Do Not Feed the DJ

Be a beat-driven-crossfading Army Of One.

DO NOT FEED THE DJ isn’t really a new concept. I have been a DJ for almost 10 years. That’s longer than reality TV has existed. I started with two unresponsive Gemini CD players and a crossfader neither crossed nor faded. I’ve DJ-ed huge Auditoriums with domestic house speakers, and little house parties with 800 watt crown amps. Over the year’s I’ve worked many gigs, from Gay Proms, to straight weddings, to opening for DEVO and Anime Raves. I have a full time gig working in Television Production, so while spinning isn’t my bread and butter, it is definitely the jam to my toast. Early on it’s important to ask what kind of DJ you want to be, far beyond a genre or scene, it’s important to figure out what your goals are and why you do it in the first place.

To Gear or Not to Gear
Ford F150, or Mazda Miata? It has nothing to do with your taste in cars, and everything to do with how much gear you can carry. Most of my DJ peers either sold their amps and speakers, or never owned them to begin with. Going down the route of ‘Mobile DJ’ opens up the doors to more paid gigs, but it has it’s drawbacks. If you’re in love with the Idea of owning the biggest speakers and the brightest light show, that means that your chaining yourself to hours of set up and take down, and you’re most likely going to book personal parties and banquet halls. If your goal is to make money and pay off you’re equipment and start making cash, then this is the perfect direction for you . But if your ultimate goal is to be a performance DJ, then you’ll most likely be setting up at clubs, concerts and festivals, where you plug into a bigger and better system than you could ever fit in your car.

Hang Out With Other DJs
The more you know the better. It’s easy to be a bedroom DJ, hop on YouTube and leave comments that everyone’s mixes suck. It’s a bit more productive to actually get out and hear some locals DJs spin and exchange information. You can also get a little collective going, perhaps your destiny is to be a part of a group. Being in a collective not only opens you up to a whole network of gig possibilities, but it expands your music collection, and you can pick up all your DJ buddies’ good habits, and dump all the bad ones.

More Poking, less Craigslist
Craigslist is a great concept, thousands of gigs are posted daily, but bare in mind that there are equally thousands of DJs fighting for the same spot. Craisglist is also a cesspool of phishers and spammers. There’s a good chance that when you apply for a gig that you’re simply giving up your e-mail address for some promoter’s list serve. Ever notice that after you apply for a gig, your e-mail box is suddenly bombarded with invitations to night clubs? Aside from all that pleasantness, Craigslist tends to create a fever mentality, and you may be tempted to simply apply for all the gigs you see and lose focus of what you really want to do.
It’s better to get out to events you’d like to be spinning at and meet people face to face to network. You can apply to a hundred gigs online and never hear back, but sometimes adding 4-5 new people onto your Facebook profile can be a more meaningful transaction leading to gigs that are directed to your genre.

Work it. Own it.
I don’t flex the word ‘elite’ very often. But I know talent and hustle when I see (hear) it. Every great DJ I know has a deep understanding of music, not only playing it but creating it. If you’re ready to take your love for electronic to the next level, then it’s time to hit those loops and timelines and start producing. It seems daunting, but even a rudimentary knowledge of Garage band can open up a new world to play with. When it comes to creating electronic music there are hundreds of tools to use, so don’t be afraid to learn what a measure and a phrase is, or what key a song starts in. Creating music can only make you a better DJ, you’ll learn to appreciate every bass line, filter, and hi-hat in every song you hear.

Dream a Little Dream
Everyone starts out with the dream of spinning beats to massive crowds all over the world while being paid unreasonable amounts of money. But as artists we all have to settle on who we want to be. We’re all going to start off with a mix of of backyard boogies, weddings, nightclubs, and festivals. But the decisions we make along the way will funnel our talent into one direction or another. There was a time when I played radio pop music in nightclubs night after night, ad nauseum until I couldn’t take it anymore. I realized that the ‘working DJ’ wasn’t my bag. I started over and went back to my house music roots. I now fancy myself a “Performance DJ,” not tethered to working for cash, and perfectly honest about not accommodating requests. I consider being a DJ a privilege rather than a right, and it’s taken a long time to figure out exactly who I wanted to be when I step up to the decks.

We all knew it was coming… the end of a season is upon us, school is resuming, vacations are ending, and all the endless summer nights will dither away like daylight savings. But rejoice! I come bearing gifts! (which is not as cool as bearing breasts, but like I said, SUMMER’S OVER…) Download and listen to the official DO NOT FEED THE DJ ‘end of Summer’ mixtape entitled “Sans Pants,” featuring tracks by:

Ben Benassi
MSTRKRFT
Robbie Rivera
Tittsworth
John Legend & Laidback Luke
Kaskade & Dirty South
Hyper Crush
Douster
Aloe Blacc
Childish Gambino
Hollertronix
Van She & Safari Boy
Jinder 12th Planet & Flinch

Click image to download, or listen now in Flash player

Sans Pants Mix

Since the dawn of time humans have been driven to dance. It’s used in civilization to celebrate, to mourn, to socialize, and to mate. Dancing is a unique human response from the head-bob to the toe-tap, we’re simply hardwired to respond when we hear those primal beats.

Now, if ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ has taught me anything, it’s that the un-dead absolutely love to dance. Zombies represent everything great about society, sluggish, food-motivated, with a lemming mentality and an involuntary need to stomp to the rhythm.

Ever since Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the marriage of horror and popular dance music has been a no-brainer. (painful pun intended…) But what is it about these undead hordes that make us love them so?

There’s something about the ho-hum tasks of everyday life like commuting to work and paying bills that makes us say “You know what? being a responsible adult sucks! Gimme that un-dead zombie life! No more decisions or responsibilities, all I want to worry about is who’s going to be my next meal, and when can I pop lock?”

Zombies evolve just like everything else. Just as there was an era of slow lumbering zombies of Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead’ there had to be sprinting zombies on the streets of Manhattan in ’28 Days Later.’ The dance of the un-dead is bound to change and keep it hip for the kids. Zombie-type movement is associated with Rigor Mortis, or the stiffening of the muscles after blood stops pumping from the heart. These robot like motions evolved in the 70′s and 80′s breakdance culture as America became fascinated with developing technology faster than our Russian comrades. The choreography of the team in the above clip went on to dominate and win MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew as “We Are Heroes.” 40 years later, I’ll bet George A. Romero never thought he’d inspire dance floors all over the world.

It's filled with Twinkies, I promise...

Most people regard the disco era as a novelty, a fun loving time filled with embarrassing polyester clothes, slappy bass lines, and the undeniable establishment of 120 BPM as the new dance beat.  What people don’t think about is the liberating effect that main stream Disco had on the Gay Culture.  With everyone un-buttoning their shirts, showing off chest hair, and wearing tight pants, it was hard to tell who was ‘straight,’ and who was ‘straight-to-bed.’
Fast forward 40 years and you’ll find that tight pants, shirtless dancing, and dance beats all the rage once again.  Gender-bending fashion, waif-like boys with shaggy hair, and bright colored clothes are mainstream again.  Once again a flamboyant and outrageous gay-aesthetic dominates men’s fashion, fueled by beats that refuse to die.  Gone are the 90′s grimey grunge, baggy pants, and pajama sized t-shirts.  It’s all about tough guys in distressed tight pants, and be-dazzled Ed Hardy shirts.
But all fashion aside, is it possible for the gay-ificatin of a music and fashion scene to spark social change?  Here we are in 2010, still fighting for the rights to Same Sex marriage, and overturning ‘Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell.’  Can dance music’s thumping bass beats of acceptance rumble all the way to capitol hill?  Or like the 70′s will it fade into a social novelty of ‘the time we wore neon t-shirts and shutter shades?’
Chime in and let us know if the current stat of fashion an music can have a real effect on how Gay people are treated in this day and age.

for more info check www.Anime-Expo.org

THURSDAY JULY 1 @ The AX RAVE, JW Marriott 10:00PM
It’s going down, Los Angeles!  Anime Expo weekend is upon us and your favorite neighborhood DO NOT FEED THE DJ will be spinning at the JW Marriott Thursday night for all you AX attendees!  Catch a mix of Global Electro, Anime theme songs, and Video Game remixes at 10:00PM.

for more info go to: www.myspace.com/tuneintokyoclub

While there is no actual MC Hammer in this mix, it is infused with a dangerous amount of Parachute Pants…

Click image to download, or listen now in Flash player

Legit List Mix

Your guide to the Legit List:
01. Sharam ft. Kid Cudi – “She Came Along”
02. Pharrel Williams ft. Yuffie – “Add SUV” (Armand Van Helden Vocal Remix)
03. Moby – “Mistake” (Yuksek Remix)
04. The Shapeshifters – “Helter SKelter”
05. Larry Tee ft. Roxy Cotontail – “Let’s Make Nasty” (Afro Jack Remix)
06. Mason – “Exceeder” (Felguk Remix)
07. Computer Juice – “Computer Juice”
08. Richard Vision & Static Revenger ft. Luciana – “I Like That”
09. Fatboy Slim & Herve – “Machines can do the Work”
10. Dada Life – “Let’s get Bleeped Tonight”
11. Nikki & Rich – “Cat and Mouse” (LA Riots Remix)
12. Mark Knight & Dirty South – “Stopover”

"From the windows to the walls, til' the sweat drips down my... forehead!"

It’s the end of the academic year, a time for BBQ’s, beaches, all-night benders and most importantly crap-tastic Summer music.  This year many have tried, and many have failed in capturing the coveted title of ‘Song of the Summer.’ Welcome to the bone yard of dance music gone horribly horribly wrong. I may have taken some liberties with the song titles, but  bear in mind that I lost a great deal of brain cells during the research process.

#5 Miley Cyrus – “I Can’t Be Lamer”

I understand that it’s hard to compete in the pop world A.G. (After GaGa) but there has to be a better solution than Miley Cyrus’ blasphemous homage to King Kong while sitting in a giant bird nest with a giant Snookie-bump.

#4 Timbaland ft. Katy Perry – “If We Ever Meet Again (Please Shoot me in the Neck)”

As memory serves, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake created the first wave of Hip Hop infused with Electro/House synths with “My Love.” Timberland was also the genius that brought us the early hits of Aaliyah and Missy Elliott. We knew he was heading downhill when he started hanging out with that shady Furtado character, but it’s official. The deal he made with the devil has gone horribly wrong, and unless he learns to play the fiddle real quick, he’s heading for the last act of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride…

#3 NeYo – “Fruitiful Monster”

I’m pretty sure this is how it went down:
Music Executive #1: Hey, what’s better than one chandelier in my kitchen? TWO chandeliers in my kitchen!
Music Executive #2: Hey, what’s better than Tiesto and Michael Jackson? TECHNO MUSIC AND NEYO!!!

#2 I don’t want to give it away, but her initials are “Ke$ha”…

# 1 Enrique Iglesias: “I like it (on mute)”

This song was practically the inspiration for this article. Just when you thought Philadelphia cream cheese and salsa was a fucked up combination, along comes Enrique Iglesias, Lionel Richie, and Pitbull.  Enrique was most likely thrilled that auto-tune is now an acceptable alternative to singing, but his attempt to stay relevant is punishing the earth.

I’ll keep you updated on my personal summer Dance favorites next time around.  K.I.T.!!! Have a Bitchin’ Summer!!! Hope you Like Crap!!!