Memphis Costa Mesa) represents the hardcore ?analog brigade. He laments the instant-gratification mentality among digital-?oriented DJs. By not digging for vinyl, Harris asserts, these DJs not only miss some great obscure tracks, but they also bypass important information contained in liner notes, knowledge that can?t be gleaned from most downloading sites. And besides, he states, digital data present ?a catastrophic loss in sound quality. Analog is still far superior to digital.?

That?s a common sentiment among DJs, and Seattle-area audio-software designer Brian Willoughby confirms it. ?MP3 is about the worst quality digital has to offer,? he says. ?MP3 does not represent the full capabilities of digital, especially if you are listening in something like Serato. By the time you hear something, the digital sound has been mangled by the MP3 coding and then pitch-shifted by Serato. There is a ton of distortion in that process. Useful distortion, in that it gets you a fast download of music and allows you to beat match, but there is a tradeoff. You have to pay attention to your signal chain because Serato and [similar program] Ableton alter the quality of the sound when they alter the pitch or tempo of a track.?

Dan Sena (Busywork mogul, regular at Proof Bar?s Mute) is one of the few people queried who uses both Serato and vinyl. ?[A]s technology progresses, the medium follows along with it,? he says. ?I?ve noticed some DJs moving to Ableton and other computer programs that do not require vinyl manipulation. I guess it?s cool, but it certainly takes the human touch out of it. The only risk you run is your computer crashing. Serato, as a visceral deejay program, got it right. [It preserves] the art of turntablism, which is what I?m most interested in. I don?t really think the waning importance of vinyl has anything to do with DJs, but with consumers and, of course, that damned technology.?

Jose Ramirez (a.k.a. DJ Legit, who spins at Mute at Proof Bar and White Collar at Memphis Costa Mesa) makes the strongest case for Serato. ?For club DJs like myself, Serato gives us many more options and advantages over vinyl. Serato allows us to keep up with the latest music selections and remixes without the hassle of trying to find them on vinyl. Most important, we do not have to carry around heavy crates of vinyl, and our music selection is endless compared to that of a vinyl DJ, who can only bring as many records as he is willing to haul in the trunk of his car. Serato is definitely the better choice for club DJs: less to haul, more to spin. And there is always the option of bringing a few of your favorite records to throw in the mix.?

Scotty Coats (mainstay at Avalon Bar?s Double Fisted) couldn?t disagree more. He views most Serato jocks as non-dues-paying lazy-asses?and criminals, to boot. ?I have nothing against any of the software programs, except that I feel it takes away from the foundation that deejaying was built on. It?s one thing if you were a DJ, did your homework, and then switched over to Serato or Final Scratch because you don?t want to lose or scratch any of your records that you spent your entire life looking for, as opposed to the kid who just picked up Serato and is playing all the clubs because he has the latest fashion and steals music from the latest blogs and doesn?t really give a shit about the history of the culture.?

Coats cites this heinous example of that type of DJ: ?A dude gave me his mixtape, and I listened to it and asked him, ?What was track 3?? His answer was, ?I don?t know; it was a .wav file.? A real person made that .wav file and you don?t even care enough to find out who it was?!?

Coats also castigates DJs who ?play MP3s that they either steal or trade with friends. I work really hard on capturing frequencies in my recordings, and I?d be pissed if someone squashed it into an MP3 to play it out without taking the time to buy the record and have it heard the way it was meant to be heard. It?s about the music and respecting the artist who made it.?

Coats? Double Fisted partner, Chip Bernal (DJ Poppa), also flies analog airlines at all times. ?Digging for rare dance and disco cuts is still half the fun and what sets you apart from other DJs who play in your same genre. All these new-jacks who say they?re DJs and just started last week/month/year can have thousands of MP3s on their laptops of all the latest shit. That?s too easy. My 13-year-old daughter can do that from her bedroom tonight and probably mix just as good as half of them by tomorrow,? Bernal says. ?But then again, I?m old-school.?

Chris Alfaro (DJ Urthworm/Free the Robots) mostly uses vinyl, but he acknowledges that Serato can enhance his deejay sets by allowing him to ?perform new mix techniques, and it makes it possible to play my own new tracks and re-edits without having to press LPs all the time.?

Vinyl enthusiast Andrew Meza (BTS Radio) admits he?d use Serato?if he could afford it. ?People still weren?t using Gutenberg?s printing press as soon as homeboy added a steam engine to it,? he explains. ?That shit printed out, like, 80,000 more pages in a minute than Gutenberg?s original device could print in 10 years.? It?s not a precise analogy, but point taken: This story?s not written on a manual typewriter.

DJ Cocoe (Abstract Workshop) reiterates a common refrain among DJs. ?Nothing sounds better than a record in a club. It?s a warm, home-like feeling.? In DJ circles, to claim otherwise is akin to believing the Earth is flat.

Bep (Training Bra) concurs, hailing vinyl?s ?sensual feel and purity of sound? and cringing at ?software that automatically beat matches for you.?

Many young DJs love the convenience of Serato, but Matt Papp (DJ Shh) bucks the tide of his peers and spins vinyl. ?Serato is on a trend now,? he says, ?and people jump into it because you don?t have to have a record collection to start deejaying.?

Ron D Core (owner of Fountain Valley?s Dr. Freeclouds Records and a popular DJ) proclaims from his shop?s MySpace page, ?Laptop deejaying is killing music.? Freeclouds has lasted 13 years mainly by catering to hardcore vinyl DJs and electronic-music collectors. He sums up the audiophile perspective of the argument: ?Vinyl is more expensive. But I would much rather own a Mercedes than a Yugo. I see the laptop DJ as purchasing Yugo-quality music.?

Just as there?s more than one way to skin a cat, there?s more than one way for a DJ to wow a crowd. They?ve never had more options with which to practice their craft, but not all media are created equal, if you believe these opinionated sound connoisseurs. Digital is on the rise, but analog purists will not fade away without getting their wax in. One thing isn?t debatable: You can?t download good taste.

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

2008-12-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I hope you and yours all had a fantastic holiday weekend and that you got your Turkey fix!

Today is December 1st! Can you believe that? Holiday Season is in full swing, and the year is almost wrapping up! It's an exciting time for all of us, and for me personally, I love this time of year.

Besides the obvious reasons, being spending time with family and friends, eating good home cooking, etc, I love this time of year for other reasons.

1). New Year Ahead

For some reason, once December hits I start to plan out the next year, also looking back at the year that has passed, the good, the bad and the ugly, too. There's something so exciting about a new year to come, a fresh start, a new lease on life. We live in a wonderful world where no matter what you have done in the past, you can always reinvent yourself at anytime. You can begin a new career path, change your daily habits, start new ones. If you're down, you have a new year to get off on the right foot. For the most part, it all comes down to you, what you want, what you don't want, and what you want to accomplish.

2). Jackfrost

Jackfrost is a special event we do every December in which we celebrate the holidays in the name of giving back to our community. We transport you to a winter wonderland, a night of friends, music and art, something we look forward to every year. So, there is alot of work involved and it is a small price to pay for presenting such a special event. We hope that you and yours might share the magic with us again this December 20th. For more info check out our websites:

www.hawtmusic.com
www.myspace.com/thehawtmusic

3). Our Country, Our World

This particular December marks a far more exciting time than ever in the world. Sure, the economy is bad, we got wars we're in, and then some, but I for one am looking forward to the year, and many more ahead. Change is good, and it is coming. The most beautiful part about it is that it transcends any political party, any nation, etc., it is about shaping our future, and that truly does begin within ourselves. I am excited to start fresh in 2009, and I hope you feel the same way.

4). Get In Shape

I dunno why we tend to wait until January 1st to start eating better and getting exercise. I do it every year myself, but this year I'm getting a head start. Today I began a new program to shed extra pounds and eat better. I figure it is worth a shot, because I'll have a month's jump start on any other year to kickstart 2009 the right way =)

JACKFROST Teaser!

2008-11-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mike Magana for making this frosty teaser!

Please spread the good word to those who will appreciate =)

In the spirit of giving, please bring an unwrapped toy for local children who can really use a smile on their face in this holiday season.

More info TBA

=)

DJ Gear Review: Epic Laptop Backpack by Ogio

2008-11-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

by: Don Kainoa, HAWT San Francisco

Needless to say, as we all get older, the more important it is for us to take care of ourselves. This has always been true for an aging DJ like myself. I, like many others, have carried crates of records over crowds, through tiny hallways, and around drunken party-goers in order to get the music where it needs to be.. which is usually at the back of the club/rave/bar/warehouse.. This shit has taken a TOLL on my ol' back, which has already been abused from carrying my little ones around. Needless to say that when the digital age of DJing arrived, I jumped on that bandwagon pretty easily.

Nowadays, I mainly use either Serato and/or a case of CDs, which still ends up to be a good amount of gear. A few months back I was in the market to find a carrying solution that would fit my specific needs. I wanted to find a laptop backpack that would be durable enough to be used as an everyday DJ pack, but not ridiculously expensive (between 100-200$). I did some research on the innernets and decided to buy the Epic Laptop Backpack by Ogio.

[epic 01]

Cosmetically, it looks pretty rugged, and has a pretty decent urban design. I wanted something pretty simple, but not too "business-like." The straps are sturdy and feel comfortable when I wear it. It also has a front strap clip to help disperse the weight and makes it easier to carry heavier loads (use see this type of strap on camping packs a lot).

[img_4874.jpg]

The most important factor to me was finding a backpack with a lot of storage options, and this thing delivers. It has 9 different compartments, each varying in size and functionality. The side-loading laptop compartment has a nice, snug fit for my 15" Macbook Pro, and also has a couple more dividers for papers/flyers/etc. The other side has 2 small zip compartments that I use for power adapters for both my laptop and Serato. They both fit well and keep them from getting lost in the main pocket.

[img_4875.jpg]

On the top of the bag, I have access to the main large pocket, as well as 3 different sized pockets. As you can see, they are great for storing headphones, cell phones, wallets, mp3 players, etc. The "mp3" player pocket even has a headphone opening to slip your wire through if you so choose. Due to the large number of extra pockets and side laptop compartment, the main pocket is actually pretty small.. I mainly use it for extra DJ equipment, Serato box, or a sweater.. there honestly isn't much more room for anything else. One big disappointment is that the main pocket is too narrow to fit records (including Serato control vinyl) or a large CD case inside of it.. boo.

[img_4881.jpg]

The back of the pack has even more storage options! The larger of the 2 pockets can zip all the way down so you can get at all the crap you might have in there. It has a great little mesh zip pocket I use for any small wires I need and keeps them nicely organized. Right now, I use this pocket to carry my external HD.. but as you can see, it can be used to carry pencils, keys, change, cell phone, and your crack pipe!

I would say my overall experience with the backpack has been really positive. It feels very sturdy and can take a lot of weight. The straps are comfortable and the front strap clip thing really helps displace the weight to make carrying a breeze. The amount of pockets is sick and I have been able to keep all my gear easily organized; I never have a problem finding what I need. The only complaint I have is not being able to carry a large CD case or some vinyl in the main pocket.

There are definitely more expensive laptop/DJ backpacks out there, but for about 100 bucks, I think this is a great investment. Be kind to your back and if yer on the lookout for an affordable, mobile laptop DJ solution, I would recommend this product fer sheez!

peas and carrots..

Don Kainoa

Beautiful Losers

2008-11-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

By Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation

In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture.

Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.

New music era or error?

2008-11-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

by Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

Surfing blogs and Youtube you can find a variety of new digital, touch screen, wireless, Ipod, turntable infused instruments, and programs. I even wrote about ones these in last months blog the "Pace Maker". I think a lot of these contraptions are novelties but they will eventually lead into important technologies one day. Watching these videos reminds me of seeing old footage of inventors testing out their flying machines. The inventions look cool and seem to be good ideas but just can't get off the ground. Here are three new popular instruments that are pushing boundaries and making a lot of noise. Let me know what you think!

Reactable

"The reactable, is a state-of-the-art multi-user electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface. Several simultaneous performers share complete control over the instrument by moving physical artefacts on the table surface and constructing different audio topologie...

Lemur
value="true">
JazzMutant’s Lemur is a glimpse into the future of not only controllers, but the way we may interact with computers. Although it is not without faults (12” display and a hefty price tag) it opens up a door that improves on the current selection of controllers available, where a user must adapt to a controller, instead of a controller adapting to the user.

Intua Beat Maker for Iphone

Intua is the first to get a full-fledged music creation app on the iTunes App Store, with an MPC-style sampler and step sequencer, plus effects, for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This isn’t just a toy for triggering sounds or a useful utility like a guitar tuner; it’s an actual music app on which you can produce whole songs. As with any mobile app, there are tradeoffs versus a desktop tool – but its simplicity is likely to be part of its appeal. US$19.99.
Most importantly, it’s available now.

Positive Energy

2008-11-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Roque's blog yesterday got me thinking: it's crazy how your feelings and emotions are directly correlated to what thoughts you put into your brain, and the way you think. You may not always have complete control over what happens in your life, but I've learned that you do control what you think.

Every now and then, we all get down on ourselves, putting extra pressure on ourselves for no reason, only making things more difficult than they should be. It is very easy to put a positive twist on anything, and that comes with understanding the moment for what it is. Since you can't control the outside world, your chances of being happy are better when you are positive from the moment you wake up until you sleep. When you form this habit of positivity, your world will transform onto a way of happiness.

You should always be able to laugh at yourself, and at the world. When we take things too seriously, we tend to over analyze and burn ourselves out. LAUGH at yourself! We're only human right? There are some really simple things that can help you feel good and put positive energy into the world:

- SMILE, say THANK YOU, give a compliment to someone

- Don't take things for granted: your family and friends are the backbone of who we are, let them know they are special!

- Stop negative thoughts in their tracks! Once they enter, change that thought process!

- Enthusiasm! Crank up your positive energy! At work, on the phone, get excited! This is your life you're living here!

- NOW. Every moment is another chance to start new! Take a deep breath, and let the past go because you can't change it! But you can change NOW!

STRESS STRESS STRESS!!!!

2008-11-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

by Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

I have been recently going through some pretty hard times in my personal and business life and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, I know this is very cliche and everyone is going through their shit so what am I getting too? Well it seems to me that my life is ran by hard times which equals to stress in one way or another and learning how to manage it is an art. My coworker sent this "key ways to manage your stress list" to me and at first I thought this was cheesy but in all honesty this new age shit can help. Hopefully this can help you or maybe spark some amusement! I like 1,2, and 6.

Everybody experiences stress. A certain amount is even good for you. Too much stress can damage your physical, emotional, and mental health. Since it is not always possible to prevent stress, we all need to learn how to reduce it. Choose among the following techniques what you think will work best for you. Make them part of your everyday life.

1. PREVENT IT. How much stress do you cause just by putting unnecessary pressure on yourself? Do you over react to little things that annoy you? Every time you let anger or frustration take control, it drains away good energy and sidetracks you from more important things. Obviously, you can't always control what goes on around you, but you can control how you respond. Try a little more patience next time you get caught in traffic and you'll avoid unnecessary stress.

2. SET GOALS. Some people drift through life going from crisis to crisis letting stress build up. If you set goals, you can take better control of your life. Think where you'd like to be in 1 year or 5 years. Be realistic by starting with small, daily goals, then build up from there. Re-evaluate your goals from time to time and be prepared to adjust them as changes occur in your life.

3. ESTABLISH PRIORITIES. Do you often feel rushed because "there's no time"? Why not regulate the pace of your life? Plan ahead. Make a list of tasks in order of priority. Concentrate on what's really important to you and drop those things that only waste your energy.

4. TAKE TIME OUT. Spend a few minutes alone each day to break the routine. This helps ease stress and gives you a better perspective of what's around you. Set aside time during the week for recreation, hobbies, or exercise. Regular exercise is an excellent way to reduce stress. Physical fitness gives you a feeling of well-being by relieving tension and increasing productivity.

5. HAVE FAITH. Peace of mind comes to those who trust in themselves.

6. THINK POSITIVELY. Having a positive attitude will help you assert yourself and feel more in control. You waste energy if you constantly criticize yourself or set unrealistic goals. Negative thoughts generally produce negative results. Instead of saying, "I can't," practice saying, "I can." You'll be surprised how much more you can accomplish.

7. HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR. Laughter can be one of the best medicines for stress. Being able to laugh at yourself and the world can break tension and give you some relief from stress.

8. COMMUNICATE. Suffering in silence only increases the stress you build up inside. Talk over your feelings and concerns with your family, a friend, counselor, preacher, or health professional. "Thinking out loud" like this not only relieves stress, but may also shed new light on your problems. Learn to listen and consider suggestions with an open mind.

9. MAKE DECISIONS. Most people have no idea how much stress they create for themselves by resisting change. They wait, hoping a situation will go back to the way it was. Why wait when you have choices and could make a decision? When it's time to change old habits and move forward, make your own change for the better.

10. GET SUPPORT. Do you sometimes find problems too personal to discuss? Or feel they may be too much of a burden on others? Find a support group in your community. Remember, you're not alone. Other people with similar problems understand what you're going through without the need for lengthy explanations. They share your concerns and they want to learn how to cope with stress, too.

Dirtybird Party: A Review

2008-11-14T10:50:00.002-08:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Last night was the first official DIRTYBIRD Label Party here in Los Angeles, and man oh man it was off the heezy!
From the second I walked into The Vanguard, the thumping basslines on that Function 1 Soundsystem had us gyrating all the way to the front of the huge superclub.

It was only a Thursday night, something tough to pull off at a superclub here in LA, but you would have thought it was the weekend from the turnout, tons of smiling faces grooving to the DIRTY.....and boy was it DIRTY! There happened to be a huge film/music licensing convention in LA, and that only added to the beautiful energy in that room. Not to mention it was Violet and Suzy's birthday, Happy Birthday ladies!

Justin Martin warmed things up nicely and played some reedonkulous funky and very housey choons. Claude von Stroke followed and delivered, my first time seeing him, and did his thing and got the crowd jumping and clapping. By this point it was popping hard, and Christian Martin closed it out with some quirkier beats (i think? i left at 2:45 and it went til 4am!)

All in all, a terrific night of music, friends, dancing and FUN! What else do you ever really need???? A nod to both Felisa and Geoff for working hard to make this happen and treat LA to the DIRTYBIRD vibe.

DIRTYBIRD: Interview & Party Tonight in LA!!!!

2008-11-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Tonight marks the first ever official DIRTYBIRD Label Party here in Los Angeles. Dirtybird has been an SF staple for years, bringing their unique brand of music and awesome parties to SF, as well as their world-wide recognized label. I have known Justin Martin for years, and have always looked up to him as a model of how to do things. He is one of those people you cannot help but love to death, always smiling, spreading love and having a great ol time in the name of what he loves; MUSIC. Together with the help of their loyal party people, and Calude Von Stroke's and Christian Martin's music, it's no secret why Dirtybird has made their mark in the music world.

My friends Felisa and Geoff, partners and longtime friends with Shit n Stuff productions, are the 2 putting tonight's event together. Like Justin, you can't help but love these two, always positive and bringing great fun and energy to anything they do. I thought it would be a great idea to do a little interview regarding Dirtybird and tonight's festivities, so I got a hold of Felisa last night.

Mikey: Felisa, first off, can you tell us a bit about the first LA DIRTYBIRD label party tonight?

Felisa: "My business partner Geoff and I are throwing a party at The Vanguard in Hollywood. We are bringing the dirtybird DJS Claude Vonstroke, Justin and Christian Martin down from San Francisco for a label party. Its somewhat of a debut with them."

Mikey: What is it about DIRTYBIRD that sets them apart from most? They obviously have evolved into a distinct sound...

Felisa: "I think that they appeared musically when we were in need of a change. Everything goes through cycles. I had a conversation with Carl Cox when he played here recently, and he said that right now we are really satisfied with what is going on and until we get tired of what we are hearing, music just rides out, like anything, and I totally agree. It was different and had a innocent like quality but also incorporated sounds we had always heard as children and that was stimulating. And it could be deep and dark as well, and that is where the drum and bass roots fall in."

Mikey: Great point, we always need our satisfaction! Now Shit n Stuff Productions, when did that begin and who else is a part of the company?

Felisa: "LOL Well Geoff has the greatest mind ever and is just absolutely brilliant in so many ways. We are always laughing at the greatest stuff WE think is funny. We were on the Standard Rooftop downtown on a sunday afternoon, actually waiting for Daft Punk to show up for their DJ set. I was talking about t-shirt ideas and wanted to put SHAG carpeting on them and what could they possibly say. He looks at me and with one swift move of his hand across his chest he says "the shit" and I look at him and say "the stuff" We were laughing hysterically and then started telling people that day and the next thing we knew someone walked over to Geoff and asked him "where's tha shit.""

Mikey: Hahahahahh, I somehow completely relived that moment in my head as if I were there, heheh. So, Tonight is the night, you excited yet?

Felisa: "You bet we and DIRTYBIRD are going to blow the roof off Vanguard. We throw great parties with great vibes and the bottom line is, its always about the music and the people. I am an old house head so its about the foundation it was built on. When people are dancing you forget all of your troubles and people who can dance together can live together. PERIOD"

Mikey: AMEN to that! That's what it's all about! Finally, wanna meet at the mall tomorrow? Maybe get some hot shoulder packs?

Felisa: "LOL Mikey that was the best running into you that day and that pix is too much"

Thanks to Felisa of SHIT N STUFF PRODUCTIONS for taking time from her busy day to do this! If you know what's good for ya, you should check out the Dirtybird party tonight @ Vanguard in Hollywood!

Dewwit!

HAWTCAST Week 6: Justin Long Live @ Jackfrost!

2008-11-12T13:06:00.001-08:00

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Teeny Tiny Baby!

2008-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

by Don Kainoa, HAWT San Francisco

Waddup folks.. hope everyone had a great weekend and was able to check out either the LA or SF Sneakbeats parties that we were a part of.. I attended the SF one and I thought it was dope! The HAWT crew was definitely reppin correct and we were even able to give out some of our new HAWT SF shirts; nice juan Roque!

This post has a different purpose though.. I wanted to introduce the HAWT familia to the newest addition of my own family, Alona!

She was born on October 24, 2008 at 11:19 am.. and as you can see, she is quite adorable! Both Mom and baby are doing well and we as a family are getting adjusted to the new addition. She mostly sleeps and poops alot, but her pediatrician tells us she is doing super. I am taking the month off from work to spend time with the little one and Mom.. and just to help around the house. While at home, I am hoping to help out more with the HAWT blog and to beef up the HAWT SF presence online.

Just wanted to share my good news with the rest of the HAWT fam.. have a good week everyone!

Don Kainoa

Daily OM... and I don't mean OM Records

2008-11-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

by Eddie Barajas, HAWT Los Angeles

We've all been there. Had those days, had those moments that just make you want to rip your hair out?

I've had those moments many times. What I find so funny is that on those days, I'll go on myspace and I'll find someone has posted the Daily OM entry. It's a website for the "Mind, Body, and Spirit". I don't typically read all the sections of the site, but find that the daily inspiration they offer really touch a nerve with what i got going on that day.

When life seems overwhelming, sometimes the best thing is to just stop, take a deeeep breath and center yourself.

Now go do some yoga... LOL. Just kidding, although I DO have to admit, I tried yoga a couple years ago, and loved it! I found it very therapeutic and really noticed that when in the middle of a yoga session, my mind REALLY is cleared of everything going on. That is something I never thought possible.

Anyway, the simple point of today's blog is to take the time to collect your thoughts and think of the bigger picture. As Ferris Beuller once said, "Life moves by pretty fast; if you don't stop to look around, you could miss it."

SNEAK Beats Tonight in LA and SF Tomorrow!

2008-11-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight in LA we celebrate DJ SNEAK's Birthday in style! Look at this reediculous line-up!

Then tomorrow night in San Francisco, we do the same! It's gonna be a nutty weekend!

Everyone have a great weekend! Be safe and have a blast!

For more details and info go to our website for full size flyers:

www.hawtmusic.com

President Obama

2008-11-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

WOW!

I don't know about you, but I am pretty darn excited today. Today represents so much to our country and to the world in ways that we cannot even fathom. Sure, we have a new president-elect, the first black president, and the first person who has ever inspired our country this way in our whole generation. But even moreso, today represents a crossroads for all of us, our country and the whole world. Our economy is changing drastically by the minute, the definition of capitalism is shifting, and people are taking notice that we deserve better and that we have potential to do ANYTHING we set our minds to. I hope you agree and help keep this momentum alive!

Now, nobody knows if Obama will be capable of doing every single thing he sets out to do, you can't please them all, ever, especially in politics. But, I really do like our chances, and I can honestly say that I have never been so excited to be an American. Seriously. Think about that, have you ever been? Is that cheesy to think about?
We all salute the flag from childhood on, but when are we ever filled with emotions, passion when we do so? Well, there is no reason we shouldn't. We live in the greatest country in the world, and I HOPE that our new direction will breed a new American feeling amongst us all.

When was the last time the USA had a political icon that the world was excited about? You can argue Reagan, maybe Clinton, but that's it. Our last 8 years have been pathetic, and I look forward to a bright future with someone at the helms that I for one am proud to have represent our country.

BACKWARDS THINKING and the deal with Prop 8

I am still in shock as many of you probably are, that Proposition 8 was passed making it illegal for gay & lesbian citizens to get married in California. I am shocked that more than half of our population would knowingly vote against something that has nothing to do with them. Is this world really that ignorant? Or do people really have a problem, something deep inside against this?

Either way, apparently the time is yet to come for gay and lesbian basic civil rights. It realy is mind-boggling that people can't accept other people for who they are.

High School...and You.

2008-11-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

by Eddie Barajas, HAWT Los Angeles

With all the political talk swarming the interwebs as they say, I thought it'd be a good idea to just flip the script and have a more light-hearted moment.

Let's talk about the Music you were into in High School.

High school was an interesting social experiment where cliques were, amongst other things, based on the music that they listened to. While I, even then had a pretty broad appreciation for all kinds of music, but mostly found myself listening to alot of new wave or alternative music, as it was being labelled then. The Smiths, Depeche Mode,U2, Jane's Addiction, REM, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, etc... you get the idea.

Thinking back, Depeche Mode offered those who like "new wave" a taste of electronica, before it was ever known as such. Funny how the music is there and then someone comes along and labels it for you (Fidget House anyone?).

But I also dug alot of ska/reggae as well. Falling under that alternative umbrella was the second wave or 2-Tone ska movement in the UK. I really loved The Specials, Madness, The Selector, amongst others. Traditional Jamaican Ska was and still remains one of my favorite kinds of music. In a weird sort of way, I look at it as an "Island" variant of house. If you're not familiar, I highly recommend you check out Hepcat. While technically considered a third wave ska band, they encapsulated the soulful mellow vibes of Traditional Jamaican Ska.

But enough about that,

What used to get YOU movin' in high school??

VOTE Tomorrow Everyone!

2008-11-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

After 8 years of waiting, and over a year of presidential campaigning, the United States are ready for a big day tomorrow.

Tuesday November 4th, 2008, marks a crucial day in our nation, and in the world. The choice is up to you, but whomever and whatever you decide to vote for, just make sure to VOTE!

The presidential nominees are just one piece of tomorrow's ballot, so make sure to do some research and vote for what you believe in. It is the year 2008 and we should no longer regress to backwards thinking. I hope that Americans are ready for some much needed progress.

FREAKS COME OUT Tonight in Los Angeles

2008-10-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

info line: 310-928-3604

Purchase Tickets: http://www. groovetickets. com/freakscomeout

Come celebrate 10 years of dirty ass house music with Dufflebag Recordings and Friends!! We offer you a perfect location In Downtown L.A. We are putting all our efforts into creating a Halloween night you'll never forget. We will be show casing Art, Photography and Fashion in a way that keeps the focus on the object of the night... Dancing your ass off with your fellow freaks!!!

DJ LINEUP:

Room 1:
DJ DIZ (Igloo, MFF, Chicago )
DJ J-DuB (GKM, DFA, GTA, Chicago)
Wally Callerio (Dufflebag, 1200 Traxx, Minority O.C.)
Natural Rhythm (Dufflebag, Guesthouse, O.C.)
Vibezelect (Dufflebag, OM, L.A. )

Room 2:
Hector Moralez (Minority, Dufflebag S.F.)
Easilly Influenced (HAWT, Guesthouse, L.A. )
Bodyrock DJ's (Ninja Skillz L.A.)
Wobs & Nonfiction (Focus O.C.)
Cade (Dynagroove L.A.)
Mullie (Heartbeat L.A. )

DJ Qbert's 'How to Fix a Warped Record'

2008-10-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

by Larry Gamboa, HAWT San Diego

I came across this super dope video by DJ Qbert a while back. This video shows us how to fix a warped record the eco-friendly way. Basically it involves placing the warped piece of vinyl between 2 glass tables (in the video he uses one glass table and one wooden table) while letting a heat source, like the hot sun, bake the vinyl. After a few minutes or so the vinyl will soften up and then he 'bends' it back to shape. Pretty cool technique check it out...

House Music Messageboards

2008-10-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Sometimes people ask me where there are good places to find out more about house music events, culture, and just music in general. There are many different avenues to use, but one of the most valuable ones to talk about, find out about, and meet new people is through messageboards.

If you are one of those people, I encourage you to check these out for new mixes, and general information on House Music, etc.

Eventually we will launch a HAWT Messageboard, but that is only one of the many things on our To-Do list =)

Below are some of my favorite boards. They are full of friendly people who can answer questions and point you in the right direction whether you want to buy the right turntables, find a great party next weekend, or just wanna talk music or hear a dope new mix.

MOVIN BOARD

FOCUS BOARD

SF UNDERGROUND

UNDERGROUND HOUSE

SONICFOUNDATION

Eco-Friendly Clubbing is finally here...

2008-10-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

by Eddie Barajas, HAWT Los Angeles

...and you thought that it wasn't possible?!?! THINK AGAIN!

With advances in techonology, we have seen a few changes in the last few years regarding house music's "ecological footprint" getting smaller.

We are seeing less printed physical flyers; more online promoting (I know we all still get bombarded with flyers, but those numbers are dropping) and I think people are really trying to make an effort to be environmentally concscience.

I remember this past summer, DJ's Leonard and Lillyanne (aka Hotlips & Hawkeye) of Futurehouse fame, were offering incentives to people to carpooled to their events, as well as incentives for those using public transportation.

Another great organization, Global Inheritance pushes what I think is a fantastic idea; a series of events known as Public Displays of Affection where people are treated to a solid event with some great music by some top notch talent. Their most recent event featured headliner was Ladytron. Where's the Eco-Friendliness here? The events are held at major public transportation stations (the most recent was at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles) and the only way to get into the event is with a subway ticket to the station or bus ticket.

But what about a 100% eco-friendly / eco-conscience GREEN CLUB? Built from the ground up? Not possible? Well the future is here. Enter ECCO Nightclub. Located in the heart of Hollywood, Ecco stands at the former site of the popular Tokio Nightclub.

Here are just some of the key points to this remarkable club:

Multi-colored, energy-efficient, state-of-the-art LED lighting system

Power supplied by LA Department of Water & Power’s Green Power resources

Featuring a healthy cuisine with a variety of organic items.

Cold & Heat Insulation, saving 20% of standard energy use through high quality insulation

Energy efficient recycled steel air pressure toilets and waterless urinals

State of the art “Dyson Airblades” hand dryers

Free valet for hybrid vehicles

Paperless Solution for ticketing and reservations - Provided by UpCode Solutions USA and its Mobile Access & Interaction technology (MAI)™

Audio provided by Turbosound, winners of the Best Club Awards 2008 “Best Sound System & Best Sound Product”

Got a Prius? swing it by Ecco, you'll get the VIP treatment you deserve for caring about our Mother Planet.

I can't end this blog without mentioning ONE other Eco-Friendly movement going on, and that is of course Green, Grown, and Sexy

Taken from their Myspace page, “Green Grown and Sexy is comprised of Los Angeles-based city girls, Thuy Nguyen and Jen O’Neill. They love to shop, dine, socialize and network, and have a deep love for L.A. They also have a growing interest in doing their part to help preserve the Earth. For many years, [they] were typical consumers who shopped, partied and played without consequence, but [they]'ve realized that wasn't very sexy. [They] woke up, got schooled and are ready to spread the green word. Check out their blog at www.greengrownandsexy.com."

Obama vs. McCain : The Dance-Off

2008-10-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez

This requires no introduction, check it out it's pretty awesome.

DJ MES Live @ JACKFROST!

2008-10-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

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Hey all!

Our 3rd Episode of our Weekly HAWTCAST is now LIVE!

Visit www. thehawtmovement. com or simply play it below! You can also visit www. podomatic. com at anytime and search HAWT =)

This week's mix was done by our OG HAWT Resident DJ MES, and recorded LIVE @ JACKFROST 2006, our very first one!

It is a stellar set and another reason why Mes is Mes!

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Wanna Cheer Up Instantly????

2008-10-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

Wanna Cheer Up?????

All you gotta do is watch this.

You will feel ten times better in no time!!!!!

(Unfortunately YOUTUBE disabled the link for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up", i wonder why????)

HAWT top 5 list: Roque Santos

2008-10-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

by Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

Here re my top 5 daily necessities that keep me afloat.

1. My Lady

This woman puts up with a lot: snoring, farting, choking, badgering, bad jokes, bad jokes, and more bad jokes. This is why we get along and this is why she is at the top of my list.

2.Guidant Pacemaker

This thing has saved me from 2 life threatening experiences last year and has proven it's weight in gold. Fuck yeah! Guidant Bitches!

3.MacBook

Since I canceled my TV service my computer is my only source for information and entertainment. My day begins and ends with this thing.

4.Sneakers

Top 5 all time shoes:
1.Nike Air Jordan IV
2.Nike Air Max 1
3.Adidas Campus
4.Nike Air Trainer 1 & 3
5.Nike Dunk High

5.2008 VW Rabbit

Gas prices are no joke these days and parking in the San Francisco is like trying to find a albino dwarf super star DJ.

HALLOWEEN: Let the Freaks Come Out!

2008-10-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

That's right people, Halloween is right around the corner! You gotta love that. It just makes ya wanna dress up ridiculously, party with your friends, dance all night and do the damn thang. I still don't know what to dress up as, but if same as usual I won't have that sorted until the day before, heheheh.

I can't wait for this year's festivities, especially for FREAKS COME OUT, the DUFFLEBAG RECORDINGS 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Party, on Halloween Friday Night!!!! The line-up is incredible, and the vibe is gonna be thick!

DJ's:

DIZ
J DUB
WALLY CALLERIO
NATURAL RHYTHM
VIBEZELECT
HECTOR MORALEZ

including Gelly and I (Easily Influenced), and some other quality locals too.

Congratulations to our good friend WALLY CALLERIO on 10 Years strong with DUFFLEBAG. That is a loooooong time to run a label, shit anything, and he has done so very successfully. He is one of Southern California's finest, a straight up classy fellow, and can hit a golf ball far.

If you don't have plans for Halloween yet, you really REALLY should come to this party! Unless you don't like having fun, dancing to really good house music til the sun comes up, and gettin' your Halloween on!

www.freakscomeout.com

Same-Sex Marriage, Our Future President, & the last day to Register to Vote!!!!

2008-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez, HAWT Los Angeles

So TODAY is the final day for us Californians to register to vote, and if you haven't yet, well, you really really should. I am a firm believer in the power of the vote, not only to choose the next president, but also have your say in State Measures and Propositions.

Register here: http://www. declareyourself. com

I am in no way well versed in the multitude of propositions, nor do I know the difference between the 2 state senatorial candidates, etc. Of course one has the option of researching all of these, but for now I only know 2 things regarding this year's VOTE:

1). BARACK OBAMA for President of the United States

In my humble opinion, I believe that the United States NEEDS Barack Obama to win the election. Besides the political views and differences between him and McCain, I feel he will display that his greatest role is as an inspirational leader. That is what a president should be. You should BELIEVE in him. You should know that he is out for the good of ALL people. Of course, you most definitely can't ever please them all, but he is the one to restore this country to what it can become. He's got the sweets to kick it down a notch with Oprah, the courage to think outside the box, the strength to challenge our country to pay attention to what's most important in life, and the balls to call people out and go to war when it's the right thing to do.

2). VOTE NO on PROPOSITION 8

PROPOSITION 8 is a constitutional amendment to eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry. I believe that no matter what your sexual preference may be, ALL people should have the right to be with whomever they wish. Who in their right mind can tell anybody that they cannot marry the one you love? I think that is backwards thinking, and pretty much ridiculous. I have alot of friends both male and female who are gay/lesbian, and I think that they should be able to marry. This is 2008 people, it's practical and necessary.

Of course, it doesn't matter what your sexual preference is. If you believe in what's right, then stand up for it.

My long-time buddy Patrick will be adding to this with more information on a future blog to raise more awareness. He has been rallying as many folks as he can to VOTE NO on PROP 8 this year, and has great success thus far. If you believe in equality, and acceptance for all, you should join in and VOTE NO on 8.

Let’s talk Swag!

2008-10-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

By DJ Mes , Guesthouse/HAWT San Francisco

Swag - Promotional merchandise for a band, record label, or other entity in the music business, usually distributed at concerts or conferences.

Being part of underground culture for the past 15 some odd years I have collected numerous pieces of ‘swag’. Most of the items are worthless but there are a some that are nostalgic and hold a special place in my heart.

1. Plastic Man Acid Sheet [a perferated sheet of plascit man acid that came as an insert for the very first plastic man 001] A definiete collectros item and my favorite piece of SwagJ This is one of the first records I bought when I started off collecting dance music so it will allways remind me of the good old days!

2. Classic Music ‘Thanks for coming By’ record store sign [this went out to a few select accounts as part of a christmas package CMC sent to its fovorite record stores] Now that I don’t have a record store it makes a great addition to my bathroom doorJ I remember when it arrrived with a fresh batch of Classic 12 inches. This was back in 1997-1998 when daddys records was still in operation…sigh*

3. Paper Music T-Shirt [One of my favorite record labels ever!] For a while there i bought every paper music release on sight. It didn’t matter, if it was on paper music I had to grab it!

Whats your favorite piece of Underground culture swag?

Discuss:

Pacemaker Pocket DJ

2008-10-15T13:07:00.004-07:00

By Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

What You Need to Know

-It's basically an MP3 player with a 120 gig hard drive that has two channels
-You can cross fade between each channel using the line out, and you can cue up each channel with headphones
-This allows you to match beats on both channels and mix
-The Pacemaker editor helps you figure out how many beats per minute each track is
-You drop all your music into the software and it calculates your bpms; the software takes way too long to do this, and it's not the most accurate
-Once you know how fast or slow the songs are, you can do all your mixing from the software
-Visually, it's really easy to match beats by dragging the bpm line up or down to speed up or slow down
-Add effects like filters, loops, and cross-fades
-The software supports all of the functions the Pacemaker itself has, so you can save mixes on the device or upload them to the Pacemaker site
-Select a channel, double tap the touch pad, and call up a song on each
-Each button has a million different functions depending on if you're holding up the pacemaker switch on the side
-Match the bpms, cue the track in your headphones, and play it according to the other channel's beat
-If you want to do effects, you have to know the combination of touching on the pad; it's the same with lots of other functions, and this is where it becomes not a beginner device

Price

-$950
-It's not quite available in the states, but we'd like to see the touch pad turn into a touch screen, more buttons and the price drop to about $600

info provided by www.pacemaker.net and www.g4tv.com

President Sarah Palin???

2008-10-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

by Larry Gamboa, HAWT San Diego

Hello everyone out there in HAWTland. As you all know our national election is 3 weeks away, and certain things have come up that made me think about the direction of our country. I try to keep up on the day to day happenings on our failing economy and presidential race and had a conversation with a good friend the other day about the possibility of the McCain/Palin camp winning this year’s election. I grow fearful of this not because they are Republicans and most of us fear that we will have another 4 years equivalent to the Bush presidency. I am fearful because of the possibility Sarah Palin becoming President of the United States. If McCain becomes president, Palin is just a heartbeat away from becoming our nation’s leader. It’s been documented that McCain is not in the healthiest state at the age of 72. How would you like to wake up one day and come to find out John McCain died while in office and Sarah Palin becomes commander-in-chief? Scary scenario, huh? Headlines in our media could read “Hockey Mom Sworn in as President.”

I don’t know the reasoning behind John McCain’s choice for a vice presidential running mate, but I strongly believe that Sarah Palin is the worst choice for a running mate for one of the highest positions in our government. I think Palin is atrocious and a total DOUCHE! It has been documented that Palin is totally ignorant and completely out of touch with foreign policy issues and our country's economic issues. Below are some videos to check out and ask why the heck was this woman chosen as a vice presidential running mate.

[Case 1]
This one is pure comedy. She is asking an interviewer what exactly does a vice president does in office. OMFG!! WTF!!? Is this chick for real??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4gkPXSDtGQ

[Case 2]
This is a real scary one. She tries to answer some questions on foreign policy. This woman has absolutely no clue on this issue and tries to pull shit out of her ass. Listen to her answer on the question regarding the 'Bush Doctrine'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDdPnKjFhpA

[Case 3]
Another one on foreign policy where she discusses Vladamir Putin and Russia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokTjEdaUGg

[Case 4]
Sarah Palin on the economy and the government bailout. This chick sounds like she's under the influence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2kjFn4s4sU

So, did your jaw drop when you watched these videos? Mine did. I can’t believe this woman is still able to gain popularity and support from the American public. It makes me sick to my stomach to see that some women envy her because of her exterior image. With her views and comments on these issues, Palin is certainly not qualified to hold a high government position. Would you want Sarah Palin to be next in line for president? Would you trust Sarah Palin with the codes to nuclear warheads? Would you trust Sarah Palin in dealing with countries like Iran and Russia? Does America want another douchebag as leader? God, I hope not!!!

I’m curious to know what you all think about Sarah Palin.

Thanks for reading.

Peace!

-Larry (HAWT San Diego)

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

2008-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

by Don Kainoa, HAWT SF

Hello Internet! First of all, I apologize to any NKOTB fans that may have stumbled upon these musings and were looking for a review on their new CD; I am unapologetically ignorant in that musical realm.. but I'm sure its a superb album. Rather, this interweb log (or webbedlog for short) deals with my own experience being the newest official member of the HAWT familia.

Some of the folks reading this might be thinking, "Who the F is this guy?" And "You ain't HAWT bish!" You would have a good reason to think that.. mostly because I only joined recently and I probably haven't met a lot of the good people of the HAWT Movement. But rest assured, this ain't a "Palin-like" announcement; I've been around for awhile and I hope to bring a lot to the crew..

I met Mikey a couple of years ago in Miami while HAWT was still in its infant stages. To know where it started and to see where it is today is a testament to Mr. Velazquez and the crew.. I am definitely honored to be a part of this whole 'ting! ..And just as he mentioned in an earlier blog, I agree that HAWT can encompass many things and include a lot of different kinds of music.

Although I am a househead through and through, I would like bring more downtempo/hip-hop, soul, funk, midtempo, brokenbeat into the mix.. all the while keeping the HAWT feeling. I hear a lot of the "old" folks (although I'm probably one of them) wax poetic about how you used to be able to hear house, techno, hip-hop, funk, disco, and soul all mixed together at the same party.. and I would like to see that happen a bit more as well.

HAWT will ALWAYS be known for house, it's what we do. and we do it well.. At the same time, I feel we can bring back that all encompassing vibe by bringing more types of music into the fray..

SO.. that's enough for now I think.. I will be posted up north, helping Roque and the gang grow the HAWT presence in San Frandisco and trying to push some of the non-house music that we are into. I'd like to know the the innernet's thoughts on this, so hit me up with a comment or flame the ish outta me!

peas.

Don

JACKFROST Toy Drive

2008-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Every December since 2006, we put an event together called JACKFROST here in LA. The idea is to host a night of great music, beautiful art, and bring people together to celebrate this wonderful life and the holiday season, all in the name of giving back.

We host the JACKFROST TOY DRIVE leading up to this event in order to give back in any way we can, by simply raising money and toys for Inner City Los Angeles children who could really use a smile on their face this time of year. It is this spirit of giving that creates a magical energy at JACKFROST. The first year we raised several bags full of toys and a hundred bucks. The next year, we quadrupled the amount, and with the help of our good friend Carrie and many others we shattered the previous year's collection.

Email me at mikey@hawtmusic.com for more information.

We are now beginning to get our Jackfrost Toy Drive team together, so if you would like to volunteer in anyway, please touch base with me or anyone of the HAWT family.

Stay tuned for more information on this year's JACKFROST event in Los Angeles. It will be in mid-December as always, and we look forward to sharing another special night with you. Hopefully we can once again shatter last year's Toy Drive and spread some holiday love with even more kids =)

Here is a clip from last year's JACKFROST Winter Wonderland 2007 w/ DJ Justin Long.

CALENDAR: Upcoming HAWT Schedule & Events in Los Angeles & San Francisco!

2008-10-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

UPCOMING HAWT SCHEDULE in both Los Angeles & San Francisco!!!!

To see LARGE Views of Flyers CLICK HERE

***********************************************************************

Santiago & Bushido's 1st ever LA performance w/ Easily Influenced!!!!

HAWT in SAN FRANCISCO! BLOG LAUNCH PARTY!!!

Bristol Sessions 7 Year Anniversary w/ JB & Easily Influenced in OC!

DUFFLEBAG 10 Year Anniversary & Halloween Madness!!!!!!

SNEAK BIRTHDAY BEATS in LOS ANGELES!!!!! w/ Special Guest TBA

SNEAK BIRTHDAY BEATS in SAN FRANCISCO!!!!! Insane Line Up!!!!!

AND OF COURSE.......

JACKFROST COMING BACK in DECEMBER! STAY TUNED!!!!!

=)

Just For The RECORD

2008-10-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

by Eddie Barajas, HAWT Los Angeles

Hard to believe the year is winding down, it has been a busy one for all of us at HAWT . Mikey and Gelly have been relentlessly crankin' out the jammies this year, seeing a couple of their tracks being pressed was a surreal experience! Magana has also released some music as well! The HAWT label is finally seeing the light of day. As Mikey mentioned in a previous blog, going through two distribution deals is a definitely a rough ride, and with the current state of affairs with labels going digital, less and less vinyl is being pressed, and that makes a HUGE impact...on me.

Thinking back on it, it's pretty nutty to think that just a few years ago, Los Angeles had a decent amount of record stores. I remember when at any given time, I could've gone to 6 or 7 DIFFERENT spots to hit up for vinyl; Amoeba , Aaron's Records, DMC, Street Sounds, This is Music, Beat Non Stop / Temple of Boom, not to mention the infamous WAX store on Melrose Ave. Now it's just a handful. No doubt that Amoeba reigns supreme. It is literally the LARGEST independent music store in the NATION. I am VERY lucky to have such close access to it; I pretty much spend my lunch hour diggin' through the vinyl bins.

Some people collect comic books, I collect records; to me they are like big 12"x12" baseball cards. Having an extra copy of a record comes in REALLY handy in a trade *wink*. Which is why I sometimes will have a third copy on hand.. you know, one to play, one for back-up, and one for trade!
That reminds me, I got to give a buddy of mine in SF one that I've stumbled onto while diggin.

I'm currently diggin' through MY OWN collection, for a couple of mixes that I am putting together this weekend. Sure I'll sprinkle a couple of Mp3's in there, but for the most part I'll stick to vinyl. I'm excited about putting together these mixes as i haven't done so in a while. I am also VERY excited about what's coming up for HAWT as the year does indeed wind to a close...

It was last year's Love Fest weekend that saw the LAUNCH of HAWT SF, and SF received us with open arms and dancing feet, our favorite! And of course it is NOT TOO EARLY to start thinking about the fact that JACK FROST is around the corner!!! That's right!! Probably our most favorite party of the year, we especially love how the community gets together and thinks of the less fortunate than us, and really get in the spirit of giving.

That being said, don't limit yourself to once a year - go out there everyday and be considerate of those around you...you'll be surprised at the impact you make.

San Francisco LOVEFEST 2008 : A Review

2008-10-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

by Roque Santos, HAWT San Francisco

In the days leading up to the parade meteorologists predicted rain, and local clubbers held their breath in fear that the event would fill with showers. However, on October 4, 2008 San Francisco’s Civic Center Square was blessed by the Glow Stick God, who gifted us with a perfect day. The Parade, which started at 2nd and Mission and ended at the Civic Center, consisted of dozens of flatbed trucks housing mounds of sound, superstar DJ’s, and electronic music. Following the various floats were hipsters, guidos, clubbers, ravers, burners, hippies, naked gay guys, and the rest of San Francisco’s dedicated electronic music heads. In short, this event was a blast and was well worth the travels for our out-of-town visitors. There are a couple of things that stick out in my mind about this event, and some of these memories will haunt me for the rest of my life.

First off, this year’s “hipsters” really caught everyone’s attention, and it wasn’t their 1991 Jane Fonda-day-glow-work-out gear I’m talking about either. It was the superfluous amount of designer drugs coursing through their veins, which caused them to piss, vomit, and eventually pass out on the steps of the Mayor’s office. But lets face it, the only differences are that when I was their age I was wearing ridiculous clothes and doing designer drugs, but it was at night and I had to pay. I could talk more about the floats and getting drunk with friends, but pictures speak a thousand words.

HAWT Music: The Label & 1st Release

2008-10-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez

So the blog is up an running, and tomorrow marks Day one of our HAWTCAST featuring the Live DERRICK CARTER Mix from the HAWT Music Label Launch Party. We hope you guys check it out as it was a very special party for us, and an exceptional night of music.

That being said, many people have asked us when our 1st record is going to be released. We have had some issues regarding that, and finally we have some light at the end of the tunnel getting distribution settled and on the way. In other words, you will not only see the "official OFFICIAL Launch of the label", which will begin with vinyl presses(yes, VINYL!), but you will also see the digital end follow soon thereafter, giving you the option of purchasing either one. It has been a long hard road to this point with many twists and turns. We have had 2 different P&D deals in place that have withered away because of distros going down. We are at a major crossroads in music right now, and it's very difficult.

You see, we have always wanted to do this right. We always wanted to press records and get our music out as much as possible. We could have easily done our label digitally over a year ago, but then we would have compromised our objective to cut corners, and that would not be right. Anyhow, if all goes well you will see our first releases dropping on both vinyl and digital download before the year's end =)

In case you haven't heard it yet, the 1st release is an EASILY INFLUENCED original called "ROCKIT". (listen here: www.myspace.com/thehawtmusic It's funny because it was one of the first tracks that Gelly and I made that we were ever happy with, so we decided to make it our first release. Our style has changed significantly since that point over 2 years ago, not good nor bad, just different. Rounding out the release are remixes (aka REHEATS) by 3 producers we admire very much. First of all, we chose to have some local Southern California representation on the label, something we intend on showcasing alot in the future since we have so much talent here alive and kicking! The first one is THOMAS WHITE of NATURAL RHYTHM, who has always been one of our fave producers over the years. Along with Pete Williams, and more recently on his own, Thomas has consistently put out dancefloor bomb after dancefloor bomb, showing versatility and talent with funky, jazzy, dirty goodness.

The second reheat is by our good buddy and Balance-Hollywood resident, JOSHUA HEATH. This guy is amazing, and is merely scratching the surface of his potential. He has been blowing up over the last 2 years plus putting out releases consistently on mega labels such as Miguel Migs' SALTED & Inland Knights' DROP MUSIC among others. The guy is super talented and has a magic touch always putting his signature funky sound one everything he does. He also plays live bass and other instruments too on his music, which is why it always sounds so warm and juicy, heheheh. Anyhow peep that out on or page as well! www.myspace.com/thehawtmusic

Finally, the last but definitely not least reheat on our HAWT Music 001, is by none other than the almighty DERRICK CARTER himself. I have no problem admitting that DC is my absolute favorite. He always has been over the years, for well over a decade and if it were not for him I may not be on the path that I'm on today. You might think it sounds cheesy, but we all have people we look up to, admire, and try to pattern ourselves after. He is the reason I fell in love with this music, and I will be forever grateful to him, his music, his production, his DJing, and his label. Not to mention, when I first met him I realized that he was one of the most down to earth, sweetest individuals you will ever meet! I already had the utmost respect for him and when i saw that he was just so smooth, it really taught me alot, and I am thankful. Anyhow, DC did the last reheat on the release and you should peep that one too! www.myspace.com/thehawtmusic

Finally, that rounds out our first release, so please remain patient as it should be available by the end of this year! Soon thereafter, we will have a steady schedule of releases for HAWT Music on both vinyl and digital. More info coming soon!

That being said, if you have any questions, want more information, would like to be added to our email list or simply wanna find out how to get involved in the HAWT Movement, email me!

mikey@hawtmusic.com

Lookout for tomorrow's blog by our own HAWT SF chief ROQUE SANTOS, as well as our 1st HAWTCAST featuring the DERRICK CARTER MIX, LIVE @ the HAWT MUSIC LABEL LAUNCH PARTY!!!!!

Just go to: www.thehawtmovement.com

THE HAWT MOVEMENT: The Vision

2008-10-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

by Mikey Velazquez

So this marks the official launch of our daily HAWT Blog! Buyakasha!!!!

Back in June, I started this page to challenge myself to write everyday (something I have always loved to do), and give an introspective look into all things HAWT: the music, our label, our parties, DJ gigs......ranging all the way to music I have been inspired by, politics, community awareness, sports, the arts, book reviews, film, comedy, and of course random nonsense! After all, isn't that basically what a blog is? That is what makes it so cool, because there are no rules, there are no boundaries or editors or publishers. It's a blog and you can write about whatever you want.

So starting today, our HAWT Blog will be much more fun and much more involving and fresh and. We have a large family, ranging from our DJ's of HAWT Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, to many known and not as known DJ/producer/promoter friends, to just friends and family in general all over the world. This will merely showcase the various insights we are comprised of and keep readers interested (hopefully!).

The original vision for The HAWT Movement was sparked years ago when we wondered why things had to be so one dimensional? Promoters threw parties. Party people had a good time at those parties. DJ's played at parties. Producers made music. Sure some people do them all, but why couldn't there be more? We wanted to have a clothing line. We wanted to raise money for needy kids and give back to the community, eventually starting a non-profit organization to raise money for. We wanted to do all these things, bring people together and have a good old time, together under one roof listening to good music, all in the name of having fun and promoting a good cause. Now it's not quite there, trust me, but the wheels are still churning and we're just warming up.

We are all huge fans of music. Music makes us tick. Think about our world without it? BORING! Music is an essential part of the world and we want to acknowledge that. Personally I love many styles of it, and the mantra behind our philosophy has always been "if it's HAWT it's HAWT", and that is what drives the idea behind our record label and music. We got the idea from our all time favorite one, Classic Recordings, which simply put out CLASSIC records. There wasn't a pigeon-hole to it, just quality music. Funky, techy, deep, jazzy, swingy, soulful, quirky, forward-thinking, downtempo, hip hop, etc. Why not? This will be seen more and more with the releases we have in the future. It's about acceptance, not just musically but generally, and that is what House Music history has always taught us. That is why we love it, and we take those special ingredients to put our own little twist on it, HAWT Style.

Starting this Wednesday and every Wednesday thereafter, we will also spark up our HAWTCAST, aka HAWT Music Podcast that will feature DJ mixes and radio style programs featuring interviews, details on future events, and much more. This week's HAWT Mix will be none other than Derrick Carter's from our HAWT Music Label Launch Party earlier this year in Los Angeles. We hope you take a listen and relive the night with us!

Manny Ramirez Rap Video!

2008-09-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

PLEASE REPOST for the Dodgers!!!! :)
=================================

The Dodgers are in the playoffs baby!!!!!

My brother Gaby and I recently made a spoof hip hop song/video commemorating the arrival of future Hall of Famer, Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles.

Check it out and please feel free to repost and/or forward to fellow Dodger fans!!!!

Early Bird Gets It

2008-07-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

The Early Bird gets the worm.

This is something we all used to hear growing up. Its something that i go through phases with, and i've found its directly correlated to your mind state, goals, etc. For instance, in a slouching, lazy or insecure state, we are likely to want to sleep in, waking up with no rush and excitement whatsoever. On the other hand, when we have tuned into our self, and set goals, feel great, we wake up in a snap. It's these times that we look forward to starting another brand new day as opposed to dreading another one.

It really is the way we perceive things that makes this difference, and that being said, everything in this life is tied together. When we are unhappy, we are unhappy with our family, our friends, ourselves. Maybe our financial/work situation is not stable. Maybe its something in our personal life. Often its the way we feel, which with most of us is another direct correlation to the way we look, the way we eat, how often we exercise and how much natural energy we feel.

On the other hand, and speaking from personal experience, when we feel our best is when we are healthiest. Eating right, working out, feeling excited about tackling everyday, because we are alive. Because everyday is another opportunity to LIVE, to grow, to challenge and to achieve new goals.

Anyway, i feel great today, and it didn't come easily. I struggled for a long time to snap out of my mornings of waking up unhappy, without excitement. I was overweight, drank too much, smoked too much, and had crazy sleeping patterns. As i've mentioned before, it usually takes from 30-45 days to make a new routine into habit, and for that reason it is crucial to set those goals to keep on track.

SO, if you're waking up every morning and lacking energy and excitement to tackle your day, try mixing up your routine. It wont be easy, but it also shouldn't be drastic! Be patient. Don't do a diet that isn't realistic or will get you short term results, those are the ones that will get you right back to where you don't wanna be the fastest. Set goals, and have the courage to follow through with them knowing that you'll feel better later because of them.

If you're unhappy with your job, look into something else! Remember to love what you do and do what you love, if you truly want to be happy. It sounds cliche, but if you truly love it, you will succeed at it if you do your very best and never work a day in your life.

Also

Anyhow that's my 2 cents.

Songwriting, Singing and Beats, Oh My

2008-07-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

=========================

http://thehawtmovement.blogspot.com

=========================

Writer's block. Not "feeling it". Lack of Inspiration.

These are all symptoms that many of you writers out there most definitely feel me on. Writing is re-writing, that's true, but every great song, poem, story, novel begins with a great concept. But even sometimes a concept can't do much more than build your title.

Anyways, I haven't felt inspired to write much as of late, but somewhere in the past few weeks that has changed, and i am now transformed back into an inspired mind with constant pen in hand. It's funny how it works, when you have writer's block it's virtually impossible to write, you feel as if you're forcing creativity. But when it rains, it really does POUR out of your soul. Anways, i'm just glad its back and i hope it never goes away!

As i said beofre, i want to expand this blog even moreso, but now even take it a step further and talk about new projects that we have, not only house music but music in general. Of course the podcast is an integral part of it as well. I got the idea from my brother GABY, who started his blog this year, challenging himself to compose a brand new song once a week! It's not easy, but he feels great knowing he already had a bunch of new material he may not have had without setting those goals. Now its clockwork, and he no longer needs to remind himself as its become a habit. Check out his blog here:

http://www.gabyvmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/gabyvmusic

My brother has always been a huge influence on me and my musical dreams. Years ago, he dropped everything to pursue his dream in music. He never sat around to wait and hear what anybody thought of it, and didn't ask for feedback. Instead, he knew this was his calling and he "went for it". Now he lives in the Bay area and is happier than ever following his dream and growing more everyday. I don't know if i would be on this path had it not been for his passion and leadership, a true inspiration.

We all need inspiration. Problem is, it doesn't always fall in your lap, something i am realizing. You have to open yourself up to it, to the world, go get it. Of course its easier said than done, but the harder it is to find that courage, the better it will feel when that music returns to your soul.

PHISH - "Free"

Sun is Shining, Weather is Sweet

2008-07-14T09:53:00.001-07:00

Wow this weekend was fun!

I am amazed how great of a time i had, and sober at that! Our Dotbleep party went of Saturday night, and I stuck to my test, not drinking at all and it was great! I danced harder and for much longer than i had in ages! Acid Circus really set the tone and played a great set, I was very glad to have finally caught them, realizing that i should check them out more often now. Then Justin Long came on, and WOW. I gotta say, every time i feel uninspired by music, i end up seeing Justin play again, and i'm completely recharged. He is constantly pushing the envelope and the sound, and whether you dig the style he plays or not, you can't help but appreciate his energy and way that he attacks the dancers with musical bombs. Check this clip of him at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival this year:

=======================================================

I must admit, i caved in and had a beer on Sunday at the Aquagroove pool party, but i rewarded myself in the sun when Justin Long and Sneak both played last minute daytime sets. Can you blame me? Anyway, although i did drink, all it did was remind me how unnecessary it was right now. So, back on track i am this Monday morning!

This Friday night we have the return of John Larner to HAWT. He has always been one of the favorites at our parties, and this Friday is no different! He is super excited to get back to LA, as are we, so if you wanna get your house music fix, come out this Friday night!

Anyways, have a great week and remember to enjoy the summer while you can! It's already mid-July and will be gone before we know it, so hit up the beach first chance you get, get outdoors and soak up the sun!

Originality in Music

2008-07-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Gelly turned me onto this interview by Zach Katz, who is one of the top managers for producers in the hip hop industry. Although it specifies hip hop, the main jist is in there.

Basically what Zach says is that you should be original with music. Sampling can only get you so far no matter what style you make, and instead of following trends, you should find your own sound and strive to BE that new thing, lead instead of follow. Not to mention, the difference between sampling and original music can mean making or breaking a million dollars, straight up.

Anyhow, i thought it was very interesting, so check it out.

My Dirty 30: A Test

2008-07-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

MTV's "My Sweet Sixteen" ain't got shit on this!

So, I am turning the "Dirty 30" next month, and that got me thinking about some things....

I have always been one that loves to get my party on at any possible moment, I try to have fun as much as possible all the time, so on and so forth. By the same token, I am turning 30 on August 3rd, and that's pretty nuts(especially since i act like 19).

Anyhow, I am going to take a little pre-30 test. It's kinda crazy, but i think it will be fun and it will also push my limits and test my toughness. So, i decided to see how long i can go completely SOBER.

Now, when i say sober, that doesn't only include the obvious being alcohol, that includes everything. No more anything, no smoking, no coffee, no nada.

I figure that it will be tough, but i love a good challenge. I am even considering doing the Master Cleanse at some point this summer, so that should be interesting!

SO, if any of you wanna join in this test, lemme know. Start counting how many days you can go without intoxicating your body with any stimulants, alcohol, etc. Hey, what's the worst that can happen, right?

Let the games begin......

======================================================

Change of Scenery

2008-07-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend i went up north to see some friends and fam in the bay area, and boy was it fun. It was great to get away, and of course to see everyone up there, celebrating the 4th of July with them, BBQ-ing, listening to really good music by some stellar DJ's. It was a bit chilly up there for my taste, but the best part was the change of scenery.

It sometimes helps to change your scenery a bit. Whether only a day, a weekend, or even something more permanent, getting out of town really helps cleanse your thought processes, really understand where you are at in any given moment. It doesn't even have to be so far. Here in L.A. for instance, when i lived in Los Feliz, i would go for hikes alot. Not only is it great exercise, but it gets your mind thinking, your blood pumping. My former boss used to change the routes he would take to work every morning. Sure, some were longer than others, but everytime i tried it i saw something new, and felt more excited to get to work instead of getting there in the same routine. In other words, try changing your scenery a bit when you get a chance, it will work wonders for the soul.

Here is a nice lil jammy, "Balmes (A Better Life)" by Ian Pooley ft Esthero. This woman has one of the sweetest voices you will ever hear, so hope ya dig.

Giving Back

We are going to begin getting a group together for our 3rd annual Jackfrost Toy Drive here in LA. It doesn't start take place until Decemeber, but what i've learned is that its never too early to start planning for these. Last year by far exceeded our drive from the previous year, and this year we intend to shatter that number, all for a great cause. Anyhow, if you want to get involved and give back, or know someone who does, please let them know it's almost time for our first pre-production meeting next month.

Have a great day!

i read this somewhere...

2008-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Patience:

patience is beyond a virtue. It's the weight of letting go of control, surrendering to the inevitable and allowing destiny to shape your path. Patience is the key to everything. It's patience that turns judgement into understanding, a plan into a purpose and allows your life to have meaning.

We force our feeling onto people-unwilling, unready.
In time...do not rush your destiny. You must not fight patience for control.
In time...you will have love, understanding, happiness...they will find you.
Shrug your shoulders
let life run free..."

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Recently i have been considering some drastic changes in my daily. Honestly, it scares the shit out of me, diving into something fresh that you have never experienced, that territory uncharted. It hurts, stings, and excites me all at the same time.

It isn't easy to let destiny shape your path. It isn't easy to get out of your comfort zone, accept life's challenges, or change the world.

But, if it was easy, would it be worth it? Course not. It's all about high risk, high reward, right? The best things in life are the ones that inspire greatness and positive change.

And at the same time, you don't know what you got til it's gone, so having the patience to let something run free is crucial, as much as it may sting.

love!

Bittersweet Symphony

2008-07-04T00:39:00.000-07:00

It's a Bittersweet Symphony, this life. (don't worry i won't post that video on here, the 4th of July needs a better song!)

Day after day, one door shuts, another opens. Some doors re-open later, some stay closed. Regardless we carry on and continue to grow whether we know it or not. It's a journey, this sweet symphony.

It's funny how people always say things like "you should follow your dream" however, most never do. People say "timing is everything", and "listen to your heart", but it's definitely easier said than done. I catch myself spitting these clichés all the time, but don't always listen to my own advice. Am I crazy? Maybe a little, but for the most part i think I'm just human like the other 4 of you that are reading this, heheh.

Anyways, sometimes the truth opens your eyes, sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it makes you aware or even catches you by surprise. Regardless, the truth is just that, and when we are true with ourselves, the easier it may be to be true to others, and so forth. Anyhow hope that makes sense, and i hope i listen to my own advice on this ;)

As i mentioned, next week i will start this gradual expansion of this blog, beginning to incorporate more content, mixes, and a bit more structure instead of just rambling on and on and on and on....its still very much a clean slate so if you have any ideas, please do lemme know what they are!

Anyhow have a fantabulous, safe weekend and make sure to enjoy it.

I was going to post a fun weekend kickoff track, but "Don't Sweat the Technique" doesn't allow the embedding of it for some reason. So, i move onto the next radio station and another early 90's jammy, "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Father MC and Jodeci:

And on that note how about another jammy from that era? LOVE it!

Morning Radio Station

2008-07-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today i had an old song in my radio station of a head, one i heard alot growing up as my father was a big fan of Billy Joel. It's funny, because i never liked my parents' music as a child. It wasn't "cool" enough, ya know? Thing is, then you get to high school/college, and you get past that, you realize that you love it more than anything. The Beatles? I couldn't stand them but now they're one of my favorites. Steely Dan, Celia Cruz, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson.........so so so many. I am thankful to my folks for having shaped my musical interests for so long.

Anyhow i have always written lyrics, songs and melodies, played guitar, although i guess you can say im just a "bedroom singer/songwriter", hehe. Billy Joel was always one of my faves, because he had it all from the voice to the keys to the lyrics and melody to boot.

Anyway, check out the tune below, and hopefully you'll see what i mean, and why he's such a brilliant artist.

Here are the lyrics. So simple yet passionate, and so poetic with such a wonderful flow. This particular song is called "Always A Woman", by Billy Joel.

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child,
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

CHORUS:
Oh--she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh--and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleedin'
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me
--Mhmm--

Bridge

CHORUS:
Oh--she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Oh--and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me
--Mhmm--

==========================

Anyways, hope you've already gotten your plans together for this weekend. Whatever you do, remember to make it a point to slow things down, and really appreciate every moment. It makes the day go by so much smoother, and you will enjoy it that much more.

Be safe and have a great day!

Pouring Sand into the Ocean

2008-07-02T09:53:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning eager to hit the day and get an early start and for the first time in awhile. I was anxious, excited to get the day started, and that's great because that is a feeling i have been lacking lately. Why is that? I admit, i have been trying to view things in a certain light, forcing my eyes to believe things that aren't. Kinda going through the motions and waiting for life to unfold instead of getting it. Do you ever make excuses for yourself, so much that you begin to believe them? Be honest. Anyhow that's exactly what i caught myself doing, and now that i look back at that i realize how silly i have been.

I don't really get why this morning was different, but then again maybe i do huh? I have been getting back in touch with my spiritual side, one that has been hibernating lately and i reaffirmed the place i am at. You know what, it feels great. Just little things like slowing things down, breathing deeply, really just absorbing the day. Right here, right now. It's crazy, but we all really do have the answers to most things, they are all before us if we're honest with ourselves. Sometimes it takes someone else to reawaken you, but more often than not, it's yourself that has the clues. Just open your eyes ;)

This Friday in San Francisco marks our 4th of July episode of HUSTLE, featuring DJ Sneak, Jason Hodges, Wally Callerio, and much more madness and mayhem. We tried this with our Yacht party @ this year's Winter Music Conference in Miami, and it was a very special event with the same cast and much more. Anyway if you don't have plans this weekend and wanna get away and get into something fun, join us up in San Francisco @ Mighty on Friday. BBQ Daytime, Fireworks @ night ;)

This is the 3rd week of THM blog, and still very much in it's initial stages. Gradually i will start incorporating a podcast, where you can check out several featured DJ mixes as well as some of our unreleased HAWT Music and samples of things to come. We'll also have a feature section where we'll showcase other cool sites, as well as friend's sites, so if you have one or know of something cool, please lemme know! We will also

Did you notice that it was July 2nd? That's right people, we are halfway through 2008! The summer is here so WAKE UP! This weekend hit up the beach, get outside, BBQ, and do things you're supposed to do on the 4th of July! After all we're celebrating our freedom so get out and have a blast. It's amazing to think what a beautiful world we live in, and sometimes we lose sight of the most amazing things due to tripping on small stuff. Sure, gas is pricey, our president is a baggadoosh, and this and that, but think of what we do have! We have the opportunity to do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whoever we want, so let the good times roll.

Okay, so the video below is a totally radical song by Smashing Pumpkins. I know i have seen the video a zillion times having grown up on MTV, but i never noticed until now how zany it is. Anyway, check it out!

China Cat Sunflower

2008-07-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Music.

It's just so amazing. A moment captured in a song, that can last forever and still send the same message at anytime, even in 1,000 years. I was thinking of this concept this morning, and i started skimming through and changing the virtual radio stations in my head to find a song i haven't heard in awhile, one that means alot to me, and one that i will hopefully have stuck in my head all day today.

Anyways, i thought of The Grateful Dead. I was first introduced to "the Dead" in high school, never really taking too much of a liking to them. I don't think i had given them too much chance, and maybe didn't hear the right albums, live sets. Then my first quarter of college, I came across their Europe '72 live album and i just couldn't let it go. To this day i've probably heard that particular one hundreds of times, and i love it because it really showcases them, Jerry Garcia, and the range of styles they have in a nutshell of a 2 CD set. They were very successful for decades, and one reason they were so popular was due to the innocent playfulness they had in their music, they were always having FUN. It showed everytime, starting with Jerry's huge smile, and the feeling their tunes conveyed.

Please do give it a listen, and peep the transition from "China Cat Sunflower" into "I Know You Rider", it soothes the soul.

Grateful Dead - 'China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider'

Music is the only thing that really makes me tick. It used to be sports, but after playing in college i hung my cleats up and now just play for fun. But music is the only thing that will always be there, a sort of guidance that, no matter what time or day, will sound just a sweet as it did the first time you heard it. It's amazing how you can hear a song, and instantly transport yourself back to that first time you experienced it, that exact time of your life and have that very feeling again! I get chills just thinking about it, and i know you feel me.

Lately, for whatever reason, I haven't come across too many new artists, types of music that have called my name. Maybe i haven't researched enough, or maybe its almost time for that next new sound to emerge? Either way, i can't wait to hear a song that inspires once again, for its been a minute. Got anything for me? Hit me please!

Nothing in the world can beat a sweet voice singing a sweet, sweet song.

And nothing beats the gift of a mixtape, or nowadays CD from a friend with music on it! I used to LOVE making these for my friends, even before house music for me, with a variety of music that i thought they might enjoy. So, that being said i'll be doing a podcast on here soon, just because there's so much music out there in the world, and never enough time =)

Outside The Box

2008-06-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Another great LA weekend in the books! This summer has gotten off to a fantastic start, the weather is just perfect, and the vibe is very much alive and kickin!

On Friday night we had our 3rd episode of GET FRESH!, with the OC invasion. It featured awesome music all around, starting off with Tyler and Jesse (first time ive seen them, they warmed up very good!), then on to OC veterans Wobs, Wally Callerio and Nonfiction. As expected, the music was on point all night so many thanks to all who played, and to Cade for teaming up with us again on this, and Eddie B for being Eddie B =)

On Saturday night, Gelly and I played at Space Island for a House meets Breaks party we were booked for. I really enjoyed it, first because we had a chance to play a bit differently, and for new dancers, ears, party people. We seemed to get a great reaction and we hd a great time.

After we played, we had a chance to check out the other room which consisted of Breaks and some Dubstep, which is pretty cool stuff. Its always nice to take part in events that are completely different, with a whole new crowd and new faces. I feel that lately we have been so busy with our House scene, that we don't have enough chance to think outside the box a bit and try new things.

Have any of you been to Burningman? It is one of those things I have wanted to check out for years, and I never get there for many reasons, from money to other stuff going on. Just a thought!

Anyhow, thinking outside the box and trying something new is always good. It takes you out of your comfort zone and makes you see things in a different light. One of two things can hapen, you will either love that thing you try, or you won't and you'll be even happier right where you're at. Try it ;)

Anyway, this weekend, HAWT is up in San Francisco with Sneak, Wally Callerio, and Jason Hodges and more. If you have no plans and wanna get out of town for the 4th, check it out. Otherwise on thursday night, Eddie B and Dave Parker are playing @ Pulse, so peep that if youre around!

love!

Lately...

2008-06-27T09:23:00.001-07:00

There's a Stevie Wonder song that I have always loved, one of those slow ballads he used to do, and still does so, uhhhhhh......wonderfully =) . It's caled "Lately", and many of my generation might only know it because Jodeci covered it on their MTV Unplugged in the early 90's. Their's is good too, but KC and Jojo can't be Stevie, and if anything I prefer the Red Hot Chili Peppers' rendition of "Higher Ground" anyday. (By the way he's playing the Hollywood Bowl soon! Anybody got tickets????)

Anyhow, I am a sucker for R&B, I admit it. I grew up with it and used to hate singing in choir @ school because they made us sing lousy songs, dated stuff, and then Church music and cheesy Neil Diamond stuff. Sweet! If we were lucky we'd get to sing "A Bridge Over Troubled Water", which has grown on me more and more over the years. I mean I also loved Alternative Rock, Salsa, and Hip Hop, but R&B has always had a huge place in my heart.

I had this friend of mine named Pete Utley who used to play basketball with us all the time, and I remember one day we got talking about music. Or friendship really sparked when I realized that he was also into Boyz 2 Men, ABC, and B.B.D, and much more, so we knew we were gonna be great friends.

One day we got sick of choir, and ditched practice (we were outlaws!) to walk around the back side of the campus and sing our own songs. I remember it being close to graduation time for us when we were in 8th grade, and all of us were preparing to enter the next phase of our lives, thinking that we'd already seen it all. It was kinda emotional for some, but all i wanted to do was play high school baseball finally. Regardless, those were times that always stay vivid in my mind. So vivid you can taste them, feel them as they were yesterday.

Lately, as i mentioned the other day, i feel like i've been in a rut of sorts, unsatisfied, like my energy has been misplaced and i need to enter that next phase. i dunno what it is exactly, but maybe, just maybe i do?

....i guess everything is always right in front of us. Maybe its the opportunity we have at all times, the fact that anybody can do anything if they set their mind to it? Maybe it's the person you love and can't live without, or the career you have chosen and are happy with.

Whatever your everything is, i feel it is important to figure out what it is. Without that guideline, that goal you strive for, it is easy to fall off course, to get sidetracked. It's important to figure out what it is that you want, what it is that you need, and what it is that you just can't live without.

When you cannot live without something, and nothing and nobody can ever stand in your way, you have found your passion. If it's something that you kinda want, but won't bend over backwards to get it, put in blood sweat and tears for, then maybe the passion isn't there, and maybe that may not be meant for you.

Cha Cha Radio & Summer heat ahead!

2008-06-26T11:53:00.001-07:00

Big thanks to Richard "slick dada" and frank lara for having hawt invade their studio yesterday for their weekly Internet radio show, cha cha radio. Mike magana and I had a blast and we look forward to doing it again soon! I have known these guys probably longer than anyone in the l.a. House scene, going back to the release days, and when deep was still rotating with revival on Sundays at the old spots, club vinyl, etc.

Anyhow these guys have been living house music for ages, and I thank both of them, Richard especially for always having been such a positive influence on our scene and with us too. Same goes for big cee, who rolled thru to hang with us for a bit in the studio.

The weekend is almost here, do you know what youre getting into? Feels like summertime has now made a statement, and I think this summer is gonna shatter records for high temperatures. I mean, I love hot weather, I was born in Puerto RICO, lived in and love Miami for the humidity, but lately LA has been crazy! I can't imagine what late July and august is gonna feel like, but it beats the cold anyday!

We almost have the sets from the hawt beatdown ready for download, so stay tuned!

Forever Waking Up...

2008-06-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Today i will share a written piece that ties into what i have been thinking about alot lately, and how i feel the need to recreate myself again, start anew, move onto something fresh and full of life.....another phase.

The way one feels really does always boil down to the way one perceives things, so that being the case, why is it so difficult to make those tiny adjustments? Well, i feel everything goes hand in hand, and nothing happens overnight, so patience and faith are crucial.

Some say that forming a habit takes a minimum of 30 days. For instance, a diet, quitting smoking, waking up early, or even changing the thought processes that make up your brain. In other words, without patience, it is difficult to reawaken, and without faith, one may seldom see the light that recreates the self.

Read this piece, hopefully it will kickstart an awakening in you too =)

mikey

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The World of Intensive Practice

- Kosho Uchiyama (1912-1999)

Regardless of conditions, what is essential in doing zazen is just to sit, aiming at zazen and waking up to zazen. In just sitting and waking up to zazen, the various conditions going on in our heads simply become the scenery of our zazen!

The world we live in is not something that exists independently of our thoughts and ideas. Our world and these thoughts and ideas appear to us as a unified whole. Depending on what our thoughts and ideas are, our world may appear to us in completely different ways. These thoughts and feelings constitute our psychological condition. Moreover, our psychological condition is at the same time our physiological condition. When something breaks down inside of us physically, our minds no longer remain clear. And if our minds are not clear, then the eyes with which we see the world and our views of life become dark. Our lives and the whole world take on a gloomy appearance

On the other hand, when we feel healthy our minds brighten, and consequently our outlook on everything becomes brighter. Furthermore, our physiological conditions are tremendously influenced by the environment in which we live. The changes and conditions of climate and weather both affect us. This cause and effect relationship is particularly easy to see when you lead a life as unvaried and devoid of distractions as the sesshins at Antaiji.

The essential matter here is the attitude of just striving to wake up regardless of the conditions you are in. It is not about arriving at some state where all thoughts have disappeared. To calmly sit amidst these cause-and-effect relationships without being carried away by them is shikantaza.

Like the weather, there are all sorts of conditions in our personal lives: clear days, cloudy days, rainy ones, and stormy ones. These are all waves produced by the power of nature and are not things over which we have control. No matter how much we fight against these waves, there is no way we can make a cloudy day clear up. Cloudy days are cloudy; clear days are clear. It is only natural that thoughts come and go and that psychological and physiological conditions fluctuate accordingly. All of this is the very reality and manifestation of life. Seeing all this as the scenery of life, without being pulled apart by it-this is the stability of human life, this is settling down in our life.

This is the same as the zazen we do. We always try to sit zazen aiming at being steadily awake here and now. Yes, it's not a matter of being able to adhere to the sitting, since we inevitably slide away from it. So we move away from sitting and then we wake up again; we move away again, and wake up to it again. Zazen is the very posture of forever waking up. As long as we have this attitude, all thoughts that occur to us when we move away from the sitting become the scenery of zazen. The times when we can strictly maintain the posture and awareness of sitting are also the scenery of zazen. It is not that the cessation of all thought is satori and good, and the arising of thoughts and the tendency to chase after them is delusion and bad. Just sitting, transcending good or evil, satori or delusion, is the zazen that transcends the sage and the ordinary person.

My Morning Shake & Pop with the Cops

2008-06-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

so I woke up this morning bright and early and decided to go to the gym and workout. I had a light snack and spent about 20 minutes loading new music to listen to while I got my sweat on. Anyway, Im ready to rock and hop out the door and I'm on my way......so I thought.

I start my car and get ready for my literally 2 minute drive down the way to workout, and throw on that led zepellin song that I been rockin lately to fire me up. I get out the driveway and to the stop sign fifty feet from my house and see a police car parked there, so being the safe driver I am, I make sure to stop for a good 5 to 7 seconds, making sure the oncoming cars pass first. So I make my left and on to the gym I go.

So, apparently I am doing something wrong here, was I being TOO cautious? The sherrif flips a bitch, right behind me with his lights on! All I'm thinking us you have gotta be shittin me! And he pulls my law-breaking, delinquent ass over.

Now, I'm no saint, I've had my share of tickets like the rest of us, but its been years and I'm always doing what I can to abide by driving laws. Anyhow, apparently this cop was training his new partner, because I felt like a crash test dummy the way they treated me! Of course, I didn't bring my wallet, as my gym I.D. is on my keys, but they still made me sit in the backseat of their cop car as they searched mine, repeatedly asking me why I don't signal when I turn and that its the law. Wow.

Not only that, they asked my age and assumed I'd said 88, and not 78 for my year of birth. In other words I am by far older than both of these guys.

So by this point I'm sitting in the backseat, wondering why I hadn't slept in or gone for a jog instead, and decide to go with the flow rather than be that guy and ask them how bored they must obviously be to hassle me, or ask them if they pulled me over due to my shaved head, or if they didn't have better things to do like catch people speeding, or if the donut shop was closed today, or why I needed to signal so badly if there was nobody around, etc.

So I start chit chatting with these kids, who didn't know the 2 head Sherriffs that i knew personally, obviously because they are rookies or something, and before I know it he's bro-ing out with me, asking how I like my gym, if I have the turbo vw, even what kinda music I play, to which it struck a nerve and he wanted to know when and where...

So I got a fix it ticket even though they coulda towed me and cuffed me, not having my license or insurance, and he told me to enjoy my workout, apparently saying I could carry on with my day..

wow!

So moral of the story?

One, always signal when turning! In fact do all obvious things no matter how close to home you may be.

Two, always be cool with cops, never try to prove your point, as they probably already pulled you over and don't like it when you smartass with them.

Three, once in that situation, deal with it and admit you're wrong. In the past i have taken a different approach, and it has not worked. Instead of asking them why they pulled you over for no using your turn signal with nobody even around, say, "you're absolutely right officer! I dunno what I was thinking, I must have been so concerned ith my workout, blah blah blah"....

After all, they are just doing their job i guess. Just like we all gotta do ours, right?

I did think it as rather unnecessary to search my car, but i was also glad i didn't have anything in there i shouldn't have had ;)

SO there I go. My day is now starting after a run in with my cop buddies. So, if anyone meets an officer Pedroia or Mendez at the next HAWT event, you know how they got the info ;)

Tuesday morning, and if any of you don't have plans tonight, I highly suggest you go down to Focus for the 5 year Anniversary tonight with Green Velvet! I have never had the chance to see GV, although he has always been one of my all time favorite producers. I LOVE his originality, from beats to lyrics to the whole nine. If you don't know Green Velvet, you really should shake and pop your butt down there tonight!

Simplify

2008-06-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

So I heard that George Carlin just passed away this morning.

He has always been one of my favorite comedians. From the first time I heard "The 7 Words You Can't Say On Television" with my Dad, and pretty much everytime after, he has always been one of those guys that made me laugh uncontrollably. He's right up there with Richard Pryor. Look him up on youtube and you'll see. I first heard the news this morning, when i overheard someone talking about it. Apparently he had a history of heart problems, but was fine and doing his daily routine just hours before. Suddenly something went wrong, he was rushed to the hospital, and he died. He lived a full, action packed life. He lived his dream, and for that all should celebrate his life forever.

On another note, my buddy and fellow HAWT resident Eddie B is missing his record bag. It was last seen at a small get together @ our friend Jesus' house after HAWT on Friday night. Hopefully someone accidentally grabbed it, because we only invited friends and a few of their friends came thru, so it would be a huge let down if they never reappeared. Please respond privately if you might know of the whereabouts =) Eddie is one of my dearest friends, and i know this hurts him alot. He is the kind of person who still digs and digs for records, spending countless hours searching for hard to find records. He has put so much heart into his collection, that losing any part of it is like someone stealing your car or something.

Anyhow, I leave you with a Zen saying: "Life is the only thing worth living for."

Sometimes I tend to focus on things that do not maximize my best and highest use. I tend to beat myself up about things, and continue doing things that i feel are necessary, but really may not be. Do you ever put yourself second to something or someone you love, almost too much where you come last and your own priorities aren't addressed? I feel I do, and I want to work on that. If you do, so should you =)

Sometimes simplifying things helps you put those things in perspective.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

2008-06-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

So i got a text last night from some random number, inviting me to a lil get together this Sunday. At first i was wondering the usual, "who in the world could this be????", until they followed with another one saying, "by the way, in case you forgot the address, here it is", and so on and so forth.

Although at first I had no idea who it could be, the address gave it away and clued me in. I remembered it was my very good buddy from high school, one of my best friends growing up. The kinda friend who I told things in deepest confidence, knowing that he would never tell a soul. He knew about my passion for music long before anyone ever did (i was a very shy kid). The kinda friend who would get in trouble, and get into a fight just because somebody messed with you (hey i went to an all boy school so it happened!). Even moreso, the kinda friend that comes over to your house, unannounced, walks right thru your door, and will hang out with your parents watching TV and shooting the shit, just because he's family like that. I'm sure you guys had hose friends right? Or maybe you were the one going to your bud's house. In other words, it was great to hear from him, and his message made me think about alot of things.

I hardly ever get to see my buddy anymore lately, mostly because we have our separate lives, schedules, passions. Regardless though, its the type of friendship where ages can go by, yet your bond is so tight that if you saw them again, it would be like you'd seen them yesterday. I liked that feeling I got when i saw that it was him, I missed hanging with him and cannot wait to catch up soon.

What does that tell me? Aside from the reminder that I'm almost 30 already, yet feel like I'm 20, i realized that i have other "family" in my life that i miss dearly. How many of us have friends we miss or have not seen in ages for these very same reasons? When was the last time you spoke to them even? Or parents, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc that we haven't talked to in awhile?

Well, I can almost guarantee that we all do. Maybe it isn't the same dynamic in your relationship as to mine, but regardless, try making that call sometime soon, or your own unannounced visit. Even if it's something you might dread, maybe because your Mom may drill you and ask you a million and one questions that you cannot stand, or your friend that you don't wanna call because it's been so long, do it anyways. Odds are that they will be pleasantly surprised, just as i was, and that they still LOVE you more than ever. Try it, you just might make their day and have some goodness coming back at you too. Showing love is maybe the most precious thing you have in this world, and guess what, it's FREE to use, there's unlimited minutes on it and you don't need to buy a "Love: for dummies" book.

I know, i'm cheesy like that, but i give all of you the money back guarantee on that ass that if you simply try to LOVE a little bit more in your life, and just put in that conscious effort, you will indeed get it BACK. It's contagious. Do it as a trial experiment, and you'll see that it works. Maybe you won't notice right away, but you will, and soon. And if you don't, then maybe your effort can be stronger. Try it!

,

Anyways, it's friday! Once again i'm about to go drive around in the Valley heat, but i'm kinda looking forward to it (i know it sounds gnarly). Not because of that heat but because its the weekend and i'm excited. Plus i am going to make some of those calls myself to some of those friends and family that i haven't spoken to in quite awhile.

My buddy already made my day, so hopefully i can keep that string going!

have a grrrrrrrreat day and weekend, and if you want something fun to do tonight, peep the lil flyer on my picture ;)

Oh yeah, on that note The Love Guru opens this weekend i think, it looks pretty funny!

..
LOVE!

m

change is good

2008-06-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

So apparently summertime is officially here, and it's a beautiful, sunny day in LA.

I was in the LA valley yesterday, running some errands and driving around from noon until 3pm, and boy lemme tell ya, thank goodness for AC in my car. It was reportedly 105 degrees, my chapstick melted, my gum melted, and luckily I no longer carry vinyl around or else that woulda melted too, for sure. I'm glad gas prices have been so affordable lately or else I would have had to fill up my 12 gallon tank for 60 bucks ;P

Anyhow, lately I have been on this trip.....well, not a trip, but more like I've been stuck in this thought process where I feel like change is necessary. Could be the weather, could be the change of season, or it could mean that I need to reorganize some things or priorities in my life, but whatever it may be, it's rather exciting. I'm ready and anxious.

Sometimes change is a scary thing, because we tend to feel so comfortable where we are at that we don't want to switch anything up, we get complacent where we are and changing your program takes work. Well, I want that change right now more than ever. I wanna get out of my comfort zone and start something fresh, take on some uncharted territory and make it mine. That is part of the reason I'm writing about this now, because I have always been the kind of person who did things better when I held myself accountable.

You ever heard the saying, "sometimes you have to throw your hat over the fence, so that you have to go get it"? Well, in a nutshell, that's what I'm doing. So check back in here periodically for updates, unless you have better things to do, which am sure you do!

Anyhow, here we go....

SO i am committing to writing a daily blog. I have alot to say, and I am gonna say it as long as someone listens. Actually, since I'm helping myself out, I guess I'll do it even if I'm the only one reading it....

after all, remember that no matter how difficult it may be, change will do you good....

So if you're in a similar situation in your life right now, I challenge you to take that leap of faith with me. If you're tired or bored or just sick of a particular situation in your life, try something new. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. Try changing something today, you never know what it may bring....

love!

m