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In honor of all the fathers out there we would like to extend free shipping within the US on all orders through June 16th 2013. 

Peoples Potential Unlimited is a record label based in Washington DC, specializing in archiving and releasing rare and obscure dance music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. We caught up with Andrew Morgan, the man behind the PPU label to see how it all came about. 

The Bag Messenger: How did you first get into music?

Cash Money:I have always loved music.Music was always being played in my household growing up.From funk,jazz,soul,gospel on to pop music.My Mom & Dad are totally responsible for my ear for good music..It was albums & 8 tracks back then...

The Bag Messenger: What made you want to become a DJ? Who we're the folks you we're looking up to when you first started? 

Cash Money:When i first started djing i would say the radio jocks on WDAS (Georgie Woods, Doctor Perry Johnson,Doug Henderson and Jocko)..When hip hop started then it was Grand Master Flash...I didn't live in New York so i started listening to the hip hop dee-jays here in Philly (Grand Wizard Rasheen,Grand Master Nell,Grand Slam Dj Jam,Cosmic Kev etc..)

The Bag Messenger: What was looking for music like in the beginning? How we're you getting hip to records?

Cash Money:Music was easier to find back in the days..There used to be this warehouse that the a guy called Grand Slam DJ Jam knew about..First of all Slam had the most break beats in Philly...Til this day he has stuff that i still don't know..Well he took me to this warehouse and all the records were like 35 cents.....We found multiple copies of everything...I was taught how to dig for records by DJ Grand Slam DJ Jam....

The Bag Messenger:  Has being a professional DJ for this long changed the way you listen to music?

Cash Money: Absolutely, Because i have the chance to travel to different countries.It has opened my life to other kinds of music...Every country was influenced by James Brown..So you would find an artist from another country doing a funky ass version of a similar sounding James Brown tune..

The Bag Messenger: What's the key to packing for a successful tour?

Cash Money: Computer now....I don't put records under no plane...They ride like a passenger..."REAL TALK"...

The Bag Messenger: Any travel horror stories?

Cash Money: I remember flying from Germany to Manchester, England and i went to grab my bags and record cases.I realized that my record cases were feeling very light in weight..One case had some tape around it with the word defective written on the tape..This is how they spelled it "defktive"...The promoter that picked me up was so pissed off over this situation that he went crazy on the people behind the desk....I told him i couldn't do my shows without my records...

The Bag Messenger: What was the Plateau? How were those parties? 

Cash Money: The Plateau was a place out in Fairmont Park that everyone went to on Sat.& Sunday...People would have different sound systems then would have some great djs' & mcs'...You would just sit in your car or walk down to where the music was...Everyone who had any status in the city was there...

The Bag Messenger: How did you decide to flip your turntables vertically (to "battle style")?

Cash Money: Well first of all it's not called "Battlestyle"..It's DJ Cash Money style or Grand Wizard Rasheen style....I learned from Rasheen and the world learned from me...

The Bag Messenger: How do you feel about current DJ culture? 

Cash Money: I love the fact that we have so many up and coming dee-jays..The problem that i am having with the new kats is they are learning from the computer..They are using sync buttons..So if you ask them to blend 2 records together without the computer.They can't do it..I think technology is being created much faster than we can produce good dee-jays....

The Bag Messenger: You've got a bunch of collections going. Can you describe what do you collect? What are some of your prized pieces? 

Cash Money: I have been a collector of everything for years...I was collecting records and toys etc way before ebay was around...I might one of the craziest oddball collections around today...I think some of my prized possessions would be my radio spot collections..They were never for sale..They were for radio stations use only...I have pretty much every blaxploitation,kung fu etc ...If you do not know what radio spot records are?These are the commercials for the movies..They come on a 45 record form...

The Bag Messenger: If you we'rent a DJ what would you do?

Cash Money: If i didn't dj i would have tried to play basketball somwhere...

The Gummy Soul Show: Freak The Funk! by Gummysoul on Mixcloud

Through the critically acclaimed releases of Fela Soul and Bizarre Tribe the Nashville natives Gummy Soul have been making some serious noise of late. This latest release is a DJ mix by Amerigo Gazaway ranging on the funky spectrum from classic to forgotten jam and all filtered with that Gummy Soul sound. If you are at SXSW make sure to check them out March 15th at The Holy Mountain Bar, because ike their website says, "you can't stand on good looks alone"

- THE BAG MESSENGER 

Tracklist:

1. Kashmere Stage Band – $$ Kash Register $$

2. Carlos Sarmiento – Old Funk

3. Tatsuro Yamashita x Jay-Z – Can’t Knock The Hustle

4. Maker – Shout

5. Antonio Carlos & Jocafi – Kabaluere

6. Bad Medicine – Trespasser

7. 9th Creation – Bubble Gum

8. Amerigo Gazaway – 4 Better Or 4 Worse (Bizarre Tribe Instrumental)

9. Bob James – Nautilus

10. The Meters – Cissy Strut

11. Grover Washington Jr. – Knucklehead

12. Keith Mansfield – Funky Fanfare (Original)

13. Keith Mansfield – Phunky Fanfare (Si Begg Remix)

14. Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield – Funky Fanfare (Soul Thing)

15. Q-Tip – Lets Ride

16. Fred Wesley and The J. B.’s – You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks and I’ll Be Straight

17. Maker – Hold ‘em

18. Wally Clark x Kanye West – Get Em High (Gummy Soul Remix)

19. Gary Byrd – Soul Travelin Pt. 1 (The G. B. E.)

20. Amerigo Gazaway x Slim Thug – Ooh I Ain’t Heard of That (DJ Chase Marz/Fela South Edit)

21. Blowfly – Outro Bonus: Amerigo Gazaway – Library Funk

Elusive composer Galt MacDermont has become a bit of a hip hop icon over the years. With an extensive catalogue of cinematic music and a hit musical under his belt it seems he's withdrawn from the limelight and praise of his past works and has been avoiding contact with his remaining fans 

Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli recently crafted a 15 min documentary style short film around Todd Terje's disco house tune Inspector Norse.  The film is based on the life of Marius Solem Johansen a.k.a Inspector Norse, an odd ball YouTube character obsessed with dance, dance music, and taking a strange drug he invented in his kitchen. Supposedly Inspector Norse caught Terje's interest on YouTube, inspiring the track bearing his name, and this short film about his life. Complete with a soundtrack provided by Todd Terje and scenes of awkward small town life that are reminiscent of Gummo and Napoleon Dynamite, WhatEverest makes for an interesting watch regardless of whether the film is based on a real person or not.

The original track by Todd Terje Inspector Norse

Our friend Marcellus Wallace and fellow record digger L Dula were recently guests at a live record culture event called Vinyl Snobs. The DJs brought a stack of their favorite records to share with the crowd and frankly talked about their experience in the bins. Both are heavy in the game and genuine music lovers. Its about as close to being at a friends apartment going through records as you can get on the internet and as a bonus you get you hear Marcellus Wallace plays his copy of A. Vuolo & E. Grandes Desert, an italian record that essentially doesn't exist. Zoinks!

Our friend Skeme Richards over at Hot Peas and Butta just released a new Behind The Red Door mix making this the sixth in the series. Running the sultry end of the funky music spectrum the mix is slow burner and up tempo alike, grooving musically and punctuated with forgotten film clips. Really what more could you ask for? Below is the latest episode as well as a player with episodes one- five ready to go.  Enjoy 

See what happened when BBC Radio 1Xtra's DJ Benji B took to the decks at BBC Maida Vale, accompanied by a 16-piece string ensemble. Benji, arranger Grant Windsor and the string ensemble re-imagine a wide spectrum of music and take the performance to interesting places pushing the strings musically through neighborhood clubs with Drake Headlines and than back to comfortable orchestral landscapes with a slow build on Raphael Saadiq's skyy can you feel me. 

tracklist:

Dwele - A.N.G.E.L
Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane
Ossie - Love Crazy
Bok Bok - Silo Pass
Wiley - Highs n Lows
S-X - Bricks
Timberland - Ayo Technology (Instrumental)
TNGHT - Higher Ground
Kanye West - Clique
Drake - Headlines
Jeremih - All The Time
Raphael Saadiq - Skyy Can You Feel Me

Maybe it's the hopping on and off planes or the constant drone of song requests but something about the DJ world can chew a mans passion for music up before a great majority of folks get their foot in the game. Want to be a DJ? It's 90 percent Radio Shack and U-Haul with a splash of librarian and a touch of talent. Not many are cut out for the long haul, but trust me when I say that Skeme Richards was built for this. He lives to travel, collect, and play records. The passion he exudes is palpable and with more years under his belt than most he's got every right to hand out cigars and wax about the past, choosing instead to have both feet firmly planted in the nitty gritty of this mess, holding the torch to guide the way and all whilst searching for the perfect hamburger. -THE BAG MESSENGER

THE BAG MESSENGER: When did you first get into collecting and at what point did records enter that picture for you?

SKEME RICHARDS: I would have to say unofficially I became a collector around the age of 6 which was during the beginnings of the Star Wars craze and until this day I still own every figure that I received as a kid. Records have always been in the picture for me starting with getting a Show n Tell Record Player and Viewer in 1970’s but as a young adult record became important in 1981 which is when I first started to DJ and was able to buy 12” on my own.

THE BAG MESSENGER: You collect a wide range of stuff, what are some of your favorite pieces?

SKEME RICHARDS: That’s always a tough question for me to answer because as a collector I only acquire things that I have a personal attachment to, things that I remember or have a connection to growing up, it’s all about quality over quantity. But as for favorites number 1 on the list would be my 1981 Stern Muhammad Ali pinball machine, out of 2917 made less than 50 are known to exist and only about 10 are mint (which includes mine). Any of my 1970’s GI Joe with Kung Fu Grip figures and definitely my vintage movie poster collection especially the Shaw Brothers Kung Fu posters and pictures collection. But I collect so much from old race tracks and train sets to vintage magazines.

THE BAG MESSENGER: How has nightlife evolved since you got in the game.

SKEME RICHARDS: Night life has made various transitions over the years, when I first started going out to parties / clubs in Philly to hear R&B, Hip Hop and Dance Classics it was primarily a Black audience going to Center City, then in the early 90's I started seeing more diversity in the crowds but we all shared the love of good music. No matter if it was "popular" music on the radio or underground hit's, good music was everywhere around us and the DJ's stressed playing good music, the club owners spent good money on amazing sound systems and wanted to hear it and they wanted people to dance to it because that’s what makes a party. Fast forward to the present and all that has changed, DJ's only care about their paycheck, club owners only care about how much they are making at the bar and the partygoers only cares about getting drunk. And to top it off the music has become more segregated similar to how it was with Hip Hop in the 80's where only "urban" people listened to it.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What's up with Hot Pea's and Butta? When did you guys start?

SKEME RICHARDS: Hot Peas & Butta officially started in 2008 and it was a way to present people with good Funk, Soul and Rare Grooves on 45 while showing rare footage to tie the whole night together which Supreme La Rock and myself have been doing with guest DJ's ever since. Once Elroy Jenkins our graphic designer got involved it took the visual aspect to another level and since then we've done gallery exhibitions, worked with the Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra, created comic books all in between traveling the globe doing parties in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, London, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and countless other places.

THE BAG MESSENGER: You're on the road a lot traveling sometimes for months at a time. What's the key to a well packed bag?

SKEME RICHARDS: It took me along time to figure it out but it really all comes to not only the flexibility of the bag and it's layout but also in how you fold and roll your items. Most people put socks in their shoes but I usually line the outsides with mine, bulky clothes should definitely be kept to a minimum while every corner and pocket should be utilized. I can use the same bag for a weekend getaway that I could use for a week long stay, but when it comes to being away for a month, less is definitely more for various reasons especially if you're a collector and planning on returning home with gems you've found along the way.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What's the oddest thing you've picked up on a trip and flown home with?

SKEME RICHARDS: I've come home with a lot of items from records and toys to sneakers and art which are usually concealed and packed well but the oddest thing would be two 1970's giant Shogun Warriors in the box. I didn't want to pay to ship them home which is what I normally do with large items so I tied a string around both boxes and carried them like a suitcase. If you know me then you know I keep my collecting habits somewhat quiet in public but I got a lot of strange looks and equally as many "hey what's that?" from people who wanted to hold hour long conversations which tends to drag out flights that are already long enough.

THE BAG MESSENGER: What are some of your favorite places to play?

SKEME RICHARDS: Some of my favorite places to play are those with not only a great sound system but those with a great vibe, a certain aesthetic and people who really appreciate the music. The Room (Japan), Club Asia (Japan), Madame Jo Jo's (London), Plan B (London), Lo-Fi (Seattle), Echo (Los Angeles), Le Lido (Switzerland), Bohannon Soul Club (Germany), Sound Holicity (Korea) and LPR (NYC) with special mention to Table 50 in NYC which doesn't exist anymore.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Best burger so far?

SKEME RICHARDS: I’ve had great burgers around the world but I have to say the most consistent with excellent quality of beef and great bun has to be Fathers Office in Los Angeles. I think it's the bacon jam spread that they use on it which makes it perfect and it never fails.

THE BAG MESSENGER:You've got a lot on your plate, how do you stay productive on the road?

SKEME RICHARDS: I'm always inspired by what I see when traveling especially when in Europe, everything from being in railway stations to art, fashion and people just riding bikes through the streets. All of these elements keep me mentally taking notes so once I get back to the hotel it straight to the computer to jot these things down but that then leads to coming up with ideas to build around those inspirations which leads to back and forth emails with Elroy Jenkins or Supreme La Rock and it steamrolls from there.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Favorite slept on flick?

SKEME RICHARDS: Favorite slept on flick I would have to say Seijun Suzuki's 1966 Tokyo Nagaremono (Tokyo Drifter). It's a Yakuza film with a great storyline, shot visually well with amazing scenery and it's definitely a starting point for where Quentin Tarantino draws inspiration from on a lot of his films.

THE BAG MESSENGER: Any last words of advice for the people?

SKEME RICHARDS: Do what you believe in and believe in what you do, if you're an artist live that passion to the fullest, compromise to get what you need or want but don't sacrifice your art nor creativity just to please the masses. Buy into quality not into quantity.

Keep up with Skeme on www.hotpeasandbutta.com and on twitter @hotpeasandbutta

My friends Personify, Froz One, and I recently made a mix to highlight some of the records we've been playing at our monthly "Little Big Things" party here in Philadelphia. The result is an eclectic mix of 7 inch funk, soul, disco, and boogie. Enjoy- Case 

The Little Big Things Crew brings you their first release: Little BIG Things - The Mix Tape, an all 7-inch mix of funk, soul, disco and boogie tunes mixed, cut and scraped by Philadelphia crate diggers Personify, FROZ1 and Case Bloom. We dug deep in our collections to compile a mix guaranteed to have your deck on blast from start to finish. Little records - BIG TUNES. Bang it loud and enjoy. And next time you're in Philly, be sure to check out The Little Big Things Crew at The Trestle Inn's Souled Out every 2nd Friday for the best whiskey sours in the city, Go-Go dancers, and the illest funk, soul, disco, boogie and latin 45s.

Little BIG Things - The Mix Tape Track List:
1.) Sisters Love - Now Is The Time
2.) Rudy Love & The Love Family - Does Your Mama Know
3.) The Turtles - Buzz Saw
4.) Jimmy Norman - Gangster of Love Part 1
5.) Chuck Womack and The Sweet Souls - Ham Hocks and Beans
6.) B.E.H. - In the Middle of Blind Alley My Mind's Playing Tricks on Me (Little Big Things Edit)
7.) Mocambo Allstars - The Next Message (Kenny Dope Mix)
8.) Lee Fields - I’m The Man
9.) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Band - What Can You Bring Me
10.) The Meters - People Say
11.) Lou Courtney - Hot Butter N' All Part 1
12.) The Herb Johnson Settlement - Damph F'aint
13.) Jimmy Jones - Time and Changes
14.) Bernard Wright - Chillin' Out
15.) Crown Heights Affair - Move Your Body and Soul
16.) Brother to Brother - In The Bottle
17.) Joe Bataan - The Bottle (La Botella)
18.) Gil Scott Heron - New World Revolution
19.) Kool & The Gang - Caribbean Festival (Disco Version)
20.) Bobby Hebb - Sunny '76
21.) Crown Heights Affair - Dreaming on a Dream
22.) Freeez - Southern Freeez
23.) Secret Weapon - Must Be The Music Instrumental
24.) Skyy - Here's To You
25.) D-Train - You're the One for Me
26.) Donald Byrd - Think Twice
27.) The S.S.O. Orchestra - Faded Lady Instrumental
28.) George McRae - Look at You
29.) Gwen McRae - Funky Sensation
30.) Linda Clifford - Runaway Love
31.) Universal Robot Band - Dance and Shake Your Tambourine
32.) Ronnie Laws - Always There
33.) Weldon Irvine - I Love You

Sweedish adventurer Aleksander Gamme took this video during a long treck to the South Pole. Along the way he burried excess items in snow drifts to keep his backpack light. The video was taken on day 86 and is of the retrieval of his final dropped bag of provisions. Lets just say packing a bag correctly can be more than importaint sometimes its vital.  Thanks to Radiolab WNYC for putting us on to this. Listen to the podcast episode that refrences it and other blissful moments here.