Winter 05/06 Report

Published: 06-02-2006
Author: Randall Jones

Welcome back my peeps!

It’s been a few months since I’ve reported in. Sorry about that but there’s been a gangload of things happening, both good and bad. The good things were amazing gigs, great times and nonstop excitement occurring in the studio. The bad things were two of my hardrives crashing. One crashed in my studio, the other crashed at home on my internet computer. This threw me for a loop but the way I figure it is that sometimes things like this occur. Thankfully I know some cats who are nice with IT stuff and they retrieved most of my important data so now I’m back up and running.

So what have you guys been missing…

I’m stoked right now cause I’ve finally got my own record label together. I’ve been looking to start this label for the last four years but didn’t do it because I wanted to get things right first. I didn’t want to start a label where it’s just some dude releasing his own music. I wanted to do some proper shizz and have a brand that put out music by some of the best artists around…music that I heard that I could groove to as well as music that I’m involved in. So finally after a few years of preparation, MYNT MUSIC enters the fold.

I’m excited about Mynt. The idea for the name came from a fashion line I’ve been operating for a while called Mynt Condition. We decided the label would keep the same brand and freshness but on a sonic level! Mixturi Label Management in the UK is helping me out with the management. I’ve got a great deal on distribution from Intergroove, one of the top independent distributors in the world, and my scouts have prepared a great lineup of singles….ready to rock. I’ll be recording a little something here and there but a lot of other cat’s stuff will feature on Mynt. To start it off with a bang, you can expect guys like Low End Specialists, Creamer & K, Hernan Cattaneo and Derek Howell to be dropping talent like whitewash. I’m also excited to expose some new talent that I hear in my travels. Mynt is a resource that will enable some new suns to shine!

I think my goal with the label is to try to bring forth a mark that stands for quality from a variety of producers and rhythms rather than just one sound. The one thing that you CAN expect on each release is some gut busting funk to rock on the dancefloor, over the radio waves or just in your bedroom.


So yes peoples, I was busy in the studio working on getting the catalogue together….but I’m also working on some other projects. A few new dance singles are in the works as well as an album of dub and reggae music that I’m doing with one of my homeboys from back in the day. We’ve been listening to reggae and dub since we were in high school and it’s always been very influential to my sound. Its very pleasurable to get in the studio with spleef and get the heads rocking to some irie sound. I’m also stoked because I’m in the process of remodeling the studio. We are taking over the whole suite, which includes two new rooms as well as a lounge. I’m going to get some wood laminate floors thrown down, a 36” flat screen with a playstation and a nice couch in the lounge with a full bar and pantry! It’s going to be buttery in there so I’m fully stoked about that.

I guess I’ve been pretty busy with lots of production and studio stuff but I’ve also had no trouble enjoying myself in Houston and the city has been blazing for the last few months! I’ve been doing my best to keep up the tradition of trying to play at least once a month in Houston. I recall one blazing night a month or so ago at this hot Htown club called Next. This joint looks like a boutique hotel and the VIP is in the bank vault. The dj booth is a circular setup in the middle of the room. I was the guest dj there on this particular night. I played with a talented Houston cat named Surain. The music for the evening was off the hook! I love Next and everytime I’ve played there its been sweeeeet!
On nights when I’m not working I’ve been rolling out with entourages of my homeboys and beautiful women. There is little more entertaining in life than practicing a little gentlemanly behavior with gorgeous girls….except for maybe taking shots of Tuaca off of their bellys! Actually, now that I come to think of it...
I like rolling around in my ride in the winter months in Houston, with the windows down and the heater on, bumping some dope dancehall reggae or referencing a new mix on the car system and just feeling the cool weather.

I played another gig at this venue called Meridian in Houston with Deep Dish. It was nice! I played until about midnight and then they got on and played until 4!! I kept it super deep, at slow BPMs around 123. Its important to build the vibe of the night and keep in mind what your job as a dj is! After me, Dubfire played first and rocked the superhot, funky, techy, progressive cutz that have made me love these boys for so long! Sharam came on later and played some of the more commercially oriented tracks that they have been doing lately. These tracks are great to get the honeys dancing! Actually, I happened to know a couple of fly Persian honeys that were at the party. Ali and Sharam are Persians too so that was something they shared in common! The night was rocking with about 800 people and it was another great time in the H to the Izzoe!!

I also played some great gigs on the road over the past couple of months. One that really stood out was in Chihuahua, Mexico. You might never have heard of this city. If you have, you might never imagine this city to have anything going on, but in fact, it’s off the hinge!! It’s the second time in my life that I’ve played there and both times it’s just been blazing!! This time there were about 600 people packed in the house and just completely bugging out to the music. The party doesn’t want to stop and it’s a shame when the federales show up and shut it down at 3am. It looks like its going to be a riot but everything ends up cool. These are the types of gigs that I always remember!!

I’ve got a busy schedule lined up for the holidays. I’ll be on the road almost all month including gigs in Cordoba on Christmas Eve and Mar Del Plata in Argentina on NYE. I’ll be back in the US in mid January so I’ll be sure to drop the 411 on this month long tour at that point.
I wish all you music fans a wonderful holiday season and massive love from my corner of existence.

Maximum Respect,
RJONES