deejaydoc's blog

My NEW Blog is at deejaydoc.com

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Healthy BEETS

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Please vote for our video. A few friends and I took a 48 hour challenge. We found out about an Ikea contest to make rhythms in the kitchen. Here's our beet recipe. .

Step #1

Blend: 4 cloves garlic, 2 peeled beets, 1 piece of ginger root, 7 bay leaves, 2 cups water
Put in bowl

Step #2

Blend: 2 peeled carrots, 2 celery, 3 peeled orange minus seeds, 2 tbsp, 1/2 cup walnuts, cider vinegar, pinch of sea sal, 1 cup olive oil, 2 cups wate
Mix with first bowl

Step #3

Chop 1/4 of a cabbage and a bunch of parsley
sprinkle on top

Yum. Create Healthy Rhythms. Eat Fresh, Raw Beets.

Private Lessons: The Turntables, an instrument

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:12:00 +0000

Instead of piano or violin, you may choose the turntables as your instrument of choice. I teach most of the regular principles of music, such as rhythm, counting, notes, pitch, and phrasing. Plus, with the turntables, you are able to begin having fun from the first lesson!

The art of DJing and being a true turntablist lends itself to improvisation and creative expression while learning to participate in a full band, just like a trumpet or sax. Miles Davis had his trumpet, I have my turntables.

Here is one of my students whom, as you can see, is learning fast. This is him scratching and looping after only 6 lessons!

FREE OPEN DJ LAB

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:25:00 +0000

Through Progressive Arts Alliance, I'm hosting 10 free sessions for teens at the Idea Center in Playhouse Square.

Gregg jumps into the crowd

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Another nice show with Poetic Republic, this time no live band. Gregg is just having too much fun. It's very loud at the Grop Shop.

DJ Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:16:00 +0000

I've begun giving private and group DJ lessons in the Get Synergized Studio (my studio). I teach the turntables as a legitimate instrument. . . not only how to scratch, but how to scratch as a creative, musical instrument. The lab is open. You can start as young as 7 years old in some cases.

Cleveland Parks are Nice!!

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:52:00 +0000

I didn't know that the city of Cleveland pays people to hang out at some neighborhood parks just to be with the kids. It provides an important element and feeling of safety. Plus, there is someone to love on the kids who might not get the same attension at home.

And in addition to this, Parkworks (parkworks.org) runs programs for this kids like the two I did this week on the west side of Cleveland. They learned a little hip-hop history, how to scratch, AND they made their own song. Listen.

Village Thrift in Connecticut

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:27:00 +0000

I just went to Connecticut with Village Thrift. This was a new experience in that there was no live drummer. I needed to hold down all the drums. So I focused on finding different drum loops and making live breaks with those loops. I did a little scratching at some points in the set, but mainly just held down the rhythm.

Here is the beginning of "Simple." You won't find this exact version on the CD. In fact, depending on the situation and the team members, all the songs we use sound a little different each time, even though they carry the same general hook, words, melody and, some times, feel. It was great to work with Johnathon for the first time.

I hooked up with an old friend

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:57:00 +0000

I first met Bobby Bishop at a hip-hop conference 8 years ago. I thought we tied for second place. He said my group came second and he was third. We have not spoken since then, although I saw his CD's come out on various distribution channels. I was glad to see his success.

Then, a few weekends ago, as I traveled with Village Thrift to Connecticut, Bobby was on the docket. As a solo MC with no DJ, I offered to perform with him that night. He agreed. It was great to rock with him, but more importantly catch up a little on our journeys since we last met. He is doing some very important work in his city, Boston.

Here's a quick clip.

My students battle

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:31:00 +0000

After spending a few class teaching several scratch moves (foward, stab, military, and transformer), it was time to test their skills. Battling focuses all your energy, causing you to pull on everything you've learned so far. It applies enough pressure to give you a feel for what it's like to operate when the stakes are high. And it gives you a reason to use and improve your critical thinking skills.

I could tell students to analyze their scratches and improve them, but this wouldn't provide a reason why. When they battle, immediately, they perceive and think of ways to improve. AND, they have a reason to practice.

Here's one of the battles. You can also, hear that this helps the students learn to count to the music.

With Poetic Republic

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 14 May 2007 01:26:00 +0000

Yo, I've always loved these guys and their musical/lyrical expressions. Especially the song, "10th Planet." Poetic Republic is Rembrant and Tha Ahppusit Qweschun. They asked me to DJ behind them as an open up act for Solillaquists of Sound at the Grog Shop in Cleveland. I believe in them and the future of their music. Don't bother looking for them on the web. They are not there yet. Some one, please volunteer to help them create a web presence.

I also enjoyed hearing the philosophies and live MPC samplist orchestration of the Solillaquists. They gave us much love. There was a DJ that traveled with them named J-Storm. Man, he smoked me. He did his own set and DJed for an MC named, Grey Matters, who brought some honest, real life stories and feeling, that is missing in rap music. I was glad to run across all of them.

Recording Lee (my brother)

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:48:00 +0000

This is the second session with Lee lately. I've enjoyed being in the studio him again, after a long time. Hear him.

Video in Cool Cleveland

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:54:00 +0000

Santina Protopap is the director of Progressive Arts Alliance, the small non-profit I teach turntablism with. Here's the link to the video on Cool Cleveland. She really puts it well as she describes Progressive Arts Alliance and her new role on the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture board. http://coolcleveland.com/index.php?n=Main.Equilibrium

Counting Measures

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:23:00 +0000

Here's some video of a class I'm teaching on the west side of Cleveland. I'll have 5 sessions with these kids (once a week after school) to teach them how to scratch and perform as a DJ band. As you can hear, they are learning how to count measures and take turns scratching. Counting and playing music in relation to other musicians is an important musical lesson. Just one of the ways hip-hop can be an educational tool. What would you rather learn music on, a recorder, violin, or two turntables and a mixer??? I know I look corny in the video.

I tried making a video podcast

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:23:00 +0000

I had this great idea to document my last trip with Enter the Worship Circle. I took all these videos loading in the van, eating on the road, sound checking, and, and. . . my camera ran out of space as we walked out on stage. So here's a video clip of our practice the day before going to New York.

Can I get a taxi in East Cleveland please?

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:11:00 +0000

Next time, I'm taking the RTA. I tried to get a taxi to take our afterschool DJ class to the record shop to do some diggin and? We beat boxed in the parking lot, got to know each other better, and threw some snow. Overall, it was worth it, but we really wanted to go get sum records.

Just back from Harrisburg, PA

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:09:00 +0000

I DJed with a band consisting of a drummer, percussionist, painter, keyboard player/singer, guitarist/singer, singer, and dancer. Here's a video.

I got on the mic once.

800 teens from around PA. The highlight of this trip for me was pushing past my fears to become more of an aggressor. We got some grub at a bar late Friday night where they had a hoppin karaoke. I hate karaoke, but I made the best of it. I wanted to have some fun for my friends, so I chose a random hip-hop track, and instead of following the lyrics on the screen, I freestyled my way through it making everyone laugh and pump there hands in the air with me. Now don't get me wrong, I've been freestyling for a long time, but I never quite excelled at it like I have the turntables. I'm a quiet, think before you talk kind of guy. But I need to get out of box. So I did. Thanks to a group of friends who constantly push me. Do you have friends like that. You better find some.

Check the pics of my friends as we had lunch in a nice cafe the next day.

The Off-Season of a DJ

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 13:52:00 +0000

I just did my first gig in about 4 months! My wife and I just purchased a rather big and relatively cheap home in the heart of Cleveland's arts scene/college/urban scene. Being a musician and entrepreneur, I never was big on Mr. Fix-it type stuff. But through this experience, I had a crash course in fixing houses. From gutting rooms, to electricity, to plannning a kitchen, drywall, and my favorite, plumbing, I did it all. Basically that was my full time gig for 4 months.

One thing I've learned. When you are a professional musician, it's OK to live in seasons. Even professional athletes have off season. I feel like I have a renewed energy for the tasks of my DJ work. The break was good. Plus, I increased my skills in other areas of my life.

So now, I guess, I'm entering the conditioning phase of being a DJ. I need to research, practice, do some different jobs, and in a few months find out what the season of creating will hold. If I do what I need to do now, I will be prepared then to create something new.

My favorite podcast of late

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:53:00 +0000

This personal productivity podcast is short, inspiring, and done by a person who seems to be a normal guy. I've gleaned a lot from him. It's called 43 Folders.

Progressive Arts Alliance student DJ's

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:53:00 +0000

Some of the students from Progressive Arts Alliance hip-hop camps did a special performance at a high school's "Diversity Retreat." Man, I am so proud of them. Here's my DJs. They showed leadership as they prepared their performance, and they have vision for their future. Equiped with talent, they are pursuing paths to sharpen their various skills. And, I am excited to be able to have part in their lives on the DJ side.

Introducing the Craft

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:18:00 +0000

I'm watching the faces of these young students glow as they learn how to create their own unique sounds with a turntable and mixer and see the connection between the rap they see on TV and the hip-hop culture it came from.

I'm with a bbreaker and graffiti writer representing Progressive Arts Alliance, teaching at an all day program at Cleveland Playhouse Square.

New Forms of Turntablism

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:04:00 +0000

I’ve been contemplating the meaning of this phrase; “How secondary, indeed how futile, are all the means of communication unless they are actually born out of the very truth they are meant to convey (J.V. Taylor).” I’ve begun thinking about how this applies to the things I wish to express through my craft of turntablism. What should my music become? How must I create and perform music with two turntables and a mixer (and other misc. electronic items)?

There seem to be many ways of DJing; more than we can imagine right now. As we grasp different aspects of truth, or if there is any truth that would be expressed through our life and art, it should shape the form of communication we “speak” through. So only as I seek to understand and somehow express some portion of truth shall I be able to imagine and craft a new dimension to turntable culture.

First Village Thrift Trip for me

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:52:00 +0000

Here's my turntable/serato set-up next to Ryan on stage at a college in North Carolina before the music set. Can a turntablist worship God through his craft? Is there a valid pursuit such as worshiping God from the inside of hip-hop culture? I believe so. You can probably seek to speak to God from inside most cultures. So I've been experimenting with this. Deep in the Old Testament scriptures, I've found many commands for people to use thier voices, hands, and instruments to express praise, thanks, and worship to God. I desire to express myself to God in an honest way through all the ways that I express things in life. This happens through my thoughts, actions, and words, but also through my particular musical instrument. . . two turntables and a mixer (and a laptop). So I try. Ryan was doing the same on the synth and samples. And Stacy was doing the same as she painted in the background. You can see one of the stages of her painting. There were some other friends there with us as welll. They were dancing, singing, playing guitar and using percussion. It was a fun trip.

Express-O Cafe Hip-hop Status

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 16:24:00 +0000

Here are a few grafitti pieces made with paint markers at the Aug 12th Express-O Cafe. We had many students from the Progressive Arts Alliance hip-hop camp. They scratched with improv band, danced, and a few entered the freestyle challenge. About 125 people came through. It was fun.

Starving Artist??

noreply@blogger.com (dj doc) — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 20:29:00 +0000

The life of many artists is one of financial struggle. Not always because we could not make more money, but because we, sometimes, choose to live on purpose. The art industry is one where the more money you make can easily mean selling out. Not just selling out artistically, but selling out on our God-given purpose. Many artists choose to follow their core values and beliefs despite the financial outcome.

So here I am with my dude, Josh Malek. He’s staying with me for a few days. We are hittin the studio, working on his CD, but also he is helping me get some personal things accomplished. Here we are going shopping at the local junk yard for a new door for my van. I found 5 colors to choose from. Awesome.