10.31.2011

Dreams

Skydiving is as safe as walking across the street to get a muffin. I want a muffin. 

10.27.2011

Classic

Europe 2011 v3 - Occupy Rome

Why I'm Gonna Go Ride Today V31



Makes me want to go for a long ride on my commuter and do some wicked skids. I wonder if those tires are truly that indestructible??

Fun'n'Games v25 - GTA5

Not much more to say on this one. Anxiously awaiting the trailer next week . With Uncharted 3 coming out next week as well, its going to be one exciting week for videogaming. 

10.26.2011

Europe 2011 v2 aka The Food Life v48 aka My Life Has Changed Forever

Rome. Tagliolini Cacio e Pepe. When I came to this town, just as any ol' tourist I was curious about the architecture and history. Rome, after all, is one grandiose place impossible to only visit once. Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, The Vatican and many more - yes, I went to all those easy to find must see sights. The Vatican square at 2am, when its empty of all the visitors and you're the only one there is magnificent, simply something else, but more on that later.

What I REALLY came to Rome for was the food. And more specifically one dish in particular, Tagliolini Cacio e Pepe.


I remember watching the Rome episode of Anthony Bourdains No Reservations many months back and I knew that when, not if I make it to Rome, I will track this place down. On the show, Bourdain calls this restaurant X , not wanting to disclose its locations because this pasta dish is that good - and he doesn't want it spoiled by droves of tourists. With the power of the world wide web it wasn't hard to find the name and the addy of this spot. (ff to 2:30 in the vid below)


Months later, I find myself in Rome. Slightly hung over after drinking vino all night with my new friends at the hostel I set off on my mission. I must find this place. Unfortunately all I know is a name of the plaza where this restaurant located, and sort of what it looks like visually after seeing the show - and since this restaurant is located in the Trastevere where streets are intertwined and tiny and not even wide enough for a car to pass it might not be easy to find this spot. Even my detailed map of Rome left a few streets blank in this area - they are that small.

Trastevere neighborhood of Rome is less traveled by the crazed groups of I LOVE ROMA tshirt wielding types so the streets are quite. One only sees locals here. Kids playing futball, grandmas drinking cafe, elderly gentleman smoking cigarettes while discussing Occupy Rome riots, teens working on their mopeds. All quite. Except for the loud bells signaling that you've just spent yet another 30 minutes looking for a tiny little plaza in the city of 20,000 plazas. Needle in the haystack. Seriously.

I've attempted to ask a few locals, to little success, and I nearly gave up. I was hungry. Do I just venture back to the land of the tourist and grab whatever whatever?

Exactly then. In the moment of desperation I turn down some tiny alley, walk a minute and BOOM, its the god damn plaza from the Anthony Bourdain episode. I don't even have to check the name of it, I remember well what it looks like. I'm here.

Giddy, I walk up to the restaurant and request to sit outside. I'm THE ONLY tourist here. The same waiter that you saw in the Youtube vid I've embedded asks me if I'm just one, I say yes. He said unfortunately he can not sit just one at this time. The HORROR. I'm not sure what kind of facial expression I made, perhaps a combination of sadness, desperation and "what-a-fuck-i-came-to-this-god-damn-city-just-for-this-dish", that mere moments later he changed his mind and said there IS one table available outside, and I can have it. 

I sit down, more or less in the same spot as my Travel Channel guide. I grab the menu. This will be a feast. I knew exactly what I was having as il primo - Tagliolini Cacio e Pepe, so it was the L'antipasto and il secondo what was in question. I wasted no time and ordered fresh buffalo mozzarella with prosciutto for a starter. And for second I got a shredded steak with porcini mushrooms and gravy of magic - then sat back.  And a bottle of white vino too - Grazie.

My journey in/to Rome has been a weird one. Over the past 2 years I went through some life changing events, I won't bore you with. My mind and heart have been heavy for a long time now. So going to Rome alone was no easy decision. But here I was. As I sat there, at this "restaurant X" waiting for my order my thoughts drifted many a place. I even forgot where I was, nor did it matter where I was - I could have been anywhere. Random brownstone stoop in Brooklyn, fancy restaurant in old Rome, the fuckin Moon. Doesn't matter.

Then zoom, my starter arrives. I dig in. What follows is the freshest and most delicate mozzarella I have ever tasted in my life. This is C2D, you know we love a good exaggeration, and you know we eat ALOT and been places, but this was not a god damn joke. Such subtle and  focused flavor of the soft cheese, when paired with lovingly salty prosciutto created a combination I was not ready for. This was my starter, this was a simple meat and cheese plate - I cautiously started to realize that this will be no ordinary meal.

The wine was sweet, the locals at tables all around me were deep into a refreshingly loud and lively discussions in Italian while smoking oodles of cigarettes. I simply do not care if I sit here, at this restaurant, in this plaza for the next 3 hours. I'm doing this right.

And then, the reason I'm in this country arrives. Tagliolini Cacio e Pepe. Fresh made Tagliolini pasta, cooked to perfection, tossed with some pasta water, salt, fresh pepper, butter and Pecorino cheese. This is served in a bowl made out of some fresh Parmesan cheese. Another dash of Pecorino on top of it all.  Brilliance.

I sat there and stared for a minute - after all, this was the moment I been waiting for. I stick the fork in, give it a twirl. I pull my tentacle back towards my face, lets give this baby a try. I closed my eyes. Time froze. I joke you not, I simply sat there for about 2-3 minutes thinking about life and what brought me here.

Piazza di Santa Cecila. Trastevere. Roma. Italy. Europe. Northern Hemisphere. Planet Earth. Me. Then back down in the reverse order. This bite changed my life.
I have never tasted something so damn divine. So balanced. So basic. Almost as if there is nothing to it, yet its complex to the extremes. Hard to put into words. Its salty pasta, with fresh black pepper, oodles of butter and some Pecorino on top. Pasta perfectly al dente yet it melts in your mouth. Dish heavy on salt and pepper, yet overwhelmingly light. Thank you, world. Why do I feel like I could literally cry then?

I'm pretty sure my very first words that I could mutter were "fuck me" under my breath. I shook my head for awhile. Waited another minute or two before the next bite. Damn it. I love life. I'm blessed. I'm proud. I won and made it. I've been places and I've ate stuff and this elemental Roman peasant dish just outdid everything. Topped it all. Easily. I mean, if you've read C2D for any length of time you know that this has got to the be longest damn write up for a single restaurant ever. EVER. 

I collected myself and dug back in. As I looked around, everyone was eating this, all the locals, and everyone was loving it. As I sat there, I saw a few tourists get turned away and walk off pissed - maybe some unspoken understanding, some metaphysical connection made the waiter realize that he's about to change my life - so he decided to sit me? All I know I was thankful. 

 Next came my steak with mushrooms and gravy - delicious. But right now, just like right then, I spent so much emotional energy on the star of the show that I didn't care anymore. It's like I had a great orgasm and just wanted to take a nap. 

Posso avere un caffè macchiato, per favore!


The feast was finished. I was done. Worn out. In NYC, once I'm done with a meal I want to rush out, go, do stuff, run, race along sidewalks to the next thing, next nothing. Here, I just sat back for another 45 minutes, an hour. I don't smoke, but I lit a cigarette, took a meaningful pull, exhaled. I'm in god damn Rome. Loving life. I'm not sure if I have been speaking outloud to myself through out the meal, but a elderly couple next to me smiled my way, I smiled back making eye contact with them - they knew exactly what I just experienced. That is why, I bet, they come here all the time. 
 
I'm going back to Rome and when I do, I'm going to this place first thing and share this moment with people I love.

10.25.2011

DJ Premier on Elmatic

Primo shares his thoughts on the Will Sessions re-take on his Illmatic productions. 



10.24.2011

Europe 2011 - v1

I, Curits, just got back from my little annual C2D trip abroad. Got to hit up a few cities and towns, eat some pastas and pinchos, drink some beers and winos, stare at some views, bust out some moves at discotecas, push some scooters to their limits, meet some cool foreigners and locals, this and that. Overall, a great success. There was a few sad and serious moments here and there, what can I say...someone was missing.

All and all, a trip was 10/10 - I made many new friends and C2D supporters. The next few weeks will bring to you a series of posts cleverly entitled Europe 2011. Hope you do enjoy.

Anywho. I arrived in Rome at about noon on Saturday the 15th. My hostel conveniently located....RIGHT in the middle of Occupy Rome Demonstration turned Riot. Needless to say, it was fuckin epic and got me warmed right up to the excitement that was to come. My first beer in Rome was right across the street from a burning luxury SUV. I couldn't ask for a more scenic intro to Italy.









10.21.2011

TURRBOTAX® w/ Cosmin TRG

Friday, October 28th, 10pm – 4am
@
The Cove

108 N. 6th Street, Williamsburg BKNY (btw Berry & Wythe)
FREE before 11pm, $5 btw 11pm and Midnight, $10 after Midnight
FREE Asahi Beer from 11pm – 12am
With:
Cosmin TRG [ ✈ Berlin → 50 Weapons / Rush Hour ]


Residents:
Space Jam
Rem Koolhaus
Mayster
C-Sick
Contakt

Facebook Invite HERE.
See you there!

10.20.2011

Hip Hop & Beats Friday At The Belmont Lounge W/ C-Sick & Georgia Taft

We are at it again tomorrow, and if you came thru last time, you know its a nice lil vibe.   Lots of good tunes, from all over the spectrum, and a very smoke friendly back yard.   Come thru if you are in the area.

117 East 15th Street  NYC 10003
between Irving Place & Park Avenue South

10.18.2011

Missing In Action - Curtis, Donde

We haven't heard from Curtis since last friday. he texted me that afternoon, babbling about finding himself, writing poetry, taking artsy photographs - you know, stuff people say before they have mid-life crisis...I thought it would pass but now he's gone. we don't know where he went or when he'll be back. Donde... he just disappeared - without a word. We cant contact either of them, so I assume they are lost.

I figure they both needed time off from the stress. Its been a hard couple of months and we've all been worn down. I have a good feeling I'll hear from them soon. Hopefully they'll find what their looking for.

10.11.2011

My dick grew 6 inches since then

eXquire, Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown, EL-P - kids gathered to lace this right. Looks just like Friday night recording sessions.

10.10.2011

WILDLIFE DETROIT presents Global Bass Music ft. Contakt and C-Sick


Friday, October 14 at 9:00pm - 2:00am
   
The Old Miami

WILDLIFE DETROIT presents TURRBOTAX NYC residents Contakt and C-Sick at The Old Miami. This event is from 9pm-2am and is 21+. Admission is $5.

CONTAKT (Local Action/Turrbotax – NYC).
... ...
Fresh back in the states after a UK/EU tour and appearing on RinseFM, Contakt is making his first Detroit appearance. Contakt is one of the founders of TURRBOTAX®, one of the most refreshing and eclectic monthly events in New York. His releases on Dutty Artz and Local Action labels blend global bass sounds with Detroit house and techno. Come help celebrate Contakt's birthday Friday Night at The Old Miami.

http://www.sonicrouter.com/2011/02/interview-contakt-local-action/
http://www.urb.com/2011/09/15/contakt-mayster-present-an-exclusive-mix-via-dutty-artz/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcMX4b0TPPM

DJ C-SICK (Create2Destroy/Turrbotax – NYC)
...
DJ C-Sick is also one of the founders and residents of Turrbotax. C-Sick is infamous for his clever blending of hip-hop, reggae, house, and techno. He also played our DEMF Wildlife event this past summer and impressed us all with his deep selection of Detroit electro and techno.

http://djcsick.wordpress.com/
http://turrbotax.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/new-detroit-electro-mix-from-c-sick/


Wildlife Detroit would also like to introduce our two newest resident djs:
DJ Deadlines and Tailor Hawkins.

DJ DEADLINES (Datswotsup)
...
Resident Bass Professor at Datswotsup, Deadlines' selection cuts corners across genres and moves bodies on the dancefloor. Not to mention he's got the technical skills to chart new sonic territory with every set. Don't sleep.

http://soundcloud.com/djdeadlines


TAILOR HAWKINS (Alibi Crew)

Tailor Hawkins is a DJ and producer whose productions bridge the gap between House, Techno, and the forward thinking side of Dubstep while his eclectic sets take on everything from Deep House to Grime to Juke. His influences include the diverse sounds of Detroit Techno and House to UK artists. With a release forthcoming on Dubporn Records and numerous shows across Michigan, Tailor has already taken the local scene by storm.

Always moving FWD.

http://tailorhawkins.official.fm/
http://soundcloud.com/tailor_hawkins
http://www.facebook.com/tailorhawkins

DJ RUCKUS

DJ Ruckus has been djing clubs, raves, and parties across Michigan for over 15 years, known for playing flawless four hour sets spanning house, techno, reggae, hip-hop, and global bass sounds at The Post in East Lansing twice a week for the last five years. He has also shared the stage with a diverse array of artists from Kingdom, John Acquaviva, Todd Edwards, DJ Assault, X-Clan, Blawan, DJ Funk, KRS-One, Dubbel Dutch, and more.

http://mf-ruckus.tumblr.com/
http://www.blatpack.com/producers-djs/djruckus
http://muchruckus.blogspot.com/2010/09/djruckus-dj-c-sick-and-dj-contakt-mix.html

JAMES SHEPARD
...
James Shepard is a Lansing DJ that entered the scene at the height of the bmore club era, playing electro house, uk funky, dubstep, and more. He holds a residency at Mt Pleasant's newest restaurant/dance club, L-1 Bar & Grille.

...

http://wildlifedetroit.blogspot.com/

21+

$5.

The Old Miami
3930 Cass Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201

10.07.2011

Great Speech


"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

American Juggalo

An interesting mix of folks, to say the least. Seems like everyone is getting along and loving it. Good times. 

10.06.2011

Hip Hop & Rare Groove Saturday At The Belmont Lounge W/ C-Sick & Georgia Taft


This Saturday, swing by The Belmont Lounge from 10pm-4am for nice mix of jazz, funk, soul, and hip hop with C-Sick and Georgia Taft on the decks.   Its sure to be a fun night.

117 East 15th Street  NYC 10003
between Irving Place & Park Avenue South


Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

The man changed the game.

Macbooks-shmackbooks, but iPod and iPhone are serious business. Innovation.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”


10.05.2011

Elzhi Elmatic

Listening to this dude makes me want to put on some instrumentals and spit something. Hell, crack a Guiness too. 



Bikers Suck Cock

This makes me upset. For the longest time this was a well kept secret. Its true, bikers suck cock and blow. Everyone knows that, but no one yaps about it.

That is one of the main reasons many people get into biking - so they can date other bikers and guarantee receipt of these gifts of oral pleasure. Its the unspoken understanding, very similar to believing in baby Jesus and guaranteeing passage to heaven, or eating some Taco Bell and guaranteeing some uninterrupted magazine reading time shortly after.

However, some wreckless fool just took a Sharpie and ruined it for everyone. RIGHT on the Manhattan bridge bike path, no less. Some people.


10.04.2011

Scooter Action

This man is going bananas in a skatebowl in France. Fun.

10.03.2011

FUN!

This Tom La Marche fella is a beast. This is one hell of a fun edit. Freshly stolen from Prolly.