Always looking for new tunes for personal pleasure is part of  the daily deal and these things come anytime anywhere grocery shopping art exhibits, Bodega or at brunch where this particular discovery was met.  One crisp autumn saturday morning after one of my sometimes brisk walks this one in prospect park me & the lovely Rachel Watts look to treat ourselves to a well deserved meal after our 6 mile romp & Lea restaurant on Courtelyou Rd is it and while eating conversing & people watching I hear a tune reminiscent to something the Beatles would have banged out in the 60’s a psychedelic soulful airy drum heavy tune.  Always at arms length is the Note 4 “Hmm Hmm Plug :)” the app sound search by google fire it up and what came back was Tame Impala Feels like i’m only going backwards Instantly picked up there Lonerism debut which is a cool album but the only other song that clicked with me was called Music To Walk Home By I guess the name drew me first but after actually listening to the record once again blown away is an understatement where it feels like where only going backwards is about 75 bpm Music To Walk Home By is about 104 bpm with that MGMT Electric Feel Vibe but heavier on the drums this is the stuff i crave and what fills my hour & forty minute walks.  What stands out amongst other things is the bridge on this the drummer puts down some amazing patterns that we do not hear much of in this digital age of music something i need to see performed live so i guess this post is to give props to the band Tame Impala and the joy of moving to my own soundtrack AKA music to walk home by.

These Pics are of the route I took the day of the post which starts @ 38 st & 8th Ave midtown up to 149st Adam Clayton Powell Jr blvd Harlem AKA Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOhNigdUSo

My 1st residency as a “Professional DJ” was @ La Linea Lounge in the L.E.S, we would hang there religiously on saturdays that transformed to a weekly gig for me. The energy was off the rocker but that prompted me to want to start my own movement in a party form that morphed into Throwback Thursday in 2008.  The spot I was blessed to land at was The Skinny Bar Lounge. For some reason New York oozed from this spot, A railroad type of bar with a dive vibe and look to it. My partner in crime Lovett Hines, AKA The Mayor of the L.E.S. was the the connection and part of the vision. We set out to just do an afterwork thing to bring like minded people together to listen, dance, look & laugh. Boy we didn’t know that it would turn into a 3+ year run of us bringing together some of the coolest people. Big John held down the door. Hillary, Taki, Alex & Andre had the Barkeep duties on lock, while Lovett held court downstairs with me playing those classic hip hop, soul, funk, rock, pop, reggae & Electro videos from the 70’s – 90’s.  From that branding started & Todd’s AutoBody Opened up. We definitely got your body moving. All things come to an end, but in our case hurricane Sandy 2012 helped facilitate that and our beloved skinny was closed due to damage from Sandy. For almost 3 years we longed for those Throwback Thursdays.  During that time off from the skinny, to parallel that I was battling some health issues in which I had to basically change my lifestyle and get in better shape. While I watched the reconstruction of the skinny basically getting bigger while I had to get skinnier, go figure.  However the reconstruction of the skinny & me were both successes. Now my fav spot in the L.E.S. has food as well as those $5 drinks that we grew to love. Jim Sean & Dan are still the owners and Beats & Burgers(WayBack Wednesday) is born that same love & Energy we put into Throwback Thursday will apply here, but now you can get a burger & fries to go with that cocktail.   So join us on Wednesdays if you are in the L.E.S. 174 Orchard St for the feel good vibe come holla @ ya dudes.

#beats&burgers #djtoddjones #nycPartylife #djculture #djlife #theskinnybarlounge

          Thenand now Then and now.

As a traditional type of dude, with a love for technology, adapting to the latest DJ trends was still a little hard for me. It took as long as 2011 for me to appreciate CD Decks which i happen to love now.  In 2012 I purchased my first and still only controller the Vestax VCI 380. It is one of those purchases I look back on and say wow this, along with my Rane 57 & 62 mixers, are both pivotal pieces of gear for me. From a digital DJ perspective, I chose the 57  over the Pioneer 909 because of its video mixing compatibility. The same for the 62, plus the advancement in sound quality and flawless connectivity to serato.  Now the Vestax VCI 380 attracted me in other ways: portability build quality, the inputs and outputs are just enough, the jog wheels are adjustable and it just feels normal to me, coming from turntables. Plus playing in multiple venues where equipment is not first priority. Iin some cases the venue has none and so for me this has been a godsend. I compare it to a musician having there own instruments, as opposed to using someone else’s. I just enjoy that level of comfortability.

SO DONT LET THESE SO CALLED PURISTS THAT USE SERATO HMMMMM!!!!! SPEECH YOU DOWN ABOUT THIS STUFF

Tonight’s the night NYC Galway Pub  in midtown is where it’s  @

On Friday November 7th, 2014 I had the pleasure of making a guest appearance at Freedom Fridays, currently located at Santos Party House on Lafayette St. just below Canal.  It was a Native Tongues themed party with guest appearances by Grand Puba and friends. I got to SPIN a video tribute to the Native Tongues collective.  It was great.  Glad I was able to be a part of it.