🍞 #3: Saxophones & Talks With DJ JustinJoy
Plus A Cool Stevie Wonder Documentary
Namaste Pups and Friends,
Welcome to the Toasty Zone Newsletter Issue #3 - your favorite dog-curated source for toasty tunes, music news, and mental wellness…and dogs. Always dogs.
Thank you again for all of the support - it means so much to me! I also hope you guys enjoyed my playlist from last week! I’ve been plowing through new music nonstop and figured it would be great to break it up a little bit and share my finds with you on a more regular basis.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to go check out the Toasty Zone on Instagram or share this newsletter with your grandma and her nursing home friends, now is the time! Better late than never!
🍞 Playing the Saxophone Makes Me Horny! 🍞
Yes, you read that right! My new song - Playing the Saxophone Makes Me Horny - is out now and streaming everywhere! Enjoy the drum break near the end - it’s fresh (and not nearly as silly as you think)!
It is available on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as on Bandcamp for free!
🍞 Woah - A New Playlist! 🍞
The Toasty Playlist is freshly updated on Spotify! (It’ll be the same link every time - feel free to favorite it for easy reference!) 🍞
In this 30-song playlist, we have two amazing collabs: one with Brent Faiyaz and Tyler, the Creator, and the other one with Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak! (I have a huge crush on Anderson!).
I also threw in a track from one of my favorite rappers out there right now (MIKE), and another favorite find in Art Feynman (from Here We Go Magic’s frontman Luke Temple) that fuses Afrobeat and synth pop. PLUS some new tracks from Denzel Curry, NoName, and much more! (Huge shout out to all the friends who sent me tunes to check out!).
Side Note: Cal overheard me making this playlist and expressed major approval for the song choices. Really stoked with how this one came out!
🍞 Mental Wellness Checkup 🍞
Did you drink water today? Please hydrate! I’ve been enjoying my new favorite water brand - *Dasani Blasters* by Coca-Cola! Who knew hydration could get so good? I doubled my water intake in under two hours, thanks to Dasani Blasters! I 100% recommend you trying Dasani Blasters today!
Note: this is NOT an ad for Dasani Blasters - I just *love* this product so much. Thank you Dasani Blasters by Coca-Cola!
Real Mental Health Tip: yoga fucking *rocks.* I combine my daily yoga practice with a mindfulness meditation - definitely a great way to feed two birds with one hand (this is a much better saying than “to kill two birds with one stone”)! If you don’t know where to start, I 100% recommend checking out the Down Dog app - it’s amazing (and affordable)!
🍞 Toasty Finds of the Week 🍞
Favorite Video: this 50-minute Stevie Wonder documentary from 1996 is both informative and chaotic - an authentic glimpse into the mind of a musical genius while simultaneously feeling like a Tim & Eric skit. If you ever wanted to see Stevie Wonder play the drums, or understand the inner workings behind the creation of one of the best albums (if not *the* best album) ever made, this is a must watch!
Favorite Read: How Yahoo News Reached 1 Million Followers on TikTok in 1 Year. It really makes you wonder what the future of news will look like as Gen-Z grows older!
Favorite Sports News: The NCAA’s college basketball tournament March Madness starts this Friday! Even if you don’t like sports, March Madness is so much fun to watch - it’s pure chaos! Don’t forget to make your bracket!
(Toasty Prediction: Gonzaga & Villanova in the Final [Villanova on Top!], but I’m rooting for Michigan!).
🍞 Interviews With Dog - DJ JustinJoy 🍞
This week, the Dog interviews DJ JustinJoy (He/Him), an open format DJ based out of Cornwall, UK!
Justin has one of the best tastes in music I have ever come across, and I’m so excited to bark at him today!
He livestreams his 7" Vinyl DJ sets on Twitch every 4th Friday of the month (and puts his past replays on Mixcloud). He also has a monthly music show - Rusty Cuts - showcasing all 7" vinyl new music finds.
Let’s dive in:
Dog: Welcome, friend! Namaste (woof woof!).
JustinJoy: I haven’t pet a dog or even seen a dog in..... I don’t know how long. I’m getting a little emotional. I love dogs.
I'm so honored to hear these kind words, thank you! It is making ME emotional as well. Would you ever get a pet dog? And if so, what inspired you to get a golden retriever?
I had a Cocker Spaniel named Goldie when I was younger - he was the COOLEST. I can absolutely see a pet dog in my future. Kids? Nah. Dog? Hell Yes. I LOVE Golden Retrievers. They’re my favorite kind of dog. They’re so derpy and loving. I scream (internally) every time I see one. They’re perfect.
Cocker spaniels are cool dogs (great name choice by the way). I'm really appreciating all this positivity! Do you try to bring this level of positivity with a lot of the things in your life? It seems like you're very in touch with that, which I think is amazing!
I do my best! It’s not always easy. I’m lucky to have so many amazing friends who keep my spirits up. I got to give them most of the credit to be honest. They’re the source of my positive energy.
Cultivating supportive friendships built on positivity is one of the most rewarding things anyone could do for themselves, and I'm so glad you recognize that! During those times when it isn't easy, what do you like to do for self-care? Do you have any favorite practices?
Definitely music. That’s always been a huge help. It’s really got a direct line to my emotions. It’s gotten me through the toughest times in my life. Other than that, one of the best things to clear my head is to tidy up. The environment I’m in is super crucial. When I’m feeling down, I get lazy, and I can let stuff get really messy. Finding a little bit of energy to tidy up and create a positive environment for myself is always a good first step. Surfing. Skating. Snowboarding. If I can do any of those, I’m normally pretty stoked. The hard part is finding the motivation to actually go and do them when I’m sad. Sometimes it takes someone to drag me out of the house, so again, I got give props to my friends for pulling me out of those pits. OH. Food too. Got to eat good. If I’m not eating good, I feel gross. I’m making myself some killer nachos with homemade guacamole right now. I’ve been craving it all week. ‘Treat yo self!’
Homemade guacamole is LIFE, oh my gosh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I really appreciate you sharing that! I completely agree on all of those things you listed - music, being tidy, cleaning. The little things really help! Speaking of music, you have one of the best tastes in music I have come across, and it really shows in your Twitch DJ Streams! What have been some of your recent favorites you've stumbled on during your crate digging and music research?
Thank you! I’m glad I get to share that with people. Twitch has been so good for connecting with other DJs and music nerds and sharing our music. It’s funny, being someone who is obsessed with music & collecting records, whenever I get asked to name some tracks, 90% of the time my memory completely fails me. This one record comes to mind. Etta James - My Funny Valentine. I got it 2 days after Valentine’s Day. It just happened to be on the B-side of a record I wanted. I threw it on, sat back, let it play and it. wrecked. me.... There’s a killer sample at the start which is a huge win for a hip hop nerd but the rest of the track is beautiful. Not gonna lie, I got emotional. I ended my set with it last night. I just needed to share it. I could talk about records until you’re forced to duct tape my mouth shut. I get a stack of new stuff every week. From classic Hip Hop bangers to obscure Turkish Psych Funk. It’s an addiction. Some people have their cigarettes or booze or whatever. This is mine. At least it’s reasonably healthy.
Etta James is such a legend! You piqued my curiosity with Turkish Psych Funk. I didn't even know Turkey had that scene!!
Turkey had a crazy psych rock/funk scene way back when, and I’ve heard some pretty incredible stuff people have dug up. They normally fetch a pretty high price for the originals but so much stuff is getting re-released or re-pressed that I can afford to snag a copy.
That's wild, I had no idea! Is there a particular artist that comes to mind?
I've got an Ozdemir Erdogan 45 from the 70s. I think the A side is called Uyanis. It starts off super weird then drops into these amazing funky horns and drums. There's a sweet break at the end of it too. That would've been my introduction to Turkish Psyche. I can't really recall any other artists in particular but then again i can't even pronounce most of their names...
Yea, the Turkish language is so hard to process as an English speaker (it's even harder to process as a dog!). Speaking of Turkey, are there any countries you would like to visit, especially ones that you think would be excellent for crate digging?
North & South America for sure. I'm a huge Funk & Hip Hop nerd and i always find great stuff when I go digging in the US. More specifically, i guess Detroit and New Orleans. So much incredible Funk & Soul came out of those places, that'd be like my Mecca. I love Latin & Cumbia music, so South America would be a great place to dig. Brazil in particular would be epic. They have such an incredible music scene down there. JAPAN. I REALLY need to go digging in Japan... I've got a soft spot for Japanese Jazz. I'd love to get my fingers dusty in Shibuya.
I really need to make it to Brazil and Japan too - they're really high on my list! I feel like the Japanese are on a completely different wavelength musically. Have you ever listened to Hiroshi Suzuki or Ryo Fukui?
Yup! Cat by Hiroshi Suzuki is a phenomenal album & I feel like I've definitely come across Ryo Fukui before when following that rabbit hole. I've got a couple funky Japanese 45s. Rinsyoe Kida & Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos is the one that comes to mind. Tan To Setsu is the jam. I played it the other night on Twitch.
That's amazing, dude - I'm so excited to watch more of your streams. As we wrap up, do you have any last words you want to share?
I guess, hang in there? It's been a crazy year but we're getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone seems to have had their ups & downs. Just know that you're not alone.
Reach out to your homies because i guarantee they've felt the same as you at some point and if they're REAL homies, they'll be there to help you out. Don't suffer in silence. Also, dogs are great. I love dogs.
Thank you so much for bringing your positivity (and your love for dogs) to this newsletter. Woof woof namaste!
Make sure to catch his livestreams on Twitch every 4th Friday of the month (and his Mixcloud for his past replays), as well as his monthly music show - Rusty Cuts - showcasing all 7" vinyl new music finds.
I can personally attest that these DJ sets *slap* and are an excellent way to discover new music (including some of the tunes in these newsletter playlists!). Can’t recommend enough!
🍞 Final Words 🍞
Thanks for making it down this far, y’all!
Have any questions/ liked what you read/have ideas on what I should do next? Feel free to leave a comment here, or email me!
If you liked what you read, check out my Instagram, my Spotify, and share this newsletter! Love you! Stay well! Take care of yourself this week - you deserve that love!
Dog Bless,
Toasty