Egyptian Lover- Electric Kingdom
Kraze- The Party
Hit House- Jack to the Sound of the Underground
Thanks to J Brave and Luminaries from Luminous Movement for letting me warm up the crowd proper, and the opportunity for Rage Area to rock the spot.
7/16/2012
On the Wheels of Steel
Egyptian Lover- Electric Kingdom
Kraze- The Party
Hit House- Jack to the Sound of the Underground
Thanks to J Brave and Luminaries from Luminous Movement for letting me warm up the crowd proper, and the opportunity for Rage Area to rock the spot.
4/02/2012
Rage Area CD Release Party
I hope you join me and the Rage Area Crew for a slammin night of music on the Sunset Strip. We will be taking over the upstairs Foundation Room-the upstairs of House of Blues- all night long and are inviting some of our great musician friends to join us for the evening. Opening the night will be a an acoustic set from the duo of Trever Wyatt Hopper and Charlie Hajek, who both used to play with me in the band Soul Scribes.
After we tear down the club with our set, we will hand it off to hip-hop crew, Luminaries, and they will build it back up proper. There will be a DJ in the main room (TBA), with a possible freestyle session, or surprise set from any MC's who might be in the house, so get ready for a full night of excellent entertainment and hospitality. The first 200 through the door will get a copy of the new CD, Venice Dubtronica, and we will also have t-shirts, hats, stickers and more.
12/16/2011
Back in the Day/ SoundEdit Beats
No Static by Unseen Legion-The Beats
When we were trying to make beats in 1992, we knew that the future of music was in computers, and really it was already here. My man Barry, who I worked with at John's Grocery, showed me this program called SoundEdit on his Apple computer. When I took Prose over there to see how to use it, we both saw the amazing potential, but we didn't have a computer. I had Barry give me a hard disc copy and the plan was set in motion...to become digital.
When we finally did get a computer, it had no monitor, so the homie Dawit used his student discount and charge card to hook it up. Dawit was a student from Kenya who lived across the street from the house where most of the crew, and their homies, and some cousins lived, at 112 E. Davenport. That crib was always crackin, with at least 13 people living in the 6 bedroom house. Their are too many stories from this house to sum it up here, so we will leave that for another time.
"No Static" is the first beat I made with the computer and program on a fall afternoon in a basement room of that house. The drums were sampled from a beat on our Alesis SR-16 drum machine called "What Can U DO?"- programmed by Prose. The rest was samples from records- I think Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Steely Dan. The vocal sample has many meanings behind it, but none more intentional than a tongue-in-cheek shout out to the 8-bit sound that we were working with that was based in a foundation of static. Also giving a nod to the record static pops, as well as trying to make a song that was just fun to listen to with the crew, with no static at all.
-DJ Earl-E
When we were trying to make beats in 1992, we knew that the future of music was in computers, and really it was already here. My man Barry, who I worked with at John's Grocery, showed me this program called SoundEdit on his Apple computer. When I took Prose over there to see how to use it, we both saw the amazing potential, but we didn't have a computer. I had Barry give me a hard disc copy and the plan was set in motion...to become digital.
When we finally did get a computer, it had no monitor, so the homie Dawit used his student discount and charge card to hook it up. Dawit was a student from Kenya who lived across the street from the house where most of the crew, and their homies, and some cousins lived, at 112 E. Davenport. That crib was always crackin, with at least 13 people living in the 6 bedroom house. Their are too many stories from this house to sum it up here, so we will leave that for another time.
"No Static" is the first beat I made with the computer and program on a fall afternoon in a basement room of that house. The drums were sampled from a beat on our Alesis SR-16 drum machine called "What Can U DO?"- programmed by Prose. The rest was samples from records- I think Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Steely Dan. The vocal sample has many meanings behind it, but none more intentional than a tongue-in-cheek shout out to the 8-bit sound that we were working with that was based in a foundation of static. Also giving a nod to the record static pops, as well as trying to make a song that was just fun to listen to with the crew, with no static at all.
-DJ Earl-E
11/18/2011
New Beat- Old Beat
Headnodz by Unseen Legion-The Beats
This is one of the first beats produced by Earl-E and Prose. This mp3 was ripped from the only existing copy that was recorded on a cassette tape sometime in 1993.
Since we didn't have a computer, a sampler, or any recording equipment, we used the studios at KRUI (University of Iowa) where we hosted a radio show at the time. The list of equipment and tools goes like this:
2 turntables
4 records (for samples)
1 Alesis S-20 drum machine
2 Reel-to-reel tape machines
1 cassette recorder
This is one of the first beats produced by Earl-E and Prose. This mp3 was ripped from the only existing copy that was recorded on a cassette tape sometime in 1993.
Since we didn't have a computer, a sampler, or any recording equipment, we used the studios at KRUI (University of Iowa) where we hosted a radio show at the time. The list of equipment and tools goes like this:
2 turntables
4 records (for samples)
1 Alesis S-20 drum machine
2 Reel-to-reel tape machines
1 cassette recorder
The Procedure of making the beat:
First, we created a drum pattern on the drum machine. The song had A and B patterns (8 counts each) with an C part(4 counts) programmed as well. That makes 3 separate parts.
Next, we determined which samples we would play over each of these 3 parts. We picked two bass lines to go over the two A and B parts, which would become the verse (A), and chorus (B). We then picked two samples to mix into the A and B parts- a horn for the verse, and a vocal sample for the chorus. Then we added thirdsample for the C part. The intro is the bass line from part A alone.
This is where it gets messy.
First, we played the drum machine, pattern A. Then mixed the bassline and horn sample live, recording the live mix, with drum loop, bassline, and horn onto a reel-to-reel tape.
We repeated this process for the 2 other patterns like this:
Drum machine pattern B, bassline #2, and vocal sample (MMM, MMM from Big Daddy Kane).
Drum machine pattern C, bass line #2 (Sly Stone).
From here we took the tape from the reel to reel machine and isolated loops with our different parts. When we were done, we had four separate tape loops that were about 8-10 feet of tape long, spliced together at the ends.
Loop 1: Bass line #1
Loop 2: Drum A, Bass line #1, Horn
Loop 3: Drum B, Bass line #2, vocal
Loop 4: Drum C, Bass line #3
Next, we played each loop on Reel-to-reel #1, looping the tape around a bottle of spray cleaner, and recorded several minutes of each loop onto tape on Reel-to-reel #2. We mapped out the song according to how many measures of each we would need, and then cut and spliced the tape from R-to-R #2 until we had a song structured with an intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, outro
Lastly, this final mix was recorded onto a cassette tape, which is the only copy ever made.
Earl-E
7/06/2011
Beat of the Week- #1
20s Remix by Unseen Legion Beats
BEAT OF THE WEEK: 20s Remix
Producer: DJ Earl-E
Year: 1996
Equipment: Mac Performa, Sound Edit (8-bit)
DJ Earl-E made this beat in a tiny upstairs one-bedroom in the underbelly of La Habra, California. The crib, housing myself, Vega$, Obskur, Juggla Vein, Earl-E, the homie Conflict, and some chick named Megan (don't ask), always had random other folks hanging out until all hours. Shadoe, Ben, The lil homies C-Rack and Lil Giddy-up... Blowin' trees, makin' beats and freestyling was an everyday thing. Gotta love ghetto livin'! It seemed like there were about 20 people there at any given time. It was around that time that we first started using the name 20 Kliks for the crew.
Obskur was the one who came up with the name 20 Kliks Records. I think it started around the idea of moving from the 20th century into the new millennium in which all the years started with 20. But there was much more to it. 20 is also a dub ($20), and a dub sack. Who doesn't love that? And Kliks are cliques (crews) and also a measurement of distance (kilometers). There's actually more to it than that as well but I don't wanna have to kill you for knowing too much. So I'll just leave it at that for now.
The beat is simply made with the Sound Edit program that gave the freedom to chop and layer samples, but had limited sound quality and no metronome. The sample may be from Grover Washington's "Mr. Magic," but really is probably only recognizable to true heads the way it was sampled, slowed down, and layered. This is one beat that didn't have any drums or bass added, just a string/keyboard sample that Juggla dug out of the crates and played from vinyl along with the beat until we found the right sound. We then decided to use the beat right away and recorded a scratch version of "20s-Remix" on the Tascam 4-track. We had just recorded the original version at a mobile studio run by some shady characters Juggla met at who-knows-where. They made us sign paperwork and we instantly knew we were never gonna pay the engineer for the master recording, so we decided to do another version that we would own outright. Since it was called 20s, you know I had to drop 20 bars.
Enjoy!
- Prose
BEAT OF THE WEEK: 20s Remix
Producer: DJ Earl-E
Year: 1996
Equipment: Mac Performa, Sound Edit (8-bit)
DJ Earl-E made this beat in a tiny upstairs one-bedroom in the underbelly of La Habra, California. The crib, housing myself, Vega$, Obskur, Juggla Vein, Earl-E, the homie Conflict, and some chick named Megan (don't ask), always had random other folks hanging out until all hours. Shadoe, Ben, The lil homies C-Rack and Lil Giddy-up... Blowin' trees, makin' beats and freestyling was an everyday thing. Gotta love ghetto livin'! It seemed like there were about 20 people there at any given time. It was around that time that we first started using the name 20 Kliks for the crew.
Obskur was the one who came up with the name 20 Kliks Records. I think it started around the idea of moving from the 20th century into the new millennium in which all the years started with 20. But there was much more to it. 20 is also a dub ($20), and a dub sack. Who doesn't love that? And Kliks are cliques (crews) and also a measurement of distance (kilometers). There's actually more to it than that as well but I don't wanna have to kill you for knowing too much. So I'll just leave it at that for now.
The beat is simply made with the Sound Edit program that gave the freedom to chop and layer samples, but had limited sound quality and no metronome. The sample may be from Grover Washington's "Mr. Magic," but really is probably only recognizable to true heads the way it was sampled, slowed down, and layered. This is one beat that didn't have any drums or bass added, just a string/keyboard sample that Juggla dug out of the crates and played from vinyl along with the beat until we found the right sound. We then decided to use the beat right away and recorded a scratch version of "20s-Remix" on the Tascam 4-track. We had just recorded the original version at a mobile studio run by some shady characters Juggla met at who-knows-where. They made us sign paperwork and we instantly knew we were never gonna pay the engineer for the master recording, so we decided to do another version that we would own outright. Since it was called 20s, you know I had to drop 20 bars.
Enjoy!
- Prose
5/23/2011
CHECK THE REMIX
I found out about this contest last week, and thought it sounded like good fun. I haven't been a pop music fan since Thriller, especially most of the new pop crap (ala BEP, etc.) that sounds like bad 80's techno, but this song has some great vocals and flavor. I also found out that Jason Reeves is from the same hometown as me, and has worked with people that I know, so seemed like a no-brainer, plus I could come out $500 bucks richer and a chance to collaborate with Jason in the future. GO VOTE NOW!
5/20/2011
BATTLE OF THE BANDS- WE NEED YOU!!!
ALL RAGE AREA FANS- THIS IS THE SHOW THAT YOU MUST NOT MISS! NOT ONLY IS IT IN A GREAT VENUE WITH 2 OTHER HAND-PICKED BANDS, BUT IT IS FREE, AND YOUR SUPPORT OF THE RAGE AREA CREW WILL HELP US MOVE ON IN THE COMPETITION. THE WINNER GETS TO PLAY THE THURSDAY NIGHT CONCERT SERIES UNDER THE STARS ON THE SANTA MONICA PIER, AS WELL AS OPEN FOR A MAJOR HEADLINING ARTIST TBD IN JULY.
2/16/2011
SOUND OFF!!!
The Sound and the Fury- the NEW song from E.P. (Earl-E and Prose).
This song was written and recorded in January of 2011, at a time in history that saw a popular people's movement erupt into revolution in Egypt and Tunisia, as well as street protests and demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain and many other countries.
Even here at home in the U.S., we see injustices all around us and know that our voices continue to be unheard and our needs remain unaddressed.
Now, we don't promote violence, but we do believe in real freedom, and in standing up for what we believe in. For this reason, in solidarity with the worldwide call for human rights, justice and equality, we are sharing this song with as many people as possible.
We hope you will listen, forward and share it, online or in person, with as many people as possible, since history has proven time and time again that a united people with one voice can bring about great change.
Thanks for listening…and Power to the People!
-DJ Earl-E and Prose
This song was written and recorded in January of 2011, at a time in history that saw a popular people's movement erupt into revolution in Egypt and Tunisia, as well as street protests and demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain and many other countries.
Even here at home in the U.S., we see injustices all around us and know that our voices continue to be unheard and our needs remain unaddressed.
Now, we don't promote violence, but we do believe in real freedom, and in standing up for what we believe in. For this reason, in solidarity with the worldwide call for human rights, justice and equality, we are sharing this song with as many people as possible.
We hope you will listen, forward and share it, online or in person, with as many people as possible, since history has proven time and time again that a united people with one voice can bring about great change.
Thanks for listening…and Power to the People!
-DJ Earl-E and Prose
12/31/2010
Video from the vault- "Now and Forever"
My homie Andrew Hawtrey and I shot this video one night in Los Angeles for fun. We took the Jeep out on a foggy night and got some sweet footage of the city after dark. Andrew did the filming and editing for the project, I did the driving. This video has been sitting on a DVD in my coolection at home, and I just now got around to getting it up on YouTube for the world to see. Hope you enjoy...
12/05/2010
DJ Earl-e w/Rage Area -" Lavaman " video
This video is from a local spot in Santa Monica called Harvelle's. They have a sick Wed. night with the House of Vibe All-Stars, which includes members of great L.A. bands like Fishbone, The Untouchables, Ozomatli, Jurassic 5, and more.
Rage Area had the opportunity to open for this band, and some of the horn players even joined us on a couple of songs to add some soulful flavor. I've been playing with Rage Area for a couple of months now, and this was one of my favorite gigs so far. Check it...
Rage Area had the opportunity to open for this band, and some of the horn players even joined us on a couple of songs to add some soulful flavor. I've been playing with Rage Area for a couple of months now, and this was one of my favorite gigs so far. Check it...
10/29/2010
Halloween with Too $hort, Shiny Toy Guns, and Rage Area
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Halloween Weekend is here and we are ready to party! Discounted tickets are still available here. This event is also the "Official Halloween Party" for the Long Beach Comic Con going on all weekend, so there should be some great costumes.
10/25/2010
Shot of the Tonic
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I am looking forward to rocking the Whisky with a super dope dub band from Jamaica, Dubtonic Kru. This will be the first time I've rocked the stage that was the home to one of my favorite bands, the Doors. Rage Area, like The Doors, is also out of Venice, and is bringing together a multitude of sounds and influences to create a unique and new sound. BREAK ON THROUGH....
10/12/2010
Earl-e Goes Dub
Yo- I just started collaborating with Venice band, Rage Area and am planning to step in and play some shows with this electronic/dub reggae outfit. The beats are 808 thick with ultra groovy basslines and vocals. Some big shows coming up soon, so looks like the start of something irie mon. E-mail me about tickets for any of these shows- yo@djearl-e.com
10/08/2010
Limited Time- WHOLE ALBUM digital download for 99 cents!
DOWNLOAD HERE
In an effort to get some more feedback and reviews on my album, I am offering my latest, Wax Onomatopoeia for digital download for only 99 cents. That is the WHOLE ALBUM, artwork and highest quality 320kps files direct to your computer instantly. You may still order a physical copy of the CD, for 10 times the price, but for the casual listener, how can you beat a dollar for a full hour of hip-hop dopeness, mixed by a true fan of music.
This album isn't just a collection of beats and scratching. It is a story told through the language of a hip-hop DJ, an autobiography of a beat junkie. Let me know where it takes you, where you listen to it, and when. What do you dislike about it? I wanna know...
Do it now.
9/09/2010
Visual Remix Project
These paintings are inspired by some of my favorite albums and their artwork...my version of visual sampling...
Paintings are on canvas with acrylic and paint pen. Contact if interested in purchasing any of these works. djearlunseen@yahoo.com
Paintings are on canvas with acrylic and paint pen. Contact if interested in purchasing any of these works. djearlunseen@yahoo.com
7/09/2010
In A State of YO
I have always wanted to be a D.J. When I was a kid, I had a little red tape recorder that I would use to record songs off the radio. I would announce the songs like the jockey, along with sports commentary from my childhood friend Jon Miller and my brother, J.D. We would even make up the commercials sometimes. I then took a TV and Radio class in junior high, and read the school announcements, complete with a news, sports and weather report. When I went to college, I started off as a communications major, so I could get a job at KRUI, the University of Iowa student run station. I soon changed my major to Art, but a job at the radio station kind of found me. Sophomore year, I met a DJ at the station and my friends and I started guesting on her show for fun. Kelly Balfe was voted the stations best personality, and she was the first to show me how to mix a beat, as she was also a legendary DJ at the 620 Club. After getting my own FCC license and show, I would pick up overnight and holiday shifts while most students were out of town. I would spend hours in the studio (sometimes on-air) practicing mixing (I didn't have my own turntables yet), and making tapes for any party that would put it on. My man Schwaahed had moved into a legendary party house at 222 E. Prentiss with Anthony who was an artist and DJ also, and this is where we met Prose and his brother Speakeasi.
Soon, Prose and I had moved in and after finally purchasing my own turntables, switched up my radio show to an all hip-hop format, and called it A State of Yo... after the song by the Brand New Heavies and Black Sheep. There is only one known copy of this radio show, recorded on this date in 1993- the golden era of hip-hop. I believe this was the first show that I brought my own tables and mixer into the studio to do it up full-on mix show style. After going back and listening to this, I don't know how we stayed on air so long with all the FCC violations (NO station ID's, multiple swear words, and I don't think Prose even had an FCC license). Thanks to Rosanne for making this tape, you can hear where the song cuts off about 45 min. in when she had to flip the cassette. If you would like to listen to the first half of the show, download or podcast, just go to my drop -the password is happybirthday
Soon, Prose and I had moved in and after finally purchasing my own turntables, switched up my radio show to an all hip-hop format, and called it A State of Yo... after the song by the Brand New Heavies and Black Sheep. There is only one known copy of this radio show, recorded on this date in 1993- the golden era of hip-hop. I believe this was the first show that I brought my own tables and mixer into the studio to do it up full-on mix show style. After going back and listening to this, I don't know how we stayed on air so long with all the FCC violations (NO station ID's, multiple swear words, and I don't think Prose even had an FCC license). Thanks to Rosanne for making this tape, you can hear where the song cuts off about 45 min. in when she had to flip the cassette. If you would like to listen to the first half of the show, download or podcast, just go to my drop -the password is happybirthday
4/20/2010
420 MIX
Here's a classic mix that I made for my man Mariano around 8-9 years ago I think. The first draft was on cassette tape, that's all I know.
Stoned is the Way of the Mix- DJ Earl-e
Take 2 and pass...
R.I.P. Guru
Stoned is the Way of the Mix- DJ Earl-e
Take 2 and pass...
R.I.P. Guru
4/02/2010
Bean Sprouts 2010
Spring is here, so I thought I'd drop a little freshness. My garden and new daughter have been taking most of my attention these days, so I let my camera help me slow down and watch the flowers grow, so to speak. This beat almost made the Wax Onomatopoeia album, but it was just waiting to be put to video..
2/21/2010
NOISE RADIO MIX
This is a 30 min. mix that I put together for Noise Radio, on KRUI 89.7 FM from the University of Iowa. Noise Radio is an electronic/dance music show that airs live on Sat. nights 8-10pm. Resident DJ/host Vince Woolums gave me a segment of the show, and since I started my DJ career at KRUI, I was thrilled and honored to put down an exclusive mix to shake some booties in my hometown. I venture into the electronic realm a little more than I usually do, for the Noise Radio listeners, but still manage to lay some original tracks, get irie in the mix, and bring it home with a hip-hop classic. This mix first aired on 1-30-10. Download the mix here for FREE and check out how the flow goes.
zSHARE - DJ Earl-e NOISE RADIO MIX.mp3
Frankie Bones- Ghetto Technics vol. 16 A-side
DJ Earl-e - Reza Nate
Zhane - Mr. DJ
Zero 7 - Destiny (Photek remix)
Sylk 130 - Last Night A DJ Saved my Life
Bob Marley - So Much Trouble in the World (Bill Laswell dub)
Easy Star All-Stars - Lucky Dub
DJ Earl-e - Aria 51
Prose- Everyman
DJ Earl-e - Neva Enda
Nas - The World is Yours
zSHARE - DJ Earl-e NOISE RADIO MIX.mp3
Frankie Bones- Ghetto Technics vol. 16 A-side
DJ Earl-e - Reza Nate
Zhane - Mr. DJ
Zero 7 - Destiny (Photek remix)
Sylk 130 - Last Night A DJ Saved my Life
Bob Marley - So Much Trouble in the World (Bill Laswell dub)
Easy Star All-Stars - Lucky Dub
DJ Earl-e - Aria 51
Prose- Everyman
DJ Earl-e - Neva Enda
Nas - The World is Yours
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