RUNAWAY

I was actually quite hesitant to check out the almost 35 minute movie/video RUNAWAY but found myself with a bit of time on my hands and thought, I can waste it on social networks reading the pointless ramblings of people "trying" to say something clever all while misspelling words, using improper homonyms, using "then" instead of "than", your instead of you're, and so on (that shit kills me). Or I could watch what I was convinced was going to be a horrible attempt at "trying" to do something artistic. when I compared the two side by side I saw that the two things weren't very different at all, both choices involved looking at people "trying" to do something. So I went with the latter. In the opening sequence Kanye is running and I'm not going to lie, I was kind of impressed with how fast he was moving. I chuckled and thought that maybe they sped up the playback and continued watching. I was hooked a couple minutes into this musical/video/movie (whatever the hell Kanye wants to call it) with the line "too many Urkel's on your team, that's why your Wins-low". It was that point that piqued my interest enough to actually try to sit through the whole thing. The story of this (I'm just going to call it a) video is about a comet that falls in the woods near Kanye's home that actually turns out to be a Phoenix that is awkwardly trying to adapt to our everyday life. To be honest there's a scene where the Phoenix is at a dinner table displaying poor manners (all while looking amazing I might add), that reminded me of the 1984 movie SPLASH, similar story just with a mermaid. She went into hysterics when she saw a whole turkey presented on the table and drove the other guests away with her screaming.
there however were a few parts I was confused by, there was one part in particular. A 25 foot inflatable Michael Jackson head carried by what seems to be Klan members in red garb, escorted by an English marching band. Someone please tell me the meaning of this!? I don't want to give away the whole thing if you haven't seen it, but all in all I thought it was well directed and definitely worth checking out. The music in it is amazing and it actually inspired quite a few new ideas for future production for me. Even if your line of work isn't in music I think you will enjoy it just as well. Check it out for yourself

THE GODFATHER

This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of opening for Detroit's and the Ghettotech movements very own DJ GODFATHER for his Arizona release party for his album entitled VIP Status. Now this is quite easily one of the filthiest dudes on the decks out there, the technical ability and energy this man puts out is just phenomenal. he was on 10 the whole time from start to finish and I was constantly in awe and wondering what he was going to do next. The thing I liked most about the guy is that he was a very cool and approachable individual, signed Cd's for people, posed for pictures and even stayed a bit after hours to chat with the staff. It was hard to believe that this mellow, calm, easy going guy was a vicious beast on the decks. take a look for yourself! follow him on twitter as well while you're at it! @DJ_GODFATHER

ARIZONA... NOT THE WILD WEST AND TUMBLEWEEDS

Lately its bothered me how people turn their noses up or are surprised when they find out I am from Arizona. People hate on AZ so hard. AZ may not be where most people expect a MUSIC MECCA or to be a place to see world renown local DJ talent. Fact is, that a couple very household names in DJing happen to be from AZ! world renown DJs Z TRIP and FASHEN are from AZ, as well as two other very talented DJs poised to blow up on a national level. D-JR who is a part of THE MUSIC TRUST along with other djs such as Clinton Sparks, White SHadow, RISKONE, Scooter, Chester French, and EVIL ONE just to name a few. D-JR Is quite possibly the most technically skilled dj ive heard live. He also took 1st place in the AZ Redbull Thre3style competition and 2nd place at this years National competition in Denver. There is also DJ Rocko (who I will be interviewing this week) who on a whim went to compete in the beezo battle and took 3rd place! I think its time Arizona gets the respect it deserves, anyone that doesnt think AZ deserves it can come here and see anyone of the talented DJs I have mentioned in their element and I challenge you to tell me they dont deserve to be on the same national and global level as some of these 'CELEBRITY DJS' . I am currently looking for the video from the thre3style battle an well as editing the beezo battle clips. stay tuned for posting!
Even with all that being said theres still the production end of things. DJ J-Paul (of the dubstep super duo HAVOCNDEED) and DEATH TO THE THRONE call AZ home! heres a taste of some of their work!

DEATH TO THE THRONE-Trapped in ft bjork by djkillpeople

HavocNdeeD - Bass4YaFace by HavocNdeeDsounD

THE "SPECIAL STACK OF RECORDS"

While driving through my hometown of Tucson AZ, I passed what used to be the record shop I frequented as a teen to hang out and buy records. Lots of memories came back to me of taking the city bus after school and trying to show off whatever new scratch pattern I was practicing and talking music with some of the older DJs there. But for some reason the thing I thought of most this particular time was always seeing that "special stack" of records that were set aside. The special stack always had the hot new AV8's, Rawkus records, new albums/singles, and scratch records. They were set aside for homies of theirs, radio DJS, or djs that gained the respect of the other DJs that worked there. they would let you look through them and purchase them before they were picked through and then finally put out on the shelves for everyone else, but only if they thought you were worthy. I remembered when I was finally allowed to see that "Special Stack", it was something that as a 16 yr old kid you worked toward, you had to show your loyalty, rock shows, and gain respect before you were allowed to be part of what seemed like an elite group, THE SPECIAL STACK.
The record store was like a barber shop, or more even like beauty shop is to women, thats what it was like for Djs in my hometown. If you wanted to know who anyone was in the local DJ scene you went to the record shop, wanted to know who had beef with who, who ripped the club last weekend, who should stick to their day job, you went to the record shop. Now with digital record pools and electronic access to music record stores are closing everywhere. I was hurt greatly when the historic FAT BEATS stores in NYC and LA closed. that camaraderie and feeling of home I feel is now suffering greatly, as is the feeling of having to earn that status, having to search for hours or earn the tracks you play. Since digital record pools / music sites everyone can now download anything by paying a membership fee or by paying per track, which is awesome for the artist/producer/remixer, but will eventually be the death of vinyl (I refuse to believe its dead yet).Dont get me wrong, there are lots of artists being given exposure that would not be possible without these sites (myself being one of them) but it is also one of the reasons why I think most DJs sound the same. Everyone is given the exact same remixes, exact same tracks, same selection, instead of having to earn them. I will be following this post up with an interview with Phoenix's DJ Rocko (Commissioners & Bumsquad DJs, Phoenix New Times 2010 BEST LOCAL DJ, 3rd place in Beezo Battle) on a related topic within the next couple of days, so look out for that.
Peace until then

THE RELEVANCE OF SCRATCHING AND TODAYS DJ

I had a talk with another Dj today about the lack of scratching (or unability to do it) in this "new era" of djs. There are more and more Djs now that cannot and dont even care to learn more than mixing 2 songs. honestly any fool with serato can do this by watching the screen, but to stop there and say that you have mastered your craft after only learning how to mix is a bit insane. This same thing is noticeable on most newer DJs "mixtapes". I remember when you could get a mixtape that showcased that DJs unique style, special skills, juggles, doubling, and of course SCRATCHING! I feel like the art of the mixtape a has also died along with that. But, I also dont agree with djs that scratch through a whole song or the "3 minute scratch solo". Scratching samples over verses and hooks doesnt sound dope. theres a fine line to ride to effectively add scratching into your live show. I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on this, on both sides. I already know how I feel about this and I dont claim to be the best at scratching but I can and do scratch in my live sets.

another kind of related topic that has been on my mind is the infamous "USB PULL" that was done by DJ EVILONE at last weeks BEEZO BATTLE. I would like to hear peoples thoughts on the judging, was it fair in your opinion? was the USB PULL necessary? heres the clip in case you didnt see it!

I PLAY WHAT I WANNA PLAY

I have recently had the pleasure of working on a remix for none other than Detroit's Ghettotech movement Pioneer DJ Godfather, who has just released a club album entitled "VIP STATUS". this was actually quite different than what I was used to hearing from him but feel like this album will be more recepted by the masses. One of these tracks caught my ears and I immediately wanted to remix it the second I heard it. The track was called "I WISH I WAS A DJ" and featured Pittsburgh Slim on the vocals. So I hit him up via Twitter and he was surprisingly cool about giving me the acapella for the track that at the time still wasnt officially released. The results have been quite surprising so far, the remix has ended up on DJCITY.COM, WHITELABEL.NET, AV8RECORDS.COM, and is set for release on itunes really soon! If youre in Arizona be sure to check out the album release at CREAM on OCT 27th featuring myself and DJ Godfather on the decks. peep my remix below!
DJ Godfather - I Wish I Was A DJ - Mastamonk Remix by mastamonk