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Our Man in Brazil: Interview with Tee Cardaci
Jimpster | Interview
The Roots of Funk
Extra Credit with DJ Zimmie
Interview with Soul Supreme
How to Build a Second Act Business with your kid
We we're recently interviewed by Market Place Money's Chris Farrell for a piece he put together entitled "how to build a second act business with your millennial kid". The article touched on some interesting points and was featured on Time.com and Next Avenue.
“It’s awesome working with my dad,” says Case Bloom, 30. The feeling is mutual, says his father, David, 58: “We are good complements to one another.”
From ‘You’ to ‘We’
The Blooms, and their business manufacturing highly-crafted messenger bags targeted at the DJ market, are a prime example. Before opening shop, David had spent his career in bag design and was director of travel products for Coach in New York City before he lost that job. When Case was in college in Nashville, studying business, he’d offer pointers to help his dad’s venture. “His logo was so bad. Horrible,” laughs Case. “I’d tell him, ‘You’re doing it wrong. Do it like this.’”
Eventually, Case says, it became “We should do it this way. The business happened organically.” Today, father and son each own half of the company, which has seven employees. David handles design and product development; Case is in charge of anything to do with the brand image and online sales. He’s also the one making frequent runs to Home Depot for the business’s factory and to the Post Office for shipments. “I have a different set of skills than my father,” says Case, who is also a part-time DJ.
When Kinship Is Friendship
One reason for the growing second-act-plus-child trend: surveys repeatedly show that today’s young adults generally get along well with their parents—and vice versa. “The key is an attitudinal shift in the relations between generations,” says Steve King, founder of Emergent Research, a consulting firm focused on the small business economy. “Boomers are close to their kids and the kids are close to their parents.”
Take Amanda Bates, a Gen X’er, and her mother Kit Seay, co-owners of Tiny Pies in Austin, Texas. “We’ve always had a close relationship, feeding off one another, finishing each other’s sentences,” says Kit, 73. They’d long wanted to do something together.
Several years ago, Amanda got the idea for making handheld pies from her son’s desire to take pie to school. So she and her mother began selling small pies, based on family recipes, in local farmers markets. They now sell them throughout the state, mostly through specialty stores, and opened a retail storefront at their wholesale facility in March 2014. Kit focuses on the creative and catering side of the business; Amanda’s in charge of the basics of running an enterprise. “The trust is there,” says Kit. Amanda agrees. “Yes, the trust is there. If she says something will get done, it will.”
Teaching Your Child Trust
Trust and complementary skills are also themes for Lee Lipton, 59, and his son Max, 25, and their Benny’s On the Beachrestaurant in Lake Worth, Fla.
Lee, the restaurant’s principal owner, came out of the clothing manufacturing business, moving to Florida after the Calvin Klein outerwear line he ran with a few partners was sold. He bought Benny’s a year ago. Max, who’d wanted to get into the food business, is one partner; the other is chef Jeremy Hanlon. Lee’s the deal maker, Max manages the restaurant and executive chef Hanlon handles the kitchen. “The three of us trust each other incredibly and when one person feels strongly about something we tend to do it that way,” Lee says. “Very rarely after talking do we disagree, and that format was identical to my past partners. I want to teach Max and Jeremy that closeness.”
For second-act family businesses, creating boundaries between work and home is advisable, but easier to say than do. Speaking about her current relationship with her mom, Amanda Bates says: “We used to go out together and have fun, go to garage sales, that kind of thing. Now, when we get together, the business always come up. Even at family dinners, we end up talking business.”
The Win-Win of Multigenerational Businesses
But in the end, it’s family that makes these businesses succeed.
Bianca Alicea, 26, and her mom Alana, 46, started tchotchke-maker Chubby Chico Charms. in North Providence, R.I. with $500 and less than 100 charm designs at their dining room table in 2005. They now have roughly 25 full-time employees and sell several thousand handmade charms. Alana is the designer; Bianca deals more with payroll and other aspects of the business. “It’s important to remember you are family,” says Bianca. “Things don’t always go according to plan, but at the end of the day you have to see one another as family.”
Intergenerational entrepreneurship, it turns out, can be a win-win for boomers and their kids. For the parents, it’s the answer to the question: What will I do in my Unretirement? For their adult children, working with mom and dad provides them with greater meaning than just picking up a paycheck.
Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor for American Public Media’s Marketplace and author of the new bookUnretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and The Good Life. He writes twice a month about the personal finance and entrepreneurial start-up implications of Unretirement, and the lessons people learn as they search for meaning and income. Send your queries to him at cfarrell@mpr.org or @cfarrellecon on Twitter.
Interview with DJ King Most
In the digital age songs are easy to come by. Any and every DJ has access to the same music available on iTunes and Beatport. For the DJ's who want to stand out, the edit is king, and good edits are hard to come by...unless you know about King Most. Armed with a record collection and tastes that span genre and style King Most has made a name for himself in the DJ world through paying dues in the Bay Area and skilled production work. His signature edits, aptly named "Redirections", push classics into new territory and can be heard in DJ sets the world over. If you are interested in Soul, Disco, or Hip Hop this is the guy is for you.
Where are you from?
Born and raised in and around San Francisco, California. I feel I'm more of West Coast dude in general though. Coffee, sunshine, and distinct jams.
When did you begin your re-editing work?
The serious re-editing work started in 2010/2011. At that point I was already making hip-hop and soul beats, but finally bought my own computer and started using Audacity. My friend DJ B-Cause already had a few years underneath his belt of putting out killer edits and I just had to try it myself. Prior to those years I had a few things finished, but that was when I was when I far less dedicated. I now work on music every day.
Around 2011 was still the period where putting out your own material took a little more effort, the pre-Soundcloud era. You had sites like The Hollerboard or labels like GAMM, Money Studies, and countless great disco edit "labels" that aren't really around anymore. The majority of this music was made by DJs for DJs so it caught my ears.
What do you look for in a song that needs a re-edit or "redirection"? Are you just beefing up certain elements in the track, or taking things away?
It has to catch my ear. From there I sort of mentally categorize all the things I can do with it. My mind starts thinking, "Oh, this a capella is in the same key as this," or, "That sample would sound great with some keys or bass added to it."
Where I'm at now with edits it's more about adding musicianship to tracks. Nothing wrong with just cutting and pasting parts and adding some low end, because I did that for a while and sometimes that's all you need. But, to keep myself and hopefully fans excited too, I'm pushing them further than what I did previously—almost to where they could be heard as an original track as opposed to a "redirection".
Has doing re-edits helped your career?
100% yes: residencies, remixes for other people, and DJ gigs. The little tracks I put out there have put me on radars that I would have never thought I would be on. I want to keep at it so I can be seen as much as a musician as I am a DJ.
What interests you musically these days?
This might be a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm seriously all over the place. Right now I've been listening to a lot of hip-hop, but also more club-centric sounds that you find all over Soundcloud. It's that nebulous style that incorporates bass, house, uptempo soul, 90's R&B, etc.
Give me like three weeks though and I'll probably all into Cumbia with Indie Dance.
What is your production set up looking like?
My production set-up has always been pretty bare. I occasionally break out the MPC for fun, but Abelton is at the heart. Great homies like G Koop and Jon Reyes lend their musicianship to my edits and I love those guys. There's a lot of records involved too.
You seem to be doing a fair amount of travel these days and you now have a weekly in Vegas. How is the residency working out for you?
I have never done anything like it before, so it's pretty damn exciting. I'm glad I have a seriously dope DJ partner, Anthony Valadez, riding with me as well as lot of great musically-minded people involved. Just traveling every week is an adventure in and of itself with all the random people you meet and things you see. The DJ travel life is really something else you can only learn and experience firsthand. It's exhausting one moment then hilarious the next.
Where are you most comfortable playing?
I try not to get too comfortable in any situation. Once you start being comfortable, you start slacking with your craft and ultimately it shows. You're basically dead creatively and just going through the motions.
How do you handle requests?
I stopped fighting it to be honest. Let them ask, and if it makes sense, I give it to them. They go away happy and I'm glad I can get back to DJing. There's no need to have a meltdown, and that goes for the people on both sides of the DJ booth. I'm lucky since I don't get too many requests these days.
What is the weirdest thing you've seen in the club?
Nudity, heavy groping, Taco Bell, dogs, very pregnant women dancing to Wocka Flocka, but really the weirdest thing is GIRLS GOING BAREFOOT.
What excites you in a DJ set? What makes a good DJ great?
What makes a DJ set great is really that sweet combination of technical prowess, party pleasing, and hearing music that I need to get my hands on. Even if a DJ hits two out of the three I'm all for it.
I'm a huge fan of going to see DJs play and well as hearing their mixes. I don't get DJs who don't go out to parties. That's almost like the athlete who doesn't train and eats terribly.
What's next for you?
Finishing college, releasing a lot of edits (some of which are coming out on vinyl), and original music with both rappers and singers.
Keep up with King Most on Twitter, Facebook, and most importantly on Soundcloud
Interview With DJ Mr Supreme aka Supreme La Rock
Seattle's DJ Mr Supreme (also known as Supreme La Rock or Preme for short) has been involved in DJ culture and collecting for well over twenty years. His encyclopedic knowledge proceeds him in collectors circles where he is know to regularly drop the phrase "got it" in reference the rarest of rare records. The elusive CTI briefcase? He's "got it". The uber rare Alabama funk LP by the Brief Encounter? He's "got it". The list goes on and on, but beyond his rep as a collector Preme is one hell of a DJ, rocking parties the world over, and holding the title as the official DJ for the Seattle Sea Hawks. We caught up with Mr Supreme to chat about what what he's got going on and what else he's "got" up his sleeves.
Where did you grow up? What was it like?
Born in Los Angeles but grew up in Seattle. It was fun as I was growing up in the 80's just doing kid stuff riding my bike, playing Atari, breakdancing and hitting the record store
Were you raised in a musical house hold? Did your parents play music around the house?
Not a musical household but my dad played Miles Davis & Curtis Mayfield records and lots of free jazz while my mom played Elvis & Neil Sedaka. My brother rocked Elton John and my sister played the Bay City Rollers, Boston & Peter Frampton. However what I remember liking and listening to the most was Heatwave & Boz Scaggs that my other brother from out of town played when he moved to Seattle when I was around 8 years old.
When did hip hop enter your life?
1981 when I took a summer vacation to NYC. I witnessed breakdancing for the very time and was hooked
At what point did you decide you wanted to be a DJ?
August 10th 1984. I went to see the Treacherous 3 and DJ Ez Lee was cutting up doubles of some record, spinning around and scratching etc. I was floored. I had to learn that!
What was the Seattle scene like in those days?
It was a lot of fun we were just kids running a muck. Skipping school meeting downtown to battle each other breakdancing, carrying boom boxes around, tagging up etc.
How did Conception Records come about? What was your involvement?
It came about after me and Sureshot got our record deal with instinct. Being a producer I wanted my own label to release the stuff I was doing. I owned the label and was the in house producer. I started the label together with SureShot & Strath Sheppard.
When did you first start collecting records?
I've always liked and bought records since the age of 4. I used to use my allowance to hit the record store. I used to ride my bike to the record store in my teens to buy records and when I got my drivers license I got a job delivering pizzas and at nights end had a pocket full of cash from all my tips. I'd go to Tower records every single night because they were opened until midnight and i'd spend my money I had made on records. There was no rap section then you had to dig to find it in the soul section. I always bought anything I seen on the Profile & Def jam label even if I didn't know what it was because I knew it had to be good. Mind you at this point I was just another consumer not a record collector. I recall one day I came home and could barely walk into my room because of the the record collection I had built over the years. I was still not a collector I just bought what I liked. I've always done such. I really wouldn't consider or call my self a collector until the early 90s. I noticed certain records i'd see everyday starting to dry up like all the Blue Note and CTI stuff. Stores would tell me how some Japanese and British customers had just left and bought them all. At that point I thought I better start buying stuff up if I want it or it's not going to be around any longer. It was then I had to break my $8 a record spending budget and started buying $15 to $20 records. The first record I paid a grip for and was sick about it was a mint og Skull Snaps lp for $75 around '93 and I thought i'd lost my mind.
How many records are in your collection at this point? How are they organized?
I don't count them but I keep adding to it and get rid of some from time to time as well but i'd say around the 50,000 mark. They were in perfect immaculate alphabetical order until my friend Gene Brown came to stay with me over ten years ago. I woke up one morning and he had them out all over the place going through them. Then I moved a few times and forget about it. There's no rhyme or reason to the order and it's kaos.
What other sorts of things do you collect?
Blaxploitation posters & memorabilia, board games, lunch boxes, acton figures, art, boom boxes, sneakers, hats, jackets, bicycles, toys, movies, tape reels, magazines, trading cards, sunglasses, turntables, mixers, anything funky
Has Serato changed the way you play records out?
No.
Whats the worst thing to happen to you at a gig?
I got vertigo really bad one night. I was trying to hold my self up with my hands on the wall while dj'n and vomitting all at the same time. It felt like the club was on a wave and spinning in circles.
How do you deal with requests?
I just say yes to get them to go away. If they continue to come back I tell them I played it you didn't hear it?!
Have you been involved in any reissue projects?
Yes Lialeh, Dolemite, Wayne McGhie, T.L. Barrett, Wheedles Groove, Status Breaks, and others I don't recall off the top of my head.
How did the Weedles Groove compilations come about?
I met with the owner of the Light in the Attic label for lunch one day and he asked me if I could re release anything what would it be. I said all these Seattle funk 45s I have
We're the artists you reached out to receptive to the project?
9 out of ten were. LOL
How is the scene in Seattle now?
I think it's great and it's highlight. A lot of the funk guys have reunited and are playing out again, rappers are winning grammys, producers are doing major label stuff, there's some real talent here right now the best it's ever been.
Where do you see DJ culture headed?
Lots of new technology so you'd think that people would get very creative but most are getting lazier. I think the og culture as we know it will always be around as long as long as true djs preserve it. I've got three out of town bookings just today to play VINYL only parties. I love and embrace technology but at days end it's how creative you can get with it. Some djs kill it with the stuff they can do with controllers but with that being said most don't. The culture is very popular right now and i'm sure will birth some new super star djs and I support that to the fullest.
What are you listening to these days? Does current music appeal to you?
I listen to the same stuff now I did 10-20 years ago. Classics never die and there is no expiration date on good music. If you find a record from the 70s that you've never heard before it's new to you no matter the date it was released. I don't like new popular music. Mind you I didn't say new I said new and popular. Pop (ular) music is awful. There's tons of new music I love.
What makes a good DJ great?
When all's said and done the art of selection trumps anything else
What's next for you?
Continuing to do what I do to represent and keep the true culture alive for as long as I can while being the best person I can be for my family, friends and self
Supreme La Rock posing with five of our Rich Medina 45 bags. Keep up with him on twitter, facebook, on his website, and on Hot Peas and Butta
Interview With DJ Nu-Mark
Ask A Flight Attendant | Noel Dunlap
Last week as I was sitting window side in the exit row on a flight to Philadelphia I witnessed a seasoned flight attendant in a tough situation. The woman sitting in the isle seat my row had someone lift her bag into the overhead and mentioned she appreciated the help because she has "trouble lifting things after having shoulder surgery". The flight attendant, over hearing this, came over and asked the woman if she would change seats because sitting in the exit row required the ability to lift heavy objects. The woman objected profusely and essentially refused to move. This interaction kicked off a string of thoughts. How heavy is that door? How often does the emergency exit get used? Do those flotation devices save lives or are they the modern equivalent to duck and cover? It may sound naive but to me flight attendants have always felt like a secret society. After I landed I headed to social media to see if I could fine someone to ask all these burning questions. This is how I met flight attendant and DJ, Noel Dunlap. I caught up with her hanging out at a Hawaiian beach on a 30 hour layover...
How long have you been a flight attendant?
I started working for a mainline airline in the spring of 2006, 8 years ago. That is very junior in this company. I've worked with people that started in the mid 60's. Even if you've been with the company for 20 years, you're still considered junior.
What made you want to get into this line of work? What are the perks?
A long term relationship I was in had ended and I wanted a change. I decided I was going to get out of town for a while and try to figure out my next move. I spoke with some friends in NY that said i could stay with them while I looked for a job. I played a gig one night, came home toasted and started looking up flights. On an airline website, there was a link for employment opportunities. Flight attendant popped up and I answered a few questions from a quasi personality test. I woke up the next morning and had an email from them. They offered me an interview that following week in D.C. The perks for me, at that moment, were that I was going to be able to leave town with a job and have health and flying benefits.
Do you travel internationally?
I do travel internationally. The first 5 years I was on reserve. That means that I knew what days I was going to have off, but I didn't know when I was going to work and I never knew where I was going to be. Contractually, they have to give you 4 hours notice. So, I have at least 4 hours to prepare for going to Hong Kong or Boise. Reserves work trips that other FA's called off or misconnected or went illegal (there's a bunch of legalities because we are union and covered under the department of transportation. Someone could go illegal if they have a long duty time due to delays or their rest period goes under 9 hours...). Now, I'm on reserve every other month. Everything is seniority based. I bid for my schedule in the middle of the month for the following month.
Do you get to see the cities you fly to, or is the job mostly on and off of planes?
Internationally, you are usually given at least a day or more, depending on how long the flight is. Domestically, you are given anything from a minimum legal rest to over 20 hours. Longer layovers (anything over 20 hours) have to be in a downtown area with access to food and shopping. If I've never been somewhere before, I try to do all of the touristy things first (The Great Wall Of China, Liberty Bell, museums, etc) then I look for record stores and thrift shops.
How does lodging work? Do you have shared living spaces on the road or does the airline put you up in hotels?
We are given our own rooms and they provide transportation to and from the airport. The union has a hotel standards board for safety, quality and access to food.
What are your favorite routes to fly? Any particular cities you enjoy visiting?
I don't really have a favorite route. I like laying over in places where I can see friends I probably wouldn't have much contact with otherwise. Hawaii is nice and relaxing. Working the flight is amusing. The passengers are known as "breast fed, just wed or nearly dead". Beijing and Shanghai are good for getting clothes altered or made. The massages there are awesome and ridiculously cheap, $10 for a 2 hour massage and you don't even leave your room. Europe is cool for digging and thrifting. Sydney is beautiful, but probably my least favorite layover and definitely my least favorite flight to work, next to China. I could write a book about working the China routes.
You are a DJ as well, are you able to take gigs while on the road? Ever find time to look for records while traveling?
I've never played out on a layover. I suppose if I played Serato I might have. I also know that if I made plans like that, my flight would misconnect or my assignment would change some how and I would be on the opposite side of the planet. When at all possible, I make time for digging, thrifting and museums.
How do you deal with some of the more difficult passengers on a long flight?
Most difficult passengers don't start to become difficult in the air. Their first encounter is with customer service. CS usually let's us know, but we can usually pick them out. They are treated like an unruly child. Their rude or bad behavior is ignored and they are treated with politeness. Most of the time they just want some one to listen to them. Traveling is stressful. When you fly you give up most of your comforts and control. My favorite response is a compassionate stare followed by "that's unfortunate". From time to time you get those that just want to keep pushing. I have had people removed before takeoff and I have had the authorities meet a flight at arrival. Threats and not obeying a flight crews commands are not taken lightly (I'm not talking about fastening your seat belt or turning off your phone). The Captain has the final say and the Captain always has our back. He or she will assess the situation and try talking to the person themselves. This usually works.
Have you ever dealt with an emergency in the air? How did that go?
FA's go to recurrent training every year. For 2 days we are retrained in the worst case scenario of an event. Medical emergencies are quite common. I have dealt with someone appearing to be having a heart attack, appearing to be going through withdrawal, appearing to have alcohol poisoning. No one has ever appeared to have died on my flight (thank goodness). I use the word "appear" because I am not medically certified to know if these events are actually taking place (airline company language). There is almost always a doctor or some medical professional on board. We have oxygen tanks and medical kits available with everything needed to sustain someone until we can land. It's scary, but that training definitely kicks in like second nature.
How do you cope with long layovers? Do you have access to airport lounges or are you ruffing it fighting over outlets with the rest of us?
Long sits between flights are rough. It makes a long day even longer. I always have a book and there's always words with friends and shopping on my phone. We can fly about 9 hours of combined flight time before we time out. That's just flight time, our duty day can go up to 15 hours. If you see a FA on the ground, they are not getting paid. Our pay is strictly flight time. If a sit is scheduled over 4 hours, we get a hotel room. I said scheduled, this means a delay does not count. The airlines are smart and they schedule sits for 3hours and 50 minutes. We are pretty much roughing it. If the airport is at a base, there is usually a crew room for us to go to.
What is your favorite airport to fly in and out of? Favorite airport restaurant?
My favorite airport to fly into is SFO because that means I'm home. My favorite airport to fly out of is what ever airport is the last one before SFO. My favorite restaurant at an airport is McDonald's. It's my guilty pleasure. I order the #2 special with extra pickles. I won't eat it in front of anyone. I don't eat the bun, so I put the fries on the burger and use the bun like a wrapper to push the patty up.
Does it bother you when people tune out the emergency briefing? Anything we should not be ordering off the drink cart?
It's rude and it does bug me a bit. People don't pay attention because they don't want to think about it happening. Ordering drinks and food on the airplane is fine. The food is full of salt and preservatives, but there's nothing unsanitary about it.
How do you pack? Any tips for the common traveler?
I bring 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of flats, 1 pair of flip flops, loose comfy pants, 3 tank tops, a hoody, a pair of black jeans, 3 t shirts, a dress or a pencil skirt, a bikini, 7 pairs of underpants, 4 bras, 7 pairs of socks and pantyhose and a scarf. I use packing cubes for my clothes. I wrap my shoes in shower caps. I Clorox wipe everything in my hotel room: light switches, toilet seat, door handles and i put the tv remote in a plastic bag. If I have to deadhead (the company flies me to my next segment or home because of a cancellation) I wipe down everything around me on the plane: seats, tray table, armrest. I'm not a germaphobe. It's totally normal, right? I won't even break down my logic behind this, you can figure it out. Do not walk around the airplane barefoot or in socks, especially in the bathroom!!Do not talk to a flight attendant about a plane crash unless the plane you are on is crashing.Bring your own food. If you have food allergies, bring your own food.There is no microwave oven on the plane to heat up your soup.We do not provide diapers.Bring your own refillable water bottle, I'll gladly fill it up for you.
Do you work with the same people?
I rarely work with the same person twice. However, I have worked with the same personality several times. This can be both good and bad. It's a lonely job and working with the wrong personality can really bring it out. Looking at someone's photo album of their cats birthday party and that someone is your flying partner, makes for a depressing time. This could go on for days!
How often are you home? What does a normal day look like for you?
I'm home about 12 days a month. I usually work a 6 days on, 2-3days off schedule. It's all I can hold at my seniority. It's hard to maintain friendships when your gone so much. I have to make an effort to reach out to people when I'm home. Being around hundreds of people all day makes me want to isolate myself when I'm home. I want to go out and kick it, but I still have laundry to do and groceries to buy. I have people over for dinner a lot so I'm close to my bed. I usually cook and pack my own food. Everything about this job does a number on your body. I eat healthy (I cook everything with bacon fat and drink at least 2 chocolate strawberry milkshakes a week. Your body needs fat.), work out (I practice Pilates and sometimes that means watching a video on my phone while laying in bed) and meditate daily. I've completely lost my body clock. I sleep when I'm tired, usually in 4 hour intervals. Pilates and swimming can usually get my sleep on track and keeps me energized. This summer travel season has been rough. I usually play with my records when I'm home. The last few weeks have my turntables looking like a Lazy Susan with candy and water bottles toothpaste and a coffee mug on them.
What's the best seat in the house if you're flying coach?
If you're flying coach, try to get an exit row seat. If there are 2 exit rows, one behind the other, get the one behind the first exit row. The seats in front of it don't recline. Otherwise, any window seat towards the first half of the cabin.
Craziest thing you've seen a passenger try and pull off?
Folks will try to get away with whatever they can. The first thing that comes to mind is the fort/tent made with blankets tucked in to the back of the headrests. Totally normal if you have a kid trying to sleep. Totally not normal if you're trying to make sexy time with your partner.
Do you still love travel or has this changed your relationship with it?
I still love to travel and I've taken advantage of my travel benefits. It really is the only reason to do this job. The ins and outs of the job can be thankless and mentally and physically challenging. That all goes away when you can dash over to Hawaii to meet up with friends or ride a friends coattails on a whim to stay in the South of France for 2 weeks and their employer payed for 5 star accommodations.
If you could give every traveler one solid piece of advice what would you recommend?
Bring your own food and reusable water bottle. Do this especially if you have dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten free, etc). The food supply is limited and there aren't a whole lot of options. Pack a lap blanket or warm clothing, especially if you are going to be seated in an exit row. Bring your own entertainment, airlines are phasing out entertainment systems on newly configured aircrafts.
Interview With DJ and Producer Doc Delay | Piecelock 70 Records |
Who is Doc Delay? What do you do?
Doc Delay is my super-hero name. A branding from my graffiti days in the early 90s. I'm a producer, lifetime DJ, and fan of music.
How long have you been making music? What started it all for you?
I have been manipulating recorded music since I was a little kid. I played piano and guitar most of my life as well, but i didn't really start making songs until about 1994.
What is your production set up looking like these days?
I share a studio with a friend. It's pretty serious. We have a lot of outboard gear. Tube pre-amps, old mics, synths, transistor organs, vintage drums, ect.
From what I've seen you have a good amount of analogue gear, what are some of your favorite pieces?
I really like the old effects and combining them in different chains. I have a Maestro G-2 that I use almost too much, but my favorite piece of gear is a 1967 Gretsch Country Gentleman. The sounds i get out of that thing are amazing.
Are you sampling drums or them playing live?
Depends. Sometimes both. Sometimes I don't use drums at all. I'll just record a bunch of layers of percussion individually. Recording drums is tough. I have been getting pretty good at it, but every drummer plays different.
What does an average day look like for you? How often are you in the studio?
Since we opened the new spot last August, I've been in there about 3 days a week on average. I usually have a plan when i arrive and i hit the ground running. Sometimes it goes as planned, sometimes it takes a weird turn and ends up being something totally different, It's never a waste of time
The latest release "Morgan" is a bit hard to define musically. With spacey rock elements, synthesizers, vintage vocal samples and hip hop style drums. What was it like creating the project?
That record is something I have been trying to make since the 90s. I always wanted to make a sample based album but was never really given the opportunity until Morgan came out. By that point I had almost moved on from sampling altogether. Too many squandered opportunities due to the legal limitations of that medium.
This was your first "album" correct? How did you link with Piecelock 70?
I have a few earlier EPs, but yes, that is my first full length. I have and will always make pretty deep DJ mixes. Thes from People Under the Stairs was a fan of those mixes and he gave me the opportunity to make an album.
I read somewhere that your neighborhood in Brooklyn played a part in the creation of the album. How is that?
It was actually one street that was a corridor between my apartment and the studio where i mixed the record. The walk was where i listened to everything i was making, so i named the album after that street. The neighborhood got super expensive, and the studio closed as i was wrapping up the record. It was really a goodbye to that era, but my new studio is in the same neighborhood, so i still walk the same route. doh!
Where are you looking musically for inspiration? Is it important for a producer to be a DJ?
Being a dj has given me an interesting insight musically, but i wouldn't say it's important to production. If you make pop music i suppose it could be. if you are interested in producing a unique product, knowing whats out there could never hurt.
Are you still digging for records? Can you recommend something the people might not be up on?
When I think of "digging," I associate it with early mornings at flea markets and road trips. What I do now more closely resembles casual record shopping. Stuff still falls in my lap from time to time. I was just in Cape Cod, and stopped at a thrift store on my way home. There was a mint Village Callers LP in the bins for $2. I recommend that people get out and interact with folks in their community. Every town in the US has an old music legacy. Find the older generations and listen to their stories. If you do that, the records will find you.
Most ridiculous "in the field" record find?
I'm not sure how to quantify that. Is that a rarity thing, a crazy story, or value? I bought Skull Snaps from a homeless guy across the street from my apartment for $0.25 once. I found a really weird vietnamese bootleg of The Meters first LP that was brought back by a veteran of that war. I once bought a hip hop collection that required two trips completely filling every empty area of my Honda prelude. The muffler was dragging on the asphalt, it was so heavy. I bought a collection from a drug dealer's ex-girlfriend who failed to notice the $1400 in cash stashed in between album covers.
What's the worst thing to happen to you at a gig?
Getting dragged out of the club by a cop, and having my face smashed against a tree.
iTunes or Serato crates? How is your digital music organized?
I like to organize Serato crates by crowds who i affectionately name things like,"Fat Girls" or "Art School" or "Fraggle Rock"
Favorite love song?
Thats a tough one. My friends did a cover of James Brown's "Try Me" at my wedding.
Whats next for Doc Delay?
I'm working on a new album with my insanely talented friend and neighbor, Zack Martin. We never really set out to make it any particular style. We just started writing music and it's lead us in the direction it wants to go. It's a huge leap for me technically, stylistically, and musically. Some of the best stuff we're making is a result of compromise. That's something you never learn making beats.
Check out Doc Delay's latest record MORGAN here, follow him on Soundcloud, and Facebook.
Record Label Spotlight: The Paris DJs
Long long ago in a distant land, record labels looking to release music would sign a group or solo artist to a development deal, groom them, and expect the eventual pay off. The music industry was never an easy nut to crack, and in 2014 it is harder that ever for indie artists to even make a dent. Sure, the tools are all there. Artists can list on Bandcamp, iTunes, Soundcloud, YouTube, but the road map has long since been thrown away. You've got to make your own way in this world, maybe you'll find enough fans who support what you are doing to tour. Perhaps you'll even make a little money. It's a numbers game. Up and coming French record label The Paris DJs have the numbers on their side. With hundreds of DJ mixes and weekly releases from artists, they have organically developed a world wide fan base and have millions of downloads of their releases...all with virtually no promotion. How does that work? We recently caught up with label manager Djouls about the collective and how they get things done.
What Is Paris DJs ?
We're quite unique. We're a label with dozens of releases every year, we've got media on the web with millions of downloads without any promotion, a group of DJs at the Glastonbury festival, and we offer services to artists & labels. We do a lot of things... and basically Paris DJs is the brand. How did the collective start? Here is the official run down. Activists on the musical web since 1996, Djouls & Grant Phabao launched, in 2005 and with the help of former Radio Nova music director (1987-1997) Loik Dury, the ParisDJs.com website, because there wasn't (and there still isn't) any media here in France about "black music" in general - which is what we were producing (and still are). Willie Hutch had just died at the time and nobody was talking about it so we decided to do a mix about Willie Hutch, which was the first mix of our podcast of mixes (now 432 episodes). Eight years later, Paris DJs has become a core institution of that same musical web. A genuine alternative media of music you don't hear on the radio, the site offers news, portraits, interviews, commented discographies, free singles and exclusive mixes. Those mixes have been greatly responsible for Paris DJs' notoriety, with their original artwork, detailed tracklisting and professional mastering. More than 430 mixes have been published up until now, generating more than 3.8 million downloads, without any form of promotion, only through word-of-mouth! The remixes from multi-instrumentalist/producer Grant Phabao have also been going all around the world, with nearly a million downloads of reggae reworks of George Clinton, The Herbaliser, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip and many others, AC/DC included! In 2012 the media website became a label, and started releasing a new single, album or compilation every week. Djouls & Loik are in charge of the artistic direction, famous French illustrator Ben Hito takes care of the graphic direction and Grant Phabao is the one dealing with the audio production process. In a little bit more than a year, Paris DJs released 4 roots reggae albums with Jamaican legends from Studio One (The Lone Ranger, Carlton Livingston, The Jays and The Silvertones), 4 afrofunk & tropical grooves compilations with artists from the whole wide world ("Dis is good for you", "We are the fire inside your mind", "Rise of the troubadour warriors" and "Have you ever been to electric afroland?"), two hip hop compilations ("Take the chains off your brains" and "Spirituality & the supernatural"), and nearly 50 singles. Many artists participated in the project: Shawn Lee, Jungle Fire, Horace Andy, Franck Biyong, Afrodyete (The Breakestra), Doctor L, Lee Fields, Adrian Quesada (The Echocentrics, Brownout), Ocote Soul Sounds, Mop Mop, Goat, Jungle By Night, The Grits, Brownout, Bio Ritmo, Todd Simon's Ethio-Cali Ensemble, The Funk Ark, The Herbaliser, Radio Citizen, musicians from Antibalas, from Fela's Egypt 80, from The Poets Of Rhythm, from The Souljazz Orchestra …. just to name a few. All those releases are available in digital format, on Bandcamp and JunoDownload, and for the compilations and some selected singles iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Spotify, etc.
What sorts of music are the Paris DJs known for playing?
We're big on the afro, reggae, and funk scenes, and "black music" in general, but not exclusively. There is good music in all kinds of genre. We like soulful, groovy and psychedelic music, but again, not exclusively. If we're asked to do a program of music we're not experts of, we know and have access to the right experts of that kind of music and can make it happen.
Are you still buying records ?
Yes ! Mostly vinyl, but some CDs too. Every month. We receive a lot of free records because we're also an influential media, but that doesn't stop us from buying cool records, and supporting our friends and collaborators. Record stores are a part of our ecosystem, we try to buy from them in Paris regularly.
What is the appeal of 45 RPM records?
WE LOVE 45s. We recently had to do a radio show, 3 hours long, with Loik, Grant Phabao and myself, and couldn't really prepare the thing, or bring lots of records, so we decided that Phabao was gonna play his own tunes from CDRs, and Loik & myself would play 45s. Because it's so easy to carry, and so cool to play. You don't have to think much about which track you're gonna pick from the record ! Recently friends from The Souljazz Orchestra went to Paris DJs to spend a free evening, we listened to 45s all night long ad they loved it - because who doesn't like 45s really ? We've pressed a handful already, and 6 new ones are coming this summer...
What was the label's first release ?
Our first mix was one about Wilie Hutch. Our first free single was a reggae remix of George Clinton approved by the Dr Funkenstein himself. Out first digital release on Paris DJs was a digital single of Grant Phabao and The Lone Ranger paying tribute to Steve Jobs, called "The Iphone Connection", which was an update of an old 1982 tune from The Lone Ranger called "The Walkman Connection". Our first physical release was a poster for the "Dis Is Good For You" compilation. Our first vinyl LP will happen this summer.
Are you guys promoting any new releases?
In 2013 we put out 52 releases. In 2014 we're not releasing quite as much, but we have a bunch of vinyl releases coming. Then in September I'll start putting out something new (an album, single or compilation) every week once again!!
What equipment are you guys working with in the studio?
We'd rather not say much. We use many tools, from old school amps and compressors to brand new plugins.... From old, foreign, exotic instruments to bass, keys, drums, guitar, etc. And if we need a bigger studio to record something specific, we have many places we can work.
What prompted the recent crowd funding release?
Well for years we've put out amazing digital stuff. In 2013 many labels and distributors approached us wanting to make a deal. But ALL the deals we were offered were crookeries. Since we don't want to work just to make other people rich and not be able to live from our music, we decided to keep on doing everything ourselves. Through distribution, there's a 1€ margin on an album. Directly to stores, that margin is 4€. And directly to the consumers/fans, that margin is 8€. That means that selling 300 copies directly is the equivalent of selling 2400 copies through a distributor. But reaching out to 2400 people has a publicist/promo cost, while reaching out to 300 we don't need anyone.... Did you know that it was The Grateful Dead who invented the direct-to-fan concept, way back in 1984? We don't have much cash, so the crowd funding was the obvious way to go. We picked the best tunes we had put out digitally for the last two years, and re-packaged them as a 6x7" box set and a double LP. Already everyone is asking us when we're going to be releasing the next campaign! We might not go through crowd funding in the future though, it kinda only works once.The second time your close friends and family will say they already helped you the first time...
Who does the label's illustration work?
That's a guy from south of France called Ben Hito. He has been around since the 80s, and he's one of the 10 best illustrators in France. Shepard Fairey from OBEY says "Ben Hito is not the French Shepard Fairey, on the contrary I'm the American Ben Hito!". During the summer of 2012 I was asked to do the George Clinton website by his manager who's a friend. He sent me towards Ben Hito to help me with the design/graphics. I met this amazing guy and fantastic artist and gave him the keys to all Paris DJs' image (which I was doing myself before). We have a lot of fun together, he's so great. Of course he has a cost, but working with him brought Paris DJs to a brand new level worldwide.
What do you have planned for the future?
We're doing so many different things around music it's hard to guess what the future will bring us. What I tell everyone is that, considering all the artists we already worked with, and considering the quality of our production, ideas, and sound, our goal is to work with people such as Prince or Stevie Wonder! (and many others until then, of course). But roughly, we hope to become a direct-to-fan operation for us and other bands in the near future.
What's Next for Paris DJs?
We have the Grant Phabao Afrofunk Arkestra album coming, with guests from Fela's Egypt 80, from Antibalas, Jungle Fire, Brownout, Breakestra, The Souljazz Orchestra, Franck Biyong, Sandra Nkaké, Les Frères Smith... We have Grant Phabao tunes with RacecaR, a very talented MC from Chicago who lives a block away from our studio. There's also a Paris DJs Soundsystem FUNK compilation that's nearly finished... Also a series of 50 free mixes which I can't tell anyone about yet, and many new collaborators (singers, rappers, vocalists) waiting for Phabao to deliver new riddims or instrumentals for them to sing on!
Keep up with The Paris DJs on their website , on Facebook, and on Soundcloud