6.25.2001
And now, DJ Stylus presents My Top 3 Experiences as a Vinyl Manipulator So Far in my Quarter-Century of Existence. (in no particular order)
1. Unspoken Heard (feat. Milk and DJ Stylus)/Mr. Complex - Helsinki, Finland. Jan 2000
Ash Bandicoot and fam are actually quite popular across the Atlantic. No arbitrary virtually unknown indie/underground status for them. People stop him on the street in England. When they were booked to rock over in Scandinavia, I was lucky enough to be on deck for turntable duties, filling in for Chris Crossphader as 'Plex's dj also. Rolled out to Kennedy airport on a Friday, gained 7 hours crossing time zones, back stateside on Sunday, back to the office for work Monday morning. All expenses paid, orderly and well planned. From the accomodations to the loot, to the grub to the greenery (Some of the more botanically minded of the crew were VERY pleased) every thing was top notch. Connected with fans who respect the work for what it is, progressive quality hip-hop music regardless of sales position or the brainwashing of the media hype machine. People for whom English is only one of 2, 3, or 4 languages they speak but are into the music enough to be able to quote lines from the performance they've just seen and discuss them with you afterward. A packed-to-the-gills venue comparable in size to something between the 9:30 Club and the Electric Factory. Bammas felt like Run-DMC in Madison Square Garden. Yeah, it was cold as hell but we got love.
2. University of Maryland All-Nighter (1996?)
After regularly getting fronted on by student planning committees when it came to dj'ing campus parties (oh, we need a big name, like Doo-Wop or Clue... sorry Kid-for-free.), I happened upon the biggest gig of the year by chance.... Mr. Big Drawaz dj got his loot from the Black Student Union but decided not to show up (memory fails about who it was). Party started at midnight, I got the call at 11:45. Of course they didn't have much to pay me cuz Big Drawaz had already abscounded with a sizable advance. I didn't care, I was gonna SAVE THE PARTY. I was on a mission. Living on campus at the time, I was able to compile a couple o' crates at light speed and jet to the Student Union with the aid of a homey. The All-Nighter is free and open to everyone, on or off campus. Line extended around the building. Doors opened promptly at midnight, a couple thousand kids quickly pack the place. Hoardes more were turned away as the room was over capacity. Proceeded to rock the spot, alone on a tiny stage with no security and nothing but said (former) homeboy (who is smaller than me) standing in the way between me and a gang of ultra-cyssed DC cats roughing it off and literally grabbing at my ankles under the dj table. An improvised barricade of turned over tables barely prevented a total meltdown into chaos. Everything went smoothly until I started a go-go set, by which time the psycebox SoufEast cats turned into powder kegs and sprinkled fights throughout the room. Cops sprayed pepper spray, lights turned on, room was cleared and I got jerked for my loot.... but I saved the biggest party of the year.
3. Headphone Addiction Release Jam - State of the Union, 6/22/01
Uh, so I finally finished this damn mixtape, now what? "You gotta do a show for it", came the chorus from the peanut gallery. Mathematics came through and offered a night, cuz I know I couldn't set that joint up myself. Long hours in the office kept me off the streets, didn't do much flyering... DAMN, it's a week before the joint and I haven't planned anything! DP WHAT DO I DO?? (... approaching Lunch The F**k Out Mode). The brilliant brainchild... a live mixtape show. Gather everyone together, throw in a band, create a mixtape vibe live and from scratch. No preparation, no setlists, no pauses and no pun intended. Shook Ass Rhome: "Hey, this could work, sounds exciting... okay". Night of the show, heavens poured forth torrents of rain... will anyone come? Anxiety builds.... and is promptly squashed as wonderful friends materialize to share the energy, on both sides of the stage. Bammas played like the ancestors jumped into their bodies, minds melded into One Almighty Groove Monster. Turntables, drums, bass, keys, sampler, and kora (Kora??!!?... yes, the griot was in the house). Reggae, drum-and-bass, headnod, funk, breezy jazz, gutbucketpocketsmashcrunchmush.... Rhymes slashed the air as if conveyed by gamma rays. What's going on? This is the illest shit ever! Y'all knuckas CAME OUT YO' SHIT!! This is the previously alluded to 2001, a Psyce-Oddyssey. This is Flarkopolis Rex, the Ultimate and Supreme Kirk-Out. This is THE JONT TO END ALL JONTS. Damn, gotta do that again sometime. And you know we recorded that blicka.... WHAT!!!!!!!! MP3's soon come.
I have the best and most talented group of friends in the world. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for one of the amazing experiences I've ever had.
....soul controller end transmission
-Stylus
(word on the street is that another Soul Controller operative staged a coup on WPGC that same night.... Kweli, Hi-Tek, Grap Luva, Pete Rock and CL, Unspoken Heard were all rotated into the mix in guerrilla revolutionary fashion. VIVE LA RESISTANCE!! Slum Village requests were even phoned in from listeners... The Powers That Be are now reeling from the dual pronged Friday night soul attack... stay tuned.)
Stylus - 3:11 PM
---
6.20.2001
uh huh, uh huh- ya can't cope with the dc stroke...
party people in the place to be, please let it be known that baby boy done flown the coop for one night, and one night only (that is, until he gets a residency somewhere-clubs, stop fakin'!!)
DJ STYLUS PRESENTS: "HEADPHONE ADDICTION" LIVE- release party for "headphone addiction" mix-cd
@State of the Union 1357 U ST. NW doors @8, show @9, done by 11:30
(then what...oooooh dj taek one?!!-damn, and i gotta get up early on saturday)
featuring:
POEM-CEES
OPUS AKOBEN
UNSPOKEN HEARD
IN SHALLAH
HUE-MAN PROPHETS
and many more
CUTS/SCRATCHES/BLENDS/RHYMES/BEATS= the dope follow-up to last week's friday night at the house of shhhhhhh
all live continuous mix of multimedia audio orgasmica...
it don't stop y'all- DJ Stylus bringin' you the mezcal AND the funky worm...
see ya there,
dp
ps: my bro copped this flick of the twisted sister 2001 project- enjoy
naturalaw-dp - 12:34 PM
---
6.14.2001
starlog date 6/13/01- beyonce' and crew get booed after their halftime performance during nba finals game 4.
damn- illadelph indeed...
naturalaw-dp - 11:56 AM
---
how far should an artist go?
Nibbling on grilled skrimps with Tam-Rock last nite, building on the future/artistic visions/breast pumps, etc, I mention how excited I am about several poems I'm working on, in particular the one where I perform in the totally FAB voice of a flaming hairdresser. At this news Tami SPEWS seafood, gives me the mad screwface & says politely, "I don't think thats such a good idea". Why? She won't say. C'mon, why? I can see she's searching for the right words so I back off to hear her tell me, "Well, you're not exactly the most masculine fellow in the world..."
Fellas, there are some things you just don't wanna hear come outta your lady's mouth, & I think that's somewhere in the TOP TEN.
What the HELL did she mean by that?!?!? "It's just that I don't want anybody getting the wrong idea..."
Maybe they already have. A few weeks ago, I saw this AWESOME cat from Oakland perform at Bar Nun. I don't think I got on the mic that night, but we hit it off anyway. Dude gave me his info & said he'd love to hook up if I was ever on that side. Imagine my suprise when I looked him up. Now I can honestly say that some of my favorite poets/mc's are (openly) gay....
But back to the masculine thing. "Don't get me wrong, you're not feminine acting or anything, but there are a lot of truly sexy men in touch with their feminine side.."
This conversation is getting worse. "Prince, Michael at one time, Maxwell, Tevin Campbell...."
Stop.Please, just stop. "Chooky"
Our keyboard player?? (click on Iconography & note the pursed lips)
My turn to spit shrimp. BFFWAAAAAAAH!!!!
So really, what's it all mean? Some of the worlds gayest people have enriched my life with their art, & I thank them for that. It doesn't mean that I have to be a groupie or anything, I can just appreciate them artistically. I hope that Hip-Hoppers can one day let go of the posturing that has gotten SO OLD & open up their minds a little more.
And as for that poem; my girl knows I'm not gay & so does my crew, If people who don't know me see me perform the piece & walk away thinkin' I'm a sissy, then that means I did my job well....
"...And It's still all good..." Notorious BIG", "juicy"
The Black Picasso
blackpicasso - 10:52 AM
---
6.11.2001
peace y'all
groove gumbo this weekend, k'alyn at b. smith's tonite, BRE conference was here this weekend and i am not tiger woods.
prayers go out to the u street metro cop that was shot on u street last nite- much as we roll through that station, i probably know that cat. plus, ya know how its gonna go now- turn up the pressure baby, summer is just beginning and you can bet 5-0's gonna be on some real edgy isht.
nuff- big ups to minnie riperton, digital underground, M-BASE, e-rule 'synopsis' and YOUUUUUUUUU...sucka
dp
naturalaw-dp - 12:06 PM
---
6.7.2001
today's post is a tribute to my brother daniel's blog page.
-culling material from nme and setting up the post with a title, i begin:
missy live in london (sucked)!!!
-damn, what happened shorty? it wasn't a video shoot, where you do your best work, but even without
an inflatable rubber suit or magically elongating neck,
you still got...the beats (okay, okay)...and the lyrics (awwwbarfpukechokeaargh)
man, i hope she ain't sensitive, cuz a review like that can wreck a muffafuffas day...
my favorite teacher..
click this article to check out some real poor judgement. being cool with your students is one thing, but chilling with 'em on some ol' "pass the bottle fool, i'm thirsty" time is not advisable.
especially not at school.
especially not in a classroom,
especially not with some random students who aren't even in your class
damn.
plus (from the skeevy side of the brain) not with girls- everybody knows high school girls are lightweights...
have a nice day y'all
dp
ps. sixers? sixers... SIXERS!!!
naturalaw-dp - 2:18 PM
---
6.4.2001
ya know, we don't get a chance to play enough all ages shows or even 18+ shows. that'll change this summer...cuz we just got booked to do MUSICFEST 2001 in Olney, MD on July 14th. the headliner will be northern va's own SEV, and the show will take place in front of 1500-2500 cats from all over the region- with no age restrictions. EVERYBODY GETS IN...provided they pay for a ticket ($12 advance/$15 door for 12 bands? whattabahgain). mark your calendars for this outdoor festival-type show- and pray for good weather...
THE RARE PINK PUMA...
remember suriya bonaly? the black french figure skater who could do backflips-so they banned backflips in olympic competition?
when are they gonna ban serena williams?
ya ever notice that when someone takes it to that next level, they start bannin' fools to rein in their immense advantage? check it:
-they changed the free-throw rules in basketball because wilt chamberlin was abusing what were thought to be the boundaries of the act (dude used to take off and basically dunk his free throws).
-they banned deacon jones' patented 'head-slap' maneuver in football cuz he nearly slapped an offensive lineman's head off
-they banned allen iverson's crossover dribble (only after he killed mike with it)
-they 'tiger-proofed' all the golf courses that the major tournaments are played on ("HA! i laugh at your feeble attempts to ban me" -tiger woods, everyday/allday)
and pretty soon, serena will be illegal and subject to attempted banning, if only because she is redefining the whole slanged-out notion of "flexin'" on someone- i saw shorty come to the net, volley to the right, then USE THE IMPETUS OF HER REBOUNDING GLUTES to scoot to the left and put away her opponents shot. it was an unbelievable display of mentally-activated muscle manipulation; more impressive than the end of "the matrix" when 'neo, the chosen one' flexed and the walls expanded with his radiant energy force...
cheer harder than a muffa-huffa for serena this year y'all, cuz next year they might break out some ol' crazy "mass restriction" rule at wimble-dun to 'protect the queen's glorious grass'...
easy,
dp
ps. serena- call me, i'll be up late...
pps. it has come to my attention that we have often neglected to list the start-times of our events in the 'shows' section of this site; corrections will be made- thanks to the morgan hubbard's and michael bart for helping us tighten up operations.
pps. praise the pink puma- but there will never, ever be another cat tongue...
naturalaw-dp - 9:11 PM
---
...Can't remember all the witticisms, advice, info and foolishness? Peep the archives...