The thing about Matthew is that he was one of those dudes who had impeccable taste in records, probably amassed one of the best collections in the Bay (which is saying a lot) and never, ever preened or tried to act Big Willie Style about it. He was very much someone who managed to be both social yet private (if that makes sense and if you knew him, you'd know what I mean) and carried himself with a certain serious gravity but wasn't stonefaced and certainly not a dick.
I have very fond memories of going to Amoeba right when he was putting out new used stock and joining all the other grippers in trying to score some cool hip-hop promo. I also remember running into him at Ya Mama's Cafe near the Oakland/Berkeley and someone (might have been my friend Omar actually) couldn't believe that "Africa" was his actual birth name.
I also did a couple of KALX fundraiser shows with him, which is normally a total drag, but with Matthew, he'd always bring out his A-game records and just kill shit. Funny, sardonic guy on the mic too; I'll have to see if I can find one of our old show tapes and digitize it.
WHen I started my podcast, I wanted Matthew as my first guest. Listening to this now fills me with equal amounts happiness and sorrow. http://goo.gl/GhQw0
I saw jinx's post on Facebook literally seconds after he posted it. I just saw Matthews pic at first and immediately had a sick feeling in my stomach. I never actually met the guy in person, but I felt like I knew him just from his music, blog, record circles, etc. What a devastating loss. Definitely puts things into perspective. Records ain't shit compared to the fragility and beauty of life.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, friends and family.
RIP he touched so many people with his contagious passion for music
I am bumping the twee funk mix trying to cheer up
my thoughts go out to his family and friends
The whole bay area is beyond down in the dumps right now. Mathew was actually the first employee at the Groove Merchant, long before me. Can't even express what a blow this is. I will miss you my friend. Rest in peace Mathew.
Never met him, but heard his name a lot living here in the bay. Great dj.
So sad to hear about this. Like others, I never knew him, but hearing about this hurt because through his mixes, the radio, and his posts on here I did kind of feel like I knew him.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Controller_7 said:
Never met him, but heard his name a lot living here in the bay. Great dj.
So sad to hear about this. Like others, I never knew him, but hearing about this hurt because through his mixes, the radio, and his posts on here I did kind of feel like I knew him.
The above sentiments aptly express my reaction to this tragic news. I pray comfort for his family, friends, and others who knew him. RIP DJ Mathew Africa!!!
Because MA wasn't the type to put his business out there, he had a certain mystique to him. I remember that, for the longest time, after he had left his law firm, people openly wondered, "how is that dude getting by?" since he seemed to lead the exact same lifestyle, just sans a full-time job.
Anyway, in 2003, me, Matthew and Cool Chris had a monthly together at Milk (this was when Milk had first opened and thus, were willing to give a monthly to a trio like us!). We called it Popcorn (I think that was Chris's idea).
It only lasted 3-4 months before Milk decided to yank us but it was on one of our last nights that I remember this...
It was towards the top of the evening and we were getting sweated by Chads asking for "In Da Club" (this was '03 after all) and the vibe was annoying, to say the least. Since ours wasn't a club hip-hop night, I wasn't about to take it there but I thought, "ok, let me drop this cool like cover version of "Mony Mony." People like to dance to 'Mony Mony' don't they?"
This shit BRICKED. I had completely misread the crowd. It was so vibe-killing that I remember someone on Yelp (or some site like it) gave the club a thumbs down and *mentioned the song by name* as evidence of its lameness. Anyway...I just remember watching the dance floor evaporate, and I turn to Matthew and he gives me this look that basically said, "dude, what were you thinking?" but in a kind way, much like a parent might try to create a "teachable moment" for their child in a moment of fuck-uppery. I have this memory of talking to Matthew about that night years later and we both remembered how badly I played the moment and had a good laugh over it.
I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S GONE. It really hasn't hit-hit me yet.
DUDE, you taking me back with this one. That was shot in the old KALX studios, before they moved onto campus. That's where I and a lot of folks first met Matthew, who had a crazy long running show there of his own but also did shows with Beni B. Because Beni was always the louder personality, I initially thought he was the record guru and Matthew was the sidekick and it wasn't until later that i learned it was the other way around and that Matthew was some ninja/yoda of the record game.
i saw this monday when supreme posted it on fb and thought to myself, "look how young Matthew looks!!!"
Cosmo used to have a regular Wednesday that was a stone's throw from my apartment and i would always be hanging aroung practicing handstyles on his 12" sleeves. One of those Wednesdays, he had Matthew as a guest, and we met there. His reputation proceeded him: humble, intelligent, and talented. Also in attendance randomly that evening were Miles from Breakestra, and DJ Dusk (RIP).
Right as the place started to pick up steam we had a full-on blizzard. I remember telling Cosmo I was going to skin a hipster and wear his carcass home to keep warm... like that animal...in empire... "Ton Ton!!!", Cosmo replied with pride in his Star Wars lexicon.
Matthew and I hung out several times after that, once DJing together at Serg's Hard as Fuck party, another time with Johnny at the shop followed by some whiskeys, and once dropping in on Mike 2600 when both happened to be in town. I was just planning a trip to the bay, and had tentative plans to play Matthew's party tonight, but I cancelled a few weeks ago. That was the last time we talked, but as usual, dude was super friendly, accommodating and excited.
I can't express enough to all of our friends, and Matthew's family how sorry I am and how dearly he will be missed everywhere. They really don't get much better.
Never met him, but heard his name a lot living here in the bay. Great dj.
So sad to hear about this. Like others, I never knew him, but hearing about this hurt because through his mixes, the radio, and his posts on here I did kind of feel like I knew him.
I think it's also about losing one of "us" that really hits home. You didn't have to know him personally to be affected by his passing and in a lot of ways, many of us knew him for years on here and from his mixes and radio shows.
This is such a small community that when something so catastrophically unexpected and out of the blue like this happens it sends a shockwave through everyone. It's all just really fucked up.
Michael Barnes, another guy who came up at KALX and was friends with MA, put up a great memorial post, including some of the key songs that Matthew helped introduce to him (and many others). It's funny because I *totally* remember Matthew putting me up on Rusty Bryant's "Fire Eater," telling me, "play this on your show and I guarantee, the phone will ring off the hook." And he was absolutely fucking right.
Want to send my condolences and thoughts to everyone who was close to Matt, to the whole bay area music fam. A legend even to us down here in LA, the team is one less tonight. Truly devastating.
Last year I was fortunate enough to get a few choice joints from him - I don't have the heart to play them tonight. Rest in Power.
The music will continue to live forever.
This is such a small community that when something so catastrophically unexpected and out of the blue like this happens it sends a shockwave through everyone. It's all just really fucked up.
Yeah, this.
Matthew lived not too far from my old apartment, so I would bump into him out and about occasionally (at Lanesplitter more frequently than anything else). We would do the usual--catch up, talk records, talk rap, talk rap records. He was always a really cool dude, and like others have mentioned above, was a bottomless wealth of information about records and music without the slightest hint of any sort of "oh, you don't know that already? You little dude..." attitude.
We had the honor of having him come play at the 45 Sessions a couple weeks ago. There's a great picture of Matthew, Juju (the Beatnuts and Alkaholiks popped up a the gig), and me...Juju had actually shooed me out of one of the pictures because he and Matthew were rocking button-downs, while I was looking bummy in a T-shirt. Funny shit. But anyway, Matthew played a phenomenal set, of course--I did plenty of trainspotting without trying to look like I was trainspotting--and was nothing but humble about it. He was thanking us for having him when really, we should've been thanking him for blessing the night (and we did thank him, effusively). We talked a bit after the gig was over, and he was so cool and gracious, just vintage Matthew. My fiance met him for the first (and, sadly, last) time that night, and as we all parted company, she said to me, "What a nice guy he is."
I actually first got to know Matthew this summer, when I asked him to help me out with a project and needed some legal / music industry counsel. It was certainly intimidating, showing up at the Peet's at 51st and Shattuck (his go-to caffeine spot), where I walked in exactly when we were supposed to meet but he was already sitting there with a notepad and a half-full cup of tea, ready to rock. I had celebrated enough of his radio / mix catalog up until that point and had caught plenty of his DJ gigs around the Bay to know what brand of dude he was, so it was intriguing to finally meet him. I could tell from our conversation that this was the dude I wanted on my side: he had a calm but strong demeanor and his love for music and excitement for a new project to apply his skills to was obvious. He addressed my general naivet?? about the record industry with patience and a desire to help me get to where I needed to be.
Matthew: I wish you could have helped me see this project through, but far more than that I wish you hadn't been stolen away from your loved ones and the Bay Area community by such a tragic event. Rest in Peace and Eternal Musical Happiness.
If I have this wrong, my sincere apologies, but I'm pretty sure Matthew was pivotal in how KMEL's Wake-Up Show used to play classic samples and breaks. Him and Quixx were crazy tight - if you haven't already heard it, you absolutely have to listen to Matthew's interview with Joe from a few years back: http://matthewafrica.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-15T11_06_06-08_00
He was also a big reason why Beni B used to play samples and breaks on his show and both Beni and Joe were a huge influence on my desire to want to dig and end up some place like...Soulstrut. Damn.
Hell, Quixx lived with him for a while not too long ago after his (Quixx's) living situation had fallen apart. But that was Matthew, right? "Need a hand? Lemme help you out."
I was just planning a trip to the bay, and had plans to play Matthew's party tonight, but I cancelled a few weeks ago.
I know that Tom hid this very real info about tonights gig with Matthew in the middle of his post because he wants to dignify Matthew here above all else, and rightly so, and he feels devastated to even mention it, when he and Matthew simply thought 'there will be a next time' when they last spoke. To instead hear this news today at home back east is unspeakably awful. What a horrible thing, my god. All I can say is that I knew vicariously how much they admired each other and how Matthew has always been spoken about with the utmost reverence in our house. He was always giving Tom positive vibes, on every project.
My heart breaks for his whole family, this is such a tragic loss beyond words.
. He was always a really cool dude, and like others have mentioned above, was a bottomless wealth of information about records and music without the slightest hint of any sort of "oh, you don't know that already? You little dude..." attitude.
^^^This.
The thing is, Matthew wasn't the type to suffer fools lightly but he never carried himself with arrogance or - as Enki puts it - "you little dude" attitude. I mean, we all know how folks in this community can be, especially when it comes to wielding knowledge like a blunt instrument and that just was never Matthew's personality. I can probably count record dudes with that kind of generosity on one hand...with fingers missing.
this is basically matthew to me. i tweeted about his passing earlier and someone replied " he had a way of shaming you while making you feel good that he cared that you should know about a record" and this might be what i respected the most about dude. he was a master of dropping knowledge at a matter of fact angle without ever coming off like he was flexing or being pedantic. he'd clarify in the name of clarification and keep it moving. of course it also helped that he always knew what the fuck he was talking about. purely constructive og moves.
Boots Riley just put this up on FB: "My first knowledge of Matthew Africa was from high school years seeing "Matthew Africa was here" tagged all over the place."
I was just planning a trip to the bay, and had plans to play Matthew's party tonight, but I cancelled a few weeks ago.
I know that Tom hid this very real info about tonights gig with Matthew in the middle of his post because he wants to dignify Matthew here above all else, and rightly so, and he feels devastated to even mention it, when he and Matthew simply thought 'there will be a next time' when they last spoke. To instead hear this news today at home back east is unspeakably awful. What a horrible thing, my god. All I can say is that I knew vicariously how much they admired each other and how Matthew has always been spoken about with the utmost reverence in our house. He was always giving Tom positive vibes, on every project.
My heart breaks for his whole family, this is such a tragic loss beyond words.
I'm going to the Layover right now for the impromptu remembrance party. Will report back.
Comments
So sorry for all who knew him, a huge loss to the DJ community and community at large.
I have very fond memories of going to Amoeba right when he was putting out new used stock and joining all the other grippers in trying to score some cool hip-hop promo. I also remember running into him at Ya Mama's Cafe near the Oakland/Berkeley and someone (might have been my friend Omar actually) couldn't believe that "Africa" was his actual birth name.
I also did a couple of KALX fundraiser shows with him, which is normally a total drag, but with Matthew, he'd always bring out his A-game records and just kill shit. Funny, sardonic guy on the mic too; I'll have to see if I can find one of our old show tapes and digitize it.
WHen I started my podcast, I wanted Matthew as my first guest. Listening to this now fills me with equal amounts happiness and sorrow. http://goo.gl/GhQw0
My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, friends and family.
I am bumping the twee funk mix trying to cheer up
my thoughts go out to his family and friends
Quite the talent and seemingly the dude of all dudes.
I'm incredibly sorry for all those that were close to him.
So sad to hear about this. Like others, I never knew him, but hearing about this hurt because through his mixes, the radio, and his posts on here I did kind of feel like I knew him.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Anyway, in 2003, me, Matthew and Cool Chris had a monthly together at Milk (this was when Milk had first opened and thus, were willing to give a monthly to a trio like us!). We called it Popcorn (I think that was Chris's idea).
It only lasted 3-4 months before Milk decided to yank us but it was on one of our last nights that I remember this...
It was towards the top of the evening and we were getting sweated by Chads asking for "In Da Club" (this was '03 after all) and the vibe was annoying, to say the least. Since ours wasn't a club hip-hop night, I wasn't about to take it there but I thought, "ok, let me drop this cool like cover version of "Mony Mony." People like to dance to 'Mony Mony' don't they?"
This shit BRICKED. I had completely misread the crowd. It was so vibe-killing that I remember someone on Yelp (or some site like it) gave the club a thumbs down and *mentioned the song by name* as evidence of its lameness. Anyway...I just remember watching the dance floor evaporate, and I turn to Matthew and he gives me this look that basically said, "dude, what were you thinking?" but in a kind way, much like a parent might try to create a "teachable moment" for their child in a moment of fuck-uppery. I have this memory of talking to Matthew about that night years later and we both remembered how badly I played the moment and had a good laugh over it.
I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S GONE. It really hasn't hit-hit me yet.
DUDE, you taking me back with this one. That was shot in the old KALX studios, before they moved onto campus. That's where I and a lot of folks first met Matthew, who had a crazy long running show there of his own but also did shows with Beni B. Because Beni was always the louder personality, I initially thought he was the record guru and Matthew was the sidekick and it wasn't until later that i learned it was the other way around and that Matthew was some ninja/yoda of the record game.
Cosmo used to have a regular Wednesday that was a stone's throw from my apartment and i would always be hanging aroung practicing handstyles on his 12" sleeves. One of those Wednesdays, he had Matthew as a guest, and we met there. His reputation proceeded him: humble, intelligent, and talented. Also in attendance randomly that evening were Miles from Breakestra, and DJ Dusk (RIP).
Right as the place started to pick up steam we had a full-on blizzard. I remember telling Cosmo I was going to skin a hipster and wear his carcass home to keep warm... like that animal...in empire... "Ton Ton!!!", Cosmo replied with pride in his Star Wars lexicon.
Matthew and I hung out several times after that, once DJing together at Serg's Hard as Fuck party, another time with Johnny at the shop followed by some whiskeys, and once dropping in on Mike 2600 when both happened to be in town. I was just planning a trip to the bay, and had tentative plans to play Matthew's party tonight, but I cancelled a few weeks ago. That was the last time we talked, but as usual, dude was super friendly, accommodating and excited.
I can't express enough to all of our friends, and Matthew's family how sorry I am and how dearly he will be missed everywhere. They really don't get much better.
I think it's also about losing one of "us" that really hits home. You didn't have to know him personally to be affected by his passing and in a lot of ways, many of us knew him for years on here and from his mixes and radio shows.
This is such a small community that when something so catastrophically unexpected and out of the blue like this happens it sends a shockwave through everyone. It's all just really fucked up.
More stories plaese.
http://www.meltingpotblog.com/2012/09/06/rest-in-peace-matthew-africa/
Last year I was fortunate enough to get a few choice joints from him - I don't have the heart to play them tonight. Rest in Power.
The music will continue to live forever.
Yeah, this.
Matthew lived not too far from my old apartment, so I would bump into him out and about occasionally (at Lanesplitter more frequently than anything else). We would do the usual--catch up, talk records, talk rap, talk rap records. He was always a really cool dude, and like others have mentioned above, was a bottomless wealth of information about records and music without the slightest hint of any sort of "oh, you don't know that already? You little dude..." attitude.
We had the honor of having him come play at the 45 Sessions a couple weeks ago. There's a great picture of Matthew, Juju (the Beatnuts and Alkaholiks popped up a the gig), and me...Juju had actually shooed me out of one of the pictures because he and Matthew were rocking button-downs, while I was looking bummy in a T-shirt. Funny shit. But anyway, Matthew played a phenomenal set, of course--I did plenty of trainspotting without trying to look like I was trainspotting--and was nothing but humble about it. He was thanking us for having him when really, we should've been thanking him for blessing the night (and we did thank him, effusively). We talked a bit after the gig was over, and he was so cool and gracious, just vintage Matthew. My fiance met him for the first (and, sadly, last) time that night, and as we all parted company, she said to me, "What a nice guy he is."
He sure is.
Matthew: I wish you could have helped me see this project through, but far more than that I wish you hadn't been stolen away from your loved ones and the Bay Area community by such a tragic event. Rest in Peace and Eternal Musical Happiness.
He was also a big reason why Beni B used to play samples and breaks on his show and both Beni and Joe were a huge influence on my desire to want to dig and end up some place like...Soulstrut. Damn.
Hell, Quixx lived with him for a while not too long ago after his (Quixx's) living situation had fallen apart. But that was Matthew, right? "Need a hand? Lemme help you out."
I know that Tom hid this very real info about tonights gig with Matthew in the middle of his post because he wants to dignify Matthew here above all else, and rightly so, and he feels devastated to even mention it, when he and Matthew simply thought 'there will be a next time' when they last spoke. To instead hear this news today at home back east is unspeakably awful. What a horrible thing, my god. All I can say is that I knew vicariously how much they admired each other and how Matthew has always been spoken about with the utmost reverence in our house. He was always giving Tom positive vibes, on every project.
My heart breaks for his whole family, this is such a tragic loss beyond words.
^^^This.
The thing is, Matthew wasn't the type to suffer fools lightly but he never carried himself with arrogance or - as Enki puts it - "you little dude" attitude. I mean, we all know how folks in this community can be, especially when it comes to wielding knowledge like a blunt instrument and that just was never Matthew's personality. I can probably count record dudes with that kind of generosity on one hand...with fingers missing.
this is basically matthew to me. i tweeted about his passing earlier and someone replied " he had a way of shaming you while making you feel good that he cared that you should know about a record" and this might be what i respected the most about dude. he was a master of dropping knowledge at a matter of fact angle without ever coming off like he was flexing or being pedantic. he'd clarify in the name of clarification and keep it moving. of course it also helped that he always knew what the fuck he was talking about. purely constructive og moves.
anyway this is the worst.
I love this.
I'm going to the Layover right now for the impromptu remembrance party. Will report back.