Photo by Guzman

This photo is all about context. My good friend, Robert Guzman, took this photograph last Saturday night at Red Sky Record store. It was a Dubstep after-party for the night. I started DJing at midnite, thinking I would be spinning for about an hour. Keep in mind, this is an afterhours – as in, after the bars close at 2 am, so there were only a few chill cats there hanging out waiting for Boxcutter to go on downstairs at 3 am.

But I spin deep, funky tech house and deep minimal techno – nice melodies, expansive bass, and it has to have that swing in the beat. But these were some younger cats who only listen to Dubstep. But I was working out the 4/4 beats, keeping it deep and chunky. I could see them digging it. It was cool: an easy vibe and the space to play the music I love to hear on a very solid system.

Well, apparently, a couple DJs flaked and my one hour set got stretched into a 3 1/2 hour. I couldn’t have been happier. The place was minimally filled, the sound was perfect, and Robert and I rocked out for three hours, dancing to my choice sonic selections. That’s all you need. One DJ, one dancer and a lot of love for music – it was a perfect night. He got it, I got it, and it was pure catharsis.

And, you know, I saw some of those Dubstep cats nodding their heads to the beat – don’t fake, you know who you are. When you feel it, you feel it; allow your mind to get out of the way and just let it happen.

I am completely fascinated by the alternate reality of Quantum Mechanics, the machinery beneath the matter. The inability to resolve Newtonian Physics with the subatomic world – and really, to even imagine how the two are even related – belies the only truth: we can never really know anything.

The Nobel-prize winning physicist Richard Feynman once stated, “If you thought science was certain – well that was just an error on your part.” Although we may never fully understand the machinations of the universe – currently, we understand extremely little. In fact, the matter we are made of is only five percent of the known universe. Thirty percent is dark matter and sixty-five percent has been coined with the equally ominous term, dark energy. The connotation of the word “dark” is perhaps too negative, it simply refers to the fact that we are unable to see them as they do not register within the electromagnetic spectrum. I wonder sometimes if these things which exist beyond the limits of our comprehension are perhaps more beautiful than light itself. Perhaps not. But the joy is within the process of observation and discovery.

Richard Feynman also said, “Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which ‘are’ there.” The further we move forward in our ability to observe our universe, the more complex and beautiful it becomes. Here are some scenes of the subatomic realm.

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As you all know, hip hop is dead. Well, the diamond age of hip hop is dead. The Krystal and bling bling has been reduced to a piece of cubic zirconia and a bottle of Korbel. All the people who meant anything during the period know this. Kanye West said he’s done doing hip hop. Timbaland is doing dance music. I saw Lil Jon with Diplo at the WMC in Miami this past year rapping about Dubstep.

It’s a natural cycle in some regards. There are a few innovators and a lot of haters, playaz and imitators. But in regards to hip hop, the cultural phenomena that was and the monetary mountains reached only magnified the monotony of production and reproduction. Someone breaks new ground and twenty others bite their style, their swagger and their synth lines. The Cure had it right when they said “Someone’s always jumping someone else’s train.” It doesn’t just apply to pasty white boys with tears of black eye-liner staining their mopey faces. It’s different players, but the game remains the same.

So that’s why I was so refreshed to see this video for “Robot” by KRS-One and Buckshot. The call out the entertainment industry manufacturing the mass-produced, boardroom-designed, artless, auto-tuned, talentless hacks who decide they can sing and perform. Not because they are compelled to or have anything to say but in some neurotic obsession to be famous. It’s the disease of fame that compels people to begin to believe the mythology of the media.

But this song is spot on: hot beat, catchy chorus, and dropping knowledge. Talking about Africa Bambaataa and Kraftwerk, and then laying out how people keep following each other around like pathetic dogs, trying to lick the ass that feeds them. Boogie Down Productions was one of my favorites – “My Philosophy” is one of my top five hip hop songs of all time. I’m glad to see KRS-One still being relevant and keeping it real. Now if only listens.

I found this video on Vimeo and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more perfect synchronization in the cut and paste culture. Both Bukowski’s poem and Burial’s track are deep on their own, but together, they sink down through the layers of skin and bone and pour into the hidden well we keep buried beneath the tectonic plates of persona, washing away the memories and emotions tossed down into the darkness like wishes.

The new mash-up culture should try to be more than just about being clever. When the context is stripped away and then reformed, like solid planets built of liquid stars, the implication is that our individual creative bursts are not solitary ripples in the vast space of existence, but instead, each creative act is a reference point for the other, creating a fabric that only becomes more rich as we adapt new forms of technology to tell our tales.

Ultimately, we will begin to see that all creativity pulses from the same subtle current. The revelations of unlikely sources reveal that the labels of distinction we use to create distance are the illusions of our imagination. If viewed carefully enough, there is but one creative act.

The August issue of San Francisco’s new music and culture magazine, inGEN, has just been released. For this issue, I had the honor of interviewing David Best, an artist best known for his Temple projects at Burning Man. It’s been a while since I’ve been to BM (about 5 years now) but The Temple is something that has always had a profound impact on me, and the images of the Temples I experienced still remain fresh within my memory.

About a year ago, I was thinking about how society would be structured in a post-religious world. By this, I mean a world that has evolved beyond the need for religious institutions. My problem with most religions is that they act not as guides to the individual to help that person follow his or her own path, but instead, the religious organization acts as an authority, proscribing stale dogmas and rituals, and, above all, demanding the individual to conform to this or that system.

Every individual perceives the world in a distinctly unique way. An organization requires a certain amount of uniformity amongst its people. To conform is, in a way, to become less. Instead, it seems an organization that truly seeks to show someone the path to truth, whatever that truth may be, must itself conform to the needs of the individual. It must be fluid, passive, and above all, conscientious of its actions. This relationship between the organization and the individual creates a condition in which the individual must be responsible for his or her self, rather than abdicating that responsibility to the unquestionable laws of the religious “leader.”

With or without these institutions, the human condition will persist. Suffering, conflict, loss – these are all truths within the human experience. People will still need a place of refuge to find solace, peace and a space to reflect. Religious buildings do provide this to a certain degree, but the requirement of these places ask the person to seek a connection to something which is outside that person: an ideal or concept that has been created by the traditions and language of that particular lineage. It seems that for a person to truly grow, to evolve consciously or spiritually or whatever, instead of searching externally for answers, one should examine the self: the thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that form the perceptions that are at the root of suffering.

Therefore, a space that is conducive for self-reflection must balance the beauty of aesthetics without succumbing to the temptations of piety and ritual. The structure should allow a person a space to go and gain from it whatever it is they require, whether that be prayer, meditation, social connection, or just a moment of peace from whatever reality he or she subscribes to.

The Temples that Best has built seem to follow this same idea. His goal is to simply provide something for people who don’t have anything. It’s relatively easy to give someone funds or guidelines or encouragement, but that doesn’t necessarily facilitate change. A space that places no requirements or expectations, nor seeks to teach or preach or make a statement upon anyone who enters, becomes a place that truly serves the needs of the person. This new paradigm in design seeks to move beyond our current skylines built of monuments to the ego, and instead seeks to become the architecture of compassion.

Sunday, August 2nd is a big day in San Francisco for electronic music parties. I’m spinning at the legendary Bionic party this Sunday night from 11 pm to midnite at The Triple Crown on Market at Octavia. Come and shake it with me!

I'll be DJing from 11 pm to midnite

Also, during the day, another installment of the free Dirtybird’s party in the park. Here’s the details, not to be missed!

Date:	Sunday, August 2, 2009
Time:	2:00pm – 6:00pm
Location:	golden gate park
Street:	off of 25th
City/Town:	San Francisco, CA
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Over the years, I have moved to DJing with vinyl to CDs, mainly because of the cost. But I can see that what I am moving towards is using a laptop. First, I want access to all my music, and for that to all be on CDs becomes a bit of a nightmare in organization. In addition, CDs can get scratched, or skip, and in a live situation, that is not cool. Secondly, as you will see Richie Hawtin’s demonstration, the need to beat match becomes secondary to the programming, looping and effects processing that is available with digital music mixing programs. I can keep two records beat matched, there is no challenge in that anymore. Now the challenge is to make mixes that are based around telling a story, creating an atmosphere, and pushing along the boundaries of sonic experimentation.

Now all I need is a Mac…

Here’s a look at the upcoming Tron Legacy movie. The original was an interesting concept that was hindered by the lack of CGI technology at the time. It looks like that won’t be an issue with this film. They even got Daft Punk to do the music! It’s going to be a good year for Sci-Fi . . .

Summertime in San Francisco means it’s time for Burning Man fundraisers. This past weekend was no different with two separate parties raising money for Burning Man camps and art projects. But, unfortunately, one of those parties was an underground, and, following a recent trend in San Francisco, it was busted by the cops before it even got started.

Anesthesia III was a fundraiser for a Burning man art project. It was being held in a space on 5th St. and Folsom in the SOMA district. A friend of mine who was an eyewitness to the unfolding of events told me that apparently an undercover police officer bought a ticket and then went inside the venue. Once inside, he called backup and five undercover officers rushed the space. Once inside, they arrested the door girl, the sound guy, and a couple of other people and, worse, they confiscated the sound system! I’ve been involved in throwing underground parties here in SF for the past 8 years and I have never heard of the police confiscating the sound system.

But, there recently has been a trend of underground parties being busted. One of those promoters actually contacted me after a piece I wrote for Resident Advisor and we talked a bit about how the police have been cracking down on the underground scene. Back in April, a Bang the Box party was busted in Chinatown. A blog I was referred to (and can’t seem to locate and link to) said the issue is that the police chief is retiring so there is currently a lot of posturing among various department heads to be the next pick for chief. Illegal warehouse parties are an easy target: it’s fairly easy to find out about one and there is little chance for any violence or resistance from the party-goers. In essence, it’s an easy score on a soft target for the police.

The trend seems to have gotten out of hand though. I was told that in one weekend recently, five parties were busted by the police. Usually, the promoters are given tickets and the party shut down. But with people being led away in handcuffs and equipment confiscated it seems that the war on the warehouse party has escalated to a level I’ve never seen before. It’s unfortunate though since these parties don’t pose any real threat to the welfare of the city. These are events that provide after-hours entertainment in a city that essentially closes at 2 am. It also allows many promoters the ability to bring in artists from around the world and provide them with a space to play extended sets in a safe atmosphere. Much of what gives San Francisco such a dynamic music scene are the various underground events that run after the legal venues have closed down for the night.

But, like all things, this trend will eventually pass. A new police chief will be chosen and slowly but surely, the underground scene will start up again, one party at a time. When that will happen, though, is anyone’s guess. But for now it seems that the underground party scene is officially dead.

This Saturday, July 18th from 11 am – 9 pm will be the opening mixer for Red Sky Records, a new shop specializing in Techno and Dubstep vinyl. I’ll be playing from 11 am – 2 pm, ironically, on CDJs. I might have to wipe the dust off some of my classic techno records, though. I recently played some vinyl records and I do have to say, I miss the tactility of the medium. Being able to see the grooves, moving the tone arm with unrestricted quickness – that being said, I don’t miss dirty needles deteriorating the analogue quality of the signal.

It’s exciting to see that vinyl will still live on in the city. Dubstep music as a genre is difficult to obtain in any other format other than vinyl, so it will be good to finally have direct access to the music. I’m actually shifting away from CDJs though and moving towards a streamlined digital format – a computer, music software and a big hard drive. The reason: vinyl is both heavy and expensive, and CDs, they scratch and are a pain to keep organized. Perhaps it’s time to get Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Pro. The best of all worlds…