Serato Is Not A Pasta – DJ Intervention Starts Now

I’ve written many times before about the difference between a legit DJ and the hobbyists who like the idea of having their playlist heard on a Friday night for a little cash in their pocket.

If it’s true that ‘Anyone Can Play Guitar’ then it’s even more true that anyone can DJ, especially when you can download Serato for free…but forget beat matching. That rarely even enters into the equation anymore. In today’s club scene a dilettante can get paid four or five thousand dollars and show up with their i pod just because they fucked someone famous and the promoter thinks thats cool and bitchin and shit.

OK, the novelty of seeing the cast of Gossip Girl fumble around with a mixer might be an initial draw but then what? I’ll tell you what. If it’s a nightclub with a dance floor, the real DJ has to come in and save their ass and make sure there’s actual music playing.

Now, not all venues have to have banging house tunes. Many bars and clubs these days want a lo fi, bring-your-own-stuff-to-spin atmosphere, and that’s cool. But the difference is: no one is being paid obnoxious amounts of money for something they downloaded off itunes a few hours before.

I’ve been hired to spin at certain clubs around Los Angeles, mainly because I know music. I’ve been asked to spin records (yes, I use vinyl) in between bands performing at venues…and even though I have been on air at a few different radio stations, I don’t really consider myself a working DJ. On air personality? Yes. A DJ? Not really.

Do I love to search for records? Sure. I like to go to Counterpoint and flea markets. I’ll drag boyfriends and family members to vintage shops and dusty record bins while on vacation until they beg me to stop. However, I don’t make special crate digging trips to Japan or Israel or Brazil like Pete Rock or Cut Chemist do, for the SOLE PURPOSE of collecting rare records. That is LOVE of the craft. That is why those guys should be hired to do the job.

Pete Rock crate digging for vinyl gold

And then some dick promoter is going to pay Peaches Geldof a shit ton of money to “DJ” their party?

When I see the amount of hard work someone like DJ Z Trip or Rhettmatic has put into their careers, only to see some trust fund kid with a chip on his shoulder and a personal paparazzo by his side, breeze by and get flown all over the world for 5 and 6 figure gigs…when I’ve seen that same trust fund fucker literally plug his i pod in at a venue and then walk away from the DJ booth to pose for pictures and pound drinks…it infuriates me for the hard working DJs out there.

Z Trip's first love

I’m not saying that not every celebrity sucks at DJing. Carlos D from Interpol has been DJing for years and only uses vinyl. It seems to me he has a real love for it and puts a lot of time and energy into it. Therein lies the difference. Are you in it because you love it? Or are you doing it for the photo op? Cause most of us can tell, you know.

Club owners: Stop paying good money for shitty product. You want the cast of Twilight to DJ your party? Fine. Don’t pay them. They’re not DJs. Give them a bottle of Grey Goose and set them up in a booth in the corner. You can take a photo of them standing near the DJ booth for the starfucker page on your website and leave the DJing to someone with chops.

Festival bookers: Really? Six figures for a DJ who’s crap?  We’re not that high. Stop it.

Last fall, after another night where Z Trip had to follow another “DJ” train wreck, he took to twitter and ranted which I have to admit, I egged on and on. Our tweets ultimately gave me the idea for this film…this is part one of an ongoing series of DJ INTERVENTION.

If you like it, pass it on to all of your friends who may need some help. We know you’re out there and we want you to get the help you deserve…

Or you can vote for it here on Funny Or Die:

DJ Intervention, Part 1 – watch more funny videos

Part Two to come soon!!

Little Dragon, Sea Wolf, Shadow, Part Of KCRW’s Thriller Night

A KCRW affair is always a classy one. This year’s Halloween Masquerade did not disappoint. From the gorgeous setting at the legendary Park Plaza to the central casting styled beautiful people in costumes fit for a movie shoot, there was everything needed for a visual and aural bacchanal.

The grand staircase of the Park Plaza was jammed with incredible ensembles ranging from clever to kitschy. There were the topical and predictable, like a Galifianakis in blu blockers with baby from The Hangover, to costumes so intricate they had moving parts which lit up.

There were hats and gloves, masks, tails and plumes, which scraped floors and door frames. The amount of glitter, feathers and fur left in clumps on the floor of the women’s bathroom made the place look like a kennel in Vegas.

Each level in the historic Neo-Gothic hall had a full bar, spooky projected visuals and grand gothic décor. Out in the back, the premier foodie trucks, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Koji Korean barbeque, Border Grill and Kool Haus served up treats to hungry ghouls.

Gothenberg’s electropoppers Little Dragon dressed in all black like Dieter dancers with brightly colored Aztec paper masks, played their synthy tunes for an enthusiastic crowd in the Bronze room. As Yukimi writhed and waved her oblong tambourine and atoned ala Siouxie over the poppy goth beat, the well dressed crowd didn’t waver for a moment.  She rewarded the audience by dancing harder and singing to the back of the house with Evita arms outstretched. There was a massive response for these Swedes. Angelinos want more Little Dragon and they want it immediately.

Little Dragon by Jeremiah Garcia

Upstairs, the crowd for Sea Wolf was just as great, even though Little Dragon’s set overlapped theirs – the only unfortunate problem during the evening – Alex Church and company took the stage decked out a la Day Of The Dead in black skeleton jumpsuits and white skull faces. True, I was a bit disappointed he wasn’t dressed as Teen Wolf (luckily KCRW DJ Eric Lawrence WAS dressed as the MJ Fox character) but that’s where my disappointment ended. Alex sang the new songs with a confidence I haven’t yet seen from him, which will serve him well once the New Moon hoopla snowballs into insanity.

The band launched into old favorites like ‘Songs For The Dead’ and ‘Black Dirt’, asking Big Bird, Super Mario Bros, Jack and Meg White, and several slutty showgirls in the front row to join the band on the stage steps. As they played their hit ‘You’re A Wolf’, the scary visuals being projected above dissolved into the twins from The Shining which almost pulled focus from the newly charismatic Alex Church. Almost.

Sea Wolf by Jeremiah Garcia

Downstairs, DJ Shadow took the decks with 45s, of course, spinning funk and old school favorites. In my eyes, Shadow was the ‘get’ of the night and the clear headliner. He is one of the premiere DJs of his time.

DJ Shadow by Jeramiah Garcia

Unfortunately, his crowd was a bit thin, due to the set times overlapping and the fact that he was up against the Jonestown-like fervor of Edward Sharpe and an electronic rave that Jason Bentley was commandeering on the top floor. I’ve never seen men in full Amadeus regalia and powdered wigs dance in a room that was hot enough for a Bikrams yoga class. It was like Bentley had them in a Trance trance and none of them could pull their overly made up bodies away.

Bentley's crowd by Jeremiah Garcia

Many people filed in the ballroom to watch the final band of the evening, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, perform. Alex Ebert and his polyphonic spree type cult of musicians crowded onto the stage and launched into pleasant singalong sounds. It’s funny to think of Ebert this way. I remember him with the bi-level razored hair and skinny Ima Robot jeans when his songs ‘Scream’ and ‘Dirty Life’ made me do a lil’ indie dance. That was before he made a pilgrimage to Pioneertown and started dressing in all white, all the time. Now, everyone is entitled to a sea change both musically and looks wise. I just wish I liked the new music as much as everyone else around me did. Even the guy dressed as a Golden Shower, danced like a Manson family member on a Joshua Tree LSD binge.

Edward Sharpe and Spree by Gary Leonard

I went back downstairs for more DJ Shadow and for some Garth Trinidad who brought the obvious missing element: Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Decked out as Moses, he used his great, ahem, staff, to part the wheat from the chaff and really make the zombies dance. On the floor. In the round.

Garth/Moses and his big staff

Thriller night, indeed. Something for everyone and each one of the senses provoked, the masked masses danced straight into the early hours of All Saints Day.

Alice Cooper In Wonderland

Back To The Future With The Juan MacLean & The Ali MacLean

When I heard that The Juan MacLean was in town, I knew I had to talk to him, not only to chat about his new album The Future Will Come, being part of the uber cool electro mafia: DFA Records,  but also to finally figure out how the hell we are related. Two MacLeans from Boston in the music scene? There’s just no way this man doesn’t share a branch from my tree. I headed over to the Avalon during Juan’s sound check to get a glimpse bef0re the big performance at Control later that night, and have some pre-show tea.

ALI ON THE AIR: Hey, we need to figure out our family tree. You’re from Boston…originally Gloucester right? My Dad’s from Gloucester. What if we had the same dad, like on Springer or something where the man has two families.

JUAN: I know. Well,  my Uncle lived in Gloucester. I actually live in Dover, NH, about an hour from Boston. But I tell people I’m from New York. When you’re doing an interview in Berlin you just don’t get into explaining New Hampshire. I say New York.

AOTA: But you don’t say Boston, I notice. Hmmm.

JUAN: I’ve always felt unrelated to the music scene in Boston. I lived in Providence for a while and I liked the music scene there much better. I like the Middle East in Boston. I mean, with all the colleges, you’d figure it’d be huge but it’s not that great. But I find that I’m mostly commuting back and forth to New York. I have a couch in the DFA offices.

AOTA: Do you prefer the road or working on the studio?

JUAN: For some reason every time I go home it’s so demoralizing. There’s not this thing every night where you are the center of attention. I have a lot of work at home in general with remixes and stuff so I’m really busy. The thing that is a hassle about it is that I’m always alone when I’m DJing. It gets old after a while. I went to Europe in the winter for three weeks and for two and a half wasn’t anywhere where people knew English. It wears on you after a while.

AOTA: You have a lot of stories on your site about airport security and how they love to stop you and check out your…package. You seem to get searched a lot more than the average guy. Was Miami for real?

JUAN:  The Miami one was a 100% true story.  I thought they were joking. But the guy said that it’s such a cocaine trafficking place that people will tape drugs in their groin. The way they went about it and what they said was so insane. The woman kept pointing at my crotch and saying “There’s too much”.

AOTA: At least she thought there was too much. It could be worse, for instance if she thought the opposite.

JUAN: Yeah. But it’s like, ‘Thanks, I think’. They got the guy who is lowest on the totem pole to check me, and he kept saying on our walk to the room ‘Why didn’t they get the gay dude to do this!’ Hey, we’re not going on a date! Man! The problem is, I’m going through security with all of my records…

AOTA: With a sticker on them that says ‘Death From Above’.

JUAN: We quickly switched the stickers after 9/11…but they always check my record bag without fail and they swab my case for cocaine and it always comes up positive. I don’t even do coke. For someone who doesn’t do it, it’s all over my stuff. I pick it up on turntables and stuff in the clubs.

AOTA: Do you use vinyl or Serato mostly?

JUAN: I only use vinyl. I hate Serato. I just like vinyl in general – the tactile nature of it. I don’t understand looking at a list of MP3s and picking out a song that way. But leafing through records…there’s an emotional response in seeing them. People can mix flawlessly with Serato in a way that you just can’t do with vinyl. I feel like it’s made this artificial standard of mixing. I carry it around in my laptop in case my records go missing, but I don’t use it.

AOTA: There seems to be a glut of DJs out there these days. You’ve been doing it for a long, long time…

JUAN:  I get paid to DJ more than I get for the band playing live music which is really frustrating. There is this trend of people going on blogs and downloading a bunch of crappy mp3s and instantly you’re a DJ? What once was DJ etiquette or DJ culture or the craft of DJing has been lost. Showing up and being a headlining DJ and the person before you playing a hundred times harder than you’ll ever play and even playing your own records – people playing MY records right before I go on to DJ? You just totally blew me out of the water, man. Instead of kids buying guitars nowadays, they get the stuff you need to ‘be a DJ’. You can buy it pretty easily and it doesn’t really require any skill anymore.

AOTA: And now there’s DJ Hero coming out.

JUAN: Oh great. It’s a double edged sword because DJ culture is so much bigger than it was ten years ago, so it means that I DJ constantly.

AOTA: Do you prefer playing as opposed to DJing?

JUAN: Right now I’m so into playing with the band. Its all I want to do. But I do get the same gratification from DJing. If it’s done properly…A lot of people have a play list and they’re gonna play the same set mo matter what’s happening. But it should be like playing off the crowd. When that’s happening, and it’s going well, I like it as much as playing  with the band.

AOTA: You’ve said that people with a rock background make more interesting music than people whose only come from is electronic music.

JUAN: People who just come from electronic background tend to be genre specific and I think make uninteresting records. People who have made my favorite music tend to come from a live music background. Like Bookashade.

AOTA: A lot of artists are afraid to admit to influences/ They’d have you believe they just hatched from nothing and became an entity. You’re willing to say on this album you listened to Human League or Grace Jones.

JUAN: It’s almost become a game. People like to go through and pick out where we “stole” things from and somehow it’s become a source of derision on message boards. There’s a type of guy – and it’s always a guy – who speaks endlessly about how ‘oh he stole the piano part from this song’. Well, that’s what people have been doing since the beginning of pop music. Not only that, but we’re talking about electronic, sample based music here. So it seems odd to me that people would get so bent out of shape about it. I don’t think anyone cares except a few of these guys that spend way too much time on the internet.

AOTA: There’s always some blogger with something nasty to say. You’ve actually had the balls to respond to some of them.  Your blog is actually quite entertaining.

JUAN: At one point I thought it was overtaking the music. We’d be on tour and people would come up and say ‘Oh I love the album…but the BLOG. It’s HILARIOUS!’ When I’d post on Myspace I couldn’t believe how many people would subscribe. It’s insane. I was approached by a couple publishing people about doing a book. I was a writing teacher for a while so that’s something I’ve wanted to do.

AOTA: So, if there was no more electricity, that could be your creative outlet?

JUAN: That would definitely be my next choice. It might be what I segue into next. Or when I get too old to do this.

AOTA: Oh, come on. You wont be like Alan McGee or BP Fallon? DJing into your twilight years?

JUAN: That’s the thing I like about dance music in general. Unlike when I played in an angry rock band…when I turned thirty, I was like “I don’t want to do this anymore.” With dance music you can keep going. There’s a tradition of people that are older who are revered.

AOTA: Right, like Suicide or Silver Apples. Now, do you think you need to be angry or depressed or in pain to be creative?

JUAN: Oh god. I’ve thought about that. I’ve actually read a book about it by this guy Peter Kramer who’s from Providence. It’s called Against Depression. I’ve been prone to depression my entire life and its common with…

AOTA: MacLeans?

JUAN:Ha, my family, yeah, and with creative people. People often say if you could get rid of depression then what about artists like Van Gogh? What would happen to their art? Well, maybe they would have done better things and have been even more productive. And that’s how I see it. People who have truly been depressed don’t glorify it. For me, when I’m in that mode, I can’t do anything, so it’s not useful or productive. Things that sound depressing in my music are probably more from choices I made where things haven’t gone very well.

AOTA: This album is less angry or depressive. You and Nancy are doing duets. There’s a relationship going on. It’s less about a robot and more human. Maybe more…Wall-E?

JUAN: It’s a definite narrative that we tried to end on a happy note like with Happy House. We tried to end each side of the record with something uplifting.

AOTA: Is it influenced by more uplifting times? Or a promise of some? Yes We Can?

JUAN: For Nancy and I, when writing about our personal lives, we don’t write on the macro level. Obama isn’t explaining stuff to the girlfriend that things are going to get better after the tour. Nancy played in LCD Soundsystem so a lot of this is what being in a touring band can do to a relationship.

AOTA: So then after you get off the road, you remix a lot so you can stay in one place for a while?

JUAN: No one really buys an album now. There’s a lot of income that you lose out of from not selling cds and stuff that gets generated from that so you have to tour. People download music for free, but they will pay to come to shows. So I can play much bigger shows.

AOTA: You have a stage persona which is sort of like your blog persona.

JUAN: Being involved in the 90′s indie rock scene, which was the grunge scene – the rock star as a regular guy. Kinda like Kurt Cobain who was like ‘This is just the way I am. There’s no pretense to it at all.’ I’ve always been more into people who were like “No, I’m an entertainer/Rock Star!” who had a persona. All of the blog writing, well at least fifty percent of it is truth and a lot of it is embellishing. I’m more concerned with entertaining than I am with using my music as my diary.

AOTA: Have you gone as far as the Marc Bolan route where you’ve worn your own face on a t shirt?

JUAN: Well, there are Juan MacLean shirts with my face on them that’s I’ve worn around. Embarrassing. I do it more to be a douche bag than anything else.

AOTA: Before I leave you to change into your own face t shirt…have there been any patchouli pranks or shenanigans this tour?

JUAN: There’s this terrible cologne called Drakkar Noir. We’d all joke about it and then I actually bought some. I kept spraying it on DJ’s keyboards and he was like ‘Man! Someone’s wearing some strong cologne! The monitor guy or someone. Whew!’ It kept happening and finally one night he figured it out. Drakkar Noir. It’s like a fancier step up from Old Spice.

AOTA: I think one of my grandfathers wore Old Spice. Keeping it in the family…

Smooth Sailin’ – Yacht Rock Putting The Hard On In Chardonnay

When I was little, I used to pour over my Dad’s records, which were mostly divided into two camps: Beatles and Rolling Stones. I loved the colorful Beatles record jackets, especially Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Peppers. The Stones records intrigued me; I knew the zipper on Sticky Fingers records was something I wasn’t supposed to touch, but I wasn’t sure why. Between Bowie, Queen, some K Tel classics and my Star Wars records, these were in heavy rotation.

Curiously there was a third pile, which I didn’t quite get. The Doobie Brothers, Loggins and Messina and their ilk, with their long hair, Hawaiian shirts, and high-pitched harmonies, annoyed my post-toddler glam rock sensibilities and thus, those records remained on the shelf.  I guess between Chewbacca and Ch-Ch-Changes, I didn’t have time for the pastel suited dudes who looked like guest stars on a fey version of Miami Vice. But with my up bringing, you’d think I would have…

I grew up summering on Cape Cod, where the adults wore coral necklaces and collars up at clambakes and spoke about the Vineyard (Martha’s) and Vicodin. I was basically bred as the preppy spawn of Yacht Rock, yet it repelled me. Like hair metal, I looked down on it until later on in life, when I could appreciate both the kitsch value and sonic delight. I can now fully appreciate those deliciously smooth sounds.

Cut to the new millennium and mid-naughts. A resurgence in sampling, especially the ever-popular Michael Jackson, has led to a lot of smooth music being used in contemporary tracks. The YouTube comedy series “Yacht Rock” becomes a massive cult hit. Popular electro dance band, Chromeo, appear, un-ironically, on Daryl Hall’s internet program ‘Live From Daryl’s House‘.  Yacht Rock’s captain, Michael McDonald, recurs as a running punch line over several seasons of 30 Rock and then makes an appearance singing on their finale episode. Andy Samberg raps about the pleasures of being on the great big watery road with a nautical themed pashmina afghan.  As the Marina music clans begin putting together reunion tours and retrospectives, yacht rock parties start popping up around Hollywood. It’s a ‘Wassup Yacht Rockers!’ world. Everyone seems to want to rock out on the open sea.

Enter the Knights Of Monte Carlo. They play hard-core soft rock and ‘put the ass back in class and the hard on in chardonnay’.  The Knights of Monte Carlo are distinctly rich, gorgeously handsome, flawlessly refined sextet dedicated to resurrecting the best music ever to have hit the airwaves– 70’s soft rock. Because of their incredible talent and unparalleled style they frequently attract chic and pulchritudinous admirers from around the world, making Knights of Monte Carlo the most popular and internationally sought after soft rock tribute ensemble of all time…this is all self-professed.

I regale a friend about this group and convince her to dress in tropical splendor and accompany me for this three-hour tour. We decide that we need a yacht club persona. My friend chooses the soccer mom sensitive Cheryl Connerson, while I choose Debbie Finkelstein. Half way to the show, I decide to change the name to St Germaine, knowing a Finkelstein can sometimes have issues with the advisory board at a yacht club.

At the Key Club, a nautical flag sign denoted a VIP Entrance (actually the elevator), which whisked us aboard a room decorated with a Tequila Sunrise backdrop, and life preservers. Men in white linen suits and mirrored sunglasses beckoned us to come aboard for some pina colada and wine spritzer specials. For those not into health food, but into champagne, Knights Of Monte Carlo bass player, Brad Bayliner, held court at his International Cheese and Cracker Tasting – complete with gouda, Carrs, grapes and a Wall Street Journal. Yuppies Ahoy!

With tongue firmly planted in cheeks, the sextet took the stage and posed, postured, and karate kicked and flexed their way through a set including Doobies, Ambrosia, Loggins, Cross, Air Supply, America and Chicago. Can you Dig it? Yes, I can.  But wait, there’s more in this K Tel show. Toto? Yes, Toto too. Was the set missing some McDonald? That’s what a fool believes – he was aptly represented. A show sans Hall and Oates? No can do. The Knights can’t go for that, and neither should you.

The Knights were totally smooth, save for a few Rolexes and rope bracelet in danger of getting in the way of their fret work. Hey, that’s what a little Riuniti on ice will do to a guy. While Doc Spyders crooned the Escape song and shook his ass, Montague, dressed like a judo master, gave a shiatsu massage to the congos, elbows and all. During the drum break, Doc did yoga poses as Brad lit up a tobacco pipe.

more about “Retro Commercials: Riunite“, posted with vodpod

Next the Knights sequed into some Fleetwood Mac, a rousing rendition of Go Your Own Way which would have made Lindsay and Stevie at the Staples center across town, very proud. There were hits for the ladies too. Somebody’s Baby, Summer Breeze, Easy Like Sunday Morning, Ride Like The Wind and Africa, made the ladies sway like they were finding their sea legs at high tide. Knights drummer, Bobby Colada, even dedicated a song to Debbie St. Germaine (nee Finkelstein) noting how hard it can be to get into the yacht club with their (ahem) restrictions. Then the band launched into Rosanna. Meet you all the way, indeed.

Rounding out the night with some Robbie Dupree and Gerry Rafferty, KOMC’s Rico Morgan, was a master on the Korg keys and saxophone. Nelson Borealis wandered out onto the deck amongst the passengers for some smooth electric guitar. Brad gave a cheese update. Doc pulled up his white socks from his deck shoes and leapt over the mic stand; a finale of their white man choreography. I haven’t danced, or laughed, that hard in a while.

The normally staid preppy crowd whistled and yelled for more as if we were watching Bon Jovi in ’88. But the Knights had such a long way to go to make it to the border of Mexico. So they bid us all a bon voyage and asked us to come get smooth next Thursday for the continuation of their residency. It’d take a lot to drag me away from them.

Key Club – Thursday nights. Ya mo be there.

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Murs and Ali 2: Electric Boogaloo!

We caught up with Murs at the Rock The Bells Press Conference at the Key Club last week, to talk about the label relationship he continues to have- at arms length- as well as well, a bunch of bullshit, frankly. Such as why complaining about the government is no different from complaining about bad service at Taco Bell, and which Summer blockbuster the comic book nerd is most looking forward to (Star Trek!). We may have started a new hip hop beef while we were at it. Well see if Joaquin Phoenix responds.

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URB Magazine Exclusive – Ali On The Air and Chromeo, Yo!

On a rainy Friday, I visited with Dave of Chromeo at his hotel for a little chat. Poor P Thugg was deathly ill so we sent him to his room with hot liquids and sat down to talk about Dave’s Fancy Foot work, and of, course working with Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates.

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Timeless Concert Series – full orchestra collborations with the top composers and turntablists

It has been said that Los Angeles is a cultural wasteland. True the denizens here make trash like Rock Of Love Tour Bus and other crap, but I prefer to focus on the gems that pop up on my radar every once in a while…including the event series TIMELESS. If you like hip hop, Brazilian music, folk, jazz…hell if you like MUSIC, you should go. I’ve left you lucky devils some details below…

TIMELESS
Timeless,” a four-part concert series honoring the arrangers/composers that have influenced hip-hop since the 1970s. Beginning Sunday, Feb. 1, with a performance by Ethiopian Composer Mulatu Astatke and culminating on Sunday, April 5 with a performance by legendary composer David Axelrod, each Timeless concert features full orchestra collaborations honoring a featured arranger/composer framed with sets by turntablists from around the globe.

The “Timeless” concert series, which will be held at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles, is a unique homage to arrangers and composers as the antecedents of today’s beat makers. The series features a tribute to revered hip-hop artist J Dilla by chamber musicians Carlos Nino and Migel Ferguson on Feb. 22; Brazilian folk-jazz artist Arthur Verocai with sets by Madlib and DJ Nuts on March 15; and Axelrod, whose heavily-sampled solo albums have never before been performed live, on Apr. 5. Each international artist will do their all-time hits, plus an exclusive new piece. The DJ/producer opening each concert will build their set around the legacy and era of the highlighted composer.

Known as the “father of Ethio-jazz,” Astatke, who also provided the music to indie film hit Broken Flowers, will be joined by openers Cut Chemist, Quantic and Egon in the kick-off concert. In addition to being a recognized solo DJ, Cut Chemist is a member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. Tracks by Quantic, the English musician who now lives Cali, Columbia, have been regularly featured in songs by other eclectic DJs such as Richard Dorfmeister and Gilles Peterson. Egon is the general manager of Stones Throw Records.

Timeless is curated by production company Mochilla, which has previously developed campaigns for other tastemaker brands like Adidas, Dickies and Vans.

“Today’s hip-hop music revolves around beat-makers and producers, who often take their cues and samples from compositions of different generations and countries,” said Brian Cross (aka B+) of Mochilla. “Timeless brings these worlds together in Los Angeles – home to the world’s greatest musicians and session artists. Only here can we bring together such a diversity of music in this grand scale.”

Timeless Concert Series Dates and Ticket Information

The schedule for Timeless concerts at The Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex at the California State University, Los Angeles campus, is as follows:

Sunday, February 1st, 2009 – Mulatu Astatke with a 15-piece orchestra. Opening DJ sets by Cut Chemist, Quantic and Egon.
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 – Miguel Atwood-Ferguson with a 39-piece orchestra with Special SURPRISE Guests. Opening DJ sets by House Shoes.
Sunday, March 15th, 2009 – Arthur Verocai with a 30 piece orchestra. Opening DJ sets by MADLIB and DJ Nuts (Brasil).
Sunday, April 5, 2009 – David Axelrod with a 26-piece orchestra. Dj set by J.Rocc. Special Guests TBA.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Luckman Box Office with general admission starting at $22.50. Performances are open to all ages.

Thriller – The Musical. Really?

This just in from FMQB:

‘Michael Jackson‘s iconic “Thriller” video is set to become a full-fledged musical theater production. The show will recreate the tale of the 1983 video. “This musical will be the exclusive Michael Jackson authorized version of ‘Thriller’ and Jackson will participate in every aspect of the creative process,” said the Nederland Organization, which has acquired the rights to the musical, according to Reuters. Thriller The Musical will include songs from Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller as well as its 1979 predecessor, Off the Wall.’

Maybe now laptop Djs will stop dropping Thriller in the middle of their set like they are the kings of irony. No American Apparel sweat hog twits would be caught dead dancing to Broadway show tunes…

[Ali On The Air spinning vinyl, bitches]

Funky Sole Gets Down For More Soul In Los Angeles

When the funk and soul was unplugged a few months ago, the citizens of Los Angeles cried out: Please dont stop the music…their Angelino prayers have been heard – Funky Sole lives again.

LA’s longest running funk party will relocate to The Echo this Saturday night, marking it’s return to it’s East Side roots. That’s right. Sole is back – still free and still funky.

Back in 2001, Funky Sole was started at Rudolphos in Silverlake by Music Man Miles (Miles Tackett), founder of the band Breakestra and promoter of the popular LA night Root Down. Joined by DJ Egon of Stones Throw records, Tackett says they created the night as a place to ‘share the raw funk music crawling out of their crates with the folks of LA.’

Music Man Miles

Soon after, the multi talented Tackett (who has produced for many including Macy Gray, Dilated Peoples, Cut Chemist, and plays bass and cello) and the Sole crew moved the party to the Star Shoes bar on the Cahuenga Boogie and was joined by guest DJ Cut Chemist. In fact, the club became a place for DJ superstars all over the globe to try out beats or dust off some hard to find tracks they’ve never had the chance to play before.

Cut Chemist at Funky Sole

Guest Djs have included DJ Muro, Cut Chemist, Keb Darge, DJ Shadow, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Andy Votel. In 2008, they also branched out into world beat psychadelia which included new Funky alum Jeremy Sole of KCRW.  “Few cats on this planet have a rare Funk & Soul collection that rivals Miles’, and even fewer have the chops to put a seamless DJ set together like our man.” says Sole, whose Afro Funke party on the West Side runs on Thursday nights.

 

Jeremy Sole

Funky Sole moved south a few blocks to Jimmy’s Lounge, adding a gem to their roster, musical sage DJ Clifton (aka Soft Touch) became a resident on the decks. Clifton sees the care of the crate digger as the reason for the night’s popularity.

‘I think the appeal and success of the night can be attributed to the dj’s enthusiasm for the music…We have spent small fortunes collecting records and would do so even if there wasn’t an outlet to spin. I think club goers recognize this and that enthusiasm rubs off on them…it’s also the main reason big name guests, like PBW and Lucas (MacFadden), come to play at Funky Sole. No matter how big they are or what other styles they may spin at other venues, inside they are collectors as well. Funky Sole is a place where they can come and spin records that they love but might not be appreciated elsewhere.”

 

Dj Clifton (Soft Touch)

That fervent love for the sound of soul doesn’t go unnoticed by both patrons and turntablists alike. Says Jeremy Sole: ”Funky Sole is the only other residency I’ve taken on in LA, because Miles and Clifton have developed the perfect sound, energy and following for this sure-shot spot.”

It is to Tackett’s credit that this club las lasted this long. When the average Hollywood bar’s shelf life is smaller than the real estate on a 45, Funky Sole has a large fan base of regulars  and  a consistently fantastic soundtrack which features new classics and rare tracks. 

Miles Tackett on the decks

Now, that it’s back on the east side, Angelinos can get down without the hassles of bridge and tunnel traffic, valet parking or other Hollywood styled amateur night insults.

Pure fun and pure funk, just the way Tackett intended it and exactly how his Sole crew serve it up each week.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/funkysole

MILLION DJ MARCH DROPPING IT HOTSAUCE STYLE ON D.C.

Bringing DJ culture back to it’s roots and shining a spotlight on Dj culture, turntablism, community and activism, this festival will be a mixture of music and speakers, including KRS ONE.

And it’s taking pace in Dubya’s back yard. Torch it for me, guys.

–Ali On The Air

The Million DJ March

DJ’s have been regarded as “underground” since their beginning in the early 1970′s with founders such as Kool Herc and Grand Master Flowers. They were the “Band” to acts until tracks were just played in the background with little to no live presence. DJ’s then went on to “spinning” these records bringing extra life to parties after and during performances adding to fads and trends in music. Using the turntable as an instrument, DJ’s found new ways to utilize their talent by blending, scratching and sampling, giving longevity to the music we hear today. DJ’s are able to give variety to an otherwise 2 or 3 act performance, hyping up the crowd and making night life quite the experience. Influencing what individuals listened to in Clubs and parties effected what individuals wanted to hear personally. Since the beginnings of DJ, technology has advanced, morphing the standard turntable in to a modern engine full of possibility. DJ’s are a community that promote for many forms of corporation, the music industry being just one of them. What DJs say and do can be compared to the effects of a modern day commercial, as we notice on radio broadcasts and their choices in the music they play.Due to the advancement and sudden metamorphosis of their influence in music, there are very few laws protecting this art form as a craft and career. Self sufficient machines threaten this career choice, as so many fear to lose their jobs to in this advancing society. Depending on the audience, a DJ can custom blend the airwaves, to censor otherwise, “restricted” music and control what the masses hear. It is the responsibility of the DJ to make sound decisions based on the age and the want of the audience. The Million DJ March supports all forms of live music and will donate all proceeds from the march to keep music alive in Public Schools. Keeping Children learning.

THE MILLION DJ MARCH ITINERARY (08.29.08 & 08.30.08)

08.29.08 & 08.30.08

• Million DJ March Mix Master Weekend on XM Satellite Radio Station Raw 66 via Sirius XM Radio (August 29th, 2008 & August 30th, 2008 from 12:00PM – 12:00AM)

08.29.08

• 4:00PM – DJ Leggs: Panel Discussion (TBA)
• 6:00PM – DJ Roz: Insurance Dinner
• 7:00PM – Celebrity Basketball Game at The Boys & Girls Club (2500 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20019)
• 10:00PM – Nightclub Festivities (TBA)

08.30.08

• 11:00AM – 8:00PM – The Million DJ March {THE MAIN EVENT} on The National Mall (Washington, DC)
LIVE PERFORMANCES: Bang Bang Boogie, Chuck T, Cory Gunz, DJ Aaries, DJ Geometrix, DJ Nabs, DJ Self, Gillie Da Kid, Jazzy Jay, Joell Ortiz, KRS-One, Kia Shine, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Saigon, The Dey, The Untouchable DJ Drastic, and many more.
• 10:00PM – Nightclub Festivities (TBA)

Sponsored By

Rane
Vitamin Water
Numark
Rock & Soul
Foundation Magazine
ThatsHipHop.com
Adonai
Mixcast TV
XM Radio (Sirius XM)
Thank you for your overwhelming support. See you at the march.

Sincerely,
A. Shaw
COORDINATORS (THE MILLION DJ MARCH)

Please e-mail the correct coordinator(s) regarding your inquiries:

• Sponsorship Coordinator: Gary@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• Sponsorship Coordinator: Marcie@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• Sponsorship Coordinator: Antoinette.Lawson@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• Sponsorship Coordinator: Overok@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• Sponsorship / Major Artist Coordinator: SVisible@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• Major Artist Coordinator: Sommer@TheMillionDJMarch.com
• A. Shaw’s Management (Massive): Wilkins.Chester@gmail.com
• CEO (A. Shaw)
DJ LEGGS: THE MILLION DJ MARCH PANELS

Providence, Rhode Island’s DJ Leggs will coordinate The Million DJ March Panel discussion board during the preceedings of the main event. Many Prominent DJ and artistic personalities will confront subject matters concerning DJ Technology, The Legacy of The Mix Tape, DJ Politics, and The History and Importance of The DJ In Hip Hop. The panels will be short seminars on August 29th, 2008 and August 30th, 2008 with plenty of press coverage and interaction from the crowd. If you are interested in contributing to the panel please contact DJ Leggs via e-mail at DJLeggs@themilliondjmarch.com. We will address a wide array of criteria concerning elements in hip hop culture mainly covering the DJ aspect but not limited to the cultural surroundings of the urban art forms that have transcended within the past 40+ years.
HOTEL BOOKINGS (THE MILLION DJ MARCH)

ATTN: DJs

Book your hotel room now! We have discounted rooms for you.

The Million DJ March will occur on August 30th rain or shine at 11:00AM sharp on The National Mall. Please make posters and/or picket signs as you would any march. Tent space is available for companies wishing to hand out or promote product to the crowd.

Call (202) 266-9000 to book your rooms. Limited rooms are remaining!
INDEPENDENT ARTIST PERFORMANCES (THE MILLION DJ MARCH)

All independent artists looking to perform are advised to contact TheMillionDJMarch@gmail.com immediately.

If you are interested in volunteering please e-mail Promo@TheMillionDJMarch.com