February 25, 2004 As some of you may know, this cozmic cat left the City of Brotherly love in early November for my "home and native land" Canada. The departure was part 7 yr itch, par music industry burnout, and I vowed to find some new things that would give me some more meaning in my life, or perhaps re-kindle and redirect old passions to new heights. Leaving my beloved Philly was a huge, tough decision with so many pros and cons to keep a mind up all night for months, but the final weeks were full of conviction, tearful good-byes and fierce parties. One of the more notable ones was the final CD release party of our latest vinyl e.p entitled "From Philly With Love Vol2" featuring Lorne, Jon Gill and myself. My house track is called "Sunshine" and local vocalist Spenser Michaels gives it that mid 90s classic house feel... he choreographed some wicked dancers that night @ the 5ive Spot. Dancing and singing, he performed the track live, flanked by his breakdancers decked out in neon orange NASA jumpsuits. Fresh! Amadee Braxton who is working on a Philly female legends type documentary to be released later this year filmed the whole event. MBN (www.mediabureau.com) was in the house with mad visuals in their old school style. They brought in a wall of special video FX and threw up the graffix all night. The sets by Jon Gill and Lorne were upbeat, flawless and had a wild energy that felt warm and warehousey at the same time. I played mostly percussive house, but dropped some classics like 'voodoo ray', 'sugar daddy' and kenlou's 'bounce'. The whole event was off the chain, and was attended by all my favorite people; the djs, producers, writers and dancers and supporters who make the scene so AWESOME!! Goodbye Philadelphia. I'll miss you! Its been a wonderful time, and a big chunk of my heart is still in Northern Liberties.... dj Cozmic Cat check out fromphillywithlove.com for all the latest on the new tracks, and...For those into a little online nujazz, check out my friend Argo's website for the latest play list! BrokeN'Beat Radio / February 10, 2004 www.brokenbeatradio.com Airto / RETURN TO FOREVER / CTI Perry Hemus / PEACE MAKER / Woodland Reminiscence Quartet / PEACE OF MIND / Yellow Stereo Azymuth / A QUIEMA ROUPA / Far Out Claudio Medeiros, Victor M and Friends / SOAR / Luv N' Haight Soul Bossa Trio / SALLY / Cubop Jazzinho / TELEPHONE / Ecco Chamber Perry Hemus / RHODESMODE (MUCH CLOSER REMIX) / Woodland Aflex Combo / FREEDOM HILL (ALESSADRO OLIVIERO'S NATIVE FLOW MIX / Perfect Toy Re:Jazz / QUIET NIGHTS (NICOLA CONTE'S OUT OF THE COOL VERSION) / Seven Up Sicania Soul / STARLIGHT (SICANIA SOUL LIVE MIX) / Irma McCoy Tyner / REBIRTH / Milestone Boogaloo / YOU GOTTA HAVE FREEDOM / GAMM Heavy Usker / FUTEBOL DE BAR / Hi Top Soho / HOT MUSIC (SUBWAY SERIES MIX) / Cabaret Nature's Plan / SOMEWHERE BEYOND / Far Out Cayman Islands Its Jan. 15th and as the bitter winds blow down Bloor St. West in Toronto, I’m again reminded how lucky I am for this little island getaway I’m enjoying..I’m visiting my sister Tessa and her husband Mike in the Cayman Islands, (near Cuba) and they're dying to show me the island sights. This is the land of white beaches, turquoise water, blue iguanas and world class diving... But wait! No rushing- we're on island time. The local people are conservative, polite and ready to help, the local food- well lets just say I steered clear of the turtle stew and iguana eggs, but chowed down on conch fritters, (@ the Cracked Conch in West Bay) fresh market fish and spiny lobsters Cayman Style (which means served with coleslaw and smothered with a tomato and pepper sauce). And lotsa Carib beer too! My sister' friends from Wales Nicky and Paul took us out on their boat for an afternoon of lounging in the middle of South Sound, catching some sun (burn), and swimming with the stingrays @ a waist deep sandbar…They follow you around looking for food, brushing up against your body with their weird fins. Touch one and it feels like a slimy mushroom! We tried a bit of wake boarding off the boat, but Extreme sports are not my forte, and being dragged underwater is no fun! Days of snorkeling and tanning @ Smiths Cove, and at Eden Roc, along "The Wall", a stretch of rock that forms one of many cool diving/ snorkeling spots on the island. So many colorful fish..A huge sea turtle swam right up to me looked me in the eye, then turned and paddled gracefully away- too fast for me to follow- I was thrilled- he was so beautiful! I made use of the mountain bikes and explored the island by road. After days filed with activity, a BOOZE CRUISE was in order. We boarded the Jolly Roger (a 17th C pirate ship replica) and took a sunset cruise, lounging on the cushy deck and drinking vast amounts of rum. We got plastered and danced to soca music pumping out of the tiny speakers. Massive Jack fish cruised easily alongside the boat, charging out of the water to snap up our chicken wing bones while the coastline sailed by and the sun sank in an orange fiery ball. Hours later we tottered off the ship to a hearty meal of Indian food @ the Bayside cafe- I was in heaven! Days turned into weeks, listening to reggae bands, late night beach walks side-stepping silver crabs, mahi mahi bbqs with new friends, poolside lounging and bad karaoke, reading 6 novels and hanging with iguanas @ the Botanical Gardens. Pink houses and pink lipped conch shells everywhere...28 days later I was deeply tanned, deeply relaxed and deeply sorry to go. The miles of white beaches turned into white snow as my plane cruised into T-Dot barely ahead of a snowstorm- and I was home. The Cayman Islands were dope! Shout outs to Tess, Mike, Kira, Nicky, Paul Herman, Andrew and Peter. If you can check this place out, have a Stingray beer and tell um Coz sent ya!!!