Madonna's most recent tour Confessions on a dance floor was one of the best and sexiest live performances I have ever seen in my life. It was also very horse influence. In the background you cannot see but there are several straight minutes of vintage footage of horses and riders falling. Probably very hard to find and it was edited and color managed beautifully to produce an organic silvery feel. No YouTube video does the experience of being there justice. And I had no idea she was gonna come out of the disco ball because it was up there for an hour before the show started.
Who wouldn't love this video by DJ Medhi. He is on the Ed Banger Records list as you can see by the tell-tale 70s-ish handwritten type that brands this frenchie record label.
One of the ex-DJ founders of the infamous band the Sneaker Pimps (a name coined from an article about the Beastie Boys' dealings with a rare sneaker dealer) is doing quite well on his new project, IAMX. This new band also carries the same haunting harmonies that the Pimps were known for. But IAMX also conjures up strong themes of drug use, bisexuality, sado-massichism, and politics. In interviews Chris claims that this new band is a sort of "act" that destroys the seriousness of creating music. Watch the Video for President.
IAMX's new album has a more aggressive, unhinged, dark-wave influence and they might be worth watching.
Last night I went to a Direct Drive Party (Drum 'n' Bass) at Sol on West 29th. I hadn't been to the spot in a long time. The Line Up included:
DJ Dara: Did well early but I was really sad he didn't spin anything really old off his future perfect album. Or maybe he did while I was chillin with the bathroom lady from Senegal. Would have given anything to hear his remix of Kosheen's Slip'n'Slide. Last time I saw him was about 4 years ago. I was his drink bitch at a club I worked at as a performance dancer in Savannah, GA called, "The Zoo".
DJ Marky: One of the best people there brought his funky Brazilian style out and got the floor moving. Extremely accurate mixing. And a "cool-as-a-pickle" vibe.
Burner Brothers: These guys were a tag team of energy. It was almost scary. Too bad the DJ booth was 20 ft above the dance floor and not lit properly because that magic didn't carry down.
TC Izlam. Ok he is a good MC. Knew how to work the hell out of a crowd. Was up in the DJ booth hanging off the edge. And when he wasn't performing he was slappin hands and workin the floor. He can be a loose cannon at times though. Plus he bigged himself up more than Mike Jones.
MC DYER: TC Izlam's wife and a really cute petite girl from the UK. You wouldn't think all that hollerin' and party control could come out of something so small.
Overall I would give the party a 6.5. The venue was really big but had inferior temperature control. It cost an insulting $20 to get in, a ridiculous $10 a drink, there was an aggressive bathroom attendant, and an appalling $5 for f-ing water. The Dj booth was so high up and not even lit well that there was no connection between audience and musicians. I have to admit since I was friends with some of the performers I did hang out there in the booth for a while and it did feel like a god-like VIP-room in there. But that is not what it should be about! Also, I don't remember the last time my purse was searched so thoroughly at the door. The party lasted till 6--I got bored and left at 3. Most interesting moment: A short girl got hit in the face really hard while watching this breaker do windmills. She was rushed out by security.
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Tonight I may go out tonight for one or both of these 2 parties. Dirty Down at Lit or Pistol Whipped at Fontana's.
Both party throwers are actually friends and associates and I am used to going to their joint events. The one at Fontana is $10 to get in (my new entry max) but Drop the Lime brings mad energy and vibes to the situation so it makes it seem worth it. Also, he is a really good DJ who exhibits a whole lot of personal style in his production work. I could definitely tell if a track was his just by listening.
But at Dirty Down, Captain (great selection--terrible beatmatching) and Shark will be (sober) and krunk as hell at this Lit party. Look like there are also gonna be some special guests coming through.
So this week I tried to branch out and try out some new spots that I don't really go to.
Fontanas - most likely only ok if you are going to a specific party that is held in the downstairs area. The people upstairs were boring and super-wasted.
Happy Ending - I don't know if I can stress how cute the door-guy was. For that reason alone I would go back. I checked out their downstairs area which was really cool. I took a peek in one of their vacant red-lit VIP rooms that look like the kind of place that inmates would shower and some stupid guys rudely stopped me because they had it reserved. Okay collared shit man, you weren't even using it and I was just looking. That is why no girls are talking to you up-tight egotistical pricks. The only consolation was seeing the cute door guy on my way out. Hmmph.
Le Souk - Always jumping and I hadn't been there in so long. They had an OK dance/house DJ but also two great conga/djimbe drummers who were keeping the vibe live. Also good to see the old familliar faces of the Stuy-Town veterans which haunt that block.
Haven't posted in a while. I have been really busy living. So busy I accidentally missed The Knife.
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I have been feeling really proactive recently and have been making leaps and bounds with my graphic design. My nerdiness has paid off and now I am also really fast at execution and my time-mangement. What I really want to do is start something of my own. I'm feeling empowered while listening to Dr. Israel
And if you have nothing planned for Sunday there is a free show at Plan B and TC Izlam is gonna be there.
One of the most famous DnB/Jungle MCs around. Did alot of great work in the 90s with Carlos Soul Slinger and Liquid Sky records (Who by the way is trying to get started up again and is soon releasing a Classics LP). And TC is the son of Afrika Bambaataa. Below is a video clip with him freestylin in his Seattle home. He can sometimes walk that thin line between brilliant and annoying and sadly I think his friend here, Merciful is a little bit wack. Fortunately he wont be there but TC Izlam usually brings a lot of B-Boys out the woodwork so needless-to-say it should be an interesting evening.
If this ain't love--I don't know what is! I enjoy my alone time, technology, gregarious moments entertaining my friends. I can't stress how much I am in love with art and graphic design. I also like abstract fiction, reading, writing, firewire, vinyl, single-malt scotch. But above all things, I love dancing.
