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• Hip Hop Slam News
• Mixmaster Mike Amazes Audience
• Future Primitive Rules the Bay
• Bay Area DJ Profile #008: DJ Zeph
• Mars-One Art & News
• SHOP: Return of the DJ — Vol. V
HIP HOP SLAM NEWS
The RIAA raided Berry's Music in Indiana last
week and busted the mom-and-pop store for selling DJ Mix-CDs,
confiscating $10,000 worth of DJ CD mixes. Thanks to our man Steinski
alerted us to this story which was reported by RapNewsDirect.com.
This raid comes hot on the heels of the RIAA losing the lawsuit
against the grandmother who downloaded free music online. (Editor's
note: The sooner the greedy music industry and their facist enforcer
(RIAA) - who have as little love for artists as their fans - wise
up and face the music the better. Truth is that (A) CDs cost too
much (B) how people acquire music has changed forever & (C)
biting the hand that feeds you (music fans) won't solve anything.
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Pictured opposite are Shing02 and DJ Icewater from
the DJs of Mass Destruction set at the Great American Music
Hall in San Francisco on 9/11/2003. Go to Photo
Gallery #06 to see more pics from this concert including DJ
Quest, A-1, DJ Dubya, and Cat Five. Other new gallery
pics include Peanut Butter Wolf and Foreign Legion
from the recent Puma party in San Fran, Live
Human in the Mission, Pone, dawgisht, and DnZ
at KALX, and Irene at Hip Hop Slam BBQ.
Tall Paul Lowe in Dublin reports that in the recent Irish
DMC Finals the winners were: 3rd place: DJ Flip,
Second: DJ Mayhem, and First place: Tu-Ki and that
in the DMC/Technics World DJ Championships the Top
3 DJs were: #1 DJ Dopey Canada, #2 Enferno USA,
#3) DJ Quest UK. Battle for World Supremacy #1 Tigerstyle
UK. and #2 M-Roc Canada. Team Championships # 1
Coup 2 Cross France, #2 La Guilde Belgium, and #
3 Funky Teknicianz Canada.
Advance/discounted copies of the new BOMB Hip Hop compilation
Return of the DJ — Vol. V CD (only $8.98) are available
at the SHOP (scroll
down to end of this NEWS for info). And for all the latest on
Italy's #1 DJ crew, Alien Army and their label Bad New
Records, who will soon release The End in the USA
on Bomb Hip Hop Slam go to their website www.alienarmy.net
Tony Silver emailed to say that he's "Just back from
Edinburgh Intl film festival where Style Wars &
Style Wars:ReVisited got great reception, similarly
at the remarkable Backjumps - The Live Issue exhibition/event
in Berlin. Style Wars has Scandinavia covered like a blanket festival-wise
- Copenhagen in July and August, Oulu (Finland) in August, Stockholm
and Bergen (Norway) in October. Add those to the Berlin and Edinburgh
events and upcoming in Rotterdam in November and northern europe
definitely fallilng into place. For more info on Style Wars
read the interview with Tony Silver and Tony Chalfant
at: Style Wars
on DVD.
DJ Fuse-One continues to bring quality
live music to San Jose with STANK: his weekly DJ-oriented
nite Thursdays at the Agenda Lounge. On Sept. 18th the lineup
included DJ Greyboy, Platurn, and Gunkhole (D-Styles,
Ricci Rucker, Mike Boogie, Ace on drums). In the house
were such individuals as Celskiii, Deeandroid, Joe Quixx,
and Joefu whose favorite was "When they did John
Wayne on Acid....but overall they wer just insane, especially
with the live drummer.... For three turntable set ups and drummer
they were so musical, so damn melodic.... I loved when they put
some crazy reverb on the skratches.... all fuckin amazing!"
www.stankmusic.com
Prop 54: If you are registered to vote in California and
are opposed to "the new ethnic cleansing... inequalities
in education, jobs, and housing... and.. racial profiling by police....
etc." as the legions in opposition to Prop 54 describe it,
then vote NO, October 7th, 2003 and STOP Prop 54! (www.stop54.com)
A brand new San Francisco club night with promise is Fairplay
(Weds @ 330 Ritch) whose statement of purpose is to "share
and play the music we love without the trappings of modern clubs,
namely promoters, hosts, VIPs, and high costs" ($3 cover,
cheap drinks, and free food!) and to recapture the vibe of such
oft-missed SF clubs as Mr. Fives and Soulvation
with DJs Kirk and George spinning Oct. 1st, Matthew
Africa and Joe Quixx on Oct. 8th, and Shante
and Sake One on Oct. 15th.
New mix CDs we recently recently received include DJ Conshus
& DJ Icewater's Waterproof International, Irish
DJ who lives in NYC DJ Wool's new mix CD (www.itchyrevolutions.com),
DJ Darkat's RPM Vol. 1, and DJ Bin Laden's
Mix Tape #006.... Meanwhile new battle/break records include Mike
Boogie's recommended Soul Canvas and 2Fresh's
Mission Cartel Presents: The Soul Keeper
(futuromusic@hotmail.com).
MIXMASTER MIKE AT FUTURE PRIMITIVE SOUND SESSION
by Billy Jam
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Mixmaster Mike tore shit up at the DNA in San Francisco
at the Future Primitive Sound Session party, September
20th. The hometown hero (who currently resides in LA) amazed and
delighted the packed crowd - some dancing/many more just staring
in awe as the turntable master worked his magic: a non-stop assualt
of speed-of-light segues'ncuts'n'swift-deck- transitions. Incorporating
all types of music from party rocking beats n breaks (old &
nu skool) to rock riffs etc. - even those bugged out beautiful
turntable noises that aliens hear -Mike offered up just the perfect
amount of cuttng and scratching to keep everyone happy: consistantly
keeping the energy level high as he tweaked the pitch control
well into the + side on nearly every record on his 1200's. Memorable
moments included when he got the crowd going crazy by dropping
in House of Pain's Jump Around. But before the delighted
jumping crowd could sing along for too long (Feel it, funk
it Amps it are junking And I got more rhymes than there's cops
that are dunking...) Mike was already into the next record,
the one that launched his career into the pop relm: the Beastie
Boys' Intergalactic Planatery. But once again, before
things stayed the same for too long he was already effortlessy
into the next record: the Incredible Bongo Band's Apache.
Goddam that DJ made my day! Fuckin amazing show! After the show
(Mike's second that day as he had performed earlier at the big
Cyber Fest at the Cow Palace) the former
Invisibl Skratch Piklz DJ told Hip Hop Slam that
he has been hella busy in the studio for the past several months
and will be for next few months as he winds up recording of both
his brand new (next level type shit that will blow your mind!)
solo album and also the next Beastie Boys album which will
feature even more of the DJ than the last one. Note that both
the Beasties album and his solo album will be released simultaneously:
most likely early summer 2004. Meantime fans of Mixmaster Mike's
should be sure to look for the Hip Hop Slam Bay Area DJ
Profile on the DJ in upcoming hiphopslam.com NEWS #022.
Also spinning at this same Future Primitive Sound Session
were the amazing Oakland Faders' DJ Spair and
DJ Platurn and the less-than-amazing UK drum'n'bass star
Goldie and many other DJs. The next Future Primitive
Sound Session will be on November 1. Meanwhile every Thursday
Future Primitive hosts Money Shot at Milk
in San Francisco. DJ's at last week's always fun party included
Romanowski and Rasta Cue Tip. Milk is located on
Haight St. in San Francisco (opposite Amoeba).
Down the other end of the street is the recently opened Future
Primitive Sound Headquarters (415-551-2328). which is offices
for the organization's parties and record label as well as a retail
spot and gallery. (597 Haight St. "It houses the office for
our record label and our parties. Plus it is a gallery and a store
where we sell music, clothing, art, and limited edition sneakers,"
said owner Mark Herlihy, noting that, "Everything
we sell we make ourselves, except for the sneakers." Infamous
Rock Steady Crew member Doze Green will have an art
show at the space in December.
NOTE: shoppers outside the Bay Area who want to buy items from
the store can do so online: www.futureprimitive.com
BAY AREA DJ PROFILE #008: DJ Zeph
DJ Name: DJ Zeph
Hometown: Santa Cruz CA, lived in SF since '92.
Trademark saying or philosophy: If it
sounds good it doesn't matter.
Solo/Collaborative History: In the mid
80's my breaking crew was the atomic rockers (how
corny is that name?)....I get down with Future Primitive
Sound Session as often as possible. I put out the Break
Builders and Electrospective mix cd's and
did shows with fellow santa cruz turntable wizard DJ Imperial.
Around the time of producing the L-ron album we were doing
shows so you could call us a group. I've also been tight with
the BeatSauce family (J boogie, Raw b, Wisdom),
there's a promo I did where I get a shout out at the end as if
I were part of the crew. There's the ever evolving VU live
band project on Wide Hive Records. Azeem and I aren't really
a group, we put out music and do shows together, but we bring
our own identities to the table.
How would describe the music you spin? Hip Hop that respects
itself. I try to hold onto the philosophies of the Zulu Nation
and promote that musically. Genre is irrelevant, but I was raised
on hip hop and breaks, so that's a big part of me and my sound.
Discography: the new 12" with Rashan Ahmad
"Floorwax", the self titled debut lp "DJ Zeph",
and the "Rubber and Glue" 12" with Azeem,
all 3 on Wide Hive Records. The 2 mix cd's I did with DJ Imperial;
"Break Builders" and "ElectroSpective". I
have a track each on the compilations "Deep Concentration
4" with Azeem, "Urban Revolutions" with Future
Primitive Sound, & "Cue's hip hip shop vol. 2" with
Raw B.
DJ battle history: I won two DJ battles
at SF State around '93, one had DJ Relm competing. BeatSauce
used to host a monthly battle that I entered twice, only winning
once. I was a runner up at a battle in Gilroy in like 1990. I've
never entered any major competitions.
First record you bought: my first trip to the record store
I bought a few things. 3 of the Roxanne battle records (Roxanne's
doctor, Roxanne Roxanne, and The Real Roxanne), and, like DJ Shadow,
I also got the Street Beat Vol. 2 comp. This was around 1985.
Most influential record(s) in your life? The Jungle
Brothers 2nd lp, "Done By The Forces of Nature",
and "Death Mix" the Jazzy Jay side. Creativity
never goes out of style, these records are as fresh to me today
as when I first heard them.
When did you first DJ? In a garage for a girls birthday
in my hometown. There was punch and cookies and after the party
was over the girls dad stepped to me and asked me if i had any
coke. I was like "Coca Cola?" and he was like "cocaine!".
I was thinking Whats a 14 year old kid gonna be doing with
narcotics like that? Thats when I knew djing would be a wild
ride, full of obstacles to overcome and mentally rise above.
What made you want to be a DJ? There was a DJ down with
Bam and the Zulu Nation in the Monterey Bay. His
name was Bubba G. Scotch, or Professor BGS, and
he did a weekly radio show. He epitomized what makes a good DJ;
selection, skills, knowledge, and a style on the mic that got
you more excited to hear what he would do next. He even did a
live show once with Melle Mel, and simulcasted it live
on the radio. With inspiration from Bubba, and Kutmasta Kurt
giving me more hands on
experience, I was addicted to DJing immediately.
Most memorable performance? Playing in
Japan with Azeem in May of this year. Sometimes at shows
when I feel like I'm really doing something special, the crowd
isn't paying attention, and sometimes i'll get props for shows
that feel way off. It isn't usually so much about the performance
as it is about the vibe in the audience. In Japan the vibe was
like the bay area in the early 90's, people were wide open and
excited about the music in general.
How do you transport your records to gigs? Flight cases.
the record bags keep falling apart on me.
Do you play CDs ever at gigs? Not yet.
In your opinion who is the best DJ of all time? Right
now I'm thinking about Jazzy Jay. He's murdering the Death
Mix. He had a Studio and worked with the likes of Masters of Ceremony
(Grand Puba), Diamond D, Tribe Called Quest. He can cut, he can
juggle. And almost 30 years later, he's still doing his thing
to this day. Big up Jazzy Jay.
Best website or way for folks to find out more about you:
deejay_zeph@yahoo,
www.widehive.com,
www.djzeph.com
MARS-ONE:
ARTIST'S FANS INCLUDE QBERT & HIP HOP SLAM
Mars-One: the Bay Area's most talented and coolest muthafuckin
artist, who has done several album covers for Hip Hop Slam
Records (including Eddie Def's Wax People II (Open
Your Mind) and Turntables By The Bay Vol. 3 /
various artists), has been hella busy the past couple of years
doing a zillion and two gallery exhibits. DJ QBert is among
fans/collectors of Mars One's work (two of the three flashing
Mars-One paintings that accompany this story hang in QBert's Daly
City home). Currently the Fresno born, Mission district Mars-One
(real name Mario Martinez) is working on his first book
and updating his recently launched recommended new website:
www.mars-1.com
HIP HOP SHOP
Title: Return
of the DJ Vol. V
Format: CD
Catalog #: BHH2060
Bomb Hip-Hop helped spark the turntablist revolution in 1995
with the release of the first ever all dj/all scratching album
RETURN OF THE DJ. This fifth installment in the pioneering
series features the newest & best turntablists assembled from
the USA, Canada, the UK, Italy, Germany and Japan. These songs
showcase stellar dj scratching as well as creative concepts like
Azzurro & Hashim B.'s guide to breathing techniques "Quattro
Respirato", Noisy Stylus' tune about getting kids to eat
their green vegetables "Broccoli Wars", and the hilarious
"Director's Cut" that features the '89 Skratch Gangstaz
cutting up vocal bits from two action movie stars - Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
TRACKING
01. ROTDJ Radio / DJ Shortfuse
02. Disc Duel / DJ Hype & the Phaderheadz
03. Directors' Cut / '89 Skratch Gangstaz (DJ Pone &
Snayk Eyez)
04. The Detonator / Ales One & DJ Teeko
05. 1-8-7 / DJ Marvel
06. Recognize / The Fingerbangerz
07. Hate Me / DJ Astro
08. Destroy / Alien Army
09. Panic / Timestretch, DJ Nerve and Trouble B
10. Quattro Respirato / Azzurro feat. Hashim B.
11. Catch Wreck / Jazz Addixx feat. DJ Ragz, DJ Boom and
Mudd
12. The Old School Day Trip / DJ X-Rated
13. Aych 2 Oh / H.O.P.
14. Broccoli Wars / Noisy Stylus
15. I'm the Mutha F'in Man / DJ T-Rock
16. The Boys Dope! / Mista Ed
17. Ventilation / DJ JS1
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