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strange-lace · 3 years

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Concert State of Consciousness

IT’S FINALLY DONE! I HAVE NOW MADE A FANFIC FOR THIS ROLESWAP AU! I didn’t expect this damn thing to get this long but here I am, once again! Kind of happy with how everyone’s characterized, though Demon Kid ended up a bit more sinister than I intended. I definitely had fun writing the dynamic between Mei and Green though.

Hope y’all like it!

To say the city was abuzz with excitement would be an understatement.

For the past couple of months, the name DJ Horns has been spoken with increasing interest as his music suddenly began to be played on the radio constantly. And most people wouldn’t deny that it was good, electronic yet incredibly varied depending on the song. But what interested people the most about the musician was how mysterious he was, active on social media and yet nobody knew his face and only the barest of personal details. Even his voice was a matter of debate with him using a voice synthesizer even when talking normally on his social media.

It was the perfect storm to allow DJ Horns fanbase to start from nothing to practically explode over time.

And the same musician had just announced that he would be doing a live concert right at the heart of the city, even playing “secret tracks” that he had yet to let anyone hear until now.

People were practically fighting to get themselves tickets, Mei herself included that chaos. She had been swept up in the excitement of DJ horns since the very beginning and was willing to do whatever she had to get tickets for her and Green to that concert.

Leading her to the unfortunate situation she was in now. Kicked out of the ticket venue and by the time the ban would be lifted, she knew all the concert tickets would be sold out. Oh and Green had to bail her out from getting in trouble with the security guys.

“I don’t get what the big deal was, everyone was fighting dirty to get first pick at those tickets!” Even with his shades, she could tell that Green was rolling his eyes at her.

“Oh gee, I don’t know Mei. Maybe it’s because you nearly tore a guy’s hair out!”

“That’s what he gets for trying to say I was only a fan to get the attention of other guys! Now I’m gonna miss the concert of a lifetime,” Mei groaned, a pout on her lips. Green’s scowl of disappointment softened as they walked into Pigsy’s Noodles, starting to feel bad. It’s not like the guy wasn’t being a jerk after all.

“I suppose I could see about pulling some strings to get us some decent seats, if it means that much-” He was cut off by a crushing hug from Mei, who easily lifted Green off of his feet and began to twirl them both around in sheer jubilation.

“You’d do that for me?! Thank you so much Green, you’re the absolute best!”

“Yes, yes, your appreciation is very evident now please put me down before you crush my rib cage,” he wheezed, letting in a deep gulp of air once he was freed. Mei appeared sheepish at the unintentional show of strength. “As I was saying, there’s probably a couple scalpers I could cough two tickets out of without much trouble.”

“I still question how you have the money to just do stuff like that casually, make hundreds of gadgets, and build our secret base.”

“You have your mysterious ways and I have mine Mei.” Before Mei could question further, Pigsy voice interrupted them both, looking a fair bit of a mess.

“There you are kid, we got a mountain of orders for you to deliver! Oh, and this came for you and Green in mail while you were gone, no return address though weirdly enough,” he said, shoving a load of noodle orders in Mei’s arms alongside two unmarked envelopes: one orange and the other green. The sound of something crashing in the kitchen tore Pigsy’s attention away, causing him to let out a string of curses as he went back into what sounded like chaos.

Green took the envelopes off Mei’s hands while she struggled with balancing all the orders in her arms, studying them with interest. Upon closer inspection, each envelope simply had “To My Heroes” scrawled on the front in elegant writing and sealed with a black wax seal on the back. He found himself impressed at all the sheer amount of effort put in.

“Fancy,” he commented before gently opening the green envelope. His eyes widened at what he found inside. “Looks like I won’t need to pay any scalpers for tickets.”

“Wait what do you mean? Gimme that!” Mei said, putting the orders down on the table to snatch the orange envelope and tear into it with desperate ferocity. There were practically stars once she took in what was inside: front row tickets to the DJ Horns concert and even VIP passes.

The windows of the restaurant rattled the slightest bit as the sheer force of her screams of joy.

Green didn’t even flinch as his ears were assaulted, used to this level of volume, while unfortunate bystanders winced in pain or jumped in surprise. He found a handwritten behind the ticket in his own envelope and curiosity getting the better of him, began to read it.

“As a token of thanks for always keeping this city safe, here’s free front row tickets on me! Can’t wait to see you both tonight in front of the crowd! ♡♡♡

- DJ Horns”

“How… suspiciously generous of him,” Green drawled, an eyebrow raised at such a note.

“What’s suspicious about it? We do save the city a lot and somebody’s just showing their appreciation for it! I see no problem with it,” Mei argued, pausing in her celebrations, which involved her doing a handstand on one of the stools and didn’t even seem bothered holding the position.

“Mei, this implies that he hand delivered these here without anybody noticing. Why go through all that effort to be sneaky?” It just didn’t sit right in the pit of his stomach, something smelled rotten about this to him.

“Because he’s a mega famous celebrity, he’s probably worried that making a big deal out of us giving these could make people upset or something.” It made sense to Mei, who wouldn’t free tickets from their favorite music artist and be upset that someone else was given that opportunity? She did a small flip from the stool to land next to Green, wrapping her arm around his shoulders until they were close enough that their cheeks were squished together. Despite the closeness, Green looked more uncomfortable about being tugged down to Mei’s height than anything else. That and how blinding her smile was.

“C’mon Green, I get the skepticism but it’s just a concert. One night where we can be normal teens enjoying the fruits of our labor in protecting this place, what’s so bad about that? Plus, it’ll be fun! So how about it?” Mei said, almost sounding desperate. Green remained silent for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh, only giving her a tired smile as he returned the one armed hug.

“Oh alright, you win. I suppose a break sounds nice right about now considering how things went with Demon Kid last time. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?” He conceded, willing to let his suspicion aside for a night of just not having to worry about anything but having a good time and enjoying music. Especially after yesterday, Green was still amazed that the demon managed to make something like perfume into a weapon of mass annoyance.

“That’s the spirit! This is gonna be the night of our lives!”

At least that’s what she thought, until her trinkets were literally snatched out of her hands.

“After you finish your deliveries for the night kid,” Pigsy interrupted, looking a lot more put together now that whatever disaster that had been happening in the kitchen was under control. Excluding the number of stains on his apron that weren’t there before of course. It took Mei a moment to process that her precious tickets weren’t in her hands and she was quick to bring out the puppy dog eyes.

“But- but Pigsy-” Pigsy showed no sign of giving in, having years to build a resistance to all of Mei’s tricks.

“I’m sorry Mei, but we’re way too swamped to let you run off with no one to do all these deliveries. Once you have all the deliveries done, you can have these back. But only after, so you better get started,” he stated, leaving no room for argument. And even if Mei tried, the smell of something burning had Pigsy back in the kitchen just like that with even more fervent curses, this time with her tickets tucked into the pockets of his apron.

Mei let out a groan and smacked her forehead against the countertop in despair. Green merely patted her back in sympathy to her plight.

“There’s no way I’m gonna make all those deliveries and not miss like half of the concert! Unless…”

Oh no, he recognized that look in her eyes anywhere.

“Mei, no. I know exactly what you’re thinking and I’m telling you right now, no. No music is worth facing Pigsy’s wrath if he finds out you skipped out on work for a concert. Which is what exactly will happen, he always finds out,” Green warned her, even taking off his sunglasses to look her dead in the eyes to get his point across. Mei winced at that, remembering what had happened last time she tried to skimp on work.

The power of Pigsy’s “I’m not mad, just disappointed” is something even DBK should fear.

“Look, I’ll record whatever you miss if I don’t see you by the time it starts. Might not be the same but it’s better than nothing.” That offer seemed to perk Mei up from her bout of disappointment, hopeful eyes peeking through her thick hair bangs.

“Promise?”

“I promise. But if you don’t want to miss the whole thing, you’d better do what Pigsy says and get started on the deliveries. Especially since I think that pile has grown since we got here,” Green said, pointing to the small mountain of orders which indeed had gotten bigger since passed off to her. This time, he was more prepared for the bone crushing embrace which came his way and thankfully had his arms free enough to return it.

“Thanks Green, you’re the best! Hopefully I’ll see you there before it all starts!” And just like that, Mei was off like a whirlwind with all the noodle orders in her arms. She excitedly loaded them into the shop’s delivery cart and drove off with a strong stomp in the gas pedal, the cart’s tires squealing in distress before driving off.

With a weary sigh, Green took his leave as well though he couldn’t stop looking at the ticket and note in his hands.

Even with Mei’s assurances, something about the situation still did not sit right with him.

“For once, please let me be wrong,” Green whispered to himself, not noticing a suspiciously familiar monkey-shaped marionette creature eagerly watching him from the rooftops above. On the other side of the puppet’s eyes, her creator couldn’t help the manic grin off of his face as the pieces started to fall into place for his plan.

Green had to admit that he was expecting this many people packed into the area when he rolled up to the concert gates on his motorcycle, Mei still nowhere in sight. Though he certainly made sure to update him on how the deliveries were going.

A familiar ding sound on his phone made him pause, giving an exasperated smile at seeing another text from Mei.

“WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE ORDERING NOODLES TONIGHT??? got done w 3/4 of the orders, if i hurry i should be there before opening act’s done. if anybody tries to steal my seat, i give you permission to use lethal force. don’t let me down! <3”

“Maybe if you didn’t send me so many texts, you’d be getting the deliveries done faster Mei,” Green mumbled to himself fondly as he climbed off his bike, blissfully unaware of the stares being sent his way. As usual, his hair was a mess of black and pale green spikes as he pulled off his helmet and he let out a soft huff, attempting to put order to the mane that was his hair as he made his way inside.

Green let out a low whistle, impressed as he walked further in to discover the place was decorated head to toe with fluorescent neon lights, state of the art music equipment, and a giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling which added another layer of glitz. It was almost disorientating, the onslaught of neon colors, lights, and music from all sides but in a way that was also exhilarating. The harsh glow of red, orange, and purple was a bit much for Green but at the same time it filled him with a sense of giddiness that made him begin to understand Mei’s desperation to be here.

His heart did a slight leap of excitement once he found his seat. It was one thing to read he had a front row seat and another thing entirely to see how close he was to the stage. And a completely separate thing to see a note on the seat, scrawled with a familiar extravagant writing which welcomed him and Mei with hopes that they would enjoy the show.

All too soon, all the lights went out and Green could feel his breath pause before they returned with full force alongside familiar music which seemed to make the entire room pulsate with its vibrations. Multiple spotlights shined on the stage and the crowd went wild with cheering as DJ Horns finally showed, looking just as bombastic as his set up.

He wore an ornate metallic helmet decorated with large horns that protruded from the forehead which shined a rainbow of colors under the neon lights. A dark fur lined coat was draped over his shoulders with a matching suit underneath and metal lined gloves on his hands. Overall, he looked like quite a character to Green though there was niggling in the back of his head that this should be someone that he could recognize. The grip on the arms of his seat tightened.

His eyes took in the still empty seat to his right and he began to gnaw his lip in worry.

“Where are you Mei?” Green asked himself before the synthesized voice of DJ Horns interrupted his thoughts.

“What is up everybody? You all ready for the show of a lifetime?!” A loud cacophonous roar of cheers answered him, which he soaked in without a hint of shame in his posture. “That’s what I like to hear! And we have some very special guests tonight right in the front row, the Monkie Kid herself and her partner, the Green Dragon!”

Green couldn’t help the flinch when a spotlight suddenly shined down on him, leaving him feeling exposed to hundreds upon thousands of eyes which zeroed in on him the vacant seat next to him. Yet he still forced on a smile which was more teeth than anything else, not quite appreciating being put on the spot like this. The musician’s shoulders seemed to tense in disappointment once he also noticed being down one of his special guests, yet he was quick to shake it off.

“Seems it’s more like one special guest, but no matter! We’re still going to make this a night that the city itself won’t ever forget! The first and unfortunately, only, live concert by the one and only DJ Horns!” He was met with gasps of surprise and even a couple cries of despair at this bombshell. “I know, I know! But there’s a reason for this, my dear fans. Because after tonight, you’ll all know the man behind the mask and I’m sure you’ve all been dying to know who it is. Am right?!” DJ Horns teased, hands reaching for his helmet.

The manic energy of the entire building seemed to escalate to almost out of control levels at that announcement, people scrambling for their phones to get the chance of capturing his face before anyone else. Green would have been among them if that uneasy feeling hadn’t begun to grow into full on paranoia, as if his very being could sense that the other shoe was about to drop. He was so tense that Green felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong,” he chanted to himself, his grip tightening to an unbearable degree as DJ Horns finally pulled off his helmet.

Unfortunately for him and everyone else, he wasn’t wrong.

His heart practically stopped as his eyes were welcomed by an unfortunately familiar face: spiked brown hair held up by a golden circlet styled like horns, dark eyes framed in orange and red pigment, and a fanged grin that promised nothing but trouble.

Demon Kid.

And his grin only became larger once he took in the shocked silence, particularly Green’s horror ridden face. He looked extremely pleased with himself as he took advantage of everyone struggling to process what was going on to prepare for the final phase of his plan.

And would it be a sweet victory for him.

“Oh, I’m going to treasure that look on your face for the rest of my life, Dragon Boy. It’s certainly a shame that the Noodle Girl couldn’t join in on the party but, eh, she’ll come eventually.” Green had finally overcome his horror, sword in his hands and making a mad dash towards Demon Kid on the stage. Yet the demon remained unaffected as he put on the finishing touches. “Because by the time I’m done, everyone in this whole city will be dancing for my king like my puppets. Starting with all you!”

And with that, Demon Kid put the volume at max and blasted the entire building with his music. The sheer force of the sound sent Green flying back, crashing into now abandoned seats as people attempted to escape. However, to their horror, all the doors were locked and barricaded. Leaving them trapped and at the mercy of the music assaulting their ears from all sides and one by one, civilians fell to the floor as they tried their hardest to muffle the noise. Yet as if a sentient force, the melody managed to slither its way in and overwhelmed people’s senses like a tidal wave with one simple but overpowering command.

And that command was to obey.

Green climbed to his feet in a daze, struggling to focus with the sheer volume and the strange whispering that seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere. And already Green could feel his mental walls crumbling, he wasn’t going to last long before he succumbed to the strange power.

Mei.

He had to warn Mei.

He scrambled for his phone, barely able to take him the most recent message from Mei stating she was heading back to get her ticket back from Pigsy. Clumsy fingers fumbled to type out a warning and relief flooded his nerves once the message was sent.

And just in time as Green found himself being dogpiled by multiple people, their eyes glowing a hollow and ominous red. He struggled yet the mental strain of fighting to keep control left him weak and vulnerable, sword just out of his reach. Impish chuckling invaded his ears and before he knew it, Demon Kid was right there. And while the demon typically only had a couple inches on Green, now he downright loomed over him and radiating smugness.

“Still fighting huh Dragon Boy? Almost impressive! But there’s no point in fighting anymore, the spell will wear you down one way or another. So save your energy, you’ll need it when you and Noodle Girl help me conquer this city in the name of my king. It’ll be awesome, just you wait!” The childlike giddiness would almost be endearing if Green wasn’t fighting a mental battle that he had no chance in winning, not against this kind of magic.

“Mei’ll stop you, she always does,” he grit out, eyes already taking on a faint red glow.

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that, after all I’d like to see her fight against her best friend when he’s under my control. But that’s not for you to worry about. Now, give in Dragon Boy,” Demon Kid commanded and like that, Green found himself being pulled under into a strange haze, only able to think of obeying the commands of his puppetmaster. The demon couldn’t help the joyous laugh as he watched Green’s eyes become red much like the rest of his little army.

Mei had been driving like a madwoman towards the concert the moment she read Green’s text.

“it’s demon kid using spell to hypnotize people don’t have time can already feel control slipping need to destroy his set up and stop the music before he gets city”

“I swear if he’s hurt Green, I will make him wish he stuck with making music,” she hissed to herself before letting out a growl at another red light slowing her down. “To hell with this.” Mei summoned the staff, slamming one end against the street and keeping a tight grip as the staff extended, sending her and the cart sailing above the streets below.

Mei barely flinched at the rough landing in front of the building, only feeling a flash of guilt at the state of the cart. She could pay Pigsy back for the damages later. Staff held tight in her grip and headphones on to buy herself time, Mei was ready for anything. And upon taking notice that all the doors appeared to be either locked or blocked, she did the next best thing to get inside.

Pole vault and smash her way through a window, miraculously not cutting herself on the glass.

She tumbled forward upon landing and took in the scene before her.

Her headphones certainly didn’t stop her from feeling the bass practically rock the foundation of the place yet what Mei found more worrisome were the people. Instead of rushing to attack her, they were all dancing to the beat of the song and looked almost perfectly normal. Except they were all too in sync and choreographed, as if Mei found herself in a music video than anything else. A shiver traveled down her spine as they all seemed to be watching her yet gave her a wide berth to catch sight of the stage.

Her blood boiled at the sight of Demon Kid, perched at his station but wiggling about showing he was barely able to sit still in anticipation.

“There you are, you had me waiting forever for you to get here!” He exclaimed, almost happy to see Mei before he caught himself and schooled his expression back to a businesslike indifference. “Not that it matters, you’ll be joining the Dragon Boy soon enough and we can start taking over this city!”

“Not while I have these headphones on, asshole!” Mei screamed over the music before rushing towards the stage, ready to smash Demon Kid’s equipment to pieces. It was only out of a vague sense of danger which flared in the back of her head and dodging at the right time that she managed to evade being skewered in the side by a sword.

The sight of Green, eyes lifeless red and moving around as if a stiff marionette being led around on strings, was definitely one that Mei was going to see in her nightmares for who knows how long.

Leaping to dodge another swipe of Green’s sword, Demon Kid’s cackle seemed to echo in sync with the music.

“Well then we’ll just have to rip those headphones off your pretty head ourselves! Minions, if you please!” Following the demon’s command, the hypnotized civilians stopped their dancing and attacked.

And Mei soon found herself swarmed and being attacked on all sides. It soon became more of a deadly game of tag, keeping herself out of the reach of her countless pursuers and evading Green’s relentless attacks. She was running out of time and space, she needed to think of a plan.

Fast.

Her eyes soon caught sight of the stage lighting above Demon Kid’s set and it was as if a lightbulb went off in her head.

It was risky and she only had one shot.

But Mei was always one for risk.

With a quick change in direction, Mei dashed towards the center of the swarm and just before she was pulled in, she took aim and threw the staff towards the stage lights. She could only be left to hope that she didn’t miss as a hand grabbed her ankle, only to be face to face with Green. His blank face now alight with a victorious grin before they were left tumbling along the floor in a desperate bid to grab one another.

Mei grunted as she found herself pinned down by Green, the neon lights causing his sword to gleam with menace as he held the tip to her throat. His other hand ripped off her headphones without mercy and her own ears were overwhelmed by the music.

“C’mon staff, don’t let me down,” she said, doing her best to fight as the spell soon attempted to creep its way in her head too.

“Well done, my dear puppet,” Demon Kid congratulated Green, pride practically emanating from his being. “Any last words, Noodle Girl?” His victory was practically guaranteed now and he couldn’t wait to see the look on his king’s face.

Which only made the demon confused at the sight of Mei’s smirk, her eyes focused upwards.

“Yeah. Might want to look above.”

“What?” Demon Kid did so and his heart stuttered at the sight of the spinning staff pinballing across the walls before colliding with the heavy duty wires which held the stage lights.

And cut through them without ease.

Without any suspension, the stage light rig surrendered to the forces of gravity. Demon Kid hurriedly dived off the stage to save himself, narrowly missed being squished by the rig. Unfortunately, his music equipment was not granted the same luck and was crushed in a shower of sparks, cutting off the music.

Blissful silence took over the area and Mei let out a sigh of relief as the sensation of something prying at her mind vanished like mist. And she couldn’t help a smile as the red vanished from Green’s eyes, signifying the end of Demon Kid’s control on him. He let out a groan, crawling back to consciousness as if waking up from the world’s worst nap, before realizing where he was.

“Mei? What happened? Are you okay?” Green was quick to get off Mei and help her back to her feet. She simply gave him a hug, content to see him safe and sound now. He accepted the hug without complaint, feeling less like he was struggling to gather his ability for free will again after having it ripped away. They were quick to break away as flames licked at their backs and they were faced with Demon Kid, his hair now flames as he took in his now ruined DJ equipment.

The duo took fighting stances, only for the demon to take a deep breath and have his hair to return to normal.

“Well, looks like you both got me beat this time. Here I thought I had it all in the bag but then you pulled that off-the-wall solution out of nowhere! And I admit, it looked cool as hell! I’ll give you two this win, here’s a little something for it,” Demon Kid said before tossing a bundle their way, which Mei caught with a look of caution from Green before they unwrapped it. To their mutual surprise, it was two letterman jackets emblazoned with the DJ Horns logo on the back and sleeves.

Before they could question him on this, Demon Kid gave the two a cheeky week before vanishing in a whirlwind of fire and smoke.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mei wordlessly took one of the jackets and put it on.

“After all that, you’re still willing to wear anything associated with DJ Horns?”

“Hey, this is merch I’ve never seen before and you gotta admit, we’d make this look good.” She even struck a pose to prove her point.

With a resigned groan, Green followed suit by putting on the other jacket and silently agreed that the jackets did make them look pretty good.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mei #mk #red son #roleswap au #traffic light trio #fanfiction #my writing

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selfcallednowhere · 4 years

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February 3, 2018 Dallas, TX

They opened with "James K. Polk." This surprised me--I expected them to keep doing it during the Quiet Storm section cos that was what they did the previous two nights. I'm honestly feeling pretty burned out on this song live after seeing it a million times--seeing it done acoustically during Quiet Storm was different enough to keep me interested, but when it's just the normal arrangement I am yeh rather sick of it.

Next they played "Damn Good Times," the second song all three nights on this trip, which I very much am not sick of even though I've seen that one a bunch too. It's one of my favorite live songs, actually--it's just SO FUN. "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal" was next and also superfun, even though the presence of Curt would've made it way better.

After that Flans said that this theater was "the box that rocks," and then, gesturing at the balcony, told us that we'd be meeting our accusers one by one and then all our verdicts would be read.

After "All Time What," Flans that it was time for the "fastest-singing portion" of the show, and that they were going to try to sing together. Then John said that this show was like a re-enactment of the instore they'd done earlier in the day cos so many of the same people were there. Then Flans said that he'd gotten our verdicts and we were all guilty.

I didn't really try to think about what song has them both singing really fast and singing together when he said it, but if I had I probably would've been able to figure out what the song was: "Letterbox." I was really excited to see it again, cos it's one of my top top top favorite songs.

After "New York City," Flans said that the show was "going too fast." Then he made them turn the house lights on for a "beard assessment." He said the beards looked "shockingly natural," and ordered a "round of beards" for everyone.

John said that they were going to be playing a lot of new songs and it was "a burden" and "a weight pressing down and crushing everything." I don't understand why they kept acting like we were going to hate seeing the new songs so much--I loved it and actually wished they would play more new songs.

Then Flans said that what they were aiming for was volume, and "as Bob Dylan said, there's just too much sound." Then they played a little bit, and Flans said if you buy I Like Fun you can get "all your favorite classical themes in one set."

Then they played "Mrs. Bluebeard." John really mangled the lyrics when they played it for the first time two days prior to this, but then the next day he did a lot better and only screwed up a couple of times and I was proud of him! But this time he was back to screwing up all over the place again. I was amused because afterwards he said "That's how it goes!" NO IT ISN'T JOHN. (Yes, I of course understand that he knew that too and that was the joke.)

Next they played "Music Jail, Pt. 1 & 2" which is one of my fav Glean songs, so I'm glad that one is still in the set.

After "Particle Man" and then "The Famous Polka," Flans said that they were playing two sets, which gives plenty of time to email and text.

Then:

JL: We're playing a lot of new songs, so bear with us. JF: No one likes the new songs, John. But we've already locked the doors!

Then there was this really obnoxious and probably drunk woman screaming for "When the Lights Come On," which they were most likely going to play anyway because they'd already played it at every other show on the tour. They said they weren't gonna play it and she just kept screaming for it. Then Flans said that they were gonna play it but now they weren't because of her, and then she started yelling "BUT I LOVE YOU," which made Flans tell a story about how they played at Bonnaroo which "is like being on the surface of Mars, you want to be anywhere else, and we were getting paid," and he met someone who told him how TMBG meant so much to them "and by the way, I love '500 Miles.'" Then the obnoxious woman went back to screaming, and I guess Flans figured there was no way to get her to shut the fuck up besides playing the song, so he asked John if he wanted to play it and John said "Sure. Fuck it." So then they played it and it was COMPLETELY AWESOME like it had been the other times I'd seen it, but also I was just happy to not have to hear that woman screaming anymore, and I'm sure all the rest of the crowd and the band and well anyone else in the building actually were too.

After "Your Racist Friend" they played "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes," YES YES YES. Even though I'd just seen it the day before I was ecstatic, since it's one of my fav songs and I've only seen it live a handful of times.

Next came "Cyclops Rock"--I'm really happy that's one of the Mink Car songs they've brought back into the set. It's great live--SO ROCKIN'.

Afterwards, Flans asked John about the current political climate.

JL: It's awesome! JF: Who needs nightmares when you have daymares? Things are gonna be great...later.

John introduced "The Mesopotamians" by saying that when he was a kid in 3000 BC there was a TV show about them.

Then came the set break and then Quiet Storm, the first three songs of which were the same as the previous two nights: "Older" and "I Like Fun" with the contra-alto clarinet, then "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" on accordion. Before the third Flans said they were "Tres Might Be Giants" and made Marty give a sample of what he can do with the electronic drums.

After that there was something that really upset me:

JF: How are you, John? How are you doing with that accordion? JL: I'm ok. The accordion...just have to deal with it.

This is definitely not the first time I've witnessed him complaining about how much he hates playing accordion these days and I'm sure it won't be the last, but it still really upsets me every single time because seeing him play it is pretty much my favorite thing.

Then Flans was talking about the storm sound effects--he reassured us that they are in fact not just fans blowing in mics.

Then they played MY THEME SONG. Nothing is ever going to be as special as seeing it for the first time the day before, but I was still unbelievably excited to see it again.

After that they played something they hadn't played either of the previous two days: "Meet James Ensor." So that was an unexpected surprise. I love that song, and I thought it worked really well in this format.

Then the band came back on stage. Flans introduced Dan as being "the finest guitarist in They Might Be Giants."

Next they played "Istanbul." I'm so unbelievably sick of this song live, but I do at least like the crazy jam session at the end of it. Flans jumped up on Marty's drum riser for part of it and it was silly.

Afterwards, Flans said he was sick of that acoustic music and that it "reminded him of his folkie days." Then he asked whoever was in charge of the A/C to turn it on (he was right, it was for some reason really warm even though it was chilly outside). Then he said that the next song they had to play "out of contractual obligation to our band."

The song was "Number Three," which is superfun live. It's become one of the Pink songs I've seen the most cos they've been playing it a lot the last few years, but I always really enjoy it.

Afterwards Flans said that they wanted to thank "the guy holding the beer perilously close to the end of his fingertips."

Then:

JF: This next song is from the album Glean, everybody. JL: That's right. JF: All the way back to 2015! JL: Not a song that we have to do. A song that we get to do. JF: Think about the good old days. 2015. Things seemed so...so normal then. No dystopian...hellscape.

They played "Answer," and then John put his accordion on and Dan came over to the keyboard. Flans said that he was getting on the keyboard "where he belongs," and I was like "Ummmm how does the keyboard player feel about you saying that?" But HEY if you ask me John does belong with his accordion on, not behind the keyboard.

The next song was a major show highlight for me: "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head"! This is a very special song to me, it was my very first fav TMBG song (in other words the one I'd most rock out to as a 5-year-old hearing my dad play his cassette of Pink), and I still love it dearly now. I've only seen it a handful of times, so it was a big deal.

Next they played "Doctor Worm," which wasn't as big a deal since I've seen it a million times, but still really fun as always.

Flans was mentioning where the next few shows are going to be, and said if we know anyone in those places we should tell them to come to the shows.

Then:

JL: If you don't know anyone in those towns...the first letter of each city...backwards spells out...an important message. I know it seems like a random tour where you like...it's like drawing a star on the map. There really is a reason for it. JF: Our booking agent is keeping it a secret from us. JL: Yes, he hasn't told us what the message was. We haven't been able to figure it out. JF: But it appears the letters spell out some kind of swear word. JL: Yes. Something very harsh. JF: It seems to be some kind of swear word and then the words "you guys." We're not sure what it means. It's impossible to know what that message could mean. JL: Before we get off-track here. Apparently--there's a thing called the Kessler effect. [The name of the venue was The Kessler.] And I believe it originated here. What it is, is when stuff in space starts smashing into each other and...all of space is destroyed. Do you guys know about this? And I don't know why but this theater is the very first part of that chain. The Kessler effect. JF: I first heard about it when we were described as the Kessler effect of bands. JL: I mean, yeh. We've smashed into, um...Soup Dragons, I believe.

(I thought he might've been making this whole thing up, but my friend Ant, who's very knowledgeable about space stuff, informed me that no it's a real thing, it actually is when stuff in space smashes into other stuff and they break apart, and it can actually be really dangerous. The "all of space is destroyed" part I'm pretty sure he made up though!)

Then they played "The End of the Tour," which is so good live (though I do think it works best as a show closer).

Next came "Spy," lots of fun as always. At each show I'd been to John played a sample of something as part of his improv part--this time it was "Here Comes Santa Claus," which was silly. I also managed to scream during the parts when Flans was trying to get everyone in the crowd to scream, even though I was feeling almost weak from excitedly singing along with every song and screaming after they played songs I particularly loved.

Then they played "I Left My Body," which was the last I Like Fun song of the night. I really loved all the new songs I got to see them play, but I just wish they'd played even more!

They closed out the main set with "Twisting," which was, as always, COMPLETELY KICKASS. For some reason Dan was singing the "she wants" backing vocals instead of John--I'm not sure what was up with that and I didn't like it.

They started the first encore with "Let Me Tell You About My Operation." This is my current favorite Flansong, so I love seeing it live.

Flans said that the next song was their new single, which I was confused by because they'd already played "I Left My Body" (which wasn't a single exactly, but the closest thing the album had). But he was just joking--it was actually "Why Does the Sun Shine?", which is of course very much not a new song. John informed us that things that are a gas on the sun included Fiestaware, which he held up his red mug when he said (holding tea instead of coffee this time, I noticed, as evidenced by the string and tag sticking over the edge). He paused for a long time before the list of things that the heat and light of the sun are caused by the nuclear reaction between, but finally it was "Stuff! Things! Items! And objects!" He is so silly!

The first song of the second encore was "Wicked Little Critta," and they closed the show the same way they did the night before: with "Birdhouse in Your Soul." A perfect close to a perfect night.

John continued on his "stripey shirts, nothing but stripey shirts" streak, so he was 3/3 on this particular show trip for me. This time it was a black and white stripey t-shirt that I don't think I've ever seen him wear before.

#tmbg #show reviews

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tune-collective · 6 years

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Artist Spotlight Slimez: Who Is The Man Behind The Goo?

Dubstep – A genre that has been a molding point for much of the electronic music world. From its origins to what some decree the evolution into brostep, then to riddim, dubstep has essentially been undefinable as a static genre. Nonetheless, dubstep is where our story begins with Cameron Kush, aka Slimez. The Chigaco born, LA native’s, real ah-ha moment came when leaving school for lunch one day.

“I remember very vividly, my friends and I had left to go get lunch and we were driving in one of my friend’s convertibles and he put on Caspa & Rusko. I remember sitting there and immediately being like, ‘What is this?'”

From his time in early schooling, Cameron had always been around music and theater going to several different academies for theater and music and even starting off his college career at NYU as a musical theater major. But it wasn’t until his sophomore year at NYU that he actually – by lucky circumstance – gained access to CDJ’s.

“I was actually enrolled as a musical theater major through sophomore year, but up after that point they really started to harp on dance and I lost my steam really quickly, so I ended up switching majors. By complete coincidence, it just so happened the roommate I ended up living with after switching majors had a full CDJ/DJM set up, that he never even touched. So I taught myself how to DJ and used them to throw parties.”

In fact, while he was in New York, Slimez wasn’t even “Slimez” yet. His name at the time was “Mischief” a name that took root from the younger days of his emo-pop/rock background.

“Yea looking back on that I was for sure an emo kid. If you search the internet hard enough you can find my first really shitty EP.” For those of you that really want to do some digging, he even provided the name of the EP, ‘The Thornes Inside’

New York gave Cameron a lot of opportunities specifically at Slake, the sister venue of Webster Hall, where he eventually worked his way up after several years of running strategy and business items for the venue. All until eventually Cameron was unexpectedly let go. All in all, it prompted a big life decision for him. After several years working in New York at Webster and 3 years out from producing regularly, Cameron expressed his feelings,

“There was just nothing holding me in New York anymore. I was inspired to be on the grind to make money and work hard in New York, and at that point, my job was my life.”

After much deliberation, Cameron moved back home to LA, but not with DJing on his mind. After graduating top 10% of his class at NYU, Cameron would eventually use his smarts to attempt the LSAT.

“Once I moved back all the real life shit set in and I wasn’t 21/22 anymore. I started really thinking about my life in front of me and I sat down and law was one of the first things that came to my mind becuase I thought I possessed the skill set of a good lawyer, so I ended up taking the LSAT.”

Not only did he take one of the hardest entry exams in most careers to even be admitted to law school but he passed with flying colors – twice. Enough to get into several top 30 schools if he wanted, but Cam’s mind was set on one school, UCLA.

“I only really ever thought about one option for law school and that was UCLA, and my LSAT score just didn’t cut it. I was like 4 or 5 points off.”

This eventually drove Cam to pick producing back up, under a name we all know him as, “Slimez” – but this time as a career. In fact, when asked about the origins of the name, “Slimez” he said it came from a pure business decision.

“This was technically my third re-brand and I wanted a name that could lend itself to a brand or aesthetic that could down the line work itself into a production or a huge arena tour. I just think the name allowed me to have a lot of room to grow into it.”

Slimez preforming at Exchange LA

Fast forward to today and Slimez is coming off a massive opening slot from RARE SoCal 2018 and starting off the opening leg of his “Unleased” tour. When asked about his expectations of touring and what else he has planned for 2018 Slimez simply said,

“Well honestly I expected to be tired all the time, and live in airports – which so far has been nothing but true, but really besides that, I didn’t really know what to expect besides seeing new places, and playing a bunch of heavy dubstep.”

However, to Slimez those new places have been nothing short of amazing.

“I mean, I saw almost all of Boise while I was there. The people were all so nice, and I got a super good reception from people – everyone came out. I had no idea, but Boise really loves to headbang. It’s definitely eye-opening, coming from these big cities [NYC & LA] and seeing just how close some of the people are. I mean in those cities like Boise, it’s the same people at every show. I mean I knew people at shows in New York, but these people were on a family type level and it was amazing to see that.”

On a final note, I wanted to leave by asking what else to expect from Slimez in 2018, and while he couldn’t give exact details on everything, he did leave by saying,

“I have a tune that’s been locked in on the Disciples Roundtable compilation for a while, a collaboration with Mikey Ceaser, I don’t want to give away too much, but I have some huge collabs in the works and a lot of projects that are close to being done. So expect a ton of new music this year. Also tons of new merch as well. I’m stoked for the rest of 2018.”

Currently sitting on a new release via Shadow Phenoix with Blaize called ‘Overkill‘, Slimez is set to bring in March 2018 sitting in the New & Hot Dubstep SoundCloud charts, and with only more releases ahead, Slimez is looking to become the next underwritten heavy hitter of 2018.

For more on Slimez check out his socials:

Facebook│Twitter│SoundCloud│Instagram

https://tunecollective.com/2018/02/28/slimez-interview/

#2018 #Bass #Dance #Dubstep #EDM #Electronic #Featured #goo #Grime #Interview #Music #riddim #slimez #talks #Tour

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passportrequired · 5 years

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The Music Lover’s Guide to New York

Much has been said about New York City. Many call it “the city that never sleeps,” while others refer to it as the familiar “concrete jungle where dreams are made of” (thanks, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z), and so much more.

What ‘so much more’ means, of course, is up to you. NYC is home to the best of everything, be it theater, food, architecture, or art. We can go on for days chronicling all there is to see in NYC, but we’d still only be scratching the surface.

Since you’re here, we’d like to assume that you’re either an NYC lover or a music enthusiast. If you happen to be both, then you’ll be happy to know that NYC is the perfect destination for audiophiles. The city has a deep relationship with music — from Harlem’s rich history of gospel music, to the East Village’s iconic rock joints frequented by the likes of Jimi Hendrix. If you love music just as much as I do then you should definitely check out the Steinway premier dealership.

While some bars and venues have closed their doors, NYC continues to be the ultimate playground for the musicians of today. If you’re looking to get your live music fix with a cold beer in hand, we’ve got the places for you.

The Apollo Theater

Image credit: @apollotheater on Instagram

The Apollo Theater is basically the ground zero of the Harlem Renaissance. Historic greats like Ella Fitzgerald and modern-day icons such as Lauryn Hill have all graced its stage. However, what most people don’t know is that the venue started out in 1913 as a burlesque theater, and was only named the Apollo (and removed from its burlesque beginnings) some 20-odd years later. Nowadays, the theater acts as a sort of gatekeeper for those who want to make it big with their music.

Silvana

Image credit: @silvanaharlem on Instagram

You’ll have to travel north for this one, as Silvana is located in South Harlem, on 116th Street. In a previous post on Passport Required, we talked about some hidden gems in the neighborhood, and Silvana is definitely one of them. Its music selection is diverse, offering everything from Brazilian jazz to electronic rock. With live music playing every night and repeat guests flocking from all corners of the city, this bar makes the trip worth it, this bar has passes available like the vegas Bar Pass.

Sofar Sounds

Image credit: @sofarnyc on Instagram

What started as a gig scene in London has since made its way worldwide. In New York, Sofar Sounds regularly hosts intimate gigs in the most nondescript locations — ranging from random living rooms to secret bars. The catch is that the location is only announced the day of the gig, but its previous artists include the likes of Jorja Smith, Vanessa Carlton, and Gang of Youths. You can only choose which neighborhood’s Sofar you want to attend, but the rest is an adventure waiting to happen.

Elsewhere Rooftop

Image credit: @elsewherespace on Instagram

This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a rooftop bar. After all, NYC is synonymous with its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. Yoreevo estimates that approximately 13,500 high rise buildings were built between 2010 and 2015, and that number has only increased since then. One of those buildings is Elsewhere, a club located in artist haven Bushwick. At 24,000 square feet, it isn’t a tiny bar where you’ll have to elbow your way to the bar. They’re known for hosting some of the hottest live DJ shows, and their cocktail menu is a welcome addition to the city’s thriving booze-in-the-sky scene.

Smalls Jazz Club

Image credit: @smallsjazzclub on Instagram

Jazz is just one of those genres that artists keep constantly reinventing — and we don’t mind it one bit. For a more relaxed evening, Thrillist suggests the Smalls Jazz Club over in the West Village. While the venue is significantly less crowded compared to NYC’s more famous jazz joints, that means you’re more free to drown in a sea of sax than gets lost in bustling crowds.

Barclays Center

Image credit: @barclayscenter on Instagram

Sure, Madison Square Garden is a household name when it comes to concert halls, but frankly, Barclays Center is where it’s at. The arena is located in Prospect Heights and was made for show-stopping concerts, having hosted the likes of Barbra Streisand and The Rolling Stones. There’s nothing quite like watching a grand concert, but it’s even better when the location itself adds to the experience.

Arlene’s Grocery

Image credit: @arlenesgrocery on Instagram

No, this isn’t where to go to restock your pantry. The name might be a bit misleading, but music venue Arlene’s Grocery at least started out as a bodega and butcher shop. Now, this Lower East Side location has since been turned into a rock music bar that plays live music every night. Queen of moody pop Lana del Rey performed here before getting her big break, as did a certain Lady Gaga.

The Music Lover’s Guide to New York was originally published on Passport Required

#Jazz In New York #Music #Music Lovers #New York City #New York Guide #NYC Summer Things To Do #Things To Do In NYC #Travel #Tumblr Travel Photography #TumblrTravel

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anna-2807 · 5 years

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Below, I’ve shared a list of details that you should have in mind when hiring entertainment for your next event. Give these details to your vendor or event planner to make sure you feel confident that you’re getting exactly what you want going into your next event.

Event Details

Event Type – Let your DJ know the event type so that they have an idea for the flow of your party. A birthday party flows completely differently than a wedding or a corporate promotional event.

Event Date – Having the exact date is necessary to be able to confirm vendor availability.

Event Location – Many Event Djs will need to add additional pricing if your event is outside of their standard service area.

Event Start Time – What time is your event supposed to start. Keep in mind what you’ve got listed on the invitations.

Guest Arrival Time – This is especially important because ideally you’ll want your DJ and vendors in place and set by the time your guests begin to arrive. Many people like to cut costs here and schedule the DJ to start after the guests arrive. Keep in mind that it isn’t a good look for your guests to watch vendors dragging in and setting up equipment. Cutting costs is fine, but definitely splurge for the extra 30 minutes to allow your DJ to be ready when your guests arrive.

Requested Timeframe – How long will the event run? 6pm-10pm? 12Pm – 2pm. Note – many djs have a hour minimum meaning that you’ll need to book them for at least x hours. Mine is a 3 hour minimum. I’ll come out and perform for shorter events, but they are priced differently.

Number of Guests – this helps the DJ to determine the appropriate sized sound system for your event. For events with smaller turnouts, 2 top speakers are fine. For larger events, a sub woofer or additional speakers may be needed to give a good quality of sound.

Age Range – This will help your DJ to determine what sort of music will be needed/appropriate for the event.

Equipment / Services

Entertainment Services – For Example, you’re looking for an Event DJ to play current top 40 music that’s family friendly. Having an idea of what sort of music you want or what format it should be presented in – like a band or a DJ – is helpful when planning your event.

Host/MC – Many times if you’re booking a DJ or a Band, they will also be able to act as an MC. In some cases you’ll want to bring in an MC separately – depending upon their role in the event. Let your vendor know what you’re intending to have the MC do and they’ll be able to help direct you to the appropriate solution.

Sound System – You’ll need this unless the venue already has one. (most do not) Let your vendor know the estimated head count so they can make sure to get you the appropriate set up.

Wireless Microphone (s) – You’ll need a microphone is someone is planning to speak over the PA system. A wired microphone will work but you’ll be limited to the range of motion of the cord. A wireless option is great for weddings and corporate events where someone will want to walk around with the microphone or pass it around to several people. You’ll only need multiple wireless mics if you plan on having multiple people speaking at the same time like on a fashion show panel.

Dance Floor Lighting – In my experience, people don’t like to dance in direct light. It makes you feel vulnerable and looked at. These set ups are really helpful for livening up a dance floor. Each DJ will have different lighting options. If you want to add lights to your dance floor set up, ask your DJ for options and quotes.

Up Lighting – These are stationary lights that help change the feel and color or the room. Add a few to highlight a specific area or several to change the entire feel of the space. They generally cost around $20 and up per light, but can take your event space to the next level, visually. Ask your event DJ or AV Vendor for pricing options</li>

Custom Logo / Monogram – You’ll want this if you want to project your company logo or custom monogram onto the walls or the dance floor. Not all DJs offer this option. Check with your DJ for availability and pricing.

Photo Booth – This is a fun way to liven up your event. Especially enjoyable for corporate events and promotional and branding events, as most photo booths will allow for custom logos and some even allow you to post instantly to social media. This is a fun way to encourage guests to interact and capture the memory of your event .

Event Logistics

Is the Event Inside or Outside? This is important for vendors to know for the purpose of staging equipment. Many times I’ll bring different gear with me to an event that’s outside because I don’t want to subject my more expensive equipment to the elements.

If Outside, will the DJ Booth or Stage be covered? This will also be important incase the DJ or Band requires a tent or cover for their performance space. You’ll want to communicate it to the vendor either way as requirements will vary.

If Outside, is there a weather contingency plan? Weather is something that can change on the drop of a hat. I’ve played several outdoor events where the weather turned in the course of the event and it was a scramble to protect the gear and move things around. You’ll want to have your weather contingency plan worked out ahead of time so as to keep the event running smoothly in the case of a change or weather. Be proactive and provide this information to your vendors before your event.

How far is the DJ Booth or stage from the nearest power source? This is the one that everyone seems to forget. In order for electronics to work, there has to be a power source in place. Especially if your event is outdoors, you’ll want to consider the location of the nearest power source. If power isn’t available, vendors can run off of generators and battery packs, however, in most cases those will be an additional cost.

Having these details in mind when you discuss your event with your vendors will help things to move more smoothly and will help to ensure that you get exactly what you’re looking for.

If you found this article to be helpful, make sure you CLICK HERE to download the DJ Hiring and Event Planning workbook. It’s full of worksheets that will help take you from sourcing and finding a reputable DJ to getting the most accurate quote, and finally to basic event planning and music selection.

#Female DJ #professional counselor #Wedding DJ #DJ for Private Events #Corporate Events DJ #promotional events dj #sporting events dj #Fashion Events DJ #Fashion Events Shows DJ #night life #DJ for Birthday Parties

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lvlsrvryhigh · 7 years

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LVLSRVRYHI-054: Hunni'd Jaws

Introductions first: for anyone who doesn't know, who are you / where are you from? Yo yo, thanks for having me - I’m Hunni’d Jaws. I'm a solar eclipse personified. I moisturize. Facts: Coconut oil is not what it’s cracked up to be, if you want the hook-up on emollients DM me...on some off the record ish. My latest conspiracy is that I'm immortal.

From New York, exiled in Berlin, I mean “based”. How does "On exile" sound? Like I’m on chic sabbatical for being a leftist multi-national expatriate. Although, ya gotta strive for "arbitrarily-detained" these days, for the social media credentials.

What music did you grow up listening to? I grew up whittling didgeridoos. On the real, there’s a rogue didgeridoo in the house I grew up in. I have no clue how it got there. No one knows how to really “play” it, we’ve all tried. If my folks got it at a flea market, I’ll be a livid that my parents are just hoarders, and that Carlo Santana’s 3rd cousin didn’t loan it to us.

I’m so thankful for access to radio like Hot 97 and NYC. Nineties pop music was an animal. Dance-pop, grunge, dancehall, alt-rock, RnB, hip hop, trip-hop, the OG list goes on. I’m nostalgic for the pop hits, from Ace of Bass to No Doubt.

Mix cds were essential living. My street punk older sister got me into punk music and concert-going, starting at places like the Chance in Poughkeepsie. Thusly train-ing to NYC was compulsory. SO former self getting signatures on my cons. I grew up technically too far to be a bridge-and-tunnel though. “Bridge-and-tunnel" is slang for someone who takes one of the bridges and/or tunnels to get to NYC by car. Bridge-and-tunnels get on the Metro-north around White Plains with vodka Coolatas and clog up the Midtown club scene.

My folks played jazz, on special holidays merengue, 60s funk, reggae some 80s pop - cuz they’re into that - oh and a lot radio monotonous news coverage, tonally so nauseating that they smell like plastic factory fumes. Afro-caribbean & latin music were solace, since I’m half dominican. My uncle was more current, and played lots of new wave, punk, or like fat boy slim and beastie boys for us. We ransacked his computer once when we finally got cd burner software.

I also was heavily into indie rock, post-punk and random hip hop or the genre one-offs, like Hold You Down by the Alchemist, I found. Finding music was everything. I wrote about UK experimental & indie music for my HS newspaper - no one cared. My younger sister got me into A Tribe, Madvillian and J Dilla. Shout out to Nora for keeping me updated on hip hop mixtapes throughout the 2000s. And in college I veered towards indie music and electronic.

I'm cutting myself off, we should pick up the conversation here for the next interview. We can highlight more cringe-worthy pleasures that did not age well and my descent into grime and club, and how I’m still an angsty tropical riotgrrl haha.

One of my earliest musical memories was going to this wedding in 1997 and dancing to radio garage house tracks - what we called techno. Recently, I had a dance floor epiphany at Monarch Club in Berlin. Soda Plains played a garage track I hadn’t heard since that era, maybe that occasion. I made a note of the lyrics, found it later, and binged on it for like a week. This is my mentality.

My first introduction to you as a DJ came via Call Dibs, the show you run with Dis Fig on Berlin Community Radio, so I wanted to get an idea as to how the show first came about and what the motivations were behind starting it together. How did the two of you start to put things together? Yeah before Call Dibs, before deejaying, I was a head in NYC. Fel - Dis Fig - and I met then, kicking it many dawns.

Fast forward, in Berlin we saw a vacancy for our musical focus on BCR - whose programming we admired and were acquainted with. It fell into place. We decided to do this plan b, instead of becoming tech-house legends.

Going through the show's archive is like reading a who's who of upcoming djs over the past few years and it's pretty impressive how on top of it the two of you have been. How do you decide on which guests to reach out to? Do you have any dream picks? Thanks! We follow music, convene on that, take turns hosting monthly, and plan logistical. There's been several artists, I heard one track of theirs and decided to ask them. I was lucky they were down. It's insanely cut-throat. There's usually a rose award ceremony and sacrifice.

No "dream picks", I’d like to work with so many people, especially unique gem artists. I'm interested in new, small, unique voices and showcasing challenging fun sounds.. The cult of celebrity dominates booking, the scene and the industry. At the same time, we don't obscurity hunt. The process is organic, why dilute it?

From what I can gather (correct me if I've got this backwards), you moved from New York to Berlin not too long before the BCR show first started. Do the two cities mean different things for you musically? Did anything change for you in that vein after making the move? Yeah definitely! I lived in NYC for a couple summers during school, then moved to Brooklyn after college for 3ish years. New York is it’s mix of cultures and hustle. There are so many micro-communities doing amazing things. It is a pace, hip-hop, outspoken, loud - the majority of new dembow in my mix, I heard blaring out of cars, at restaurants, and in cabs while visiting over in early June. Even just 2 years ago, Bushwick was not what it is now, or Crown Heights even. I grew up in the music communities in NY through Jelly NYC, Tribes, bass warehouse parties like Reconstrvct and DIY venues like 285 Kent, and lived with the Teklife extension. Ballroom, dancehall, jersey club, and footwork were foundational w/ parties like Ghettogothik, Lit City, S!ck Magic, Mixpak, among others. With all this stacked against a city, there's so much synchronicity, like Dubbel Dutch playing an arcade entirely word of mouth, or mythic rooftop parties w/ lineups of whoever is in town not playing officially in the city. Or heads from around the country, turn out to see acts on a Monday night in Meatpacking district. It’s a constant struggle and everything is bought out. I have a deep bond there, the music community has a different appreciation and gratefulness for each other. People dance. I’m idealizing hxc. It all took bites, I got bored, and was looking to contribute.

I shifted gears, and moved to Berlin, to party less. Hahah. Techno goth, crust punk aura, the gay club scene, and deejaying/producer culture are indisputably mainstream. The leftfield club scene is compact w/ Janus, PAN, Trade, Creamcake, Boo Hoo, among others. There’s a core DJ and music producer community here that inspires me, albeit, a catch-22, is insular. There’s more funding, clubs are seen as institutions. It’s still Germany. It’s much more modest, introverted, and chill. The sound is usually spot on. Flights are cheap. It’s more white, whiter than the Midwest.

If you can sort housing, it’s a refuge for creativity because of work/life balance.

You're also involved with a few programs based around teaching dj skills to women and those within the lgbtq+ spectrum in No Shade and Intersessions. What interested you about these programs? What was it like for you personally when you first learnt to DJ? Was there anything similar out there at the time? Who wants a world w/ the same people, the same cliques, in control throwing the same parties, of similar perspectives, w/ the same mega brands curating, playing the same music? Sign me up if I'm a mega-brand.

I didn’t choose to be half black, a woman, or femme, so I def take advantage of the opportunities given to me. And I'm aware I'm somewhat priveleged. I have a lot of friends who also want to organize and pass the torch. My core ethics are merging human rights, creativity, and access empowerment. I was also involved in the Co-Op compilation w/ Ziur, galvanized to counter the tension and rise of global alt-right movements.

When I first learned to DJ, it was a necessity to socializing. And when I got more serious about it, I had to teach myself. Getting comfortable at the club and tech-literacy was another blind-fold. I’ve had to dj with equipment I've never used before - wish these moments were filmed cuz I went too hard on myself. There were some people to help me but not really. I also had several feminist social groups to help with the visibility of women in NYC, our goals were more about solidarity and the safety of women at parties.

I co-founded No Shade alongside Linnea and Caramel Mafia in association with Acud Macht. The DJ tutoring program aspect gives the participants more security and time with industry standard equipment. They can ask questions, and they are learning from women and non-binary folk. Blasphemy!

Links between music and therapy come up a lot on your social feeds and, though it's not really something I've put a lot of thought into understanding, I often find myself relying on music to clear my mood or help me move past something that's frustrating or aggravating me. Do those ideas ever inform the sets you put together or the music you listen to? That’s sick that you found a personal correlation. Music as therapy vs. music therapy vs. sound therapy vs. vibration therapy vs. however we define music and therapy has an abundance of operational levels. On your experiential level, it’s great for emotional awareness, resonance, letting out stress, etc.

It can be deeply triggering yet cathartic too. It’s tied very close to memory. People with degenerative neurological diseases can get pieces of their identity and abilities back when listening to their old records, or happiness. In other mysteries, if you suffer a major head injury you can miraculously become a musically-creative, perfect-pitch savant. Still so much is unknown in the regard to cognitive neuroscience, music and healthcare. This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin and Musciophilia by Oliver Sacks expand on this.

The club is an undeniable conduit, escape. A good sound bath from a sound system will reset you. Cymatically, it manifests your physical matter. Certain chord progressions and frequencies will awaken certain feelings. Certain rhythms make you rotate your hip joints, certain vibrations catapult you to an astral plane, ASMR and whiteness soothes and entrances. I’m rambling. It’s personal, it’s human, it’s spooky, it's cyborg. There’s loads of sound phenomena to explore.

The tradition of it in the psych world is very “koombayah”, which led me away from the narrow conventional sense of it. However, there are however strides towards incorporating rap into the psychotherapy application. The history of oration down to modern rap is rooted in the "music game over the streets" to narrate the struggle. Poets from West Africa brought oration traditions over to communicate their highest spiritual being. The command of it is called Nommos. As a practice it's so very suitable for the clinical experience. Therapeutic Uses of Rap & Hip Hop by Susan Hadley discusses this, maybe overintellectualizes it, but it’s an important platitude to introduce formally to the white-coat community. I may go back to school for it, so I can dispute and defend the way. I wish I had proper exposure to composition as a kid. I was more interested in learning tabs so I could steeze on covers.

There’s truth deeper and universal, beyond niche music that privileged perspectives get to admire, be bewildered by and entertain with. It's orthodox. It seems the people involved don't consider how esoteric and self-centered this chokehold of participation is, like subjective tunnel-vision ; music culture is full of circumstance, value judgements, media infrastructure, markets, and industry. Who has access? What is contingent? and Why? What does this all mean in 5-10 years?

You seem to take a playful, lighthearted, but also semi-theatrical approach towards your moniker and press shots (covering yourself in honey, planning to do the same but with bees), which is refreshing and in stark contrast to the ultra serious DJ look (black tee, dark background, lots of shadow, plsdon'tsmile). Was that something you consciously set out to achieve? Wow, thanks for noticing! Deejaying is full of bad baaaad tropes. Shout out Kurupt FM for being as played out as possible. Satire, critiques, and creating new information are important to me but it's more unconscious and involuntary. Music gets all bent out on being serious, then plays into trends and lacks originality.

I treat creating under hunnid jaws as a full multi-medium, creative universe. My press shots were fun. They feel so old, they're from a past life at this point. The series are under themes of objectification, erotica, and sex culture paradigms mirroring a literal interpretation of my pseudonym. The general idea was around for 2 years before it came together with my homegirl Syd who's in Rotterdam now. The actual process felt like I was suffocating and stung my eyes, basically honey-board torture. I'm sitting on a lot of weird ideas and bizarre influences. Just takes one or two sentences for an idea to be a good one. I'm excited to use them when I have more content and collaborators. I'd love to art direct for others. And to do more video. Or something extrasensory.

Did you set out with a particular idea for this mix? Where / how did you record it? I recorded it in my room on my pioneer ddj-sb controller. No set intention but this mix is a missing cut from a film reel, like a glimpse into my flashback. Disorienting like a horror flick being played in reverse.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2017? Conjuring up some gigs and beats. Ya tu sabes.

If you had to pick something for people to listen to immediately after this mix what would it be? If you can hold out, listen to Call Dibs this Thursday 6-8pm CET.

#Hunni'd Jaws #Call Dibs #Mix Series #lvlsrvryhi #the levels are very high #interview

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cathousemelbourne-blog · 5 years

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Joshua Harry Hall interview

Short interview with audio visual artist and producer Joshua Harry Hall as a preview for Berlin Calling LIVE techno this 23rd of March at The Sub Club Melbourne.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Joshua Harry Hall. I guess I would categorise myself as an Audio-Visual artist. Biggest interest is in music, but even when I am just focussing on audio there is always a visual aspect whether it’s like film clip stuff or visuals for live. So, that’s what I like to do.

Tell us a bit about your music career and what influences you:

I actually grew up on metal and hardcore, I came from an area that was pretty dominant. Actually, I used to yell at people [laughing], I used to front a progressive hardcore band. I play guitar, so came from writing music, but for some reason ended up yelling at people.

How did you end up making your way to electronic music?

Outside of performance, I was always interested in sound design, how music comes out. I think alternative/heavier music has a lot more freedom for it to be much more experimental, because you don’t have mainstream society directing the outcome of the music. I think metal is a really good gateway to hearing songs that have a lot of content in the highs, mids and lows - really rich, and that’s found in electronic music as well.

I love almost everything. If it interests me, I don’t care what the genre is. Like psytrance, drum'n'bass, techno.. they all have their ways to present a platter of music, even if it’s minimal or there’s a lot going on, there’s more focus in sound design, so that's always attracted me. That’s what I was always interested in recording; how to make something sound good. When you’re used to metal where there’s a lot of tracks, you’re trying to fuse it all and make it sit well, from like really heavy vocals, complicated drum patterns, how you get the bass and these crazy kicks to come through multiple guitars.. trying to get a perfect mix, to me, that inspired me listening to electronic music cause it’s like people sitting in their rooms being fanatic about sound. Also, I just like heavy stuff.. there’s a lot of heavy electronic music!

What's your motivation behind playing live and not as a DJ?

I really respect DJ's, they're artists in terms of curating a whole set and taste making, taking an audience on; but for me, probably because of a background with tangible instruments, I never got interested in DJing.

I went through a time with electronic production everything was in the box. I guess financially, especially when you’re younger or whatever, just pirating stuff and having all those palettes to play with was interesting, but then I never felt connected or wanting to perform that music, even though I loved getting on stage and interacting with other artists in a band context, and delivering that to an audience. For me, creating something [...] in a studio, I can get really into creating songs - now I just want to play the songs. Seems a bit weird but I have no interest in grabbing all the other songs that I did and mixing them together. Not because I don’t like the format, I think I just respect it - people already do that. I’ve poured enough hours into other aspects of music to then go DJ.

That said, I like using the format of a DJ mixer even with live machines. I’ve got effect pedals in my chain, I’ll actually put them into another channel, [...] you can create loops and extended reverb and treat them like a different channel in the mix. But the more I got into sound, I bounced to asking 'what is the hardware?' or 'where are these sounds coming from?' I just got obsessed with synthesis.. as obsessed as finances allow!

Which has been your best live gig, where and why?

Aside from this kind of music, it was actually to like 40 people somewhere in W.A. just with a guitar [...] at a time the band I was in was going pretty well; but that set for some reason, even though it was super tiny, it was just a really humbling moment & realisation that I'd rather the emotional response of just one or two people, just destroying their world, or making their day or whatever, as opposed to pleasing a lot of people.

I’d already done that with the band as a way to not get shy if the crowd was very big; just sort of pick one person or a couple of people that were engaged, even before playing to just be like 'cool..it’s for that person' ..try to develop like a one on one relationship [...] then the rest of the crowd would feel it. But this gig.. there was this middle-aged lady and she was in tears when I was half way through a song, and by the end of it I realised most of the rooms energy had shifted like crazy. I literally walked away from that and within a week had plane tickets booked and had flight cases with all my gear ready. I was like: actually, there’s nothing holding me here anymore, this band is going really well but I wanna re-evaluate what Im doing with music, is it affecting people? And realised that particular project wasn’t able to get people the way I wanted.

That’s where I'm at now, unfolding and sort of presenting what I've been going through musically and trying to share that with people, just starting at the bottom again. If I can’t affect one or two people in an intimate setting then I don’t have much desire to make some crazy song in my studio and give it to a DJ to go play everywhere. I wanna effect people on the spot. I think that ties in to why live is important; engage in your present and you can have an idea of a song and go into it but maybe the way it comes out is totally different. If you’re actually engaged with the people there, or if you’ve got that one or two people that are really present then you’re having an intimate experience. It can shape the way that song comes out, then you get this really beautiful thing you don’t get in a studio. That song is the best! The opportunities in live are greater, and scarier.

What is your opinion about the techno scene in Melbourne and how do you see it in the future?

Techno in Melbourne is interesting. I think it’s thriving as much as it’s not. It’s confused a little bit. There’s definitely like a scene that isn’t confused, and is sort of pile driving a certain movement. But on a whole, I think there's a greater lot of people that hear the word 'techno' then have completely different ideas of what’s going on. [...] I think a lot of clubs and events in the south are really shallow and not in the pocket for the right reasons - not saying they’re not good and there aren’t people having the times of their life every single week again and again and again - but [...] it unfortunately doesn’t help the more intentional events because you have others that might actually like some forms of techno that just hear the word and think of ‘typical Revs' or something; or what techno offered 5 years ago or something. They recoil like “nah, that’s shit” or they might not connect to a certain stage or festival that they think signifies techno.

I don’t know, I know that’s going off on a tangent, but I think there's some really beautiful shit going on and unfortunately some people will never go to those gigs because they have another idea of what techno can be. Then on the other side, there is this whole facade of people that think they are going to these epic techno events that're actually detrimental and not good for the culture and the scene at all.

I can’t really talk too much about where I’m at with techno because there’s a million more people that are out in the front of the field [locally], like people I work with on a weekly basis for Sub Club and I wouldn’t say "I'm a techno artist" but [...] there's a lot of subsets of music that I do like to make, and get lost in - like ambient and drone - that's more accepted in the techno community.

For the future: I'm really interested to see what happens this year, cause a lot of venues have closed down for one reason or another. Really iconic places, or places that haven’t existed for that long but have created amazing atmosphere and communities around them. There’s actually a whole bunch of more challenges for any new places to pop up too. Like, insurance [for nightclubs] just went up by about 4 times this year. Not to mention the music licensing changes with One Music Australia that will impose astronomical costs for places that are venues for live music, from band rooms to clubs. So, on one side you got all these iconic places shutting down, on the other you’ve got this tidal-wave of reasons that it’s gonna be impossible to start anything low-key or left-field. If it was like that 5 years ago for Sub-Club, it wouldn’t exist. [...] I think, unfortunately it’s gonna be really hard for an authentic, small-scale, genuine club to open, but it’ll happen and I’m excited to see where the pieces lay.

Otherwise, it could be that downfall where all these amazing artists and gigs are pushed to clubs that generally play pretty shit stuff, but at least they can pay the bills every other night of the week and then therefore have these great intimate, awesome gigs happen there as well. But then, that’s weird because then you’re in an environment that usually has harassment and all the other stuff..

What do you think of this only-live techno concept and what would be your set-up for Berlin Calling Live night?

I think there should be more live electronic music in general in Melbourne. I think there’s heaps of artists out there that don’t see that as a viable thing because they don’t see it enough at gigs, or something. Like, people might have equipment but they’re more focused on “I'll finish this up as a track and play it in a DJ set” ..if more [live artists] are included lineus then [...] there's more people comprehending actually playing live, then it becomes normalised.

I think having set a whole night built around it being live is also awesome, especially at the moment if there’s smaller amount of people in your genre-umbrella then it means it’s not gonna be confined to just one sound [...] you have 6 artist who’re gonna be slightly off because of the gear they use, because of their own taste and stuff, I think it's a really good idea. I definitely wanna see it more in different venues around the city cause it opens the door for more collaborations.

Logistically it’s hard to balance if you don’t have the right people behind it, and the right idea of how it’s going to work. [...] It’s easier to have a whole lineup of DJ's and maybe one live set to start and one thrown in somewhere else. But hopefully there’s more full-live set ups. Personally, I really wanna see live setups with different artists all collaborating and playing a set together and that won’t happen until [we] start being normalised to gear [...] whether that’s someone through their laptop, there’s still that live interaction, doesn’t have to be all analog gear. That said, I love seeing modular, it’s beautiful - someone interacting with this whole beast, but I wanna see everyone come together, play together and go off with each other and take that time, the whole night [...] and taking the whole audience through. Hopefully a night like what you’re doing is gonna help pave and get us closer to maybe more people who want to do that.

I’ll be using a balance of digital and analog gear. I'm not gonna be taking too much. I think a Moog and a Deepmind, an Octatrack is gonna be the main basis of it and an iPad for looping stuff and my mixer. I actually use a mixer as an instrument a lot more, and a Strymon delay pedal [...] I like having like an aux send on the mixer that goes through the pedals, so with any instrument I can choose what gets affected and that comes back through a seperate channel, so if I turn that channel down, nothing is wet. I can bounce an idea or a certain sound to the effect pedals and have it turned down and be able to create that soundscape and move on, but know that the pedals are still stuck in that world and I can pull back to it. I really like looking at a mixer likes it’s an instrument as well, as opposed to something that controls volume.

Whereas the synth house project that I’ve done for festivals is like a whole cabin with everything that’s in [my studio], and guitars and other instruments I have; all in one big thing. I won’t be able to do that in the club. That setup takes a 22 channel mixer.

Berlin Caling LIVE techno:https://www.facebook.com/events/385381668931138/

Video editing:

Melissa Rodriguez

https://www.instagram.com/melipeggi28/

https://vimeo.com/user40165237

#techno #melbournetechno #berlincalling #cathousemelbourne #technofamily #deeptechno

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mounicalucia-blog · 5 years

Link

When going through the quoting process, so many of my clients initially express concern around not knowing what all they’ll need for their event. They’ve got an idea that they want some sort of entertainment (a DJ, cover band, live musician, etc) but generally that’s about it. A larger part of my job when initially working with a potential client is to envision what they’re going for and then put the logistics in place to make that happen. I find one of the easier ways to do that is by asking a series of questions to draw out the event details in the initial consultation. By asking and explaining my reasons to the client, I find that I get the information I need to help create their dream event, and they get a sense of ease and control with knowing that all of the details are touched.

Below, I’ve shared a list of details that you should have in mind when hiring entertainment for your next event. Give these details to your vendor or event planner to make sure you feel confident that that you’re getting exactly what you want going into your next event.

Event Details

Event Type – Let your DJ know the event type so that they have an idea for the flow of your party. A birthday party flows completely differently than a wedding or a corporate promotional event.

Event Date – Having the exact date is necessary to be able to confirm vendor availability.

Event Location – Many Event Djs will need to add additional pricing if your event is outside of their standard service area.

Event Start Time – What time is your event supposed to start. Keep in mind what you’ve got listed on the invitations.

Age Range – This will help your DJ to determine what sort of music will be needed/appropriate for the event.

Equipment / Services

Sound System – You’ll need this unless the venue already has one. (most do not) Let your vendor know the estimated head count so they can make sure to get you the appropriate set up.

Event Logistics

Having these details in mind when you discuss your event with your vendors will help things to move more smoothly and will help to ensure that you get exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit - https://www.djshannonc.com/need_to_hire_a_dj/

#wedding dj in tampa #events dj #femaledj #Tampa Bay #tampagirl #tampamusic

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easterndaze · 7 years

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Budapest’s New Underground

Although the international reputation of the country, whose PM hailed illiberal democracy as his preferred NWO, is not the best (to say the least), there's a parallel culture that largely operates independently of state-run infrastructure, creating several microcosms with their own audiences and worldviews, implicitly turning against misogyny, discrimination, narrow-mindedness, and reflecting the techno-dystopian times we are living in at the moment. "...The goal of our underground is to create a second culture, a culture completely independent from all official communication media and the conventional hierarchy of value judgements put out by the establishment", wrote Ivan Jirous, a member of The Plastic People of the Universe, in 1975. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on Budapest. Hungary, in general, is very centrist, even more so than its neighbouring countries. Most of the cultural happenings take place in the capital. "It is worth mentioning that to me the 'underground' seems to be an arty, intellectual, middle-class, mostly Budapest-centred, or at least city-centred thing", explains popular music scholar Emília Barna. "For instance, there is so much rap music made in the outskirts or the provinces, extremely poor areas of Hungary, scenes that thrive in these localities as well as on the internet – music that I would certainly call political because these artists directly address issues of poverty, social deprivation, criminality (gangster and prison life) etc. – yet as far as I know this music is never referred to as part of 'the underground'".

UH Fest

"A strong stage performance and powerful art are always political acts", says Krisztián Puskár, one of the organisers behind UH Fest. The experimental music staple was established at the dawn of the new millennium, taking inspiration from the now-defunct Austrian phonoTAKTIK festival. Since 2000, UH Fest (also known as Ultrahang) has staged approximately 500 performances. From noise techno, through avant-garde improv, to an hour of drone, UH Fest aims to challenge its audience's expectations and break the boundaries between various genres and generations. Thus, over the course of the week of the festival, the likes of Romanian spectralist Iancu Dumitrescu rub shoulders with Low Jack, KTL, Sote and Richard Dawson. Unlike many other similar urban festivals in Europe, UH Fest is not institutionalised, and is largely run on a volunteer basis. "To this day, we are just ordinary citizens without an institution behind us. We have a foundation, which is a legal entity, but not in terms of an office or infrastructure. It was a grassroots initiative, a family venture in the beginning, because my sister and brother-in-law were also involved", says András Nun, the organiser of the festival and one of the most pivotal figures of the Budapest underground music scene. Aside from its main event, which usually happens in late September/early October, the festival has also organised so-called "Demo" events for up-and-coming local talent, which acted as a springboard for several successful musicians such as The Death of Rave artist and Mark Fell collaborator Gábor Lázár, Opal Tapes and Lobster Theremin producer S Olbricht (whose own Farbwechsel imprint we'll discuss later), and the improv duo 12z.

OMOH

OMOH is a new addition to Budapest's queer scene, shunning the music played at mainstream gay events and embracing a more abrasive type of techno and underground house. The name itself comes from Russian police special forces and can be interpreted "as a sort of middle finger to all homophobic legislators of the world", explain the organisers, whose identity remains a mystery. "No organisers, no line-ups" is their egalitarian motto. The monthly (or so) OMOH party takes place at the top of a decaying shopping centre built in 1926, the home of the infamous Corvin Club & Bar. This sprawling venue is wedged between the 7th district, renowned for its tourist-filled ruin bars, and the up-and-coming, working-class 8th district. "Lively, chaotic, and most definitely an architectural, urban and social war zone – not postcard material. Which fits our mindset perfectly." The right-wing parties who came to prominence across Central Europe – most prominently in Poland and Hungary – championed heteronormative, Christian, conservative, nationalist values, the resonance of which can be felt in places like OMOH: "Even if club owners and managers have no problem with the LGBTQI crowd, the organisers still have to deal with the suspicion of the staff and the regulars – to put it mildly. And our audience, quite frankly, is a division of brave little foot-soldiers claiming their share of an environment which is by no means a so-called safe space."

Auróra

About 10 minutes' walk from Blaha Lujza Square, deeper into the dimly lit streets of the 8th district, the increasingly gentrified inner-city "ghetto" which is also one of the most ethnically diverse and lively areas of Budapest, lies Auróra. Located in the street of the same name, Auróra is based in an inauspicious building – you will have to ring the bell in order to get in. This family house with a cosy garden has become an oasis of alternative culture and thinking in its purest sense. Aside from its music programming – which largely centres around the weekend – the space also provides offices to several NGOs such as Budapest Pride, Roma Press Center and DrugReporter, maintained by a platform called the Auróra HUB, which is funded from Auróra's profit. The genealogy of the space can be traced back to Sirály, a former squat located on one of the busiest commercial veins of the city, at Király St 50, which was shut down in 2013. Several activist groups and a few political parties emerged from the vaults of Sirály – one of which was the collective behind Auróra (another established Gólya, a venue also located in the 8th district). Auróra's music programming is diverse, and encompasses over 40 gigs per month, ranging from free jazz, techno and punk to experimental electronics – all of this without any official state support. "The political situation doesn't let us cooperate with culture-politics at all", say Auróra's Fanni Tóth, Áron Lukács and Zsuzsi Mekler. "You can see self-censorship, fear and unpredictability across cultural institutes all over Hungary. We think the only possible way to keep this platform of NGOs and the lively discussion about issues in our country alive is to run a social centre like this, totally independently."

RNR666

RNR666, or Rock'n'Roll 666, is a music community established in 2005 by three friends from rural eastern Hungary: Csühes Pali, Lavor and Szabo, whose backgrounds include music, art and fanzine publishing. Initially begun as online radio, the RNR666 RADIO SHOW, the group widened its activities to include concert organisation, online publishing and record releasing. Their collective spirit is marked by a fiercely DIY attitude and punk-inspired ethos. They began in the era of Myspace, which connected them to the global underground and the low-budget, so-called "food-flat-and-beer bands". 10 years later, not much has changed in terms of the frugality and DIY aspect of this scene. "Lots of the venues here don't care about the fact that you want to do small, but subculturally very important events, they are just interested in profit", says Lavor as we sit in Kék Ló, an improv venue/bar in the 8th district. These days, they might do one gig per month, largely due to the lack of resources, inviting mostly foreign bands – they have to finance everything from their own pockets. This is how they released their first 7-inch, a psychedelic garage rock split between Piresian Beach, the moniker of Budapest-based singer-songwriter Zsófia Németh – who is also a member of the collective – and JC Satán. Although event promotion has shifted to Facebook, they still make posters and spread the word IRL: "I still party six days a week, so I get to talk to people that way."

Farbwechsel

Farbwechsel is a truly glocal label based on friendship and personal connections, sourcing its roster almost exclusively from local talent and organically spreading the "Budapest sound" abroad. This happened largely thanks to acclaimed producers like Route 8, S Olbricht – who established the label with Bálint Zalkai aka Alpár in 2012 – Norwell and Imre Kiss, all of whom released their debut albums on Farbwechsel. You'll often find musicians associated with the imprint jamming in each other's bedrooms, sometimes perusing vintage hardware instruments borrowed from Zoltán Balla, an avid collector and member of Farbwechsel-signed project Wedding Acid Group. Even though several artists from the label's roster have gradually begun to release music on foreign labels such as Opal Tapes and Lobster Theremin, they remain faithful and committed to the imprint that brought them recognition, and they also organise regular events in Budapest. Their sonic aesthetic has been described mostly as lo-fi house, but that doesn't do them justice. There's a sense of ghostly melancholia and longing, perhaps an aural appropriation of their home city, a place constantly hovering somewhere between the past and the present. This is most prominent in Mikolai's work, which centres around the dancefloor and transgresses it at the same time. The label roster has become stable over the last five years, with names such as Saint Leidal The 2nd, Aiwa, S Olbricht, Norwell, SILF and Alpár.

Küss Mich

Küss Mich… and follow me to a gritty basement, where we'll dance to abandon and the music will elevate us beyond our physical selves, bodies sublimating in communal spirit. Küss Mich is a romantic event – romantic in its truest, least-saccharine sense. Founded in 2008 as an irregular DJ club event at the iconic drinking den/underground basement Vittula off Blaha Lujza Square, Küss Mich is a legendary night in the context of Budapest nightlife – a place that hailed eclecticism before it was in fashion and steered clear of the corrosive irony inherent in postmodern hipsterdom. Their sonic cocktail contains a blend of DIY-synthwave, punk, Italo disco, acid and industrial – in a concert or DJ format. "The motivation was to entertain ourselves. One of us had an industrial-dark-synth-punk background, the other came from techno and acid-oriented electronic dance music. We were both tired of the narrow-mindedness of these scenes", says Krisztián Puskár who also DJs under the moniker Splatter, one of the founders of Küss Mich alongside Gábor György alias Gördön. Adopting their outsider status and subverting expectations of the then-segregated music milieu, rediscovering past gems and presenting them alongside current sounds and bands, enabled them to navigate the muddy waters of contemporary music, aided by a devoted audience. "To choose a German name was pretty strange, fun and uncool back then. Now it's totally the opposite of that. German party and brand names will vanish or become out-of-vogue, but great people will still be there to do things on their own. And us too. If there is no money in it, there must be another motivation, right?"

JazzaJ

JazzaJ is a compound word combining "jazz" and "zaj" (which means "noise" in Hungarian). The event, which aims to bridge the free jazz and noise/experimental scenes, based on improvisation, was founded in 2011. "We wanted the noise musician to meet the free jazz musician. The underground rocker to meet the folk musician. The baroque player and the avant-garde music-philosopher to meet the electronic music geek", says Ernő Zoltán Rubik, one of the organisers of the event. Over the last five years it has grown into a communal gathering of discerning listeners, who welcome anything that JazzaJ offers them. "Listening is a creative act", adds Rubik. The main task that musicians who play at JazzaJ are given is to leave their comfort zones. "We believe in no style". Recently, JazzaJ began to invite musicians to be curators – each month a musician puts together the line-up, which sometimes creates rather interesting and surprising juxtapositions. This way, they've staged "hardcore-like nights" courtesy of Balázs Pándi, video operas with Miro Tóth, baroque and noise improvisation with Albert Márkos, and 12 saxophonists running around the room via Gergő Kovács. The JazzaJ community is sourced from the sprawling local scene, but remains tightly connected not only to neighbouring countries, but also the European and international scenes. "Our way of promoting improvisation as an act of freedom and tolerance, listening and presence, is already political without naming it so. There were times when we felt that for some people, this was a weekly refuge, a hideout from everyday cruelty and ignorant aggression taking place on social and political fields, or the streets." (photo: Attila Nagy)

T+U

T+U stands for Technologie und das Unheimliche, or the uncanny, the strangely familiar – that which repulses and attracts you at the same time. Established in 2014 as a publishing project and cross-disciplinary movement by Mark Fridvalszki, Zsolt Miklósvölgyi and Márió Z. Nemes, T+U is located somewhere between Berlin, Budapest and Leipzig. Their leitmotif is an exploration of the confrontation between the age-old dichotomy: the human condition – its various manifestations and cultures – and technology, through theme-based issues and events. Music plays an important role in their modus operandi. They have a regular radio show on legendary Tilos Rádio and create guest mixes, employing a specific sonic aesthetic that chimes with their ideology: dark, technoid, dystopian. Some of T+U's members have left Hungary for personal and political reasons. "Within the recent years, mostly due to the socially and morally harmful cultural politics of the current political establishment, there is less and less air for progressive art and subversive thoughts", says Zsolt Miklósvölgyi via email. "This catastrophic hedge-hop mainly caused by the anti-intellectualist, reactionary attitude of the ruling right-wing populist party and its substandard cultural myrmidons, obviously forces many of us into 'exile'. But within our techno-capitalist era, the image of 'living in exile' no longer means that you exchange one geo-cultural location for another, but you are in constant transition. You are not only characterised by the place you are from, but rather by the way you are rewriting these already-existing cognitive landscapes and cartographies."

Drrpnc

If you are a musician or into underground rock and extreme metal in Budapest, you will probably have passed through Keleti Blokk and the adjoining Dürer Club at some point. The sprawling complex neighbours the green oasis of the city park, whose integrity is threatened by a huge makeover that, for the foreseeable future, may replace much of the greenery with shiny concrete. Drrpnc is a secret cellar somewhere in the underbelly of the aforementioned space. A cross between a rehearsal room and a gig space, Drrpnc has become one of the city's most prominent havens for the punk/hardcore and extreme underground metal. Needless to say, the modus operandi of their activities is strictly DIY. "We have always had some challenges, such as leakage, electrical damage, etc., but the Hungarian scene is a community, so we can solve all of our problems through our common strength", says Adam Mjöl. The future remains uncertain. "This building, where we are now, will be probably demolished, so we have to start looking for a new place."

Davoria & Külvárosi Techno

The seeds of Davoria were sown around the year 2000. The collective began organising sound-system parties in the summer, as part of the then-thriving freetekno scene and its annual summer teknival gatherings. Ever since their beginnings they have always been part of both worlds – throwing events at regular clubs as well as the outdoor, illegal parties. These days, Davoria's monthly events take place at Müszi (situated in the 8th district at the aforementioned Corvin shopping mall), a space for alternative culture that also includes the offices of the civil watchdog Atlatszo.hu, as well as Auróra. The sonic identity of the event remains faithful to their beginnings: hardcore techno, noise and experimental electronics. "We call our parties tekno, because we feel that this term is open enough to represent different kinds of genres, from tekno to experimental music", explains Davoria organiser Péter Márton, who also produces uncompromising techno (or tekno) and noise under the respective monikers Telesport and Prell. Davoria also host a stage at the now-legendary underground techno event Külvárosi Techno (Suburban Techno), which takes place several times a year in the industrial premises of the large studio space and now-defunct venue R33. Ideologically, their stance hasn't changed over the last fifteen years. "We try to show that even in a commercial world, you are capable of doing productive, good things while keeping your freedom."

Originally published in Glissando magazine #30

Lucia Udvardyova

#Davoria #Budapest #OMOH #RNR666 #Jazzaj #T+U #Farbwechsel #S Olbricht #Aurora #Uh Fest #Kuss Mich

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cleardeerdreamland · 4 years

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Guide to American Bars and Nightclubs

Whether studying or working in the United States, I always want to make my life more colorful every weekend. During the day, I can go hiking, picnic, and outdoor health sports. In the evening, I can of course meet my friends for a drink at a bar or go to a nightclub. , Relieve the pressure of life.

When it comes to going to bars and nightclubs, some friends who are new to the US may feel a little timid in their hearts. What's worth noting about attending these entertainment venues? Let me share with you today, Meidi Bar and Nightclub Survival Guide! Let you be a handsome, happy and sophisticated cub!

What are the American nightlife

Bar, Pub, Lounge

The picture comes from @upstairsnyc, the copyright belongs to the original author More casual and relaxed bar venues, Bar and Pub do not have band DJ performances, and mostly use light music and jazz as the background. Different types of bars have different main alcohols and different ways of playing, such as red wine suitable for dates, beer suitable for friends to chat, cocktails and whiskey suitable for business negotiations. Many dining bars and coffee bars also provide drinking services at night.

Consumption: Depending on the bar environment, service, wine, etc., it ranges from a dozen to a few hundred dollars.

Nightclub

It can also be called Club directly, which is a very hilarious nightclub. In fact, the show is mainly based on the smoky dances of demons. Alcohol is just a tool for fun. Most clubs need to pay an entrance fee ranging from $40-$60. Some clubs can enter for free before 12 o'clock.

Consumption: Club uses spirits and beverages as the main drinks, not the kind of place where you can enjoy good wine quietly. But drinks are not cheap, at least tens of dollars, maybe because everyone is very happy, you can take the opportunity to kill customers... If you want to book a card seat, the number of people will be required, usually 8-10 people or more, one Table prices will probably be around $1000.

Rave

It is usually in the form of outdoor or underground parties, mainly with electronic music, and most of them are better than nightclubs, swinging from beginning to end.

Consumption: All kinds of inexplicable hi, not mainly selling alcohol, except for the entrance fee, there is a mess of drinking, and the consumption will not be very high.

Nightlife preparation

Certificate

The most important thing is the credentials. Friends who are over 21 years old (18 years old can enter some occasions but cannot drink alcohol) must bring ID, otherwise they will definitely be rejected. If you have a US driver’s license, it’s good to bring your driver’s license directly. Try not to bring your passport. Losing it will be very troublesome.

cash

Although you can pay the bill through a bank card, sometimes you will need cash for tipping (remember to pay the bartender tip at the cocktail bar), entrance fee, and clothing storage fee. Nightclubs are messy and it is easy to confuse and lose your bank card. If the expense is not large, cash is also good.

Tickets

For some nightclubs or theme events with well-known DJs, you need to buy tickets on the official website in advance, or even rush to buy them. You must ensure that your purchase is successful in order to enter the venue smoothly.

Remembering AVICII, whose wave is never on the rhythm

Transportation

Driving under the influence of alcohol is very dangerous. It is not recommended to drive there, no matter if it is a drink or a big hiatus. Uber or taxi with friends is the best choice.

Tabard

If you just go to the bar to chat with your friends and have a drink, you can naturally dress casually and comfortably.

But if you go to a nightclub or participate in a theme party, then you will be coquettish. Girls are naturally sexy and beautiful dresses or hot pants. It is recommended to carry a small satchel and only carry important IDs, mobile phones, change and make-up items. Never carry a shoulder bag or a large bag. If the storage cabinet is insufficient or there is no bag storage service, it will not be fun to hold the bag all night!

Boys can choose a casual shirt.

note:

1. Some high-end venues do not allow casual wearers such as sports shoes, slippers, jeans, T-shirts, etc. to enter the venue. You must understand whether the venue you visit has a dress code.

2. Many young people will wear short-sleeved skirts directly to nightclubs in the cold winter, because it is really troublesome to store coats, and there is not even enough space to store clothes! Therefore, to go to nightclubs in winter, two factors, warmth and convenience must be considered.

3. Try not to bring inexplicable small items such as cups, bottles, bags, etc. It is easy to be suspected of carrying prohibited items.

If you know that it will be a hangover night, don't wear too expensive clothes, let alone dirty, and discard the clothes directly after playing.

Pre-game

This is also a common preparation for entering a nightclub abroad, that is, pre-hi! Generally, drink with friends at home or other bars. After everyone is already excited to enter the state, head to the nightclub. It's a bit like our domestic transition haha. But remember not to overdo the pre-game. People who are already drunk can easily be blocked by clubs and other places.

Admission

The casual bar is very simple, just ask the waiter to arrange a seat for you. When entering a nightclub, you need to line up when there are many people and show your ID one by one. Are there any reservations for decks and boxes? Are there different entrance channels for VIPs? Please pay attention to whether they enter in the correct channel.

Note: If the team is too long, a tip may be useful.

English tips for bars

To order a drink in a bar, it is nothing more than to understand their usual drinking habits and procedures, as well as some iconic alcoholic English, to summarize a small wave for everyone.

Open a tab

Before ordering wine, the bartender will generally ask if you need to "Open a tab" or "Put it on a tap", which means whether to keep the bill for unified checkout. If you only order a glass of wine, you can pay it directly to a credit card or make a single payment in cash. If you will order wine consecutively, you will go to "Close the tab" before you leave to check out.

On the House

The store is free to entertain. If you hear the waiter say this, then congratulations you don’t need to pay for this glass of wine.

Alcohol + configuration beverage

If you have a clear bartending preference, specify the order in which the name of the wine is first and the beverage is configured, such as "Hakushu and soda", "Gin Tonic", "Vodka Redbull"

A mixer

Drinks used for bartending

Premium drink

The more famous and expensive liquors in the store

Well drink

Cheaper bartenders in the store

House wine

Cheap wine or special champagne in the shop

A Chaser

It is usually used to buffer the burning sensation after drinking a relatively high alcohol concentration.

Highball

Ordinary tall glasses and big glasses are served in a cocktail with simple ingredients and easy preparation.

Lowball

Classical flat-bottomed cups, similar to Highball, are also base wines and beverages, often with a little more connotation.

A mist

Cocktail with crushed ice

Neat

Pure wine without adding any ice cubes and without any modulation is most conducive to the taste of the wine itself.

On the rocks

Pure wine + ice cubes, the taste will be better. Ice slicing is a technical job. You can sit at the bar and watch the bartender cut the ice, which is pleasing to the eye!

Straight up

It is still pure wine, a bit like our de-icing taste.

Draft beer / Tap beer / Beer on tap

Draft beer

Shots

When you order wine in a nightclub, no one has the heart to mix it carefully for you, and you usually choose shots (usually small glasses of spirits). One sip is full of energy, usually tequila, Sambuca, Vodka, Pussy, etc.

#bar #club bhfyp fun o hotel a coffee bartenderlife cerveja whisky cheers dance craftbeer whiskey bartenders vodka nightclub mixologist photoofthe

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joneswilliam72 · 5 years

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The 405 Speaks To: Night Vision's Derek Martin

Derek Martin is the co-founder of Night Vision, an Edinburgh-based clubbing brand spearheading progress of the capital's dance music scene. We spoke to Derek after the latest artist announcement for his biannual day festival event Terminal V, about the growth of Night Vision, the progress of Terminal V, and the state of Scottish nightlife.

***

How was the launch?

Yeah that was our third artist announcement and it went down really well. The big, big names on the first and second announcement and a lot of the names we announced yesterday were part of our official stages which we are adding on to the event. There was more of a diversity and musical scope to the ones we announced yesterday. We're pretty happy with where we're at, it's pretty much covering all the bases we set out to cover musically. So yeah, I think it went down pretty well.

In terms the diversity of the acts you're bringing up, looking at the Night Vision "About" on the website and the stuff you've done in the past, it seems to be something you're keen to push forward; the diversity of dance acts you put on. Can you give a background to how Night Vision came about and what you're mission goal was?

Night Vision was something we launched in 2014. I'd been promoting events under the MUSICA banner for a few years in Edinburgh which was pretty much all house and techno. Now Simon who is my business partner, was promoter on a night called Explicit, which was a drum and bass, dubstep; an event which pretty much did everything I wasn't doing and visa versa. So Night Vision was a coming together of the two brands to try and offer a cross-the-board platform of events, from house to techno, bass, disco, everything. Everything that's good about electronic music under one banner. The scene was a bit quieter that it had been for a long time, the acts that were coming to the city, so we were just looking to bring something on the scale that was being done down south, and that's how Night Vision was born.

When we launched it we were pretty much doing 50 events per year over multiple venues. Just bring the best acts in the city. But the plan was always to take Night Vision to festival level, and that was the whole game plan from the start. To build the brand, build the following, to appeal out of Edinburgh and having people coming to the city as opposed to leaving Edinburgh to find these types of events and see these types of acts. So I guess it did, when we finally got to Terminal V in 2017, but Terminal V is more focused on house and techno, with a bit of electro; they're not really doing any bass at Terminal V, which we do at Night Vision so the musical difference is more down the techno route and such.

Going back since you started it for a few years now, what have been your favourite moments in the past editions?

There's so many events we've done! Sometimes you actually forget. But some of the ones that stand out is Green Velvet B2B Eats Everything is a good one. About three years ago we did a birthday event under the Night Vision banner that was the first time that those two guys had played together and it was a special night. We've got long ties over the years. We've been booking him since he was a few hundred pound DJ, so we do have a good relationship with Eats and Green Velvet. That night B2B was quite a special night for everyone. And I think they made a track together after that night. Like we've had nights with Ben UFO B2B Floating Points which was special. We had Nina Kraviz play the first ever Night Vision, we've done big shows at the Corn Exchange with Annie Mac. I guess it's been a real diversity over the years, it's been good.

youtube

I was telling people I was interviewing you and when I went up to Liquid Room over the holidays, it was interesting chatting to people down here in London because there's a perception down south that Glasgow is the dance music capital of Scotland, and I put forward you guys and a few other places for why Edinburgh at least on equal footing with Glasgow. Do you ever find compared to Glasgow that Edinburgh is underreported and underrepresented in the national media and how many great events you guys put on?

I think in the past, yeah Edinburgh always been in Glasgow's shadow and I think it's justified; I mean Glasgow has been producing lots of great events and festivals, and there are great venues in Glasgow, so it has been for a long time. But if you go back to the 90s, Edinburgh was a stronger city back to the days of Pure and all sorts of events in the mid 90s, with venues such as The Venue and the Honey Comb. I think there was a shift after that period, but at this time, it's definitely shifting back and there's a lot happening in Edinburgh once again. You can see that from the amount of people that come to our events from Glasgow. That would never have happened on this scale say five years ago.

One thing I want to get into is the launch of 500GWR at the refurbished Viper next month, where they've taken The Arches soundsystem. I think it's quite interesting given five years ago, across the country things were looking quite bleak for nightclubs, with the police looking quite draconian. Do you think the outlook for Scottish nightclubs and nightlife generally is starting to improve?

There's always ups and downs. You know, what happened to the Arches and some other venues, and then here in Edinburgh we've had venues close down such as The Venue, so yeah, it's definitely been tough. I guess trying to find the venue for a certain type of event, we sometimes struggle with this; the perfect size of venue for the type of acts or the show we want to put on. I guess one of the driving forces for Terminal V is to find a vast space and create our own thing you know? But yeah, ups and downs. When one club closes sometimes another one appears, but it's always a challenge it seems in Scotland with venues and licencing.

What sort of measures would you like to see be implemented to help nightlife in Edinburgh and Scotland generally, in terms of from a council funding perspective or sort of leasing laws. Is there any way you can envision that would really make your lives easier that is achievable?

Oh I don't know about easily achievable. In an ideal world, the authorities would take a more open-minded approach such as in Amsterdam and other European cities, then that would be a great thing but I just don't think it's likely to happen. Even the licensing and operating times down south are so much for flexible than we have in Scotland. In Edinburgh it's three o'clock closing, Glasgow it's sometimes two I think. It's very restrictive in terms of operating licencing times. I don't think it's going to change any time so either so yeah, if there is a solution I'd love to hear it!

I'll keep an ear out! The last thing I guess, with the announcement yesterday of the other two behind it, what are your ambitions for 2019 and the next stage of Night Vision?

I'm focused on Terminal V. The event itself has almost increased in size like five times since we launched it in April 2017 and the way it's going, it doesn't seem to be slowing down so we are looking to continue to grow Terminal V, whether that's a jump to a two day festival next year or jumps to a higher capacity, then we'll see. The example for Easter will be we're already going outside with two additional stages which we've never done before. That's the beauty of our site - it's scalable and we can grow. The plans for Halloween this year are already to take it a step further than Easter, so our focus is strongly on Terminal V and growing the festival and take it as far as we can in terms of quality to our customers, and the type of acts we're attracting to the city. I guess with regards to Night Vision as a whole, we'll still continue doing the smaller club shows in the city. Not as much as we once did, with Terminal V running twice a year, but there still will 15 to 20 club shows from us per year for Night Vision.

Trying to have a wide spread of different things going on?

Yeah, I think that's what we've sort of been doing for the last 5 years now so as much as when we did launch Night Vision we wanted to launch shows of all sizes, from 200 capacity to 3000, I can definitely see us doing a little bit less than that with Terminal V now demanding the numbers we're looking at, I think a less is more approach.

You can buy tickets for Terminal V here.

from The 405 http://bit.ly/2TH7LM0

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mrwilliamcharley · 6 years

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SVDDEN DEATH Is The Newest Face Of Dubstep [INTERVIEW]

Making his arrival to old stomping grounds, SVDDEN DEATH was able to pay a special visit back at his hometown of San Jose, California. Enlisted as a hectic support act for Snails‘ wicked Shell 2.0 Tour, the California native was ready to rock a crowd full of anxious bassheads. Packing the venue in all directions, concertgoers came out in full force to show support for the hometown kid. After boasting an extraordinary campaign this year, the dubstep artist saw his career propel due to breakout records such as “Angel Style” with Somnium Sound and his entire “VOYD Vol.1” EP. To capture all his thoughts and feelings, we caught up with the new face of dubstep in this exclusive interview.

—

What was your first experience with Electronic Music?

I mean, as a kid. I grew up listening to Kraftwerk and stuff like that. Back then it was considered super experimental. My first experience with dubstep in particular though, I listened to some old Benga with my friends. My friend was really into UK/BBC Radio stuff and showed it all to me. When I first got into it, there was this app I had in like 2008 when androids were super new and stuff. I had this shitty app that helped me download music and I was looking up a bunch of Skream and Rusko etc. – SVDDEN DEATH

It’s interesting how that moment became so important to you because in your early years you were in metal/indie/jazz bands correct?

I did a bunch of random shit yeah haha – SVDDEN DEATH

That’s quite the musical journey, Your earlier aliases saw you producing stuff along the lines of Electro & Big Room. Looking back at that time, who would you say are your greatest musical influences?

Yeah mostly just electro. I was super inspired by Mord Fustang, Feed Me, and Skrillex. – SVDDEN DEATH

Do you aspire to mirror any of their styles/sounds?

Me and Somnium Sound, we’ve been listening to a lot of Knife Party and stuff. We’re trying to bring that kind of style back. Not in a dramatic sense, but just to make it you know. – SVDDEN DEATH

Just for fun right?

Yeah, because back then I fucking sucked hahaha – SVDDEN DEATH

What do you think is the biggest change you have seen in EDM or Dubstep since your early days?

Dubstep has gone through a lot of different changes over the past decade. Ever since it started getting recognized as its own genre. Back in 2008 I feel like Dubstep went past Garage and stuff. The biggest thing I’ve seen now from when I use to go to raves is that Dubstep used to be much more melodic and uplifting. Now I feel like the genre is just pure ‘fuck you’ music. Like mosh pit, fucking punch your family in the face music. – SVDDEN DEATH

I don’t know if you’ve heard people say ” I’d punch a baby to this” I know I’ve said it before.

I’ll punch a baby. Give me your baby I’ll punch them in the face! – SVDDEN DEATH

Can I quote you on that?

Oh yeah 100% hahaha – SVDDEN DEATH

Having such an explosive year, the recent chatter has surrounded your side-alias VOYD. What convinced you to create the project?

To me, it’s not really a side-alias anymore. It’s more of a continuation of like a darker and heavier style of my music. With SVDDEN DEATH I want to branch out and do more melodic stuff. I still think VOYD is the kind of music I get into when i’m mad or really stressed. – SVDDEN DEATH

How will you differentiate VOYD and Svdden Death going forward?

The way it’s being put out in the shows is sort of poised to look as a side alias but to be honest I don’t want to differentiate it much. I just want people to know it’s still me and that VOYD is a part of SVDDEN DEATH. – SVDDEN DEATH

It’s been insane to see your career propel in the way it has and I’m sure you have even crazier feelings about it. With that said, What has surprised you the most about being a Touring DJ/Producer?

It’s really really really hard. It’s not like I expected it to be easy nor am I surprised but the most important part to me is that when you’re making music you have to keep a really strong work ethic. Especially because everyone’s attention spans in dubstep are really short because theres a lot of songs and crazy ideas being pushed out all the time. When that happens it’s awesome because it inspires a lot of people but when it happens you need continue being consistent so people don’t get bored. – SVDDEN DEATH

What are you most excited/nervous about in the future?

I’m really excited to do my own headlining tour with a bunch of my friends who i’ve been making music with since day one. I’m really excited to start making more experimental shit and more heavier shit…. as far as what i’m nervous about… definitely all of that too hahaha – SVDDEN DEATH

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'SVDDEN DEATH Is The Newest Face Of Dubstep [INTERVIEW]

The post SVDDEN DEATH Is The Newest Face Of Dubstep [INTERVIEW] appeared first on Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music.

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thotyssey · 6 years

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On Point With: Jen Urban

Embodying what it means to be Nightlife Cool, this performer has kept us dancing from both the stage and the DJ booth for awhile now. This year, Brooklyn has shown her love right back, with two Brooklyn Nightlife Award nominations for Best DJ on the Rise (um, really? Gurl’s not “rising,” she is very much “Here,” but whatevs) and Best Vocalist. Make way for Jen Urban!

Thotyssey: Hi Jen! How are you doing tonight?

Jen Urban: Hi! Having a great night. I’m just finishing up a DJ set, actually. I do a party once a month called “A Sunday Kind of Love” at Dream Baby. It’s always a happy, chill vibe!

Cute! Do you see any difference between DJing queer spaces versus not-so-queer venues?

That’s a great question! I am honestly surprised they are still as segregated as they are, but really I love a lot of crossover. It’s great when a straight crew from Union Pool walks by karaoke and comes in to sing, or the gay boys take over Lady Stardust. Ultimately, we are all out to have a good experience. There are great people in every scene. I strive to artistically appeal to people who like what I do, not who want to sleep with me.

Let’s get you’re story! First off, where are you from and what were you into growing up? Was it always music?

Always music! I grew up in Northern California. My parents are hippies, and where always taking me to outdoor festivals and concerts in the park. My dad used to teach me to pick out what instruments where playing in songs, and my mom always encouraged me to sing and perform. I wrote my first song when I was 7, and never stopped.

What were the artists and scenes that were influencing you in the beginning?

I was a pop kid when I was little. Madonna was huge. Later, I got really into everything from classic rock to dirty rap. I was always less interested in the genre then what a song made me feel.

A very huge musical moment for me was when I simultaneously fell in love with grunge and techno / trip hop. That was really when I realized it wasn’t about organic vs. electronic, but I wanted to combine them and find a distinct sound. I wanted to be Courtney Love and Portishead at the same time.

That would be an amazing combo! Were you in a lot of bands before The Box? In high school I was actually really focused on classical music and musical theatre, so my first band wasn’t until college. My guitar teacher John Zay and I started a band after he kept teaching me chords and scales, and I never practiced--I just kept writing songs. There was a great indie music scene in Santa Cruz. I was in a few different bands with the same group of people. My favorites were a four piece, Calle Baby Machine, and an all girl pop punk band called Estrella.

Eventually the scene got too small for me, and I joined John Zay in Brooklyn. At that point he was producing, and I made a solo album called Pass Stars and became Jen Urban, and eventually Jen Urban and the Box. The band started out as an all-girls four piece. It was a bit less dancey and more rock. We had some success in the lesbian scene and played the Warped Tour, but I was missing the drama and synth vibe I originally intended to find.

When the girls all decided to focus on visual art and move to the West Coast, I met Alan D--and I feel like my vision was realized! He is extremely talented, and we clicked from the first notes we played together. Like falling in creative love at first sight. We have been a duo ever since.

Jen Urban & The Box have had quite career. How much music have you recorded at this point, in all the group’s incarnations? I put out a limited edition EP with the girls--which is not available on iTunes, so those readers who are out there and have them, hold on tight! Lol. Alan and I have released a full length album, Urban Daydream, and an EP, Aeon Walk. We also released the single “Haunted” on SoundCloud.

We have six more tracks recorded that will be released in conjunction with a promo video for each one over the coming months, along with some re-releases and new videos. The plan is to pump up our YouTube channel while releasing new music. So instead of the traditional album release, we will be releasing a video and track each month for a year starting in June! Just in time for the BNAs!

Werk! I love your videos. I just watched the one for "21"... that stars Epiphany as the door queen!

Thank you! Yes! Lol! That was filmed at Sugarland, which will always hold a special place in our hearts! We held a very long and fun monthly residency there.

youtube

Music in the queer community, even "edgier" scenes like Brooklyn, is so dominated by commercial pop. And you rarely see musicians with instruments in queer venues these days. Is that frustrating?

I think it’s kind of a bummer, but it challenges me to perform in different ways. I have become a more versatile performer! As a solo artist and a band, I am able to do a set to tracks, or with a whole band depending on the venue. I love that freedom and challenge.

How abot DJing? When did you start doing that in BK?

I started DJing at Cattyshack in Park Slope in around 2005. I learned on vinyl, but mostly worked with CDs. I did song-to-song pop sets (still do upon request) for many. In 2012, I got really into mixing and electronic production. I am hoping to start more house and dance music-centered sets. I am producing a solo project under the name Rozeg0ld (exclusive alert!!!). I hope to release the first album for that project next spring.

We'll definitely look out for that! What’s your favorite bop to spin right now?

Kimbra, “Top of The World.”

Nice! These days, you are the Wednesday night karaoke DJ and hostess at Macri Park. What are the joys and sorrows of hosting karaoke?

Lol! It’s a labor of love. There are a lot of joys, because Macri is a chill spot and my regulars are the best! I love to sing, and it’s been great for my ego to get up there and do a mediocre performance, lol! I have to remember it’s not a show, it’s an opportunity to encourage others to do what I love to do, and just get up there and sing your heart out!

It’s hard when people don’t tip, or get frustrated with a long wait time. I really try to be fair and keep everyone in order of when they put in a request. I don’t take money to move people up, I try to let newbies sing before repeats... but generally I just try to keep things moving and fun. I also get very tired of certain songs, but if you knock it out of the park I gain a new appreciation for a song I’ve heard sung way too many times. I am truly grateful and humbled for the opportunity to work in an industry with so much competition. I love nightlife, even as a sober mom! In fact, maybe even more now.

I didn't know you were a sober mom! That seems like the most difficult type of person to be in this biz.

Yep! I have been sober for 7 years, and my partner and I have a 3 year-old girl! It has been hard to get back in the game full force, but I actually love it even more. My daughter inspires me to create better work! I do have a bit of a sugar-free Red Bull addiction, but being onstage and behind a DJ booth with all my wits about me gives me a confidence and freedom I didn’t have before. Plus, I don’t have to worry about getting kicked out of the clubs I work at anymore!

Is your daughter musical?

She is definitely a performer! She asks me to watch her “show” and sings and dances around the living room. She really likes to drum, so that’s cool, lol. She also is very drawn to the stage. She will be at our set on June 2nd at McCarren Park for the GO Green Festival at 1pm. So I’m excited for her to see what I do now that she’s not really a baby any more.

She'll be transfixed! You also DJ Friday nights at Lady Stardust, which we talked about earlier. It’s a new venue in the East Village above the bar 2A, where your gurl and former karaoke co-host Brie YOB tends bar. I was there for her Drag Race viewing party a few weeks ago, SO cute! How are you enjoying that space?

I love it! I’m so excited to work in a mixed venue with great drinks! People dance, make out, and enjoy all the food stuff in a pretty atmosphere.

I also do a monthly party there with Danielle Cardona! It’s called “Torch” and it features local dance and pop artists, not only live but incorporated into my DJ set! It’s the Third Thursday of every month, except this month it’s Danielle’s video release on 5/31!

Another great thing to look out for! And congrats so much on your two Brooklyn Nightlife Award noms, for best vocalist (Jen Urban & The Box) and best DJ on the Rise (even though you're a veteran!) How delighted and / or surprised were you when you found out?

I actually really wasn’t expecting them, because we are / I am just getting back on track. So I was so so surprised and excited and grateful. I love this community, and how we support each other. And I just want to shout out [BNA showrunners] Merrie Cherry, Ickarus, and Cameron for doing such a a great job!

I look forward to seeing you there! Okay, in closing: What's your best advice for an aspiring musician today?

I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer that one! Lol. But, I can say to anyone new to the city: don’t give up! Never stop making the music you love. Write from the heart, dig deeper, and work on your art everyday! Get your music out there, and trust that you will find your people. I truly believe now after years of letting my fear and ego hold me back that the music we make is a gift to the world. A power greater then me works through me when I let it.

Thank you, Jen!

Jen Urban hosts / DJs karaoke at Macri Park Wednesday nights (9pm). At Lady Stardust, she spins every Friday night (10pm) as well as every third Thursday for the “Torch” party (10pm), and also spins “A Sunday Kind of Love” monthly at Dream baby (4-10pm). Check Thotyssey’s calendar for all scheduled gigs, and follow Jen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube.

Vote for Jen (and Jim Silvestri / Thotyssey!) in the Brooklyn Nightlife Awards here.

On Point Archives

#onpointwith #jenurban #jenurbanandthebox

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anna-2807 · 5 years

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Event Details

Event Type – Let your DJ know the event type so that they have an idea for the flow of your party. A birthday party flows completely differently than a wedding or a corporate promotional event.

Event Date – Having the exact date is necessary to be able to confirm vendor availability.

Event Location – Many Event Djs will need to add additional pricing if your event is outside of their standard service area.

Event Start Time – What time is your event supposed to start. Keep in mind what you’ve got listed on the invitations.

Age Range – This will help your DJ to determine what sort of music will be needed/appropriate for the event.

Equipment / Services

Sound System – You’ll need this unless the venue already has one. (most do not) Let your vendor know the estimated head count so they can make sure to get you the appropriate set up.

Event Logistics

Having these details in mind when you discuss your event with your vendors will help things to move more smoothly and will help to ensure that you get exactly what you’re looking for.

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