a winter mix by precolumbian DJ!

I've taken a brief hiatus on this blog, to figure out what I want to do with it really. LOL. It's kinda changed, I don't know... and now I'm thinking of starting a whole new and different blog, maybe leave this one behind... or reinvent this one. This one kinda had no direction, who knows!!! I've also been going through some personal turmoil, so a few things in my life have been taking a backseat. But I really want to post about my experiences in Peru!!!! and I will, in time!!!! :) in the meantime:

I made this mix for some of my closest pals! It was a mix I to express what my first month in Peru felt like... now I'm gonna share it with everyone!!!! I feel it's great to have on snow days! so here's to all my friends in the harsh north!!!!

peace and mad love! I miss you!!!

xoxo

download it here: www.mediafire.com/?zuyzzycmlyd

we are in the future EP!!!

Listen to it here: soundcloud.com/precolumbian

my stomach has been in knots all day!!!! tonight I dropped my very first mixtape to the public. I'm very nervous but also very excited. I practically spent the whole weekend dancing in my chair listening to it. LOL! (I guess that's a good sign!)

I'd had the idea to do a dance mix for the past month, but due to various matters in my personal life, I put it off. Instead I made a longer mix of chiller, more reflective music, and distributed it to some of my closest friends and other various peeps that are in my life. I started work on this mix thursday night. From the gate, I expected the mix would be at least an hour. And then, a funny thing happened while chatting with my friend DJ Shoogacane.

I asked them if I could send them what I had completed thus far, to get their opinion on it. I think this was friday night, or saturday, and at this point, I'd only had what I considered to be half the mix. So I quickly wrapped up my work to send them an MP3. I decided to give the mix temporary closure with an explosion at the end. While uploading the file, I fell in love with how short and energetic the mix was!

I felt like it captured me really well. So I added one more track to the draft I sent Shoog, plus a bonus track at the end (which I absolutely loooooove!!!!), and there it is yo! It's mad simple, full of energy, love, and booty beats!!!I hope you like it.

I've been DJ'ing for a year and half and I have soooo much to learn about this art! I'm so in love with it! and I'm so grateful for all my super supportive friends!!! for all the people that came to my parties!!! for all the amaaaazing DJ's I've had the honor to share the dance floor with! for the people that stopped by the DJ booth to high five me after a party! Without their love and encouragement I would not be doing this!!!

keep yr booty shaking!!! enjoy!

we are in the future EP stream/download: soundcloud.com/precolumbian

school night

tomorrow is my first of art school and this is how i feel:
nervous, anxious, scared, i have a headache right now, sad, frustrated, alone, hopeful, semi-productive, inspired, excited, annoyed, bored, and helpless.

i hope it goes well.

Peruvian Style Raw Tacos!!!!!

This recipe is loosely based on a recipe for raw tacos I found in the Rawvolution cookbook. As I strive to add a Peruvian flavor all the foods I eat, I created this recipe today! I'll probably modify it as time passes... like many things in my life, my recipes are always a work in progress. And as I bounce ideas off friends or as people use my recipe, I'm sure it will evolve into something even more wonderful than it was at the outset. Enjoy!

Raw Tacos A La Criolla!!! LOL :P

Ingredients:

raw taco meat -
2.5 cups raw walnuts
2.5 tsp of braggs or shoyu
2 tbsp of olive oil
1.5 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of Peruvian yellow pepper powder
0.5 cup of raisins (or as many as you like, I honestly grabbed a couple of handfuls which kinda felt like half cup).

raw sour cream:
1 cup of raw brazil nuts
2.5 tsp of apple cider vinegar
2 limes for juice
0.5 tsp of salt

guacamole:
1 medium avocado (or 2 small ones)
2 tomatoes
0.25 red onion
2 limes for juice
0.25 tsp of salt (or to taste)
0.25 tsp of black pepper
a dash of Peruvian yellow pepper powder
some fresh cilantro

Directions:
First, soak your brazil nuts for half hour to an hour in filtered water. While that's soaking, let's get started on the taco meat!

Blend the 2.5 cups of walnuts until they're nicely granulated. Pour them into a medium sized mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix it well! (I either add or take away olive oil depending on the consistency I want). Once that's done, we can start work on the guacamole.

Scoop out the avocado into small mixing bowl. Add lime juice, and start mashing the avocado until it makes a good paste! dice the tomatoes and the red onion. Add them and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

By this time, the brazil nuts have soaked long enough. Granulate the brazil nuts in your blender or food processor. Once you have a good brazil nut ground, add the rest of the ingredients. Puree this until it's nice and creamy!!!

Everything is made now and is ready to serve!!!! I use either rainbow chard or lacinato kale as my "tortilla" wraps. You can also top it with a little bit of Salsa Criolla and Canchita to make it real criollo!

This recipe makes approximately 10-12 tacos.

PROVECHO!!! :)

ps- for pics of the whole process you can visit my facebook page! but you can see them only if you're my friend. If you're not... your loss! :P LOL

my first logo ever! yay!

Owls* are one of the oldest species of animal still around today. Fossils of owls date back as far as 60 million years ago. Depictions of owls are found in cave paintings and throughout their existence have been part of human legend and folklore all over the world.

Many cultures view owls as ill omens, others venerate them for their wisdom, beauty, and/or their prowess as hunters.

Pre-Incan and Incan cultures worshipped owls, for their wisdom and superior skill, and were often depicted in their pottery and textiles. This is why I'm including the owl in my logo. The one I'm using is a Moche** sculpture of an owl warrior. A symbol of strength (not just physical but also mental and emotional)



*You can learn all about owls here: http://www.owlpages.com/

**The Moche civilization populated the northern coast of Peru between 200BC - 800AD. They are the largest and most represented Pre-Incan culture in Peru. You can learn more about the Moche people here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moche

morning fog...

Yesterday, I moved into a small room on the third floor of my parents' house. It's a modest size, 3x4 meters. Plenty of room to live and sleep. I wake up in the morning, stretch on the roof, walk downstairs, squeeze oranges and share moments with my mom and dad. Though these moments have been plentiful in the past 2 weeks, we've only shared a few in the past 3 years.

It's been challenging to live with my parents again. But that's why I moved back, right? To challenge myself, in many ways. The past 3 years were spent migrating from one end of my emotional self to the other. It's been a long and trying journey, that continues today. This is a different challenge though, because I chose it. And though I miss my communities spread through out the US, I feel good about my decision.

My daily struggles seem oddly similar, like deja vu: language is bewildering, a different culture to get accustomed to, new smells, tastes and traffic patterns.

I've recently become obsessed with the new M83*.



*M83 is a French electronic/dream pop group, www.ilovem83.com

the last dance...

Next weekend is the last Baile Crunk*. It's also my going away party. I'm not sure how to best deal with all the sadness I'm feeling about leaving my community in Philadelphia, and all the small communities I have in other cities across the US (mainly DC, yea I'm looking at you pals!!). I feel like I'll probably be crying all next weekend.

It's been such a wonderful experience to put on this party with Shoog. It's been so awesome to see so many people come out, dance and get sweaty with us every month! This party has really helped me work a lot of things out in my life. I wish it wasn't ending.

The last year and a half has been amazing and challenging. I've learned a lot about myself... now I'm moving on to the next stage in my journey. I've felt ready to take this next step, but now that it's so close, I'm doubting my preparedness, LOL. What's it going to be like to live with my parents again, for the first time in almost a decade? What's it going to be like to live in a place completely different from what I know? What's it going to be like to move somewhere where I do not have a community... or a support network?

In a few weeks I will board a plane with only two bags, my bicycle, and my memories. I'm not sure when I'll be coming back. I just hope that the connections that I've made continue to be as strong as they've ever been. I would not have gotten through the last year without my amazing friends! I will definitely miss you all dearly!

So what's the best way of saying thank you?... I just hope that all the energy that I'll be putting on my final set expresses all my emotions and gratitude!!!

keep dancing!
love, me

*Baile Crunk is a monthly dance party I throw with my roommate Shoog.