Boddhi Satva was my number one producer for the year that passed. In a previous post, I wrote about Manoo being the one but it really was an impossible job to choose between the two because both producers are dope but I could not choose one over another.

It's as if someone asked me to choose between BlackBerry and iPhone (I have both...)

I like Satva's raw style. Polished, clean mixes are not his prescription. His productions are wild, loud and enchanting. Voodoo I say! LOL

He has this knack of producing beats that are "in reverse" making it programming his music an art in itself. He hails from Banguin in Central African Republic (Google it... it's not a region, it's a country :)) so he has African influences in his blood.

I met Boddhi in 2008 when he made a quick pit stop in Montreal and we invited him to come jam with us. He dropped good house music which was kinda expected. But he turned the place into a riot when he effortlessly and out of the blue bombarded us with Coupe Decale and Soukouss. I will never forget that night lol People were coming from the streets and rushing into the bar and dancing their butts off. Weeks after the visit, people were still asking about him.

At first when I heard Boddhi's music I did not even think that it was House music because while it had a house beat everything else sounded different from your average 4/4. Very few people can produce a track that has a BPM of 123 and still sound as intense as 134 Techno track.

Here's a track of his that I have probably played at every single gig I have done since it was released:

Needless to say, Boddhi Satva is friendly and funny chap. The fact that we both are from Africa and grew up in countries away from home made it that we had some jokes that only us could get.

Did I mention that unlike most DJs or producer he is quite a good dancer? I was amused when I saw him play and he was on the dancefloor grooving with everyone. How amazing is that?

Okay, enough jabber. I am sounding like a follower of a cult leader who is brainwashed lol

I will let his music do the talking.

Satva's production schedule is mind blowing... when does he sleep? He has so many tracks out at any given time!

In 2009, the Louie Vega camp took notice of him which means that the world finally recognize his talent. He has started touring the world and everywhere he goes people realise that he's is equally a good DJ who knows how to charm a dancefloor and leave you longing for more.

And by the way... the mere fact that he produced a track with Oumou Sangaré (google her up or check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oumou_Sangaré) puts him in a super league that not many producers will ever come close too.
(Check out the vid below with Sangaré where you can see some of trademark dance moves)

And what about his name? Ah.... you will have to ask him for yourself. While you are at it, try to get him to tell you his age*.... he refused to disclose it to me but he forgot that his fame would eventually lead me to meet his high school mates who were in the same class and I simply asked them how old they were and made some simple deductions lol

About Boddhi Satva:

http://www.boddhi-satva.com
http://www.myspace.com/boddhisatvavarti
http://www.myspace.com/offeringrecordings

* and his legal first name :)

The producer that really did it for me in 2009 is Manoo.

Manoo is an assuming Dj turned producer from Lyon, France who makes some of the best deep house and afro-fueled house music I have heard in my life.

He reminds me of DJ Rasoul from San Francisco in the early 2000 (whatever happened to him???). Manoo's deep house production is the ultimate illustration of what deep house is. His beats are bouncey and his grooves are, well, groovy.

I was lucky enough to meet Manoo in Lyon when I did a 14-day visit of Lyon, London, Dubai, NYC in 2007. He was playing an early set at Ambassade in Lyon I was taken aback because he played his music the way I would play it. And I really liked the fact that he played his House really, really slow making the basslines more accentuated and his long smooth mixes gave the music a new life.

And a person, he is very low key and very humble. He just keeps to himself and unlike me who just jabbers to much, he is short on words but when he says something, it's potent. I kept telling him how talented he was and how people loved his music and it was news to him!

That's really someone who lets his talent do all the talking!

Good DJs seldom make good producers and vice versa. (I am a terrible producer :) )

Manoo excels at both.

One track is so very deep house that even Ron Trent would say "Correct!" while his afro-flavoured house takes me straight back to my continent of origin. And, let me not forget about the technoey stuff that make the minimal techno folks scratch their heads in über amazement.

You think that I am full of crap and sound like a used car salesman? How about, you listen to three of his 2009 productions that really blew my mind?

The man is so manoo-fique it's mezmerizing!
The Deep House Side of Manoo:

The Afro-Flava House Side of Manoo:

The Twisted-Techno side of Manoo:

(You can buy all these tracks at Traxsource.com, where I got them from)

In July (2009), I was performing at an open-air party when I decided to play a Manoo Medley. What was supposed to last 5 tracks went into two hours. The crowd was going nuts and I was in heaven!

If I were ever to be a producer, I would wish to have Manoo's Midas touch. Alas, I am not. So I am going to stick to playing his music.

Manoo is my producer of 2009 (alongside Boddhi Satva - read why in the next post). Something tells me that I should just remove him from my top list because he went straight to the hall of fame. I hope that when I embark on my Big Journey (I am the first DJ to attempt a Round-The-World Tour By Car to set a few Guinness World Records and raise awareness about and funds for the one billion worldwide who are going to bed hungry tonight. Find out more at http://www.facebook.com/JaBig or http://twitter.com/JaBig or view the announcement at: http://www.jabig.com/2009/12/16/at-last-jabigs-biggest-announcement-ever/)

About Manoo:
http://www.myspace.com/myspacecommanoo
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manoo/162103407848

I met Lauren Richards in Montreal while spinning at the vogue Vauvert, a bar located at the Hotêl Saint-Paul in the Old Port. She liked my music and we got chatting and gave me a demo that I played a few songs later* and to my amazement, the crowd went crazy.

We kept bumping into each other until she moved to NYC to push her music career to a new level.

She is also a fashion model represented by Specs agency.

What I really liked about her is the fact that she's down to earth and found my not so funny jokes amusing and above all she took her career seriously which is a trait I always admire from like minded go-getters.

I swiped this pic from her FB without her permission. I have no idea if this will land me in jail because I assume that her pics are protected by copyright but if anyone sues me, I will claim temporary insanity :)

To learn more about Lauren Richard, New York's finest Montreal import check out this Facebook group created about her: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51856534262&ref=mf

JaBig ♥ Lauren Richards

-- * I NEVER play demos that people give me at DJ gigs. That's because the singing, production or the combination of the two is 99.99999% irrelevant to my style (a lady once gave me an actually cool demo but it was sad folk songs that were more for late night listening than for partying) or the music is just terrible to put it bluntly. My reaction to Ms Richards handing me a demo was nonchalance but when I cued up the song in the headphone, I programmed it into my set right away although the production still needed some mastering.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2866749

I can't get enough of the Orange Ginger body lotion. I like the soothing effect, the smell and the fact that it leaves even the driest of skins like mine moist.

If you are a friend of mine who often travels to the US, you know that you will be bringing me so many bottles every time you have to come back to Montreal!

I also see that Bath & Body Works have opened up some stores in Canada but as usual nothing in Montreal (QC has a reputation to be difficult to deal with on a business basis which is why many international companies shun it).

To all my friends who are coming from Toronto or Ottawa, please bring me a bottle, or two, or three please! Thanks :)

Compared to the 2000 max I would have on a usual gig from my vinyl and CD collection.
And to say that with a laptop and an Internet connection, iTunes is a click away! (It takes approx 2 minutes to purchase and download a song from iTunes).

But my only worry is that too much choice may confuse me...

Oh well, we shall see!

Last night I watched District 9 at long last.

I had heard great reports about it even from people whom I did not think would be into alien-type movies.

I am not a big fan of alien movies either and so I was ready for yet another boring, stereotypical movie.

Yes, the plot seemed déjà vu, but what really did it for me was the South African and especially Johannesburg connection.

As you may know, I lived in Joburg (Johannesburg) for five years. So, I could spot all the places where the movie was shot and I could also appreciate the humour and set-up.

If you remember, almost two years ago there were xenophobic riots in Joburg. The targets were the legal and illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries who see South Africa as a better place. The script of the movie is so similar to the reality that's taking place in South Africa, it's almost freaky.

I am actually convinced that the director and writer used these current events as a basis from his movie.

What really made the movie more than worth the while was the documentary style of shooting but also the whole amateurish angle which is a neat way to deal with the lack of a big budget to shoot typically expensive sci-fi movies.

I liked the South African humour, and South Africans being South Africans.

This movie has become a hit worldwide and I am still amazed at how people who have never lived in South Africa or Johannesburg can appreciate it because there are many subtleties that cannot be appreciated unless you've lived there for many years.

Neill Blomkamp has really put South African films on the map but has also dragged Nigerians in the mud.

I also liked the non-Hollywood ending where the hero would have been redeemed and given a hero welcome back into society. Instead, he just has to live with the consequences of a day gone wrong.

I hope that I did not spoil it for you. Below, is a trailer, courtesy of YouTube.