Sorry I’ve been MIA. Not that I have enough readers to complain or anything but I’ve been slammed preparing for the arrival of my family, the wife’s upcoming birthday and starting a company. Thanks to a friend, I’m getting a special treat today in that I get to go to a meet-and-greet with the guys that man the ship the Northwestern on the television show Deadliest Catch. These guys provide me with a lot of entertainment so I can’t wait to tell them thank you.

The idiots at BP are considering using machinery invented by Kevin Costner and his brother for their company Ocean Therapy Solutions. Apparently Costner sunk over $40 million into technology designed to remove oil from ocean water after spills like the one in down south because he felt the need to use the wealth he was “lucky” to accumulate instead of “piling it” for no real purpose.

According to Costner, “We all make decisions about what we want to be a part of. I’m just one person focusing on a specific problem and throwing a little resources to a lot of talent and manpower … to come up with what is a [solution],” he said in a recent interview with WWL-TV in New Orleans.

I wish more celebrities and uber-wealthy people felt this way. The world would be a better place if they did. I have high hopes these machines might help the sticky situation and it would be great to see Costner calling out all companies that don’t implement this kind of technology should it work. I hope for the sake of the animals, people and waterways that are affected by this horrible situation, Costner’s inventions work and they save the day. Lord knows the people at BP have their thumbs so far up their ass that they need the help in a desperate way and maybe Costner’s devices will do the trick.

Nice hand Mr. Costner

Panera Bread Co. is trying to change the way restaurants operate by making a social cause the basis for their new venture. The national bakery and restaurant chain recently launched a nonprofit restaurant in a St. Louis suburb where the only money accepted for the food is donated by the customers.

Run by a nonprofit foundation selected by the people at Panera, the venue (and hopefully more once the model proves workable) has the same menu as other Panera Bread stores, but the money raised through donations goes to supporting the restaurant and opening up other similar venues across the US.

This means that although the prices for the food may be higher than a person can afford, patrons can simply give what they have. I love this concept and I can’t imagine it failing as most people will give what they can. Hopefully this form of business philanthropy will help push others to try to do similar ventures sparking a social revolution that changes the way the food industry works.

This September fans of guitar god Jimi Hendrix will have a chance to check out his London digs in honor of the 40th anniversary of his death. For me, Hendrix still lives because I find myself listening to his music and the artists he inspired with his amazing talent.

If I had a couple of Euros to spare, I would fly over to the other side of the pond just so I could be walk through the hallowed halls where one of my idols spent a lot of time. My hope would be that I would somehow be able to have a conversation with Jimi’s ghost so I can learn how to love my music with the same passion as Hendrix did.

Kudos to the people behind the live broadcast of the Trey Band show at the Hangout Festival on iClips.net. They did an excellent job and the coverage was smooth and seamless, unlike what was in Phish 3-D.

Featuring calm, flowing transitions, the people behind this production made it a pleasure on the eyes and I enjoyed every moment of it. Well done people, you’re art made my day.

Hopefully the next time Phish considers doing a movie or a live broadcast, they will find the people behind this production and hire them. Seeing sick footage and Trey Killing it was the best way I could have imagined ending my weekend.

As a DJ, I have worked to reach the point where I could submit a CD to my hero DJ Jazzy Jeff (@DJJazzyJeff215) and I’ve finally achieved my goal. I try to take my listeners on a journey and I think this mix shows off the fluid mixing style I have developed and my ability to switch genres as learned from watching Jeff on numerous occasions.

Having achieved this goal, I can finally let go of DJing as an obsession. I no longer care if I ever play out and I’m content knowing I did what I wanted to do so I can walk away without regret (should I decide to go this route). After all, a true Shaolin warrior doesn’t crave attention or adventure, only the search for perfection through daily practice.

The below mix is the fruit of all of the time and effort I’ve put in behind my digital turntables and I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve been working feverishly for the last couple of years to develop my style and I think the hard work has paid off especially in this mix which fuses hip hop, soul, jazz, R & B, pop, club, rock and roll, garage and house music.

There are a ton of seldom heard remixes on this CD and I think if you just take the time to download it and give it a listen, you’ll feel as though the time you spend downloading it was worth it. I wish I could list the tracks but I’m dead sure I would get put in DJ jail for having these remixes even though I paid for them so I can’t. With that being said, considering how many people come up to Jeff and try to drop mixes, I know how valuable his time is so I gave this mix everything I have.

In essence, this mix is my way of paying musical tribute to the man who helped shape my world as a DJ. I hope you listening to this as much as I enjoyed making it and Jeff, if somehow you come across this mix and you like it, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a tweet @DJOcean.

You Are My Hero by DJ Ocean

Having grown up outside Philadelphia and been into hip hop almost all of my life it was literally impossible to not know who DJ Jazzy Jeff was because he and Will Smith had basically changed the game after coming out of nowhere to put Philly on the map.

The irony here is that although I was familiar with DJ Jazzy Jeff from the Fresh Prince material and I was a huge fan but I had no clue how his ridiculous skills as a DJ are and I definitely had no clue that he would go on to shape the rest of my musical life even though I had only met him once and our conversation consisted of me saying, “You are ridiculous” and him responding with his typical wit (as evidenced by his Twitter feed at @DJJazzyJeff215) “Thank you sir.” I was humbled to say the least.

My first up-close introduction to Jeff came at Space, a now defunct Philadelphia super-club that was fueled by sick beats and enough Exctasy to literally turn Philly into “The City of Brotherly Love.” When I first found out their was going to be a scratch-battle/competition, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the concept as watching a bunch of local wannabes rip up the wax because I had been lucky enough to have spent the last couple of years hanging with some of the best DJs in the world.

Despite having hesitations, my decision to go to the event changed my musical landscape forever when I was pleasantly surprised when two of Philly’s (if not the world’s) best hip hop DJs took to the wax when Cash Money and Jeff spun back-to-back sets. At the time I was working for the online dance site, so I had front-row access and I was blown away by the way Jeff melted the decks and had the crowd rocking at every turn. I walked away from the night’s festivities with a new-found respect for Jeff and I quickly decided to make it a priority to watch him perform at other venues throughout the city.

Showing the perseverance and desire that DJs that have managed to make a career rocking the house through non-stop performing require, Jeff played Philly regularly so I got plenty of chances to see him do his thing. My second up-close experience with Jeff came at South Street’s legendary Fluid. If you don’t know why it’s legendary, think of a club that holds maybe 300 people max while having the world’s best DJs drop beats every night. Some of the local talent gracing Fluid’s decks included Josh Wink, King Britt and of course Jeff.

I will never forget the first time I saw Jeff spin at Fluid. I came in expecting hip hop and club set and left blown away by the fusion of R & B, tribal, house, disco, soul, hip hop and rap laid down by the man who continues to prove time and time again that he is hands-down one of the best DJs to have graced this planet. This was the night that I realized I could never be a DJ that spun just one style (like many other top DJs traveling the circuit) and I also came to the conclusion that any DJ who didn’t do what Jeff was doing were somewhat weak.

I’m not suggesting that other DJs can’t do the same thing he does from a technical standpoint, but there is natural flow to Jeff’s style that takes you on a musical trip typically inspired by the current city that is being captivated by his magic on the wax. It was something I had never seen a DJ do before and I’ve been lucky enough to see the elite face to face. Jeff crushed them likes grapes at a wine-making festival.

I knew from that point on that I would always aspire to be like my DJ hero. He was calm, cool, personable and level-headed every time I saw him perform throughout the city. Always respectful of the people that paid money to watch him do his thing, Jeff embodied (and continues to embody) the idea of what a DJ should be both professionally and personally. He loves his fans and treats them with respect and it shows when the crowd is at a fever pitch watching him cut back and forth on the “One’s and Two’s.”

Flash forward to Vegas for my third up-close interaction with Jeff, this times at a Vegas pool party. Annoyed and frustrated with local talent and their shitty song selections, I jumped at the chance to catch Jeff at the pool party. I have to admit his set was a little crazy and a departure from what I had seen him do back East, but it definitely worked with the Vegas fans and I was once again reminded how lucky I have been to literally stand five feet from Jeff a number of times and watch him do the things that I can only dream of. I always feel honored when I get to see the guy play that is the gold-standard in mixology. If they gave out awards for DJing, Jeff would have won the Nobel prize several times already.

My fourth and most current up-close session with Jeff came when he rocked Moon at the Palms. My wife and I were ten feet from him and I was quick to note that Kid Capri was in the house and watching his every move. Not only did Jeff drop his traditional style, he threw in mixes that had the crowd literally singing with every song. The energy was electric and the place exploded once he dropped into several mixes consisting of hip hop and old school disco. Although you might think this night couldn’t have gotten any better, things went insane when Capri joined Jeff on the wheels of steel going back-to-back. This night was the shit legends are made of. Once again, I left blown away at how one man could spread so much love in so little time while doing the thing he loved for a living.

Obviously, I’m a fan of DJ Jazzy Jeff and for good reason. If you think I’m just some crazy person who knows nothing about music, think again. DJ Jazzy Jeff is the “DJ’s DJ” and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. He has stood the test of time and he continues to show the youngsters how a DJ should live both when it comes to their work ethic and in fans relations.

If you have any doubts about what I have written above or you think I’m wrong, do yourself a favor and catch Jeff the next time he is in town. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Ironically, as I post this, Jeff is rocking Ditch Fridays at the Palms.

I can’t wait to see the guys rock Jimmy Fallon when they cover a tune or two from the Exile on Main Street album by the Rolling Stones. According to a recent Rolling Stone interview, Trey isn’t sure why the band has previously only covered Loving Cup.

“I don’t know. I used to play this record at every party — and there were a lot of them. [laughs] This was the go-to record. I had two go-to records for 10, 15 years. One was my morning wake-up or cooking-in-the-afternoon record — Django Reinhardt. But as soon as it got dark and people came over, it was Exile on Main Street,” said Anastasio in the interview.

When asked about other Halloween-albums that have been covered by Phish like The Who and the Beatles, Anastasio claims he associates himself with the songs from this album more than any of the other material they’ve previously performed on Halloween. “I feel like I embody so many of those lyrics now. We started playing “Loving Cup” on a whim. But now it feels like our song when we play it. The lines are so right-on. “I feel so humble with you tonight” — I can get behind that.”

I wonder what song they are going to play tonight.

I admit I do not know everything. I admit that everyone sees things differently in life. I admit that all people have their own experiences and views on how life is and the way things should be. I admit that I should not care what others think.

I admit that I try not to act or speak out of ego, but I am not perfect. I admit that there are people out there that know more than me. I admit that I as much of as student as I am a teacher. I admit that the way I see things is not necessarily the way others see them. I admit that others are entitled to their opinions and I should be able to take constructive criticism without taking it personally.

With that being said, I do my best to write posts about the way I see things. This will not please everyone and there are plenty of haters out there that will take every opportunity they get to bring down a person who is trying to be creative (and honest).

I write on DJ Ocean’s World simply to entertain my readers, pass on a little knowledge and help myself cope with all of the thoughts racing in my head. In doing this, I willingly subject myself to the comments of others that might not understand who I am or where I am coming from, but the reality is that I’m not really writing for them. I’m writing to be creative and help those who can find any piece of useful information from my posts that might help them live a better life.

In other words, I’m trying to give back, but the people that leave negative comments don’t seem to get that. For those that hate and have negative things to say, I suggest you spend your time doing something constructive instead of wasting time hating on me. I’m all for constructive criticism but I will never understand the stupidity attacking someone because of their thoughts. My hope is that these people will eventually find something meaningful enough so that they can let go of their anger and move on.

My family and friends have always told me that if you don’t have something nice to say about someone keep your fucking mouth shut. This life lesson has served me well as I try to listen to what others say instead of applying my own warped perspective on how things should be. Hopefully most of my readers believe in this philosophy, but for those that don’t, your time is better spent doing other things than throwing your hate or malcontent at me.

If you don’t like something I post, do what Bruce Lee would do and take what you need and leave the rest. If you you still don’t see any value in what I write, then don’t waste your time coming to the site. There are definitely better things you can do with your time then sit and bitch about one man’s thoughts that you find on the Internet.

Having found out several months ago that I am allergic to eight foods including traditional staples like Gluten, sugar, dairy, chocolate and corn, my diet changed dramatically once I learned that these foods were making me sick on a daily basis. Since stopping my intake of these foods, I have dropped over 20 pounds and I’m in the best shape of my life despite not being able to do athletic stuff (except for stretching) due to the side-effects of 17 years of health issues. Although I am skinny, I am far from the stage that a yogi from India has achieved.

According to a recent Breitbart.com report, Prahlad Jani is an 83-year-old spiritualist that claims he has spent the last seven decades without eating or drinking water. His ability to survive without essential nutrients has scientists baffled and his techniques have intrigued the Indian military who are looking to find ways so that soldiers or people that are stranded can find ways to survive without the rations many would need to survive.

During a two-week period, military doctors and a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit TVs observed Jani but they couldn’t find an answer for how he is still alive. Apparently the only contact this guy had with fluids is when he took a shower or gargled. According to Jani, he achieved this feat by following his routine of yoga and meditation. Military scientists have come up with a theory that suggests Jani gleans nutrients to survive from other resources like the sun.

Regardless of how he does it, Jani proves that all of the extras we add to our diet are unnecessary and often do us more harm than good. Having also recently gone on my life-long fast, I am now aware that many of the foods I thought were necessary are not and life has gotten better since I literally trimmed the fat. My only intake is things that my body needs to perform so I get what Jani is talking about.

Although I’m not going to give up food and drinks (I’m addicted to sugarless flavored drinks like Sobe LifeWater), I understand that the body doesn’t need much to function properly and I have learned that all of the extras I use to pile on were unnecessary and leading to an early death. Do yourself a favor. Cut out the extras. You don’t have to be a Indian mystic or a sick person to follow this rule. It’s not as bad as you think and you’ll feel a lot healthier.

Photo courtesy of GerogerHernandez.com. Nice hand sir!