I'm about to head up the coast to see the family but wanted to make sure I got a new episode in before I left! A few from the stacks and a few from recent digs on this one. Tune in! Tracklist: Dick McGarvin, Ken Rhodes, Marcio Montarroyos, Paulo Alencar, Bobby Shew, Marius Popp, Joe Bonner, Salvator Dragatto

The second monthly episode of the Knowledge Breaks series is dedicated to the great Eugene McDaniels aka the Left Rev McD. McDaniels took a turn in the late 1960s from singing more straight-ahead jazz and soul singing to much more politically-themed works, both song by himself as well as written for others, such as the song "Compared to What" made famous by Les McCann and Eddie Harris. I think many beat-heads and record fiends know about McDaniels' epic "Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse" album for the samples and its rarity, but the songs on the album scared the U.S. power structure so much that McDaniels was essentially blacklisted by his own record label. This didn't stop him however from setting up his own publishing company, which allowed him to survive on the royalties from his song writing, which includes the classic "Feel Like Making Love." There wasn't a tremendous amount of interview or vocal snippets available but I found a few great ones that I recommend listening to in full below. Since many of the breaks on "Headless Heroes" are well-known, I tried to mix in a few of his other works as well as covers and more obscure songs. His music and words are HIGHLY recommended and I hope everyone checks out his songs if you haven't before. Clips on this mix are from some great videos linked on my Soundcloud page. Please share!

Back at it with something a little more mellow, new and old. Huge Rest in Power to the legend Syl Johnson. Thanks everyone for continuing to tune in. Tracklist: Syl Johnson, Elvin Jones, Ken Rhodes, Tamil Rogeon, Wildflower, Timo Lassy, Pharoah Sanders

A little something different this week! I bought a Giogio Moroder record the past weekend in San Diego (with a classic sample) and figured I'd switch things up from the more usual PFTS flavor. Dig in! Tracklist: Giorgio Moroder, Bobby Caldwell, Kraftwerk, Keni Burke, Mtume, Orange Lake Drive, Sade

A more spacey episode this week as January comes to a close. Don't forget to check out last week's first "Knowledge Breaks" mix if you haven't already! Many thanks as always for tuning in. Tracklist: Frank Cunimondo Trio, Hysear Don Walker, Surprise Chef, Vels Trio, Timo Lassy, the Seatbelts

This is the first in a new monthly series I'm hoping to do for 2022: "Knowledge Breaks." Each episode will be a short mix of breakbeats and samples from my collection, overlaid with excerpts from some of my favorite inspirational, radical people. When I was thinking of who to feature first, my partner Bina made the great suggestion of starting with the incredible bell hooks, who sadly passed last month. bell hooks wrote about love, Black liberation, feminism, and so much more. Her book "All About Love" was and is very important to me. I highly recommend everyone seek out her work, especially those involved in the educational or academic fields. Many of the interviews that I excerpted on this tape were from a series hosted by the New School, and I hope everyone checks out the full episodes (linked from my Soundcloud page). There is no way to do justice to legendary people like bell hooks in such a short little mix. These are just a few excerpts I found compelling. The goal of this mixtape series is after a year, have a nice little compilation of voices, beats, breaks and knowledge. I hope everyone digs it, and searches out more from all of those featured. Please share!

A few longer-form mellow jazz and soul selections this week! Tracklist: Lalo Schifrin, Grant Green, Tyrone Davis, O'del Levy, Fania All Stars

Bringing in the new year with some laid-back jazz flavors from a bunch of records I've picked up in the last month or two. Tune in! Tracklist: Luther Lane, Frank Strazzeri, Dale Jacobs Group, Gary Bartz, Masabumi Sextet, Isoo Fukui Quartet

Ending 2021 with a long set of some of my favorite purchases this past year! (I can't really call most of these "digs"). This episode is a combination of some long-time wants I knocked off the list with some of my favorite new records by both young, incredible artists as well as brilliant veterans like Brian Jackson. A huge, massive thank you to all the listeners who have tuned in this year, whether new or old. I greatly appreciate you. Special shout to Pipomixes for posting my mixes and for keeping DJ mixes alive for us all still doing this stuff! Tracklist: Michel Sardaby, Brian Jackson, Nucleus, JAB, Alex Santos Orchestra, Johnny Frigo Sextet, Garay Trio, Brandee Younger and Dezron Douglas, Jimmy Heath, Amanda Whiting, Mankunku Quartet

Heavy on the keys this time around! Joints new and old to meditate with on a chilly December day. Hope everyone is staying warm. Tracklist: Kenny Barron, Billy Cobham, Joe Harnell, Steve Kuhn, Jeff Palmer, Ashley Henry, Nala Sinephro