DJ Drue

Updates and what not...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:12:35 GMT

My friend _silent_star_ recently posted that there's not enough posts from her friends on LJ, and I heartily agree. So in reponse to her, I'm taking a little time out of what has really been a hectic couple of weeks. If you have been posting recently, my thanks for keeping your friends in the loop, regardless of what you have been up to.

As for me, my time has been split between working at work and working at home...as it were, on some remix projects for a music label in Orange county.

Remixing projects have been a combination of fun and hard work. Nothing will teach you more about production than dealing with the issues that arise as a result of dealing with other people's music. That's not to say there's anything wrong with it, rather it's the process of dealing with issues related to timing or key of a piece, as opposed to it's artistic quality. And after a long day in the cube farm, the prospect of sitting in front of a mixing desk and starting at another monitor till the wee hours of the morning doesn't have a lot of appeal. Frankly, my health has been suffering a bit as a result. As I get deeper into various aspects of production, it's becoming apparent to me that I need to take some time and dedicate it to staying physically ok. The long hours slaving over groovy beats is definitely glamorous, but it comes with a price.

-- As a quick techincal aside, for those dj's and musicians that are interested, I'm using a combination of Ableton Live, with Logic as my main DAW.

In addition to the above, I was recently approached by someone to help them with some issues related to production. Said person shall remain nameless for now, but suffice it to say this is someone I hold in high regard, and I look forward to future developments more than ever.

Other Westside Record Crew members have finally broken into Beatport (which, incidentally, is a sign of success now - way to go RiSC!). This is a really exciting development. Brett Adams first single "Hear You" Seems to be doing well.
Please consider buying a track.

On the work front:
Life in the cube farm continues much this day as it always has, the little people scurrying to and fro, without so much as a a care for the outside world, for which I am extremely grateful. Watching my boss get pressured by his boss often makes me feel sorry, but hey that's life behind the corporate firewall, I guess.

Movie Reviews in One Sentence:

-- 9: I doubt that "Stitchpunk" will take off, but the animation is dazzling, and the story is charming.
-- Zombieland: A must-see for fans of the zombie comedy schtick, optional for the rest of us.
-- Pandorum: Kind of an 'Aliens' meets 'Sphere' deal; space vampires meet the jittercam, good sci-fi if you are a fan.
-- Inglorious Bastards: I don't know how 70's homage films became the rave, but an anti-nazi film about a pro-nazi film is avante garde (I guess.)
-- Surrogates: An interesting theme with a solid performance from Bruce Willis; great sci-fi, whether you're a fan or not.
-- Where the While Things Are - Spike Lee lives up to the hype by delivering a solid film with a lot of challenges.

Need to post about my chillits 2009 trip, will try to do that as soon as my photos are developed.

Workng working working... more to follow...keep posting people...

P.S. - henry rollins radio show on kcrw is like going to school (in a good way)

Burning Man 2009: Day 8 – The Journey Home and Some Final Thoughts

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:45:26 GMT

The festive atmosphere continued on into the night, even after the temple burned. I had planned for a morning departure, so I spent time packing up our camp before turning in. However, the never ending parade of drunken partiers and art cars, made us decide to leave when we couldn’t get any sleep. We left about 3 am on Monday, which turned out to be a really good idea. In the dark, a slow dusty caravan of trucks, cars, and RV’s which formed a long line of red lights down the lonely two lane road out of the valley There was a massive police presence as dozens of police perched on all the outbound freeways. Our timing was perfect, though, in that they were just coming on shift, finishing their donuts, and not yet on the prowl.

Burning Man 2009 – Evolution – by fotogamie

We headed into Reno and curved off north towards Sacramento when my shift to drive came up. While I was driving, the rear bike rack came off and our bikes we dropped on the freeway… I was lucky though, I saw them starting to go, and pulled off before they broke free. Our bikes survived damage, because the bike on the bottom, which was headed for the scrap heap anyway, took the brunt of the damage from the road. We salvaged our bikes and kept on trucking back to LA. The rest of the trip back was thankfully uneventful.

I was climbing out of my first shower in a week, and I stopped to smell my grimy T-shirt. The playa dust, that irritant and constant element, suddenly felt familiar, and I didn’t necessarily want the smell to go away. The playa had gotten under my skin too.

As I was going through my clothes the following day, I smelled the playa dust on all my gear. It’s kind of funny how you don’t smell it out there, but you sure do when you come back. A constant companion on everything you own, that only takes on its own character when you get back to the real world.

Final Thoughts

Burning Man 2009-163 – by thebesinc

There have been several times where I had been approached by a friend who was telling me that they were getting ready to go to burning man for the first time. My automatic response has always been “I hear it changes your life.” It was a statement that I had never really taken to heart. What I had forgotten in going for the first time myself is that it would also happen to me.

Like all kinds of travel, you find that you come back a slightly different person. For this type of experience, though, I think the difference is a bit more tangible.

In pausing for a moment of self-reflection… I find that I took away a lot from the experience. I find that you learn about yourself and what you capable of. In addition, I came back with a slightly different view of the world. It makes you think about what you don’t need, and I find myself questioning what I can eliminate from my life.

There is a philosophy to the burner culture, and its underlying themes weren’t as liberal-elitist as I thought they were. The ethos of those ideals of community, volunteerism, participation, creative artistic expression, and radical self-reliance were of a much more universal nature.

The greatest experience for me was that from time to time, I felt like I had been transported to a place and time that was totally and wholly separate from everyday life, and that alone, may be worth all the effort.

Playa - by Ben Mook

Burning Man 2009: Day 7 - The Temple Burn -- I Get It Now

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:40:30 GMT

By now, the playa dust was everywhere. Everything I owned that was black had now turned a pale gray. After living off of jerky, cold cuts, fruit cups, and granola, I was starting to look forward to a hot meal and a shower like I had never done before. There was still so much to see and do, though, that I didn’t spend more than a passing thought on it.

Sifting through the ashes of the man - By James Pitman

The pace and feel of our personal camp was quite chill, though, as strong winds drove dust storms through most of the day.

Burning man 2009 – by Kathleen Quilllian [via chiliberto]

In a stroke of genius, one of our camp mates busted out a Hookah, and some fine tobacco was shared by all, as we recounted our tales from the night before. As the sun started to go down, the winds shifted and the weather cleared. We started to head out to the temple.

Now I had gone out to the temple earlier in the week to check it out. It was covered with writings and pictures, memorials to friends and family. I have to admit, I picked up a really weird vibe out there…but I couldn’t pick out what it was. It seemed like there was a lot of sadness out there. I now realize what that was all about.

The Temple - Early Photos – 12 – by thebesinc

As we headed out there, the population had dropped by about half…a mere 20,000 people…but the mood was much different. Solemn, respectful, reverent…a mass congregation attending what was truly a spiritual event. A small procession walked the perimeter, chanting and singing. And then the temple burned, and I understood.

Burning Man 2009 – The Temple is Burning – by lou piote
The sheer presence of such a large group of people…totally and utterly silent…wrapped in their own thoughts, was the most profound experience I had in the desert.

It was impossible to deny that the spiritual/psychic energy of a collective of people that size, having a personal experience together, is a life changing event.

Burning Man 2009: Day 6 – The Man Burns

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:34:00 GMT

Now I had heard that the real hardcore burner types, who take this experience to heart, usually come early and then kind of hole up in their camps on Friday and Saturday night. I was to discover that this, in many respects -- is quite true. The mood and vibe of the city became, to put it bluntly, surly. I saw words exchanged, some pretty rude and obnoxious behavior, and droves of brand new people, mostly twenty-somethings, on bikes that were not so dusty, with skin still fresh, clean, and glowing from the outside world. After 5 days of being out there already, I could see how observing a group of frat boys strolling down the lane and drinking beers could drive any good dreadlocked libertarian back to their camp.

Nevertheless, I briefly explored the city, only to find people stealing street signs, and an overall unpleasantness to the crowd that I had not expected. I surmise that this is probably the direct result of tired old-school, and fresh, ignorant newbies, thrown together. The general atmosphere, was tougher and meaner, and not in a “thunderdome” type of way.

I had been warned that once the man had burned down, you lost a significant landmark, and it would become much easier to get lost, so at the request of one of my friends, I went out to the center and took some bearings with a compass so that we might have a reference in case we got lost. I headed out to the temple, and just as I got there, a dust storm hit:

Burning Man 2009 – by Ted Chapman

By now, the dust was just another part of my body, and I was now completely used to it. I was able to successfully navigate across the desert, in zero visibility on my bike, using only the compass as my guide. It was surreal, almost like swimming underwater, with no landmarks. I found it to be an interesting and intriguing personal moment for me.

Saturday night lived up to the hype as the desert was crowded, literally with people, art cars, and general mayhem. It’s nearly impossible to describe: 30,000 to 40,000 people all in a giant ring around the man, a party and gathering of epic and astounding proportions…

Burn Night from MrNightshade on Vimeo.

In a giant cavalcade of fireworks and explosions, the massive structure exploded in flames, a massive monument to chaos, rebirth, and revolution:

The Man Burns at Burning Man 2009 from MrNightshade on Vimeo.

The final explosion was awesome. The pictures don’t really do it justice.

Man Burn – by Qathi

Despite the insanity that prevailed that night, I was conflicted as I saw a rather large law enforcement presence. It definitely tried to put a damper on the evening, but the gathering was just too huge to be contained. The surly and aggressive vibe that I felt the day before only became worse. I now understand why it may be more fun to socialize within your own camp or group on that night. Still a bit reeling from Thursday and Friday, I called it a bit of an early night, only 5 am…

Burning Man 2009 – Art Car /Dance club – by Ted Chapman

Burning Man 2009: Day 5 – The Weirdness Expands

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:22:24 GMT

By friday, I was still not used to the dust storms which came across the desert with some regularity. I was actually pretty annoyed that the weather couldn’t really make up its mind. Previous visitors had told me the weather was much better this year, so I don’t think I should complain about it. Nevertheless, I was annoyed with the condition of the weather…still getting used to it I think.

Dust storm sweeps over the city – by anjuli ayer

Friday’s blistering heat kept me pretty close to my camp for most of the day; sleeping a little longer and taking time to relax and eat and recover from the previous night’s fun. Tonight I was only really going to be at one place, the opulent temple. Their DJ lineup looked fantastic. Up to this point, I had sort of seen burning man as an opportunity to see some great DJs in an atmosphere that was pretty hedonistic. A few of my campmates live in rather remote areas and spent little time around base camp, because they had come to really enjoy the music and dance. Still others, who had a penchant for live music, felt disappointed.

I was totally drooling over this rocket/missle bike:

Rocket Bike - by Christopher Robin-Blum

When the sun had set, the winds (which usually died down) did not seem to stop. As large clouds of dust assaulted the playa, I was determined not to be stopped as we headed across the city to the opulent temple.
By now the population of the city had really begun to swell, and the playa was full of various people and cars all milling about, blinking and glowing in the Nevada night. Both near and far, as far as the eye could see, large gouts of flame billowed and belched from all manner of vehicles and art installations across the desert.

Burning Man 2009 - by Ted Chapman

Over at the temple, I worked my way into the center of about 1000 people that had assembled to dance, and discovered that while in the middle of the crowd, you are protected from the wind, which was an unexpected benefit.
Carl Cox had just taken the decks, and was wearing a strap on mohawk, which seemed very apropos. The best thing about the DJ booth was that the DJ could shoot flames out over the crowd.

Burning Man 2009 - Opulent Temple - by Lou Piote

Despite the energy and excitement of the crowd, I found that dancing in a crowded group, on uneven ground, with a backpack filled with water, was really less than favorable, no matter who the DJ is. That didn’t stop me from having a good time. Unfortunately, the burning man equivalent of the “bridge and tunnel crowd” had started to arrive in force, and I found the meathead quotient of the crowd to have increased significantly.
After three days of dancing, drinking, and generally staying up late, my body had begun to show signs of wear, and my brain, while still very much in the fight, knew when to quit, so I called it a night. Still no sunrise for me on the playa, more to follow…

Burning Man 2009: Day 4 – Start the Party

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:37:22 GMT

Thursday brought a sharp increase in temperature across the playa, and most of the day was spent in camp. It did, however, give me an opportunity to get to know some of my camp mates better. One person stands out to me more than the others. His name was Larry and he was an underground comic artist from the 60’s. I had the chance to sit and talk with him about his life, his comics, his artistic and creative drive, and his view of the world. I would hope that burning man is a place where everyone gets the chance to meet and converse with interesting people.

My friend Steve had a late arrival, and I had the distinct pleasure to take him out to the center of the playa and watch, as his head got blown as much as mine did a few days before. In the process of tripping around the city, I ran into some other friends, which was kind of a relief, since I knew that they were out here somewhere.

Despite the heat, I was able to get my groove on early at Pink Mammoth.
That night, our camp took up the party torch with full enthusiasm, as we headed out to see what sort of trouble we could get into.

Highlights included the Infected Mushroom show:

Infected Mushroom at the Opulent Temple - by mikea

Rabbit in the Moon over at the Root Society were also rocking it pretty hard:

burning man 2009 root society - by sikubean

and a really astounding set out at the hookahdome:

Beats Antique bumpin the ‘dome - by Ted Mills

I did not last until the sunrise…but a great time was had by all.
more to follow...

Burning Man 2009: Day 3 – Stripper Poles, Sunsets, and Sake.

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:21:12 GMT

I had heard of the concept of “Playa Time” where people get distracted and miss connections and what not, and I was determined to see as much as I could.

Before I went to sleep the night before, I made a list of all the various events and things that I wanted to check out the following day. I would put down around 6-8 different events and would only be able to check out 3-4 every day, but after doing this for a while I felt like I got to see a lot of stuff. Checking in with seasoned burners who were surprised and how much ground I covered. Wednesday was one of those days. Even with the weather being irregular, I managed to get around a big chunk of the city.

Close to our camp was the site of a daily stripper pole contest, which always made for a great afternoon kick-off:

Working the Pole - by Danny Utah

One of my campmates is a big sake fan, so we went to a sake tasting. What I thought would be a mellow “tasting” turned out to be a full-on rager of a gathering with super-cooled sake being pumped by the gallon on tap. Playa Time definitely kicked in here, while we got our groove on and enjoyed the sub-zero libations:

Sake Watering Hole - by frogprince

That night we went to check out the flaming lotus girls art installation and other fire performances at the Shiva temple:

Towers of Shiva - by hardcoder

Burning Man 2009: Day 2 – Dust, Art, and Alcohol.

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:40:05 GMT

The desert heat finally chased me from my bed, which was to become a bit of a regular thing for me out here. In the morning, we hopped on our bikes and headed out for another really good look at the playa. Admittedly, the view is truly mind boggling. The sheer magnitude and scale of the place really defies any verbal or written explanation. There were some truly amazing art pieces scattered around the desert, including an amazing metal butterfly sculpture.

Burning Man 2009 - by Tortuga Mer

Morning journeys out into the playa also became a fun ritual, as you could enjoy and observe the slow growth of the population throughout the week. In the afternoon, we had an informal meet and greet with our other theme camp members and got to know each other a bit better. There were the required discussions regarding erotic discourse, MOOP (matter-out-of-place) and, of course, how freaking cool this whole event and its people are. We went in search of some frozen margaritas and encountered a truck literally filled with margarita fixins for the whole week. It was to become one of our favorite places to swing by.

By around 1pm or so…I would retreat to the motor home for a 2-4 hour, air-conditioned nap, which in retrospect, was quite beneficial to the constitution. The weather turned rather foul with harsh dust storms on and off for most of the day, and there were chunks where you either had to hunker down and deal with it, or take shelter.

There would be a ton of music and excitement to come…but one camp really stood out for me…Pink Mammoth…a hulking pink structure that kept pumping out consistently good music all week. They would start playing music in the early afternoon, until the sun went down. This would be the resting place of the former “Deep End” crowd, and my hat goes off to them for all their hard work.

Pink Mammoth - by Marksmotos

I was still trying to get used to the concept of being dirty all the time, and I found myself washing my hands more than usual. There had been rumors of a nasty virus and some pinkeye going around, but I seemed to have dodged all of that.

My notes regarding Tuesday night are a bit hazy…as I got into the margaritas with my camp mates in earnest that evening. More to follow…

Burning Man 2009: Day 1 – The Journey Out.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:15:13 GMT

My companions and I headed out of LA on Sunday evening. We were only about two hours into our journey before things got interesting. We had just come down off the grapevine and were headed north to Bakersfield when the tread on the right front tire of our motor home sheared off. We appeared stuck in the middle of nowhere, but the universe was on our side as we discovered a 24 hour tire service a scant 12 miles from where we were in Coalinga, CA. After a quick pit stop, we were once again back on our way to Nevada.

As a quick aside, we were listening to Love Line on the radio, and I gotta say that Dr. Drew just gets through a ton more callers than Adam Carolla ever did. I find that I like the show much more now than I used to.

The miles rolled off pretty quickly as we made our way north… passed Sacramento without any traffic problems and headed east up into the mountains. I took the night shift while my friends were sleeping in back. I drove up and through the Yuba gap around 4:30 in the morning…which was fun. Slowly, the road became occupied with other motor homes and cars which shared our destination. I was headed down into Reno as the sun was coming up.

We stopped at the biggest WallMart I have ever seen in Reno, absolutely massive. By then I was beyond groggy and crashed out on the final leg to Gerlach.

the road to the man - by Amar

My worries regarding long waits in the sun were insubstantial, as the road off the highway and onto the black rock desert was light with traffic. Cruising along the 6 lane entrance, I got my first smell of the playa, its dust billowing around the cars racing up to the gate.

We made our way to the campsite and meet our campmates. We helped get a common area assembled and put filters on the outside of all the windows on the motor home to help keep the dust at bay. After getting set up, our whole camp had decided to go and volunteer at the Lamplighters, which is a group that lights the city as the sun is going down.

I had a great time doing it, but was caught in a dust storm that blew my bandana off my face and gave me a strong and forceful indoctrination to the playa and its elements. Despite the harshness of the task, I found the event to be inspiring and it instantly made me feel like part of a bigger community.

Lamplighters - by Jeff Sullivan

The heat and altitude did take its toll, though, and I found myself exhausted on the first night.

Nevertheless, I had made it…I was at Burning Man, and the craziness had just gotten started.

harder better finger stronger.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:42:26 GMT

pooside

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:18:54 GMT

poolside at the standard hotel in downtown LA.

quiet sunday in malbu

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:18:18 GMT

quiet saturday at the rock store.

At the movies

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:16:30 GMT

Movie Reviews in One Sentence:

-- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Still a little young to be sexy, but almost there; teen angst is the pallet du jour.
-- GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra: They got the color of the lasers right; I would love this if I was in 7th grade.
-- The Hurt Locker: Amazing war film on the addiction of men to conflict.
-- District-9: Finally an original quality science fiction film that delivers (and it's not an alien nation remake).

bowie...dj...1979

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:18:48 GMT

I just got this link from a friend. "DJ" by David Bowie.

I will admit to not having a full knowledge of Bowie's earlier work, so this may not be anything new to those in the know.

However, something like that can't be around for that long without getting a redux.

here's benny bennasi's take:

everything old is new again.

Aceeed!

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:27:44 GMT

Acid Symphony orchestra. (via boing boing)

Acid Symphony Orchestra - Diamonds Of The Night from Jori Hulkkonen on Vimeo.

time to pretend - 9000 photostream

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:28:36 GMT

time to pretend.

I just discovered 9000's photostream on flickr. It's truly amazing.

Check it out here:

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/dinosonic/popular-interesting/

TSB - In the Shadow of Machines

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:19:31 GMT

Like most DJs, my musical tastes have always been, and continue to be, diverse. While my head is usually in the House/Techno world, I wanted to take a minute and recommend one of my favorite groups, Time Slips By. Their ethereal sounds and unique style make for great chill music to relax to, and have the ability to transport you to other places which, to me anyway -- is a sign of true art. They have released their newest album in May this year "In the Shadow of Machines" and I'd like to suggest checking it out.

New Music From Brett Adams

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:01:49 GMT

Longtime member of the Westside Record Crew, Brett Adams (aka djrisc) has been working hard in the studio. Check out his latest offering: Be Free

Brett Adams - Be Free by brettadams

16 years of my life...reduced to 2:35... Be a tool.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:23:31 GMT

hilarious....

My next book purchase: Life.inc

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:59:25 GMT

I try not to get too philisophical or political here, in this case though, I thought I'd share something that recently questioned how I spend my time.

The short version:

Doug Rushkoff on Colbert Report talking about his new book:

Life.Inc the move: a 9 minute history of corporatism

Life Inc. The Movie from Douglas Rushkoff on Vimeo.

Edit: was I influenced? yes. I thought Doug's take on his perception was presented with enough passion to sell me on taking a closer look.
More here on Doug Rushkoff

Ill doctrine on MJ...

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:47:11 GMT

Ill doctrine drops his spin...

(thanks to djrisc for the heads up)

Pic of the day

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:44:24 GMT

I love today's pic of the day from wikipedia.

David Iliff's beautiful shot of the New York Skyline:

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:04:15 GMT

22:57 Is that hair gel I smell? I must be in Irvine. House night at the Ilounge. The shiny shirt posse is representing in force.

via twitter

With all the MJ stuff...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:27:51 GMT

You know a star is big when his death cripples the internet. These figures from valleywag are pretty amazing:

Leading news websites saw traffic surge to 4.2 million visitors per minute from around 2.75 million visitors per minute, according to Akamai.

CNN's traffic grew fivefold in one hour and the site clocked 20 million pageviews.

Twitter had its biggest spike in traffic, to 5,000 tweets per second, since Barack Obama's election as president, according to co-founder Biz Stone.

Facebook status updates tripled.

AOL Instant Messenger went down for 40 minutes.

TMZ, which broke the news of Jackson's death, crashed several times amid a surge of traffic.

The LA Times, which got early confirmation of the death, went down, as well.

For about half an hour, Michael Jackson queries weren't working on Google News.

Wikipedia froze amid an edit war on Jackson's page.

And while all the pedophile/bubbles/giraffe/neverland jokes orbit this sad occasion, I find solace in a lovely read by deepak chopra, who knew him personally, and gave me some insight into his world, and who he may have truly been:

"Considering the monstrously exaggerated value our society places on celebrity, which was showered on Michael without stint, the public was callous to his very real personal pain. It became another tawdry piece of the tabloid Jacko, pictured as a weird changeling and as something far more sinister."

I don't have the words to describe MJ's contributions to dance music, except to say that it wouldn't be the same without him. His music continues to be sampled and remixed over and over by producers and artists worldwide. I don't think that you can say that about many other artists. I won't go into a long anecdote about getting the 'Thriller' album, or watching the jackson 5 on TV.

I will say that I bought a 45 single of 'Off the Wall' as a kid, and that I loved 'Serious'. I will also say that he helped show me the way to my current love of dancing and dance music, and for that I'm truly grateful.

Thanks Michael.

steve porter breaks off another one...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:21:05 GMT

We talkin' about practice.