MJ A ROCKER

In honor of his birthday next weekend!

Some of you thought it was a joke ... but it's very very real ... and finally here ... ! Our tribute to Michael Joseph Jackson .. imagine Sir Coxsone in the engineering seat instead of Quincy and your about half-way there ... Included are I Want You Back, Rock With You, Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, and The Way You Make Me Feel ... These aren't instrumentals or covers-per-se ... you just gotta hear it to believe it ...

as MC Zulu would say ...
SPREAD THE WORD!
DOWNLOAD IT

Third Thursday, Free Mixes!

In our tireless effort to give YOU the people more of what you want, I'm introducing a new series on the ol' Drastics blog ...

Third Thursday DJ Mix ... Some of you might be aware of the mixes I put together under "The Blends" ... a couple are posted on our myspace page ...

Anyway, I decided to start a collection of reggae mixes each profiling a member of the group here ... We all (obviously) like Jamaican music but we all like certain styles a lil more than others ... This month to kick things off I humbly offer The Bijan Mix.

Read More/Download The Mix

[The Drastics]

bizarro day

So in a strange twist, Pimpernel yelled at me about my lack of posting. Well, ain't that a kick in the pants. I will admit I have been somewhat of a scofflaw in my posting frequency as of late, but with good reason. Mostly just been busy on other work, as well as some silly shit. So here we go on a short list of things ... cause the world needs LAUGHTER.

First off, we released another-couple-of-new tracks on the ol' Drastics myspace. Check that out here ... The tracks are (collectively) called "Fraudulent Parts 1 & 2" and are probably different then anything you've heard before. Kind of a modern rocksteady with hiphop rhymes on top of it. The second part is some dancehall, but like ... I dunno, if The Roots played dancehall? Cause it's live. So yeah ...

Let's see ... oh, also on the music tip, ex-Drastics guitarist Elliot Ross finally got around to puttin' up some tracks from our hip-hop project. Moongriffin. Phantom Crew of Intelligent Robots (yours truly) is on them beats ... ya heard? Again, you probably never heard some shit like this before ... think outsider artist hears one track by the Beastie Boys and one track by Kool Keith and decides to record some hip hop ... plus we gonna be puttin' some tracks up soon with the Intelligent Robots on the mic ... oh my! If you go listen this shizz start with "3 Dolla Bus Trick" ... that's the hit!

and then ... well, it's been a lot of freelance design work and thing ... the Drastics site is getting a complete overhaul, plus I've completed work on some websites n things. I gave my new buddy JT Nero a hand with his myspace page. He just had his CD release show last Saturday at Schubas (and was a Chicago Reader's Pick) and it was a darn good time. Well except for this wasted girl picking a fight with me and then her boyfriend getting into it. Fuckin a.

oh, and then for those of you who don't know, Drastic Bassman, Chris Merrill, was in a mighty strange accident as we were leaving the Hideout two Thursdays ago. Ol boy fell on some ice and broke his legsicle and tore a ligament. Damn. Chris went under the knife las Friday and is recovering (albeit painfully) from what he tells me. Why is the Drastics cursed?

and finally, here is a bitchin' font i found on my work computer labeled "TcatsHo" which is exactly what you think. A dingbat font of characters from the Thundercats. brilliant.

look at this guy!

Drastics' singer/frontman/life-coach MC ZULU was the feature in this weeks Sharp Darts in the Chicago Reader ...

hah!

more music

so here's another mix that got used on "Echo Beach", Chicago's only dub reggae show (WLUW 88.7fm) ... mixed together by yer's truly, this one is entitled "Cool Down the Pace" ... I did this mix shortly after my accident sort of as a way to prove to myself that I wasn't an invalid and partly because it was so damn HOT ... the alternate title to this mix was "City Too Hot: The Cast Mixtape" ... cause, ya know, those dudes hustling mixtapes off the subway are always titling their shit way epically like that ... ya heard !? So yeah, this one is 99% dubwise ... enjoy!



here's your tracklist

16.1. Brad Osborne - King of Zion Dub
16.2. Roots Radics - Tubby's Daddy Dub
16.3. The Upsetters - Grumbling Dub
16.4. Little Roy - Tribal War Version
16.5. Super 8 Corporation - 23rd Version
16.6. Junior Moore - Love Me Little Girl
16.7. The Crystalites - Lippy
16.8. Linval Thompson - Jah Peoples Dub
16.9. Scientist - Wa Di Is Free
16.10. Junior Reid - Human Nature Version
16.11. Culture - Jah Jah See Them A Come Version
16.12. The Revolutionaries - Shango
16.13. Prince Douglas Sunshine Dub
16.14. Tommy McCook - Roots of Africa
16.15. Horace Andy - Prophesy
16.16. The Tamlins - Lovelight Crucial Version
16.17. King Tubby - Killa Dub
16.18. The Heptones & Lee Perry Allstars - Serious Time Version
16.19. The Drastics w/ Ralph "Soul" Jackson – Dub Me Back

tyrone green and his reggae band

I thought they were going to sing "Dayyyyohhhh"

F.F.F.

Five Feet Found in Canada

It is the fifth human foot to wash up on beaches in the area in the past year. The latest find is a left foot, whereas the other four were right feet.

They just did a whole story on this the on NPR and, I swear to god, there was a soundbite of a guy saying "Well, we just don't know how it happened, there's no signs of trauma so these feet might have just fallen off naturally."

...
...

Now, I assume he meant "naturally" as in the person was dead already and through decomposition and water current, the foot separated, but ... could a phrased that better.

in less gruesomeness ...
This is a nice lil' reggae mix put together by chicago reggae DJ Rikshaw aired on "Echo Beach", the same program I did a mix for a few months back ... Rikshaw used to do every Sunday at Sonotechque. Recorded live at the Abbey Pub as warm up to Mad Professor, April 5th, 2008.

hey, here i am

EVERY FIRST THURSDAY
DRASTIC DUB NIGHT
AT
REGGIE'S MUSIC JOINT
2105 S STATE ST, CHICAGO IL

TONIGHT!
JULY 3rd
9pm 'till CLOSE
ONLY FIVE BUX

ON THE MIC
MC ZULU
FADA DOUGOU

ON THE DECKS
BOSSLADY DJ
ANTRON9K
SPIN REGGAE + DOWNHOME SOUL

ALSO FEATURING
-> GIANT SPIDERS IN SHORT PANTS
-> CHARLIE MCCARTHY LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST
-> HEADLESS HEROES OF THE APOCALYPSE
-> DRIVE BY LAUGH-OUTS
-> WORKS ON SAND PAPER
-> REPLICA TROUT MASKS
-> PLUS SIZE PENGUINS
-> TAR + FEATHERING CONTEST
->ONTOLOGICAL CRISISESES
-> ERRRRD FEEEEEFTEH FERRRRRRRR
->VACATION SLIDE SHOWS
->MINIATURE RECREATION FIREWORKS

tonite ....

ITS TIME...
THE REGGAE CHIMERA IS BEING LET OFF THE LEASH
SEND THE KIDS TO THE NEIGHBORS CAUSE TONITE ...



JUNE 5th
AT REGGIE'S (21st + STATE)
CHICAGO, IL
9pm ... ONLY $5

THE DRASTICS
HANGING OUT IN ABANDONED SUMMER CAMPS ON THE LAKE

FADA DOUGOU
BACK FROM THE DEAD FOR REVENGE!

MC ZULU
CONJURING NECRONOMICAL SPELLS FOR THE KIDDIES!

DJ CHUCK WREN
SPINNING ROOTS + CULTURE

FOOD + DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT!
CHEAP EATS + DRINKS!

shameless

NEW TRACK!
THE DRASTICS + FADA DOUGOU + ZULU
live in st. louis
PROPHET SONG
... if you ever diss BARACK OBAMA ... YOU DEAD!

special thanks to ron shoemaker of GREEN ROOM ROCKERS for getting this recording to us

back!

but not much to contribute as i'm still recouping from the weekend ... i will definitely be sharing some of the stories of cops and drunks and bitchy artist types soon ...

in the meantime ... definitive proof that i AM actually a DJ ...
here's a vinyl mix i put together for "Echo Beach" an excellent (and as far as i know, ONLY) dub-centric radio show in Chicago ... so hit that play button and sit back for an hour or so ... vintage vinyl + exclusive/unreleased drastics and deals gone bad dubs ... mo fiyah!

i shoulda posted this a while back, it aired on april 25 ...




track list here

drastics vidjoes

yo, so fada dougou is all about posting lil videos of us on the youtubes ... check em out ... some good stuff ...

this is actually a really tight jam i don't remember anything about, but gonna try to pull this out again ...


totally uplanned, but that break still kills me ... hard as hellllll

I'm the microphone master, money makin' man...

... And I got more rock than Bon Jovi's band

just throwing another installment of 80s hip hop at ya.
currently listening to "Ugly People Be Quiet" as performed by Cash Money & Marvelous.
this tune is another jam. starts out with the opening piano line from Tears for Fear's "Head Over Heels" (though other websites claim it's a sample from Tears for Fear's "Shout" ... wrong Shout ...). from what i've gathered CM & M were a later day DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince (both groups hailing from Philly) just more underground/less commercial. DJ Cash Money holds it down with some really sharp cuts (he loves the slick rick samples to scratch on), but Marvelous isn't the hottest MC on the block ... not terrible by any means and better then most today, just not poppin' off like i'd like to hear. the copy i have of this track is off a compilation entitled "The Rap Pack II" , (the original is from CM & M's album "Where's the Party At?") a 1988 release on Fresh Records. --- On a side note, Fresh Records parent label Sleeping Bag Records put out more then hip hop and electro. i have an album on sleeping bag entitled "Reggae Dancehall Vol. 2". it's mostly digital riddims with 80s rub a dubbers on em (yellowman, tiger, admiral bailey, etc) but some of the cuts are real dope. oddly discogs.com has no mention of either vol. 1 or 2. hmmmmmmmmm ...

coco tea, yes!

80s rub-a-dub/dancehall star coco tea has a lil tribute for obama

nuff ruffness in a roots style ... seen !?



and this is awesome ... not sure if i should go for "the perfecto" or the "the prince"

THIS FRIDAY!!!

THIS FRIDAY MARCH 14 MORSELAND 1218 W MORSE AVE / ROGERS PARK / CHICAGO THE DRASTICS JSAN + THE ANALOGUE SONS 10PM / 21+ / $5 ATTENTION! The Drastics will be holding their 8th Annual "FEATS OF STRENGTH AND MANLY-NESS COMPETITION" on the eve of this historic performance! Sign up now as spots are filling up fast! Here's two competitors from last years event competing in the "Ho-Down-Knock-Down Winner-Takes-All" Go get 'em boys! But remember, KEEP IT CLEAN! You've never "Foot Boxed" until you've gone head-to-head with our resident "Foot Boxing" Champion ... El PAIS PIE! ... Sure to make even a grown man cry El PAIS PIE! is a size 18EE OF PURE PAIN!!!!!! HE'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!!!!! LIFE WITHOUT SKIN IN A LEMON FACTORY WILL SEEM LIKE A CAKEWALK AFTER YOU GO HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH EL PAIS PIE! ... And remember, kids compete for free! thedrastics.com myspace.com/drasticdub

THIS SUNDAY ...

SUNDAY NITE
FEBRUARY 24, 2008
DELILAHS
(lincoln + diversey in chicago)
9pm-2am
THE BEST IN REGGAE + SOUL
NO COVER

ANTHONY/DRIZNASTIC/THAT GUY WHO WON'T LEAVE YER LAUNDRY ROOM WILL BE SPINNIN' VINYL ALL NITE
DRINK SOME WHISKEY
GET THERE EARLY AND SIGNUP FOR OUR ROB SCHNEIDER LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST!
HAVE ANOTHER!
SPECIAL OFFER, SUNDAY NITE ONLY: ALL YOU CAN DRINK COLD MENUDO!
REMEMBER! LADIES IN MYLAR PANTS FREE BEFORE MIDNITE!
FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO "3-2-1 CONTACT" AWARDED ON THE EVE OF THE EVENT!