So I’ve been pretty well Paper Planes lately (M.I.A.), and I’ll continue to be over the next few days, but swoop through any of these spots to vibe with me and enjoy yourself!
TONIGHT: Indiana State Fair I’ll be out at the State Fair tonight DJing and MCing (wha?) (cue Rodney O and Joe Cooley) for some performances and tapings by MTV “America’s Best Dance Crew” alumni BreakSK8 and Status Quo, as well as some local hip hop. Drop by and maybe you’ll be in the filming! If the fair isn’t your thing, head down to Subterra where CCMS homie DJ 2Deep will be wrecking shop. Following my fun at the fair, I’ll be down at Subterra with Radio Now 100.9’s very own Big Ass Night Show and we’ll be shakin’ ass til’ 3.
SATURDAY: Blu Martini
You already know.
SUNDAY: Lulu’s Following a triathlon in the morning, me and the Keepin’ It Deep team will be providing you the opportunity for one last party before your work week begins. Best electronic party in the city, bar none. Good, inexpensive drinks, great music, and it all ends at 1am so you still can catch some shuteye before work.
Thanks to everyone who voted for me in this year’s Nuvo “Best Of Indy” issue! That’s three years running for me making the list! THANK YOU!
I leave you for the moment with a video I was fortunate enough to capture a few weeks ago.
DJ Metrognome has been doing his thing around Indy for a hot minute. The dude keeps his schedule stuffed with shows including the legendary “Take That Tuesday” party at Coaches, does mass amounts of events for Red Bull, Scion, Cornerstone, and and and… Probably the hardest working dude in Indy, he kicked us a downtempo mix that is an awesome refuge from all the high-energy stuff I’ve been posting lately. Metrognome’s myspace has been added to the roll as the newest addition to the CCMS. Show the dude some love, check out one of his shows, and enjoy quality DJing and good music.
The dirty thirty y’all! My man 2Deep came through with a history lesson for his second CCMS appearance. Duece Deeply, as I like to call him, has been making quite a name for himself around the city with his Soul Sensation trilogy, as well as first Mondays at Fox & Hound and Saturday nights at The Living Room (with DJ 812…Whatup?). 2Deep was kind enough to kick us the third verse of Soul Sensation and relieves you of having to “betta ask somebody.” These are all original 45 recordings from his collection, which just means his basement is worth more than my house. Get familiar with the samples used in your favorite hip hop jammies, cop the first two Sensations on disc, and consider yourself schooled.
I submit that DJs hear and see some of the most ridiculous things while at work. We’re surrounded by people drinking and generally losing their inhibition sips at a time, and then they approach us in a daring move to “better” their evening. In the course of my career behind the wheels of steel, I’ve started writing some of the things I see, hear, or think while at my battle station. I keep a supply of napkins in the booth and through the course of the evening they become a document of my evening. I usually intend on elaborating about the items I jot down but in front of me are about 50 napkins compositions that would take too long. I’ll leave you with a bulleted list of mostly things to do or not do, random thoughts and ideas, rants and raves, and if there’s a lot of interest in a specific one, I’ll elaborate in a separate post.
“Slow dance to “Lollipop Bmore remix“ - I love Indy, I really do, but its things like slow dancing to songs at 130bpm that make me question our musical culture and understanding.
“We just came up here to see what songs you have…” - Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, think that a self-respecting DJ is going to let you rifle through their music collection. If you’re invited, that’s one thing, but that’s probably not going to happen in a nightclub. Think about what you want to hear, think about how that fits in with what the DJ is playing, think about it again and if you think you have what the dancing majority would like to hear, only then should you approach the DJ with the correct song title and artist with a smile on your face. We like smiles.
“Yo dude, play “Baby Got Back.” The girls will love it!” - I was currently banging some house records that had the dance floor packed, and I refuse to think the majority of people still want to hear this.
“How about hip hop, you know, like Jay-Z or something?” - A statement like this, said in the wrong tone, is completely patronizing to any DJ worth their weight. Again, smile, try and be a little more courteous, and know that we’ll take care of you. Enjoy the fact that you aren’t hearing the same songs all night that you hear 40+ times a day on the radio.
You know its race weekend in Indianapolis when everyone is fetal-position-drunk by 11pm and you see a rat tail in an ultra lounge.
“Hey DJ, why don’t you play something you want to hear?” - This is the NUMBER 1 way to your DJ’s heart. The only way to top it is by dropping a tip (probably not a $1) when you make this request. Most of the DJs I know listen to a lot of music they don’t ever get to play out. Asking your DJ to play something (s)he wants to hear is a sure fire way to impress them, make yourself memorable, hear new music, and thereby grant yourself elite status if you decide to request a song later.
I’ve always found songs like “Ms. New Booty” to be particularly misogynistic, so imagine my surprise when I see a group of openly gay lesbians both request, and dance to, said song. - Moral(s): Don’t judge a book by its cover; the power of a catchy tune is a very strange thing.
What in the world is Mickey Avalon doing on a Boost Mobile commercial? - The funniest part is that he only gets two bars while JD and Jeezy get four. Don’t get me wrong, I like Mickey and I enjoyed his show here in Indy, but putting him with two ATL heavyweights? Just strange, that’s all. (For the record, JD’s status as an ATL heavyweight rests solely on his past projects of 10+ years and in no way is supported by his recent endeavors.)
Why are DJs booked on the strength of their production work and not on the strength of their DJing abilities? - Would you book Timbaland to play when you want to hear ”Sexy Back?” I understand, but many producers are booked for their creation library and don’t even know how do properly execute a crossfade outside of Ableton. Just seems a little ridiculous to me, that’s all. Or I’m a hater.
“Oh I have friends that do tables…” - Let’s never refer to DJing as “doing tables” again, eh? Great, thank you.
“Play something upbeat, like ‘Cyclone’.” - I was playing Common when the request was made, but we’ll casually overlook the major issue that showcases. Instead, “Cyclone” runs a snail’s pace of 78 bpm and the song I was playing was around 100, a much more worthy dance pace. And certainly more ‘upbeat’.
“You da Man!” - Its just funny that this phrase is still be used regularly, that’s all. I’ve probably heard in 5 times in the last couple weeks, thankfully from no one in my close circle of friends.
“Play the journey song.” - Can at least 10% of the people that request “the journey song” name two other songs Journey has done? And what exactly is “the journey song?” Or do you mean, “the Journey song?” Or do you mean, “Journey - Don’t Stop Believing?”
“Play something with flow.” - What does that even mean?
“Everyone out here wants to hear “Britney Spears - Piece of Me.” - Just because all your ex-boyfriends said you were pretty doesn’t mean that you’re entitled to tell a DJ what to play, how to play it, or when to play it. I’m not at all sorry that the “pretty girl entitlement” doesn’t work with me. In fact, the prettier a girl is, the less likely I am to play her Pussycat Dolls request. Ok, so that’s not entirely true, I just mean to say a girls good looks don’t equate to my attention when I’m doing my job. Maybe that’s just a chip on my shoulder from being an ugly kid, but in reality the best way to hear your song…is to request a good song! Imagine!
“There is absolutely nothing impressive about knowing how to do the Cupid Shuffle.” - If the dance steps are in the song, and are the same steps of a dance that’s been passed down through decades (i.e. the “Hot Chocolate” disco dance is the exact same thing as the “Electric Slide,” which is essentially the “Cupid Shuffle”…), knowing how to do it is not the ‘Insta-Cool’ you were probably looking for.
You know, reviewing this list it might appear I’m a little bitter or upset at club patrons. That’s not the case at all, or at least, at some. I rather think of myself as an observer and catch-all of dumb or ignorant things. DJs usually have the best seat in the house for stuff like that anyway. More observations and general ramblings to come…
On Friday night I was asked to drop by Radio Now 100.9 and audition for a spot on the mixshow with DJ Orion & DJ Tec. I decided I wasn’t going to go “straight radio” with my playlist but instead wanted to make sure I have my own flavor in there. Thanks to everyone that called, texted, and called in the station showing their support! I recorded the mix for CCMS and posterity sake.
And for the record, my name hasn’t changed to “Cool Hands Lex.” He just had a little issue remembering it…
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up that I’ll be mixing on air tonight on 100.9 Radio Now (Indianapolis, IN). I’ll be auditioning for a spot on the Friday Vibe Mixshow tonight between 9pm-10pm so tune in, enjoy, then swing by Subterra afterwards for the regularly scheduled program! As always, thanks for the continued support.
In my quest for stylish and functional vinyl storage via the e-web, I stumbled upon a post documenting the quickest and most functional record digitization process I’ve come to know! Of course, this is only more helpful to the cats that have collections of mostly singles (DJs) because of a feature that allows you to set markers in a long recording, and it separates them into individual MP3s upon export.
THE.
HEAT.
It doesn’t change the amount of time you spend playing the record, but it will change the amount of time it takes to work with it on your computer.
That’s Saturday. Tonight DJ EDI will be doing the soft opening so after you’re done drinking your penny drinks at Subterra (where I’m rocking this evening), head a couple blocks over to Forty Five Degrees for First Fridays on Mass Ave and check out EDI and the new spot!
I’m the resident DJ for Forty Five Degrees on Thursday nights from here on out. Now there’s finally something worthwhile on Thursdays!
See ya out this weekend…
++Friday - Subterra Lounge
++Saturday - Forty Five Degrees Grand Opening Party
++Sunday - Keepin’ It Deep at Lulu’s
Again, what a giant jackass am I. Tyler Stewart (of DJ Stewbot fame) hit me with this mix and I sat on it for a couple weeks. This mix is a hefty hour of jackin’, funkin’, workin’, uh-oh’in house for ya head. Sorry for the delay Terror Squad.
…and maybe some other places, but you get the idea. It was also posted on DJ City and here are some of my favorite responses…
“This is kinda crazy and weird. That’s why I like it.” - Ann Arbor, Michigan
“This one is pretty sick…love the sequencing and overall pretty nice remix…not too crazy like most of the ones i hear these days…definitely worth the download and for shure will get play at the clubs…thanks” - Cerritos, CA
“nice to see naptown on here…” -Bloomington, IN
“Nice remix - will DEFINITELY play it… LOVE the beat - it’s funky.” - Redwood City, CA
“This is nice work… I like this remix a lot. Its not quite the club banga that the original is, but this is really well done.” - Belmont, MA
and my favorites,
“alot going on….but not sayin anything interesting !wil have to test this one” - Belfast, Ireland
“not in my clubs: - Austin, TX
++Note to self, don’t play this joint in Belfast or Austin++
Anyway, it dawned on me that I never put it out here so if you haven’t heard it already, enjoy.
