WMC 2010.

[A story of my second annual Winter Music Conference]
Day 0: Wednesday at 9PM we started the 16-hour drive from Virginia to Miami. The first stop was Krispy Kreme, then played the scratch-off lotto in Fayetteville, followed by a 2AM jaunt to South of the Border; tourist trap or not, that place is fun. We were all so amped when we got to MIA the next afternoon, that we instantly changed and prepared to party.

Day 1: The first stop was the Alize Oasis at the Raleigh. They had complimentary hair, nails, makeup, and drinks. Peeped Steve Aoki, and enjoyed the sun and music. Dinner was La Sandwicherie, my favorite food spot in South Beach. And the last stop that night was the Fountainbleau. Saw Bronques from lastnightsparty, and hung out for a bit, but ultimately was too tired to continue. I wanted to be prepared for Friday's madness.

Day 2: Woke up at 9AM for brunch at the Pelican, then chauffeured Fabiana to her gig at the Get Wet party at the Standard. Too bad it rained most of the day, but they moved it inside and made the best of it. Next was Diplo and Kelis at the W Belvedere event. This was probably the highlight of the trip for me. Cassidy scored me these Spy sunglasses at the Asics gifting suite, and we ended the night at Vagabond.

Day 3: A relaxing day at the beach with some fabulous beverages from Wet Willie's & some thrift shopping along the way. A night at the White Room Trouble & Bass party for Fabiana, DJ Skeet Skeet, and Tittsworth. This was one of the craziest parties I've been to in a long time. Passed out for two hours and it was time to return to the District. Woke up at 630 AM for the much shorter flight home & slept like crazy.

[the end].

malucamala.

This winter, snow has caused quite a few cancellations of good concerts at Rock & Roll Hotel, but the show must go on. The absence of Amanda Blank on Saturday was definitely a bummer, but Maluca, Nadastrom, and DJ Jackie O held it down.
I ran across Maluca at the Mad Decent Block Party, and was curious to know more about her. After seeing her perform, I will summarize with the word "fierce". The New Yorker, via Dominican parents definitely has a talent and a look. Her red lipstick, long braid, and all-black attire were complimented by energetic vocals and dance moves. She was even performing on her birthday!

Check out the addictive single. "El Tigeraso":

readysetdc official launch party.

Tomorrow, ReadysetDC, official moves out of Beta and launches the new site. To celebrate we will be partying at LongView Gallery. Come join us!

pull up to the drive-thru gimme #9.

Last night I had the privilege of catching Tabi Bonney at DC9 for Feedback. Stereofaith was backing him on the decks and Lil El & Jackie O also contributed good sets. By the time Tabi went on it was late, liquor was flowing freely, and the hype was massive. Everyone just wanted to party, and were given a great show.

"Rock Bamas" was my standout favorite, but I also loved it when he called the women on stage for a dance-along. ReadysetDC were in the audience filming, and I joined the bevy of girls for some craziness. I also really like "The Pocket" and think it's nice that there's someone out there reppin' NE. These DC rappers are really restoring my faith in hip-hop as well as in the local scene. I hope to see Tabi again ASAP. He has the potential for really big things.

ones and twos.

There is definitely an up-and-coming "H Street DJ culture." Venues such as Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar, Rock & Roll Hotel (upstairs), Sticky Rice, and Jimmy Valentines cater to dance nights and DJ sets. This is a great way to supplement the nightlife culture in the city as the H Street Corridor continues to gain popularity. Check me out at Jimmy's NEXT SUNDAY October 18th for indie, post-punk, shoegaze, and everything rock!

i'm on a boat!

In early August, I participated in a video shoot for the Party Bros track "Ooh Bay Bay." Set at the Sharp family pool, the theme was sun, fun, and there's a Corvette in there too. The day was fruitful, and everyone waited patiently in anticipation of the finished product. Tuesday was the official premiere, which first took place on the "Celebrity" yacht and then migrated over to Wonderland Ballroom. A good time was had by all.

And so, without further ado:


More About The Shoot
More About The Boat

mad decent.

Yesterday I traveled up to Philly for the second annual Mad Decent Block Party. Diplo is one of my favorite DJs so I never miss a chance to see him. Got there mid-festivities and immediately ran to the free food that was being grilled up. The crowd was large, tunes bumpin', and Diplo was on the roof straight chillin', tossing shirts down. A costumed "dog" in a Michael Vick jersey was wandering the premises, to play on the fact that Vick signed to the Eagles. The DC crew was in full effect and it was good to see so many people I know had come out.

What I like the most about parties such as MDBP is the general sense of camaraderie and community. Everyone was drinking, dancing, and just having a good time. I appreciate it when artists make the effort to break down the barriers between themselves and the fans. I don't think an event this good and lax would happen in DC because of all the bureaucracy.

In terms of the music, I could have done without the so-called bands that were playing. I think I described the sound as "jibber jabber" because it was all a generalized loud muddled noise and random vocals. Many were into it, but it's just not really my thing. The DJs were all great though. They had everyone hyped up and ready to jam. I definitely hope that this summer tradition continues next year.

hey mr. dj...

With the help of local artists, Adrian Loving is the spearhead of an alliance to bring recognition and respect to career-DJs. The Deejay's Coalition is an organization formed to create an awareness and understanding of social and professional issues within DJ culture. This collective hopes that the "Deejays Are Not Jukeboxes" Campaign can bring important matters to the forefront in order to create a cultural consciousness amongst both DJs and partygoers.


Loving's concept will integrate local and global music scenes in an effort to educate employers and audiences about what it really means to be a DJ. An article by Karen Sommer Shallett in DC Magazine's July/August 2009 issue further articulates the cause by explaining:

Loving gathered 15 DC Djs together to create the “Deejays Are Not Jukeboxes” public-service announcement, which he hopes will raise the volume on respecting your DJ.

The bold (and even amusing) street-art campaign will be visible starting in mid-July in Northeast and Northwest DC public spaces and on flyers and T-shirts in clubs throughout the city. For photographer Abby Greenawalt, who shot the campaign, the creatives were ideal inspiration. “Being a DJ is part of who they are—it’s very personal,” she says. “I wanted to capture emotions that aren’t always associated with these individuals.”

So check it out, look for more to come, and remember that a DJ is not your personal iPod!

you're in the mix with nouveau riche.

Steve Bock and Andrew Wallace are two of the nicest guys I know. Also known as Steve Starks and Nacey, these fixtures in the District music and party circuit have put out an EP that packs the heat. The Starks & Nacey EP is an ambitious collection that manages to hit all the right notes. As DJs and producers, Starks and Nacey never fail to deliver innovative and fun material. Taking cues from house, electro, and hip-hop these tracks will keep you dancing. Recently, they have been generating a high level of hype, and hopefully they continue to receive the attention they deserve.


Be sure to catch them, with fellow Nouveau Riche DJ Gavin Holland, on the last Saturday of each month.

DOWNLOAD HERE

welcome to miami.

Winter Music Conference 2009 was no exception to the fact that MIA really pops off like in the Will Smith joint. Over a decade after the song was released, I still heard it in nearly every cab I took. The trip was filled with sun, surf, spa, sippin', and sets by some of the world's most notable DJs. The party was pretty much non-stop so I'm just gonna talk about some of my favorite moments.

A lot of the action went down at the Gansevoort rooftop Plunge. This was an awesome spot because the ocean is in view, there is a rooftop pool, and, well, we saw Dennis Rodman. Ca$$idy and Fabiana DJed here on our last day in town.


The Scion parties were nice because they were in the sand. The high point of these two days was definitely the finale duo of A-track and DJ Mehdi.


My favorite parties were the Armani Exchange afternoon events and the Le Baron party at the Raleigh. Belvedere and Monster sponsored, to make things more amazing. Rye Rye stole the show with her performance at the AE party, reminding me why I love her so much. Le Baron featured Mattie Safer of The Rapture, DJ Medhi, and Erol Alkan. They killed it.


Before I knew it, it was our last night in Miami. Here we are sitting at Rokbar, anxiously awaiting heading to the Mad Decent party to see Diplo, etc. Lil' Jon ended up being the special guest. I especially enjoyed Trouble & Bass, though, because they had one of the most energetic performances I have ever seen. Rusko also delivered an impressive set, but I couldn't krump to it.


Mad Decent started to get a little bit out of control (i.e. man in a dress on a bicycle on some kind of psychedelic drug(s)) so we went back to crash at the hotel. The next night as my flight landed I was tuckered out and so happy just to see the Washington Monument blinking at me. But I won't forget my first trip to Miami: Party in the city where the heat is on.

LINKS:
Miami
Shake it to the Ground

on the radio.

Why listen to WMUC-FM College Park?

Tired of hearing the same 10 tracks repeated over and over? Tired of the lack of genres represented on traditional radio? Head over to college radio for a welcome change.

These days, free-form college radio stations are few and far between. Conversely, most commercial radio stations are owned by conglomerates who impose centralized narrow programming. The University of Maryland's station, WMUC-FM, brings something unique to the monotonous world of FM radio. WMUC is an independent, non-commercial, FCC-licensed, student-run radio station. It is also one of the country's oldest college stations, first airing in 1937. Students handle the programming and operations, allowing for a more eclectic selection. Because it is free-form, DJs are allowed to broadcast anything so long as the content adheres to FCC guidelines. This means that in a two-hour timeslot, a listener could hear metal, indie, dance, shoegaze, britpop, hip-hop, oldies, blues, bluegrass...etc etc. The audience can actually discover new music, and with a schedule online, listeners can pick and choose if they want to listen to something specific.

With several ways to listen, there's no reason not to check it out. If you're in or around College Park, tune in by turning to 88.1 on your FM dial. If not, get near a computer and stream online at http://wmucradio.com! So GET LISTENIN' KIDS!

hang the blessed dj.

I have a bone to pick with most of today's DJs. If your name is 100dBs, Diplo, Gavin Holland, or a member of FIVES, you are exempt from this story. If you are spinning at bars in College Park, top 40 and rap stations, or a swanky DC club then this is probably directed towards you.

Nowadays anyone and everyone with a laptop and a pair of headphones thinks that they can be a DJ. Last night on my friends car radio "live from FUR nightclub" there was a mash-up of "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry and "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown. It was off-key and not beatmatched at all. It hurt my ears to listen to it. Lately, I have heard many such instances and think that this needs to be resolved. I am all for someone who wants to have fun and mix some songs together, but so-called professionals should know better. It makes me want to learn the ones and twos, or at least Ableton, so I can rep my set and put out something good to dance to.

For my show, RADIOBOLICAL! 8-10 PM Monday nights on WMUC-FM, I take the time to listen to what key my songs are in and make smooth transitions. I scour the internet for aesthetically pleasing music and put a lot of effort into my choices. If a playlist is meant to be played in sequence, the songs should actually go together, right?