T Dot - What A Spot (originally published 5.15.06)

Headed up to Toronto to finally meet my friends Julia and Kim from Kick Magazine and hang out in what has become one of my favorite places. I have been freelancing for Kick Magazine for about a year now, yet have never had the opportunity to meet Julia (the editor) or any of the other Kick staff. Working with Julia and mutual friend, Greg Gow, I was able to arrange this trip north of the border.

I arrived at Pearson International Airport and had a bit of trouble at the border. Although no one asked to check my bags (full of records), they did ask me about 20 different questions and stamped my passport twice. After that I picked up my luggage and met up with Brandon, the promoter for the event, and a really great guy. They dropped me off at my hotel right off Yonge Street and we made plans to meet up later at the club.

I plopped down my bags and hit the street, eager to take in this beautiful, sunny, May afternoon. I walked down Yonge, and hit up the truly massive Eaton Center shopping mall, complete with 50 foot high ceilings and impressive, glass loon sculptures hanging from the roof. I really want in the mood to be a) inside and b) shopping at places like the Gap and Express…so I headed outside and continued down Yonge towards Queen Street.

Queen Street is a beautiful thoroughfare with old school street cars, wonderfully eclectic shops and restaurants and the XX gardens. I walked all the way to Queen Street West, south of Spadina to see my friend Noah Pred at Moog Audio. We chatted for a bit, made some plans for dinner at Korean restaurant and parted ways. I wanted to see what Toronto featured for record shops, and while I really didn’t need anything, I still went on the look out. I started at 2 The Beat, a really well stocked shop on Spadina Avenue. Located in the basement, I headed down and found a great selection of music – including techno, albeit most of it was of the hard, acid variety – including racks and racks of tracks from Dave the Drummer, Chris Liberator, ANT and the like. I later found out that they were all personal friends with Dave, Chris etc…and that was the style most of the customers preferred. Fair play to them, but nothing that piqued my fancy.

I left and walked back up to Youge Street, then back up to my hotel on Carlton. I grabbed a cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s (the Toronto equivalent of Dunkin Donuts) and headed back to catch a few winks.

Around 9 p.m., Julia and Kim showed up to get me and we drove to a great Korean restaurant in Korea Town (and right across the street from Clintons’) on Bloor Street West. We had a great meal (much of which Julia and I cooked ourselves on the grill in the center of our table, and enjoyed the company of Noah and his girlfriend (so sorry I can’t recall her name), Julia, Kim and a great techno producer and nicer guy, Arthur Oskan. After dinner, we literally rolled my records across the street and headed to the gig.

The club was small, on the scale of the Phoenix Landing and more set up for live music, like Metronome in Burlington, VT. The crowd was thin, but the sound was good and Brandon was laying down a nice, smooth opening set. I took to the decks around 12 and played a two hour set that spanned the gamut from minimal beats (Mathias Tanzmann and Trentemoller) to funky drum tracks (Mark Williams and Davide Squillace), to some really hard, bangin’ stuff (Alex Bau and DJ Rush.) The numbers got better and I had most of the room moving at one point or another, but it was never packed by any means.

I got off at 2 and turned it over to local jock, Derek Ramirez who really impressed me. He played a smooth, building, Detroit flavored set that was on point and truly flawless. Very much the yin to my yang, we would make a great team and I hope to work with him again in the near future.

I left the club at 3:30, headed to Arthur’s apartment for a quick shot and then off to Brandon’s place to shoot the breeze and listen to the live PA that Arthur had just completed in anticipation of his performance at DEMF in Detroit. It was on point and so was the vodka and tonic. We left there around 5 a.m. and caught a cab back to my hotel. I slept till 1 and then headed up to Bloor Street for some more shopping and walking around. I caught a cab down to the Harbourfront Centre, and walked along the banks of Lake Ontario for a while. Around 3, Brandon picked me up and we went to dinner at a great Tex/ Mex restaurant, called Sneaky Dees on College Street. I had an outstanding breakfast burrito and a couple of tall bloody marys and we left and headed for the airport.

Apparently there is someone with my name, from New York, that has been a bad boy. Every time (for the last 2 years) that I travel through customs, they pull me aside and grill me on where I live, what I do for work etc etc. After answering all the right questions and having my bags searched (again), I was sent through. Of course, my flight was delayed and I didn’t leave Toronto until 7 p.m. 36 hours after I left, I was back in Boston, and ready to head to bed so I could wake on Monday and get back to the real world of my day job.

Toronto is one of my favorite places and can truly rival any city in the world. They have great food, wonderful culture, lots of different ethnic groups and all the arts, sports and points of interest you would expect in a modern, viable, metropolis. I loved it and can’t want to do it all again very soon.

Cleveland Rocks!!? (originally published 1.21.06)

Flew into Cleveland at 4:30 and Saturday afternoon and walked about a mile to get to the baggage claim. Got my bags, met up with Don, one of the promoters for the night and drove into downtown Cleveland and got checked in at the hotel.

My friend Toad had driven up from Oxford, Ohio about 4 hours from Cleveland and we met up and headed up for a few beers. We walked right past Jacobs’s field and the Quicken arena (formerly Gund Arena) where the Cavaliers play. We caught up a bit and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

We headed down to the club, called Touch and dropped our gear. I set up my EFX 1000 and we decided to eat at Touch. The place was EMPTY, not slow but literally empty at 7:30 on a Saturday night. Not a good sign. The food was actually pretty good, and it was good getting to finally talk in person to Zolie and Don. They were really down to earth and we got along well, from the beginning.

Me, Toad and Zolie left there to head to his house to pick up a few last minute pieces of gear. He had a really nice pad, with a great production studio in the basement. Full 64 track mixing board, nice monitors and a great set up for making beats.

We then headed down to this other club (the name escapes me at the minute), a brand new spot that just opened right downtown. The place was gorgeous. LED lights on the walls and ceilings, projection screens everywhere and a really solid, EAW sound system. Unfortunately the DJ was very sub par and the crowd was MIA.

Left there and headed out for a tour of Cleveland nightlife that should have been titled, what ifs and used to be’s. We drove by more than 25 venues that used to be good, are good a few months out of the year or are completely out of business at this point. Zolie told us “Oakenfold played there in 1995, Josh Wink used to play there every month etc.” The story was (unfortunately) a broken records and the same tour could have taken place in countless other cities in the world.

This begs a bigger question, about what happened to all the partying that used to take place. Not even related to the dance scene, but the nightclubbing scene for all genres (aside for hip hop and pop) seems to have gone away for the most part. What are 22 year olds doing on Saturday Nights these days? Certainly not supporting local nightclubs…that’s for sure.

Touch is really small, but a nice place. Good sounds, decent lights, nice dark atmosphere...the kind of small club that could go off under the right circumstances. Unfortunately on this night, club politics and the BS that comes from promoters not working together reared its ugly head. A group of locals decided to throw their own party with more than 15 Cleveland DJs playing that same night. Needless to say, they took a bite out of Touch’s turnout and we had less than 150 people all night. Disappointing to say the least.

Having said that, I had fun hanging out with Zolie and Don and we are not working on a couple of events for WMC in Miami in March. They are great guys and even better hosts.

Hope to be back in Cleveland soon, this time playing for a crowd that actually does rock.

Boston to NYC to Burlington and Back (originally published 1.14.06)

I took advantage of the long weekend and scheduled a couple of shows for January 14th and 15th.

I left Boston at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and few down to NYC to hang out with my boy Amos and drop some records at the Café Deville. I arrived in Manhattan around 4 p.m., dropped my bags (amid a bunch of people still sleeping off their Friday night hangovers) and headed out in the rain to do some shopping.

I stopped into Vinyl Market (241 E 10th St.) to see my friend Kazu. Kazu is a really great guy that is one of the best techno DJs in NYC and a really passionate supporter of the scene. His shop is one of the last vinyl shops in NYC, and is dedicated in large part to techno and minimal tech house. He always has great stuff and is fun to talk to. We had a couple of cans of Sapporo and talked for nearly 2 hours. I then headed off to grab a few beers and watch the beginning of the Pats/ Denver game. Unfortunately, I had to leave to get ready for dinner…but as it turns out, it was a depressing finish, so glad I missed it.

Ended up on lower west side at a place called Miracle Grill and had an enjoyable dinner with several great friends. Amos, Rich Foster and Brianna, Jim Tremayne (my editor from DJ Times) and Emily Tan, another great writer for the magazine. Left there and headed to Café Deville to meet Gok and get after it.

Café Deville is a really small spot in the basement, but the energy and vibe is present everywhere. A decent little sound system and a room of people up for a good time can turn any room into a party, and that is exactly what happened here. Mike Bryant was on when I walked in and was playing some really funky, bubbling tech house and minimal that had the place bouncing.

I jumped on at 2 and dropped a filthy, gritty, electro flavored set that bordered on techno in many places. The crowd was really receptive and everyone had a great time. The drinks were flowing and at 4:30, I got off and we made our exit. A heavy snow was falling on the city, so we jumped in a cab and headed to Happy Valley for after-hours. We partied there for about 3 more hours and I got to drop a few tunes there as well.

On the way back to Amos’ place with about 15 people, we were actually able to order a case of beer for delivery (at 8:30 on a Sunday morning….gotta love New York.) I decided to just stay away and caught a cab to LaGuardia around 9:15. Flying with ZERO sleep isn’t fun, and when I got to VT…I was beat to say the least.

Got picked up at the airport by my great friend Jon and went to his place to chill. Instead of going out, he decided to cook me dinner and pulled out all the stops. Shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, home made sauce with spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and all the trimmings. Got a bit of sleep and headed down to Metronome for Sunday Night Mass.

Easily my favorite smaller club, Metronome is nothing special to look at…but the vibe in there is unmatched. Justin and Ben from Nexus Artist Management have being doing this weekly for SEVEN YEARS and I am happy to say it is still going STRONG.

Great turnout and by 12:30 the place was juiced and the dance floor was rocking. I mixed through some funky stuff early, but by 1 it was straight on techno…with the crowd just eating it up. I dropped my remix of “Necessary Evil”, and the place lost its shit. Lots of smiling faces and a great way to wrap up a LONG weekend.

Thanks again to all my friends in NYC and VT for their hospitality and support and hope to see you all again soon.

New Trip to New Haven (originally posted 12.12.05)

I have driven by, around and through New Haven, CT for years on my way to New York City. But it wasn’t until 3 years ago that I actually pulled offer Rt 91 and ventured downtown. A friend I had made through my extensive networking at conventions and online, DJ Bill Weaver invited me to come down to Toads Place and play with him on a Saturday Night. That night I met Rob LaFrance, a young jock from New Haven that was also working at Toads.

Since that time, Rob and I have remained friends, attended several DJ Times Expos in Atlantic City, hung out at RISE and Avalon in Boston and down at WMC in Miami and generally become good friends. I was pleased when Rob asked me to come down to his club in New Haven and play a guest set, and was looking forward to exploring the city yet again.

We drove down and checked into the stately, New Haven Hotel. The oldest hotel in the city, it was well maintained and had a lot of character. The room was big, the lobby had an interesting lounge and restaurant and it was very centrally located.

We got picked up by Rob and headed to Bar for some famous New Haven pizza. While not as known (or as good) as some of the other legendary spots, the pizza at Bar was solid and the atmosphere was relaxed and easy going. I met Nate, one of the other residents at Alchemy and we enjoyed a quick bite.

After that, Rob and Nate went to the club to set up and get things started, and my boy Cooch and I headed to an Irish Pub (which shall remain unnamed) down the street. We sat at the bar, ordered a couple of pints and began what would prove to be a very strange 30 minutes. There was ZERO atmosphere and with the flat screen TVs showing figure skating and a made for TV movie, the distractions were few and far between as well. We watched as the bartender spilled a glass into the rubber mat on the bar. We then watched him proceed to take the mat, pour it back in the glass, put the liquid on ice and then serve it to someone at the end of the bar.

Needless to say, that was our cue to pay our tab and exit. NEVER have I seen anything more disgusting…our night wasn’t starting on a good foot.

We left and made out way to the Nikita Martini Bar, which was 180 degrees in the other direction. Very hip, with cool décor and music, great drinks and a very friendly (and great looking) staff. Every waitress and bartender was HOT and they made the vibe upbeat and fun. We will definitely be back next time we are in town.

Alchemy is a big, old, somewhat beat up space that takes up the better part of a city block. They have reggae in one room, hip hop in another and then the lowly house lounge, upstairs. It was cold out, two weeks before Christmas and very slow.

Rob was on first, warming things up and we met the bartenders there…that took very good care of us…all of our drinks were on the house.I got on around 11:30 and started slow, with some tech house and minimal groovers. As I slowly built things up, people started getting more and more into it.

The harder I got (within reason), the more they danced. But since there were never more than 15 people on the floor, it was very easy to burn them out. I ended up playing a lot of my more accessible techno tracks, some remixes and a bit of classic house. It wasn’t a massively successful gig from a turnout standpoint, but the people that were there had fun and I have a couple of people that really ripped it up and gave back all the energy I gave out (thanks Gwen.)
We went back to Nate’s place for a laid back after-party and ended up back at the hotel by 5 or so.

I had a great time in New Haven. The people at Alchemy were really great. They put me up in a really nice room, got all my drinks and when it came time to square up at the end of the night, they were very easy to deal with and appreciative of my efforts. Unlike many promoters and club owners, they did what they said they would and were professional all the way.

I also want to say thanks again to Rob and Nate for your hospitality and hope to be back playing again in CT in the near future.

My Old Kentucy Home (maybe someday) (originally posted 11.26.05)

Went to Lexington, KY for Thanksgiving and got a chance to really get a feel for the place. This is a truly beautiful part of the country and the sweeping hills and enormous farms are amazing. Some of the richest people in the world have horse farms in Lexington and the buildings alone are a sight to see.

The Lexington metro area is relatively small, but there is a lot of money concentrated in the general area and there are some gorgeous homes that are big and affordable, two words that you just won’t see in the same sentence here on the East Coast. I got a chance to go to Rupp Arena to see UK play a basketball game, had some great food and enjoyed a really relaxing visit with my girlfriend’s family.

Saturday Night I drove to Louisville to check in at the historic and simply stunning Seelbach Hotel. We got settled and then headed downstairs to the jazz bar in the lounge, with stiff drinks and a lot of atmosphere. Finally got to meet Sam and Eddie from Resonant Vibes and they were really great guys. Had a few more drinks, a shot (thanks Sam) and then headed across the street to 4th Street Live, a section of bars and restaurants where you get carded on the street and then are able to take drinks from one bar to another or buy drinks in the street if the weather is nice enough. It was actually a really nice night for late November, but still we settled into the Markers Mark Lounge for a few drinks before we headed over to the gig.

Got to Main Street Lounge around 12:30 and Q Burns was throwing down a funky, eclectic house set…full of chunky beats and a ton of effects. The people in the room were digging the beats, but unfortunately there just weren’t enough of them in attendance. There was a line at the bar up the street that offered 18+ and Hip-hop (go figure), but Main Street was a bit slower than I had hoped.

Met Lindsay and Maria (the two main promoters) and had a few tasty cocktails with Sam, Eddie and Megan. I got on the decks at 2 and the room had even less people than it did when we first arrived, but I had come all this way with my music…might as well do my best and see what I could build. After about 15 minutes, more and more people started to come out of the bar area and by 2:30 or so, I had the dance floor relatively full. I started off nice and chunky with the new Trentemoller and Marc Romboy, but was determined to get my groove on and get my techno sound heard…even for 50 people in a small room in Louisville.

As I got further into the harder beats, the people actually responded very positively and came right along with me for the ride. I played a few classics (Go from Moby and Washing Machine from Mr. Fingers) and ended the set around 3:50 with “Amber” by 311. As I packed up, I had a couple of offers to go to after parties, but with a 6:30 trip to the airport and 9 hours of travel time to get back to Boston on the agenda, we decided to call it a day.

Thanks again to Eddie and Sam and the entire Louisville crew. Hope to do it again soon.

Recap of a LONG weekend in RI/ Boston (originally posted 10.29.05)

Attended two exceptional events this weekend that raged till the wee hours of the morning and judging by my approaching cold…I am a bit worse for the wear. In spite of this, I saw something at each event that bodes really well for the future of EDM in New England and beyond.
Friday Night.

Was excited to head to RISE in Boston to check out one of the biggest DJs in the world, Roger Sanchez. As impressive as the list of performers that RISE has hosted over the last few years, it must be said that Roger Sanchez is on another level, a level that I would have bet was beyond such an intimate venue. Somehow forces converged and we were blessed to have the S Man agree to play for us at RISE.

I walked down Stuart Street around 2:30 and saw Todd Reeves, Shayna and a few other friends escorting Mr. Sanchez. We walked straight in, headed upstairs and Roger went right to the booth. Joe Mama was laying down a thick and chunky opening set and the room was bubbling under, just ready to burst. Roger jumped right on and started his assault of party rockers and funky house jams. Mixing flawlessly and dropping acapellas and working the effects like they belonged, Mr. Sanchez showed why he is one of the best in the world. The vibe in the room was upbeat and positive and there were smiling faces from front to back (on both floors.)

I would have liked to hear him space out the anthems a bit, with a few more instrumentals and vocal-less tracks but overall, it was about what I expected from Roger. A ton of well known tracks, a lot of remixes, some well placed classics and a TON of energy. Musically, it wasn’t exactly my bag. But in terms of energy and crowd control, I haven’t see too many DJs do it better that that.

Saturday Night.

I left Boston at 1:30 a.m. to head down to Providence for “Rave is Dead” at Therapy. As I drove on nearly deserted highways, it dawned on me the dichotomy that is DJing.
The whole nature of your job revolves around being the center of attention, with people looking to you to control the vibe and make a room full of speakers and lights into a party. But there is also this kind of solitude that is DJing, where you are often driving at all hours of the night to parties by yourself. Even after the most bangin event, as the last record fades…you are left alone to pack up you gear and think. I don’t bring this up to get into some deep psychological discussion; it is just something that I never really considered until this past weekend. Onto the party.

Volume Productions always throws the best parties. Great visuals, good sound, strong line-ups and a good mix of younger and slightly older attendees. Got to Therapy around 2:45 and walked in to the welcoming smile of my man Chuck, who consistently holds down the door and security at Therapy. One of the nicest people around, I am always happy to see him and his positive attitude and pleasant personality are major contributing factors to Therapy becoming one of my favorite rooms again.

Went upstairs to the sounds of Charles Feelgood, working the shit out of that room. Dropping 80s electro, remixes, funky Chicago house and ton of other booty shaking bombs, he had the room juiced to the max. Downstairs, Danny the Wildchild was on dropping his signature Drum + Bass grooves and while I couldn’t really feel it…the room was bouncing and the kids were rocking out.

Went back upstairs and got to listen to a true legend of the dance music scene in the US, Scott Henry. He worked his way through a variety of sounds and styles form smooth, progressive and funky tech house, to a vocal or two and a couple of great remixes. It was a pleasure to spin after him and even more fun talking to him at length after my set (read more below.)

I played from 4 to 5 and went straight to it, rocking a forward moving techno set. I played a few funky jams like the new Joris Voorn and the Motor Remix of Precious by Depeche Mode, but generally stuck to the harder edges of my record bag. The crowd was right along with me.
My friends Kevin Nazty and Vin Diesel closed out the night and played a lot of their own productions, which went over very well.

After my set, I had the pleasure of chatting with Scott Henry and we spoke about a lot of things related to the EDM scene in the US. He mentioned that he was VERY impressed with the crowd and the vibe at Therapy and how he thinks that New England has one of the STRONGEST SCENES in the US, and he would know.

While the New England scene isn’t nearly as strong as it once was and it isn’t as good as we would all like it to be, we should really take a good look in the mirror and appreciate what we have here and how it compares to the rest of the country.

Having played all over North America in the last year, I can honestly say that Boston and Providence is top notch all the way. Here’s hoping we can recognize this ourselves soon and start to really appreciate what we have right here in our backyard.

City of Brotherly Love (originally posted - 10.21.05)

On its own, Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities. But add the fact that I was going down to play at the same party as Carl Cox…and hang out with my good friend (and perennial great guy) Manolo, and you had the makings of a great weekend.

We arrived on Friday Night around 11 and headed straight to Manny’s new place onefourteen (114 Market Street) The club is absolutely gorgeous and was full of some of the best looking people Philly has to offer. The basement was dark and gritty, with some old school hip hop. The middle floor is a more chilled out lounge…and the top floor is where the real action takes place. Nice mix of mainstream house and good looking people. The drinks were flowing and it was a great place to kick off the weekend.

I ended up leaving around 1 to head to Emerald City to play an impromptu set. Their resident wasn't’t feeling well, so they asked me to fill in and play for a bit. I stepped up and in spite of a pretty meager crowd, had the room moving after a few records. Everyone from the light man to the owner Joe to the other DJs and regular customers were great to work with. They were extremely accommodating to us and we had a really good time hanging out there.

Saturday we ended up taking a walk in the rain down South Street. Did some record shopping at my man Nigel Richard’s shop (611 Records) and had some lunch at a really good raw bar. At night we went with Manny to a restaurant owned by his Brother-in-Law Sal, called Trattoria Lucca (1915 E Passyunk Ave) The meal was fantastic, from the appetizers, to the main course, and the desert. Very comfortable atmosphere and top notch Italian food. It felt more like my grandmother’s house than a restaurant, and that is the biggest compliment I can give to Sal and his staff.

We went back to 114 for a bit and then off to Emerald City to play with Carl Cox. When we got to EC, that place was PACKED. Not a little crowded, but literally bordering on overcrowded. It took us 20 minutes to walk 500 feet. Carl was rocking the stage area, which is essentially a big garage, complete with garage door that they opened from time to time when it was getting too hot. The sound was decent and the lights were functional, but it is honestly not a space worthy of a talent like Cox. He played an adequate set, but really didn't’t impress me as he usually does. He seemed to be going through the motions. Mind you, his mixing was on point and his tracks were funky and powerful…but he did very little to really work the crowd or the tracks and it was generally a very average set.

In the other room, DJ Manolo got on and played a very energetic trance set…and had the crowd going for most of his set. Really nice job mixing and programming. I got on at 4:45, and had the place moving for the first half of my set…but by 5:30, people started leaving and my set was over shortly after that. Kind of a let down, but it was a long day (for the dancers and me and my friends), so getting to bed a few minute earlier than I planned was fine. Thanks to Mike Myers for the booking and great to see so many people out in support. Nice to meet Guido (from Razor and Guido), Tommyboy, DJ Donato and Nigel Richards (thanks for the support bro.)

Special thanks to Manny for a great weekend and all of your hospitality. Hope to be back in Philly in the near future.