DJ Eleven Pours The Courvoisier, Lays Down The Bear Skin Rug and Talks Love Tunes.

You know it's a good day when one of the world's illest party and mixtape DJs - DJ Eleven tells you he's down for taking some time out from a hectic schedule to answer a few silly questions for your blog and that's exactly what we have here.

When he's not jet setting around the world or DJing at exclusive parties that you and I will never be on the guest list for i.e. Scarlett Johansson's 21st and Playboy gatherings, he's busy keeping dance floors packed in and around New York City as a member of The Rub DJ Collective (along with DJ Ayres & Cosmo Baker) and more recently he's stepped up his production game with a killer EP that really shows he's spent a lot of time in clubs taking note of what works as it's dancefloor gold! Click on the below pic for a sneak peek and try keeping still!

And now on to the question session!

Name – DJ Eleven

Location – Brooklyn Son! Originally from Oakland CA

Name 3 songs that would be no-brainers to put on a mixtape for that special someone you were trying to woo –
Leon Haywood “I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You”
Pharoahe Monch “The Light”
Ryan Leslie “Rescue U”
and the honorable mention goes to John Legend “Refuge (When It’s Cold Outside)”

You've turned the lights down low, lit the candles and poured the dom perignon, what LP goes on the stereo? LPs take way too many trips up off the bear skin rug to flip sides, so I’d put on my playlist of the 60 greatest Bill Withers songs and lay back. Or Darondo’s “Didn’t I” on repeat.

What is your fave romantic film of all time? By far, without question, “The Mack”.

You've just had your heart broken, what's the song or LP that you play to ease the pain and get you through? Anthony Hamilton’s ”Comin’ From Where I’m From” album has probably gotten more run than any other record in those times. I love the record because he was able to touch on super deep despair, but still turn around and leave me feeling hopeful at the end.

What song was/or would be your pick to be played during the first dance at your wedding? One of my great hopes in life is to never do the traditional wedding mess. But at the party to celebrate the wedding we’d eloped to Bahamas for, we would walk in to The Impression’s “Love Me”. Or “The Theme from Shaft”.

If you had to pick one artist or group, whose music do you think has played the biggest part in helping increase the world’s population over the years? Man, that’s such a generational thing… For folks of my generation, Barry White. For other generations, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Sade, R Kelly, and for the kids born next year, Trey Songz.

and finally What's your fave guilty pleasure/cheesiest love song?
A week or so ago, I caught myself admitting to my girl that I really love Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” a LOT! Needless to say, she wasn’t impressed.

BONUS! Eleven was nice enough to pass on this little edit he did for you and yours!

Sunny (DJ Eleven Edit) - Bobby Hebb Listen/Download

Ever Wondered How People Hooked Up Before Myspace & Facebook?

O-Dub Talks Love Jams, Sans Music Weddings and Nora Ephron Rom-Coms.

When I first started making a wish list of people to answer the Themes For Young Lovers questions, music journalist, scholar and DJ Oliver Wang aka O-Dub was one of the first names I wrote down as someone who I had to have answer them.

I've been a fan of his for ages thanks to his ridiculously good DJ mixes and more recently his Soul Sides blog which has introduced me to more amazing music than I can even remember over the past few years.

So when I got in touch with him recently and he said he was down to answer the Q's I expected school to be in session with well thought out answers and as you read on you'll quickly see he didn't disappoint!

Name - Oliver Wang

A/S/L - 37/M/Los Angeles

Name 3 songs that would be no-brainers to put on a mixtape for that special someone you were trying to woo - OK, so I’m probably way over answering all these questions but I have start off by saying that much as I love “love songs” as a loose genre, when it comes to my personal associations with love/romance/heartbreak and music, everything becomes audio-biographical and as someone who usually tries to talk about music through more of a curatorial perspective, all that pretty much goes out of the window. To put it another way, all three of these songs I included have much more to do with how they’ve been markers in my own life than any kind of “no-brainer recommendations” I’d give to some random person. I mean, if you’re making a mixtape for someone, ultimately, you should pick songs that first and foremost, say something to you before you can hope to have them say something to anyone else.

In any case, I’ll probably surprise some people by not including any soul songs here. In fact, I’m surprising myself by that fact.

1. Joni Mitchell: “All I Want” from Blue. My now-wife turned me onto Joni when we were merely friends but so much of what’s said in “All I Want” captured my sentiments during the time we were transitioning to being “more than.”

What it says to include it on a mixtape: “Hey baby, I’m slightly crunchy, left-leaning, like reading books and newspapers. I have good taste in the classics and don’t trust today’s singer/songwriters because they’re not as clever as Joni. I keep my sentimentality on the d.l. but “All I Want” is perfect because it’s happy, folksy pop won’t be confused with the schmaltz of a power ballad.”

2. Duke Ellington and John Coltrane: In a Sentimental Mood from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. The gold standard in romantic jazz standards.

What it says to include it on a mixtape: “The inherent melancholy of this song reveals an emotional depth that you perhaps were not aware of when we were flirting at the bar last weekend. I too, like you, have been wounded and you will want to be with me in order to unravel my shrouded past of heartbreak that you will then try to heal.”

3. King Pleasure: Moody’s Mood For Love. My affection for this song predates ever having actually been in love and there’s an innocence in its sentiment that one can only really appreciate at an age where you’re imagining what being “in love” feels like without having actually gotten there.

What it says to include it on a mixtape: “I like Nora Ephron rom-coms too.”

You've turned the lights down low, lit the candles and poured the Dom Perignon, what LP goes on the stereo? I seriously gave this some thought and to be honest, I’ve never used music as a seduction ritual. I figure those situations are about taking things OFF, not putting things on. But hell, I guess if I were going to try to pull a move like that off, you can’t tell me that Sade’s Lovers Rock would fail, as far as a single album would go.

What is your fave romantic film of all time? This changes as I get older but the last film that I felt really nailed it for me was probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But that feels a bit too “early 30s” for me; I don’t know if I’ve found something that I can connect to now though.

You've just had your heart broken, what's the song or LP that you play to ease the pain and get you through? John Coltrane: “Naima” from Giant Steps. Practically any Coltrane ballad seems cosmically tuned into the resonant frequency of heartache.

What song was/or would be your pick to be played during the first dance at your wedding? Unbelievably, I had no music, at all, at my wedding. It wasn’t a conventional ceremony or reception and it just never occurred to either my wife or myself that we should have music. Later on, some of my friends pointed this out and I thought, “oh yeah, I guess that would have made sense” but we loved our wedding even sans music. That said, I turned to my wife and asked, “so what would our first dance song have been?” between the two of us, we decided that we probably would have gone with something seemingly anti-sentimental yet secretly romantic like Rufus Wainwright’s “My Phone’s On Vibrate For You” from Want One.

If you had to pick one artist or group, who's music do you think has played the biggest part in helping increase the worlds population over the years? Marvin Gaye with “Let’s Get It On,” no question. When I used to do a college radio show on KALX in Berkeley back in the ‘90s, an acquaintance of mine would call to request this song so he could get his mack on.



and finally What's your fave guilty pleasure/cheesiest love song? I don’t think any song you enjoy should ever be something to feel sheepish about. But if I had to pick a song that seems hopelessly out of fashion today, I’d probably roll with Huey Lewis and the News’: “Do You Believe In Love” Awesome hook. This is one Zooey Deschanel rom-com soundtrack away from redemption.

For further reading be sure to check Oliver's published works archives and as I mentioned earlier if you haven't already visited his audioblog Soul Sides do NOT pass go, do NOT collect $200...

Warm and Fuzzy

DJ Neil Armstrong delivers one of the best love themed mixes you're ever likely to hear as he combines just the right amount of turntable trickery with a super tight selection of love jams, originally released in 2005 it's always been a mix I've kept coming back to and I can't believe it's taken me this long to pass it on to all you young lovers!

Here's what the man himself has to say about it -

This mix is called Warmfuzzy, like the feeling. It's to "celebrate" Valentine's Day, but if you're as pimp as you think you are, this CD should be good all year round. This is NOT what you want to bump when you're planning your next driveby. It IS the mix you should give your homegirl or emothug on 02-14, it IS something you should listen to if you love ALL types of music and skills. It's even something you should hear if "love" is kicking you in your ass and you're staring at the wall all day cause it seems like you can't find anyone, or your significant other is a trifling, lazy, no good... Oops, I digress...

It should give you hope that this crazy little thing that all these people write, sing, paint, dream and fight about - is something real and worthwhile. To all those on the infinite pursuit, and especially those who have finished their quest, I salute you. Let this be the soundtrack for the big adventure, I'll be right there with you...

- DJ Neil Armstrong

Warmfuzzy - DJ Neil Armstrong - Listen

Peep the comments for the full track listing.

I Like Pants

Stones Throw recording artist James Pants' style is hard to define, with his music taking in elements of 80’s Soul, Electro Boogie, Early Rap, New Wave, & Post-Punk Disco he's managed to create a unique and fresh sound that has one foot in the past and one stepping forward into the future.

I got at James via email recently and although he's a busy man he was nice enough to find time to roll out some quick answers to the Themes For Young Lovers questions...

Name – James Pants

Location – Spokane, Washington

Name 3 songs that would be no-brainers to put on a mixtape for that special someone you were trying to woo - Kleeer – Take Your Heart Away, Maggotron – Pillow Talkin' Baby, Shocking Blue – Love Buzz

You've turned the lights down low, lit the candles and poured the dom perignon, what LP goes on the stereo? Iasos – Inter Dimensional Music

What is your fave romantic film of all time? Oh man... I should ask my wife. I haven't seen enough. Anything with Jane Birkin in it?

You've just had your heart broken, what's the song or LP that you play to ease the pain and get you through? Bathory - S/T

What song was/or would be your pick to be played during the first dance at your wedding? First dance? Peanut Butter Wolf played our wedding. I think he played EPMD.

If you had to pick one artist or group, who's music do you think has played the biggest part in helping increase the worlds population over the years? Definitely Sade or Julee Cruise.

and finally What's your fave guilty pleasure/cheesiest love song? Atlantic Starr – All In The Name of Love

If You Don't Watch Out...

Boston's DJ 7L of The Bladerunners & 7L & Esoteric fame comes correct with this mix of love themed funk & soul treats.

Love's Gonna Get'cha - 7L Download

Track listing in the comments.