Near the end of last year a trendy lounge bar called the Saint Bar opened in our heimat Halle. What used to be a club with a series of shady owners and a bad reputation getting worse with every change they did, has been redecorated and revamped in a club for an older and less lowlife clientele. Although we were a bit sceptic in the beginning, we have to admit it looks like they are doing a better job than all previous attempts together. They did their New Years Eve party with Boddhi Satva, the Brussels based dj releasing on Osunlade’s acclaimed Yoruba Records. And our good friend and one of our main inspirations throughout the years Rikkie has his regular nights. One called “Elements of Life” and one called “Got Soul?”. And the Onda Sonora Soundsystem will be playing on the second one.

So, Friday February the 23rd we’ll be spinning our usual blend of soulful dance music together with host and resident dj Rikkie. Entrance is free before midnight (don’t know how much it is after that). Wear your best shoes and clothes because the door policy is quite strict.

Gotta love the flyer for his over the top gayness. Oh, and this Friday it’s our good friend Jonathan who'’ll be joining Rikke behind the decks.

Waxpoetics is one of the two magazines I buy without mistake (the other being Straight no Chaser). And it’s the only one I read from the first to the last letter. Don’t matter if it’s about Funk, Jazz, Reggae, Latin or even Dirty South Hiphop. You’ll find issues near my bed, on the toilet, near every possible place I can sit in my house, in the record-bag I always have with me. Just in case I’ve got a spare minute to read. It opened my musical world even more and that’s one of the greatest things that can happen in my live.

Issue 19 had articles about Joe Bataan, dj Red Alert and Azymuth next to one about the 70’s Cali (Columbia) dance music scene. A door to an entirely new world was opened to me by this article. But what an article can’t do is let you hear the music, no matter how good it is written, no matter how much info it gives you. But there’s a solution to this problem. And internet is the tool to fix it. Quantic, dj / producer / beat digger extraordinaire and contributor to Waxpoetics and this article in particular made a mix with some Cali Cartel tunes. And it’s for grabs on the magazine’s site. They should do more of these mixes. They should make it a podcast.

We had to wait a little longer than we hoped for but here it is, the first Strictly Niceness for 2007. Other location. The Biberium (near the central station, Cantersteen 55, 1000 Brussels). You’ll be able to check Kwak and Eleven spinning them funky tunes on Saturday the 17th of March. Check Kwak’s Myspace for more info.

Been searching the internet for some Henrik Schwarz mixes. Together with Karizma he’s releasing top notch tunes and remixes at a dazzling rate. Loving his “Inspiration Limitation” track on !K7, the Mari Boine remix is utter brilliance and every once in a while we’re reviving the days we discovered this German genius through GP Worldwide with the “Marvin” and “Chicago” tunes on Moodmusic. Always deep, without that being a lame excuse for being boring.

Supposed to be a good dj too. Has released a stunning dj-kicks on !K7. And is coming to Petrol at the end of March. If all goes well we’ll be there. For now just check out his mixtapes on the Sunday Music site. Sunday Music being Henrik Schwarz own label.

Classic Hiphop song with Das EFX styled ultrafast rhyming. Nice 90’s jazz vibe with a catchy sax-loop. Been trying to find this on vinyl for ages. I taped it from a friend’s Cd early last decade. The rest of the Cd being utter crap with boring blabla about Islam. Just go for the 12″ of this, trust me on this.

Apart from the fact this is a killer song, the clip is interesting because it features a dangerously skinny and very young Jay-Z. This should be one of his first appearances rapping, I guess.

We Play House was good fun. Played one of our deep and dirty warming up sets. A solid 4 hours of finest in House music, past, present and future. Started with mid-tempo deepness from the likes of Henrik Schwarz, Soha and Ame to end on a more swinging tip with Dj Spinna, Osunlade, Pépé Braddock and Soundstream stuff. We got compliments from quite some people including Kirk Degiorgio. Always nice.

We tried to record the mix but due to computer problems and a bad incoming signal that plan failed miserably. Sorry, would have been nice to share it.

Interesting to see Kirk Degiorgio do a Ableton Live mix. Impressive setup with his 2 MacBook Pro’s. Nice set too. Hard but funky 4 to the floor. Only catched Red D’s opening part of his set. But starting with the Henrik Schwarz mix of Marie Boine is starting in great style.

A big thanks to the Brussels / Halle crowd making the trip to Ghent. Thanks to the dancers for the great response to our set. Thanks to Decadance for letting us play on their good soundsystem and being generous with the Duvel. Finally, lots of respect and gratitude for Red D for giving us this chance and organising the best House parties in Belgium. See you next week at the Sunday Matinee with Kenny Larkin.

Youtube is nice to dig up old video clips. Clips that are rarely seen on MTV or Jim TV. And we think it would be nice to share our discoveries with you. To start off this series we have chosen a classic from Philadelphia Hiphop band The Roots. This video takes the piss out of all gangsta cliché Hiphop videos. And it’s a brilliant song. Enjoy.

The hall where I saw Rage Against the Machine, The Boo Radleys, Paris, Carter USM and couple of dozen other indie bands, well we’ve played there. And it was fun. Local Molenbeek dudes (read Magrebeins) asking for techno, lots of whities with dreads, lots of reggae, Duvel for 1,5 euro and some tight mixing from ourselves. We’re on a roll these days.

Nice people.Good fun. Parra expo and Decadance tomorrow.

And why are all pitta places closed at this hour. A Durum would have been nice to finish this nice day. 

One for the Gilles Peterson fans. One of the remarkable releases on his Brownswood record-label last year. An young orchestra halfway between a symphonic one and a big band playing a mixture a classic, jazz, soul and more genres. An interesting idea actually sounding good. check ‘em out.

More info on the site of the Handelsbeurs, the band’s website and Myspace.

A, concert is Saturday 10/03/2007 in De Handelsbeurs in Ghent. Prices are 13 - 16 EUR.

With Koop and Sharon Jones anounced concert life in Belgium finally seems to get interesting in 2007. Clubbing season is well on its way with Dimitri from Paris, Kerri Chandler and, so I’ve heard, Osunlade in their way to our country.

Now the stylish blue Onda Sonora logo T-Shirts are almost sold out we’ve designed a new print and are in the process of getting them ready to sell. Give us a couple of weeks and you’ll be able to expand your garderobe with one of the finest printed pieces of clothing ever seen. Might be, not all that coincidental, at the same time we have the full promo package for our Easter party ready. Building up to a mighty fine experience, indeed.

But first the Rainer Trüby party, Friday the 9th of February. Gonna be swell as well. 

More info soon

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and Koop with Gilles Peterson are planned for next months. Great things to look forward to. Check their Myspace for more info.

Next Keep On will be on Saturday the 16th of February. Due to some mixed up agendas of the resident dj’s, the usual program will be slightly rearanged. More info once we’ve sorted out the little choas we’ve created for ourselves. Just keep the date reservated for us. We will anounce a couple of dates for the next Keep On parties. Makes it easier for us too.

And here another one to just sit back, relax and enjoy. Can’t tell you much about the artist but I like his Art Deco / 70’s styled artwork. Very Much. Check his site or Myspace.

Incognito (01)

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It are busy times. Busy planning upcoming parties, busy scheduling dates for Onda Sonora Soundsystem, busy designing and spreading our promo stuff, busy sorting out my crates for next weekend (three completely different parties to play) and extremely busy with doing what they pay me for which leaves little energy in the evening to fill this blog.

But still scanning the net. Not so much for interesting stuff to share with you but for things that entertain en relax. Mitchybwoy’s artwork is one of my personal remedies for stress. So I checked his Myspace to ease my mind. Found out he made some neat clips. One for Incognito which you find here, a little higher, and one with a presentation of his own work. Both true Mitchy genius. Check them out and enjoy.

Keep On last Saturday was a blast. Very fine sets by Djé Vinyl, Daquan and Brekbit. And Disco Dalglish joining BLA in the very narrow area behind the decks for a fun set of boogie goodies and soulful house tunes. Nice to see the Dali’s bar completely packed and dancing. Lots of people I didn’t know which is a great thing because we want Keep On to be more than just a party for our friends. Hopefully we’ll see all those guys & girls again next session. Date of that will be announced very soon.

Stones Throw Records, arguably Hiphop’s freshest label, with artists as Madlib, Dudley Perkins and the late J Dilla releasing their best tunes on it, has its own section on the mighty YouTube. Check their videoclips on it. Nice work from Quasimoto, Madvillain and others. And I like the logo on top of this post. Pure Lord Quas genius.

Through the "Jukebox" section of their site you can subscribe to their iTunes Podcast with among others a very nice James Brown tribute mix made by Egon, Peanut Butter Wolf and Onda Sonora’s favorite J.Rocc. Check it out.

The Restless Soul collective has some of our most revered producers and dj’s as a member. Aaron Ross, Dominic Jacobson (aka Modaji aka Harvey Lindo) and most of all Phil Asher (aka Focus aka Phlash aka lots more). Their website is simple but has most of the info you could wish for. On their Podcast you’ll find mixes and clips made by the members of the crew. Some nice mixes which ooze the passion and fun the Restless Soul people get out of music. Disco, house, hiphop, just the way we like it.

If you want to explore the wide world of Restless Soul you can take their Myspace as a start. The Inspiration Information party looks like worth a visit in 2007.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast, this link might come in handy. No RSS logo to click on but it has the thing well hidden.  

We’ve mentioned this site when talking about Mr. Critical’s latest mixtape but it is definetly worth a proper item in our Mixes & Podcast series. Laid-Back.be is a platform for dj’s giving them the chance to get in touch with a larger audience. But they make excursions into urban art & more. A good initiative that deserves your attention, no doubt. Certainly because they keep a constant and high standard. 

It has got mainly Hiphop-based mixes (meaning hiphop and its roots being funk, soul and other sample sources) but it has the variety to keep discerning music lovers like us interested. They’ve hosted mixes from Mr. Critical, Dyno, Kwak, 72Soul, 40Winks, Blastkid,  Funky Bompa, Grazzhoppa,  LeFtO, Drumatizers and lots of other fine selectors and dj’s.

Since New Year Laid Back is broadcasted on FM Brussel. So keep your radio locked on the 98.8fm each Sunday between 6 and 7pm if you are in Brussels or visit FM Brussel’s website for a streamed version of the show.

There are some new ones coming up but we got some left from the previous line. Send us a mail with your preferred size if you want one and we will check if they are still in stock. We sell them for 15 €.

Keep On this Saturday will have Onda Sonora Soundsystem playing in full force. BLA and Disco Dalglish will play, in their usual back to back style, the finest tunes in soul, funk, disco, house and beyond. For more info on Keep On check this post.

Saturday the 3^rd of March Resto Henri in the Vlaamsesteenweg will celebrate their third birthday. And as sort of resident dj’s of their parties we’ll be behind the decks. Another guest will be announced soon. Mind, date has yet to be fully confirmed. Last year was a blast with Red D with Lady Linn and Wikke from the Pushermen joining BLA for a wild party drowned in bubbles. This year we’ll try to top that. And you should check out the restaurant on non-party days. Food is excellent and the people working there are the best.

Friday 19.01.07 - Dyn-O-Mite with Gene Drayton Unit & Thierry Steady Go! vs Souligan – Charlatan - Ghent
Saturday 20.01.07 – Keep On – Dali’s Bar - Brussels
Saturday 27.01.07 - Kirk Degiorgio, Red D & Onda Sonora Soundsystem - Decadance - Ghent
Saturday 27.01.07 - Wonderful with Wonderland, Lefto, Vic’n Lloyd and Brown Moshunz - Le Tavernier - Brussels
Saturday 27.01.07 – Paul Murphy – Café Belga - Brussels
Sunday 04.02.07 - Sunday Matinee with Kenny Larkin & Red D - Charlatan - Ghent
Sunday 04.02.07 - U Roy - Junior Murvin - Campina Reggae - Petrol - Antwerpen
Friday 09.02.07 - Onda Sonora with Rainer Trüby & Onda Sonora Soundsystem - JH Eenders - Halle
Saturday 10.02.07 - Dennis Ferrer & Red D - Silo - Leuven
Monday 12.02.07 – Fishbone – Botanique - Brussels
Friday 16.02.07 - Laurent Garnier Live - Styrofoam & Fat Jon - Het Depot - Leuven
Friday 16.02.07 - Music in Mind Festival with 4Hero feat. Marc Mac en Mc MG - Concertgebouw - Brugge
Friday 16.02.07 - Kode 9 & Spaceape - Het Depot - Leuven
Saturday 17.02.07 - Futurama with Carl Craig - Silo - Leuven
Saturday 17.02.07 - Tortoise - Het Depot - Leuven
Saturday 24.02.07 – Dimitri from Paris - Stereosushi - Antwerp
Saturday 24.02.07 - Wonderful with Lefto, Vic’n Lloyd and Brown Moshunz - Le Tavernier - Brussels
Saturday 24.02.07 - Red D feat. Lady Lynn - Café Capital - Antwerp
Saturday 17.03.07 – Kerri Chandler - Stereosushi - Antwerp
Wednesday 21.03.07 - Jazzbreak with Soul:ID - Le Tavernier - Brussels
Saturday 24.03.07 - Wonderful with Kid Sublime, Lefto, Vic’n Lloyd and Brown Moshunz - Le Tavernier - Brussels
Friday 30.03.07 - Carl Craig - Petrol  - Antwerp
Saturday 31.03.07 - Henrik Schwarz - Petrol  - Antwerpen
Sunday 08.04.07 - Onda Sonora - JH Eenders - Halle
Friday 27.04.07 - The Heptones - Het Depot - Leuven

On-Point.be’s Lloyd has been busy editing his video footage and putting the results on the net. He’s filmed the Brothers on the Run / Lefties Soul Connection and the Steve Spacek gig and made cool clips out of it. Sounds not always alright but that’s not too irritant. Check it out on the On-Point space on Dailymotion. RSS or podcast the thing because more tasty stuff is on its way.

We’re discovering the new mixes and podcasts faster than we can give them a proper listen. But anyway, here’s another nice one. Mark de Clive-Lowe, ace beatmaker, producer and keys player with two excellent albums on is curriculum vitae, has put together a mixtape with some classic Jazz-Funk / Fusion tunes which have inspired him. Check out his well maintained Myspace for more info about him.

Oh, and if somebody could hook us up with volume 1 of this mixtape … we’re collectors we like things to be complete. Even our collection of mixes. And we’ve tried to change the 2 into 1 in the link to the mix but it doesn’t work.

Friday 26.01.2007 we play at the Vaartkapoen, also known as simply “VK” in Molenbeek.  We’re closing of the Vaartkapoen’s New Year’s Revue. More info about that you’ll find on their website. It all looks like fun with among a lot of other things a decent Brazilian percussion band. For the late night part of this celebration I can’t give you much more info than the included flyer (African styled rawness in the design). The groups on the flyer are unknown to me. Also confirmed playing live is Troubled Soulz a Brussels based group crossing musical borders with 72Soul and BLA’s old skateboard buddy Matthias in their ranks. Really looking forward to check them out. You can also check the Troubled Soulz Myspace for some sounds.