The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

A few months ago we here at Tucker and Bloom held a contest to find the perfect lazy afternoon mixtape. The rules were simple and open ended. The mixes were to be Brazilian, Soul, or Jazz based, not to long, and devoid of distracting drops ( for a good example of this google DJ Clue). The DJ with the best mix would receive one of our North To South Messenger bags,world wide acclaim, and all the parades that accompany it. We went through a lot of fine mixes before awarding the first place prize to DJ Hudson also known as Alex Moitt. Hudsons' winning submission was outstanding, and left us itching to know more about the man behind the mix. What did he eat for breakfast the day he recorded it? Who did the cover art? What is life like now that he's won? We recently caught up with Alex to find out more about his life, and to find out how the North to South bag was working for him. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

THE BAG MESSENGER: Name, Where are you from? 

ALEX MOITT: I'm from Leicester which is in the Midlands in the UK. I'm trying to think of something Leicester is famous for... um, the Elephant Man (the deformed one, not the dancehall one) is from here. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: When did you first get into design?

ALEX MOITT: I've always had an interest in design which came from an interest in record sleeves at an early age but as a career I got into it when I worked in marketing for a website. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How long have you been working as a graphic designer? Where do you look for inspiration?

ALEX MOITT: It's been about 8 years now. I work in the public sector so most of the stuff I do is quite conservative in the look and feel but my style is quite retro so my inspiration comes from going round second hand shops and getting old books, magazines and records. I do get inspiration from anywhere at anytime - if something catches my eye I often think about incorporating it into a future project. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did you first get involved with DJing?

ALEX MOITT: Like most DJs my age it starts with the family. My Dad has (or had as I've 'borrowed' the bulk of it) a large record collection which I took a massive interest in from an early age. Also I've got aunts and uncles who all had a lot of records and I was often going through what they had. I started playing out at places around the time I went to college and there I met like minded people who were putting nights on which led to me being involved in a hip hop and funk night which ran for a few years and led to sharing billing with a lot of good acts and DJs.

THE BAG MESSENGER: We're you always collecting records? What kinds of things are you looking for these days?

ALEX MOITT: Yes, I used to go record shopping with my Dad every other Saturday so I started buying records really early on. I think by the age of 8 I was buying good  records. Before then, I was buying records by people whose names I recgonised from the family's collection that were generally rubbish. I don't buy as much as I used to but I go to the second hand shops every now and then. I'm always on the look out for disco, funk, hip hop and anything that catches my eye. The last new records I bought was a DJ Platurn remix of Midas Touch and a GAMM release of an Erykah Badu track that's on the house tip. There's some good reissues out that I'm planning on getting, like the Soul Jazz reissue of the Roy Ayers Uno Melodic LP and the last few Jazzman releases. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How are you liking the North to South Messenger Bag?

ALEX MOITT: The Messenger Bag is treating me very well. I use it mainly to keep my stuff in for work and there's been a few times where I've taken it out on a record finding mission and it's the perfect size for that too. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: Has Serato changed the way you get down?

ALEX MOITT: The obvious things such as not having to carry a back breaking amount of records and being able to play things that are not on vinyl, as well as virtually having doubles of everything are a plus. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What do you listen to for fun? How has becoming a DJ affected the way you listen to music? 

ALEX MOITT: I'm into all sorts of stuff so for recreational listening I like to keep it varied so as well as listening to hip hop, funk, soul, disco and the stuff I play out I listen to jazz, old rock, reggae... anything good really. Recently I've been listening to a Jay-Z mix by DJ Ayres, The Aquarius album by Brazilian legend Joyce and Shuggie Otis' Inspiration Information. Because I've been DJ'ing since I was a teen I don't think it's affected how it's listening to music. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: Every DJ has a horror story or two....what is the worst thing to happen at a gig?

ALEX MOITT: Nothing too bad springs to mind. I've had nights where only one turntable is working, stuff like that and people making odd requests - recently someone asked me for some Bon Jovi and last week someone came up and asked if I play any 'you know, like, songs??' But recently a friend of mine, DJ BFG, was telling me that he was playing somewhere and he turned round to see a woman in the booth taking a piss. That's just wrong. 
One request I had from an overweight thug years ago was to play 'some fookin white music', I think I played either The Specials or Harry J's Allstars 'The Liquidator' in response to that and then I think he got kicked out the club.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are you working on now? (design wise or dj wise)

ALEX MOITT: Design wise I've been meaning to do some nice bits to decorate the walls in my house (saying it here commits me to do it!) but I've not got any design projects outside of what I do at work. DJ wise I've got a regular weekend slot at a bar that I play at a couple of times a month which is trucking along nicely and when I get the time I want to get a couple of mixtapes done. I've done three breaks/sample mixes over the last few years so  I'm planning on doing another one in that series using only children's records. I don't know if it's going to work but keep an eye on my blog, toiletries.wordpress.com, as I'll be putting up whatever I come up with there. 

Click here to grab a copy of "Tickets Please" by DJ HUDSON

Here is your treat for the week, "Feeling Good" by Cosmo Baker. Perfect for those long summer days. Enjoy

-THE BAG MESSENGER

"Often times I'll wake up in a certain mood and I'll want to make a mix that will accompany me during the day. This is how the first "Love Break" came about - just a mix for me to listen to in my car during a road trip. Anyway, a few weeks ago, I woke up and it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the temperature was just right. It made me think of a certain sound that just means "spring/summer" to me, so before I headed out I made this mix to listen to while I ran around New York. There's nothing like New York in the springtime."- Cosmo

Click for a Download

TRACK LIST-

Benny Golson "I'm Always Dancin' To The Music"
Maze feat. Frankie Beverly "Golden Time Of Day"
Brenda Russell "In The Thick Of It"
SSO "Faded Lady"
L.T.D. "Don't Stop Loving Me"
Toto "Waiting For Your Love"
Harvey Mason "Till You Take My Love"
Eddie Drennon & The BSS Orchestra "Do What You Gotta Do"
Patrice Rushen "Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)"
Brass Construction "Get Up To Get Down"
Roy Ayers "Love Will Bring Us Back Together"
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway "Back Together Again"
Mtume "Love Lock"
Bernard Wright "Spinnin'"
Teena Marie "I Need Your Lovin'"
Stevie Wonder "Love Light In Flight"
Karen Silver "Nobody Else"
James Mason "Sweet Power of Your Embrace"
Donald Byrd "Love Has Come Around"
Chaka Kahn "Clouds"
Coke Escoveo "I Wouldn't Change A Thing"
Black Ivory "Mainline"
Change "A Lover's Holiday"
D-Train "Keep On"
Earth Wind & Fire "Runnin'" (Danny Krivit Remix)
John Paul Young "Love Is In The Air"
Norman Connor presents Aquarian Dream "Look Ahead"
The Isley Brothers "Harvest For The World"

Cosmo Baker with the North To South Messenger bag. 

Catch up with Cosmo on Twitter and get knowledge on his site

I was immediately attracted to the use of clean type and noisy photography in the album art for Brian Gossett’s, The Heist Series. However, the series goes deeper than just the pretty covers, it also has a great concept. Gossett’s love for the heist film genre becomes apparent through his vast knowledge of the films’ scores and his ability to compile the compositions in a cohesive manner. Check out his site, where you can download the mixes and read his wonderful accompanying descriptions.

- Nick Sigler

Here is an interview for earlier in the year that many of you missed. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Will Van Zandt is a man full of stories. Son of famous folk singer Towens Van Zandt, who is as legendary for his wild antics as his song writing; Will is a bit of a legend  himself. He was once run over by a tractor trailer on the interstate in Nashville, passed up by the responding ambulance, and lived to tell about it. He is about as genuine a person as anyone could hope to meet. I have had the pleasure of knowing him for some time, and share a few crazy stories with the man myself.  This interview won't be covering any of his wild past, or give you specific insight into his fathers song writing process (sorry Townes fans). Instead we will cover WVZ's obsessive passion for crusty old spray paint cans. Perhaps this will give you more insight into his father than a world full of unreleased demo tapes. Perhaps you will learn about the hunt for Jungle Green. Either way, while "there are two kinds of music. (The Blues, and Zippity-Do-Da"- TVZ), there are many can's of spray paint yet to be unearthed.

- Case Bloom

THE BAG MESSENGER: How did you first get into collecting cans?    

Will Van Zandt:  I got into it through graffiti. Back before all the specialty paint brands were around, you were very limited as far as colors and shades. In the mid nineties krylon had discontinued a lot of their more vibrant colors. My guy Verse, who basically schooled me as far as graffiti is concerned knew about some local mom and pop hardware stores who still had a good stock of discontinued colors, so we started cleaning those out, just getting paint to use. Every now and then I would find cans that were real old, they wouldn't even spray, little off brands I had never heard of, some with crazy graphics. I would stick those on a shelve to display. Over time it was less about finding paint to use, and more about the older cans themselves.

THE BAG MESSENGER: How long have you been doing it?    

Will Van Zandt: It started in 98' so around twelve years. I slowed down for a while until I realized people were paying good money online for some of these cans. I defiantly got a second wind after that. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: How much are some of these worth?   

Will Van Zandt: In this economy no one is safe... Stuff isn't going for what it was say, five years ago. At one point it was nothing to get on ebay and see cans going for a couple hundred dollars. I've seen single cans go for close to eight hundred dollars, that's unheard of right now. Most stuff isn't even selling. Right now it's more about trades with other collectors.  

THE BAG MESSENGER: What brands are you into? What types of cans are you looking for? How many cans deep are you?  

Will Van Zandt: Probably my favorite right now are what are called picture cans. They were made by a few different brands, and basically every color has a different illustration that describes it. Also I'm into Rustoleum  stuff 1965 or older. They sent out a lot of cool advertising stuff back in the day. Giant display cans, transistor radios that look like cans, I have a gold money clip, and a company softball team jersey from the early seventies. I'm looking for 1950's "grenade and soup cans", called this because of their shape. I don't think most people would even recognize the "soup cans" as spray paint. I'm into greens, avocados, limes, and aquas. I would say i have around a thousand cans that are worth mentioning, but I'm defiantly trying to downsize. It's gotten a bit insane, so a lot of stuff is boxed up these days.  

THE BAG MESSENGER: What is the furthest you have gone on a trip digging?   

Will Van Zandt: With Verse I've been down into Mississippi, on all back roads. We made it to Vicksburg Miss before we ran out of room in the truck and had to turn around. Same deal in Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky. Those are forsure some of the best come ups.  There is not really anybody else in the South doing this. It isn't like in the North East where you have a lot of guys going to the same spots competing. It was all untouched old family owned hardware stores. You know, "Grandpa opened up after the war, then my dad took over, now it's mine."  These guys don't recycle, and they don't throw stuff away. Prime digging.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Can you describe what a digging  mission might look like? How do people react when you tell them you want to dig up their old paint cans?   

Will Van Zandt:  We leave at three or four in the morning, and by the time we get to the next state the stores are starting to open up. We map it out, then hit every little town. When they start to close we get a cheap ass hotel room, and figure out where to go the next day. Most of the time you just get looked at like a psychopath, " Your looking for what!?"  I've been called a "long haired paint huffing drug addict" and told to get out of people's stores. Sometimes you come across an old man who's happy to have somebody who's actually interested in his business, and wants to show you everything upstairs, in the basement, and tell stories about the "good ole' days".  You can spend full days in a place like that. I've been in basements where cans were literally stuck up in the spaces under the floorboards.  Then his buddy over in whateverville has a store so he calls him up and sends you over. These places are far and few between now, if they even still exist. 

THE BAG MESSENGER: What other kinds of stuff do like to collect?    

Will Van Zandt: I've collected everything at some point. Stamps, coins, comics, baseball cards. If I see a shiny rock I want that shit, but there's a fine line between a collector and a hoarder, and I'm trying to cut back. I don't want to end up on A&E! 

Get the simple messenger bag here , perfect for the daily grind, and stylish enough that you can avoid looking like a "long haired paint huffing drug addict".
 

Happy Monday folks. Here is a gem of a mix to get you through the week. Done in 2001 by DJ Spinna "Strange Games and Things" runs the gamet of soul. Sample source jazz, slick funk, and spacey disco. Perfect for a walk on a nice hot day, or an evenings drive about. Enjoy! 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Get the mix Here 

The release is three disks. The first two are a compilation of the tracks used on the mix, and the third disk is the mix itself. If you like the mix, buy the cd buy clicking on any of the artists names in the track list. 

TRACKLIST

This past weekend my friend Nick and I made the trip from Nashville to Memphis to eat BBQ and dig for records. If you have never been to Memphis, or some how overlooked these activities on your trips to the city, its hard to quantify exactly how much you have been missing. Perhaps this story will help.

The drive from Nashville was around three hours and a lush green blur. We arrived in Memphis after two o’clock, and headed straight for Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.

Gus’s has some serious fried chicken. Nick and I were joined by a friends Brandon, and Casey. We polished off plates of fried chicken and began to plot our stops at record shops. Brandon has been telling me about this little hole in the wall shop he found in Mississippi for a few years, and it was high on the priority list for the afternoon. The description of the place was almost as intriguing as the potential record finds it might hold. Here is how it was first described to me.

There is a record store Mississippi about an hour outside of Memphis in a small poor town. It was the black record store during segregation and they mostly have soul music. It is  run by an old man named Mr. Johnson (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) who ether sells drugs or runs numbers out of an apartment next door. The store is filled with stuff, with only a narrow path carved through. There are tons of records inside, but getting in is a bit of a challenge as there are no set hours, and the door inside is usually blocked by boxes. On previous trips Brandon and Casey have wandered around the town looking for Mr. Johnson to open up so they could shop. On multiple occasions after locating him they were told that they couldn’t he couldn’t open for one reason or another, and sent home empty handed.

There really wasn’t much of a choice anymore. We piled into the car and headed to Mississippi to roll the dice.  

After pulling off the interstate and driving around the center of town looking for the store, we finally found it tucked next to a seedy looking yellow motel. We pulled up to park in front of the store and saw a shady exchange take place that ended with a man leaving with a paper slip and Mr. Johnson in front of the store next to a pile of rusting bikes. Brandon, who knew him went over to say high, and ask if we could shop for records. After a warm, “I don’t see why not” and some introductions, we were set to go.

The actual getting into the store took about 45 minuets, as Mr. Johnson had to remove some crates from the entrance and things in Mississippi just take a while.  While he worked we talked about the blues, the changes in Memphis, Juke Joints and Soul music. You don’t live to your 80’s without learning a thing or two and Mr. Johnson is still razor sharp.

When the path was cleared we wriggled our way into the store single file. True to Brandon’s description it was packed with stuff. Forty Five’s lined the wall with a three foot path cutting close. Shelves lined the other side stacked with random boxes and knick-knacks. Old posters hung from the rafters, and there was an entire section of the store cut off by precariously stacked shelving. The path was so narrow that navigating, passing, and leaving the store we’re almost impossible. Once you we’re in, you we’re in for the dig. The inside was sweltering, and there was a layer of fine dust all over everything. Clip lights illuminated sections of the wall, and baked the shelves. This could be heaven in Mississippi. We each began to sift through sections of the wall, pulling records, and sharing finds. Leon Fulsome, James Brown, Slave, and Jimmy Castor. The records we’re surprisingly well organized, and interjected with bits of Mr. Johnson’s mail from throughout the years.

Casey found a hand gun wrapped in a plastic shopping bag, and taped with duct tape, Nick found a box of old condoms and open packs of cigarettes. Someone could be heard outside asking if Mr. Johnson had any car radios for sale, or asking what we were doing in there. Mr. Johnson was playing the blues and gospel on a radio out front and would pop in from time to time to make comments about the artists and records we we’re stacking. At some point it sounded like there was a block party going on out front.

By the time we made our final selections and stepped into the fresh air, there was a small crowd of folks outside.  People we’re lounging on cars, hanging in the street, and playing checkers in front of the store. We must have looked crazy coming out of this store holding stacks of records, drenched in sweat, and covered in dust. The sweet breeze of an impending rain storm hung in the air. We stood around for a bit paying for our records and talking. “I know what yall are lookin for” a woman by the apartment door said to Nick. “Yall are lookin for them blues”. “Yeah we like the blues”. After we realized she wasn’t talking about records, and we witnessed what could have been a scene from the Wire, we headed for the car, and hit the long road to Memphis, sharing our finds, and thinking of slow smoked ribs. 

Chung King is a legendary recording studio in NYC.
In the 1980s they recorded a lot of DEF JAM stuff, and made a name for themselves as a "Hip Hop" recording studio.
Since then what was once "Chung King's House Of Metal", a small studio above a Chinese restaraunt, has built a reputation for churning out hits, and become a staple for recording artists of all genres.
A few weeks ago, a friend who works there and I were talking about the massive amount of classics recorded there, and we thought it would be cool to do a mix series highlighting their legacy. Where to begin? The Eighties.

The looped records, 808, and heavy bass on these records are closer to punk rock than any hip hop recorded these days. Turn it up loud and you can almost smell the egg fu young. This one is 80's cassette tape grimey.

-Case

Get it here or here

It’s been acknowledged that information graphics have recently become a huge trend in graphic design. Some people see this as a negative trend, but I think that there are some really great things happening within the realm of information graphics. IL magazine is an Italian men’s publication that is full of wonderful examples within the genre. 

-Nick Sigler

Here are the photos from the Sheenic Route at the Vault and The Lyric To Go event at Brooklyn Bowl. It was great to see everyone. Happy birthday Tamir Z Brown of Lyrics To Go. Be on the look out for the limited edition Lyrics To Go North to South bag, coming this September. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Cosmo's bag packs heat.

Sheen Bros doing the thing.

Pyramid keeps his North to South bag at his feet.

DJ Sonny Cheeba gets down in the Vault

Rich Medina in the Zone..

DJ Chela with the Lyrics To Go North To South bag

Happy Birthday Tamir!

Check out the rest of the photos here

Happy Monday folks. Being that it is sweltering hot outside and everyone is still recovering from the weekends festivities, I thought this would be a good time to share one of my favorite laid back mixes. Paul Nice Brazil Volume 1. Enjoy

-The Bag Messenger

Get it here

Very few things get weekends as wild as a good three day weekend and summer sunshine. Here are a few events going on that get our stamp of approval.  Happy fourth!

-The Bag Messenger

The Lyrics To Go All Star Party 
(Special Birthday Celebration For Tamir Z. Brown) 

Hosted By: 
Greg Nice (Nice N Smooth)

DJ Sets By: 
J.Period (Truelements Music)
Cosmo Baker & 4th Pyramid (The Sheen Bros) 
The X-Factor Boogie Blind (X-Ecutioners) 
DJ Chela 

and also...
Suprise Special Guest DJ From Philly!!!

Opening Set By: 
DJ Suga Ray x The Yume Experience

This is your insider's guide to Ed Blammo's EPIC FREEDOM WEEKEND. Celebrate your independence in the city that wrote the book on it. This one's for the people.

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Friday July 2 - HOLIDAY WEEKEND KICKOFF @ PYT

DJ Image and Ed Blammo are starting your weekend off proper with an epic dose of hip-hop, dancehall & club classics at PYT. You never know what's going to happen when this dynamic duo gets together. Expect the unexpected. Unless you expect to shake your booty.

DJ Image & Ed Blammo
Friday July 2 @ PYT
10-2 / No Cover
$1 drinks till 11

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Saturday July 3 - WYLD THANGZ @ M-Room

For this special one-time event, Ed Blammo is teaming up with DJ Senor Senor, Tonymont (Tigebeats) and Dennis Wolffang (Night Train) at the M Room for a night filled with dance jams of the highest caliber. Indie, Pop, Rock, Disco. Anything goes where the Wyld Thangz be. Get there early for FREE PBR and Vodka drinks from 9-11. Blammo + Tigerbeats + Night Train = a rager of epic proportions. Don't miss it.

Wyld Thangz
Saturday July 3 @ M-Room
10-2 / $5 Cover
FREE PBR & Vodka from 9-11
Pre-party BBQ @ Penn Treaty Park

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Sunday July 4 - LOCALS+ONLY @ PYT

Party bros Jay Yo and Ed Blammo along with the all star Locals Only family and guest selector KENNY MEEZ are getting epic this July 4th. The turntables will be set up outside along with grills, kiddie pools, super soakers and rocket popsicles. It's downright un-American to not eat a burger on the 4th of July, and we all know PYT does burgers right, so come hang with us before you hit the fireworks. Some of you lovely ladies might even score a free drink for getting in the pool. The rest of you, get there early for FREE Pina Coladas from 12-2

LOCALS+ONLY
Sunday July 4th @ PYT
2-9 / No Cover
Free Pina Coladas from 12-2

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GET UP. GET EPIC. GET FREE.

Don't sleep on West Philly! Some of the best kept secrets in the city are in this neighborhood.

On Saturday July 3rd, is the first WESTBOUND party at Upstairs at Elena's Soul Lounge, the hottest venue on Baltimore Ave. DJ lil'dave (from Illvibe Collective & Eavesdrop Radio) will be playing a top shelf mix of soulful house, afrobeat, latin grooves, funk, classics, and more.

Don't miss this!

WESTBOUND
w/ DJ lil'dave
Saturday July 3rd
Upstairs at Elena's
(4912 Baltimore Ave.)
10PM-2AM

$5 Cover

Here is a cool little video Lil Dave did to promote the event. Why can't I post it directly? I'd like to know the answer to that myself. I can however post this video of a baby dancing that may give you an idea of what to expect.