Another Side with Leo Nocentelli

'At just fourteen, LEO NOCENTELLI was backing up Otis Redding. Soon after, he was playing on hits for Lee Dorsey, The Supremes, and The Temptations...

As a young man and original member of legendary funk group The Meters, Leo wrote the Grammy inducted classic "CISSY STRUT” and the Mardi Gras anthem "FIRE ON THE BAYOU,” but his greatest moment on record has gone totally unheard -- shelved and believed to be lost to the ages by all involved, including the artist himself. Until now.


Another Side, the album that inspired this collaboration, is a previously unreleased studio album recorded in New Orleans from 1970-72 and features Allen Toussaint, James Black and both George Porter Jr. & Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the archive where the album was stored and all seemed lost forever.
Over a decade later, collector Mike Nishita stumbles across the master tapes from the session at a Southern California swap meet, unearthing a hidden gem waiting to be discovered, and the rest is history...

 

 

For the blend, we've decided to pair two sides of a washed Guatemalan coffee (get it?), roasting one side to our typical light roast parameters and for the other side a bit heavier, caramelizing more of the sugars present in the bean. This darker component also matches the roastiness of the chicory, to further enhance that profile when brewing the two together. 

 

 

As an homage to his hometown of New Orleans and their coffee traditions, we have built this blend to pair well with roasted chicory root, a first for us. During times of economic crisis and coffee shortages, chicory root was roasted and blended with coffee to stretch the supply and has since become a staple in the coffee culture in Nola. 

This blend is a combination of two roast profiles on the following coffee:

Country: Guatemala
Farm: San Jeronimo Miramar
Cultivar: Sarchimor
Process: Washed
Notes: Cocoa, Toasted Almonds, Dried Fig

Everybody Loves Sunshine

Art comes in many forms, is felt by many different walks of life but there is always one common thread connecting it all, how it touches the soul. While our business is coffee, there are multiple forms of art that constantly inspire us on a daily basis. Music is one of those, which seems obvious with our many themed releases over the years. Dusty Groove is a indie record store that shares these same passion and dedication to constantly bringing their customers unearthed and and classic gems of jazz, soul, funk and world music, to name just a few genres.

 

Dusty Groove is more than a record store, it is an institution when it comes to rare and collectable records. Starting as an online only store in 1996, the business kept expanding, from a converted apartment once used by a prostitute, it now holds down a sublime building in the heart of Wicker Park. Their catalog and offerings have also expanded, providing cds, vinyl and accessories from bargain prices to the highly valuable collector pieces. Rated as the #3 record store in the US by Rolling Stone, the shop has also received numerous accolades from Time Magazine, Wall Street Journey among many, many others. 

Dark Matter Coffee is proud to collaborate with Dusty Groove, a honored partner and gate keeper of all things funky. The collaboration blend, Everyone Loves Sunshine, is a tip-of-the-hat to the 1970's Soul Jazz era. Featuring coffees from Mexico's El Eden and Guatemala's Finca San Jeronimo Miramar, this blend is smooth, funky and delicious! Grab a bag today from their retail store or online at www.dustygroove.com 

 

July 26, 2015 — Accounting DMC

Soul Summit (Limited Blend)

Soul Summit 

 

Chicago has a long and storied history with Soul music - it's part of what makes this city's heart beat. Soulis also the communicational connection that helps everyday people with whatever ails them.  

With the reemergence of Soul music increasingly gaining more awareness within popular music, there are those individuals who dedicate their music journey to dusting off old records, highlighting current bands and blending them all together to create something exciting and fresh. Soul Summit are one such group that host a monthly Soul dance party at the acclaimed Double Door in Chicago. Each month Dave Mata, Duke Grip & Sloppy White bring in a who's who of DJs, bands and music producers to their party, making it one helluva night to get all hot & sweaty on the dance floor. 
 


Being big fans of both the music and the event, DMC & Soul Summit teamed up to bring the Soul Summit blend and mixtape CDs. This blend is no jive friends, just straight to the point with it's black gold brew - using two of our washed coffees from El Salvador, El Condor and San Eduardo. El Condor is a tasty, straight-forward coffee, while the Eduardo washed has classic Salvadoran flavors. Notes of melon, cocoa and lemon make this a dance floor filler that will put the soul back in your day with every sip. 

There are 3 mix cds, one from each Soul Summit resident: Dave Mata, Duke Grip & Sloppy White, that will be given out for FREE, while supplies last, with each bag purchased. We will also be giving out a batch of these heaters at Soul Summit on Saturday, June 21st at the Double Door. Along with the three resident DJs, Soul Suffers, from Russia, will be the featured band  and admission is also FREE !! What could be better than sweatin' to some classic Soul music on a Saturday night? 

To grab a bag of this classic brew just click here. To hear a mini mix of all three mixtapes combined, hop on over to our mixcloud