What, why & how YACHTBOUNCE??

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...

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The Birth of a Genre (ENTER YACHTBOUNCE)

Africa (Yacht_Bounce_Remix) by TonySkratchere

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

Electronic Histrionics

Made from 100% VINYL RECORD ALBUMS

ElectronicHistrionics by TonySkratchere

Musings & lessons on being a dj/promoter

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)

*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!!!!

@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

Thanks ARAJay!!!

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