The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

We are in the thick of Summer and for me its hard not to feel the urge to travel. Maybe its a hold over from trips at the completion of the school year, or the 100 plus degree heat here in Philadelphia, but I just can't sit still. Here is a mix for you traveling folks, or those of you with an itch to scratch. JEEPNEY Sounds mixed by Canada's own DJ PUMP. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

"Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines.[1] They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from WWII[2] and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a symbol of Philippine culture"

"Here's a mix i made in 2007 for Jeepney clothing in Seattle & California area.. I think the original zshare file expired with about 80,000+ downloads (wow!)... Anyway, this was my tribute to late great J Dilla months after he passed. In this mix, you'll hear 80 mins of real hip hop joints i was feeling at the time mixed with some funk, neo soul and some more rare gems. There's also a J Dilla tribute mix somewhere in the middle.. Enjoy."- DJ PUMP

Jeepney Sound Vol. 6 by DJ PUMP

1. Boomin In Your Jeepney Intro 
2. Common – Resurrection (fantastic remix) 
3. Be Break 
4. Ahmad Jamal – Ghetto Child 
5. The Light (dj pump break) 
6. Lupe Fiasco – Kick Push (handle it version) 
7. Linda Clifford – Never Gonna Stop 
8. The Sylvers – Stay Away From Me 
9. Rottin Razcals – Oh Yeah (be easy mix) 
10. Slum Village – Get Dis Money (dilla fix) 
11. J Dilla - Say It! (feat. Ta'Raach & DJ Exile) 
12. Nicolay – I Love The Way You Love (feat. Darien Brockington) 
13. Method Man – Method Man (dj pump remix) 
14. Zhane – Hey Mr. DJ (dj pump version) 
15. Zhane – Request Line (beatapella) 
16. Dwele - I think I Love You 
17. Musiq – ForTheNight 
18. Q-tip – Official 
19. Yesterday's New Quintet – Uno Esta 
20. Bobbi Humphrey – Uno Esta 
21. Quantic Soul Orchestra – We Got Soul (rob life remix) 
22. El Michels Affair – Glaciers of Ice 
23. Jimi Hendrix – Little Miss Lover 
24. Sly & The Family Stone – Life Of Fortune & Fame 
25. The Roots – Game Theory (feat. Malik B) 
26. Junkyard Band – Sardines 
27. Pharaoh Monch – Body Baby 
28. Consequence – Callin Me 
29. Consequence – The Consequence (feat. Q-tip) 
30. Jazzy Jeff – Whatever U Want (feat. Little Brother) 
31. The Free Design – Don't Turn Away (sharpshooters mix) 
32. Giorgio Moroder – E=Mc2 
33. DILLA FOREVER – DJ Pump 
34. Kanye West On J Dilla 
35. J Dilla – Dilla's World (still bangin' in your jeep) 
36. The Trammps – Rubber Band 
37. Kool & The Gang – Fruitman 
38. Martha Reeves - Sweet Misery 
39. A Tribe Called Quest – 1nce Again (dj pump BKS remix) 
40. J Dilla – Won't Do 
41. Kanye West – I Still Love H.E.R. 
42. Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One, Rakim – Classic (dj premier remix) 
43. Styles P – Testify 
44. Talib Kweli & Madlib – Happy Home 
45. Black Milk – So Gone 
46. Nas feat. Snoop Dogg – Play On Playa 
47. Marvin Gaye – After The Dance 
48. Once You Get it Break 
49. Steve Arrington – Nobody Can Be You 
50. One Way – Don't Fight The Feeling 
51. Zapp – Heartbreaker 
52. Slum Village – Give This Ni%$a 
53. Musiq – Miss You 
54. War – Sing A Happy Song 
55. Ghostface Killah feat. Amy Winehouse – You Know I'm No Good 
56. Common /Will I Am – I Have A Dream 
57. Common – Geto Heaven (dj pump remix) 
58. Richard Holmes – Onsaya Joy 
59. Weldon Irvine – We Gettin' Down 
60. Incredible Bongo Band – In A Gadda Da Vida

Dreaming of Soup weather

This mid-July day with a temperature in the mid nineties I can't help but find myself wistfully thinking of September and it's cool breezes. My summer mind is plagued with the urge to make soup. The smoked turkey drumsticks call out for Lima beans to change them into a satisfying thick meal, and I can not resist.

-DAVID         

You may feel free to keep this recipe in reserve until September or make it now to urge on the change in the weather. 

Ingredients:    

Smoked large Turkey Drumstick or wing    

3 cups large dried Lima beans    

3 cloves garlic    

One large can tomato sauce    

2 stalks Celery     

2 carrots    

salt and pepper     

2 tablespoons Olive Oil 

Process:    

Fill a large pot ½ way up (perhaps 3 quarts) with water    

Rinse the Lima beans in a colander and place in the pot with the heat on high    

Cut the carrots and celery into chunks of about ¾ “ in length    

Put the Turkey into the pot

Boil the contents for about 1 1/2 hrs and add the garlic, Olive Oil, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!

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