aka Gerry Villareal mixing it up a bit…
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Here to share some of the beats and pieces I’ve concocted and accumulated over the years. Honestly can’t say I still like everything, but they do remind me of certain moments, places, and people.
Sade with Tyler the Creator's "Massa" beats. 83 bpm, 320k. March 2023.
Rihanna backed by Sault. 89 bpm, 320k. November 2022.
Rihanna with some Massive Attack Protection bass and drums. 89 bpm, 320k. November 2022.
Me feeling the Fives vibe. A Tribe Called Quest previously unreleased track with Sade music and vocals. 92 bpm, 320k. May 2022.
The world keeps turning. The world keeps burning. We gotta keep shining.
Continuous mix for RECESS Intermission. January 2021.
"What they don't tell you about the future? When you finally figure out how to isolate parts of your body, to create that illusory 'pop' into place, so it looks confident, it will be during a plague. You will have found those good bluetooth earbuds, that last nine hours. So, were anyone to witness your prowess, you'd look like some weirdo behind the front window of your flat, dancing to silent beats, part of a pal's playlist, a diary made of music. What if Boccaccio was a deejay?" - Michael Wharton
Continuous mix, September 2020. "Power of X" painting by Odili Donald Odita.
Hope you and yours are safe and sound. Just vibin’ over here – bringing a little heat with this continuous mix. Photo by Jeremy Bishop. April 2020.
A little mix of Sade's "Flower of the Universe" with some new beats and old bass. They used to call me Flowerhead. 95 bpm, 320k. March 2018.
Feeling good! Had fun making a mix for the good folks at RECESS. Check out all the other great Intermission music selections. October 2013.
I added some beats to Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson's "Your Daddy Loves You" from their classic 1974 album "Winter In America." Made originally for LittleBigCassius (see below), the track is here for others to play. Happy pappy day! 112 bpm, 320k. June 2010.
Cassius, your daddy loves you! This was a mix for my son turning the magical five. The name and artwork was a play on his favorite game LittleBigPlanet (which also features the DJ Krush track). May 2010.
Hot Wax hosts Freddy and Marky asked my great friend and dj partner The Selecter DJ Kirk and me to represent Mr. Fives musically one night on the decks. A week before the party we dropped a special Mr. Fives mix. May 2010.
Part two of the Hanzo Steel series again in homage to Kill Bill with most of the usual suspects from the first round. Cover art for both by Billions McMillions. Also 2004.
A group of guys got together and made some mixes inspired by Tarantino’s Kill Bill film. Blackstone and Atari brought the noise from Cali while Billions and I got down in NYC. From 2004.
True chief Mike B asked me to make a Valentine’s Day promo one year. I answered with a somewhat semiautobiographical dj mix. So many mixtapes were borne from lovers angst and joy, and the host of emotions in between—this was my mixtape for Julie. The cover shows our kids on the roof of our old Brooklyn brownstone. February 2003.
A continuous mix of soul, jazz, electronic, d&b and hip-hop. I only made a handful of these for a few folks interested at the time (Acid Jazz mailing list!). Reminds me personally of working and living in Manhattan. Firstborn Maceo does a little drop at the end. From 1998.
More Sade mixes. I took the Clean Heart blend from 2WD and tried using Original Concept instead of Masta Ace. The results were mixed, no pun intended.
Compilation EP by San Francisco djs The Pirate DJs (DJ Mind Motion, Da Riddim Selecta Rolo 1-3, DJ Ivan), DJ Pause, and myself. Released March 1995.
SIDE A
SIDE B
While I recorded a few mixtapes over the years, this was the first I actually saved, gave out, and still listen to. I originally made it in 1994 and revisited it ten years later since my cassette player gave up the ghost a long time ago. By 2004 mashups were everywhere, but in 94 we just called them blends.
SIDE 1 download mp3, 50.5MB
SIDE 2 download mp3, 63.9MB
As a big fan of Sade, I always managed to get her songs in play, especially live blending her vocals with some rugged beats underneath. This was an early attempt to record some of those ideas. Even though the audio mixdown and mastering was poor (sorry my bad), the record made its way around the world, eventually rebooted on vinyl and cd a few times over, mostly for the Bonus Kiss Mix.