|
• Hip Hop Slam NEWS Roundup
by Munkifunk (inc. Mike Relm joins
"Ghetto Pop Life" & DJ Jester tours
East Coast in Ice Cream Truck)
• What's Up With New Bay Area Station Power 92-7
Program Director Skip Dillard Tells Billy Jam
• Diary of a DJ in the US Air Force Part 3 by ALF
• Atmosphere in Ireland: Tall Paul Lowe Reports
HIP HOP SLAM NEWS ROUND UP
by Munkifunk
Mike Relm was recently added to the "Ghetto Pop Life"
tour with Danger Mouse, Money Mark, and
J-Zone. Expect him to team up with Money Mark and J-Zone
to cut it up for a couple sets. The tour kicks off May 12th in
Phoenix, AZ at the Marquee Theatre. DJ Jester will also
be touring next month...in an ice cream truck! He'll be traveling
along the East Coast to promote a new "slow churning"
technique that makes light ice cream taste as good as the full-fat
variety. Along the way he will be in search of good record stores,
cool venues, and decent radio stations. DJ Jester will also have
a track featured on the upcoming Return of the DJ Vol. 5.5
Supplement CD coming out on Bomb Hip-Hop.
WAR (if it feels good, do it!) is back at #1 on
the KFJC CMJ chart. It seems that every time something
blows up in Iraq, the Hip Hop Slam anti-war album blows up along
with it. Featuring conscious artists such as: Azeem, Mr. Lif,
and the DJs of Mass Destruction consider it the moral soundtrack
to an immoral war. Sometimes music can bring much needed relief
to our hectic lives and especially for the soldiers deployed around
the world. Be sure to check out part three in the ongoing series
of a "DJ in the US Air Force" by ALF, who is
stationed in Japan, as he struggles to stay alive and keep up
his skills on the wheels of steel.
The Kool Mixx marketing campaign was recently dropped
by Brown & Williamson, one of the largest cigarette
manufacturers and marketers in the United States. Maine Attorney
General Steven Rowe ordered the corporate giant to halt
the campaign, which was obviously targeting teens with its use
of hip hop images of rappers, deejays, and b-boys.
David Bowie is offering up his tracks for a special mash-up
contest. (www.davidbowie.com/neverFollow/)
He was quoted in the Times saying: "Mash ups were a great
appropriation idea just waiting to happen. I first heard of them
when 2 Many DJ's put out their album a year or
so ago and have been following the evolution avidly ever since."
Props to the former Ziggy Stardust for being so receptive
to other styles of music and the way people make that music today.
Just let it be known that on this side of the pond, and especially
this side of the coast, we call them blends and we use turntables
instead of computers and we like to do that shit live.
The Bay Area just got a new radio station, Power 92-7,
which is billing itself as hip hop. But will it be the real deal,
or just more of the same old bullshit? Find out as Billy Jam
conducts a little Q&A with the new station's program director
Skip Dillard.
Freelancers United will be presenting two more volumes
in their Turntable + Faderboard Sessions
this month. Vol.7 on Sunday,
May 9 will feature Shing02 (faderboard + ARP
Odyssey), DJ A-1 (Turntables), G. Rantala
(Amiga 1200), plus guests. Vol.8 on
Sunday, May 23 will feature Shing02 (faderboard
+ ARP Odyssey), DJ A-1 (Turntables), DJ
Qraft (Turntables), and very special guest Albert
Mathias (of Live Human) on the drums.
(The Beat Lounge / San Francisco, CA / 9pm - 1am... check out
e22.com for more info.)
WILL NEW BAY AREA "HIP HOP" RADIO STATION
OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO CLEAR CHANNEL'S KMEL/KYLD?
POWER 92-7's PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SKIP DILLARD, RESPONDS
by Billy Jam
Recently many Bay Area radio listeners were pleasantly surprised
when they stumbled upon a new radio station playing non-stop 2Pac
without any commercial interuptions whatsoever. The new station,
POWER 92-7, taking over the FM frequency where that so-called
"Party" station somehow managed to play the worst dance
music ever recorded once dwelled, was making its transition by
playing non-stop Tupac, something they figured would instantly
grab the Bay's attention. It worked! Soon everyone, including
the legions of disgruntled KMEL listeners, were tuning
in and talking about this "new hip hop station". And
even though the new station hasnt fully kicked into operation
already it has clearly unsettled Clear Channel's KMEL and
KYLD urban outlets. KMEL, which has rapidly fallen in both
Arbitron ratings and listener loyalty over the past few years,
has been making some abrupt programming changes in direct reponse
to this first bit of competition they have had to deal with.
But will this new station be a God-send to a listening audience
who once believed that KMEL really was "the peoples' station"
- one with a sincere interst in their lifestyle, cultural and
musical needs? Or will the new POWER 92-7 just be more of the
same commercial radio bullshit, playing preprogammed playlists
of generic national rap and R&B urban hits with absolutely
no sensitivity to the uniqueness of the Bay Area? To answer these
questions we got in touch with Skip Dillard, the station's
new program director, who appears extremely open to and genuinely
concerned with making a connection with the Bay Area community,
in particular Oakland where the new radio station offices are
located. He is also a mix DJ and a hip hop fan who, when told
about the Hip Hop in the Park event on May 1st with Crown
City Rockers, Oakland Faders etc, wanted to know all
the details so that he could definitely attend the event in Peoples
Park Berkeley.
Billy Jam: Who owns the radio station?
Skip Dillard: KPTI (soon to be KBTB) is owned by
3 Point Media San Francisco, a division of
Marathon Media Chicago. Medium sized broadcaster with stations
in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver and other markets.
Billy: I've heard your general format described by several
people as a "hip hop" station but I heard r&b on
there. What qualifies as "hip hop" in your opinion?
Skip: Hip-hop can combine elements of rap, poetry and R&B.
Our focus will be more towards the rap side but the Bay is so
diverse, I've noticed over the years from visiting that this area
has some of the most "educated" hip-hop listeners out
there. They also know and enjoy other forms of music. While we
can't play everything, we have to include artists like Alicia
Keys and others who our listeners love even though they aren't
necessarily rappin'!
Billy: How would you describe your format not in musical
terms like hip hop, but otherwise?
Skip:. Our format is truly "lifestyle". We're
young, upbeat and will be on the pulse of what the streets of
Oakland, The City, and the rest of the Bay are about musically!
Billy: What will make POWER 92.7 unique to Bay Area listeners?
Skip: Our community connection will make us unique. We
don't have 100,000 watts. We haven't been here 20 years so we've
got to show and prove! That involves reaching our listeners one
on one and working to make a difference in the Bay while being
accessible to both listeners, artists and community leaders. We
know we've got to hit the streets and work harder to win! The
jocks, mixers and support people we choose to be a part of our
team will eat, sleep, and live the "Bay"!
Billy: Will you have many (if any) mix shows and if so
will you give DJs freedom to pick any/all the selections?.
Skip: I'm a mixer myself. Mix jocks have more influence
here than almost any area I've worked or lived in. I look forward
to a team of diverse, creative mixers with an ear for music who
can "bring-it" in the clubs as well as on the radio.
I've already met with a number of hot mixers in the Bay from both
in and outside of radio.
Billy: How much non-music or news/public/cultural affairs
type programming (if any) will you have on average week?
Skip: I can't say how many hours until we have things in
place but I promise this: We will keep our listeners informed
in hours in which they're awake to hear it! I know poetry is also
hot and we look forward to showcasing culture not only on the
radio, but promoting positive community events for both youth
and young adults.
Billy: Will all programming be produced in-house or will
some be satellite feeds from elsewhere (which is what you are
doing now I'm told)?
Skip: Yes! We look forward to being live and LOCAL. Programming
now originates from our studios in Oakland and we're in the process
of re-building our studios to accomodate a fully local operation.
Billy: Will you broadcasting online also? If so what is
site address
Skip: We're hoping to stream online. Currently working
on a new website and features as we speak.
Billy: Anything else you would like to add?
Skip: I just have to thank the community for the calls,
welcome cards, tips, referrals and kindness shown since arriving
in Oakland. I live here, shop and recently joined Love Center
Church on East 14th. I have been blown away by the kindness and
realness of people here in the East Bay. It is an honor and privilege
to serve you! My office number is 510-762-0927. I look
forward to hearing from more of you with your suggestions, support
and comments as we build the New Power 92-7!
Thanks!
Diary of a DJ in the US Air Force Part 3
by ALF
 |
As Guru from Gang Starr says "The Question
Remains." What do you do as a DJ in the armed forces if you
get called or volunteered to go to a deployed location? Personally,
the only thing I would do is bring my little practice scratch
block (showcased by DJ QBert at Skratchcon 2000)
and pray that by chance the location I would be going to has some
turntables of some sort. It wouldn't matter to me if it's the
CD player type or the traditional direct drive turntables; I'll
use them. As long as I have something that would keep my skills
up to par, whether it's mixing or just scratching. Two of my DJ
friends have been put to the test of "what do you do?"
DJ Mam, who's in the Marine Corps and went TAD to
Malaysia a while ago ran into the dilemma about how he's going
to bring his turns on the TAD. He calls me and asks me about how
long it took for my cases to come in the mail. I told him that
it took them an unbelievably 2 to 3 months for them to arrive
in the mail. If I knew that I wasn't going to be DJing at Radius
Squared during the time he was away, I would've let him use
my cases. So, pretty much he went to Malaysia with no turns, scratchpad,
or whatever. When he returned from his TAD, he told me believe
it or not that he was playing at a club there. I was like "WHAT?!"
"Man, how did you pull that off?" I asked him. "Hey
dog, I just went and talked to the owner about a lot of DJ stuff
from artists to equipment," said DJ Mam. He was using CD
turntables for the first time. He made the best of his time there
by simply mixing, pleasing the Marines whom most didn't know he
DJed at a club on home station.
What I gained out of DJ Mam's experience is that music thank
goodness is still the universal language. Maybe music is the key
to alleviate all this drama that is happening around the world.
We are on the brink of WW III. Who knows, maybe at the current
"hot spots" like Iraq, Haiti, etc., there's some DJ
that is maybe cutting up some form of music just to try and help
alleviate all the conflicts that surround us. To be continued...
Atmosphere in Ireland
by Tall Paul Lowe
April 26, 2004
When I walked into the gig Mr. Dibbs was getting ready
to grace the turntables with his presence and show why he is all
that. The man graced us with some lovely cutting style and if
I am truly been honest, the main reason why I went to this gig
was to check out the man himself. Before last night I did not
know any of Atmosphere's music which I found at the end
of the night was a big mistake. Slug is a very talented
MC and very down to earth. He is an MC in this game for the love
of Hip Hop and making good quality Hip Hop at that. He made sure
that the crowd was involved in everything that he and Luckyiam
PSC were doing while on stage. The mood was very somber but
very cool. Everyone was chilled and having a great time. The rhymes
were unbelievable. Every word and syllable was so crystal clear.
The talk of Bush came up and Slug suggested instead of
cheering for Dubya we should boo him. This meant every
time that Slug or Luckyiam PSC mentioned his name we all booed
him. Slug made up a freestyle of this and just kept flowing while
the crowd kept booing. Mr. Dibbs at this point still had the bandanna
tied around his face and baseball cap on his head. He kind of
looked like a terrorist. The boys stated to break it down and
threw down a mosh pit with Dibbs cutting the fuck out of the hardcore
guitar tunes. Everyone jumped in the pit and just seemed to get
involved. Luckyiam PSC even stage dived. Slug told a story about
him been on the tour bus with Luckyiam PSC, Dibbs and a few others.
He mentioned the fact that on this particular day he had received
bad news and his girl of 5 years dumped him. He found these tablets,
took them and mixed them with alcohol and he sat staring out the
window buzzing and seeing weird and wonderful shapes.
Towards the end of the show some girl got up on stage and wanted
to dance with Slug. Luckyiam PSC was having none of this and proceeded
to escort the girl of stage. Slug and Luckyiam PSC said as they
were approaching the end of their show and that they wanted to
freestyle. At the end of the night the guys said they should come
to Ireland more often as they felt a lot of love from the people
here. Between the 3 of them they passed around a pint of Arthur.
Slug gave a huge shout out and respect to DJ Flip for his
opening set and said that he hooked up with in Flip before in
Minnesota where Flip crashed on his floor and drank beer with
Slug and his girlfriend.
|
