Mixtape: Funk The War [1 and 2]

After previously posting the Funk the War 3 mix by Eric, I wondered why it was number 3. I figured there should have been a 1 and 2 before, and to my surprise there were. After reading another friend's [Ernie's, newly discovered by me] blog, I found out a little bit more of what was behind these mixes.

A friend of mine asked me to record a 90-minute mix for Funk The War, which is planned for March 19, 2008 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. [Ryptide Music]

Download: Funk The War - Part 1
[EDIT: Funk the War 3]
01. Freestylers - Feel The Panic (Banned Mix)
02. Edwin Starr - War (King Britt Remix)
03. Cevin Fisher - Music Saved My Life (Pete Heller Remix)
04. Camille Jones - The Creeps (Dance Edit)
05. Deadmau5 - 1981 (Original Mix)
06. Michael Jackson - Thriller (Electro Mix)
07. Kasabian - Me Plus One (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)
08. The Crystal Method - Born Too Slow (Deepsky Green Absinthe Dub Mix)
09. Hybrid - Dogstar (feat. Perry Farrell)
10. Ctrl-Z - Chemistry
11. The Doors - Break On Through (BT Rmx)
12. Myagi - Funkgrinder (Dopamine Remix)
13. Digitalis - The Ride (Kid Blue Remix)
14. Myagi - Absent From Skull (Splitloop Mix)
15. Screwface - The Day The Earth Stood Still
16. Tone Deaf Junkies - Noxious
17. Lemon Slide - Bust A Cap In Ya S
18. Black & White - Punisher

Later I found, through my interweb listserv friend, Dan Amitai's blog, part 2.

So last night, after Beyond, I went to Five, and then around midnight I got an MP3 CDs to mix for an anti-war protest this Friday. [Dan Amitai]

Download: Funk the War - Part 2

1. Love is All - Talk Talk Talk Talk
2. The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
3. Be Your Own Pet - Bog
4. The Clash - Janie Jones
5. Talib Kweli - This Means You
6. The Junk Yard Band - The Word
7. Kanye West & Lupe Fiaso - Touch The Sky
8. Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
9. The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon
10. Operation Ivy - Unity
11. Le Tigre - New Kicks
12. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
13. MIA & Diplo - China Girl
14. MSTRKRFT - Work On You
15. Gravy Train - Hella Nervous
16. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
17. The Faint - Violent (Junior Sanchez remix)
18. The Unicorns - I Was Born a Unicorn
19. Peaches - Fuck or Kill
20. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Tick
21. The Specials - Gangsters (Mike B remix)
22. Madonna - Angel (DJ Excel remix)
23. Defiance, Ohio - Tanks! Tanks! Tanks!
24. Os Mutantes - Bat Macumba
25. The Max Levine Ensemble - Pizza Guy
26. The Knife - Listen Now
27. The Coup - Captain Sterling’s Little Problem
28. This Bike is a Pipe Bomb - Body Count
29. Bomb the Music Industry - Does Your Face Hurt?
30. Bruza & Bashy - Fuck the Government
31. Digital Mystikz & Spen G - Anti-War Dub

Found Art: Lax Chefs

I've been lucky enough to be acquainted with some people who do with a lens things I can only dream about. Snooping around some albums, I came across this photo which sort of romanticizes a chef's break time. I can almost feel that moment of clarity that hits when you step out of the kitchen onto the outside to light a cigarette up and decompress from the hectic noise inside. Commiserating with colleagues and BSing about the customer who came in and asked for Garlic Shrimp with no Garlic, easy on the butter, and with a side of ketchup. Oh and substitute the shrimp for scallops.

Thisisnotaphotograph has some amazing shots of everyday life. Action and stills. Worth a browse. Or ten.

[this is not a photograph]

Bourdain: Real or Fake?

[Brasserie Les Halles, DC]
While a number of my peers are skeptical about Bourdains legitimacy, another bunch are huge fans (myself included). While I have yet to experience any of his cooking first-hand, and at the rate he's roaming the world and the media I doubt it will be anytime soon. I base my fanatism of Bourdain on his persona and character, which funnily enough is the very reason why some of my friends want nothing to do with him. His stories in Kitchen Confidential were more than just a set of imagery and verb. The book helped me solidify my vision of what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it. He reassured me that no matter how bad it looks you can come out on top. I mean look at him now, right? In his previously posted interview with Google, he talks about how his book did this precise thing for many other people and how it also did the exact opposite for others.

One of the places that I've been dying to visit in DC for a while now is Les Halles. Clearly out of curiousity. Although I've heard a couple of bad remarks about the place (obvs from anti-Tony people), but have missed my opportunity to go the last couple of Restaurant Weeks. Through the blogroll this morning I came across a review of the restaurant off of a pretty well-known DC food blog and was happy to find a review quite different from what my "friends" keep relaying.

Les Halles is one of the best bargains in the downtown area for the local Francophile, offering some on the most well priced French bistro treats I've found in the DC area.[DC Foodies]

I really have to go check this place out now! I have to judge for myself. My next question was also covered in the review, thankfully. Drinks.

...there is a good selection of bottles to be had, including several Belgian 750s at under 2x retail, which is pretty good for a bistro. The wines-by-the-glass list numbers around twenty, incorporating an eclectic selection of wine from such places as Provence, Mendoza, and New York, ranging in price from $6.50 to $20.00 a hit. [DC Foodies]

Perfect for out-of-town guests (which I should be having some in the next couple of months).

If you've visiting guests from less metropolitan areas, Les Halles is a great place to introduce them to French cuisine without intimidation or bank account depletion. [DC Foodies]

One of my favorite things about Bourdain is his bluntness. His utter disregard for what other people think. He says what he feels and couldn't give two flying ducks about reactions or consequences. His brutal honesty is one I admire. And like so, expect a full on review of my experience there.

Art Imitates Food?

Amongst a few other things, art is definitely one of my hobbies and something I like to indulge in on occasion, whether it's going out to a gallery showing or sitting down for a few hours to cross-hatch my way to nirvana. It's always something that draws my attention. Food art is something I used to never really think about that much until I took up the kitchen as a serious hobby. Even then I normally only thought of it in terms of presentation. As I've been touring the galleries, I've picked up more and more on classics and moderninst capturing still life with ingredients in manners that I never imagined possible. Giving food a completely new perspective. Today I came accross a slide show put together by one of the oldest periodicals in this country, that is very well-known for their cover art. The New Yorker.

They've complied a slide show of about 21 covers all food-related. [via: Serious Eats]

This cover in particular reminded of how I'm always taken back when I find myself at dinner party engaged in great conversation with friends. Good times.