The Skratchman Chronicles

Giving thanks for my life, love and everything...

2011-11-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I have just recently weathered a three week whirlwind that made some minor changes in my current course. October was particularly busy for me, which spilled over into the beginning of November. Now I feel like I'm down to Earth, and I'm left rearranging the pieces of my life that are out of order.

2011 is nearing completion, and it's been an amazing year. This, quite possibly, has been the most important year of my life. Today I stand at the threshold of having everything I've ever dreamed of. When I started skratching in my bedroom those 15 years ago, I would never in my wildest dreams have thought I would end up here in New Orleans. I most certainly could not have imagined that I would own my own business, or I would have an article in Offbeat Magazine. Not too bad for a college dropout from New Iberia, if I do say so myself. It seems as if these last two months have lasted two years. This is especially relevant because the last FIVE years seem to have passed in the blink of an eye. Its almost as if in an instant... SHAZAM... I went from a waiter and a hobby deejay, eeking out a meager existence in Lafayette to where I humbly sit before you right now typing this diatribe. As time is our most valuable commodity, the fact that it seems to be passing so slowly might just be the greatest gift of all.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, for the first time I'm seriously reflecting upon my life and where its headed. I truly am blessed to be living my life on my own terms. Whatever luck, combined with perseverance and wise choices, has put me in the best position to propel my life to heights previously unthinkable. Being securely in the driver's seat of your own life is an amazing position to be in. I am thankful for that. I am thankful for my mom. For the last 15 years of my life, our relationship has become something that I hold very close to my heart. As much as she would like to think she is different than her mother, she is very much the same in so many ways. She now occupies the space left by my grandmother's untimely death from brain cancer Thanksgiving Day 1993. That Thanksgiving was the last time I took time out to re-examine my life. At the tender age of 18 whilst in my first semester of college, I tried to find answers to some really hard questions about life, love, and everything. I decidedly came up with the answer 42.

Fast forward to today... I have so many things for which to be thankful. I am thankful for my continued good health. Without my health, I would have no life or not much of a quality of life. I am thankful for my friends. I don't have many good friends, but the ones that I hold close to my heart I sincerely cherish. I am thankful for all the gifts I have given by my creator, namely my creativity and good sense. I am thankful for my deejay career which was given an amazing boost by Yachtbounce, a genre I imagined with the help of some friends on Thanksgiving 2010. I am thankful for my business, Doggy Dog World, which after four + years is still here providing a much needed service to Midcity. I am thankful for my animals Taki, Joey and Doug. Their health and happiness brings me much joy, and I am blessed to have them in my life. I am thankful for being a homeowner. Although its not finished yet and I'm going through it with the contractors, it is a blessing. Lastly, I am thankful for a new, amazing presence in my life. I could have never predicted the turn of events that placed this person with me, and she has forever changed the way I look at myself, my life, and the world around me. I am forever grateful for her, and I am grateful to the forces that put us together.

All of this has me looking toward the future, my immediate future and my not so distant future.

Concerning my deejay career: I have not yet begun to really promote and market myself. I have always been of the opinion that I've got to be at a certain skill level to be worthy of promoting myself, and after 15 years and 10 years of battling the time has come. Its time for me to capitalize on my new-found "fame", and push my career to the next level. I will accomplish this by using all of the artistic talent at my disposal to become a tour de force in the US and the international stage. Using brand marketing techniques, I will expound on the reputation and quality of the Tony Skratchere brand, and maybe throw a few surprises in along the way. I am resolved to produce more music. I am resolved to better my deejaying in every way so to only cement the quality of my brand and further assure that I can continue to demand a professional wage from doing something that brings me so much enjoyment.

Concerning my business: Throughout the course of this four years, I kept my business afloat with little or no advertising or marketing besides word of mouth and sporadic fliers. I will soon be able to expand my services, and through some small improvements I will be able to change the dynamic of Doggy Dog World and enter into a new realm of business prosperity. Using many of the same techniques I will use to expand my deejay career, I will push my business to the next level and provide myself a better quality of life.

Concerning my personal life: I will eventually move into my new house leaving my deejay studio in the space that my bedroom now occupies. My home will be my home, and my business will be my business. I will finally, after all these years, have dedicated spaces for all of my creative outlets. My living situation will finally be able to be compartmentalized and my workflow streamlined and redefined. No longer will everything be mashed together into one chaotic mess. I will finally have the space for my life to breathe and breed. This new house marks the beginning of a new life for me. Now my dreams of having the life I always wanted finally seem within reach. In this new chapter of my life I hope to soon start a family and find new joys in raising children with someone I love. Now is the time to become the person that I was born to be. All of the pieces are in place. I am in the driver's seat, and its all up to me assemble the pieces into the big picture that is my future.

On the eve of Thanksgiving 2011 leading into the holiday season I can see the sun rising on the horizon of my life. I have always been a late bloomer, so things are working out just as I have envisioned them. I have made it thus far to a place where I answer to no one but myself. As this year comes to a close, I can only look back and take in all of the amazing things that I have witnessed. This has been a year of maturity, change, and most of all providence. I have seen myself go through real changes this year, and I feel as if this metamorphosis is only beginning. I welcome the changes to come, and I look forward to finally meeting this person that I am certain to become.

Love and blessings to all,

The Skratchman

The Tao of the Macaroni & Cheese Puzzle

2011-10-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

I received a 108 piece double-sided macaroni puzzle for my birthday this year. It was a great gift because I hadn't done a puzzle in a number of years. This particular puzzle, despite its size and low number of pieces, was extremely difficult. As I emptied the box, spilled the contents on to my artboard, and began to flip and separate the pieces, I began to contemplate life and love through the eyes of a puzzle piece.

In essence life is like a puzzle. It begins in chaos. We are conceived and spend nine months in the puzzle box womb of our mothers. As we are born the contents of the box are unleashed and we spill onto the drawing table of the world. As we grow and learn, the border pieces of our lives begin to take shape. Sometime during adolescence, the border is completed and the framework of what our life is to become begins to take shape. What we are left with is the lifelong, arduous task of arranging the remaining pieces into something beautiful, picturesque or logical. Each day of our lives we are in some way completing this puzzle. Forever trying to find the right piece to fill the parts of our lives that are incomplete. If we are diligent and patient, the puzzle begins make sense. Once it begins to make sense, the process of completion becomes a simple organizational task.

This brings me to love. We as individuals are a lot like puzzle pieces. We all are looking for how we fit into the bigger picture. We are all like a puzzle pieces because while we all have similarities, no two puzzle pieces are exactly the same. Some of us are part of 5000 piece expert puzzles, some are part of a far smaller, easier to complete puzzle.

There are three types of puzzle pieces: corners, edges, and interior pieces. The corner pieces are the rarest of the pieces, these are the visionaries in our society. Next are the edges, they form the frame in which the rest of the pieces will eventually fall. These are the professionals, the artists, the scientists, the architects, the doctors, the teachers, the engineers, the athletes, the musicians, the actors, the entertainers. Lastly are the interior pieces, the most common of the three. These are the workers. Without these pieces there would be no picture. All of these pieces must all work together to complete the grand picture of life.

When looking for love, this is especially relevant. The interior pieces have it the easiest. There are four pieces that one can be perfectly connected... four great loves. The edge pieces have but three great loves, and the corner pieces only two great loves. We stumble throughout our lives trying to find these perfect matches. In the process we try lots of wrong pieces, trying to make this connection. Sometimes, pieces look as if they ALMOST fit. The piece is the same size, color, and shape, but it's just not the right piece. That piece belongs somewhere else in the puzzle. It's another's perfect match and no matter how much we try to force it, the puzzle cannot be completed with those two pieces connected in an imperfect way. We are all looking for our perfect match. If we quit in the middle of the search for the missing piece, we can never hope to see the full picture of life.

So to all of you who read this, go out today and buy a puzzle. Open the box, spill the contents onto your kitchen table, flip then separate the pieces, and go to work on completing the puzzle. While you do so, remember these words. Remember your great loves. Remember when you were a child and didn't have anything to figure out. Remember when you figured out who you were as a person. Remember when you put your own life on its current path.

I see my own life in this process. Over and over again I keep placing piece after piece onto the puzzle and the more I concentrate on slowly putting things together, the more the picture begins to take shape. Hell... if I ever feel like I've got it all figured out or if I get to the point of completion, I'll just break it up into its original form and do it all over again. To me life is about the journey not the destination.

The Skratchman

Birthday Weekend 2011 Wrap-Up...

2011-10-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

As I opened my blog, I realized that it has been almost two months since my last post... WHEW! Unacceptable... So much has happened since August 30th. Each year around this time I make birthday "resolutions" not unlike New Years Resolutions except I tend to take these a little more seriously. Its all a product of my daily quest to be better than the day before.

I don't regret not posting for a while... I live my life very publicly on the intrawebz, and often times I have to live an entirely private life. These memories I have made in these two months are mine. You guys didn't get to share them with me. If you are friends with me on Facebook and/or follow me on twitter, you know I've been doing well. That's all you need to know. I have, in fact, been doing well... fantastic even...

There's no time like the present. AmIRite??? Well, this brings me to October 21st, 2011. My birthday fell on a Friday this year, which means next year my birthday will fall on a Sunday since next year is a Leap year... Am I angry that 2012 has gipped me out of a Saturday birthday next year?? What a silly question! I could never be angry at 2012. We don't even know each other.

This year I turned 28... again. Friday was my actual birthday, and I spent it exactly how I wanted to spend it. I spent the day anxiously awaiting updates from Stephannie on her drive in from Austin. I had just finished reading "Jitterbug Perfume" the day before after taking an increbibly long time getting started by reading about 20 pages per sitting for the last month or so, I blazed through the final 100 pages on the morning Thursday October, 20th. The final chapter was still emanating in my psyche, as I continued to contemplate the actual significance of the novel in my life right now. "Am I Alobar, and she Kudra?" What a beautiful question!

At six o'clock, I begin my drive to Lafayette down I-10. I took my time and arrived in Lafayette around 8:20. I took the University exit and proceeded to the Racetrack to begin my wait. I realized something upon my exit to Lafayette. Lafayette has it bad from a public perception standpoint as evidenced by the exits off of I-10. You have the General Mouton exit which is probably the least sketchy of the four. But the other three, Johnson St, Evangeline Thruway, and University all cross through the poorest parts of the city. If you're an outsider coming in, you would NEVER think that River Ranch and Broadmoor even existed. I hope the plans for the I-49 extension go directly on top of the Thruway. This would allow the city to add a few more desirable exits into the city (Willow, Congress, Johnson St. Pinhook, etc...) This is what I thought of whilst I was waiting for Steph to arrive. It was ultimately briefly summarized in my Facebook status of the evening: "Waiting for my lady at Racetrack on N. University... Dude, Lafayette is so f*cking sketchy." Sketchy indeed, sir. Sketchy indeed.

On Saturday, I did Herb Import's Roktober fest... ALWAYS SUPER FUN, and I got my Professor Farnsworth action figure. So I was cool.

The details of the weekend will remain private. All I will say is that it was one of the greatest birthday weekends of my life.

As I drove home on Sunday, I had a lot of time to reflect on my weekend, previous year, my plans for the next year, my immediate future, and my 5-year-plan. I came up with a nice list of realistic goals for myself:

1. Be a better deejay

2. Draw more

3. Grow the business

4. Buy more plants

5. Explore new recipes

6. Continue to exercise daily

7. Write more

These are all realistic, and only further expound on things I'm already doing and would like to do more of. This is the first year a very long time that I feel a very real sense of liberation. For the last few years I had been a rut... plain and simple. I lost my way. Now that I'm on this new path, each step that I take along this path feels like a first step. 2011 has been a great year so far. I can only see great things happening for 2012.

Sincerely,

The Skratchman

Lyrical Tuesday...

2011-08-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

"The Hardest Button to Button" ~ The White Stripes

We started living in an old house
My ma gave birth and we were checking it out
It was a baby boy
So we bought him a toy
It was a ray gun
And it was 1981
We named him Baby
He had a toothache
He started crying
It sounded like an earthquake
It didnt last long
Because I stopped it
I grabbed a rag doll
And stuck some little pins in it
Now were a family
And were alright now
We got money and a little place
To fight now
We dont know you
And we dont owe you
But if you see us around
I got something else to show you
Now its easy when you dont know better
You think its sleazy?
Then put it in a short letter
We keep warm
But theres just something wrong when you
Just feel like youre the hardest little button
To button
I had opinions
That didnt matter
I had a brain
That felt like pancake batter
I got a backyard
With nothing in it
Except a stick
A dog
And a box with something in it
The hardest button to button(x7)
*background: The hardest button to button (x3)

Great song, even more phenomenal video by Michel Gondry... You all should check it out!!

Monologue #3 "Talking my way out of a DWI"

2011-08-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Age: 25

So my girlfriend and I had gone to a BBQ this particular evening. I mentioned in an earlier monologue that a few things go perfectly with BBQ. One of those things is beer. See kids, that's what we call in "the business" foreshadowing.

I finished off a sixer of tall cans and smoked a liberal amount of pot before my girlfriend and I started to feel a little frisky and decided to go back to the apartment and get busy. We said our goodbyes to our people and started to head home.

I was driving a red Honda Civic 2-door standard (or coupe, if you will) at the time. Being a broke ass irresponsible 25 year old to say that the car had been poorly maintained was being extremely modest. The brakes were in dire need of being changed and were making this fantastic scraping metal grinding on metal sound. Some of y'all know of the sound in which I'm referring. The car had an expired inspection sticker. I had an expired license and no current proof of insurance, and I'm unsure whether or not I had current registration. I was a ticking time bomb.

I had grown very adept at down-shifting to stop at red lights unless I had to stop abruptly, and then I was treated to the amazing screaming and grinding of the brakes laboring to stop the car. I hated that sound so I tried my hardest no to have to stop like short. It was pretty awful, but I was a dumb kid who thought I was indestructible. I didn't have a care in the world. It was my life and fuck you for telling me how to live it.

I always took back roads to avoid seeing the police whenever possible. On this particular route I would have to go through one single red light. ONE SINGLE RED LIGHT. We zigged and zagged through the neighborhood streets as we neared the red light. The light turned yellow as we were about 20 feet away from it. There were two choices: slam on the brakes and endure the awful screeching sound or run the light. I chose the latter.

Unbeknownst to us there was a city police officer camped out in the adjacent parking lot staking out the intersection for speeders, reckless drivers, and runners of red lights. We ran the light. He saw us and promptly pulled out. I was fucked. Luckily my adrenal gland was up to the task of sobering me up so I could chat with the nice police officer.

"ACT SICK!!!" I said to my girlfriend as the cop was approaching the driver's side door.

"OK!!!" she shouted.

"I got this... don't worry." I calmly replied as I composed myself for the impending encounter with the Lafayette PD.

I rolled down my window and before the cop could begin his "license, registration, proof of insurance" routine I began talking.

"I'm soooo sorry sir. My brakes are failing, and I'm having to downshift to stop. My girlfriend and I are coming back from dinner. I think she ate some bad fish. I'm trying to hurry home so she doesn't throw up in the car." I replied with this mix of truth and half-truths.

He looks over at her and she gives her best Meryl Streep impression. And the Oscar goes to...

He looked thoroughly convinced.

"Did you have anything to drink at dinner?" He asks.

"No sir, not tonight. I have to get up early in the morning for work, and I don't like drinking if I've got to work in the morning." (lie)

"Well, what's that??" he asked pointing to the 12 oz. beer can in my cup holder.

"OH SHIT!" I thought to myself.

"Oh, that??! That's an ashtray (which it was)." I replied.

Someone had left an empty beer can in my car after a night at the bar last week and there it remained as my ashtray. I picked up the can and gave it to him. He could clearly see that there was absolutely no liquid in this can and unless I was a 5 pack a day smoker it was impossible for that beer can to have been from anytime in the recent past.

"Someone left that in my car last weekend, and I've been using it as an ashtray ever since." I said. "Please don't give me a ticket for having an open container... just pretend its a Coke can."

He looked somewhat convinced.

"Can I see your license?" he asked.

"OH FUCK!" I said to myself as I smiled and began reaching into my wallet for my expired license all the time hoping he wouldn't notice the expired inspection sticker. I was also repeating in my mind "Move on" trying to use Jedi mind tricks to rid myself of my current nuisance.

"Here you go, sir." I said as I handed him my license. He looked it over.

"You know this is expired, right?" he stated.

"WHAT?!! Reaaaallly??" I exclaimed channeling Bill Murray in my best half-serious/half-joking tone.

"Yessir, its December and it expired in October." he says.

"NO WAY!! I thought that was next year." I said continuing to channel Bill Murray.

"I tell you what, I know your girlfriend is sick but if she has a valid drivers license I'll let you go as long as she drives the car home." Apparently he believed us and didn't want to take me in, due to the massive amount of paperwork involved in such a simple traffic stop.

She pulls out her license, hands it to the officer, and he surveys it.

"Little lady, you OK to drive?? How's your stomach?" he asks in his most concerned tone.

"Oh, yessir. I'm a little sick, but I'm SURE it won't effect my driving." she says.

"Well, it looks like you're driving HIM home." he made sure to accent 'him' as to make sure I knew he was doing me a huge solid. "First thing Monday morning I wanna see you going down to the DMV and renewing your license." He said as I was getting into the passenger seat.

"Yessir! Thank you sir!! Thank you so much, I'll also get my brakes checked too while I'm taking care of things I should have taken care of long ago." I said.

My girlfriend jumped into the drivers seat, drove for about 3 or 4 blocks before we switched places. She couldn't drive stick, nor did she understand how I was downshifting to stop the car so the brakes wouldn't make that noise.

We finally made it home and the mix of adrenaline mixed with the cockiness of my escape from the clutches of the law led to some of the best sex of my entire life. THAT WAS A GOOD NIGHT!!! I guess I'm just a lucky dude.

Monologue #2 "How I became a deejay that night on XTC"

2011-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Age: 22

So I went to LSU for like one semester. I don't think I went to one of my classes... not one. I wasn't cut out for college. I was way too immature, and all I wanted to do was get wasted and chase girls. Well, I was fresh out of rehab because my mom caught me selling drugs. I told her that I had a drug problem and I was doing it to support my drug habit which was bullshit and a BIG MISTAKE. So after rehab, she moved me out to Baton rouge, enrolled me in LSU and had me live with my cousin Mark who was prone to going on long trips... AWESOME.

At that point I had become a fervent music collector. I had a handful of records and and overstuffed 100 CD wallet full of all different genres of music.

I used to go buy music every week at Paradise Records with my check from my awesome catering job. Those guys had a great music selection and a pretty decent vinyl section. I would pick up a few select albums and/or pieces of vinyl every week.

Well one night I was partying at a small electronic music club impressing the female patrons with my B-Boy moves until I saw this girl. her name was Angela, and she used to date my homeboy Jeremy years prior. I always thought she was hot and I saw this as my opportunity to finally hook up with her.

She ended up knowing someone who had some "good" XTC pills, and she wanted to know if I wanted to get some. She also wanted to know if I had a place to go and get cozy. I just got paid so I had a pocket full of cash. My cousin Mark was out of town, and I had the house to myself. Check and check.

Somehow using her powers of female eternal hotness, she convinced me to buy her XTC so we could roll together. I bought four (4) two for me and two for her for a grand total of $100. It was a mere drop in the bucket for me a reckless college student with an awesome low-responsibility job. In hindsight, I had NO IDEA what I was in for.

We pop the pills on the ride home and I remember her telling me to chew them up so they would hit me quicker. The taste was absolutely awful... just terrible. I to a swig of my water to try to kill the taste. That wasn't happening.

We get back to my house and I immediately rush to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Proper oral hygiene is important, especially after you've eaten a Schedule I narcotic or if you're chilling with a lady.

I step outside the bathroom and I start to get the rubber legs. So I labor into my bedroom and plop down on my waterbed (I was a classy dude). Angela was already on the bed so I put on some reggae and went to get us some water. On the way back to the bedroom I started to hallucinate. I had never hallucinated on XTC before so I asked her what was up.

"These are MDA pills. You'll hallucinate. There's no speed in them to counteract the hallucinations. All the sexy, none of the speed." were I believe her exact words.

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!" I replied.

We then started to talk and rub on each other as the drug started to take a hold of us. Eventually we quit talking, got lost in the music and just began to writhe around on the bed breathing in each other breath. It was pretty hot in a spiritual drug-induced sort of way.

We were doing OK until, I started to feel queasy. I had always heard that really good X will make your seratonin levels rise until they overload and then you will vomit and feel AMAZING. I had never experienced this phenomenon, but I was pretty sure I was about to experience it for the first time. There was a weird mix of fear and anticipation as I rolled out of the bed on a direct trip to the bathroom. I got two or three steps outside of the bedroom before the projectile vomiting started. I finished and quickly grabbed a towel to clean it all up. It never felt more amazing cleaning up puke ever before or since.

After I re-brushed my teeth, I jumped back into bed and she and I got lost in a long sexy embrace as I put Dj Krush's "Meiso" album on repeat. Be became one body. There were no words being exchanges except for "Oh GOD!!" and low audible moans. It was pretty fantastic. This continued for a long time, very long in fact. I switched CDs three or four more times to continue to set the mood. We continued this until daylight when the effects of the drug were beginning to wane. I mustered up the courage to drive her home because I had a catering job at 10am.

When I got back from dropping her off, I set my alarm for 9:30am so I could be at work on time. I changed into my work clothes, watched the clock and pretended to rest until my alarm sounded. Luckily I felt normal enough to think I could go to work. I headed out the door with my CD case and headed to work. I get about half-way to the job before I realize that I left my CD case on the top of the car when I left for work. FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!!

That morning (Saturday) was an LSU home game so there was no hope. I just lost $1000s of dollars of music due to one night of drug fueled passion.

While at work I made the conscious decision that I would only buy vinyl from now on. I would never leave my vinyl on the roof of the car. Vinyl would stay at home and become tapes as I would just tape my records for listening in the car. It seemed like a workable plan. That decision directly contributed to my decision to dedicate my life to being a DJ.

When I got home from work, I tried calling Angela to see if she wanted to hang out again. She gave me the wrong number... figures.

Monologue #1 "Hello, Mescaline! Nice to meet you???"

2011-08-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Age: 19

Growing up in a small town in Louisiana there was a shortage places for reckless youth to go and get our "all night party" on. Bars closed at 2am, and weren't very friendly to psychedelic drug use. There was ONE all night club about 45 minutes from home. It was called "The Outer Limits", and they stayed open until 6am (maybe later but we never stayed past dawn). It was a techno music "rave your ass off" kinda place, and for us on the weekends it was home.

So I get picked up by my friends Kyle and Beau. We always asked beau to score the drugs because he "had people". What we were into back then was pot and acid. Beer and liquor had its place and that place was house parties and BBQs. We were out to get twisted and boogie down. There was no time for getting drunk.

So Beau reaches into his pocket and pulls out three pennies with foil taped onto them. That's how the acid always came packaged. We would always drop the acid as we were leaving. That way by the time we got to the club it would just start to kick in and we could effortlessly merge with the party crowd. We smoke a bowl on the way to the club and appropriately listen to Lords of Acid as the soundtrack to our current voyage.

We arrive at the club and aren't feeling a thing. We get into the spot and sorta wait around for something to happen... nothing.

"BEAU! YOU GOT US SOME BUNK ACID!!!" Kyle exclaims. "Go find us some more."

We were mildly annoyed, but we each lost out on $5 so who cares? Whatever. He comes back about 15 minutes later with some acid with a picture of Felix the Cat on it. It looked pretty legit, so we all dropped at the same time.

By the time it hit my tongue, I immediately began to trip. That was odd... very odd. We all immediately headed to the dancefloor and got busy for what I think was around 30 minutes. We all sorta stumbled off the dancefloor at the same time and looked at each other. We all seemingly had the same crazed looks on our faces.

"WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!" we all shouted in concert over the pumping electronic music.

"What in the hell is happening?!" I asked.

"I don't know. Fuck it. Let's party!!" replied Kyle.

We then headed back to the dancefloor and got lost in the music for hours until it neared 5am as we all collected ourselves in a corner somewhere.

"I don't know who's driving home, 'cuz I'm fucked up." said Kyle.

That had become the customary sign that it was time to make our way home. Whenever Kyle was too fucked up, it was ALWAYS time to go. I looked around and there was plasma shooting through everything. All solid forms were turning into liquid. I could see all of my friend's skulls through the skin on their faces. So, of course, no one bothered to draw straws, play paper rock scissors or cast a vote as to who was driving home. I was automatically assigned with this task as I had many, many times in the past.

I was always the most level-headed and "together" of all my friends plus I was an ace at driving style video games, so I was always the natural choice. I strap myself into Kyle's metallic blue Honda Civic hatchback, pop a quarter into the slot and begin the long journey home. I was done with electronic music at this point so the obvious choice was punk. I believe for this trip it was Bad Religion's "Recipe for Hate" album. This severely altered everyone's trips. Now instead of plasma, everything became weird H.R. Geiger-esque bio-mechanical forms. We were laughing like mental patients the entire trip. We stopped at a red light next to a gentleman and his "old lady" on a Harley Davidson motorcycle made out of bones and steel.

"HEY MAN, NICE HOG... AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR BIKE!!!!!!!!" I screamed out the window.

That did it. We laughed until we cried all the way home. The next evening when we all woke up, I called Beau to ask him what in the hell happened to us. He made a couple of calls and and he found out that that first "acid" we dropped turned out to be mescaline. That explained it all.

Hello mescaline... It was very nice to meet you!?!?

The Shadowbox Theatre Monolgues (Better late than never)

2011-08-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

So I was asked by Chris Trew to perform monologues for The Megaphone Show. I was honored to be invited. I searched my memories to find the best stories for the improv troupe to piggyback. Considering my mindstate the last couple of months, reminiscing on my drug addled youth seemed to be the most appropriate topic. All of the stories are over 10 years old and 100% true.

I spent the better part of that Wednesday afternoon with a legal pad and a pen. It was amazing to me how much I could recall from those early days of my road to maturity. As the time creeped on, my hand started to cramp up from furiously writing. I penned one story, then the second, and lastly the third. It was a veritable chronology of shenanigans and tomfoolery. I was a wild kid living a reckless life. Oh how far I've come.

I arrived at the Shadowbox Theatre about 30 minutes early with my 12 oz. Redbull, bottle of water and yellow legal pad in tow. The anticipation was building as I was mentally preparing myself for the monologues. I had been to The Megaphone Show once before when my best friend Champsuperstar did her monologues which all contained strippers and rampant drug and alcohol use. I should fit right in.

When I got inside, I noticed that they were playing Yacht Bounce over the PA system (see, smart people get it). I re-read the writings and made some mental revisions since I forgot my pen. I anxiously waited as the audience filed in. As the theatre filled up, I became more and more excited at the prospect of sharing my memories with an audience of my peers. Chris gave me a rundown of the format, and I took my seat in the front row as the troupe came out and introduced themselves.

I was introduced and I started my first monologue. Much to my surprise, people laughed at all the funny parts and focused on the stories as if I was a drug obsessed Ernest Hemmingway. As I finished my first monologue, applause roared throughout the theatre, and I watched the Megaphone Show do their magic.

These guys and gals are brilliant. Each scene you get completely transported into each of the comic's worlds. They picked out small details of my stories and turned them into a festival of the sublimely absurd. The audience (including myself) couldn't help but to laugh as the stage constantly transformed as the stories flowed freely as the Mississippi river running through the city.

Once they were done with their first improv performance I came back on and did my second monologue. This process was repeated all night. I couldn't believe that I was part of this amazing process. Not only was I a part of the evening's entertainment, I was the focal point. It was amazing.

Performing in this capacity and just the simple fact that The Megaphone Show exists is a testament to the rich cultural landscape of this great city in which we live. I am honored to be a part of this landscape especially coming from such humble beginnings. Its hard to believe that at one point in my life my dreams consisted of getting a good job at the port, getting married and having kids with my then girlfriend. Oh the things that can happen when you embrace the power of psychedelic drug use. These monologues became a marker of my transformation into the person I am now. I do not regret any of those experiences because they have turned me into the man that sits before you today.

I will revisit the Megaphone show as a spectator, and I hope to one day return with newer, funnier stories of events of my more recent past. I sincerely thank everyone involved with the show, and I feel as if it has ignited an entirely new performance fire within myself. Its amazing how big the world can be once I stepped outside my small, self-imposed circle of life. Thank you Chris Trew, and thank you Megaphone Show. You have introduced me to a new part of myself, and for that I will be forever in your debt.

The Saga of Getting in Shipshape

2011-08-08T05:11:00.001-07:00

So, I've pretty much been biking at least 7+ miles every day for a month. I've been doing pushups and situps almost every day for the past month. I've been lifting weights for the last two weeks, and I still can't seem to put a dent in this belly fat.

I remember watching the movie "Super-Size Me", and the director Morgan Spurlock went from eating a vegatarian diet to eating McDonalds for every meal. He chronicled his "progress" which included a battery of physical tests and of course regular weigh-ins. After his saga of daily McDonalds he gained a whole lot of weight and faced really terrible negative health aspects. I say this because there was a point not too long ago when I joked that that movie was my life. I was so busy/lazy that I would eat fast food for almost every meal. I was a slave to my appetite for convenience.

When Spurlock went back to real life and resumed his vegatarian life, he immediately lost all the weight EXCEPT for the belly fat he accumulated in his saga. Apparently belly fat is the most stubborn breed of all fat and it takes a far stronger committment to diet and exercise to destroy it. I have that committment. Whether this belly fat disappears 1/2 ounce at a time or a pound at a time, IT WILL BE DESTROYED. I can't keep carrying this spare tire when there is no reason for me to have it. If I have to do abdominal exercises every day until its gone, that's what I will do.

This is a message for all you people out there who are struggling with weight loss. There are no quick fixes. You need to be committed. You need to take this seriously. Human beings are blessed with a superhuman capacity for pain tolerance and perseverance. Use these facilities people. All your goals can be reached, you just have to let them be reached.

My social networking addiction...

2011-08-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ok guys... I have a social networking addiction.

Its not like I work at a job in front of a computer all day, and can be getting over on the boss by constantly Facebooking and tweeting... I choose to sit on the computer all day and constantly check, and update, rinse & repeat. Its a colossal waste of time. So from now on & until further notice, I'm going to keep my presence very limited. I'm going to check my Facebook twice a day. Once in the morning, and once at night. I will occasionally post updates from my phone, so I won't be all the way gone. It will be the same with twitter. I'm making a serious effort to do more with this "wasted" time, like interact with people in real life. The days of me tweeting in social settings are over, except during the random deejay set to tell you guys what song I'm playing or some shit like that. I've got to try & ween myself of these things because I feel as if they are retarding my ablility to relate to people in a real life setting. So if you guys wonder where I went, I didn't go anywhere. I'm just busy.

Thanks for your cooperation,

The Skratchman

Anatomy of a boat party (Nightfever XIV: Yacht Bounce)

2011-08-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

The story really starts late Friday night... I was restless and anxious and I stayed up way too late. When my alarm went off @ 4:45, I pressed the dismiss button thinking I was gonna get right up. I ended up sleeping another 30 minutes... FUCK!!!

So I'm rushing to the airport, running just as fast as my little feet would take me. I get to MSY at about 5:35 for a 6:00 flight. Cutting it close isn't the word. Luckily the lady at Special Services gave me my boarding pass and told me to sprint to the gate. I blazed through security in record time and ran to the gate. They were waiting for me, she called and told them to hold up. Pretty incredibly nice of her!!

So the first flight was quick, and I had a 2 hour layover in Memphis. I had no problems on the layover. Had a coffee, banana and a lavash wrap. I then just played chess on my laptop, and typed up some ideas... No big deal.

Boarded the plane in Memphis to Austin. This is when I started to get really excited about the weekend. I had three goals on this trip:

#1. Rock the fuck out of the Boat Party

#2. Don't drink

# 3. Exercise

I arrived in Austin, call Papa Chop then proceed to wait. While I was waiting I saw Trent Finlaysen (Writer for Waterski Magazine), one of xxxxxxx's old skiing teammates waiting on the curb also. Maaaaannnnn I hadn't seen that dude in like 5 years... What are the chances?? What is the universe trying to tell me???!!!

Well, Papa Chop and I went directly to the airport to meet Jeff Strange. We get to his house which has a sweet vintage Cadillac parked in the driveway, BEE TEE DUB.

Go inside and Zucca greets me at the door.

I relax on the couch and Jeff plays some records on his hi-fi phonograph. Good afternoon.

Now I may or may not have nodded out on Strange's couch for a second, and it seemed like it took us a lifetime to get moving BUT we eventually went on down to Congress to pick up some Captain's hats and some fresh gear.

Next stop was FOOD. We went to Wahoo's Fish Tacos for some grub. If you have never eaten at Wahoo's, you are missing out. I'm no Yelp reviewer, but it's good stuff.

We got back to Papa Chop's house, and I asked if I could borrow his bike for a ride. He told me the way to a dirt trail, and sent me on my way. It was a good ride. I went about 10 laps on the dirt trail until I decided I was tired and made my way back to Papa Chop's house.

After I showered, I layed down for a bit and typed some things out on my laptop, as well as build my crate in Serato for Nightfever XIV. We were going out later to promote at the RJD2 show at Foundation and later the Big Freedia show with Dj Mel at Beauty Bar.

Busted out way too late for school. We ended up scooping Strange at about 11:15 and got to the RJD2 show just in time to see his last 20 minutes before he shut it down. Same thing happened to us for Freedia, we got there for the last 20 minutes of her set, also. I guess you could say I was a day late and a dollar short, although I did snap this photo:

Pretty cool, huh?? I thought so too. Yacht bounce meets Sissy bounce!!! F*cking poetic...

Well we get back around 3 and I'm up for 7:30... Goddamn insomnia gets me every time.

I sat up for a while wishing I'd have brought my sketchbook and some pencils or markers, but alas if wishing got you anywhere I'd be in an entirely different place right now. After updating/checking my Facebook, tweetdecking for a bit, and general internet nothingness I made my way downstairs for some breakfast. I ate Cheerios with banana with Papa Chop's family, wife Reina and their two kids Zander (6) and Franti (10 months). Reina, Zander and I then went to the gym so I could feel sane. I pounded out about an hour workout and I walked around this massive gym, the size of the place is really truly amazing. There is nothing dedicated to fitness of that magnitude anywhere around New Orleans.

Went back to shower, and I lay down and rested my eyes for about 45 minutes before we had to start packing up for the boat. We got to Strange's house around 2:30 and loaded up two SUVs with all sorts of stuff for the party mainly many many cases of Dos Equis, Tito's Handmade Vodka, and a keg of Abita Purple Haze.

So Yacht Bounce is ready for it's first voyage out of Port New Orleans. The stage was set, the crew was seaworthy, and the passengers were ready for some good times on the Lake Travis. Thanks to Dj Orion, Dj Mel, Papa Chop & Jeff Strange we begin our voyage with hearts full of whimsy and stomachs full of Dos Equis, Abita Purple Haze, Tito's Handmade Vodka, and sliders.

We got to the lake just as the other boat was coming in. Coincidentally the boat party right before us was the Big Freedia boat party so Yacht Bounce was ready to meet Sissy Bounce.

It was a beautiful day on Lake Travis, and I waited patiently as everyone set everything up and got ready for launch. The line for the boat was building as everyone waited in anticipation for the maiden voyage of Yacht Bounce in Austin.

Once I got on the boat I christened her the S.S. Christopher Cross, and we began to sail. Once sailing Dj Orion took the first captain's ship, followed by Dj Mel and lastly I brought us through sundown and on to the dock.

All in all it was a great voyage. Everyone was very receptive to the music, save for a few families that complained about the profanity.

Above is a video of the water pigs interference... Pretty cool... Yacht Bounce shut them the hell up!!

The entire weekend was capped off by Rudy's BBQ and when Zander showed up, he was wearing my captain's hat that I'd left for him in his room...

He wanted us to call him Captain Night (for Nightfever). Here's to you Captain Night, and here's to you Soul of the Boot, Strangetribe ATX, & Austin. I love you guys. My captain's hat truly goes off to you.

End Captain's log...

Today is Friday...

2011-07-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

"FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE" ~ The Cure

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...

I don't care if Mondays black
Tuesday, Wednesday - heart attack
Thursday, never looking back
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday - watch the walls instead
It's Friday, I'm in love

Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...

Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throwing out your frown
And just smiling at the sound
And as sleek as a sheik
Spinning round and round
Always take a big bite
It's such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
You can never get enough
Enough of this stuff
It's Friday, I'm in love

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love

____________________________________

I'm going to Austin for the weekend for my big boat party! Y'all have a great weekend.

New Car Today

2011-07-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the day I get a new car. This week dragged along until today. In just one hour I will be the proud owner of a white Nissan Pathfinder. I shall name her the SS Stella del Soul. She and I will go on many, many new adventures. Her name will be signed at the bottom of my new lease on life.

The Beatles...

2011-07-22T06:02:00.001-07:00

The Beatles are one of those rare bands that is completely timeless. I feel as if they were sent from God to teach us all how to live our lives in a world of craziness. This is best evidenced by songs like "Let it Be", "We Can Work it Out", "With a Little Help From My Friends", and...

Hey Jude

Hey Jude, don't make it bad,

Take a sad song and make it better.

Remember to let her into your heart,

And then you can start to make it better.

Hey Jude, don't be afraid,

You were made to go out and get her.

The minute you let her under your skin,

Then you begin to make it better.

And anytime you feel the pain,

Hey Jude refrain,

Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.

Because you know that its a fool

Who plays it cool

By making his world a little colder.

Na na na na, na na na na...

Hey Jude, don't let me down,

You have found her now go and get her

Remember to let her into your heart

Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude begin

You're waiting for someone to perform with

And don't you know that its just you?

Hey Jude you'll do the movement you

Need is on you shoulders.

Na na na, na na, na na na na yeah

Hey Jude, don't make it bad,

Take a sad song and make it better.

Remember to let her into your heart,

Then you can start to make it better.

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude,

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude.

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude,

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude.

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude,

Na na na, na-na na na

Na-na na na Hey Jude.

One of my favorite songs of all time... Have a great day.

Me the athlete

2011-07-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

Its been so long, I almost forgot that I was once an athlete. Ten years of gymnastics, fifteen years of B-Boying, and twenty years of skateboarding seemingly got lost somewhere in what I became. Biking 15 miles every morning before dawn has re-awakened that part of me. What I had forgotten, my muscles seemed to remember. They are now thanking me for it. Who I really am is not the couch riding lazy guy that I had grown so accustomed to being. I now know that a huge part of me is directly connected with fitness. This fitness is not only physical, but it somehow is connected to my mental health. There is a big part of myself that is at the core, never satisfied with the status quo of life. Everything can be better, I can always be better, I can always do better, make smarter moves. I am a bar raiser. I was not happy in so many ways, in fact, I was miserable. I can see this pretty clearly. The only evidence of this lies in my deejaying. I was never satisfied with my current skill level. I always wanted to learn a new skratch, new technique, new trick. I can always be a better deejay. Its so clear to me now.

My mission now is to tap all of my talents and continue to raise the bar in all aspects. I will be a better artist and painter. I will be a better deejay and producer. I will be stronger, thinner, and more muscular. All of these things are directly tied to my true happiness. I may never be satisfied, but I will be happy.

As I begin seeing land on the horizon...

2011-07-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

There will be less yacht and more bounce. I can't be out to sea forever.

I just want to celebrate (Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

Post-Love Yacht Bounce

2011-07-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Even the nights are better (Yacht Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

Throwing It All Away (Yacht Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

Say It Isn't So (Yacht Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

These were some of the hardest to get through emotionally for obvious reasons.

Reminiscing ~ Little River Band (Yacht Bounce Remix)

2011-07-12T05:32:00.005-07:00

Reminiscing (Yacht Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

Its amazing how one life changing event can turn a happy song into a sad song. The power of great songwriting knows no bounds.

Darkest Day

2011-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Bad by U2

If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate
If I could throw this
Lifeless lifeline to the wind
Leave this heart of clay
See you break, break away
Into the night
Through the rain
Into the half-light
Through the flame

If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day

Oooh oooh, oooh oooh, oooh oooh oooh...

To let it go! And so fade away
To let it go!
And so fade away
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping, oh no, no, no

If you should ask then maybe they'd
Tell you what I would say
True colors fly in blue and black
Blue silken sky and burning flag
Colors crash, collide in blood shot eyes

Oooh oooh, oooh oooh, oooh oooh oooh...

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would
Let it go

This desparation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Isolation

Let it go
And so fade away
To let it go, oh yeah
And so fade away
To let it go, oh No
And so fade away
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping oh no no

____________________________________

I hope I make it. Please pray for me.

What, why & how YACHTBOUNCE??

2011-06-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

The "WHAT?"

Yachtbounce in its purest form is the perfect fusion of Yacht Rock and NOLA BOUNCE music. The beauty of the genre is it takes the whitest music of my lifetime and mixes it with the blackest music of my lifetime, forming the ULTIMATE gray genre. Its smooth music thrown onto the streets and forced to fight for its survival.

The idea for the genre was contrived by a small group of friends on a late night bender. It seemed hilarious at the time to meld these two completely opposite musical styles (it was & still is). Well... I sat on the idea for months, always keeping it in the back of my mind until one day I re-watched the Yacht Rock videos. That was all the inspiration it took for me to kickstart my plan of creating this new sub-genre. Yacht Bounce also had a cinematic influence... the movie "Step Brothers". As you all know the movie has multiple nautical references punctuated by the Prestige Worldwide video, "Boats & Hoes" and the meme "F*ckin' Catalina Wine Mixer".

So I released my first two tracks, "Africa" ~ Toto (Yacht Bounce Remix) & "Boats & Hoes" ~ Huff & Dobach. "Africa" was the confirmation that this genre is valid, and "Boats & Hoes" outlines the philosophy & whimsy of the movement. In a small pocket notebook, lie the scribblings of what was to become Yachtbounce. The music turned into something really fun for me to make and/or playback to myself. I never expected anyone else but these select few people to like it, much less vibe out to it. I'm immensely pleased that I was wrong about that last statement.

The "HOW?"

Yachtbounce is made by combining the Triggerman Break, Brown Beats, and Rock the Beat as is all traditional NOLA Bounce music. I make everything using Ableton Live and my initial tracks were made on a ten inch Asus eee PC netbook. We pull from a specific group of tracks from a specific era: 1975-1983. It has grown to include any retro song that meets either the smoothness quotient or the milquetoast quotient.

For all people thinking of putting out a Yachtbounce remix, ask yourself these questions:

Could I see myself listening to this on a boat?

Have I watched the Yacht Rock series?

Have I seen "Step Brothers"?

Is the original song smooth?

Could you see the finished song being used in an 80's movie?

Are you prepared to buy some boat shoes?

Do you think Hall & Oates is rad?

Does this remix contain Triggerman, Brown Beats and/or Rock the Beat?

If you answered yes to 6 or more of these questions, Yachtbounce just might be for you.

The "WHY?"

The simple answer to this question is "WHY NOT?" People have been remixing popular music pretty much since the "club dj" has existed. If you search for any popular song, you'll find House Remixes, Hip Hop remixes, Dubstep remixes, Bmore remixes, etc... Its time for Bounce to be recognized in this trend. "Why yachtbounce?" Yachtbounce gives NOLA Bounce remixing a genesis for the time-period from which to draw from and the focus on the "traditional" way of producing bounce music. When I go about making a remix, I transport myself back to the beginning of Bounce in the early 90's in NOLA. Its like THAT.

Its time to truly put NOLA Bounce on the map by flipping and remixing old songs in the tradition of BMORE CLUB music which coincidentally was established in the same time period. The major difference between B-More & Bounce at the time were that B-More was a deejay driven genre focusing on remixes, while Bounce was more artist driven genre focused on making original songs. This, to me, is what's significant about Yachtbounce. It is fueling an amazing new wave of deejays "dipping into the pool" and making and releasing new Bounce remixes of older songs.

OK, now let's be real... Not every remix of an older song should be labeled Yacht Bounce. You remixed Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Diana Ross, etc...? You remix Slayer, Helmet, Tool, Metallica? THAT'S NOT YACHTBOUNCE! Its a Bounce Remix. By all means, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY ENCOURAGE ANY AND ALL NOLA BOUNCE REMIXES. LET'S KEEP THIS GOING! TO BE, OR TO YACHT TO BE... THAT is the question.

Follow Yachtbounce HQ @yachtbounce on twitter...

'LIKE' us on Facebook Yacht Bounce

The Birth of a Genre (ENTER YACHTBOUNCE)

2011-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Africa (Yacht_Bounce_Remix) by TonySkratchere

Boats N Hoes - Huff & Dobach (Yacht Bounce Remix) by TonySkratchere

Electronic Histrionics

2011-02-23T06:34:00.001-08:00

Made from 100% VINYL RECORD ALBUMS

ElectronicHistrionics by TonySkratchere

Musings & lessons on being a dj/promoter

2011-01-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

When I started seriously collecting records back in 1995, I could have never foreseen where I would end up. I just wanted to play the records I loved for people that would hopefully appreciate them. I didn't care about branding myself, marketing myself, trying to sell myself to clubs, or anything that today's young deejays are doing. I just wanted to skratch, beat juggle, and play music that wasn't being heard anywhere else.

As a naive young kid, I didn't know how the business worked. I was wide-eyed and optimistic and I thought that I was special. I wasn't. I was unique. I offered different music, but I was NOT special. I still remember my first weekly. It was a Monday night Hip Hop night at Shanahan's in Lafayette on the McKinley Street strip. I submitted a cassette mixtape to get the gig. That goes to show you how long ago this was. I didn't really promote the night, and it lasted about 6 months. Although many more gigs would follow, I'll always remember that one. It was my first and I'll never duplicate that feeling.

My longest running event was "Bucknutty's Skatepark Hip Hop/B-Boy Jam". What was born from a few friends needing to get together to practice dancing turned into an 8 year long monthly b-boy/graffiti/deejay/MC showcase. We drew b-boys, graff writers, and deejays from Arizona to Atlanta. This was where we tried out all of the Mad Cajun battle routines and later the team turntable routines that my crew became known for. We worked in conjunction with the Kubuki Crew to keep this event running strong, and we all share the credit for this event's success.

Fast forward to today, and I've embraced my role as an event promoter, organizer, deejay, and friend to music. This brings me to some lessons I've learned along the way.

The Skratch Man's Rules of Thumb:

1. Know your friends, enemies & frienemies. This is of utmost importance, you've gotta know who's with you, who's working against you, and who's pretending to be down.

2. Respect the OGs. Always pay homage to those who came before you. Always.

3. Recognize the real, expose the fakes.

4. "If you aren't excited about the music/scene/event, don't expect anyone else to be either."

5. Be considerate, courteous, and respectful. If someone sends a message, respond. If someone calls, return their call.

6. All business correspondence should be done through email. Be upfront. In lieu of contracts, this is the best way of recording and documenting agreements between multiple parties.

7. Message boards are valuable resources. Personally I don't take advantage of this as much. (Sorry Geo's board & skratchworx... I'm getting back on soon.)

8. Work with your competitors your create a network which feeds off of itself. Don't intentionally book something if one of the homies is throwing a party. Try your best to let everyone know in advance what you have coming up and vice versa. Conflicting dates sometimes can't be avoided, but try your best to know who's throwing parties especially if out of town talent is involved.

9. Know names. Get to know as many people as possible in your scene. Be grateful to everyone who shows up to your parties.

10. All gigs are successful, even the ones that aren't. In the grand scheme of things its all what you extract from the experience. If you got to & from the gig safely, your turntables worked, & you got to play some records... SUCCESS!! Even if 10 people showed up you were still there, YOU ROCKED IT. That's all that matters.

These are some of the things I've learned in my 15 year journey. I try my best to adhere to these little guidelines. I'm not perfect and sometimes I can be a little harsh, but we're only human, right?

There's room for everyone in this music scene. Support local business, art, music, and expression. Push the boundaries, introduce new things, do more, reach more people. If you don't do it, who will? Spread the love!!!

You can catch up with me on http://www.facebook.com/TonySkratchere and follow me on twitter @tony5kratchere

Peace!

YOU SHOULD RSVP FOR THE BOOGIE BLIND FEBRUARY 4th SHOW at the Dragon's Den on FACEBOOK HERE!!!

::-----------::BOOGIE BLIND::-----------::

Return of the DRUNKEN MASTER (Oct. 23, 2010)

2010-09-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

*DISCLAIMER* The original Drunken Master concept was a brainchild of @djquickiemart

I've made some personal tweeks to improve the structure for sportsmanship purposes, but the spirit of the battle remains the same. That being said...

Ok errrbody, after a long hiatus it's back. . .The RETURN Drunken Master Deejay Battle!!!!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23RD AT THE DRAGON'S DEN

Here's the deal, I'm looking for 6-8 competitors. Deejays and I will meet up two hours before the event starts to start drinking. Once everyone's together, I'll draw the order.

Every deejay has 20 minutes to perform and must bring their own needles, slips, & headphones. Deejays will be provided turntables, mixer, and Serato Box. Any genre of music can enter. Deejays will be judged on a number of criteria, by a panel of three judges. Your preliminary point total will be added to your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) for your final score. Person with the highest point total at the end of the battle wins. In the event of a tie, there will be a five minute sudden death round.

Deejays must all meet up for the ORDER. Order will be determined by picking numbers out of a hat. Once the order is drawn, the person who draws 1 begins drinking. Person 2 begins drinking 20 minutes later, person 3 20 minutes later, etc. . . A breathalyser will be administered once your set is over.

There will be a cash prize ($250 or more) and some other prizes TBD. RSVP here if you're interested in competing or judging. MAY THE BEST DRUNKEN DEEJAY WIN!!!

COMPETITORS MUST FORFEIT THEIR KEYS AND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE HOME! That being said... LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

TO RSVP, send your information along with any further questions to: emailio.addrestevez.504@gmail.com

FACEBOOK RSVP

SUNNY FX Season 6 Party!!!!

2010-09-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

@champsuperstar & I have tricked the Mid-City Yacht Club into letting us throw a party to celebrate the Season Six Premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. We've got prizes for the best costume, a Sweet Dee style Flip Cup Tourney, and free food from PF Changs.

Guaranteed to be EPIC!!!
FACEBOOK RSVP

Thursday September 16th 2010 year of our Lord

Mid City Yacht Club
440 S Saint Patrick St
New Orleans, LA 70119-6634
(504) 483-2517

www.midcityyachtclub.com

OFFICIAL WEB FLYER BY ARAJAY

2010-04-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks ARAJay!!!

Feel free to steal this image and repost liberally!!!! Thanks!

Wanna battle? DMC NOLA MMX 4/16

2010-03-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

It’s that time once again. The DMC USA returns to New Orleans for another regional heat. This year I’ve changed the venue to the Hookah Club 301 Decatur St.

“Why did you switch the venue? The Howlin’ Wolf was dope last year!!!!!?” Some may say.

Well, there are a number of reasons. As comical as it may sound, first and foremost it was Air-Conditioning. You non-battler/party-goers, might not understand the physical effects of heat on your DJ battle contestants. Extreme heat and humidity make your hands sweat and can also make the records sweat. This makes handling the records and handling your nerves more difficult. The first DMC I entered was 2005 in Austin, TX at EMO’s. The battle was set up outdoors in the back patio area. Heat, sweat, records, outdoors, 6 hours in a car = NOT A GOOD LOOK!!!! That is what made air conditioning a top priority this year.

Since last year was my first rodeo, this time around I’m implementing new and awesome new steps to make this year’s event more enjoyable for everyone involved. The Hookah Club already hosts deejay events so we know they are contributing to deejay culture. Where as the Howlin’ Wolf is mainly a live music venue. After seeing how Christie Z ran the US Finals at the Santos Party house, I’m redoubling my efforts to recreate an event of that caliber.

Next most important issue is Audio/Video implementation. I wanted to have a video projector which would display my sponsor’s logos and other important and relevant information throughout the night. That couldn’t happen due to the problematic nature of setting up a projector inside the Howlin’ Wolf. The Hookah Club is already equipped with AV hookups and a digital projector so that made my decision easier.

Third most important reason is economy of space and comfort. This sort of draws on the air-conditioning element, but it more speaks toward the dynamic of the venue. Hookah Club is laid out in such a way that will make setting up vendor tables easy. It also has better interior design giving the spectator (you) a better place to relax. The relaxed atmosphere, air-conditioning, better sound, and better venue equal a more enjoyable experience for all.

My deciding factor was Gil and Emily. They have always whole-heartedly supported my endeavors. Emily is a friend, and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their resilience. All who frequented the old Hookah on Frenchman was saddened by the sudden closure. I had been closely following the saga of the Hookah with watchful-eyes and high-hopes. I was completely blown away once I saw the renovation. They were able to better re-create the atmosphere of the original Hookah Café in their new French Quarter locale. All that is missing is the fish tank, which, by the way, I hope they are able to restore. I’m proud to announce that this year’s DMC New Orleans Regional Heat take place at the newly renovated Hookah Club. It’s a club now since due to the tobacco laws they can unfortunately no longer serve food.

All of these carefully weighed factors went in to determining when & where this year’s battle would be held. It’s the perfect fit, and I have all intentions of DMC NOLA remaining here year after year.

On to the specifics:

DMC NEW ORLEANS Regional Heat 2010

FRIDAY APRIL 16, 2010

Hookah Club

301 Decatur

New Orleans, LA 70xxx

8pm-12:30 am

18+ over

$15 presale $20 day of the event

I’ve got some interesting judging and showcase ideas for this year so watch this space.

DMC NOLA 2010

FRIDAY April, 16th Two-thousand and TEN!!!

SAVE THE DATE, PLAYERS and PLAYETTES!!!!!

www.hookah-club.com

www.DMCWORLD.com

DMC EBAY STORE (for DVDs and DMC merch online)

(Sally’s DMC video page)

RSVP on the Facebook Event page for special offers

John Hughes is my homeboy!

2010-03-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it. - Ferris Bueller

I have always loved three things: Music, Movies and Humor. One of my earliest memories is watching “Star Wars” in the two screen Multiplex in my little rural Louisiana town in 1978 at the tender age of 3. I can vividly remember the original Saturday Night Live: Not Ready for Primetime Players. I didn’t get the jokes, but it was my first exposure to sketch comedy. I even more vividly remember the second cast of SNL with Bill Crystal, Katherine O’Hara, Eddie Murphy and the lot. I remember SCTV, and those crazy Canadians. I was old enough to get the jokes, or so I thought. These were the early days of the VCR, the early days of the local video store. This was before PG-13 and before the Christian Coalition started taking issue with “racy” Hollywood movies. There were certain films I naturally gravitated toward, films that seemed to speak directly to me. This brings me to John Hughes.

I used to put my jambox to the speakers of our early “home theater” system (which was a Bose stereo receiver and two Bose stereo speakers connected to the TV via the AUX port) and tape the audio of some of my favorite movies. These tapes would typically become the soundtrack for my Griswoldian vacations that my family took every single year to far away fantasy places like Astroworld and Waterworld, Corpus Christi, or in a more exotic flight of fancy Matamoras, Mexico. In my mind, we were the Griswolds. Ironically, one of the films I taped was Vacation, and yet another was Mr. Mom. These I would much later discover were John Hughes’ babies. Hughes for a time in the 70’s split time between his Chicago ad agency job at Leo Burnett and writing quite prolifically for the National Lampoon. It was during this time when I was just cutting my permanent teeth, Hughes was cutting his teeth on the landscape of American culture. My story is probably virtually identical to tens of thousands and perhaps millions of Gen-Xers of whom Hughes’ films spoke directly. Collectively I’ve seen his films over 1000 times. A rough estimate but I’ll wager not too far off the true mark. Some films I got the privilege to viewing in the theater, Vacation, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (twice), and Curly Sue which coincidentally was the last movie playing at the Essanee theater near my house when it closed it’s doors in 1991. I wanted to say I watched the last movie that ever played at the Essanee, and it was a Hughes film… His least revered film and his last foray as a director. Fucking John Hughes…

Growing up in America in the 80’s, it was impossible for pop culture to not have an indelible influence on our lives. It was the dawn of the music video. Prince, Madonna, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson and the lot ruled the radio and this new fad of Hip Hop was affecting the landscape of my elementary school. As a white kid in Louisiana I related more to Gary and Wyatt than I did to my dad or my cousins. I was a world away from my musical idols Jam Master Jay or Adam Horowitz. It seemed each of his movies spoke directly to me. I don’t know how many countless other people I’ve encountered have said those exact words. His movies are just as much a part of my collective consciousness than all of my real life experiences. His characters have made me who I am.

So who am I?? Well I’d like to think I’m Ferris Bueller, but tragically I’ve never really been as cool or as in control. Although I did have a penchant taking a “Day Off” & faking sick to stay home and watch PBS, Ferris Bueller I was not. I always wanted to be as edgy and dangerously sharp witted as John Bender. Truth be told, I’m more Ducky, more Keith Nelson, more Wyatt than Gary.

As I grow older it seems they are still speaking to me. I no longer see the movies as teen pictures. They are representative of a time period, an ethos, a bygone American aesthetic. Each of the films are honest. I never feel as if Hughes is trying to sell me something. They are modern day fables. These films paved the way for directors like Kevin Smith & Judd Apatow. They have molded and shaped an entire generation of idealistic young people. I am part of the John Hughes Generation.

Much has been made about his disappearance from movies. Documentaries have been made, articles written, even Molly Ringwald made a plea during some award show. Well, I recently picked up the March 2010 issue of Vanity Fair and the piece on Hughes is just riveting. I wish I could have had the privilege of meeting John Hughes. I have come to identify more and more with him, and I owe just as much of who I am as a person to him than I do to my own parents. For a generation of latch-key kids who’s families scraped by trying to eek out a living in Reagan-era America, Some Kind of Wonderful is a parable for following your dreams and seizing the moment. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off reminds us to take risks and always look on the bright side. The Breakfast Club speaks of friendship, serendipity, and the importance of looking beyond the surface. Pretty in Pink is a commentary on remaining true to yourself, and being proud of who you are. This was my Bible. John Hughes was my Buddha, Jesus and Jehova.

It turns out that he was a frantic note taker. He was always writing, drawing and taking pictures. I hope that in those writings there is a screenplay, a magic screenplay that can turn me into a fifteen year old again.With wide eyed romantic optimism it will refill my cup. He left us with no instructions as to what to do once this world takes a hold of us. Possibly, some of these writings will reach the public, and it’ll provide us all with more insight. For now, all I can do is celebrate John Hughes. Learn not only from his movies, but from the way he lived his life.

So I know I’m a little late being that he passed away last fall, but the recent Vanity Fair article ignited the flame once again. In closing, “Mr. Hughes, I owe you a great debt. You have helped to guide me in the right direction and down the path I’m walking today. Over the years I’ve come to regard you as an old friend. It’s always hard losing a friend, and my generation misses you the most.”

The breakdown (that old familiar feeling...)

2009-11-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

I love vinyl. That reason amongst all is the reason why I began deejaying. I love performing in front of people. That reason amongst all is why I continued deejaying. I'd always collected things and bought records from the earliest age I can remember. I remember that one Christmas. As I was right in the grip of the first wave of Hip Hop hysteria to hit New Iberia, Louisiana, I got a fingerless glove, the Chaka Khan "I feel for you" Lp single, some studded bracelets, and the Breakin' and Beat Street cassettes, and a shiny new Magnavox dual tape cassette "Jambox". I think it's fair to say Christmas 1984 treated me well.

Christmas 1985 was all about GI Joe. Christmas 1986 was my the Nintendo Christmas. And who could forget Christmas 1987 when I got my first skateboard. As my pre-occupation for "breakdancing", rapping, and graffiti faded out as my adolescent mind grew to discover new subcultures and technology. It wouldn't be long before puberty and High School would make it so that every decision I made had something to do with girls.

The one thing that remained constant was Hip Hop music. I loved it. Run DMC, Eric B and Rakim, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Melle Mel, the Sugarhill Gang, the Beastie Boys, the Fat Boys, L.L. Cool J and the other artists of the time spoke to me in a way that Pop music or bands like AC/DC, Motley Crue, and Van Halen never could.

Once in Sixth grade Mr. Collins, our hip math/science/phys. ed teacher, singled out a Run DMC lyric in a lecture about the evils of this new rap music.

"I met this little girly/ Her hair was kind of curly/ Went to her house to bust her out/ I had to leave real early." he dryly recited the verse as if he were reading it from the Bible.

He then began to launch into a tirade about the adult themes contained in this music and why we should go to Church every Sunday. These were the days before the "Parental Advisory" stickers. While I'll admit the lyrics were adult themed, I didn't truly understand them. I didn't find this anymore objectionable than the slasher flicks or Ninja movies I was allowed to watch. It was fun music for the most fun time in my life, a time I would try the entire rest of my life to re-capture.

Fast forward to Junior Year. My sister threw a party, and with my swollen tape collection and hand full of CDs I deejayed the party. We had one of those all-in-one jobs with the turntable on the top. At that time I didn't have any records. I tricked one of my sister's classmates into thinking that I was scratching the tape, by slickly tapping or pressing pause while he watched my hand touch the empty turntable platter. Yeah, he totally believed it.

Then came my voyage of self exploration. I started discovering punk rock via skate videos. I finally got my own car and would expand my small world out into Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. It seems that my love for hip hop had begun to grow up, as I started to discover groups like Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, de la Soul, 3rd Bass, Digital Underground, and Del the Funkee Homosapien. Hip Hop had found a new companion in punk, but it was still there and always stuck with me.

I began going to these warehouse parties in New Orleans. I remember being pretty mystified by the deejay up there on stage and how he would have hundreds of kids completely absorbed in his music. I was already absorbed in the burgeoning psychedelic drug craze that had reached into my rural Louisiana town. So this was a new and fascinating aspect of this culture that would combine things that I'd already become acquainted. I was also conflicted by the fact that none of these deejays scratched. Growing up listening to Jam Master Jay, Grandmaster Flash, and Grandmixer DST I thought that scratching would have been Lesson One. I felt like these cats were getting over on me.

It was a party in New Orleans, and a trip to Tower Records that changed my life. On these frequent trips to the city while everyone would go to some "afterparty", I would hang out at Cafe du Monde. I would buy a magazine, drink coffee and eat beignets as I waited for Tower to open up. At this point, I stumbled upon a graffiti magazine called Subculture and inside there was an article with Rob Swift. It intrigued me, but I was more interested in the styles of the AWR/MSK expose' on Krush and Tyke.

As I went back to my apartment in Baton Rouge, I got back to my life. It was all about school, my part time job, and yes, GIRLS. I would buy records at the record store by Chimes and at Music Treasure Chest on Acadian Thruway. I was just a record collector then, just as I had been a comic book collector. Records were art. It wasn't until one Saturday morning when I had an early call at work and I had stayed up particularly late partying that it all came together. I accidentally left my 100+ CD book on top of my car as I drove away. Almost ten years of music collecting went down the drain in one thoughtless moment. This was the moment I went from record collector to deejay. Something inside me snapped, and I began to exclusively buy vinyl. I would go to thrift stores, flea markets, out of the way spots, garage sales basically anywhere I could dig. I bought a record bag and I would carry records out to every afterhours spot I would hit. My reasoning being that maybe one day one of the deejays would let me play if he were sick or someone didn't show up. Surprisingly it happened, and I did eventually get to play records in front of people occasionally.

These were the days before I owned turntables. These were the days when I became acquainted with my something completely new... depression. What I'm sure was a side effect of all of the random drugs I was ingesting at the time, I began to have severe battles with depression. This was when I first got on Paxil. Paxil worked for me. It returned my brain to a state of manageability. It stabilized my moods and allowed me to think clearly again. In these early days of anti-depressant medication there were no real rules. No one ever told me not to abruptly quit taking my medication. The weeks after I stopped taking my Paxil began a rollercoaster ride that lasted for the next five years. I reached some of the darkest places in my young life. It made it impossible for me to keep a steady job, concentrate on school, or make any personal spiritual progress.

I did eventually cure myself, to a greater or lesser degree. Completely off of meds, I began watching what I ate and started exercising. Things started looking up and I began to get completely absorbed in Turntablism. Scratching, beat juggling and eventually battling became my new passion. At this point I wasn't concerned about making a career as a deejay. I refused to play Top 40 music, and I most certainly wasn't going to pander to club owners for gigs. I just wanted to get better, smarter, and win battles. The gigs would come.

Since then, my integrity has remained intact. Deejaying well, had never been more than just a side gig for a little pocket money until I moved to New Orleans. Once in New Orleans, I met Ed Maximillion and Melissa Weber and I started to think that I might have a chance in this larger market, to really make it as a deejay. With myspace allowing me to really get my name out globally and develop a following, I had a new mission.

I started a business. Consequently, it was deejaying that allowed the business to remain open for the first 6-8 months before it got it on it's feet. I got a manager/booking agent. He not only was my biggest fan and supporter, but he handled the parts of the business that, frankly, I hated. He was getting me good solid paying gigs, and I was seemingly picking up steam. My music knowledge began blossoming in this music Mecca, and I began to further expand my record collection.

Then he died.

Now I was back to handling my own bookings and I was in charge of a career, that I had no clue how to manage. I tried my best to do it on my own, only to feel left out and ignored as lesser skilled deejays got gigs with ipods or strictly Serato. This began a growing feeling of disdain for deejaying. Something I had not previously felt. I began to grow sick of these bullshit promoters and club owners. I began to resent these Serato/ipod generation deejays. I began to grow tired of clubs expecting you to bring 150 people to a your first gig or you wouldn't get asked back. Whatever happened to a nightclub that promotes itself, y'all are hustling backwards if you're expecting the deejay to do all your promotions for you. As my weeklies came and went, the calls for my services became less frequent, and the pay was even less frequent. It all started to become more trouble than it was worth. Recently I was even chastised by a club owner for not having good hi-res photos and a logo paraphrasing "these pictures are all pretty crappy". So now I'm supposed to be a fucking graphic designer now too? I have spent the better part of 15 years building up a reputation and repertoire. My name alone should suffice. If a club is serious about making an investment in me, maybe I will get a fucking logo and some Hi-Res shots. But up to now, no one has, and I've gotten along just fine without those things.

The long and short of it is that I suck at dealing with promoters and club owners. I run my own business and I don't have time to promote your bar or nightclub for free. I get paid by you to deejay if you want me to promote, pay me to promote. No one rides for free. Part of the assurance that your bar/club can cover my fees lies in you the establishment promoting the nights not the other way around. People are just becoming far too lazy. I will support the people and places that have supported me, and FUCK YOU REPUBLIC, but two nights a year isn't support. You can take your tube of hair gel and stick it straight up your ass. And AMPERSAND, oh AMPERSAND, you are more fucked than you realize. You will never be able to recapture the days of the old State Palace Theater through your crappy nightclub and pseudo-rave parties. You are a joke amongst most of the self-respecting party people of New Orleans. There is no amount of re-modeling and re-branding you can do that will change that. To you bullshit promoters that think they can be deejays, I hope you choke on your own smug sense of self-satisfaction. You are an abomination and I hope you step in front of a bus.

So sometime yesterday, I just snapped. I can't fucking deal with all of the politics and bullshit anymore. For all you bullshit deejays with an Ax to grind with me, you wanna know the difference between you and me:

I WILL PUT MY SKILL SET UP AGAINST YOURS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, FOR ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY OR PRIZE IN A BATTLE. YOU ARE ALL TOO CHICKENSHIT THAT YOU WILL GET YOUR FRAGILE EGOS SHATTERED. You are too scared to put ANY effort into your craft outside of looking for music on the internet.

Let's go!!!!! I'll put my 6 minutes against yours. Let's see who's really got the juice. The general public, and maybe not even you, doesn't realize that your popularity is based on an illusion and not any actual special skills. I could teach a monkey how to use Serato and deejay.

I've just grown tired of it. I'm out of touch. The state of popular music is in the trashcan. The ipod generation has turned all of you deejays into sentient ipods. All of you act like you are the next DJ AM, when I'm sorry buddy, AM took chances. He really scratched. He did DMC type routines in club sets. You are just playing tracks... get over yourself.

So I'm not retiring in the traditional sense. I'm just becoming waaaaaayyy more selective on where and when I play and my rates just went up, so you probably couldn't afford me anyway.

The Nightmarish Saga of my ISP (AT&T)

2009-10-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

It is over... I got my internet back and I'm calling tomorrow to get some money credited back to my account. Sorry folks if it seems I've been slipping, but I haven't I have some things on paper that need transferring and some interviews that need unearthing once I can clean the trash out of my Facebook inbox.

Grandmaster Roc Raida RIP! (1972-2009)

2009-09-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

This summer has been tough for me losing idols. First it was Michael Jackson, a man I emulated from adolescence throughout my teenage years. Then we lost DJ AM, an incredibly dope dj I had just seen five weeks earlier with another of my idols Dj Jazzy Jeff. Next Raida, WTF God?

I've taken a lot of time to mull over this, and actually wrote unpublished blog entries on this very subject. The one I wrote for Raida on my phone at a bar, got completely deleted... Sweeeeetttt! So I'll begin again, and maybe republish the one about AM tomorrow.

Raida e-mailed me days before his accident about possibly bringing Roc Raida's Gong Battle for Supremacy to New Orleans. I never returned the e-mail fearing that he wouldn't want to be bothered with business while he was recuperating. The next few weeks were shrouded in mystery as to exactly what happened. There was report that he had to have surgery, and was in recovery; but no specific details on Geo's board. Then out of the blue, I get the news.

Official Statement from family

Roc Raida was particularly significant because if not for the X-Men. I would have never become a dj in the first place. Who knows where I would be or what I would be doing. I remember the first time I heard X-Men Style Beats from the Return of the Dj Compilation. I couldn't begin to understand exactly what he was doing. All I knew was he did it using turntables and records and nothing else. This began my infatuation for beat juggling. I spent months and months trying to do "that thing that Raida did". I had never seen a video, I just kept listening to it over and over and over trying to make sense of this new and seemingly impossible concept. Soooo much money spent on double copies of records. That became my crack. "Yo man you got two copies of that??" All trying to duplicate, unsuccessfully I might add, what the X-Men were doing.

Then I bought X-Men in Xercise... It finally began to make sense. Wow! I was still waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy far away from their skill levels, but at least I had the first set of stepping stones. Watching them candidly break down each particular routine, the level of showmanship they displayed while doing these routines, the body tricks, and the overall musical composition was just mind-blowing.

"So this was the footage that led up to the Raida's 95 World Championship??"

Over the years, I would get more and more videos, Xecutioners 97 European Tour was another mind-fuck... This was some next-level musical instrumentation. It all really seemed impossible as if these guys were from another more advanced musical planet. These guys really fueled my obsession for what had been deemed "Turntablism", and I as a young man I was looking for something to fill a void in my life that had been occupying itself with recreational drug use (yeah I said it). So I delved deeper and deeper into this world and deeper and deeper into hip hop culture.

I was never in this for fame, or girls, or money. I was becoming a musician for music's sake. I was tired of being just a casual listener, a consumer, a wall-flower. I wanted to contribute. In my little sugarcane hometown, there wasn't much for me in the realm of dj inspiration. I had to move to Lafayette before I would even meet someone else that was a dj, much less a scratch dj. So I continued to create in a bubble, that's when met the first members of the crew Beauregard Breaux and T-Mike Girouard, these guys shared my love for all things hip hop and were down to help me figure this turntablism thing out. So for the longest time it was us in a room with three turntables and two mixers, just figuring it all out. I would learn scratch-drumming, Mike would learn a simple juggle breakdown, Beau would learn a scratch. We fed off of each other, and learned. It began to snowball until we all felt confident enough that WE could actually battle and win.

All of this wouldn't have happened if not for Roc Raida. I only met him once, to ask he, Rob Swift, Mista Sinista, and Total Eclipse to sign the jacket of X-Pressions at the State Palace Theater in 1998. So I never really knew him besides the correspondence I had with him through emails. But the emails meant a lot to me and he helped me on the path into what I am today.

So Raida, you meant a lot to me. If it wasn't for you, there truly would be no me.

Rest in Peace Brother Roc Raida, you were the personification of a Grandmaster.

Hey, It's a brand new day...

2009-09-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

So what's up everyone... I hope you guys have read the DMC NOLA blog. Well, it seemed inappropriate to continue with the DMC theme for any longer. Since that fateful day the world has lost two important figures in djing DJ AM and Roc Raida RIP, but that's another post. It is my mission to give my readers not ONLY information on deejaying, music, or whatever, but a real portal into my day to day life, my opinions, things I like, my hopes and dreams, setbacks, failure, success, joy, madness.

I am a lover of all things done well. I am a soul searcher, and this blog is just as much for me as it is for whoever reads it. This is therapy... a sort of live public journal, which is what I believe the original purpose of the "blog" was meant to be. There are so many different types of blogs and all have a certain amount of entertainment value. Mine will be no different. I will offer you something more valuable than entertainment. I will offer you a portal into my mind and thoughts, a real piece of me for you to take, digest, and regurgitate however you like. If you keep reading, I'll hold up my end of the bargain and continue to crank out intelligent, legible things.

If you were a fan of the DMC NOLA blog, I've imported the posts from so you can go back and reflect. I was very proud of that blog, and I will be returning to it when the time comes to do DMC NOLA II. Now it's time to get to work on the new baby.

Thanks,

Management

Reflections of the love you took from me...

2009-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

So, I've just taken some time out to reflect on things. Basically things are good, but you know life is really what you make of it. I'm struggling and striving to do more every day. Maintaining focus and clarity are probably the two hardest things for me to do besides, quitting smoking and quitting procrastination. I'm glad to be alive to be going through it with all of you. I don't really have anything profound or even interesting to say today, except:

RIP Aaliyah!!! I wish I could have known you...XOXOX!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

A Fan

The Skateboarding Analogy

2009-08-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

So I've been having a lot of discourse with my non-deejay friends, about my open letter to deejays blog. I don't want to be jaded, so I felt the need to better understand exactly what has happened. Was I really over-reacting?? Was I right on the money?

The feedback I got was overwhelming from my deejay friends. They all applauded it. But it was my non-deejay friends that still didn't get it. After a lot thought, I've come up with what I think is the most appropriate analogy. So ladies and gentlemen, I give you my skateboarding analogy...

The following was pulled from my post on the the turntablist network's message board...

Read original thread

My problem with the current paradigm is that somewhere along the way someone came along and altered the rules... Your "look" or "image" became more important than your skill set or your talent as a producer/composer. DVS systems have only stood to reinforce this trend, because no longer did your average dj have to start at the bottom, spending lots of money buying records and countless hours learning how to mix. He could simply jump ahead in the line over the djs with superior music knowledge and the collections to match. It made it easy for them to learn to mix records. It's also allowed promoters to start calling the shots instead of the djs themselves. Even worse is the promoter/dj who thinks he's a better dj than anyone he could possibly book. Somehow, someway the integrity has been stolen from us.

I believe it happened so fast we didn't even have time to react. Or we possibly just blamed it on a "new trend" as we all scrambled to get Serato, Final Scratch or whatever else was commercially available at the time. While most of us were spending our time arguing about traditionalism or purism on message boards such as this one, these people were re-writing the rules to include themselves.

This has been a sore subject with me lately and I've done plenty of arguing about it.

The best way to understand what has happened is by using a skateboard analogy.

A skateboarder starts out at the bottom of the sport. Then by practice, dedication, and lots of studying, he begins to progress. As he is progressing, the sport is also progressing along with him. Therefore, it becomes a lot harder with each passing day for the skateboarder to become recognized and a whole helluva lot harder for him to become famous. Eventually once he has matured or developed his own style, he begins to seek out the approval of his skateboarding peers. Either he starts going to contests or he makes his own "sponsor me" video to send out to companies. That becomes his first foray into marketing. Not until YEARS into his career does he ever become concerned with trying to market himself. And he surely wouldn't have anything to market if he hadn't spend a good chunk of his life dedicated to the sport. If he couldn't do any tricks or he didn't have any style do you think he would ever win a contest or get sponsored or gain any sort of acceptance from the "Old guard" skateboarders????

Why is skateboarding like this? SKATEBOARDING is run and policed by other SKATEBOARDERS or former SKATEBOARDERS. There is a system in place to prevent outsiders from changing the rules.

Essentially what has happened here, is akin to a gang of skateboarders that become pros and took over modern skateboarding simply because they bought skateboards. Instead of learning tricks, they just learned how to market themselves. Instead of going to contests or making sponsorship videos, they just started acting like they were already pro. We've essentially been gotten over on by a bunch of posers. A whole bunch of people who walk around holding their skateboards that are talented enough to ollie onto a curb have basically taken over and made doing fancy tricks and actually having talent obsolete.

Think about it. Prior to the DVS trend, it was the dj who had the most talent and or records that would get to dj the big parties. Why? They earned their position. What we've got to figure out is HOW DO WE TAKE THE POWER BACK?? How do we change the rules back to the way they used to be?? What do we have to do to restore the natural order in the dj game??

Thus is the crux of my argument... Now let's get to work on fixing things...

Michel Gondry, your videos are awesome...

2009-08-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to big up one of my favorite music video directors... He's the director of The Science Of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... He's brilliant!

Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did!!! Also check out the Daft Punk's Around the World video. I would've added it, but I couldn't embed it.

Anyone remember when RapCity played good videos??

2009-08-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

WHO THE F*CK IS ALLOWING THIS NEW ORLEANS??? An open letter to the pervayors of coolness...

2009-08-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

OK, I've got to voice my opinion on something... Who the fuck started letting hipsters and outsiders make the rules in the dj game??? So it's time for an open letter... "Deejays" (and yes the quotation marks are completely necessary) if you get offended by this, than I'm talking about you. If you've got a problem with me or anything I say, you're welcome to take it up with me in the street or on the turntables. It's your choice.

Before I begin, let me first outline who I'm NOT talking about...

If you have owned turntables, CDJs or some other dj device for MORE THAN 2 years, I'm not talking about you.

If you have a record, or CD collection comparable to your MP3 HD collection, I'm not talking about you.

If you actively support local music stores, local djs, local musicians and any local scene NOT created by you or crew of people, I'm not talking about you.

For the rest of you it's time for a little accountability and some muthaF*cking QUALITY CONTROL...

Dear "DEEJAYS" of New Orleans,

I'm sure your first question is WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY TELLING ME WHAT'S WHAT?? Well, I've been deejaying for 15 years. I started out alone as a Hip Hop deejay/graffiti writer/skateboarder. Since learning about the doctrine of Hip Hop, I lived the phrase "EACH ONE TEACH ONE TO REACH ONE." That's what I have always done... I am a teacher and a mentor first and anything else second. This in essence is what I'm trying to do with this open letter. In my own way, I want you to see what it looks like from an experienced and passionate deejay's perspective how you are shitting on our artform.

After 5 years of rigorous practice with my DEEJAY Crew, I began to enter battles. If you are unfamiliar with dj battles, here are a list of championship caliber djs now making a good living today : Qbert, Babu, Rhetmattic, J-Rocc, Melo D, Shortkut, Klever, Craze, A Trak, Roc Raida, Rob Swift, Total Eclipse, I-Dee, Precision, Teeko, etc... If you don't know any of those names, please get out a gun and shoot yourself in the private parts to assure that you can never procreate and pass your ignorance on to anyone else. Now I'm not saying those are the only good deejays in the country, there are other deejays who are good in their own rights. I'm just saying that each of these afforementioned deejays has earned the right to call themselves a Champion, and each of these individuals also has earned the respect of their peers. There is a quantatative/qualitative reason why these djs are superior... knowledge, technique and execution.

There are many ways in which deejays earn each other's respect. Having an extensive record collection, and the accompanying music knowlege to go along with said collection is one way. A keen sense of what to play and when to play it (knowing how to work and read your crowd) is another way. Technical deejay skill is yet another way. I'm lumping mixing, scratching, beat juggling and trick mixing into one category because only another real deejay recognizes each individual aspect separately.

I see you with your big expensive Macbooks and your Serato. I hear how horrible you sound because you have no idea what the EQ does with your mixer LEDs in SOLID RED. I see you pathetically trying to act the part. I see you cheating the system. I see you, and I do not respect you... neither does anyone else.

You think you are cool and unique, when you are just new. I've seen people like you drop in and out for years now. You refuse to play the game, you think in some way you are above seeking the approval of your peers. You think that the game is changing just to tailor itself to you and your "cult of cool". Well, that's not how it works. Some how here in New Orleans, a city not historically known for it's deejay talent, what you do hasn't been checked by anyone. Well welcome to QUALITY CONTROL. YOU see, bullshit like this doesn't fly in L.A., Chicago, Miami, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Seattle, NYC, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, any other major city BUT HERE... in New Orleans a city with one of the richest musical traditions in the country you guys are out here embarrassing us. Do you realize that by doing this the tourists that come through the city think that this is the norm and not the exception? Do realize how much of a slap in the face this is to the record collecting deejay? Do you understand the need for peer review, accountablility and quality control?

There are deejays in every major city that make well over six figures. Why not here?? It's because deejays like YOU are collectively lowering the bar and destroying peoples expectations of what to expect from the nightlife here. Whether it's bar owners putting their friends on to "dj" at their bar on peak nights or it's lame-ass promoters who all of a sudden get a laptop/Serato and decide that they too can be a dj. You can't cut us completely out of the scene. My brethren and I simply won't allow it. You will be cut out.

I take this seriously. In my 15 years as dj I have spent enough money to buy a house on records and dj equipment. I have dedicated enough of my time to build 1000 houses practicing my craft. It was five years before I even thought I deserved to get paid for what I do. Now I have to watch people like you with your downloaded music or your itunes playlist or your brand new turntables/laptop/Serato combo refusing to recognize the deejays which came before you and helped pave the way for your "deejay career".

This is also acting as a PSA for the listening public. I'm going to let the casual listener know what to expect from real deejays and I will encourage them to walk out on anything less. It is my hopes to raise the bar in the city so that competent, skilled, passionate deejays can take your place and destroy your "cult of cool".

For the listening public, general party people, New Orleans locals, and bar/nightlife patrons in general...

If you enter a bar and the deejay just has a laptop, no other equipment. Walk out. I would bring my laptop in and demand to be allowed to deejay also because... Why not?? Where's the line?? (there are exceptions, but they are VERY FEW) WALK OUT!!!

If you see a deejay that has turntables and/or CD players and a laptop, but no other music. Walk out. Real deejays always bring records/CDs as a backup in case of some computer problems. These guys don't bring these things because they simply don't have any other music except for MP3s. This means they aren't supporting local record stores, and they are probably downloading all of their music for free. They are contributing to the collapse of the economy. WALK OUT.

If you see a deejay with turntables/CD players and a laptop, contantly staring at their laptop, walk out. Deejaying was meant to be done by ear. It is a aural artform. We do NOT need deejays that look like they are checking their email. Also the deejay is NOT caring about you the patron. Their attention should be on the crowd and whether or not anyone is enjoying themselves. A good deejay should have a direct mental line to his or her crowd. It's deejaying 101. WALK OUT.

If you are somewhere and the sound is muddled, distorted and you can barely understand the music. It's because the songs are being incorrectly played. I know it sounds like a common sense thing, but I recently went to an establishment for a drink. The dj's LED were mashed in the red and the sound signal was so distorted, I could barely discern what the track was. If you hear something like this, please WALK OUT.

If you walk in somewhere and after 15 minutes your first thought is "this dj sucks" or "I wish I could access the jukebox". WALK OUT.

These are basically the reasons why we as serious djs, hate you and want to punch you in the face. I don't see you unless I end up wandering into one of your lame hipster nights. You don't support any other djs. As far as I'm concerned, you think you are better than us. That's laughable!

For a musical representation of what I'm talking about please listen to "The Shook Ones (part II)" by Mobb Deep. Here's an excerpt...

For all those who wanna profile and pose,
Rock you in the face,
Stab your brain with your nose bone,
You all alone in these streets cousin.
Every man for their self,
In this land we be gunnin'.
And keep them shook crews runnin',
Like they supposed to,
You come around but you never come close to,
I can see it inside your face,
You're in the wrong place,
Cowards like you just get their whole bodies laced up,
With bullet holes and such,
Speak the wrong words man,
And you will get touched.
You can put your whole army against my team and,
I guarantee you it'll be your very last time breathin'.
Your simple words just don't move me,
You're minor, we're major.
You're all up in the game and don't deserve to be a player.
Don't make me have to call your name out.
Your crew is featherweight...

You get the point...If you don't know the song, that's a big part of the problem right there. I'm here to tell you, it's time to buy a clue. In the immortal words of Twisted Sister, "We're not gonna take it, NOOOOO! We ain't gonna take it! WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

BTW, wearing dirty vintage clothes, and dirty vintage sneakers only makes us snicker about you behind your back. In this game you've got to pay to play. Looking homeless only makes you more of a joke to us.

Sincerely,

A Deejay Activist

P.S. In our eyes you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. Which are you??

NOLA REAL DJ ROLL CALL: Ed Max, Dj Digital, Dj Kristen, Dj Matty, Dj Lingerie, Maddie Ruthless, Brice Nice, Rik Ducci, ARAjay, Damion Yancy, Dj Kemistry, Dj Jive, Dj Real, Earl the Black Pearl, SOUL SISTER, Supercool Dj Kazu, Mike Swift, Raj Smoove, Bigg Cheeze, Nate White, Dj BlacknMild, Dj Hollaback, EF Cuttin, all the GODJs, Greenleaf Selektah, Dj Chicken, all the Definition Djs, Beverly Skillz, Jermaine Quiz, Dj Resin, MC Gregory, DjMc Microphone, Javier Drada, Gerardo Montoya, Paul B, Dj Proppa Bear, Yellow Frank, Frenzi, T-Roy, Dj Def D... and everyone else that respects the turntable as a musical instrument!!!

WACK DJ ROLL CALL: Dj Flowershirt Freddy, Dj Pompodour Paul, Dj Butt-Sniffer, Dj Steel Steve, Dj Volcanic Victor, Dj Muscular Manpower Bob, Dj Smokin' Steve, Dj Courageous Carl, Dj Reindeer Randy, Dj Luscious Larry, The Pearman, Dj Spam, and all others THAT DON'T BELIEVE IN CUTTING IT UP!!!!!

Bionik Brown Videos...

2009-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. Nate "Bionik Brown" Woods : The day all of New Orleans Hip Hop cried...

2009-08-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

August 11, 2008

I'll never forget where I was when I heard the news. I was sitting exactly where I'm sitting now, doing exactly what I am doing now, same desk, same job, same laptop, same cup of coffee to my right. I was checking my myspace and I saw Quickie Mart's status that Bionik had passed away.

"This has got to be a joke!" I said to myself...

I messaged Quickie and he got back to me later that day, and I found out that, NO... this was NOT in fact a joke. It was a tragedy. I first met Nate as a fan. When I lived in Lafayette, we would drive out for his shows. He became one of the emcees that I most admired, for his talents and his lifestyle. His talent was evident, but few knew that he was a man of God who never touched drugs nor alcohol nor cigarettes. I remember talking with him at length after a show at Twiropa and being impressed with his no nonsense take on the world. I could speak volumes about his music and the amount of times I'd listened to the Lucky Stiffs Mixtape, or the Darkness and the Light. New Orleans lost an ambassador, a son and a friend that day one year ago to something as senseless as drunk driving.

Nate and I really didn't begin to become friends until after he moved to Denver. The year was 2007, he was about to go on tour and was looking for a tour dj. I eagerly through my hat into the ring. I knew that working with Bionik on a daily basis would be a huge honor. This came at a time when I had given up alcohol (entire calender year 2007). I felt like it would be a good fit for me and possibly some of Nate's spiritual well-being would rub off on me also.

We talked about once a week or so for a while. I don't even know how seriously I was even being considered, but I never did get the occasion to work with Nate. When I heard the news I was crushed. I could only imagine how devastating it was to his family, and his close musical brethren Quickie Mart, Know One, Impulss, Soapbox, Truth Universal, etc...

I always wished I could've thanked him for sharing his gift with the world. It is my hope that today we can plant seeds in his name, remember his art, and make art in his name. Let's make AUGUST 11 of every year, BIONIK BROWN DAY!!!

DMC US Finals Weekend (THE BATTLE)

2009-08-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I climb up onto the stage, with my baggage in tow, at Santos Party House. I grab my clipboard with the judging sheet. I exhale, knowing I'd finally really gotten here, with time to spare.

"WHEW!!!"

A couple of people came up to greet me one was Dj Revel (aka Max Pounder), the other was Dj Steel. Steel introduced me to the rest of the Brick Bandits including SOLO, who I also knew from Geo's board. All this was completely surreal. After my miserable morning, then frantic traveling, I couldn't believe I was finally here. I'm really doing this. I'm a judge goddammit!!!

Growing up as a battle dj, my greatest ambition was to win a regional and make it to the US Finals. Well, I never thought it would come to fruition with me making it to New York as a judge. Basically the long and short of it all, is that this is one of the biggest honors of my life. There's not much more that could match this outside of my own championship.

As I step on stage, I immediately recognized Marcus Pinn and Donnie Dee. I battled in Austin the year that Donnie Dee won. I remember how shook up he was that he won. It was pretty touching. I felt like I'd already had met Marcus Pinn. I mean he was one of the reasons I started posting on Geo's Board. We were friends on myspace & facebook. I subscribe to his blog. I'd followed him through a kidney transplant, and the horror of the Manhattan based architecture firm of which he's employed. Marcus is one of the people that I most admire.

To my left was Dj Slyce, the 1997/2008 DMC US Champion. He finished 2nd in the world in 2008, and he's another person whom I only know from Geo's board that I greatly admire. WOW!! I saw "Baby Fatfingaz", but where was Fatfingaz?? Where were the rest of the judges? Dj Precision tapped me on my shoulder to shake my hand. This is getting more major by the minute. I looked straight ahead to the turntable setup in the center, there was Lord Finesse. Yes, people THAT Lord Finesse. Then I saw OC coming up on stage to holler at Finesse, "dude it's OC for crissakes!!!" Then there was Kool Dj Red Alert... The man, the voice, the legend had me buggin' out from just his voice. I would look down, to jot something down and I would just be like... "Maaan, Red Alert!!! WTH??!!"

I heard someone yelling at me from the wings, it sounded like some girls. It was! Marilyn from Mix Revolution who I talk to on twitter all the time and Sally Mclintock or Sally DMC. I jumped up from my seat to give them a hug. I couldn't believe all of this.

As Lord Finesse warmed up the crowd with the classic tunes, Kool Dj Red Alert warmed the crowd up on the mic. He kept making cracks about Poo Poo juice in his drink. I'm guessing that was some kind of inside joke about brown liquor. I was starting to get anxious about the battle.

The order was:

1. Lodus (L.A.) - Angry Ex's
2. Mista B (S.F.) - 4OneFunk
3. Concept (Fl) - Fader Ballistix
4. Fascinate (NH)
5. Q-Base (TX)
6. Ty Handswell - (Bmore)
7. Ohm One (NM)
8. Steel (NJ) - Brick Bandits
9. Shiftee (NY) - Lo Lives
10. Shmeeze (LA)
11. As One (DMV) - Rockvillians

The time was upon us. When Lodus led off on the right setup, we all noticed that the sound was pretty terrible. I hoped the sound guy, who looked like a cross between Rick Rubin and a bicycle messenger, would fix it... He didn't.

Next up Mista B on the left setup! Mista B came through and straight up rocked it from the beginning with some serious Cali Funk. I had been watching Mista B youtube videos all week, and I was particularly looking forward to seeing him rock it. He delivered in a major way. His sound was so clear an unique. I felt sorry for whatever dj had to follow that...

Concept was up next. I already knew Concept from the New Orleans heat. He chilled at my house before the battle and practiced his routine along with Steel, and Rugged. I knew what to expect, but no one else did. Concept was playing on the right setup (the setup with the percieved sound problems). Once he got up to perform, he immediately noticed the sound problems. He tried get the sound guy to tech it before he performed. They tried, but to avail... The only thing the sound guy managed to do was to eliminate the hum on one of the turntables. Once Concept started I could immediately see the disdain on his face. He had a look on his face that said, "FUCK!!! THIS SOUNDS TERRIBLE!!!!" At one point he stopped his routine altogether looked at us and was like, "The sound sucks on this setup!" He threw his hands up and looked at the sound guy like... "Dude are you going to fix this?? I mean it IS your job." He reluctantly finished, but he was NOT happy.

After some deliberation, we decided that the first two routines on the "bad setup" would have to be re-run. That also meant that the battle would go on with just one set of turntables which would seriously impede the flow of the battle, but Red Alert is a pro and so is Lord Finesse. The crowd wouldn't even notice.

So up next was Fascinate from New Hampshire. He came through with a heavy metal styled routine, complete with a Pantera juggle so y'all know I was feeling it. He kinda lost me with the second half of the routine, but the first half was fresh. I wish he would've continued with metal for the entire routine.

INTERMISSION... During this intermission Lord Finesse rocked the crowd while Rick Rubin's illegitimate son worked on the right setup. No dice... Continue with Plan B.

Lodus' Re-run... FRESH, FRESH, FRESH!!! For a cat who placed 3rd in his region, he certainly looked like a top finisher. Every one of the judges was impressed with him, and we were all glad that the sound issue was cleared up and we could go on with the battle.

Concept's Re-run... Like I said I already knew what was up. I caught some of the judges asking "He came in second???" like they couldn't believe he didn't win. I've got a feeling that Concept will enter Supremacy next year, and do really well. He's got the right look for it, and his cuts are definitely at that level.

Q-Base was up next. He was the second place finisher in San Antonio. He was solid, but not on the level yet of being able to compete for a top slot. It was evident to everyone. I hope he'll be back though. You can only get better from year to year.

Ty Handswell was up. I know Ty from the Geo's board, myspace, and Facebook. I knew pretty much what to expect from him also... Combo juggles. For everyone not in the know, a combo juggle is a beat juggle using two different records as opposed to using two copies of one record. Well, Ty came off... He had a good crowd friendly routine, and he got the most crowd response since Mista B, although Mista B still trumped everyone thus far.

Dj OHM One was next on deck. SOLID. That's as simple as I can put it. He was good in all aspects, his intro, cutting, juggling and transitions were all where they needed to be. For his first US Finals, I think he made a great showing. I look forward to seeing him next year. I think he is really one to watch out for in the future.

STEEL : I'll be brief about Steel, because he is the homie and I don't want it to seem like I'm biased. He did the same routine from New Orleans, and he executed. This time he wore shoes. His juggles were the freshest of the entire competition in my opinion.

INTERMISSION #2

This was the go to the bathroom, get a drink, smoke-break, judges break. In this time Shiftee was practicing his routine. Also I must add that Shiftee was wearing a DMC Champions jacket, a 1999 Thailand Champion's jacket. Now Shiftee was probably 13-14 in 1999, so we all just shook our collective heads and laughed. It turns out Shiftee collects champions jackets. He has three more at home. This guy is crazy. Well Red Alert actually calls him out for wearing the jacket and makes a joke to the crowd. I'm wondering why no one has called him out for wearing a bomber jacket in the middle of the summer in New York City... Oh well, the jacket serves it's purpose for sure.

So, next up is Shiftee... He came in to the building to WIN. He did not disappoint. From the very beginning of the routine, he had the crowd eating out of his hand. At one point, he stopped his routine to solicit applause from the crowd. Everyone went nuts. Shiftee had it all together. He used all of the mixer, his entire routine was completely stacked with bangers... There's not much more to say besides SHIFTEE KILLED IT!!!!

Next up... Shmeeze!! Shmeeze brought the Dubstep out to the finals. Super dopeness!!! He along with Mista B had the most distinct sounding routines. His cutting was on some next level isht. He's a strong competitor and I expect him place for sure.

FINALLY, AS ONE!!!! I had been looking forward to this for a good while since I found out in my previous interview that he had a custom set made up that he didn't get to showcase in the Fairfax regional. As One also rocked it. The highlight of his routine was an Inspector Gadget piece that was soooooo funky and completely indicitive of the DMV turntable style. I was impressed.

Now next were showcases by first I-Dee, then Precision. For the sake of brevity, I'll just say that either one of these cats would give any dj in the world problems in a battle. I-Dee has some of the best stage presence and presentation of any deejay I've ever seen. Precision (whom Red Alert kept calling Precise... SMDH) has the best juggle patterns in the US, possibly the world. He is an X-Ecutioner...

NOW THE RESULTS...

AND THAT'S A WRAP... Coming up next... My adventures in New York with Matt and Alex!!

This is about where I'm at as far as Saints Season is concerned...

2009-08-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you Supa Saint, in Supaloose!

DMC US Finals Weekend (the trip that almost never was PART TWO)

2009-08-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Delaney arrives to pick me up from the airport at around 9:30 A.M. and she's apologizing. I'm emotionally shutting down in a confused mix of denial, frustration, and anger. In the back of my mind, I haven't lost hope. Most of you who know me know I'm a pretty optimistic cat that never gives up. I called up Christie Z to tell her that, regrettably, I couldn't make it. She was understanding and wondered if perhaps I could still work something out to make it to the battle. I informed her of my airport nightmare and pretty much closed the door on making it to NYC. I called my mom to let her know that I could help her move this couch. She offered to pay the $800 ticket for US Airways to get me to NYC. I couldn't take her up on the offer. That amount of money for a one way ticket cannot be justified in my mind, no matter what the occasion. So we travel home, and I try to find something to occupy my day. All the anticipation and excitement seemed to have turned into anxiety and depression. I walk through my house trying to find some semblance of a day to salvage so that I might forget about my ill fated trip and my chance to partake in this ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity. No chance!

My phone starts ringing. I contemplate not picking it up. It's my mom.

"Hey, where are you at?" she asks.

"I'm at home. When do you wanna go get that couch??" I ask.

"Uhhh, I found you a cheap flight on Continental. It leaves at 11:55 it's a direct flight. You'll be flying into Newark. The plane arrives at 3:55. Happy Birthday!! We're on our way to come get you now!"

OMFG!!!! NO WAY!!!

So apparently my sister had her Continental Airlines rewards card in her wallet (my Mom and my sister fly A LOT), and they called Continental directly and reserved the flight. I'm gonna make it after all. I remembered Christie Z's words. Maybe you were supposed to miss the flight for some reason. Maybe something terrible would have happened on the flight or on your way into the city.

Yeah, maybe I would've gotten mugged and the universe was trying to keep me alive so I could catch this second flight. I don't mind the plane ticket being my birthday present. I just wanted to be in New York.

So my sister comes to get me and I'm off to Louis Armstrong International Airport for the second time that morning. I arrive at the airport and I get my e-ticket at the self-check in terminal. Ok!! Now it's 11:00 by the time I get through security.

"Yeah, on time plane leaves in about an hour! I'm gonna make it!" I thought to myself. I was elated, relieved and grateful that I would be going. This emotional rollercoaster was pulling in to the stop to let me off.

I get an overpriced hamburger from the Kiosk right next to the gate. I eat quickly, still frantic an nervous from the morning's events. I had never flown into Newark, I was not really sure how I could get in to New York. I guessed that a cab would be upwards around $100,000 and I'm not terribly familiar with the transit system at the Newark airport. Whatever, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. The important thing is that I've got a boarding pass. I'm in time for my flight, and I'll be getting to NYC in time for the battle. I care about nothing else.

I call Christie Z, and update my twitter feed letting all my NYC people know that despite prior reports, I will be arriving God willing. The flight begins boarding, and of course my group is the last to board. I can't find a spot in the overhead bins for one of my carry-ons so I just hold it in my lap. I'm to the no bullshit point where there small stuff really just doesn't matter. My focus now is to land in Newark and find the quickest and cheapest avenue to get me to Santos Party House before the start of the battle.

Once I settled in and buckeled my seatbelt, I seemed to relax. The anxiety washed from my body and the calm of exhaustion took over. I fell asleep before the plane took off only to wake up for lunch service and fall back asleep.

When I arrive in Newark, I've to take the AirTram to the train station then take the train directly into Penn Station in Manhattan. I dash, trying to make up for lost time.

"Where's the AirTram??? Where's the AirTram??"

I find it after asking a Homeland Security Airport dood. I jump on the AirTram, turn my phone on and hit up my twitter. I get to the train platform and the next train will be 15 minutes. I go into the bathroom and change into my clothes I wanted to wear to the battle. I splash on a little cologne, wash up and I'm good to go!!!

Next stop, the train into Penn Station. New York City, here I come!!! Seems like I'm making pretty good time on the train. I text message my people letting them know I was coming to town, I update my twitter feed. I check my email (what did I ever do before smartphones?) even play some PacMan on my phone as I await arrival into one of the greatest cities on Earth. I'm peeping all the graffiti along the way and I'm people watching. There are these two Jersey bammas obviously en route to the Mets game. I deduced this from the fact that they were dressed head to toe in Mets attire, I could be wrong, but if the shoe fits...

I arrive at Penn station and begin to make my way to the surface. I get in the line at the cabstand, and the time is about 4:45 PST. The battle was supposed to start at 5:00, and I've absolutely got to be there for 5, when the judging starts. Being there for the battle really was enough for me. It would just be a huge blessing if I could actually take part in the judging. I know that events like this NEVER run on schedule. So I'm not worried. I jump into the cab and I text Christie Z to let her know my status. I'm not expecting her to delay the battle, I just wanted her to know I was en route. I was really looking forward to meeting, As-1, Marcus, Slyce, Fatfingaz, Sally Mclintock, Marilyn Sasha, Dj Revel, Precision, Solo, Doug Coen, Mista B, OHM, Lodus, Cj Sanchez, Baby Fatfingaz, Kool Dj Red Alert, Lord Finesse, and Dj Supreme.

I'm on my way. I'm anxious. I'm relieved. I'm thankful. I'm nervous.

I arrive at the Santos Party House. And thankfully the battle hasn't started. I check in with Christie Z, and with all of my bags in tow I settle into my role as a judge.

DMC US Finals Weekend (the trip that almost never was PART ONE)

2009-08-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

So, I was asked on July 10th if I would like to judge the DMC US Finals at Santos Party House in New York City. I graciously accepted the honor. And since that day July 10, 2009 the day when all of our lives were changed by the DMC New Orleans Battle, I'd been looking forward to flying to NYC and being a part of an institution that has had such a profound influence on my life.

So Delaney takes care of making my reservations and accomodations for the weekend. I fly out of MSY on Northwest Airlines Saturday August 1st, 7:00 A.M. CST, I arrive the same day at 11 A.M. into LGA. Bus from the Airport to the 7 Train into Grand Central Station, check. White House Hostel, 340 Bowery, check. It's an late check in, 3 P.M. but the Hostel is a 17 minute walk from the venue according to Google maps. Should'nt sweat it, no big deal... Doors at Santos at 4 P.M. Seems pretty straight forward.

Yeaaaaahhhhh!!! Plans are made!

The days leading up to the battle end up being pretty hectic. I had all intentions of going to bed early on Friday, so I could be fresh for my flight. Weeellll THAT ISHT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!! Me and Delaney decided to go out drinking at THROWBACK so she could check out the crowd for this Friday's Mash-Up Edition of THROWBACK because she's guest djing and she's the kind of girl that likes to be prepared. In retrospect maybe the Jager shots were a bad idea, but we ended up getting home at around 3:30A.M. Now I remind you that my flight leaves at 7:00, so I need to be at the MSY for at least 6:15, best case scenario, 5:30 but I wasn't checking any bags, so it should be a problem. Right???

So Delaney decides to sleep on the couch so she could "get up", because apparently she sleeps really light on the couch. I sleep in the bed, and I plug my phone on the charger by the couch in the living room.

"Should I set an alarm in the room baby??"

"No, I've got an alarm. I'll wake up."

"You sure??"

"Yeah, I'll wake up!!!"

"Ok!!"

So I went into the bedroom, and I couldn't be bothered to correct the time on the blinking clock that had begun blinking the prior Wednesday after a brief power outage. It takes me about 12 seconds to go to sleep. And when I wake up it appears as if the sun has already risen. I panic, the clock is blinking something completely absurd like 3:38. So I run into the foyer and check the atomic clock. OH SHIT, it's 6:20!!!!!!! I wake Delaney up. It turns out that when her alarm went off, instead of pressing snooze she dismissed the alarm by reflex and went back to sleep. Now we're frantic!

I rush to throw everything in the car and put on my travelling clothes, so I can get there while the plane is boarding. We rush, Delaney is driving... fast!

We both hope against hope that I get there in time to board the plane. I get there at 6:45 so automatic check in is out. I check in at the counter and get my boarding pass and the Northwest Counter girl screams "Hurry!!!" Well I have to wait in the Security Line which isnt very long, so I'm thinking that I'm going to make it. I'm furiously checking my watch in line. Damn! Damn, damn! Hurry up line... So I get through security at like 6:57 and put my shoes on and dash for the gate. I get to the gate at 7:01 and the plane has already backed out of the terminal.

I'm crushed. I rush back to the counter and see if there are any other flights to NYC through the airline. There is a fully booked flight with a layover in Nashville which would put me in NYC at 6:40... NO F*CKING WAY!!! The next flight after that is on Sunday, what good will that to me?? Nothing... I'm going out there to judge, if I can't make it out to judge what's the purpose of me going at all?? I want to go just to be there, but at this point it doesn't even look like I can get on the 11:45 Nashville flight. I am beside myself.

So I begin to run frantically through the airport to the US Airways counter. It seemed that a couple traveling with a young son had missed their flight and possibly could get me on a US Airways flight. Well I go and check, no dice. I could buy a seat but that would be over $800, and I don't have that kind of money to poop out every time I miss a flight. So I rush back to the counter, trying to possibly get on standby, but by the time I get to the counter there are already 5 people in front of me on the waiting list for a booked flight. It's not looking good for the Skratch Man.

All they can do is shake their heads and look at me silly. There's apparently nothing. I explain to the guy at the counter that I have to be in New York for 5:00, and I was under the impression that they would try to help in any way to get me to my destination. So much for assumptions...

So I do a lot of frantic pacing, until I finally make the call to Delaney to come and pick me up. That was one of the hardest calls for me to make because in essence I was giving in. The dream had died.

EF Cuttin is New Orleans best kept secret...

2009-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

EF Cuttin' is my favorite dj. He's been deejaying longer than most of you have even been alive. Between making mixtapes for local New Orleans artists and Djing for Truth Universal and now CurrenSy, it's amazing that he still has time to release heat like the TwixShow mixes...

TwixShow #1

TwixShow #2

TwixShow #3

Each one of these mixes is a festival of pop culture and hip hop obscurity sure to make any self respecting music lover laugh, cry, and shake their bodies down to the ground!

You can catch up with EF Cuttin on his myspace @ myspace.com/EFCuttin Facebook @ facebook.com/EFCuttin and twitter @EFCuttin

Holler at him and tell him how fresh the TwixShow mixes are. And also be on the lookout for the multitude of EF Cuttin projects slated for release in the very near future. Show love. I'm out.

TEAM CUTTIN!!!!!

AS-1 Gets RAW!!!!

2009-07-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

In my interview with AS-1 I don't know how I missed this... I'm floored. This is so fresh!!

I have offically been "warned"!!!

2009-07-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

So after taking a while to marinate, apparently Ryan now really wishes me and my family some physical harm. Today when I checked my Facebook messages, he now wants to get "gully". Are you fucking kidding me??? This isn't 1996 and this isn't Brooklyn brah, ya heard me?? So once again for the sake of public record, I'm going to post the threats. So please everyone out there, be on the look out for this Ryan Hodges person. He's obviously very emotionally unstable, probably a danger to himself and others, and most definitely in need of some mood stabilizing medication.

Subject : Gully

Ryan: you say we got problems the next time you see me? I know where your mom lives, where you live, and your girl lives. You want real beef? I have no problem airing you out in my city or yours.

So apparently I'm going to be "aired out". I think my friend Don Libido put it best this morning, and I quote, "Plus... 'I have no problem airing you out in my city or yours.' Umm, where is HIS city, again? And what would he have to air out? That you're a deejay? That you play more than just underground Hip Hop? That you hosted the first DMC in NOLA? That you (and a handfull of others) are the only ones doing Hip Hop still in the Crescent? Him trying to call you out is like me calling Mannie Fresh out as a bitch who doesn't know shit about production..."

As Jermaine Quiz said, "Its just hilarious, its not even beef... its tofu!"

So there you have it, another man's opinion. I'm not going to release the myriad of personal messages, but I will tell you some of the message titles: "Douchebag", "What an ass clown!!", etc...

So my best advice to this guy, is to check your ego, get a job, get a home and lastly get a life. Please seek some professional psychiatric help. I'm sure you have some deep seeded emotional problems. So good luck with your mental health issues. I sincerely hope you get some help.

A User's Guide to Bad First Impressions (How to Piss Me OFF!!!)

2009-07-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

So about 2 months ago I get a random friend request on Facebook from this cat Ryan Hodges. Apparently he had a weekly at Handsome Willy's with Quickie Mart. I can preface this by Martin telling me about the aforementioned weekly by saying no one came out and it sucked. I'm ALWAYS really nice to people who contact me on the internet. It takes a lot to bring out this side of me, but I think y'all should see how and what can bring me to this level.

Facebook Message #1

Title: NO SUBJECT

Ryan: what's good man? we have never met but justin from handsome willys told me I should try and get up with you. I used to be a dj in nola prekatrina. quicke mart and I had a weekly at willys. anyway I just moved back here from brooklyn and am looking to build the hip hop scene here. let me know what shows you have coming up and maybe we can link up.

Me: I've got Saturday night @ the Circle Bar. But what I'm really focused on is the DMC New Orleans heat coming on July 10th, and the events surrounding it. It would be cool if you could come and check it out.

Anyway, my # is 504 XXX XXXX. I live in mid-city and I'm always down to session and bullshit about life, love and hip hop.

Peace fam...

Ryan: yeah dmc is serious, not to stress you out further but I hope you realize its not just cats from new orleans, you will be against some real heavy weights. justin told me your juggles were tight. best of luck to you, we can get together afterwards. justin told me shortkut is playing a show at willys, maybe I will see you there.

Me: I know... I'm not entering. I'm putting it on, it's MY baby the culmination of two years of bridge building. No pressure for me at all (hahahaha, more pressure in reality). Ironically after all the times I've driven 6-8 hours to compete at these things, the one time it's in my town and I can't enter. I wish I could compete, but this is one time I'm better behind the scenes. Although my girl is entering, I'm helping her with her routine. But yeah, Shorty is coming through and playin' Willy's for the afterparty. We're gonna do a session with all the heads on Saturday. Steel from NJ is stayin' at my house, and so is Rugged 1. It's gonna be a crazy weekend. We're gonna cap it off with Shortkut doing a dancehall Reggae Sunday night.

Enough about all that... It seems like my entire life is revolving around that damn battle right now... How long have you been back?? Where you livin? What's up with ya??

Ryan: Wow that is impressive, mad props to you for putting it in then. I just got in town last wednesday. I am staying at my boys house in the 9th ward off of st claude, rough i know. I am trying to decide what part of the city i want to live in, i need to decide fast to get the fuck out of there. Let me know if you need any help with the show, i would be happy to help out in any way i can, i know it may be alittle late. Where were you before the storm? I am suprised we never met, i thought i knew all the djs in the no.

Me: Yeah, I'm originally from New Iberia, but I lived in Lafayette before the storm. My girl was in college at UL, and she graduated in spring 2006 with an Architecture Degree. We had been waiting for her to graduate so we could get the f*ck out of that town. New Orleans just seemed like an obvious choice because of her degree. We moved here summer of 2006 when everything was still crazy and the city was still sort of a ghost town.

Yeah, I've got a line on some apartments on Esplanade @ Derbigny right by Man Chu. The studios are small but they're nice, and pretty cheap. The 7th Ward is a step up from the 9th ward, still a little rough, but really not too bad.

Man, I could always use some help concerning the DMCs. Since I'm doing it myself, I'm trying to solicit help from anyone. If you want a grip of flyers to pass out, that'd be cool. I mean even something as mundane as just telling people about it, so they can recognize the importance would help.

But yeah, I'm going to Lafayette (hate going back there, favor for a friend) tonight for a show, but I'll be back on Friday to get back to the grind. In the mean time, check out the blog @ dmcneworleans.blogspot.com I've been trying to update it as much as possible, but now it's really going to start getting good because I'm closing in on the battle and I'm saving all the really important isht for the days leading up to the battle.

I'll be out and about between isht on Friday, holler.

Ryan: yeah I would definitely be interested in checking out an apartment. yeah I could help you out with the flyers no problem. give me a call tomorrow my number is 347 XXX XXXX

Me: Aight will do. I'mma holler at my people. We'll get it all sorted tomorrow.

Ok, so he basically called me a chump. He assumed without doing any research that I was just some scrub dj, but still in all I was very respectful in our conversation. Maybe the smallest hint of sarcasm, but nothing major. Did I understand the weight of DMC?? I took that one as a mere misunderstanding. But I did go behind him and ask Justin about it days later. Here is an approximation of our conversation:

"Hey Justin, some dude named Ryan contacted me on Facebook. He said he had a weekly with Martin pre-Katrina."

"Maaaaannn, fuck that dude. Tell him to come pay his tab. He came in here talking a bunch of shit and left us holding a $30 tab."

"Damn homie, I'll tell him"

"He's a douchebag."

So Justin and I have been friends since I first moved to the city Post-Katrina. He's always taken care of me and I have the utmost respect for him. I trust his opinion, but I still let it slide basically due to my assumption that this guy just maybe, might just, be misunderstood. I know I've done and said some dumb things in the past that I wouldn't want people to hold against me. Everyone is entitled to a little leeway.

A week or so went by, and the next time I get contacted is when he wants me to put him on the list for the Jazzy Jeff/Dj AM show at the House of Blues. I put him on the guestlist +3. I missed meeting him in person at the show, but I continued to be cordial. I invited him to the Zulu Nation outreach meeting at Handsome Willy's which he didn't show up for probably due to the fact that he still owes a bar tab.

Then I get another message.

Subject line : djs

Ryan: does anyone play independent hip hop like doom aesoop rock etc down here?

Me: It doesn't really go over. It's not exactly "fill the bar up with girls" music. Thus every night that gets started where djs play that isht it fails. I'm over trying to play that out. I've got tons of it at the house. I just won't bring it out anymore. It's cool for mixtapes and for the car, but no one really wants to go all out and "party down" to Aesop, Doom or El-P in a bar.

I didn't get a response back. It's an honest answer to the question. No one I know has done a successful indie night. Whether it's J-Dilla, Doom, Aesop, Jedi Mind Tricks, etc. It just doesn't go over. In every instance it's been a 90% male audience, which doesn't bode very well for any bar, unless you're at a gay bar.

Then out of the blue last night while I'm asleep in bed I get a drunk text.

Ryan: I am drunk, but if the new orleans hip hop scene hasn't progressed enough to where you can't play DOOM or independant hip hop, I blame you sin you were the heir to the throne. (Sent 2:39 AM)

Me: Lose my number... You have zero right to criticize me or the hip hop in the city being as you contribute NOTHING. (text 1 sent 8:44 AM)

Me: Go tell that bullshit to Lyrikill, Truth Universal, GPC, D.O.N. Juskwam, or Caligula. I play indie hip hop in this city, it's local. (text 2 sent 8:46)

Me: Fuck Mf Doom and Aesop! They are completely irrelevant to what's going on here. Next time I see you we got a problem. (text 3 sent 8:48)

I get no response back, until I pull out my computer to check my internet, I get a Facebook message.

Heading: NO SUBJECT

Ryan: I somehow erased your 3 text messages without reading them. all I saw was fuck doom and aesop. I am not sure what the one said I sent you.

Me: Basically, you criticized me for contributing to a hip hop scene in which Aesop and Doom don't get played out, because I'm the "Heir Apparent" in New Orleans...

1. EF Cuttin was left that crown by Martin, not me. Martin didn't leave me shit!!!

2. Until you contribute to Hip Hop in New Orleans NOW (i.e. going to local shows, supporting, promoting events, starting your own nights, producing tracks for MCs, cutting on said tracks), your opinion is NULL and VOID.

3. The only Indy hip hop I want to see played in this city is what is made by locals. The rap here is as mature and progressive as what's coming out anywhere else. I don't waste my time dick riding famous people and trying to get MF Doom, El-P or Aesop plays out here. They have ZERO relevance to what's going on here and they don't factor the least little bit in my day to day life.

4. You've already started out on the wrong foot with me. This drunk text bullshit isn't making it any better. Are you really trying to piss me off? because it's working.

5. Don't move back to the city with a "I'm gonna save HIP HOP in New Orleans" attitude. We were doing just fine without you. Evidence of this... Soundclash/Grassroots. When you can do a night that consistently draws 200-300 people in this city, then you can have a say in what's "real hip hop".

6. JUSTIN Micaroni from Handsome Willy's says "PAY YOUR FUCKING TAB!!!"

7. I quit trying to play myself with that elitist, backpacker hip hop attitude a loooooooonggg time ago. I play funk, disco, reggae, electro, old school hip hop, bmore club, house, etc... That's what "real" djs do, they play whatever the fuck they want regardless of genre. You can stay stuck in your little elitist pigeon hole playing backpacker rap for 10 people a night. That's yours, you can have that.

8. At this point you've basically spit in the faces of everyone hip hop related I'm affiliated with in this city. Nice one!!! What's your next move?? Standing in front of the Iberville yelling the "N" word???

9. Just so you know... I will blog about this and quote you and myself verbatim. You have been officially put on blast.

Lose my number.

Ryan: I guess I touched a nerve. Good luck with your blog and your wobble wobble shake it shake its.

Me: Dude fuck you!! You have NO fucking idea what Hip Hop in this city is.

So that all leads me to this point I'm at right now. I've officially lost my patience. How the fuck can you be so rude to someone you don't know that well??? Especially since I'd been being nice up to this point. For him to call ME out about not having an indie hip hop night where I can play Mf Doom and Aesop for a crowd of 10 people. It's painfully obvious that he's completely ignorant of the fact that the New Orleans Independent Hip Hop scene is strong, competent, and intelligent. For him to even think I'm talking about bounce music is fucking laughable.

Well, I was gonna post his picture, but he took it off of Facebook so he couldn't be made a spectacle. So my final words to you Ryan:

You have fun keeping it real. After today I will have forgotten all about you. I'm sorry New Orleans is such a disappointment to you. I guess I'm just a wack dj. But wack or not, I'm still judging the DMC US Finals. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?

Peace, and don't forget to lose my number!!!

You can catch up with Ryan on Facebook. Just search Ryan Hodges. His will be the profile with no picture.

Shiftee's Salsa School of Scratch!!!

2009-07-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

After about a week of being totally exhausted, it's time to pick up where I left off. New Orleans DMC is a thing of the past so, now I'm gonna focus on some of the US Finals competitors. Shiftee is a brilliant dancer, sandwich maker, and mixologist. Let Shiftee, take you through his mild scratching lesson. SALSA!!!!

Weekend Wrap Up (Fashionably Late) PART ONE

2009-07-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting my entire life for a weekend like this. I'd been hoping against hope that one day my fair city would be able to support events of this magnitude.

My Friday started early, I had a pickup of my best friend and Zulu 206 representative, DJ Gumbeaux, at the airport. I needed some help on stage, and he seemed like a perfect fit. We were also having a Zulu outreach meeting on Sunday, so it was dual purpose. Well it seems that the two hours I had between first pick up and drop off was the only down time I would have all day. I wish I would've savored it.

Well, next were I-dee, Steel, Rugged. I ended up picking up Concept too because he was on the plane with I-dee. I had a full car load on the way back to the city, and everyone was pretty hungry. So we went to Crabby Jacks for some poboys. Then we went to check I-dee in to his hotel room, well... pre-checked in. From then on there were people who were posted up on my couch and on my turntables until 7:30 when I had to pack up for the Howlin' Wolf.

Lesson #1 : Never book people in separate hotel rooms. I spent far too much time in the car on the night of the battle picking people up when my time would've been better served in the venue getting everything ready.

Well after picking up Christie Z, Teeko and I-dee, I scrambled to get everything set up so that the battle could start. Originally we had around 20 djs set up for the battle. Only 10 showed up on the night so let the prelims begin...

Truth Universal was the perfect host for the evening. He kept the crowd involved throughout the night even when some of the delays lasted a little longer than the regulation 2 minutes.

Of the three representatives from Louisiana, Jermaine Quiz, Know Respect, and Beverly Skillz, only one looked as if to have ever put a routine together prior to that day. That simple fact made me wish I could've entered the battle even more, and that the rest of my crew would've entered also. I remember the days of Raj Smoove, Hektic and HC when coming to New Orleans to battle would make you want to step your game up. I guess since battles began to dwindle years ago, so did everyone's desire to battle. Well, of the three from Louisiana, Beverly Skillz advanced to the 6 minute round.

I got an interesting insight in the judging that night. I got to see exactly how each competitor is scored and I got to see each judges score sheet. Well, without going into detail the top six scorers were as follows:

1. Steel
2. Concept
3. Rugged One
4. Beverly Skillz
5. Axis Powers
6. The Don Santos

Shortkut did a little party rocking interlude, and we were in to the final.

The Don Santos went up first, his routine was pretty solid, but not loaded with any real high degree of difficulty. He did do a blindfolded beat-chase, which was cool albeit gimmicky.

Axis Powers has his showmanship turned all the way up. His strength lied in his cutting but his beat juggles weren't where they needed to be for a top three and we all knew it. He ended his routine by breaking a record on the turntable, which for the crowd was entertaining the display IS a little overdone.

Beverly Skillz was the fan favorite. As she stepped up, the crowed roared and she basically had them eating out of her hand the entire routine. She did really well except for some skipping on one of her juggles. When she began cutting to the Triggerman beat everyone went nuts in the crowd. She really knew how to play for a room of fans.

Rugged One from Boston, had the only flawless routine out of the three in my opinion. His routine was comprised of combo juggles (juggles using two different records) scratching, and just plain funk... It was a stark contrast from the next competitor...

Concept from Boca Raton, Florida was up next and his routine was uptempo and in your face. His routine reminded me a lot of what Netik and Rafik are doing in Europe with Le Jad records. His set was almost flawless and it seemed the crowd was pretty in to it. All Concept would've needed to take first was a little more showmanship and another juggle. Which brings me to...

Steel representing New Jersey was the highest scorer from round one, and he performed last in this round. Steel had his 1st place game on. Everything was right on, his juggles, his scratching, his transitions, and he didn't miss a beat when I mis-read the timer and shorted him one minute. He resumed his juggle like nothing had happened. His difficulty level was the highest of all the competitors. The fact that he made it look effortless only added to his set.

Well once the finals wrapped it was showcase time. I-dee went first. He unleashed a barrage of scratches first, and then went into juggles of maddening proportions. As the routine progressed he seemed to get better and better and more and more into the crowd. He might as well have entered. He could've given Steel, Concept and Rugged a run for their money. I-dee finished to uproarious applause.

Next up was Teeko. Admittedly, I was looking forward to Teeko's set most of all. He'd brought a synthesizer, a Vestax Controller One, and an MPC 1000. He began by tapping out a beat on the MPC, and building the melodies using the Controller One and the synth. He continued with a C1 cover of Billie Jean, and he ended with a unbelievably hot cover of Herbie Handcock's Rock It. Teeko was a huge hit with the crowd also and he wrapped up to an uproar from the crowd.

I expect to be seeing Teeko and I-dee a lot more in New Orleans.

Well it was time to announce the places. After deliberating with Christie Z, it had to have been the shortest decision of the night. The scorecards were identical and, Truth Universal strolled out to give the crowd the results.

3rd Place was Rugged One
2nd Place was Concept
1st Place was Steel

That was exactly what I had decided also. Had I been a judge, the results would've been the same.

Next up was the ICU to close out the night. I couldn't stay around for their set because I had to wrap up all the lose ends on stage, pack everything up, and make sure everyone was taken care of and everyone got to where they were going in time.

Well at this point I was pretty frantic, trying to get people to Handsome Willy's for the afterparty, even though the battle ran waaaaay late. Well, I got there and a few people followed, not as many as I'd liked. But nonetheless, it was a good party. I could finally wind down, have a beer and relax.

Well time passed pretty quickly and it was time for us to leave. We all decided to go eat at Deja Vu on Conti. By that time we were all pretty delirious, and by the time we walked out of Deja Vu, the sun was coming up. No rest for the weary, because I had to bring Steel to the airport at 10. The weekend goes on...

Now it's time to get excited y'all...

2009-07-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

In lieu of tomorrow's festivities, I thought it only fitting that I would post some of my favorite DMC routines of all time in their entirety... This is a post for everyone to enjoy... So take time out of your day and check it out!!!

That should be more than enough to wet your palette for Friday night!!!

Plus One is Still # 1 after all these years!!!!

2009-07-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt of Plus One (Scotland) and his I'm Still #1 beat juggle. This helped him win a DMC World Championship in 2001. Show love to this!

The Inkwell Press does ink well!

2009-07-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

Inkwell Press is on it's grind. Gabe Flores started his business with a dream and confidence that he could break away from the 9 to 5 life and make something that truly belonged to him. I've been a fan of his art and music for well over ten years. In fact Gabe is one of my oldest friends in New Orleans. He's always treated me and my people with the utmost hospitality and respect anytime we came to New Orleans. So in turn we supported him both by buying his shirts and traveling to see him perform as Soapbox. He was one of the first people I looked up when I first moved to the city, and I'm incredibly happy to see Inkwell taking off.

Gabe was the very first sponsor of DMC New Orleans, and I'm proud to feature this interview here.

T5: So what got you started with designing, and more specifically t-shirts??

GF: When I was 16 i got caught spraypainting my high school. As punishment my principal suspended me and made me submit to an art contest that Coke was having for a new soft drink called "surge". I ended up winning the contest and getting exploited, (I think that was the first time my art was on a billboard though) and afterwards a local screenprinting company hit me up to see if I would come to learn to do the graphics at their shop. That's how I got my start back in 96'...I even had my own streetwear company called Evrywear back then, R.I.P.

T5: Hahahahah, yeah it 96 was the first time you art was on a billboard, but most certainly wasn't the last. I remember EVRYWEAR, I still have two old Evrywear shirts. So back to spraypainting... How'd that contribute to your development as a recognized artist/designer??

GF: Contribute? Im not sure. I guess I got a little street fame from painting. God Awful Krewe painted the entire upstairs Jungle room of the State Palace back in '98-'99, and I used to design flyers for Children of Bass and Family of Light as well as our Gray Area shows. I think that spraypainting taught me alot about technique, style, and rendering. I didnt go to art school so most of what I know about design came from graff and street styles.

T5: Who are some of your biggest influences in and out of the art world?

GF: My main influence is Hip Hop. The mentality of making something from nothing. Plus the culture encourages keeping your game up so that your skills are sharp, because life is really just a battle with yourself. I learn about a new person killing it in their artform everyday, and thats what inspires me. Whether it be someone from my krewe or somebody I never met...I like the underdogs and the unappreciated masters of their craft.

T5: DOPE!! I like that... The underdogs, the unappreciated masters... Well, I've always known that you've had a passion for making badass t-shirts. So how'd that translate into Inkwell Press?

GF: Well, like I said, i basically learned the graphic side of printing by working for other people. In the late 90's I was pushing my line called Evrywear. I had about a dozen or so designs out, some are still in circulation. This was before Sean John and Roca Wear and all that. I think Wutang had a clothing company around that time though. Anyways I was pushing my gear on Decatur in front of a Redman/Methodman show at HOB and I met their tour manager Seven, who claimed he would get me in the show and get Meth and Red to wear my shirts. After I was done hustling I went to get in and they told me I wasnt on the list, so I thought I got beat. Next thing I know the owner of Urban Trends (A streetwear chainstore that used to have spots all over New Orleans) calls me up yelling about how Method Man and Redman were wearing my shirts on stage! After that dude tried to buy into my company and wanted to mass produce and take it to China and all that, but I wanted to make sure the trademark was in my name. It never panned out b/c he didnt want me to have that kind of control so I walked away. Unfortunately the whole affair left a bad taste in my mouth so I quit fooling with t-shirts for awhile. I was 18 back then. After that I worked a bunch of odd jobs and then I started working at a print shop in Metairie. I worked from the bottom up and eventually learned to print and everything else about the production side. Couple years later I Micheal J. Foxed my way into owning my own business...

T5: What are you working on now??

GF: Right now i am running the bizz and printing for a lot of local artists, as well as doing DVD and CD duplication for cats who are trying to put music and videos out. Im still painting canvas and permission walls. You can see my work on Desire and St. Claude and also Press + Dauphine. Im looking into buying a house real soon and making sure my 7yr old has what he needs. Some of ya'll might know me from my days on stage as Soapbox, I played shows allover the city and went on tour with Galactic and Media Darling records. I have put the music aside for the time being to get my business in order but I plan on releasing some new and old unreleased material soon, in collaboration with the Able Chris and Prospek of GPC. So stay tuned. Big ups to the God Awful Krewe, Guerilla Publishing Company, Private Pile, Impulss, and all the DJ's keepin the wax spinnin'...R.I.P Bionic Brown & Money Mike...you are missed.

Of course you can catch up with Gabe in the various ways. He's got a Facebook page, also checkout myspace.com/soapbox2012 which I'm sure he put up for his 2012 Presidential Run. Lastly check out THEINKWELLPRESS.COM

So hit him up for all your printing needs. Spread the word because INKWELL, does ink well.

OK, this is what's up USA, stakes is high!!!

2009-07-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

This has been directly taken from Christie Z's post on Geo's Board!!!

VA: As-One (Rockville MD)
TX: Ohm (Albuquerque NM)
NY: Shiftee (New York NY)
CA: Shmeeze (Fountain Valley CA)
NOLA: ??

but provided the following DJs pick up their own expenses to get themselves to NYC for the battle on August 1st...

I am also inviting all runners up:

VA: Ty Handswell (Cockeysville MD)
TX: Q-Base (San Antonio TX)
NY: Fascinate (Tilton NH)
CA: Mista B (San Francisco CA)
NOLA: ??

as well as 3rd place in
CA:
3rd: Lodus (Pico Rivera CA)

This is not guaranteed to happen in years to come (because God willing, we will one day know qualified promoters in more states to bring the battle to their area) but for this year - I think it will be an exciting battle.

4 out of the East Coast (NYC & VA)
4 out of the South (TX & NOLA)
3 out of the West (CA)

Other pros:
1. increased interest in the battle
2. reps from more states
3. more people attending the US Finals
4. better show at the US Finals
5. interesting array of the top battle DJs in the US for the dvd

I hope you are as excited about this as I am!
I can't wait to see who wins in New Orleans!!!

Peace!
Christie

D. Francis... D.O.T. (Death of Twitter)

2009-07-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

So D. Francis of Tygah Woods hates twitter. So he made a song. I thought y'all should check it out.

Tygah Woods interview coming soon... I still like twitter, but you raise some good points.

I enjoy being photographed in Dirty Coast T-Shirts...

2009-07-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

Man, I don't know what it is, but I was going through some pictures on my Facebook & myspace pages, and I was taken aback by just how much I've been photographed in Dirty Coast Shirts... I honestly just have 6 (six) of their shirts, but from looking at my photos, you'd never know it. I'm also not particularly fond of being photographed in the first place which only adds to the extreme oddity of this phenomenon.

At the SXSW Skratch Session

I first heard about Dirty Coast from lil Doogie. I know, I know, never take advice from a puppet, but in the Doogie Shirts video he just burned those words in my brain.

"Dirty Coast got dem shirts, big shybe on the scene. Come to Five-Seven-Zero-Four Mag-a-zine. (repeat chorus X4)"

So that became my mission, I absolutely needed to get a Dirty Coast Tee. More specifically, I NEEDED a Doogie shirt. As we all know when you go from wanting something to needing it, it becomes a responsibility. So I headed on down to good old 5-7-0-4 Mag-a-zine. As I was passing the Jefferson St. corridor through all the cool little boutiques, I was looking for Dirty Coast on every storefront.

"I really don't remember seeing it out here," I said to myself...

There's no way I could miss it though. The address is burned into my mind. So I pass Whole Foods...5600 Magazine.

"Awww yeah!!! I'm getting close!!!!"

Then I peep it, and at the last minute make the left turn into the parking lot. I finally got there, and Doogie led the way... As I enter, I become surrounded by local flavor. Not only are all the shirts beautifully designed, but every single one of them is in some way Louisiana themed, more appropriately, New Orleans themed. I looked around...

"Damn, wow!!!! It's the Supa Saint picture that Doogie was rapping in front of in the Dirty Coast video!!" I'm like a kid going to a new candy store.

Supa Saint is another local internet phenomenon I'd become familiar with while doing my "research" on Doogie and Dirty Coast. He really does capture the spirit of every single Saints fan in this city, but I digress.

(L to R) Beverly Skillz, Kid Sister, Tony Skratchere, lil Doogie, A-Trak

So I begin to eye the merchandise. I realize, I've seen some of these designs before. Whoa, "Be a New Orleanian wherever you are". That bumper sticker had been on my car for months. Now I struggled to remember who gave me that sticker. How had I not come upon this t-shirt paradise before??

Scratching at Sasha's House

It was a t-shirt paradise. Being a designer myself, it was a design nerd's paradise. There were little subtle digs at pop culture, homages to other t-shirt brands, rip-off's of logos tweaked in Orleanian fashion. There was a Supa Saint shirt and the coup de grace... Doogie.

So, I grabbed a Doogie shirt and eventually settled on a Supa Saint shirt. I went up to the counter with my purchases...

"Why did you choose this one??" the guy behind the counter inquired pointing at the Doogie shirt.

"Because of Doogie, I love his videos. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!! I've been talking Doogie up to all my friends. That sh*t is the TRUTH!!!" I replied.

"Those guys are friends of mine."

"Well, tell them that I'm a fan. I can't wait to see how far this goes... I think all it's going to take is the right person to see this and Doogie will have his own show on TV."

Me and Doogie in the Grotto

The guy thanked me for my purchase and gave me some free stickers. I walked out feeling like I had just bought a gold brick, or a really rare comic book. I couldn't wait to sport my Doogie shirt. I WANTED people to ask me about it, so I could tell them how genius the videos were, and how I'd found this gem of a t-shirt store uptown. Well every single time I wore the shirt, it had exactly that effect. This was a pretty long time ago, before the magazine covers, before the big room shows at One Eyed Jack's, before Doogie was rapping with PNC, waaaay before his album came out. I was trying to figure out the exact date. I left a comment on the day I first saw the video on Vimeo, but for some reason I can't figure out how to view the comments. I was the first and only person to leave a comment on the Doogie shirts (uncensored) video. If someone could please tell me how to view them I could give you an exact date.

Well fast forward to today, and the real point of my story came when I saw a Dirty Coast twitter post about posting your flicks on their flickr group. I just went through all the pics on my computer and various social NOTworking sites, and I realized how many pics I had wearing Dirty Coast couture. I've played at least five shows in which I wore a Dirty Coast tee, and I've been photographed by friends in almost every bar or social situation. It all boils down to me just being a big fan of Dirty Coast and feeling a sense of pride when I wear their shirts. I'm not sure whether it's about supporting local business, or the "cult of cool" started by Doogie, or that the designs are just flat out fresh, but I do seem to enjoy being photographed in them.

You can check out Dirty Coast at the aforementioned address, also at www.dirtycoast.com Stop by the site, sign up for the mailing list, keep up to date of special promos, official Dirty Coast events (like DMC New Orleans *shameless plug*). Stop by the store. Check out the quality. It really has to be seen to be believed. You can also add the Dirty Coast myspace and Facebook through the website portal. You can also follow them on twitter @dirtycoast Check them out!!! They are officially what's happenin' in New Orleans.

Gizmo has the best "job" in the world!!!

2009-07-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

It's time I turned all you dj/general technology nerds on to a site very near and dear to my heart. Skratchworx.com is owned and operated by Mark "Gizmo" Settle. He and his rag-tag team of veteran djs from all corners of the world have the daunting task of reviewing all the latest dj equipment, software, and general miscellany dealing with global dj culture. I'm not so sure Skratchworx will ever be featured on the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, but it's a tough job and someone has to do it.

Since I first discovered Skratchworx about 2-3 years ago, it's become my GO TO resource whenever I'm shopping around for new gear. The reviews are comprehensive, detailed and accompanied by beautiful photographs, no doubt taken by Gizmo himself. I bought my last dj mixer (AEM-100i) on the strength of the Skratchworx review, and I've never been more pleased with a piece of equipment. Thanks Skratchworx!

Here is a video of Gizmo hard at "work" on the Numark NS7...

I'm going to go and take a nap now and dream of a life in which I'm surrounded by dj toys. Although it appears to be all fun and games, Gizmo is a hard working chap with a penchant for expensive toys, and a family to feed. All in all Skratchworx is absolutely the most comprehensive site for dj equipment news and reviews. You may have heard me mention Skratchworx's dj message board step-brother Skratchlouge, sign up there and make some friends.

I'd advise everyone to check out www.skratchworx.com also I highly recommend checking out Skratchworx's youtube page HERE!!! It's pretty entertaining and informative... Oh and you can keep up with Skratchworx on twitter also @skratchworx

Drop Gizmo a line tell him you appreciate all of the blood, sweat and tears he puts into his work or worx, as it is.

Dj Slyce does an early Michael Jackson Tribute

2009-06-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks Supreme, for reminding me about this routine. Dj Slyce is super relevant to this blog because although this is from his run in the 1997 DMCs, he recently came out of retirement and won the 2008 US DMC championship. So peep the technique, still fresh after all these years.

DJ AS-1 : Ready for the World...

2009-06-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Dj AS-One is one of my friends from Dj Geometrix's message board. He's from the DMV metroplex, he's a kung fu expert, he's got a fiance', he's a fan of the peace sign, he's a Skateboard Magazine packrat, he's an XBOX LIVE junkie, and he's one helluva battle dj. He won the first heat of this years DMCs in Fairfax. I thought it only fitting to feature him in the DMC New Orleans blog... Here is the interview, check it:

T5: So, where you from? And How'd you get into djing??

AS: I grew up in the DC suburbs, 15-20 minutes outside of the district. MD pretty much. I currently reside in rockville MD.

I met this dude one day in the late 90's, around 96-97' or so while skateboarding at the elementary school half a block up the street from my home. I was 15. he was an older cat, prolly 19 or so then and apparently just moved back into the neighborhood a block 1/2 up the street back in with his peeps. long story short, we became good friends and would hang out, write graffiti and skate all over the place. one night we ended up in Georgetown at a record shop named yoshi toshi's(?) i believe and although i didnt even have TT's yet, somehow he convinced me to buy my first slab of vinyl. it was a record by DJ Assault, "Dis bitch."

Anyhoo, being a skate video fanatic, the 98' DMC World Finals video caught my eye sitting in the glass counter. so i bought it! we watched it later on that night and i remember him commenting about craze's routine and was like, "ehhh. he's aight"(!) I on the other hand was pretty much blown away by what these guys were doing and I new then and there that i was gonna have to somehow get me some decks!

Coming from playing the alto sax since fifth grade, jazz band in middle school then picking up guitar and percussion instruments the summer before high school, i saw the turntables as an "instrument" first(.), as opposed to tools for mixing music with. which could be a good or a bad thing depending how you look at it...

I feel that in the beginning, for me, i lacked in basic mixing skills and jumped right into "turntablism" without realizing the amount of heart and dedication that it takes to get on the level of these guys i watched in the 98' DMC World tape. funny thing is, im that guy now that laughs at the dude who can do 3 click combo-variation-integration-flotation-scratches but cant 'mix' for SHiiiT. go figure...

AS-One and GW Theodore

T5: Dude, I jumped right into scratching and juggling too. I also had no concern for mixing in the beginning, crazy... So what was your first battle, and how did you place??

AS: yeah man, im sure there were a grip of heads who started out that way as well. i mean, these dudes on the world stage in 98 were killin it, it was impossible (4me) to at least not want to 'try it'.

My first battle was in 2002 for the Rockville store Guitar Center Spin-offs, winner goes to ATL for regionals. I actually won it, although I shouldn't have. I went up against this guy named RUIN (aka Donnie Darko [spankrock]) and i thought he killed it. he had a juggle with M.O.P's Anti Up that i thought was dope. anywho, I knew that i obviously lacked in skills/technique compared to him but i was told (by one of the judges) that my overall set, attitude and showmanship was what brought me the W (whatever that means.!?).

If I hadn't have won, i would have never went to ATL and gotten the opportunity to meet Mike Brie (aka Mr. Fred Funk) and Geo (the godfather himself)! not to mention DJ Smalls, Machette X and DJ Lord...

So while down there, Geo tells me about this session at some kids house a couple weeks away in VA that i should come to. turns out to be at I-Dee's crib and thats where i ended up meeting a lot of the DMV fam like Ty Handswell, Fernie, Fein, Oz, Waheed and others! It was pretty much a wrap from there...

T5: That guy you beat I believe goes by the name Lord Darko now. That's dope the way that works out, it's like had you not won that battle, you might not have ever met Geo and you might not be sitting here with a ticket to the US Finals.

You mentioned skateboarding earlier... Still skating?? What role did the skate culture have on your development as a Championship dj??

AS: Pardon me, LORD Darko. i stand corrected! But yeah, I'd be lying if i said that i still skated-skated. i dont think 3-5 times a year counts. does it? I do however keep up with the scene for sure. Transworld Skateboard Mag has been my most beloved toilet reader for just over 10 years now! I have pretty much every issue since 98'. I'm not a hoarder or anything either I swear. I just cant find it in my heart to let them go... Nowadays, I get to live out my fantasy pro SB career through EA's Skate2 on xbox360, Gamertag: DJAS1, whats good!?

Come to think of it, skating has taught me so much about myself. about passion, about pain, about limits... sounds corny, I know but like if I had never been so passionate about skateboarding, I would have never known what it actually felt like to be that passionate about something or anything in the first place! did that make sense? Skating, like DJing, like Golf even, for the most part is basically a single person, focused on one particular thing, at one particular time. like a constant battle between you and yourself. crowd or no crowd, its just you and your tools, doin what it do.

The competitive side of me, however, is safe to say came from my martial arts backround. I trained in a couple different northern shaolin kung fu forms for about 5 years with my cousin and his friends. from age 10-15 actually. We were pretty hardcore. it was to the point where my grand father (r.i.p) would drive a bunch of us from the academy up and down the east coast as far down from FL, all the way up to Boston for these martial arts tournaments. EVERY WEEKEND during the summer for 3 consecutive years. Sparring, forms, weapons forms, you name it, we entered it. With some of these dudes i used to train with, we literally were like the real life cobra kai! My short arse actually had about twelve 1st place trophies that would literally tower over me, it was friggin ricokulous to say the least. my cousin actually just opened up his own Jiu-Jitsu academy in DC a couple months ago, shouts to him.

Dj AS-1 The man behind the myth

T5: Note to self: Don't piss Dj AS1 off, he can kill me. Battling isn't for everyone. I guess that's why I hold Battle Djs in such high regard. Any memorable battle experiences you'd like to share?

AS: hahaha. nah man, that's the thing, I am so not that guy. never really was... I just really enjoyed the actually art of it I guess.

I'd say my first battle for sure. the 2004 and 2005 DMC Delaware Regionals and definitely the 2005 DMC and Guitar Center Nationals. The GC battle was craaazy man, I mean 5k+ at the Wiltern theater in LA. Kanye, Talib, Common and Madlib on the bill. Half of the Beat Junkies and Revolution on the judging panel. Not to mention Illtrax VS I Emerge! They had us up in there like some straight rock stars or some shit! oh yeah, i cant forget the 2003 DMC US Finals at Nations in DC! Best battle i've ever been to! hands down.

T5: The GC Nat'ls with Kanye, that was way before he became a gay fish. Playing in front of 5k ppl is craaaazy, and I remember the 2003 DMCs, that was the year Fernie won... Good times!

What djs/musicians do you admire and why??

AS: Good times for sure!

I have a huge amount of respect for a group of guys i used to play in a band with named Saint Jude. most talented and passionate group of musicians I've ever been close to, period. we were so close to getting signed i could taste it. Although things have been on hiatus for a hot minute now, I really hope that one day we can still officially put out the music that we created when we were doing are thing. it was truly beautiful... Steve, John, Ed, Julian. If your reading this, I love you guys (no homo)!

T5: No homo indeed... I hope I hear more from Saint Jude. I'm sure y'all will work it out once you win the US Finals on Aug 1st.

Any projects on the horizon? Where can we catch you on the regular?? And any shout outs to the world?

AS: I've been mostly workin on my DMC routine since January. It's a custom...

Funny story is, I slacked a bit on getting them pressed up and by the time I heard about the Fairfax Regional, I still hadn't ordered them yet. long story short, I ended up receiving the records through the mail the DAY AFTER the battle. so I literally ended up putting my routine together the night prior within like 2 1/2 hours. I used a couple routines I've done before and a couple new routines that i've never done in public. then i brought my tables to my work the next day, went through the routine about 4 solid times and then realized that I had to hit the road!

In between working full time, spending time with my fiance and practicing, I spend free time trying to use and learn Ableton Live. The performance aspect of the program really is what makes it a ton of fun for me. setting up the program to act how you want it to act in a live situation however, can be a huge pain in the ass! I use it in a similar way that DJ Enferno or Kid Beyond would maybe use it, like a third turntable, sampler or a glorified looper even. latley, since the DMC regional I've been in the lab trying to put together a show called The Audio Circus that I could maybe get gigs with at some point. some of the progress that I've made since i began the project can be viewed on my youtube page! yay.

Don't get it twisted though, I'll be reppin that hardcore ishhh this time around the finals. DJ's BEWARE!

You can catch up with AS One through his myspace, myspace.com/djas1 Also follow him on twitter @djas1. He plays XBOX 360, so his gamer tag... DjAS1... Hit dude up. He'll destroy you in Skate 2 and Street Fighter 4.

What a weekend, so much to talk about!

2009-06-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

But unfortunately I'm sick... So I'm laying low until this passes. But I do have a lot of stuff coming up for you: a couple of interviews, some features on local record stores, my Dirty Coast feature... Until then, I'll leave you with a Doogie video!

Doogie Gras from lil Doogie on Vimeo.

Craze 1999 DMC World

2009-06-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Craze has always been one of my favorite champions. His style is so dynamic!!

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

2009-06-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

You were such a huge part of my childhood. I wanted to be just like you... This is how I will always remember you. I shed tears when I heard the news...

R.I.P. You will surely be missed by me.

Turntablist Transcription Methodology

2009-06-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

Way back in 1999, I stumbled upon this website called Battlesounds trying to learn new scratch combos. There were all these quicktime videos of Q-Bert demonstrating these "next-level" scratches. Well there was also this little PDF booklet attached to the site. It was called the Turntablist Transcription Methodology or TTM for short, and it explained scratches in a linear fashion on a grid or staff.

"Wow, this is is pretty groundbreaking. There are so many possiblities, there's no limit to where this can be taken!!!" I said to myself.

Over the next few years, I used it frequently. Mostly when I'm trying to figure out a new scratch or trying to learn a new rhythm. I always wondered how widely this was used or if any other people even knew about it. Well when the movie Scratch came out, there was a part that briefly covered it. On the DVD special features there's even a Rob Swift demo of a written TTM routine with the written scratches scrolling at the bottom of the screen.

"Damn, now maybe it'll catch on more..."

Well, fast forward to 2007 when Thud Rumble's Scratchlopedia Breaktannica was released... There were over 100 new scratch techniques outlined in this DVD with only a short explanation which often times was vague or wrong. I found out later that the DVD was rushed into production and some of the scratch explanations never got to be edited or revised. So I set out to try to figure out some of these elusive scratches. With my TTM in hand, I was led to the skratchlounge.

Skratchlounge is the message board that accompanies Skratchworx, and is run by one of the original UK Turntablists Mark "Gizmo" Settle. Skratchworx handles all things dj. They post updates on new product releases and reviews of new dj gear. It's a super informative site and I actually bought my last mixer based on Skratchworx reviews.

Well, I joined the Skratchlounge because there was a Scratchlopedia Breaktannica help thread. When I got on, the thread was at about ten or eleven pages. There seemed to be a couple of scratches in particular that were really dynamic and baffling to all. Well what was the common denominator in our discussions??? It was the TTM. Sure enough, on a scratch message board populated by deejays all over the world, we were all using the TTM to bridge all language barriers. Awesome!!! I was prepared for this discussion, and I felt there was much for me to take away from this as well as much to contribute. I had been using the TTM to figure out scratches for almost ten years at that point, so it was only natural that I began contributing to the discussion.

Well over the next year or so, I learned so much from this discussion that it took my scratching to a level never before thought possible. I learned that some of the scratches I thought I was doing correctly were wrong, and some were right on. It was only through the understanding of the TTM that I was able truly learn, understand and dissect each indiviual scratch.

So I want to take time out now and thank the creators of the TTM, John Carluccio, Ethan Imboden, and Raymond Pirtle. I'd also like to shout out my Skratchlounge family who helped take part in these discussions over the past two years. Thanks, Dj Rags, Ritchie T, Johnny 1 Move, Alkivar, Gizmo and OKST.

Check out Skratchworx @ www.skratchworx.com and skratchlounge @ www.skratchlounge.com Also check out the Turntablist Transcription Methodology website @ www.ttmethod.com

It's coming... Sooner than you think!!!

2009-06-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

HOSTED BY TRUTH UNIVERSAL!!!

Official Event Photographer:
KAMMsTheACE
http://www.TheIMMEG.blogspot.com
KAMMsTheACE@gmail.com

For the out of towners... Here's the weblink for tickets online:

www.ticketmaster.com

It's about two weeks away... Hope to see you there!!!!

Black Swan: The Queen Of Louisiana Dubstep

2009-06-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Roxanne Hare aka Black Swan is possibly one of the sweetest and most unassuming people I know. One of the most amazing things about her is when she steps behind the turntables, there is a constant fear of neck breakage. She has always had the knack for finding and playing some of the most incredible music, and carving out her own personal style. She's moved on from Drum & Bass to championing Dubstep here in Louisiana. I caught up with her via Facebook so I could interview her. Here is the transcript:

T5: First let me lead off by saying that you're AWESOME and I'm incredibly excited about what you're doing for Dubstep here in the south. Why dubstep?

BS: No, you're awesome. I love bass, basically. Ridiculous bass. Dubstep was sort of an accident for me. Of course, I had been spinning DnB for quite a while. A few years ago, I started jamming to mixes by some guys in Texas. At first I felt like I was cheating on drum and bass. But more and more, the sound grew on me. Then, many drum and bass producers I knew started making dubstep, and the rest is history. I really love that the sound of dubstep has changed and opened up. There is such huge variety out there - there truly is a style of dubstep for everyone.

T5: Yeah, Dubstep is really being recognized here in Louisiana. You are a big part of that. Tell me about Louisiana Dubstep.

BS: Louisiana Dubstep is an organization where like-minded people can share their love for the genre. It's something I started with the purpose of connecting with others and letting people know what's going on, because there wasn't a centralized place to get info. For show dates, mixes, news and more, people can visit www.myspace.com/louisianadubstep. We've got some exciting things in the works, including a logo, merchandise and (more) shows. The birth of a scene is an exciting thing to witness!

T5: The birth of a scene IS exciting. You must be really proud. What musicians/djs do you look up to??

BS: Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge Bjork fan. What they might not know is how big of an impact she's had on my musical life. I was always into EDM, but being a fan of hers exposed me to a variety of producers who were doing her remixes in the early to mid-1990s. The thing I found so amazing about that process was that the remixes weren't just watered-down pop tunes for clubs. They were actually more like rearrangements, sometimes with the vocals redone, with the wildest combinations of beats and instrumentation. It is partially through those remixes that I discovered artists such as Plaid, Black Dog, Mark Bell of LFO, etc. Although I was already hooked on drum and bass, her work with Goldie, Dillinja and Photek certainly excited me and shaped what I ended up doing with music. I've wondered if Bjork listens to dubstep - I'd love to ask her that question! As for DJs, I'd say I've been influenced more by locals than anyone else, and it's a long list of people whom I consider to be great friends. I pretty much look up to any local DJ who pushes the scene in a positive direction.

T5: I knew you were gonna say Bjork!!! I LOL'd at that response. So what's on the horizon?? What would you like to see happen to the scene in saaay one year from now?

BS: For some reason this is a hard question for me. I think that's because I don't really think of dubstep in terms of "the scene" but more in terms of the music. I hope that doesn't sound cliche, but it's true. My goal has always been to share my excitement and get other people as excited about dubstep as I am. It's a great feeling when someone who is normally a house head or a breaks fan, etc., tell me "I don't normally listen to this, but I love it!" What I would like to see is more people loving the music and totally going nuts at shows. I've witnessed this many times, and it's a total high! I'd also like to see some more dubstep headliners play shows here. I've got tons of people in mind. Louisiana is ready!

T5: Tons of people in mind?? Like??

BS: If I tell you, I'd have to kill you. ;=) Let's just say I'm working on a great headliner for Nola right now, and I'm using Swamp Wamp (a dubstep event held every other month at Sadie's in Lafayette, 2nd Saturdays) as a way to bring in regional talent. I plan and organize shows as much as time and logistics allow - which basically means I'll be able to do a handful of good shows a year.

T5: I can't wait for the news!! I really think Louisiana is opening itself up to new and different things. I'm glad you're spearheading Dubstep here. Where/when are you playing next? And where can we buy/download some mixes??

BS: I usually keep a running list of gigs on my myspace page (www.myspace.com/blackswan

dnb). My next gig is for Smurl's "Enduragroove" at Sadie's in Lafayette on July 4. After that, "Keep it Moving" at the Dragon's Den in Nola on July 18, Bass Massacre in Nola on Aug. 1, "Afterlife" in Dallas on Aug. 15, "Dubstep vs. Drum n Bass" (my bd party) on Sept. 5 at the Dragon's Den, "Earthdance" in Austin the weekend of Sept. 26, a Kinetic/Louisiana Dubstep show Oct. 3 in Nola, "Swamp Wamp" Oct. 10, and another show in Nola on Nov. 28. Kind of a crazy schedule ... As for mixes, there are several posted on the Louisiana Dubstep myspace page from me and some other DJs in Louisiana. You can also hear dubstep on my radio show, "Swanstep Radio," on DubTerrain.net every Sunday night from 9-10 p.m. Central.

T5: Gravy baby!!! So any last words, shout outs???

BS: I'm so glad you asked that, because I've been trying to find the right place to pay respects to a good friend, Jamie Warmack, who passed last summer. Jamie was the main person I was working with to start this "movement" in Louisiana. Aside from being a helluva cool guy and good friend of many years, he was one of the few people I knew with whom I could share conversations about the music, artists, production, etc., and bounce ideas off of. I owe a lot to him because he was willing to take a chance on something new and make it happen. He is a big inspiration behind Louisiana Dubstep. And, of course, there are so many other awesome folks whom I am blessed to consider family! Some of those include Below C Level, Louisiana DnB, Rules of Culture, Kinetic Productions, Sinthenasia, Microterrorizum, Brandi Raves, my family and more ... . Thanks so much for the opportunity, and much respect!

Y'all can catch up with Black Swan and all the Louisiana Dubstep updates at www.myspace.com/louisianadubstep">Louisiana Dubstep Myspace Also check out LouisianaDnB.com !!! It's exciting to see someone with enough vision and forethought to introduce an entirely new form of music to a place as culturally diverse as Louisiana. Stay up and look out for the big headliners, I'm sure they will knock your head from your shoulders.

It's hotter than hot here in NOLA

2009-06-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

Not sure what that shade of pink is, but it's not good.

Kool Keith is from Space...

2009-06-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced. This cat has got some alien DNA. For more evidence go and listen to the Dr. Octogon Lp.

D.O.N. Commercial-Free Broadcast

2009-06-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Don Purvis is the dictionary definition of unsung. I met him for the first time a couple of years ago when I bought The Basics. Not really knowing what to expect, I was struck by the cover art which featured an MPC and a Playstation.

"What?? He's making beats on MTV music generator!? How interesting! This could either be really great or really awful."

Well, it seems neither held true because, The Basics was phenomenal. It stayed in my car CD player for over a month. The Basics was completely written and produced by D.O.N. I became captivated by D.O.N.'s wordiness, the clarity of his diction, and his positive messages. I re-visit the Basics about once every couple of weeks and I can still listen to the entire album from start to finish, not daring to skip ahead.

Well, when I heard about the new EP I had to get a copy of it. My first attempt to listen was twarted by someone sitting on the brand new CD and cracking it in half... Blast!!! Well, when I went to visit Aaron at Dubla Studios, he gave me another copy. I immediately put it into the CD player, afraid to have this copy meet the same fate.

Well... It seems he's left Dubla, to the production duties on this one, and Sqratchmo is always solid on the cuts. Of course I'm looking forward to hearing more from D.O.N. So here goes...

As the intro sounds off... "This is a commercial free broadcast..."

The first track "Brand New Day" is an upbeat jam laced with horns, and the curious sound of vinyl crackle throughout. D.O.N. starts us off with the happiest jam first. The song's message is more about maintaining your cool and staying positive amongst a world of stress and the evils of the everyday world. The track ends with D.O.N. still rapping as the music fades out. I've always loved this technique, it adds a sense of mystery and frivolity to a track.

From this point on, the tracks seamlessly blend together underneath strong drums that are at times tribal. Dubla pulls samples from the most obscure sources, and from song to song it's a mix of jazz, African, psychedelic, hip hop, spoken word and odd samples. His production reminds me of Madlib/Metal Fingers.

D.O.N. marches through every track like he's on some sort of mission. He poses moral questions, throws himself back to the early era of Hip Hop, demonstrates his mastery of the english language and in other words he's being himself.

After about ten listens now, I'm still discovering certain subtleties in his presentation. What I like about this album is the fact that it's just him (as was The Basics except for a brief Paul Barman bit in the intro), no cameos. Also the length of the tracks are exactly where they need to be. Only two tracks on the EP clock in over three minutes. This is the kind of album that is perfect for a trip across town. While it's listed as an EP, eleven tracks used to be an LP not too long ago. Now people want to put twenty-five tracks on a CD, which completely dilutes any greatness that the album may contain. Finally someone is getting it right.

This is music for the thinking man. D.O.N. isn't for everyone, that's for sure. But if you're tired of the status quo and are longing for the days when rap music made a difference, D.O.N. will satisfy.

I know Don Purvis. He's a new father. He's a regular working Joe. He's got problems. He gets discouraged. He's a Christian. His struggle, is our struggle. This is his endearing quality. For a man who goes to work every day just to put food his family's table, he's still got the time to write and record some of the best Hip Hop in the world today. He's not rich. He doesn't live off of his music, he works to live! The defining quality of his music is the fact that the more you listen, the more it opens itself up. After a while, new words seem to spring forth like water from a fountain. Wordplay that previously went unheard peeks around a corner like a playful child. D.O.N.'s music isn't happy. It's brooding and contemplative, and at the core it's honest. It reflects one man's struggle to maintain a rap career, whilst all around him are lesser caliber rappers garnering more acclaim for dumbed down music that promotes ignorance. D.O.N.'s music will never be pop. Nor will he ever win a Grammy, not in this world at least. I can only hope that he begins to sell more records. I hope that in this world, he can tap into the audience of lost souls searching for a more meaningful listening experience. D.O.N. will not disappoint. He makes the kind of music that invites you cleanse your mind. He's a underdog that you always want to root for. He's just a regular guy, who just happens to be one of my favorite rappers.

You can find D.O.N. on myspace at myspace.com/dontheworker504 . You can follow him on twitter @dontheworker and he's also got a Facebook. His albums are available through cdbaby.com.

John Swan vs. Dj Supreme (Leaked Footage)

2009-06-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Having never met John Swan, I will say he looks just like Milli... Or is it Vanilli?? Someone in Hollywood needs to cast him in like a Fresh Prince-ish show... I would watch it. On to Supreme. I'm fairly sure he invented a new body trick in this video. Pay attention to the backwards-double-elbow-double-middle finger move in the second round. I think this move should henceforth be known as THE SUPREME...

DMC 2009 Battle for Supremacy / John Swan v. DJ Supreme from Noisemaker Media on Vimeo.

Off the Dome... Dj MC Microphone's MC Battle

2009-06-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dj MC Microphone might just be a little crazy...

He asked me to judge this...

Wow, it's been ages since I've judged an MC battle and if it's anything like last time, the final round will decide itself. This is such a great event, I love the way he pairs local producers AND live instruments. Last month, in the final round he had the band switch to 5/4 and 7/8 timings. One of the rappers in the final round couldn't count it. It was borderline comedy on stage. I hope the same sort of hilarity goes down tonight. I'm sure I'll hear my share of ya mama snaps, digs about banging dudes girlfriends, the obligatory making fun of the clothes, and of course who could forget the gay jokes...

I love hip hop... Just so ya know.

Twitter...Some people still don't get it...SMH

2009-06-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Man, I've been finding a lot of people who STILL don't understand what twitter is. Case in point: Last night I run in to a guy I haven't seen in a good while like five years. I know it couldn't have been any longer than five years because he initially contacted me about doing a feature in documentary film through my myspace, and my myspace is around 5 years old. Well he just pops in on the spot last night in the middle of my set, completely ZOOTED out of his mind.

Him: "Hey man, whaaaaat's goin on??"

Me: "Uh, not much man... Deejaying."

Him: "So man, how ya doin?"

Me: "Good, kinda worried about the Iranian Elections."

Him: "You wanna little pick me up?"

Me: "Like a Red Bull??"

Him: "Noooooo man, some cocaine!"

Me: "I'mma have to pass on that, lemme check my twitter feed to see if there's any news on Iran."

Him: "Oh, twitter... '8 am, I'm shittin' 9:30 am 'I ate some cereal', '10pm I'm shittin'"

Me: "Dude it's not like that..."

Wes B: "I twitter about everything except THAT."

Him: "Oh are y'all really on twitter... Uh, that's cool."

It was like he'd never met anyone who really used it, and he and his friends probably made fun of it. But now staring me in the face while I'm checking twitter to see about the uprising in Iran, he seemed to change his tone.

This reminds me of an interchange I had on twitter earlier this week, about some drama that started because people don't understand how to read the twitter feed. The drama was only compounded by a less than favorable write up of a performance on a blog.

This brings me to my point. Some people just don't get it. They don't really get the entire concept of social networking. I suspect those are the same people who ruined myspace with constant "hey check out my music" comments. Their myspace's all became commercials for themselves. For me, in the beginning, it was like that also. It was also like baseball card collecting in the sense that I would try to find every band, group, artist, politician, famous person, etc... and collect them. Like I could put them all in a shoe box, and look at them when I felt like it.

I eventually realized that social networking IS all about connecting with people, and having them connecting with you. That's really hard to do if ALL you're doing is talking about yourself. No one wants to watch a commercial for YOU. We all want to be heard, and we all want to be seen, known, admired & appreciated.

That brings me to twitter with it's 140 character simplicity. Almost anything can be expressed through these 140 characters. It's enough characters to tell a joke. A person can link to videos, your myspace, your facebook, funny pics (via twitpic), your blog. Someone can tweet about taking a crap, or walking to the store, but no one wants to follow someone living such a mundane life. Twitter about nothing, get no followers. It's all about being relevant, witty and dare I say "follow-worthy". I've made more connections with people through twitter and Facebook once I realized the simple truth, that if you open your eyes and learn about people, they will in turn want to learn about you.

Also check out myspace.com/tonyskratchere, also facebook.com/tonyskratchere and twitter.com/tony5kratchere

Don't over promote yourself! Don't become SPAM!! If no one's listening, maybe you're not saying the right things or talking to the right people.

Shiftee meets I-Dee... (Adventures in Miami)

2009-06-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

I love this video... Shiftee should get a job with the National Geographic channel doing voiceover work. At least he has a fallback career if the whole "Dj Championship" thing doesn't work out!

You can catch up with Dj Shiftee at his myspace myspace.com/djshiftee also follow him on twitter @djshiftee

Lawrence Parker is caught in Traffic

2009-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Parker is a busy dude. Between running his own shoe boutique, Traffic, making music, and promoting events like Streetwear Sundays and the Sneaker Fiend Expo, you should be glad he took time out to give us an interview. I caught up with him late last weekend, and he showed me a portrait of someone with tons of pride, big goals, and the inititative to accomplish those goals. Check it...

T5: You've been in the scene here in New Orleans for a good while. How'd you get started, and who'd you come up with?

LAW: I started out as an artist, and I was never satisfied with the production so I started producing. I started a record label called All-Star Records & CrackTracks Productions. I started out producing for a few No Limit & Cash Money artists. Then I started producing for Soulja Slim, BG, Magnolia Chop, Sqad-up, Raw Dizzy, VL Mike, C-Murder, Choppa City Boys, really I've produced for 95% of New Orleans artists.

T5: Damn, that's pretty much a who's who of New Orleans legends right there... I don't know if you remember, but we actually met for the first time about 8 months ago in front of Re:Fresh... You had on those black/cement AJ III's. It's no secret that the sneaker culture and hip hop are completely intertwined, so on that note, how Traffic come about??

LAW: Traffic came about from a lifetime of being into the culture of fashion, music and drawing. I'm good at all three. After Katrina, I moved to Dallas, NYC, then to Atlanta. I surrounded myself with people who live the lifestyle everyday in an area called Little Five Points.
I use to shop in Wish, one of the hottest boutiques in the US, so I wanted to open one in Atlanta, but it was smarter to open in New Orleans. So I rushed down and opened Traffic within 2 months. The FIRST Streetwear Boutique in New Orleans.

The Traffic Skate Team

T5: It seems like Katrina was a curse and a blessing. I don't really wanna get caught up too much on the storm, but it seems like it really brought the best out of some people. It also seems to have brought out a new sense of local pride and a spirit of togetherness that the city hasn't seen in a very long time. Care to comment on that?

LAW: It has to be all about getting together now. There's been to much hate in New Orleans for too long. We should have more than one artist representing the city. So now its time to put all our resources together to make shit happen down here. Yes, the storm pushed people
out the city, but it showed us how other cities are getting things done.

T5: Yeah, you mentioned living in Atlanta... A whole lot of artists are surviving off of their art in ATL. Is that why you started Streetwear Sundays?

LAW: Yes. And it's growing because most of what's going around the world started here in New Orleans. So it only right to bring it back home. I just want to build an avenue for our young artists, designers, musicians, whatever it maybe to have a spot to display what they're doing.

The very first Streetwear Sunday...

T5: Yeah, I give you mad props for promoting local cats. Speaking of local cats what's your connection with Curren$y??

LAW: Curren$y is cool. I produced "look up to the jets" on his album as a hidden track. FIRE! I'm also working on a few other mixtapes with him that's droppin' real soon.

T5: Oh, shit... I didn't know about that hidden track. You caught me sleepin'. So back to Traffic... What's up with the Dallas store?? Is that your baby also??

LAW: Yessir!!! Shots out to my partner Corey for holdin it down out there. New Orleans to Dallas and now to Atlanta in September. And hopefully NYC next year.

Curren$y and Law

T5: Hell yeah! Mad props! This is the kind of forward thinking this city needs... So what brands are popping off right now in Traffic?? What releases are you looking forward to?

LAW: the hottest brands to the people on the streets are Play Cloths, Crooks & Castles, Married to the Mob, 3rd I.D. 10 Deep, Supra Mnwka, and always our local designers.. And im looking forward to the release of my brand "Life of Luxury" (L.o.L.) this fall...

T5: A lot of hype has been surrounding Kanye and his place in haute couture... What do you think about it?? And what do you think of the term hipster??

LAW: I think its cool to see someone make a move from music to being one of the biggest names in the fashion industry.. 500.00 for air yeezy's. He has his own LV (Louis Vuitton) sneakers.. Wow! That means if I stay focused and make the right moves I can do the same thing. Now the term of hipster can go both ways, but some kids are taking it way to far. And I really don't like how people are just getting down with the movement just because it's popular. Just because you wear a backpack that dont make you fresh. That's wack and if you're doing that you're a fake hipster. lmao...

T5: Well put. Do what you feel, like what you like, but do it for you. I'm with it. So sounds like you've got one helluva 5 year plan... You gotta keep me up to date on the ATL store opening, the NYC store opening and your clothing line... Any parting words for the people?? Shout outs?

LAW: oh, here are my shout outs! GOD first always, the entire Supreme Street Team, the Traffic Boutique Family, J-roc, Team Finale, Justin & Kenneth, Dj Spin, Force Feed, Cracktracks all the locals Dj's, all the local artists, all the streetwear designers in New Orleans, and you, thanks for keeping the dj vibe alive down here. Uptown 4 Life!

Y'all can catch up with Law at Traffic Boutique (of course), and don't forget to add http://www.myspace.com/trafficboutique and he's got a Streetwear Sundays blog http://streetwearsundays.blogspot.com/ and just wrapped on the first "Sneaker Fiend Expo" yesterday, which was a super hot event. I think we are going to be hearing big things from Law in the future so y'all should keep up with him. You can also follow @trafficboutique on twitter to keep up to date with new drops and sales...

5kratchere OUT!!!!

Soundclash Wrap up (via my G1)

2009-06-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

shitzpoppinov, right now in the city.

It's a Soundclash Weekend!!!

2009-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Maaaannnn, it's that time again folks... Of course you know next month the Special Edition SoundClash will be DMC New Orleans... Wow how time flies!!

Friday Night @ the Howlin' Wolf...

Look for an action-packed night of performances featuring the city's top "true school" hip-hop artists and production from some of the area's best beatsmiths. With sounds from Beat Doctor (who has produced for B.G., and Lil Boosie), OT (who has producer for Nappy Roots and Bust Down) as well as local talents like Prospek, Crummy Productions, The Cincinnati Monster 3^rd Shift and Mickalo. E.F. Cuttin of Psychoward DJ's will serve as DJ for the night.

Live performances include live fusion band Floopy Head serving as house band, Soundclash host Lyrikill, Jimi Clever, A Levy, Blvd Boy, Lafayette's Swell and Wyzdom 360, Mister Wayne ft. The I.C.U. and Jack Spratt. The night will be hosted by the energetic and comical local comedian Rusty LowDown. There will be special invited guests from all areas of the entertainment industry as well as giveaways from Soundclash affiliates so be sure to show up early. Door charge is $10 with $5 presale tickets available from performers and Soundclash staff.

Saturday Night @ the Blue Nile...

The next day will play host to New Orleans' Premier Beat Battle at Blue Nile (Upstairs) on featuring the city's most talented producers fighting for the title of Soundclash Champion with live performances from Da Sic Kidz, Konfo, and Dee-1. Each of these artists has been making a name for themselves with Dee-1 being featured in Times Picayune and XXL, while Konfo has signs a deal with Koch Records. This event will feature a rematch of last month's controversial KutCre@or vs. Quest battle (which Quest won). This event will be also hosted by Rusty LowDown with emcee Lyrikill. For reviews of the previous battles, check us out at www.youtube.com/thesoundclash or www.thesoundclash.com. Cover charge is $5

The voice of lil' Doogie is on twitter...

2009-06-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ya heard me?? None other than Odoms, the man behind the puppet, has a twitter. Let's hope he starts using it more often. Yo brah! I'm a huge fan holler at me!! You can follow him on twitter @odomsyeah !! Maybe if enough folks follow him, he'll start talking back. Next up... a lil' Doogie twitter???? Well, I can dream can't I brah??

Keeping Up With the Jetsons from Odoms on Vimeo.

Aaaaannnnnnddddd..... One of my favorite Doogie videos which should prime y'all for my upcoming Dirty Coast feature...

Doogie Shirts (uncensored) from lil Doogie on Vimeo.

You can catch up with the genius that is Odoms at either lildoogie.com Or www.odomsyeah.com
He just released a solo album entitled Let Me Atom so check that isht out brah!!! You can get them @ Domino Record Shack, the Mushroom and More Fun Comics NOW!!

Rules of Culture IN THE HOUSE!!!!!

2009-06-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

So in the spirit of communication, education, art and literature, I told y'all that I would be interviewing local artists and the movers and shakers here in the local scene that wish to be represented. My first interview is with Fi3ld. He lives and works in Shreveport (only temporarily folks keep your fingers crossed). We go back a few years and I'm glad that he is the first person I interview on this blog.

Fi3ld and Dj 360 Degrees getting down in the studio!!!

So, I tried for about a week to get a good interview with Fi3ld from Rules of Culture. We emailed back and forth and this is the transcript:

T5: So yeah, I know that you've been around for a while... Tell the people about yourself:

Fi3ld: Alrite people . . . I go by Fi3Ld (pronounced Field or Fee-uld) and I'm a hip hop head, advocate & connoisseur. Hip hop gets the utmost respect from me because it provided an avenue to discover and define my true self. I'm an MC and graphic designer whose sole mission is to preserve a culture that had a profound impact on me, so that it might do the same for somebody else.

Define yours...

T5: Tell me about Sandia and Rules of Culture:

Fi3ld: Sandia is merely an outlet created by DJ 360 Degrees & myself for our hip hop and drum n bass releases. The name is taken from a US government contractor lab specializing in nuclear weapons research. It's all about dropping bombs . . .

Rules of Culture is a totally different beast. It's an assembly of like minded cats who bring a different piece to the puzzle. The motto is 'Define Yours,' which refers to the ability to utilize any of the 4 elements of hip hop to express yourself. The only constant within the RoC fam is you've gotta believe in your craft if the crew is gonna have your back. This provides for a network of talented cats who can provide insight to each other's projects, giving a more well rounded result.

T5: Hip AND DnB humbrah??! Which came first your love for Hip Hop or your love for DnB??

Fi3ld: Obviously the hip hop came first because it was around first . . . My dad got me 3 cassettes back in the gap : Beastie Boys' License to Ill, Run DMC's Raisin Hell, and LL Cool J's Bigger and Deffer . . . Now you've got to understand the scenario - A single, law enforcement employed father, raising 2 boys in the South in the 1980's, so it's safe to assume he bought me these tapes as a joke . . . Well, I promptly learned the tracks, then busted in his room and said, "Get out your video camera, I need you to go ahead and film this music video . . . " The video was of the track "I'm Bad," and featured me in our dirty trailer, suited up in a sweatshirt with no sleeves and some jams doing some spastic moves to the entire track - and if you know the track - IT'S LONG! But that was the thing that got me then and catches me now when he breaks the video out - it's the serious demeanor with which all of this went down . . . no laughing (on my part, at least), no jokes - just a 9 year old white boy who was REALLY FEELING THE MUSIC, regardless of the social or political opinions of ANYBODY . . . and THAT is why hip hop is so important to me, because it wasn't just a fleeting fad but a lifestyle and culture . . .

As far as DnB goes, hip hop played a huge part in that as well . . . As you know, Louisiana is home to New Orleans, which in turn, is home to the State Palace Theater . . . So in the mid to late 90's, I, along with other kids had to break out of Northern Louisiana and come down that way to see what all the fuss was about . . . Well after a party or two, I found myself a little disappointed that this new electronic music culture didn't give me the same feelings that hip hop did when I was first turned on to it . . . So I'm walking by this side room and I hear some of that good hip hop being blended with this electronic music so I stopped and started asking questions . . . Turns out I'm listening to a DJ from Dallas named Squirt who was a very influential character in the Southern DnB scene around that time . . . Well I grabbed a few tapes from him (The Yellow Tape!) and started following this culture very seriously . . . After studying the roots and history of it, I wanted to try my hand at it . . . I started mashing hip hop & DnB together, first as a DJ, then as an MC, meeting and teaming up with several extremely talented artists and musicians along the way (big up SODL & OTB SoundSystem!) So many heads these days are either one or the other when it comes to these two styles, but since the both had a great impact on me, I've always wanted to do what I can to give back to these cultures in my own way . . .

T5: Well... not only are you known for being a DNB/Hip Hop MC, you're also an amazing graphic designer. You seem to have your hands in a lot of cookie jars. Any other projects you want to tell me about??

Fi3ld: Thanks for the props on the graphics bro . . . don't you still owe me some lessons??? Nah, between graphics, music, my wife & soon-to-be child, I've about used up any spare time or energy I may have had available . . . As far as the graphics go, I've always been an art aficionado, but it kinda got moved to the side when I started concentrating full time on music . . . But after Katrina & Rita ripped the coast, I picked it back up, mainly to promote unity among a torn & rebuilding culture down this way . . . I started back up doing graphics for Louisianadnb.com and before long, I was so booked up with websites, logos, flyers & album art, that I really didn't have time to finish my album that I was originally working on . . . So I put all that on a couple month hiatus, finished & dropped the album, "It's Always Something" (shameless plug) and continued working on graphics for a lot of these local cats . . . Through this, I've been exposed to a huge music culture throughout the South that I never knew existed . . . and in case you didn't know - this region is FULL of talented people who do really good things - musically, graphically & culturally . . . As far my music schedule goes, I'm working on collaborative projects with a handful of people including: DJ Wally (DnB & hip hop projects), Reverend Scooter Jackson (Brown River Bizness), Twin Brothers Darkness (Saturn's Pattern), Kryptic Soul System, Company of Strangaz & a grip of slept on producers such as: Kaneda (Jonesboro), Noir Ghost (Houston) & Stik2daTrakz (Houma - this kid is unbelievable!!!) . . . Being a product of such wide range of influences, I'm down to work with just about anybody on anything, being that they're down to put in work as well . . .

T5: Well SIR, it seems like you're an extremely smart and driven humid being who's setting himself up for success. Congrats on your little MC-to-be. I know we'll be seeing and hearing a helluva lot more from you. Any last words, shout outs etc...??

Fi3ld: Shouts... Okay here we go . . . First & foremost to my wife Brittney - she's my number one supporter & inspiration - that might sound cheesy, but get you one that's down for you and you'll say the same! Next up - Rules of Culture crew & fam - Kaneda, DJ 360 Degrees, Reverend Scooter Jackson, Gary & Loki of Twin Brothers Darkness, E Phlat, C. Omen AKA Fairchild, Clizzy Houston, Sham1, StikTrakz, Jinks AKA Franklin Yellownore Roosevelt, Skip Gregory, Lance L., Kid Klymaxx, Chris Garcia, Ribbz & DocStafari of Kryptic Soul System, Slim Poche' AKA Cisco Kid, Damien Echols, Damabala & Indo . . . extended fam goes something like this: oTTo, Kaotic & Verbal of Company of Strangaz, DJ Wally AKA Pish Posh, Papa Zero & Son of a Blitch from Dead PA and Gray Matter & MC Exact of Illegal Alias . . . Finally, to all other influences & inspirations I've come across over the past few, like: Resin of Louisianadnb, E-Merge, Greenleaf, Beebe, Simian & Gris Gris of Below C Level, Brix & the Dragon's Den, Black Swan of Louisiana Dubstep, Syllable 7 & the Got Green cats, Tony 5kratchere, Paul B, La Kid, Seryical, Selekta Olu & Club Culture, Tester of Trilogy Sound, Truth Universal, Caligula, MC Collaborator, Swell, Unprdktbl MC AKA Yung Foe, and J-Dub of Sp00M and everybody else who continues to push our music, art & culture for the sake of its' integrity . . . that SHOULD be it, but I'm sure I left SOMEBODY out!

Fi3ld & Dj 360 Degrees with the fisheye lens!!!

You can get in touch with Fi3ld through his myspace: myspace.com/fi3ld Give him a friend request, check out his music and shoot him some comments. He's always down for a collab and if you need some graphic design, there really is no one better. So everyone thank Fi3ld for the information and for giving me a some never before published pics of Fi3ld and 360!! Thanks homie!!!

You can check Fi3ld out live on July 3rd with Aphrodite at the Warehouse in Shreveport, July 4th at the Dragon's Den for Truth Universal's GRASSROOTS monthly hip hop showcase!!

So how'd this all happen??

2009-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well truthfully it really began with Geo's message board at www.turntablistnetwork.com

I first signed up circa 2005 looking for new battles to enter and hoping to network with good deejays all over the country in hopes that I could step my game up. At first I was intimidated and I lurked for a couple of months while I worked up the courage to post. There were all sorts of crazy discussions going on, comedy, weird videos, original music, random events, and general good-natured shit talking.

"Who were these 'Trooperz'?"

"Who was this 'Fat Fingaz' with his giant red letters?"

Eventually I began posting and I became involved in all sorts of crazy, off color discussions with topics ranging from pop culture to intense political dialogue. What tied us all together was the common thread of deejay battles. Over the years, battles began to die out... ITF (International Turntablist Federation), thanks Alex Aquino, Guitar Center's Spin Off, Vinyl Kombat, The All-Star Beatdown, Kool Mixx, etc... all disappeared. POOF!

The discussions became more and more a reflection of what was currently happening to Hip Hop and there was the lingering question,

"Is hip hop dead/dying??"

Re-enter Christie Z-Pabon...(you may recognize Christie, as she had a cameo in the Doug Pray documentary film, Scratch)

Christie Z-Pabon was the head of DMC USA for a time in the late 90's through 2000, argueably some of the best years of American Competition. Christie left her post to work on Tools of War a Grassroots Hip Hop PR/A&R company. She began resurrecting the Park Jams of the 70's and 80's via FREE ALL AGES summer events at parks all over New York City. Well, Christie came back in 2007 to attempt to revive DMC USA which frankly hadn't done so hot in her absence.

I digress.

Christie Z is also a moderator of Dj Geometrix's message board, and I asked if there was anything I could do to help. The seed had been planted... We messaged each other back and forth and eventually exchanged phone numbers, and I began to make my dream of bringing this battle to New Orleans a reality. After a failed attempt in 2008, I began work shortly after the January 1st 2009. With the help of Grassroots New Orleans, Truth Universal, Soundclash, Lyrikill, Dj Soul Sister, the GoDjs, Louisiana DNB, and my friends who really believed in me, I proceeded to walk a path that no one has walked.

I want to thank all my family on Geo's board:

Christie Z, Sally Mclintock, I-Dee, Quix, Geometrix, Dj Supreme, Marcus Pinn, Image, Eddy the Dj, Dini, AS One, Dj Revel, Fatfingaz, Manils, Gizmo, Loop Skywalker, Steel, Solo, Precision, Rob Swift, Roc Raida, Ty Handswell, Marilyn Sasha, Esquire, Rugged One, Etronik, Mr. B, Teeko, Swan... Glad to know y'all. Can't wait until the US Finals!!!

I want to thank my New Orleans family:

Beverly Skillz, EF Cuttin, Dj Soul Sister, Lyrikill, Truth Universal, my Handsome Willy's family, Supercool Dj Kazu, Brice Nice, Prospek, the GPC, D.O.N., Impulss, Know One, Able Chris, Soapbox, Dj Real, Sqratchmo, Private Pile, Twen Bums, Dubla Music, Tygah Woods, ARAjay, Doomsday Device, Mercure, Dj Spin, Dj BlacknMild, Force Feed Radio, Damion Yancey, Edward Maximillion, Rik Ducci, Hektik, 3d Na'tee, Bomshell Boogie, Raj Smoove, Dj Hollaback, all my GoDj fam, Proppa Bear, Resin, Yellow Frank, C-Bass, Bones, El Williams, Mike Swift, Poochy Rivera, Da U Boys, ICU, Ben Brubaker, Holly Hobbs, Jeff B, Rob Brunet, Jay Skillz, Ally Bea, Tia Dame and anyone else I forgot... I couldn't have done this without y'all.

Thus it begins...

You can check Christie Z out at Tools Of War and DMC USA Drop her a line. Check out her FREE PARK JAMS happening every weekend in NYC. She's on Facebook also...

You can check out www.turntablistnetwork.com, follow @djgeometrix @dj_i_dee on twitter... Check out the message board for all random goings on in the world of deejaying.

Also check out my friend Gizmo across the ocean in the UK at www.skratchworx.com and www.skratchlounge.com

Also follow @dmcchamps and @sallyDMC on twitter, and while you're at it follow me too @tony5kratchere

Don't forget to add our myspace... DMC NOLA

www.neworleansdmc.com

Peace y'all... More later!

The Skratchman Chronicles

Giving thanks for my life, love and everything...

The Tao of the Macaroni & Cheese Puzzle

Birthday Weekend 2011 Wrap-Up...

Lyrical Tuesday...

Monologue #3 "Talking my way out of a DWI"

Monologue #2 "How I became a deejay that night on XTC"

Monologue #1 "Hello, Mescaline! Nice to meet you???"

The Shadowbox Theatre Monolgues (Better late than never)

The Saga of Getting in Shipshape

My social networking addiction...

Anatomy of a boat party (Nightfever XIV: Yacht Bounce)

Today is Friday...

New Car Today

The Beatles...

Me the athlete

As I begin seeing land on the horizon...

Post-Love Yacht Bounce

Reminiscing ~ Little River Band (Yacht Bounce Remix)

Darkest Day

What, why & how YACHTBOUNCE??

The Birth of a Genre (ENTER YACHTBOUNCE)

Electronic Histrionics

Musings & lessons on being a dj/promoter

Return of the DRUNKEN MASTER (Oct. 23, 2010)

SUNNY FX Season 6 Party!!!!

OFFICIAL WEB FLYER BY ARAJAY

Wanna battle? DMC NOLA MMX 4/16

John Hughes is my homeboy!

The breakdown (that old familiar feeling...)

The Nightmarish Saga of my ISP (AT&T)

Grandmaster Roc Raida RIP! (1972-2009)

Hey, It's a brand new day...

Reflections of the love you took from me...

The Skateboarding Analogy

Michel Gondry, your videos are awesome...

Anyone remember when RapCity played good videos??

WHO THE F*CK IS ALLOWING THIS NEW ORLEANS??? An open letter to the pervayors of coolness...

Bionik Brown Videos...

R.I.P. Nate "Bionik Brown" Woods : The day all of New Orleans Hip Hop cried...

DMC US Finals Weekend (THE BATTLE)

This is about where I'm at as far as Saints Season is concerned...

DMC US Finals Weekend (the trip that almost never was PART TWO)

DMC US Finals Weekend (the trip that almost never was PART ONE)

EF Cuttin is New Orleans best kept secret...

AS-1 Gets RAW!!!!

I have offically been "warned"!!!

A User's Guide to Bad First Impressions (How to Piss Me OFF!!!)

Shiftee's Salsa School of Scratch!!!

Weekend Wrap Up (Fashionably Late) PART ONE

Now it's time to get excited y'all...

Plus One is Still # 1 after all these years!!!!

The Inkwell Press does ink well!

OK, this is what's up USA, stakes is high!!!

D. Francis... D.O.T. (Death of Twitter)

I enjoy being photographed in Dirty Coast T-Shirts...

Gizmo has the best "job" in the world!!!

Dj Slyce does an early Michael Jackson Tribute

DJ AS-1 : Ready for the World...

What a weekend, so much to talk about!

Craze 1999 DMC World

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

Turntablist Transcription Methodology

It's coming... Sooner than you think!!!

Black Swan: The Queen Of Louisiana Dubstep

It's hotter than hot here in NOLA

Kool Keith is from Space...

D.O.N. Commercial-Free Broadcast

Read More... (Graffiti Appreciation)

John Swan vs. Dj Supreme (Leaked Footage)

Off the Dome... Dj MC Microphone's MC Battle

Twitter...Some people still don't get it...SMH

Shiftee meets I-Dee... (Adventures in Miami)

Lawrence Parker is caught in Traffic

Soundclash Wrap up (via my G1)

It's a Soundclash Weekend!!!

The voice of lil' Doogie is on twitter...

Rules of Culture IN THE HOUSE!!!!!

So how'd this all happen??