Dez Einswell @ Kicks Lab Tokyo

Friday, April 30, I headed into Tokyo with the STOKYO Japan crew to the Dez Einswell event at Kicks Lab in Harajuku. Dez is a really down-to-earth, talented and humble individual. You can check out the photos on Flickr HERE.

DJ Premier VS Pete Rock at Manhattan Record's 30th Anniversary

It was a great Golden Week in Japan this past week. Great weather, great vibes and great shows. I was fortunate enough to meet 2 legendary DJs in Hip Hop; DJ Premier and Pete Rock. They know how to really rock a crowd and I was extremely impressed and in awe. I went to the event with STOKYO President, Charles Ono, and Teddy. You can check out the video below of the event.

Photos on Flickr. Click HERE.

DJ Premier VS Pete Rock at Manhattan Record's 30th Anniversary from Caesar Rodriguez on Vimeo.

HIFANA @ Star Pines Cafe (Tokyo)

HIFANA (W+K Tokyo Lab) will be performing live @ the Star Pines Cafe in Kichijoji this Saturday, Feb.28. Also part of the musical lineup are IZUPON, Cinza Dopeness, Kyo Sakurai, Senba and karugamos. If you are in the Tokyo area, please come check them out. It's gonna get LIVE!

For more information, please click HERE.

Tokyo.Ten @ Gallery Nucleus

-with Shane Lester, Eric Cruz and Gino Woo
-

This is Day 2 of my visit to LA. It started off on Melrose Ave. to La Brea Ave, checking out stores. During that time, I was caught in a thunderstorm (booo!!).

That evening though was the purpose of my trip: W+K Tokyo Lab - Tokyo.Ten Show in Alhambra. I was very fortunate and privileged to have met the Creative Team of W+K Tokyo Lab; Eric Cruz (+cruz), Shane Lester and Gino Woo (Woog). The show presents a compilation of work from artists that have collaborated with W+K Tokyo Lab. Tokyo.Ten is a compilation of DVD, Book and Blog that chronicles their entire audiovisual output since they began five years ago. The exhibition included prints, dvd and cd artwork, and a video presentation. Music was also provided by Woog, Shane Lester and Nanopaul. For more info about Tokyo.Ten and the exhibit, please click HERE.

I have become a big fan of Hifana since discovering them while living in Japan back in 2003-2004. I have frequented Shane Lester's blog to see what's been going on, as well as W+K Tokyo Lab's Blog too. Last year, during my trip to Japan to visit my lady, I had the opportunity to see where W+K Tokyo Lab's studio in Roppongi was. To see them in person though was weird, just because I would always see them on their blogs.

Please check their work out at www.wktokyolab.com/ and at www.wktokyo.jp/.

I have been following their work since I discovered their profile in December 2006 on Apple's Pro web page. Thank you guys!!

It then ended off with dinner with my friend Mikee and my cousin Lisa and her friend, Lolly, at Wockano in Pasadena.

For more photos, please click HERE.

Love and Electrik @ the Bayside Lounge - Sept.20, 2008

Love and Electrik performed at the Bayside Lounge last night. As I have missed their 2 shows from the previous Hasting Sets parties, i've finally managed to catch them. While sitting cozy in the lounge, sippin' on my Gin and Tonic and snackin' on some nachos, I listened and grooved to the sounds of Love and Electrik. This duo consists of Roxy Aiston and Kevin Mah. If you would like to learn more about them and their music, you can click HERE.

I LOVE ROBOTS!!

For photos of the show, please click HERE.

Common and N.E.R.D. @ Malkin Bowl - Sept.17, 2008

It has been 6 years since I last saw Common perform and I have to say that my second attendance to his show was amazing. Again with a live band and a small production, I was very happy to have attended this show.

I went down to the show with my cousin John and one of my best friends, Bryan. DJ Pump (Eh Team DJ's) opened up the show, and was followed up by N.E.R.D. They too put on an amazing set. N.E.R.D. is so alive when they're live. The one thing I really appreciated and took to heart was what Pharrell said on stage for a young 12 year old and to the youth . He gave a mad shout out to them which I thought deserves mad respect, as well as stressing education.

Common on the other hand, still shows how a gentleman should be. I'm really looking forward to Common's new album, "the Believer", which will be released in November 2008.

Click HERE to view photos of the show.

Sept. 17 @ Malkin Bowl - Common & N.E.R.D.

the Hastings Set: Everybody's Party - August 8, 2008

Ooh wee!... It's been a long time since i've been to a private event like this, where there was great music (live bands and DJs) and great people. It was hotter than a MF in the joint, but everybody's vibe was positive and all were having a good time. DJ's Niña, Gerald C. and Bles-sed rocked the decks and kept the crowd moving all night. Omar and friends, Curtis Santiago and his guitarist (sorry, but I don't remember names well), all the musicians, and for those that i've missed, gave great performances that evening. I also met a couple of great photographers; Brad Dijkman and Riaz Makan. Thank you to Jeff, Chin and the Hastings Set crew for putting on another great gathering! See you next round. Peace.

Please check out photos of the evening, HERE.

http://thehastingsset.wordpress.com/

The return of Zaki Ibrahim

My good friend, Zaki Ibrahim, performed at the Media Club, as well as Kinnie Starr as the opening act, on July 17. Due to a prior engagment, I missed the show :( In any case, I heard that the show was great. I managed to meet with Zaki at Lola's and got her to sign a copy of her cd. Thanks Zaki!!

p.s. "Tanika, it was great seeing you homegirl!! Miss you!"

Canada Day...

Ok, so i'm still playing catchup. So a couple of events happened on July 1, Canada Day. First was Bryan's birthday, which involved a day trek around the seawall of Stanley Park and ended off with a nice dinner at Mr.Pickwick's on Denman. In the evening, the Boombox Saints performed at Lola's on West Broadway. Next up... Paul's Bday BBQ. Peace!

More photos HERE

More photos HERE

Flashing Lights to Republic - June 25, 2008

Pluskratch (Paul Mighty, Boombox Saints, Kut Co.) and Huggy Fresh (Boombox Saints) had their birthday celebration at Fabric. It was theme based and the theme was "futuristic". G and I were only there for a minute cuz we had to bounce somewhere else. You can check out some of the photos of that night here.

Salamat - June 11

Sammie Jo Productions, Spectrum Entertainment, and 1st Love Wednesdays successfully put on a great show for the 2nd Annual SALAMAT Festival. With a DJ lineup you couldn't miss, all dj's kept the night going. There were performances from the SVS Style Crew, Pure Dance Crew, Toxic Slime Clique, Boombox Saints (sorry guys :( ), Jiggz (No Plan B.) and D-City; the night was hot and entertaining.

Pluskratch a.k.a. Almighty Paul Mighty, was sportin' and sellin' his new print "ALMIGHTY". In the back there were booths set up with some local organizations such as Enspire Foundation, the Philippine Womens Centre, and Glory MMA Apparel. Also body art provided by Got Funk Threads. Thank you to all who came down and supported. Also, KUYA was in attendance serving up hot eats for all of ya'll. I heard the puto was bangin' (extra butter :P). Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed the night. Happy Philippine Independence Day!!

>> Please click on the names if you'd like to get more information regarding the individual and groups. Thank you! << >> To see more photos, please click here.

Boombox Saints Performance @ Fabric

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Once again, the Boombox Saints performed and delivered great sets. The first half of their show showcased their hip hop talents with Pluskratch playing the beats. On the mic were J.P., Adi and Huggy Fresh a.k.a. Jeff. Each brought their own unique and verbal talents. For their second set, they toned it down with an acoustic one with Mark Robson on the guitar. Watch out for these guys, they're creepin' up!
http://boomboxsaints.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theboomboxsaints

(Videos are dark. I apologize for the poor quality, but I did manage to try and make them brighter)

Boombox Saints @ Fabric

This Wednesday, April 16, the Boombox Saints will be doing a live performance at Fabric nightclub. This night is hosted by Rockwell Entertainment and Elite Player Entertainment. Don't miss out, cuz these guys know how to rock the crowd!

http://boomboxsaints.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theboomboxsaints

Chromeo

Chromeo once again put on another great live show. Bigger venue and more fans packed the house. Chromeo, which consists of Dave 1 and P-Thugg, move the crowd with their infectious electrofunk beats and rhythms. If you haven't seen the duo live, this is one group I recommend on seeing. They always attract a great crowd, and good vibes. The Commodore was in good spirits and the fans danced it up on the floor through the night. T-shirts were on sale, but eventually sold out. For more info on Chromeo, go to http://www.chromeo.net.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

J.U.S.T.I.C.E.

Well, this is my first official entry into the blog world. I've been procrastinating, and am trying to get something up on the board. Thought i'd start off with the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. show last March 25, 2008 at the Commodore. Show was ill! I seem to only remember bits and pieces of it, but I really enjoyed it. I rolled through with my homeboy Allan, and linked up with some friends there. The after party at the Caprice, with DJ's Paul Devro and Diplo, was pretty dope too. Thanks to my girl Adena, for the contact hookup for the tickets! Next up... Chromeo! They'll be performing on Thursday, April 3, 2008, at the Commodore as well. First show I saw them at, at Sonar (now Fabric), was a packed and a live show. Good vibe, good peeps!

That's all for now. Hope you enjoy reading. Will do my best to keep you updated. Thanks and Peace!
http://www.myspace.com/etjusticepourtous