So this past week was one that was just INCREDIBLE! 4 nights in a row of awesome partying on a level that I haven’t experience in quite some time (if ever). So where to start…?
WEDNESDAY
A ways back, the homie Brent Tactic let me know another tour was coming through the midwest (we had already brought Sazon Booya down for a successful Final Friday Bass night), and wanted to know if I could play host again. Well, no opportunitiy for a higher cover, but I was more than happy to welcome DFace, Kid Cedek, and Brent Tactic in to invade the night. The No Stopping Tour was coming to Wichita. And even better, we got 2 shows out of it by getting them booked at Nocturnal Thursdays at America’s Pub the next night. It also just so happened to be the first night we opened the patio. The fellas got in town early so we went downtown early to chill. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was getting nervous when there was NO ONE there at 10, but I knew it would get there. And it happened rather quickly. I spun til 10:30 or so, and then me and Brent tagged across 4 decks for a bit. From there on, it got insane. Brent went in to set the tone and the dance floor really picked up quickly. I think we were at capacity by 11:20 or so and shortly after that Kid Cedek jumped on the decks. By this point, being that I didn’t have to DJ, I started to enjoy what Wednesday Night Dance Party is all about. Drinks were flowing and the party was JUMPING. Cedek destroyed. Up next Dface came up and continued the fiesta. It was a simply incredible night, and the guys definitely indicated that it was one of the best stops on the tour. Makes me damned proud of my city to show out, and show love, and an open mind, and even without promotion we were there and got crazy. Late night Abelardos and then work the next day was painful….but so worth it…
The “No Stopping Tour” was named based on DFace’s latest EP release….
And a couple of photos from the night….Shit was INSANE!!! Wish I had video.
THURSDAY
Yes, TGIW -> FMLIT. After struggling through the day, I managed to find my second wind and get on our to Joe’s Old Town Bar & Grill. This was week 3 of the Team Ferrigno Thursday invasion of me and J Skratch getting loose on 2 turntables (usually right after eating those infamous Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls). We got down and it was super fun. Still trying to figure out the best direction up there. We get loose and go in all directions, and the crowd is super eclectic, so that’s what we run with. It’s always a good night, and I also gotta shout out the awesome staff that is up there. So on point every time. I usually get asked 5 times an hour if I need a drink up there, and that isn’t always the case at all venues. So, much love to them!
I also dipped out for a quick moment to jump over to America’s Pub for the No Stopping Tour.
Like I said, the Wednesday night was a surprise show, and I spent all my time promoting Thursday. And then after the surprise, and the success of Wednesday, I figured heads would line up for the Thursday night party. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Makes me wonder what went wrong as far as getting the right heads there. It’s that type of stuff that makes promoters hesitant to book national EDM acts, especially in 21+ venues in Wichita. Wish it was a better turnout.
In any case, jumped backed to Joe’s and me and J continued to rock the night proper. Real good night for sure. I think each week has gotten better, and we are only a few weeks in. Looking forward to this week as we continue to go onwards and upwards. So tell a friend to tell a friend that Joe’s is the new spot on Thursday night. 1/2 price drinks and me and J Skrizzle rockin out!
Also, if you see my new logo figurine, as pictured above, feel free to ask for a photo with him. I’ll be keeping track of his adventures and shenanigans on the blog.
FRIDAY
Again, managed to survive the day time grind, and then it was time to get to The Scene-ary, a new venue at Kellog and Tyler for the 42 Below Dubstep Hip Hop show. I had a feeling that this show was gonna blow up, but you never know with these things. Would it be more hip hop than dubstep? Vice Versa? Me and the homie Big O got started at 9 with some dubstep and then migrated to an uptempo club set. The place started filling up by 10. I started transitioning back into Dubstep, and then just really started getting into the my set. Started going throughout all kinds of genres, and my and Big O were going back and forth. We hit Glitch hop, Drumstep, DnB, Ragga, Juke and Moombah and I was bouncing on the stage for sure. I think I was feeling a bit more inspired after enjoying Tactic, Cedek, and Dface from the dancefloor side of things earlier in the week.
After some delays due to some miscommunication stuff, but we got it underway and eliminated some of the breaks during the hip hop. The show rolled well. Cloud Crowd opened while I stepped out for a moment. Big Mike was up next and he was on point for sure. You should def peep his video out. Up next was Antimosity. I for sure enjoy sharing the stage with that guy. He’s def the homie and we go way back, more than most know. Dude is mad talented and is on some real hip hop shit. Had people asking how long we worked on the set, and answer was….we didn’t. We got great chemistry and I know his tunes, as they are damned good. Then Tony Ngo went in. Everyone was getting down and Tony was doing it up proper. Then Evil Bastards stepped up to follow up the hip hop with some nasty dubstep, as only they do. I got down with them and started cutting it up and dropping hood acapellas. It was bananas. Hell, I even got on the mic and did some MCing for good measure. Manish Law was hosting the event, and he got caught up in the vibe so we dropped a couple tunes. Then I closed out the night with some turntablism and some more moombahton just for good measure. We were going IN! It was a super receptive crowd, and they got FRESH! We really went all over the map and I was really happy to have an eclectic crowd that rocked out with the entire spectrum. A seriously great night. LVLZ!!!
SATURDAY
I slept in! It was a beautiful thing. Connected with the homie J and checked out Picasso Pizza down in Delano. Place was great. Then it was down to America’s Pub. I got there, and Heady Lights was already getting setup on the main stage. That’s when I knew it was going to be a great night. Wow. That stage had one hell of a show that night. We tore through a little bit of everything, and the place was popping for sure. Another night of working through a little bit of everything, all with the intent of tearing up the dance floor up. It most certainly worked.
Peep out a bit of the light show….
And a little video before everything got going. It’s amazing what good lighting does to a venue… IMG_0564
Oh, and also, shout out to Tony for hookin it up with the Kush Life. I was lookin Freshly dipped with those lights shining….
So yes, that wraps up what went down on my weekend of fiesta. A HUGE thanks to everyone that was a part of it. I know I gave out a shitload of stickers, if you got one, please put it somewhere and take a picture. Send em my way. FB, Twitter, Instagram, whatever…. carbon@djcarbon.com is the email.
So you can see my last post and know that Moombahton is goin’ in full swing this month with all kinds of talent coming through town, so first let’s look at some talent that has come though (and I was lucky enough to record). Peep out the homie’s website and soundcloud to peep some GREAT tunes (12:15 has been a crate staple for quite some time for me, for all kinds of crowds). On top of being mad talented, he’s an all around good dude and I was humbled to share the stage with him for some Wednesday night festivities. Here’s the set…
We started off funky, and then there was some rap and dubstep, and plenty of moombah! Peep it for stream or download. Hit the comments and let me know.
Man, I remember looking at the calendar a few weeks back and thinking that April would be a crazy month, but now that it is here….WOW!
I don’t even know where to start with all of the one offs and residencies, so let’s just start with what’s next…
Wednesday night festivities are getting crazy. Last week we had POWERLIFTER come through and they most definitely kicked things up a notch. Then they left our city for their tour, but thankfully I was able to get a T shirt before they left.
Speaking of that shirt, I was proud to be rocking it for a photo shoot of the next issue of Mamarazzi magazine. The local magazine run by Ti’Juana Hardwell was featuring some of the local talent that puts in work from behind the turntables (or CDJs or controllers or whatever these kids are using these days). Here’s one flick we took of the group.
So yeah, that’s going to get released this month, so that’s one more thing to add to the April fun. So what else? Man, Friday nights at the Caboose have been getting better and better. Got some fresh faces in there so you should definitely come by and check it out.
And then we’ve got America’s Pub which is REALLY growing every week. This week will be no exception, as it’s gonna get pretty crazy with Devin The Dude
I have got a bunch of local talent that is gonna join me to open the show. It’s not going to be your normal performance, as it’s gonna be lots of talent with me mixing it all up. So if you are coming out that night, make sure you get there early to catch the whole event.
So…yeah…lots of goodness. And on top of that, I need to give props to America’s Pub on another note, and that’s for giving EDM a home on Thursday nights. This Thursday they have Sid Wilson (Slipknot’s DJ) headlining, and the one I am really looking forward to is the “No Stopping” tour with Rot10 musik featuring DFace, Kid Cedek, and Brent Tactic. That’s going to be on 4/19, and you won’t want to miss that night.
And not on a Thursday night, but Nocturnal by Nature is also bringing in Mendez, so even more props to them. Man….April is the month of moombahton in Wichita. You all better get with the program.
All that and I STILL feel like I’m missing stuff.
Lets see here…what else….Oh yeah!!! We got one hell of a dubstep and hip hop lineup thrown together for a 4/20 jam at The Scenery brought to you by 42 Below. This is gonna be an awesome show. Evil Bastards came through for a Final Friday Bass night at Rock Island Live last year and that was an INCREDIBLE night (here’s the audio pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, and pt 4) that also included NJNTRBL, craveone and J Skratch. With all the talent, it’s gonna be crazy.
So….what else? Oh yeah, we will will be having a patio party kick off at Rock Island Live. I believe that next week we should have the patio open, but we will have a formal party (got a few things to line up) with some VERY special giveaways and stuff real soon. So, a happy April to you all. Mark your calendars and come get FRESH with me one of these nights. Ferrigno to the fullest!
It seems like this should have happened a LOOOONG time ago, but the delay makes it that much more appreciated. Those 2 strapping young lads that form the group POWERLIFTER are going on tour, and to kick it off, they are crashing our Wednesday night festivities at Rock Island Live. I’ve gotten to play a handful of shows with em and it’s always a blast. Get familiar. Their video “Buffalo” now has +237K views (between YouTube and Vimeo). Pretty incredible. Awesome job on the video by Kevin Wildt.
What a day. Before I talk about St Patty’s, I gotta say Friday night was awesome. K Will’s birthday party at Rock Island Live with me spinning a “Tunnel” night. If you are not familiar, it was an epic venue in east coast hip hop culture in the late 90s. Funkmaster Flex was kinda running the city, and that was his spot. In any case, it was a great night with super knowledgeable hip hop heads singing along with every word. It was really refreshing, and I had a great time. Need to do something like that again sometime soon. Now then, on to St Patty’s day.
The homie and Team Ferrigno brother, J Skratch, was holding it down at Pumphouse all day. I spent most of my morning and day recovering from the previous nights libations. Finally made it out and things were in full swing in Old Town. Dropped off gear and made my way down to Pumphouse. Place was PACKED, and it had been all day. Def a good time for some day drinking.
Then it’s time to get loose at America’s Pub. I started spinnin around 8 or so, and we hit the ground running. High energy and ready to PARTY! The response was great and we went all over the map musically. The crowd was great, the drinks were flowing, the dancefloor was packed. A great night, thanks to everyone that made it out. I was happy to end it with an Irish Goodbye…
Had someone ask me about this tune last week and it has been one of my top tunes for last year and I’m still playing it out on a regular basis. House groove from DJ Craze with Wreckonize on the mic. Had no idea. You may remember Wreckonize from old MC battle steez and now he kicks it with Mayday. This track is straight dancefloor HEATER.
And if you too young to remember some of the battle steeze, this was a trip down memory lane for me from 2003.
I meant to post this when it happened, but obviously, didn’t get around to it. Now, believe it or not, Don Corenelius and Soul Train were a HUGE influence. Watching people dance, the Soul Train line, how could you not want to be a part of that? And as I go into DJing, how could you not want to command that? The style and flair was awesome. As I grew older, I have so much more appreciation for what Soul Train was, and have such fondness for watching the older shows, but as a kid growing up, I would get locked in. Some of those 80s and 90s episodes look awesomely dated now, and it makes me remember. In any case, it was a huge influence, and I paid homage with an opening funk set. Thought you may enjoy some funk….
But here’s a quick little something. 45 minutes from the opening of my birthday night at Rock Island Live. That night, I completely blacked out as of midnight, with no recollection of ANYTHING after. Thankfully, everyone still had a damned good time (or so I’m told). Don’t know what happened with the recording, but it got cut out about an an hour or so into the night, so I just chopped out this prime section of hip hop. Me and J Skratch getting down on 4 decks. Good times!
It’s been a crazy few days to say the least, but you prolly don’t want to hear all about that. What you do want to hear is about the first round of the Midwest DJ Throwdown. So how am I gonna do this? I’m going to give you my initial inputs based on what I heard last night, then I’mma go back and watch the Ustream and tell you what thoughts changed.
NjnTrbl – True to form, Marc said “I don’t care what you want” and bucked the system yet again, opening the night with a DnB set. It was fun, and on a personal note, a walk down memory lane of sorts.
Mark Marino – I was disappointed. Tracks were all mixed clean, but there was no apparent flow or planning. So it was clean, but just felt like he rolled up to the club and this is what he would play on any given night off the top of the head. I expected more (fair or not), especially considering his recent participation in the Redbull Thre3style
Edgar J – I didn’t know it at the time, but I got a little preview of a lot of the elements of this set on Wednesday night, when we did a 2×4 set at Rock Island Live. A good diss opening, calling out all of the DJs (especially likes the Parlay from Pirates of Caribbean, good call), but I don’t like a pre-put together diss that you just press play on. Mix the elements. Scratch them. The latter part of his set, by design, went way back. It was fun, but a bit too cheesy for me. There were some mixing flaws (apparently some monitor issues didn’t help) that were a bit rough at spots as well, but range of tunes overcame that. He also dropped some live mashups which were nice.
Famouz – JJ came out with exactly what was expected. Uptempo electo club steez. It was all mixed pretty much flawless, don’t recall any wrecks. I think it was waaay too monotonous for me. The tracks were mixed so there were no real buildups or breakdowns within the tracks, and no ebb and flow between them. It just felt like one big thumping tune, and that just isn’t my style. There was some variety later, but not enough in my opinion. But kudos on clean mixing. Also dug doing something different with the jumper box. It was something different, and proves he was putting thought to his set.
Parle – I dug Parle’s set. His mixes were clean as well, and he did show some thought as well. I dug the Marino disses for sure. Liked the doubling and snare scratching just to add activity. His BPM transitions felt clean and natural and he really worked his tunes well. The problem was there were no real “can’t believe he’s playing this” moments. I thought most of the tunes were pretty predictable for a party rock set, and didn’t get out of the box.
Overall – Njn was playing for himself, respected, but won’t win with that. Marino lacked flow and variety, but was pretty clean. Edgar had some mixing problems, but his variety made up for it in my opinion. Also, he was one of the few to drop some live mashups and blends. Famouz was clean, but there was nowhere near enough variety, in tracks and mixing style. Parle was nice, but predictable track selection. Also, with the no “premade mashup rule”, I heard 3 questionable tracks (ice cream pain job vs run DMC, Yeah vs Low, and Paris vs Gucci Gucci). Not sure if the judges did anything, but it’s possible. So walking out last night, I had no idea how the judges would call it (and so much of this resides on how judges feel), but I thought Edgar J would take it home.
-=Tunes in to UStream and rewatches is all=-
Njn – Yeah, he kinda went in. DnB will always have a soft spot for me, but i was def more tearout.
Marino – Scratch in LL, then go to Cat Daddy? Then transition up to Day N Night Crookers Remix. Then transition down to Welcome to Jamrock, which transitions back up, then to Mortal Kombat club break with Lil Jon. Just didn’t have a flow to me. It felt like the songs were mixed only because they had a matching BPM. That said, he did have some good track variety (I def dug The Seed, Bustin Loose), but without flow it just didn’t work for me.
Edgar J – More rough spots than I recalled. Old School variety to open, then uptempo club steez. And a good shifting back to downtempo, and then the old school. One of the only ones to do mashup steez and cut it up. Got cheesy, but I think that in hindsight that it stood out a whole lot because no one else went outside of the standard contemporary club set (hip hop or electro). He was really using an open format.
Famouz – More impressed going back and listening to it. I think the opening beat me up so much with the non-stop pounding beat that I just heard it throughout the rest of the set. My opinion went up after listening the second time, but I still think dropping 5-10 min of something that does not have any “techno” elements would have been a good look. Some straight hip hop, rock, funk? I think that would have gone a long way. That said, everyone will forever doubt anyone using a controller and a program that has the possibility of autosync. That’s just how it is. In a battle, those things don’t have a place. The only reason I don’t make the same statement in regards to Njn, is that Njn isn’t expecting a W, he’s just making a statement.
Parle – I think similar to JJ havin too much electro club steez, Parle may have had too much hip hop. Also, dug the Marino diss, but by only having the one, it doesn’t feel balanced. I also like the way he would just drop a track to transition BPMs. It was always clean, but so many DJs are afraid to not beat match 2 songs. I liked the drops, and the half time/double time at 130 BPM to add variety. Hey did get more uptempo clubby and mainstream in the mix that I didn’t initially recall, moreso than I remembered. And the Bump N Grind outro prolly had the mos audience connection of the whole night (doesn’t hurt that it’s end of the night and everyone is FADED, but it was a damned good look).
So in the end, I could have seen any of the last 3 taking it in all honesty, depending on the judges. My feeling last night was that Parle probably should have won based on mixing, but Edgar J had variety. I think I feel that way even moreso after listening to it back a second time. Egar was sloppier that I thought, and Parle had more variety than I originally thought (and JJ too for that matter). The fact that everyone else did not go that far from expectations (with track selection) probably helped Edgar J take the win. If more of the other DJs played more variety, his would not have stood out as much. Congrats to all the DJs that competed and threw down in week 1.
