El Judeo Maravilloso

He acts like he doesn't believe it when I say it to him, so I'll put it in print for the world to read: Sake 1 is the best DJ in San Francisco. My man is so good on so many levels-- taste, skills, versatility, flavor-- that it floors me.

Sake's not one of those DJs you always read about online or see in magazines, but in San Francisco he is loved. His signature party, Pacific Standard Time, packs the Levende Lounge each Thursday and he uses the platform in really cool ways, bringing in legendary DJs (Danny Krivit, Kool Herc), giving up-and-comers a chance to shine (the Honor Roll) and giving back with frequent benefits for community groups. If I grow up to be a little more like him, I won't be even a tiny bit mad.

Anyhow, I bring it up because the boy has a new mix-- an actual, legitimate, commissioned-by-the-label mix entitled Fania Live 03 from the Fresh Coast-- and it's great. The story goes like this: a couple of years ago, Emusica bought the catalog of the great salsa label, Fania Records, and began reissuing tons of amazing music from the '60s and '70s. To promote this stuff to the niños, they commissioned compilations from Gilles Peterson and DJ Muro, and mixes from several DJs, including Sake.

Sake has done a number of mix CDs that I've really enjoyed over the years (this one especially!), but this may be the best example of what he's about as a DJ and a person. The selections, from the likes of Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe, Eddie Palmieri and Ray Barretto, are great on a musical level, but deliver lyrically, too. You don't have to speak much Spanish to catch the themes of community and social justice in songs like "Mi Gente", "La Revolucion", "Justicia" and "Paz", particularly when coupled with Sake's gentle use of dialog. The mixing is really smooth and tasteful, too. Man, it's just good.

The CD came out last Tuesday and should be available in stores, online, etc. Sake is having two release parties for the CD-- one in SF at PST on March 20th with Bobbito and one in Los Angeles on March 22 with Bobbito, Francisco Aguabella and Chuchito Valdes (!). The entire album is currently streaming here.