Nathan's Small Delights: SD_010

Ayup, what’s good?

The pilgrimage to Turkey Town is complete & I am now staring into the abyss that is the remaining holiday season. I find myself teetering on the brink of being overwhelmed with the world around me & have been slowly pulling myself back towards being adequately whelmed. It’s been a tough month to exist on this planet, but despite it all, I have smiled once or twice. Let’s get to it!

The Delights

During the transition from October into November, my feet were still squarely planted in the heart of Mexico City. The main item on the itinerary for the squad was attending the Día de Muertos parade at Paseo de la Reforma. Definitely sounded cool, but I had a few side quests to knock out & time was running dangerously short! Tops on my list was getting more digs in at local record shops. While at Parker & Lenox a few evenings prior, I had a lovely chat with the owner, Jordi, who was gracious enough (between dropping non-stop jazz-funk bombs behind the decks) to throw some recommendations my way.

Saturday morning was in full swing & I was a man on a mission, so I unfolded my trusty Rand McNally map & we set off into the city in search of some spicy new Jim Jams. Through years of experience, I have learned that digging on an empty stomach is a bad idea, so a food detour was essential. The path to the breakfast destination conveniently included a stop at Ninety Nine Records, where I learned that the bins were open for digging until 2am (thanks to the upstairs listening room, Shhh). Noted.

After a quick bowl of enchiladas at Manzo, the journey resumed. The sometimes zig-zagging path traversed through a series of charming, fountain-filled parks. Making my way through the final park on the way to my destination, from the corner of my eye, I noticed something splashing towards one of the vertical jets of water within the fountain. I stopped for a moment to get a better look, & saw that it was a happy little doggie splashing through the water. It stood before the nozzle, sizing up the stream of water blasting into the sky, tilted its head, & just chomped right into it.

For a minute or two, I watched this cute little hound cycle between being startled by the water to immediately chomping it again. Transfixed as I was by this little slice of joy, I realized that I was pressed for time, so I decided to get while the getting was good. Skip forward a few blocks & there I was, walking through the entrance of Revancha.

The shop was exactly what I was looking for in a digging spot. The shelves were pleasantly arranged & filled with a well-curated selection of local & international records. I spent some time chatting with the owner Manuel & associate Brendan about the local record scene & the excitement of being able to dig in new spots. After chatting it up for a bit, they pulled some records for me to listen to & then set me loose in the bins. I would have loved to spend the whole afternoon digging through every corner of the shop, but the parade was calling, so I had to be content with just a few hours. Top-notch shop that I cannot wait to go back to. The rest of the day was pretty stellar - parade, delicious food, table-side guacamole, & a loop-back to dig for more records. What a fantastic adventure!

Way back in 2024, I was invited to a Bonsai class by my friend & the better half of The New Black, William. As it sometimes happens, unforeseen circumstances prevented him from attending, so I ended up dragging my cousin Jenzo along for the ride. After showing us the bonsai care & maintenance essentials, they sent us each home with our very own bonsai trees. I feel like I have been successful in the art of bonsai so far, mostly on account of the fact that my tree has not died yet (RIP in Peace to Jenzo’s). I recently re-wired it & have decided to lean into crafting it as a spiraling monstrosity. I hope this works out.

Let’s take a moment & talk about holidays.

I have grown to loathe the holidays & this year the inevitable sense of dread has definitely returned to its yearly perch. That said, I had a pleasantly good time with friends for Thanksgiving & Thanksgiving Redux. Both gatherings were bursting at the seams with great conversation, laughter, & mouth-watering spreads. The Redux featured the so far unmatched one-two combo of receipts that I have ever witnessed - a lock of hair in an envelope & the powdered remains of an umbilical cord. This sounds so bizarre as I am typing it & I cannot stop laughing about it. The main Thanksgiving event was some damn good, wholesome fun featuring an ensemble of great people & the most adorable off-the-menu duck corn dog I have ever seen. The holidays are the worst, but I am fortunate to have such great people in my life to spend them with.

What a delight!

Vinyl Jockey on the web

My Season 3 In The Studio mix for Motive Artistry Music has not posted yet, and I have been unable to string an hour-long combo of records together to my satisfaction, so nothing new on the Vinyl Jockey front. While the creative spark on the decks has been absent, the studio has been a different story. I’ve got a few new projects getting close to being wrapped up.

On deck first for your listening pleasure is a smooth little downtempo type joint featuring long-time Houston homie Fixture doing some dubbed out synth work called Taking It Easy. I really enjoyed the change of pace while working that track, so I kept the vibes on the funky downtempo tip & whipped up another sleazy little number called Stone Woman. This one is a sort of rework that has me testing out my chops on the keys - definitely had a lot of fun with this one.

Vinyl Jockey in the wild

The much-anticipated Vibe Artisan Markets holiday event is right around the corner, so you know what that means - another weekend slinging deep cuts with the San Antonio selector Rick Lara! Catch us behind the decks & mingling amongst the booths on 12/13 & 12/14 at Distribution Hall from 11am - 5pm.

That’s a wrap for now!

-Nathan Stewart