True Loops April 3rd, 2009

Recently, I fancied myself a promoter. I've been wanting to play some shows, but I haven't been getting any bookings. I decided it was time to book myself. I contacted my friend Brandon, who works at a little bar called Mercury. He set me up with a date but it was up to me to get people there. I had to figure out a name and a theme for the event. At the last moment I came up with 'True Loops.' Basically it means, 'genuine dance music,' but 'True Loops' also sounds like 'Fruit Loops' and that was good because I really wanted to do a parody flier. The parody flier was important because I wanted to remind people of One Vision. I wanted to evoke the same feelings that I had last year when my friends and I took charge and booked ourselves at The Upstairs Lounge.

I contacted some guy in 'the scene' to produce a flier. His product was basically a very poor man's version of the 1V flier. I won't be working with him again. I was also really disappointed when I found out his unit of friends decided to do an event at a different bar the same night that I was planning mine. I wonder if they already had plans or they just didn't care about what I was trying to do. I've decided to just assume the best about those guys even though it's easier for me to think the worst.

Anyway, after a month of hardly any foot promotion and a lot of online promotion, April 3rd, 2009 finally arrives. I didn't get as nervous as I thought I would. I guess I had pretty low expectations? Turns out Maggy Bort's birthday was the same day. I was a little concerned that I was hi-jacking her, but she seemed pretty enthused about there being something to do. I had stopped by her and Foster's place before getting things started at Mercury. Dena and I arrived just slightly after nine. Trevor wasn't there so there was no mixer for us to plug into. Brandon, Dena and I decided to decorate the 'booth' with glow-sticks and scotch tape. Randy and Sarah showed up as we finished and then shorty after Trevor and Kim arrived. Quick side note, Sarah is 9 months pregnant. She didn't have to come, but I really appreciate the fact that she did.

We start to get everything set-up. Trevor's mixer is from France. It's very nice, but I wasn't used to it at all. It's the only mixer I have ever used that has Rotary faders. He also brought with him CDJ-1000s which I've only used once or twice before. We got everything hooked up and right away Brandon is having trouble with Serato which brought back painful memories of my experiences with Final Scratch. Something is janky with his USB hook-up. I wasn't immune from issues either. Using the CDJ-1000s proved to be kind of tricky. They aren't like my CDJ-200s, you can't switch from que to play modes without the track stopping. This little difference caused me to start mixes a little later than usual but soon I realized the jog wheel on a CDJ-1000 can 'scratch' like a turntable, so my problem was kind of solved. I was on a learning curve, but that's okay because it's always fun to learn new equipment. We finally got Brandon up and running and it was time for some music.

The plan was to just 'tag' all night. Brandon first, then Trevor, then me. We would play for about a half hour or so each. I was excited about this laid back approach and the chance to just hang out with those guys. Around 10:30 people start showing up. I sit with Randy, Sarah and Dena who were in a booth close to the door. Everyone else is upstairs at the bar. Trevor's wife Kim comes down and talks to us for a minute about how much she hates glow-sticks. I wish more of my friends would show up. I'm starting to worry if I even have any? When are Foster and Maggy going to come down? Ryan and Amanda said they were going to come, right? Where is Benjamitis? I tell myself I'm being stupid and decide that I need a drink.

I go up the stairs to get Dena and myself some booze. As I place my order, this guy asks me if he can have "thirty seconds of my time." I was confused, was he going to sell me something? Maybe some crazy new technology? Maybe some exotic drugs? Yeah, I got 30 seconds. What's up?

"Acid house" he says. Followed by a long dramatic pause. "What does it mean to you," he finally asks. I don't really understand what he is asking me, so I start to talk about were it came from and how I think it was a bunch of dudes making music just to make music. But, before I can finish my first sentence he interrupts me.

"I'm not talking about that!"

Ok, what are you talking about? Are your eyes dilated or is it just dark in here?

'Blah, blah, blah,' He says.

I start to wonder if this is really going anywhere.

More ambiguous questions and equivocal statements ensue.

'It's not,' I decide.

Back downstairs, Trevor and I have a conversation about digital djing, specifically with Traktor. I tell him how I just got Traktor a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not quite ready to gig with it. He plays for a little while and then I go on. My first mix was bad. I'm pretty sure it would have gone well with Trevor's last track, but I faded in the wrong channel and before I know it, there is no sound. Trevor explains that I'm on channel 4 (not 3) and I feel like an idiot. After a couple of mixes I'm able to get in the grove, but not quite in 'the zone.'

More people start to show up! Maggy and Foster come down with some friends and the place starts to feel full. I notice that a lot of really great people came and I finally start to relax and enjoy myself. It's exactly how I wanted it to be - like a house party, but without a house. Trevor tells me that this is one of the best times he's had at Mercury. I'm assuming he's had some pretty shitty times there, but I still really appreciate the comment.

Back on the decks - time for some jams! I go through a couple of tracks and then break away with a new Joris Voorn remix. That track might have been too epic for Mercury, but people were in to it! It's Brandon's turn again but before I go off a 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' remix seems appropriate. I think it was mostly to see what Brandon would play after that. He did say that he has some Technotronic. I step away, take a leek and come back to Trevor and Brandon trying to work something out while the end of Nirvana is on an endless loop. Something has obviously gone wrong. It's Brandon's Serato. Computers are so great at fucking up gigs. Trevor starts to play some more tracks, while Brandon tries to get his shit working. No dice. Brandon's out. I felt bad for him, but he didn't seem to mind that much. He's probably played there more times than he can remember.

People start to thin out and I get really tired. Maggy asks me when I'm going to play again and I jump back on the decks with renewed energy. I tell Trevor I'd like to play a few and then we'll 'do ones.' Kim demands techno. This makes me really happy. I play some more jams and then a battle ensues. At some point I realize Trevor is a great DJ and feel like telling him, but decide that's too cheesy or might sound like I'm fishing for a compliment. Really good tracks and surprisingly really good mixes start to happen. We rock the remaining 7 or so people there and call it quits shortly after two thirty.

All in all this was a really positive experience. There are some things I would have done differently, but I definitely want to do another show in the future. Shea's birthday is coming up, so that is starting to look like a great opportunity for another night of 'True Loops.'

Frankman - Cold Nights

Frankman's 'Cold Nights' is epic deep. The track sparkles like snow flake exhaust from a daydream machine. I can listen to it over and over again. The way the bass line trots along while sound clouds pass by is just hypnomazing. Little bells parachute from above and my mind drifts away to yesteryear. The awesomeness reaches a fever-pitch around 4 minutes when an ethereal voice desperately pleads "take me back." Every time I hear her sing, I wonder if she is addressing a lover, or yielding to time itself?

Mlle Caro & Frank Garcia - Dead Souls (Radio Slave Long Distance Kiss Mix)

Radio Slave fires off another winner with his remix of Mlle Caro & Frank Garcia's 'Dead Souls.' A lot of the original sound has been abandoned. No pop friendly rhythm to guide you, just the pulse of a lonely analogue kick. Staccato drum sounds slowly start to reveal themselves as an alert bouncing synth strolls in. Intermittent static keeps you focused and right as things become somewhat predictable Mlle Caro's vocal emerges. Her French accent thick, her tone genderless. Strings breeze in as she repeats her melancholy mantra, singing of dead souls and dancing shadows. Mlle steps away, leaving you alone with droning overdriven guitars. The tag-along synth abruptly pauses and you find yourself in territory once exclusively held by shoe-gazers. The unconventional meeting of rock and techno freezes the landscape and begs your consideration. The bouncing synth returns, acknowledging your disorientation and safely guides you back to familiar ground. As if nothing ever happened, the track takes you right back to where it started. Then, without warning, the drums quit and the remaining sounds fade to black.

Joris Voorn - The Deep (Jimpster Remix)

This may quite possibly be the most perfect 'tech-house' track ever. The track starts off simple enough. A nice tight kick with trance style bass fading in. Dubby drum sounds create suspense as a winy synth creeps closer and closer. A cymbal crash slides in to a jazzy piano riff that tips it's hat to the classic house sounds of the late 80s and early 90s. A new sound is introduced, in another life it could have been used by Parliament-Funkadelic, but this incarnation strikes hope in an otherwise field of despair. The sound echos away to a gaseous dream. Another strike and with it more gas. The air begins to swell, the gas ignites. A chord picks you up off your feet and if you listen closely you can hear the sound of another's amazement. Floating in the clouds, you almost feel lost, where did everything go? Suspension and disbelief surround you. The bass line returns, this time more brilliant than you remember. "Dance," it commands and you have no choice but to obey.