Data Smog

When I look at the list of music I have bought/downloaded (guilty as charged) / or ripped, I sometimes get a little asphyxiated with what David Shenk calls Data Smog.

I suppose I'm an information asthmatic. It is hard to remain productive, be that selecting new music for the season or keeping track of RSS feeds, or even remembering my passwords.

I however am confident in saying that my information smog cannot begin to compare with Beijing's real smog. And since I am not hosting any Olympics anytime soon, my net-coughing is just a blip on the Inbox.

Eagle vs. Goat

Happy Hardcore is the goat here.

We Love You George Carlin

One of my favorite comedians, and philosophers, of all time. George has influenced so many people with his raunchy thought provoking quips. I feel so lucky to have finally gotten a chance to see him live last year. RESPECT.

Comedian George Carlin Dead at Age 71

What You Can Do For Music?

You do what you can, but food comes first (most of the time). As you may or not have noticed, I haven't really been posting much lately, and I attribute that to my preparations to outsource myself.

What if I could work in a geographically independent manner? My preference is a nice secluded beach in Costa Rica next to a nice beach-house-club and decent sound equipment to throw some sandy parties

So I tirelessly toggle Ideas noting what sticks to the pan as I consult pen-pals (remember those days?) for feasibility.

What if I start a blog about outsourcing myself...but of course continue this one which will only happen if and when I make some more free time...

Right now I sit in a cubicle (an open one, mind you)...

...Sitting through a shitty band

Getting dog shit on my hands

Getting hassled by the man

Waking up to an alarm

Sticking needles in your arm

Picking up trash on a freeway

Feeling depressed everyday

Leaving without making a sound

Picking my dog at the pound

Living in a tweeker pad

Getting yelled at by my dad

Saying I'm happy when I'm not

Finding roaches in the pot

All these things I do

They're waiting for you

(Sublime - Garden Grove lyrics)

...or not

The State of Our Scene

There are times when we all sit back and think about the many obstacles DJs, ranging from the bedroom to the main stages, must deal with throughout our musicultural journey.

Self described as a 'producer/remixer/singer/songwriter,' Detroit native Aaron-Carl tunes into an ongoing case of the jades that I believe many DJs here in the USA unnecessarily have to deal with.

In his post, State of the Scene, on his blog The Revelations of Aaron-Carl, AC makes three powerful observations about other scenes that I know resonate with some local DJs that have struggled to make a living as artists.

"Promoters actually stick together
and support each other's events."
I find this to be mostly true in the few Latin American countries I have visited and played. People who listen to electronic music have a natural kinship given all the mainstream media stronghold on taste. This is a worldwide phenomenon and to think that promoters wouldn't coordinate efforts because of their ego is a shame.

A couple times, I have seen almost completely unknown foreign DJs booked and being professionally treated in countries you wouldn't expect to see much of a scene, definitely not like Miami or Detroit (which are so full of these pissing contests, it's ridiculous). We need to communicate more with each other. In music, I firmly believe in the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

"The DJs/Entertainment are
RESPECTED for their craft."
Many times clubbers who aren't familiar with the work of a DJ tend to think that anyone can do it. If so, please, be my guest and take a shot at it. This isn't rocket science, mind you, but to think that you can just walk in and spin a tight set without spending quite a bit of time looking for music or learning some mixing techniques, well that's just silly.

I also find that in South Florida, where I currently live, not that many people have a musical background, especially promoters. I blame this on handicapped and closing arts and letters high school programs throughout the state, but I am leaving that one for another post, in another blog, on another day.

AC speaks of DJs getting paid their Fee instead of the 'you take the door, we take the bar' bullshit so many of us have to endure. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I was paid a fee and not given some excuse about "slow nights" or "do this for free exposure." He adds,

"It's a fucking shame that some of Detroit's LEGENDARY DJs and artists
can't even make a decent living from their music. Superstar by night, meat
carver by day. The same one who rocked it out @ the club last night is the same
one you're cursing out at the local drive-thru..."

Why the fuck are WE (in Detroit)
running around, acting like we deservetop notch talent, but we bitch abouthaving to pay more than $5 dollarsfor a cover charge?
Tell me about it! Lets just say you are a promoter. Your venue is medium sized, maybe 400-500 capacity. you want to bring a medium level headliner that costs well into the four figures. Do the math: full capacity at $5 a head, you have $2500 to cover expenses!? that won't even cover the main DJ, not even considering guest lists, insurance, equipment, sound engineer, marketing, and all the other expenses that come with doing events. Oh and of course, your pay for all the hours you spent working on it.

So what do you do? you get sponsorships. And what do they do? they dictate exactly how the event goes. It is after all, their money. So you end up screwing a couple DJs over by underpaying them.

There is hope. People worldwide are beginning to understand what it takes to have a healthy scene.

I am glad to hear artists like Aaron-Carl reaching out, actively mobilizing a scene that has given the world so much pleasure. Detroit is one of those cities where it all began, and its influences you can find in so many mixes and nightclubs worldwide.

Will American cities be left biting the dust like their housing market? I hope not, but unless everyone works together, artists promoters and fans included, the end will come and you will forever be stuck with shit music.

Do You Know Osho? part 1

Behold the greatest philosopher of the past century. Part one of of an infinite series:

OSHO - Strange Consequences: a meditation about the English language's most powerful word: "FUCK"!

Haiku: Why I DJ

Ineffable souls
Euphoric dancing, eyes shut
My inspiration

Reborn Reincarnated Recycled

The time has come. To expand to many more planes of thought is our calling. They said it couldn't be done, change. We shall inherit the memes of past concept-blogs that never saw the light of day, baptized with a new name: Memetik. Described so simply with ineffable gravitas, "In tune with that which surrounds you, both within you and without you."

Here is where my vision of music meets its yang, where my dreams meet their ying, the ride as fulfilling as its destination. What's mine is yours and what's yours is wine. Shall we drink together? I propose a toast to freedom, by screens, keyboards and mice alike.

So welcome!

Tune In, Turn On, or Drop Out.

Are humans hard-wired for faith?

This story about how the brain works when people pray and meditate was featured on CNN.com today and got me thinking about how this relates to the DJ craft and music in general.

Religion and meditation sometimes uses the power of music to heighten the experience. From the article, "The frontal lobe, the area right behind our foreheads, helps us focus our attention in prayer and meditation." This same focus is needed when you spin.

A traditional DJ will play a track and at the same time listen to the next one in his/her headphones adjusting and smoothly making the transition. It takes a sharp focus to discern a difference in tempo and adjust it on-the-fly unless the DJ uses the equipment to fix it automatically (for those out there who still pitch manually, bless your soul, respect). Similar to professional athletes, the DJ gets "in the Zone" or "Flow" as they mysteriously know what song to play, when, and how to mix it in like a basketball player hits net after net.

"When we think of religious
and spiritual beliefs and practices,
we see a tremendous similarity
across practices and across traditions."
I liken the DJ to a shaman bringing a tribe into a trance through music. The use of repetitive beats and progression mixed with communal dancing and other interaction allows the individual to loosen their hold on consciousness and delve into altered states of mind. There is the perception that only drugs get you there, but such assumptions (that all shamans or tribes take drugs, or that the drugs are the only catalyst to a spiritual experience) are superficial and knee-jerked.

Ask anyone that has been into the
electronic music scene for a while
what feelings they have as the DJ makes
the flawless mix, right time, place,
people, and music and watch them
think about it, lost in a hint
of euphoria
as they try to describe the ineffable.
Religious? Maybe.
Spiritual? Definitely.
The accounts of intense religious and spiritual experiences are topics of fascination for people around the world. It's a mere glimpse into someone's faith and belief system. It's a hint at a person's intense connection with God, an omniscient being or higher plane. Most people would agree the experience of faith is immeasurable."

Raindeer

We were soaked for hours warming up eating shishkebabs and dancing. Many walks of life united under the swaying palm trees and water blankets. Ultra Music Festival was a fierce two-day storm.

The powerful speakers were felt over a mile away and many happy people were dancing, eating, drinking, screaming, thrashing, dreaming, and most of all, smiling. We don't get many electronic festivals in South Florida. The hunger for more was there with many people going to after-parties at the many venues scattered throughout Miami.

"I felt like a raindeer in an eight lane

rainy muddy highway,

lights all around me,

fast paced traffic

dodging my welcoming gaze."

There was trash and mud everywhere resembling humanity's over-consumption taking tolls on the environment. Thankfully though, I imagine large crews did the cleanup on Sunday. South Florida is far from "leaving no trace behind."

There were tents with different themes, the House Arena, Amnesia Ibiza, the Eco-Village, Contagious Musiq, and of course the Main Stage. The big shots played for thousands, and the niche genres got their piece of the pie as well.

Some complained it was too crowded. Others wanted the festival to last a week. I think two days is more than enough given that there are so many other things going on.

Bottom line: I can't wait for the next one!

Shady Beach No Trees

I know I should practice what I preach, but I was scheduled for a gig tonight in South Beach at a club I will not name (but you can find if you google a bit). I suddenly get a call that they don't feel like going through because there is a bigger event they are throwing up (spring break cruise) and mine was apparently not profitable enough. Well that is most definitely the end of these verbal agreements I make at SB.

Get a generic contract online and have the damn promoter sign it. Don't get me wrong, I am a promoter myself, but this weasel went overboard doing this last minute change. But it's okay, there will always be another gig, and this one certainly wasn't the biggest of the week, even. A entertainment lawyer I know once said that this is the most corrupt industry you can work for!

Why Space on MySpace?

Although Myspace is not the only social networking Website in the world, the overwhelming number of accounts makes it the alternate site for everyone in the music industry to have. This trend directly reflects a notion most people have that spamming is the best way to get people to listen to your music.

"Myspace spams me with so much stuff (mostly crap)

that the amount of time I give a

remotely interesting song is about 30 seconds."

You are an artist/label/publisher. You have a Myspace page. It's a good start, but what will you do once you get the audience's attention? Would anyone care to argue that on broadband Internet, we are NOT at our shortest attention span, ever? If so, please prove me wrong and I'll buy you a drink at your favorite pub.

Since you are reading this far, I challenge you to count how many different songs you hear on your computer each Web session (My compulsive clicking often gets me over 25 tracks per hour)

Just Myspace spams me with so much stuff (mostly crap) that the amount of time I give a remotely interesting song is about 30 seconds. 10 for the intro, middle and end respectively.

So Many Parties, So Little Time: the Dilemma

Who has the time to drive around the city looking for a good party? Trainspotters. The rest of us depend on these people to filter out the garbage from the treasure. The objective of these people or organizations is to obtain information about music, similar to how a stock broker observes the market.

Partying is not an unfamiliar concept to the South Floridian. Miami is very well known the world over with its gorgeous sub-tropical settings, cosmopolitan cuisine, and headliner performances. Electronic music is not the exception.

So many parties, so little time: the dilemma. Look in places where trainspotters work. The first and simple location is The Miami Herald events calendar. However, dance music enthusiasts might have a hard time finding what they want within the limits of their short attention spans, yours truly included.

This brings us to the daily updated listings of CoolJunkie catering to a class of yuppie-esque city types. Fasion, dance, alternative rock, you name it, they probably have something interesting you can attend.

Trainspotters have a credit system with their audience. If they deliver good quality information, they therefore have good credit. If not, their effectiveness and livelyhood will be at stake.

Astral Projection

Wikipedia calls it an "interpretation of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of psychotropics." Astral Projection is also the name of one of my favorite artists in the Goa Trance scene.

Astral Projection has played here in Florida at the Blue Cafe in Aventura, and I had the honor of opening for them. Their members, Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmutter, are based in Israel and have released over ten albums since the mid nineties mostly under the Phonokol label. There is an inspiring aura to their style and infectious euphoria buried within their rhythms.

Not many mention Goa Trance without mentioning Astral Projection within the same conversation. However and unfortunately, among the growing numbers of elitists in the Psy Trance scene, they have been dubbed as sell-outs because they have allowed themselves to change their sound over the last couple years, although not as drastically as Infected Mushroom (of which I will speak of sooner of later)

"Not many mention

Goa Trance

without mentioning

Astral Projection

in the same conversation."

These elitists, I feel sorry for them but also empathize with their plight. Music is a very personal thing, and we feel that when we find something that so strongly represents our identity, we become very possessive. But who are you to tell the creators of art what to do? It all comes down to whether art belongs to the creator or to the community.

Everything Changed with the Internet (part 1)

The days of raiding the crates for music are over. The internet has allowed many of us to discover many non-mainstream forms of music. We otherwise would have never known any better because there are few places that cater to the niche markets.

Just go to any music store in a mall and you will find just a handful of albums, usually produced by large record labels or sub-labels within them. The changes in the supply of music are allowing us to truly have a better selection. The large traditional music stores are complaining that the internet is stealing all their income, but ask yourselves this:

If our disposable income has changed little over the past couple years, and we now have more choices of media to spend our money on (videogames, DVD’s, computers, I-pods, etc) then isn’t it reasonable to argue that the declining income of the music industry giants is not as tied to piracy as it is to more competition from other media?

What about South Florida. How are we changing the way we purchase music? Ill ask some people in the industry and let you know within the next couple days.

Electronic Dance Music

Many names have been used to describe these children of Disco music. It was a regional thing: Detroit techno, house for Chicago, discothèques played all night and what their participants called it never really mattered.

I was not yet born when this revolution took place in the 70's, but somehow I feel some sort of simulated déjà vu through the remixes and retro fashion that we unoriginal people whom have found little new to bring to the table.

Are we really that lazy or has this music of our past been so powerful to blind most of us off new paths? I figure that music has more to do with how it makes you feel than anything else, but for the sake of negating musical incest, listen to something different once in a while, people.