gettin' busy (or at least going through the motions)

ummm... yeah.

not doing a very good job at keeping this blog going on a regular basis, hunh? even with the exciting prospect of knowing that danmcdan, my only fan (hey, it rhymes cuz I'm skilled sometimes... yeaah. anyway...) might actually read this (thus ensuring that my efforts are not in vain, and only slightly less masturbatory)!

instead of wasting two hours fucking around on Facebook and Yelp tonight, I *probably* should have zipped up one of those requested Picket Fences and uploaded it for your later downloading pleasure. but instead, I'll take the lazy way out and simply link to an online mix I posted a few days ago dedicated to the glorious act of getting naked and humping someone you like.

enjoy!

baby makin' music

it coulda been a contender

I finally got a couple of comments on a post, encouraging me to post up more of my own music from the early Fence era (coincidentally my only "era" to date), so I dug in the crates and came up with this wee gem: Geography Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day.

The album is a collaboration with Jonnie Common, the genius behind Scottish indie faves and fellow Fence stalwarts DownTheTinySteps. The idea grew out of my admiration for one of their songs on their first Picket Fence release called "Don't Cut Your Hair." I liked the song and wanted to do a remix of it. When I asked Jonnie if he was up for it, and to send me the master tracks to play around with, he ended up re-recording the song with an MC Quake-specific verse and suggested we not just stop with one track, but collaborate on an entire album. What a great idea! So we sent each other a collection of bits and pieces of stuff, went to work on our respective sides of the pond and produced the tracks that you find here. Jonnie took our efforts and ordered them, even drew some quite lovely album art (which I have around here somewhere...) and... VOILA!

The aim was to release Geography as part of a future Picket Fence series, but alas that was not meant to be. Instead, it got a VERY tiny release (Jonnie sold his copies for five quid, I think; I basically gave all my copies away to friends)--if you have one of the original CDR copies of this, consider yourself lucky, my friend :D

MC Quake & Jonnie Common - Geography Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day

*can't seem to locate the original front cover art, the pic on the left was one of my early suggestions that didn't make it. the inside tracklisting is nice though, eh?

Spotlight on Scotland

ok, I read a Facebook comment on a friend's status from this guy named David DeRosa, who--instead of mimosas--makes a drink he calls a DeRosa. The trick is to use grapefruit juice instead of orange juice with the champagne, apparently. This got me thinking about an excellent album from a fantastic Scottish band called De Rosa. Alas, I'm pretty sure the band is no more, but they certainly did make some fine music when they were together.

So in honor of both De Rosa's, here's a little new year's love.

De Rosa - Mend

sloooooooooooooow

yep, things have been pretty slow lately on the blog front (or should I just go ahead and push them together into the probably hipper, 'blogfront'?)

mostly because I discovered that 8tracks site where I can create and post mixes without having to upload them to rapidshare or megaupload or wherever. sure, you can download them and save them, but seeing as how I get the feeling that no one is actually reading this in the first place... not a big deal.

if you ARE, however, indeed reading this, why not leave a comment? a little note to say, "I was here, you suck/rawk/should post more/etc." I'd like that.

laundry dance party

today's offering is a nice, long dance mix courtesy of a guy named DJ Schecht. DJ Schecht is from Scotland, although I never met him (our relationship never got past the online communication stage) despite being in Scotland a fair bit in the past few years.

Schecht has an eclectic touch in his mixes, while staying firmly rooted in the kind of beats that make it damn near impossible to refrain from somehow bopping along--your toe taps, your head nods, your shake your ass like a Polaroid picture--SOMETHING gets moving when DJ Schecht is at the controls. which makes it the perfect thing to blast when you're psyching yourself up to do the laundry, of course.

DJ Schecht - June 05 mix

DJ Schecht - July 05 mix

DJ Schecht - Wo Ist Der Schechthaus?

perfunctory thanksgiving sentiment

everyone else is going to say what they're thankful for today--so instead, how about we just jam out to this then go stuff ourselves. Shall we?

Music Maker - OnTheFly

swingin' in the windy city

hey, I like swing. when the Cherry Poppin' Daddies were hotter than a nun's first curry, I was right down in front. the problem was... I can't dance.

swing dance, that is. oh sure--I've got rhythm, and I can move onto the dancefloor and 'bust a move' (or whatever terminology is used these days to refer to the random flailing of limbs and pelvis), but until last monday, I couldn't swing.

and I'm not gonna boast and claim that I'm ready to sign up for Dancing with the Chicago Stars just yet--but my girlfriend DID sign us up for swing dance lessons, and after two solid weeks of "quick, quick, slow... slow" stepping, I am feeling pretty damn good about eventually slipping into some retro duds and taking my baby out to a club for some free-wheelin' swing kids fun.

so in honor of my new found love of all things swing, I'm posting a few of the tunes that have gotten me through the classes and helped me get my swing on.

Straighten Up and Fly Right - Nat King Cole

Two O' Clock Jump - Harry James

I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller

hold on, it's a cover-up

I love covers.

this subject could (and probably should) inspire a lengthy discussion of the merits of reinterpreting someone else's song... but it won't as I am far too lazy at this point in the day. kind of just wanted to post this for the sake of #musicmonday.

so here's a link to a zipped up mix of some of my favorite covers. let me know what you think if anything particularly strikes you, and please feel free to post any of your own faves as well :-)



mc quake's cover mix 1

and here's a link to a lovely, wonky oldschool computer cover on youtube

Bohemian Rhapsody

Badges--you NEED some stinking badges!

ok, time to self-promote a little bit.

in my spare time, I like to make and sell badges. Yes, I said 'badges,' not 'buttons,' or 'pins.' I call my products badges because that's what they call them in Scotland, where my obsession for these wee bits of fun first developed. and despite the fact that I now am back in the States and people look at me funny whenever I say badges, I stick with it because that's what I call them in my own head.

so deal with it.

now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, it's time to pimp the goods. if you've taken more than a fleeting glance at my blog, you'll see the RSS feed from my Etsy shop near the bottom of the lefthand side. yes, I have an Etsy shop. it's a pain in the ass and damn near worthless, but it does provide a fairly simple venue for me to showcase some of my stuff, at least enough to give folks an idea of what I make. the direct link is at the bottom of this post.

I make badges, magnets, keychain bottle openers and pocket mirrors, in 1-inch and 2.25-inch sizes. I tend to use a lot of vintage comic books, as well as any other vintage paper stuff I can get my hands on. but I also like to pry random images out of context from more modern mags like Time and Entertainment Weekly... really whatever I can cadge for free :D most of the stuff I make is one-of-a-kind, unique--more like tiny pieces of individual, wearable art than some factory-produced bit of tat. believe me, I had to train myself to actually give them up for sale, as each time I make one I seem to want to keep it, haha.

I do custom work, so hit me up with any ideas or orders--this stuff makes for EXCELLENT stocking stuffers, you know!

BadgesByQuake on Etsy

OLO Radio--are YOU listening?

having spent a bit of time in the UK and met LOADS of incredibly talented people, I'll probably eventually start pimping them here. first up are my friends at OLO Radio: http://www.oloradio.blogspot.com/ these guys are like a wacky, unstoppable creative force that combines music, stagecraft and manual art into one intriguing and highly entertaining package. get on board with them today!

a couple of years ago I had the honor of putting together a mix for their station, and as I'm not sure it's still available in their archive, I'd like to present it again here. enjoy!

mc quake's OLO Radio mix