The Daily Grind.

AIMing, MP3s for Serato

2006-03-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

WhooLiGanN: u want reggaeton?
InTeLL3Ct: not really..... but if there's some tracks that i need..... then i should get them....
InTeLL3Ct: i know nothing about that shit
WhooLiGanN: you i don't like it either.. but it's essential unless u wanna get stabbed

DJs can go postal too...

2004-11-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Real women out there, please dont take this convo the wrong way. I'm not talking about you, I'm talkin about the "vampiress that causes the black man stress... DUMB BITCHES" (Jeru the Damaja). I know all other DJs can relate to the situations mentioned below.

InTeLL3Ct: yeah. Lean Back didnt even play out yet on the radio when i made that
WhooLiGanN: i remember when i first bought that record and brought it to my gig..nobody knew what that song was yet
WhooLiGanN: lol now u'll get shot if u don't play it 2 times in a night
InTeLL3Ct: seriously....... and girls ask you to play it
InTeLL3Ct: as if... you werent going to when more people came
WhooLiGanN: LOL yeah
InTeLL3Ct: i hate bitches
WhooLiGanN: yeah.. last weekend, this one girl kept asking me to play slow motion like during prime time
InTeLL3Ct: stupid hoe
WhooLiGanN: i was like that song is mad slow.. i'll play it later.. then like 10 min later she's back
InTeLL3Ct: this fuckin whore kept comin up to us last weekend, and she was like..... "PLAY NEW WORKOUT PLAN"
InTeLL3Ct: She came up like 4 times
WhooLiGanN: LOL
InTeLL3Ct: with her slut ass outfit
WhooLiGanN: bitches love that track
InTeLL3Ct: and after the 4th time, she goes, PLAY IT, I'LL DO SOMETHING CRAZY
InTeLL3Ct: after she said that, i was like, "I'm ALL IN, CALLIN YOUR BLUFF"
WhooLiGanN: LOL
InTeLL3Ct: i hate that shit......... just go dance
InTeLL3Ct: and shut the fuck up
WhooLiGanN: lol
InTeLL3Ct: i hate girls that try to run things
WhooLiGanN: yeah
WhooLiGanN: i hate it when i'm at a party and the dj is actually good but some stupid hoes complain about the dj
InTeLL3Ct: yeah. that pisses me off too
WhooLiGanN: i'm thinking there's no way u could satisfy a person like that
InTeLL3Ct: yeah you can. punch them in the face and give them a bloody nose
WhooLiGanN: hahahahaha

Inspiration

2004-09-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was spring cleaning in my apartment today, and I came across a pamphlet that I picked up while DJing a party over 10 years ago at Columbia University in New York. The party was for an SAT mentoring program that Columbia students organized for inner city youth. As I was disconnecting the equipment and cleaning up, I found this pamphlet. I made an effort to keep it all these years because it was influential to me during my formative years of DJing.

The pamphlet is called Roots and Culture, and the specific article is entitled He's the DJ by Tabanitha T. Mcdaniel, CC '94. Tabanitha interviews Super DJ Clark Kent and asks him questions about his style, his life, etc. It's not exactly the article itself that struck me, but the opening quote by DJ Peter Panic:

"Any good DJ that really gets into the music is a good lover. He plays music according to feeling because DJing is like fucking -- you have to be able to predict what people want: when to slow down, when to speed up, when to pump it real hard, and when to cool it off. A DJ must know how to bring the crowd to the point of no return, when everybody feels what the DJ feels. After a DJ masters the technical stuff, turntables, mixing, etc., it's pure feeling. He has to be able to play upon and interpret feeling"

Don't just think about that. Go to your local parties, and see how your DJ interprets feelings, or if in fact he has no feeling at all.

A Semi Professional Presentation of DJing

2004-07-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

So aside from DJing, in my professional life, I'm applying to dental school. Dental schools are interested in activities that involve manual dexterity, for pretty obvious reasons. UCLA's secondary application asked a question not specifically about DJing or even manual dexterity. However, I felt that mentioning DJing was applicable here. Read my response below:

Q. Describe your special skills, interests, hobbies, or athletic participation that you would like the Committee to consider.

A. Since I was 9 years old, Disc Jockeying has been one of my serious interests, and will always remain a major part of my identity. My eldest brother handed down the pro-audio equipment that I still own today, and over the years I’ve collected thousands of vinyl albums and singles of many music genres. Listening to music is my main form of stress relief, and playing it for other people allows me to express myself and provide others with enjoyment. Throughout my career I’ve performed at several events and popular nightclubs in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Southern California.

More recently I’ve dedicated my time to learning and practicing a specific DJ art form known as turntablism. A turntablist is defined as “One who uses the phonograph turntable as a component to make music as well as an instrument to literally play music”. In addition to simply playing and blending records like a regular DJ, a turntablist manipulates the record manually to create new beats and distinct sounds. One example of turntablism known as scratching produces different sounds depending on the rhythm and pattern of the DJ’s hand motions. Scratching has become very popular in modern hip-hop, pop, and rock music. In general, turntablism requires extremely precise hand movements, quick motor skills, and creativity that take years to develop. This aspect of Disc Jockeying has increased my level of appreciation for music and the component beats and sounds that music is made of. In the past I’ve won several local turntable competitions on the East Coast, and have performed at college campuses including St. Johns University, Rutgers University, and Harvard University

A New Generation

2004-07-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

So I guess this is all a part of growing up, the phenomenon of becoming dated or outdated. For the past few months, I've been thinking about the signs of getting older. I've been asking the question "When will the 90's become "THE 90s" like "THE 70s" are the 70s? Did that already happen? If so, when did it happen, and how did it happen? I mean, I've heard the 90s referred to before, but I never heard anyone say, "Hey man, let's have a 90s party!" or "Yo... can you play some 90s music?" It's already almost halfway through the first decade of the 2000s, and I think I may have found some evidence, that the years where I scored 4 touchdowns in 1 game, are fading further into the background.

I was hired to DJ a high school graduation party in North Park, an urban section next to Balboa Park in San Diego. I couldn't say NO to $125 could I? The place was an art gallery specializing in African American paintings, and it had the bouncy hardwood floors that every DJ dreaded. Overall, the party sucked, but I know that it wasn't the worst that I've ever been to. My two other friends and I agreed that it could've been much worse. The girls throwing the party were very bitchy and demanding, as if that would help the dancefloor situation. They used the imperative alot, and barked requests like "Play some booty shit", and "Could you play some Ying Yang Twins" (even though Ying Yang Twins was currently playing). After around 11 o'clock, I only rotated about 4 records, Petey Pablo, Usher, Salt Shaker, and some other crap along the same lines, but still, the dancefloor had less than 10 people. I was happy though, because now since I was playing exactly what they wanted, they couldn't blame me. Then, something I never saw before happened. The two girls organizing the party, got up on the mic (headphones 'cause I forgot the mic), and gave the crowd an ultimatum. "If Y'all don't get off the wall and start dancing, we'll shut down the party and y'all can go home" Another thing happened, that I still couldn't believe. The girls negotiated with me, asking how much I would charge if the party were shut down now. I said $100 would be fine. Sure enough, in 5 minutes, they got off the headphones, and told everyone to get the fuck out. It was unbelievable.

The lights turned on, and two female parental figures came up. One of them was really hot, wearing a tight dress and bling around the arm and neck, resembling a Vivica A. Fox type character. My friend Dex, asks that while I'm cleaning up, I play Happy People by R. Kelly. Right when that happens, the two moms, ask my two friends to dance. All of a sudden, I'm DJing for the oldest people at the party, but having fun. I continued to play some smooth shit, with "Step in the Name of Love" (R.Kelly), "For the Night" (Musiq), and "You Bring Me Joy" by Mary J. Blige. The stupid smiles on my friends faces, and these two black moms were enough to keep me DJing. I was feelin the Mary J. so much, that I brought it back 1 time, making it last around 10 minutes.

In that 20 minutes, the young girls throwing the party had enough time to get on their cell phones and call their friends. Apparently, 2 other graduation parties were cancelled and everyone was headed back to this party. Since I didn't break down any equipment, the girl asked me if I would continue to DJ her graduation party. Now what kind of scumbag would I be if I said no? Shortly after I agreed, and while the Mary J. Blige was still playing, she said "OK, then can you switch back to playing music from our generation?" And there it was. I asked her to repeat what she just said, and she verified, that Mary J Blige was indeed from a past generation. In a few minutes, I went back to playing Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon, and other future soul-less no talent artists, and the night ended about 2 hours later.

Since Mary J Blige has been THE RnB Diva of my entire life, I just couldn't accept the fact that anyone would refer to her music as a thing of the past. In a very big way, I felt dated. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and it didn't mean that Mary J was dead, but it indicated that it was time to move on and make way for another diva of the future. My bet is on Alicia Keys. I guess it's inevitable though, to have influential artists begin an era and end an era and quote unquote make their mark. It became clearer when I sifted through my Ipod collection, and I thought about the other artists that I listen to. If you're over 21 years of age, ask yourself the now important questions; When did the time end for Whitney Houston? Chaka Khan? Frank Sinatra? Al Green? Michael Jackon? Salt and Pepa? DJ Mike Intellect? Or better yet, When did the music they made start becoming classics? See you at the 90's parties!

Prostitute DJ

2004-05-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

My boy DJ Prime used to refer to us as Freedom Fighters. Although we used to DJ certain parties for free, he specifically coined this term on the way to Virginia in the summer of 2000. For 2 consecutive summers, our crew would make a pilgrimage down to Virginia Beach to spin at this rustic little spot called "The Underground" on 17th street. The place looked like a cave inside, and both times the place filled up pretty nicely with locals who loved to dance. The drive from Virginia to NJ was long, and we didn't get paid. Of course the guy throwing the parties was a pretty good friend, and a very good host... which seemed to balance everything out. In breaking down the name, Freedom Fighters, I interpreted the the freedom part as us djing for free, and the fighter part as us packing up our records and equipment just as an army would gear up for war. Little did I know that years later, even without DJ Prime by my side, that in a way, I would still be a Freedom Fighter on the west coast. Of course when I was starting out here in San Diego, since I didn't know anyone I DJed anything and everything that came my way, even if it wasn't paying. Now most of the time, I get a little somethin somethin for my services which is definitely cool.

I coined a new term this week, and my outlook of what DJing currently means to me has evolved. I'm now considering myself a Prostitute DJ, djing almost anything and everything that pays money... Notice the shift. I can no longer DJ anything for free, because after all... DJs have to eat too. Plus, it's way funnier djing for say 10 dollars, than it is to DJ for free. It's the principle. Although the word prostitute sounds bad and may imply that I have no other choices or that I don't like being a prostitute, I'm really comfortable with my new identity. Making some money, doing something I like doing is better than not making any money doing the same damn thing. It really is the funny numbers that make being a prostitute worthwhile... If you're lucky, your pimp will flip you 100, but more likely the numbers will be way more comical like 50, 20, 10, etc. What's even funnier, at the party I did for 50 this week, they almost tried to pay me 40. I feel like I did exactly what the situation called for. I put both hands over my face and said, "Come on now man... this is getting ridiculous." In about 2 minutes, they had the extra 10, and I was a very happy man. I think most DJs would understand, while most others wouldn't. Non DJs would ask, why the hell would he even think of DJing for 50? Besides the fact that I'm now a prostitute, there were many more reasons to take the job than not. It was a lingere party held at a house on a main road at San Diego State University. Every girl there was more than a 6 on a 10 point scale, wearing a skimpy, slutty, outfit that exceeded all of my expectations. All of the liquor was free. Best of all, I could play any record I wanted, and the crowd would react to it as if it was hottest joint of the moment. I played the "City High Remix", and when Eve was rapping in the middle, I happily turned to my roomate and said, "Man, when was the last time you heard this track... played this loud?". If there was a party to do for 50 bucks... this was it. You see, being a prostitute isn't so bad afterall. There are actually worse things I could have done that night. I could've been my roommate, the guy who drank too much and passed out at a lingere party.