Nathan's Small Delights: SD_002

Ayup, what’s good?

March is a wrap and it was a bit of a whirlwind. Lots of interesting happenings that kept me delighted throughout the month. On the scale of underwhelmed to overwhelmed I remain solidly whelmed.

The Delights

San Antonio selector and longtime friend Rick Lara hit me up to sling some records last weekend with him at the Vibe Artisan Markets here in Austin. I have been LOVING gigs like this as they give me an opportunity to dig into my record collection and play cuts that otherwise only get air time at the house. Rick brought the heat and I probably used up about two disposable cameras worth of film trainspotting the choice tracks he brought along. Added bonus to the fun was the perfect backdrop behind the booth for impromptu photo sessions. It was an incredibly fun gig. Word on the street is that they want us back in July, so keep a lookout for more info on that as it gets closer.

A quick aside regarding indoor gardening and houseplants.

My friend Belen gifted me a Monstera plant a few whiles back. After work one day I was depleted (on account of being very peckish) and decided I didn’t like how one of the vines had a little nub. I went a little wild with the shears and erroneously hacked off an entire stalk rather than just the tiny nub. It was a certifiable disaster - or so I thought! It turns out that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. I am pleased to announce that dunking it in a miniature milk bottle with some smooth rocks has turned my rampage into a successful propagation. Crisis averted! I gave up my dreams of becoming a Pepper Prince years ago, but maybe there is a future for me as a Monstera Mogul?

A few weeks ago I was wearing a jacket and nestled in the pocket I found a tiny bell. I have no recollection where this came from. It’s just a tiny bell that has been in my left pocket for who knows how long. It was an unexpected surprise that made me smile. I’ve been thinking about that miniature bell a lot these last few weeks. It continues to make me smile. Sometimes the world is a bleak hellscape that makes no sense and then you reach into your pocket and there is a little bell just waiting for your fingertip to touch it so you can smile again.

What a delight!

Vinyl Jockey on the web

Hot news off the press! I’ve got a new two track EP hitting the streets courtesy of Dustpan Recordings out of Singapore - Out With The Old EP. This is one half low-slung, deep groove & one half acid flavored, sample driven houseworks. Had a great time working on these tracks and am quite excited that are finally out in the wild. Traxsource promo goes live soon, so give it a whirl and scoop it up if you fancy.

I’m a bit behind schedule, but I managed to get a fun little mix recorded for the DTtW series. Digging Thru The Wall 03 clocks in a little under an hour and features a selection of soul/funk records that have been doing the business for me. It’s a one and done mix that I threw together around 1am yesterday morning - that’s about as fresh as it gets! Drop a comment on the mix if you need a track ID. Enjoy the bops!

Vinyl Jockey in the wild

April has me hitting the road for some lovely gigs away from Austin. Up first, I am back in the saddle on 04/13 with Rick Lara for his Brunch & Beats at Hotel Havana in San Antonio. The bag will be packed with solid mood music to shimmy your shoulders to while enjoying some cocktails and Cuban/Mexican/Texan inspired dishes. Music runs from 10am-2pm.

The following week I am headed back to the Valley for three nights slingin’ wax with 4EverGroovin homie Soul DuFunk. It’s been about two years since my last trip out there - needless to say the brewing excitement is electrifying. The fun starts on 04/17 at Boqueron wine & cocktail bar in Brownsville. I’ve got a nice grip of Italo and Italo adjacent records pulled for this one.

The next two days I’ll be posted up in McAllen. 04/18 you can catch me at Deposito El Nopalito for some Hi-Fi listening. I’ve got some choice cuts lined up for this. Some deeeeeeeeep cuts. Then I am wrapping it up on 04/19 at El Chin Chin with a selection of records that have just been making me fall in love with music again. This is shaping up to be a pretty stellar month.

That’s a wrap for now!

-Nathan Stewart