So it’s finally time for my debut solo gig (in the UK).  I’ll be playing soul, funk, house, RnB, hip-hop, old school, garage and so much more.  I already tried parts of the set a few weeks ago in Prague and it went down a treat.

So I hope you can join me and turntablist Funki J on home turf for some great beats, alongside delicious 2-for-1 cocktails and one of the best chefs in London cooking off the grill!  This is a great location with a full sound and lighting set up, dancefloor and outdoor area for smoking / shisha.  Any other details you need just reply to this mail, or hit me on Twitter @RajKotecha or Facebook.com/rajdkotecha

right now, I definitely feel like it.  Gary Vaynerchuk – good looking out homey!

Previously – Interviews with Gary Vaynerchuk (2009) and (2010) Crush It and (2010) Crush It Wrap Video

From the Soundcloud account: Inspired by an Ibiza trip, Lovesoul DJ Raj Kotecha fuses uptempo Balearic beats along with his signature mash up style in his first solo mixtape. Described as “what I’d do in Ibiza if they let me get away with it”, Raj mixes tracks live for 60 uninterrupted minutes, covering house, rock, hip-hop, 80′s and even groundbreaking samples never heard before on a mixtape. Stream or download now, and tweet feedback to @RajKotecha.

It’s official, after tearing down The Gherkin last year, we’ll be back with our Flashback brothers Ritesh and Rav at Gilt Bar. Now over 2 rooms, you’ll have even more tunes to choose from! Dress code is black and white and music genre’s will be vast and wide, so get ready to party. Early bird tickets are advised – drop me an email at raj (at) creative content agency dot com and I’ll see you there! Here’s the announcement from Ibiza!

Register and get all the info you need here – guestlist open to all and filling up amazingly..!

raj32.eventbrite.com (more info coming to this blog very soon!).

A little clip I found from March 2012 at Flashback, hosted by the Flashback Duo DJ Rav and DJ Ritesh.  22 gigs is a lot to do every six months, (yes, that’s right, 11 years, around 300 – 400 people each time, and tens of thousands from ticket sales donated to various charities).  If you haven’t been to this event, here are my top 5 reasons to attend:

1) It focuses on a beautiful time in music, the 80′s and 90′s Soul, Swing and Funk era
2) The crowd is awesome; with mid-20′s being the newbies and many 30 and over’s, that genuinely love music and dancing.
3) Flashback’s overall vibe, via founder Ritesh Shah, who genuinely loves music, helping people and is an all round great guy.  You definitely feel this resonate when you’re in the room.
4)  It’s cheap, £10 in advance, no dress code, drinks offers and a healthy cut always goes to charity.
5) We (Lovesoul) DJ there, and at a few NYE specials too.  DJ Rav is one of a few people I share a bill with that actually makes me rehearse a little before I perform.

In the clip below, we needed to hype up the room as it was the month of The Notorious BIG’s 15 year Anniversary (passing date).

A few moments ago, my good friend at The Guardian – Robin Hough – sent out a Facebook post that David Droga of Droga5 was doing a live chat with the Guardian Media community online.  You don’t often get facetime (via a comments board) with a legend like this.  My question, and his great answer are below, and I’m sure you can still view the whole fantastic conversation here.

My Question:

David and GMG, thanks for today.

My question to David: Do you believe in creative legacy, and if so, what would you like yours to be?

Thanks,

@RajKotecha

David’s Answer:

@rajkotecha

As a typical creative I am all ego and insecurity.
My main goal was to change MY advertising industry not THE advertising industry.
But if I can nudge us forward a little and into a better place I would be very happy.
Creativity for the greater good is where I aspire to be.
And I mean that on several levels. Of course, working with worthy causes that need support but also just not contributing to the pollution of crap advertising. 90% of what our industry produces is rubbish.I want to play in that 10%
There is no category or issue that couldn’t benefit from smart creative and strategic thinking.

I love this answer and I think it’s a plate full of food for thought.  Tweet me to discuss it, especially if you have read the full live chat, and you can follow David Droga on twitter @ddroga.

Here is the link for March 17th 2012 [BGMS Fundraiser at The Clubhouse]

and the link for March 24th 2012 [Flashback].

Here’s what happened in the first three minutes we hit the stage for New Years Eve 2011. Shout to Labrynth and Tinie Tempah for making a banger…

The links you need for each party are:

Christmas Eve Red and White Party at The Clubhouse Sat December 24th 2011 (Get Free Passes)
Boxing Day Soul Shark at Fat Cat Cafe Leicester, Mon 26th December 2011 – Call Fat Cats on 01162 553 610
New Years Eve London Rocks at The Gherkin Tower, Sat 31st December 2011 (Buy Tickets)