DIPSOMANIA

Designate a Driver

Ghetto Child - Make It Hapn

thanks to Baidawi

A long time observation

Now ah doh know if anybody talk about it before or if is that because ah have 4 eyes ah seein more into things that actually there, but I've noticed something for a few years now.

Why is it that the extremely homophobic Jamaican male population are seriously into the homosexual style of dress and appearance?

Living in New York I see gay men everyday and when I see Jamaicans, especially in the music videos, why are they wearing the same kind of tight up pants, cosquel colours that don't match, all kinna funky patterns and style of cloth, then cover that up with a jacket and string two three dog chain from a pants loop.

This kinda style and fashion is seen on men in Greenwich Village a mecca for homosexuals in NYC and those involved in the fashion industry. (Now doh lemme get started on Lexxus aka Mr. Lex and his faux hawk that would get him many a glance and even a pips from some men.)

It is just so funny that they bash homosexuals so much yet dress just like them and profile to boot.
I am not gay and have no intentions of ever becoming so, but in my mind why are you imitating, looking like and definitely could be mistaken for someone you proport to hate?

So my conclusion is this, either you stop bashin them to that degree or disassociate yourself completely. Yuh cyah be straddling the fence.

Heineken Green Synergy - T&T 2007 - semis 02

DATE - 12th August 2007
VENUE - the EDGE @ Paria Suites
TIME - 1800hrs

well well well... i guess it can get better... lemme just say that MEMPHIS, who made the 'real' semis last year, came out looking for other competitors from last year... and thoroughly impressed.

the setup was nice and cozy... sorry no pics i forgot the cam home... Console on the table, a lipstick camera on the gypsum ceiling looking down onto it. We used the lipstick camera because a certain judge complained for the other semi that he couldn't see if the competitors we're cheating... I guess u can't see what u don't know u looking for... dooh!

the judges were closer this time and also on a height so they could see the console... yeah the lipstick cam was used for WOW factor alone... even though WINTV wanted a feed from it... sorry guys maybe next time you would walk with extra cables and batteries for your cameras... ;)... Jus Jase was also present this week and I couldn't help but laugh at the expression he sometimes made during performances... Carl, Alicia and Tweez were there too... no Carl I not entering...

The talent was better than the first semi... with returning contestants from last year's installment... so i guess some guys came better prepared... the line up was

1. Artical
   
2. Young Simo
   
3. Serato Tigger
   
4. DJ Asif (not to be mistaken for female DJ As-If)
   
5. Skelly
   
6. Memphis
   

it was also good to see guys from the first semi coming to see their competition... Selector D, Daddy Richie and DJ Sir. Sir had his hand in a cast which most definitely would put him at a disadvantage if he made it to the finals... but i don't think that gonna happen either... too many other good performances this week... and he was actually the DJ who set the bar by being the first contestant in this year's competition... hope the hand heals well SIR.

back to the competition...

Artical was aight... thats all I can say cause Memphis stole the show and I can't really remember what he did but i have to save the best for last... :D

Young Simo... said he came prepared but made a crucial error from the start... left all of his volume slides down... hit play... then looked at the tech support in awe... I informed him of his error and he fumbled again by asking the judges to start over... "Jus PLAY the TUNE" was the general response... Simo recovered well enough but really wasn't as ready as he said he was.

Serato Tigger hailing from Tobago where the crown currently resides... no he didnt play using Serato... we all expected it but this week nobody walked with a piece of extra equipment... only 2 CDs and a pair of headphones... anyhooo... Tigger spoke to the crowd and said he came to teach... but i think he need to go back to school... "Your Fader work need improvement son... you playing with a heavy hand so u lucky it wasn't a vinyl competition..." the ideas were there but not very well executed... another competitor remarked that what he was hearing wasn't scratching... so i waited for his performance to see better... Tigger finished his set with just under 2 minutes of his allotted 10 minutes remaining... it left alot of us bemused...

Asif .... the turntable assassin... alrighty... he apparently kills turntables for a living... Asif I still waiting to see/hear you scratch better than Tigger... that lil stabbup ting u do twice wasnt better that anything Tigger did... i think he actually got more points than you... alright i go take it easy... stick to killing turntables... and although you may have had that Linkin Park in your routine b4 u came to the EDGE... it sounded like u tried to steal it from Tigger... and guess what he executed it better... the routine was going good until u drastically change the tempo with the Super Cat session... maybe next time

time for a commercial break because this is when we all took a 10 minute break... felt more like half hour to forty-five minutes... ask WINTV why we had a break... at least the judges had time to Eat A Food...

Skelly travelled from Santa Cruz to represent and he did so quite well... nothing real special, nothing really stood out... but he was good... definitely had some decent mixes... the ending was even very novel... Call Me Anytime...

now to the big man of the evening... the man who used less than 7 minutes to do what he had to do... MEMPHIS...
stated from start that he came looking for DJs to battle but none showed up... TRUE... I guess they feel they too good for the competition... thats y... i eh going there... I will not spoil the tricks he did but only tell allyuh to watch WINTV to see it for yourselves... It was real VIBES... d man had the crowd going from start to finish... ok ok ... a lil snippet... can u say CRAB?.. and real nice looking too...

So, allyuh tune in to WINTV and catch the performances... and i hope that next time around i get my 5 seconds of fame on TV... I won't be reviewing the next Semi which should be @ the LYNX in Chaguanas neither the T&T Finals in Pier 1... I would definitely try to be there for the Regional Finals, world famous Zen... but A A...

till next time... KEEP PRACTICING...

Oh Yeah... FUNKMASTER K & CARBON... MEMPHIS wants to BATTLE... he say to Call him ANYTIME!!

Brick & Lace - Love is Wicked

The new single from the Jamaican female trio dou Nyanda and Nailah akaBrick & Lace

Gang War Medley

Elephant Man - Let's get PIRATED

After posting about reggaecounty.com i visited and found this interview that was done with Elephant Man. At the time of the interview 13 tracks off his upcoming album had not yet been leaked onto the internet. Also, they were not yet advised that the album launch/release had already been pushed back to November...

I was told this by a BadBoy after I commented on how weak the album tracks were. Guess who was surprised to learn that the tracks were leaked, considering he had only got the mastered versions a couple of hours before. I also learned that the delay had nothing to do with this leak but BadBoy's need to promote another one of their artists at this time.

So, the pirates strike again and Elephant gets a chance to actually have better tracks on the album this November.

High energy Elephant Man is shaking things up on his upcoming album entitled "Let's Get Physical". After a couple of false starts trying to reach the “energy god" I was able to amass a tiny peak of information on what to expect from Ele on his upcoming album.

“Suh how u do?” I began, "I'm sure your schedule is just as you like it--hectic and full of comings and goings?” I added, especially as I knew that he had missed his flight to NYC earlier that week.

“Yeah…You know it hectic, but we have to find time for you to deal wit’ it!” Ele responded---I didn’t need to be told twice that time was precious!
Born O'Neil Bryan—from the Seaview Gardens area in Kingston, Elephant Man, 34, aka “Energy god”, came onto the dancehall scene as a member of Scare Dem Crew. After leaving Scare Dem back in 1999 he signed a 3 album deal with Greensleeves from which we got Comin' 4 You --touted as one of the of the most consistent and pure dancehall albums at the time, followed by Log on and Higher Level. But the album most noteworthy to date is Good 2 Go (VP/Atlantic)—that made 2003 a breakthrough year for Ele with dancehall tracks such as Signal De Plane, Jook Gal and Pon de River for which he received a Source Award for Dancehall/Reggae Artist of the Year.

The new album, Let’s Get Physical, in stores August 14, 2007, a collaborative effort between VP and Bad Boy Records is according to Ele, “what the world has been waiting for…this is the many moods of Elephant now—when them hear this, them going to say—WOW--we never look for Elephant to come this way.”

The first single off the album “Five-O”, with Wyclef Jean featuring Diddy, a non energetic style song—but in its way still exuding Elephant’s energy--is a departure from the new-dance vibe that we have come to expect from this authentic dancehall dj. But, his approach was to come with something totally different—unpredictable.

“[Because of] the last album “Good to Go” everybody [is now] coming to expect me to do dancing, or girl- jump-around… [it] deh pon the album but me come different…because—you can’t get up and repeat y’self every minute...” Ele went on to mention that although there are up-tempo dancehall tracks on the album, he didn’t want it to be the first single. The album also features songs such as Jump, in collaboration with Swizz Beatz, Throw your hands up featuring Rihanna and our own Shaggy will be featured on the remix of The way we roll.

With a line-up of collaborations on the album that could almost suggest it’s a hip hop album--Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Yung Joc, Rihanna, Mya, among others I had to express a concern that perhaps the album may have too much of a hip hop feel…

“The riddim we put the hip hop artists on is dance hall—that’s the trick of it.” Ele explained, “Remember seh a dancehall we a represent u nuh—u see me! …[We] went into the studio—we did some exclusives, nuthin’ regular [that] you hear pon no radio … you can hear [the album] an’ know seh Elephant went into the studio an’ do some work!… We have the other artists like Mya and Rihanna them to give [the album] the flavor to carry it to the next level—u understand—yeah!” Nuff said!

Not to be outdone with the latest dances that is synonymous with dance hall riddims, Ele says that you can look to see new dances such as, Cut dem off, Tek weh u self, Three-step and Move. For those who are not into doing the latest dances, Ele also has, in addition to Five-O, a song called, Gangsta Rock that was written for all the original bad man types who only rock to music.
Aside from the energy that we have come to expect from dance hall djs such as Ele who set the tone for how we dance when we’re ready to party, is the unforgettable sense of style that dance hall brings; and for this, Ele has become a stand-out dance hall fashion icon. He prides himself with staying true to what epitomizes dance hall thanks to Shabba Ranks, whom he admires. With this in mind I asked Ele to give us some requirements for women and men to pull off the authentic dance hall look. Below Ele has given us the must-have basics.

Ladies…keep it nice and clean.

Nice hairstyle
Manicure and pedicure
A nice necklace
The ears must have the bling
Nice shoes
Designer dress

Men…to impress the ladies the must-haves are:

Nice pinky ring
Nice watch that stands out to represent the bling
Color--show some colors—very important in the dance hall scene…and you’re good to go.

There is no stopping Ele with this album. He promises it’s going to be his best album yet, not only is it a classic, it’s crazy, according to Ele. Look out for Elephant Man on Tour this coming September and for those who will be in Jamaica for Reggae Sumfest this month—when I asked Ele if he was going to be there, his response was, “Yeah Mon!”

Reggaecountry.com announces MP3 Pilot

Reggaecountry.com officially announced that it has commenced a pilot to offer thousands of reggae tracks and albums, both new and old, in the MP3 format through its digital store. Reggaecountry's DRM-free MP3 strategy will allow customers to play their music on virtually any of their personal media devices, including iPod™, Zunes™, Zens™, MP3 capable mobile phones and to burn songs to CDs for personal use.

"We are indeed excited to be able to offer this service to our site visitors through this effort. We look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing reggae artists such as like Sean Paul, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Ce’cile, Bounty Killer among others,” commented Sean Anderson, President of Reggae Country Inc.

Along with the efforts to offer DRM-free music in the online store, the company will also offer the same through it’s mobile music partner Didiom. Through its partnership with Didiom, Reggaecountry.com is able to extend its reach to any Windows Mobile smartphones on any carrier network, allowing reggae music lovers to enjoy their music on the go.

Since its inception, Reggaecountry.com has gradually built a reputation of being a stellar source for reggae music, videos and valuing the feedback received from its citizens (site visitors). "This move is as a result of the overwhelming feedback that we have received from our site visitors,” said Christopher Rose, Vice President of Operations of Reggae Country Inc.

About ReggaeCountry™
Reggaecountry.com™, a reggae music digital download site, opened its virtual doors to online reggae enthusiasts in June 2005. It offers strictly reggae music and features the best selections from leading and emerging reggae artists and bands. The online catalogue has a plethora of music in every reggae sub-genre and music is added continuously.

Reggaecountry.com™ is licensed to provide thousands of reggae tracks and albums online for download.

*** I never liked the quality of the WMAs they provided. Let's hope that the encoding of the MP3s is better.

Grenada Grenada

Throughout the first two weeks of August, the island of Grenada will be hosting two major events; Grenada Carnival, on Monday, August 6 - Wednesday, August 15, which follows the Annual Carriacou Regatta Festival which extends from Friday, August 3 - Monday, August 6.

Late July and early August are the most festive periods of the island, entertaining through various elements and aspects of their culture. The Carriacou Regatta Festival is in its 42nd year of success. The event mainly involves the showmanship of boat owners who will compete in a series of races.

Carnival on the other hand, is a common activity among Caribbean countries hosted each year. The Grenada Carnival lasts for two days but there are several events leading up to the actual day- most of which involve the showcase of music such as the Steel Pan competition.

These events show that culture is not ruled by a set belief but by the way people express themselves whether it is by sports, food or music. Nonetheless it must be recognized that music spirits most events in the Caribbean - these two are just a couple to mention.

Analog to Digital using USB

You have Audio Cassettes and Vinyl Records and you keep them around because you can't get that mixtape (Chinese Laundry DUB 7) anywhere else, but the problem is that the car Audio system doesn't have a cassette player. What do you do? You call me and I charge you a nominal fee to Digitize your media and put it on an Audio CD/MP3 CD/ MP3 DVD... I don't convert DVD Audio... no market.

Or you can do it yourself even easier now with the ION Audio range of products... I hold no brief for ION Audio but they have simplified the process with you the user only needing one available USB port on your machine... MAC or PC... i despise that word PC... it means Personal Computer... duh my iMac is my Personal Computer... whatever... you will be able to hook it up to your box whether it runs Windows or Mac OS.

Now it isnt a new idea or technology but it certainly taps into markets that require such devices. I do conversions... mainly video, but I also have the occasional LP to transfer... I just remembered I have one for meh uncle to do... and it makes the process simpler. I would usually have to hook up my turntables thru a mixer then from mixer to computer... this usually created alot of other useless noise... i can now plug straight into the computer... no extra wires, no extra equipment. With a tape player u could have gone straight into the computer so that hasn't changed much... just the cable used and where it plugs in.

ION Audio is the solution for the enthusiast who needs to backup a collection and subsequently host small functions.

Roe Delgado - Grandes Amigos (Caribbean Riddim)

Music Produced by: Syrix & Bassix for Irievibrations Records
Mixed by: Adria Canet
Video Produced by: prohydestudios
golden black music.2007
reggae españa spanish

you can get more songs off the riddim album Caribbean Selections on emusic.com