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Showing posts from January 1, 2005

d3f1l3 on decks

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intro by brent crampton ~ This month, phocas brings you an exclusive mix from Iowa DJ, D3F1L3. Instead of just listing the favorite songs being played out at the moment, we got D3F1L3 to record a mix for us that will only be available on phocas.net. So now you can listen to a mix while you check out D3F1L3's charts. Finding inspiration to DJ from notorious Iowa resident, Reaktor, D3F1L3 views the DJ as a performer. "Anyone can just beat match and fade between tracks, there should be more of a performance element than that," D3F1L3 said. Spinning mainly breakcore and jungle, he uses scratching and beat juggling to set himself apart from the mix-to-mix DJs. "My style isn't really meant for club dancing, most of my mixes are supposed to make you think and visualize," D3F1L3 said about his track selection. D3F1L3 has DJed at Together, Blueshift and various Mons Musik events. However, most of his playing time comes at house parties. "I like house par

phantom 45 full circle

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premier artist group ~ That's right, you heard it here first - the Chi-town legend, Phantom 45 (Suburban Bass, Strictly Hype, Surge Recordings) is coming "Full Circle" .... to tour the U.S. with a crate full of anthems (pulled from the years 1992 to 2000) to be churned together to create a night that only this Super Sharp Shooter can bring. Phantom 45 has long been a staple in the American drum-n-bass scene. In it from day one, he has been stockpiling mega anthems that can not be contained any more -- tunes like Valley of the Shadows, labels like SUBURBAN BASS, MOVING SHADOW, GANJA, RAM,V .. all the tunes that have been denied for way to long. Tired of hearing the same old drum&bass? Remember a time when it was fresh, rollin, soulful and banging? Remember Renagade Snares by OMNI TRIO? DJ SS-- Rollers Convention-- ? M-BEAT -- Incredible --? Or a track called FIRE?? a song that made you put your lighters in the air!! Well gear up for a mega-rewind ... On the music

dj t-rock tour

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premier artists group ~ Whether on stage or in the studio, DJ T-Rock emphatically grabs hold of the 1200’s and demands the spotlight. Voted “Best Goddamn DJ of 2003” by San Francisco’s legendary independent label Hip Hop Slam, T-Rock has kept his fans happy with two solo albums, numerous mix CD’s, and various appearances on albums and compilations. Bomb Hip Hop, the label responsible for introducing many of today’s most popular scratch musicians to the mainstream, labeled T-Rock, “The Best DJ You’ve Never Heard.” That is no longer the case. In 2003 & 2004, T-Rock has created a worldwide buzz with extensive touring and the release of his mix CD and feature-length DVD "Sikinthehed". T-Rock is fresh off an 8 country European tour where he took crowds by storm with an eclectic blend of music and turntable trickery. He is enjoying constant rotation on the London based Turntable Radio show, as well as a many college radio programs across the United States. Throughout the

solaris january 2005 techno

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intro & photo by todd ~  Local KC Techno DJ, Solaris is back once again with his picks for some of the hardest and rawest Techno beats for the new year. Always looking for ways to push the limit of your Techno experience, check out these tracks and, courtesy of DJ Solaris. RAW - GUY MCAFFER - RAWR001 Leave it to guy to get everything worked into techno. From P Funk in one record to this banger with house remixes. Who knows what he will throw in next. CLUSTER - ANT & NICK GRATER : CLUSTER69 Ant does it again. What can I say about these two? Take a balloon ride then go get chromed. The B side has a wicked breaks breakdown. Cluster will always remain one of my favorites. They are always out to impress. SHORT CIRC - ALEX CALVER - SC015 Some great acid here. Who needs those little pieces of paper or jells when you have vinyl like this? Next time I feel like goin to never never land, I’ll just get me a box of alex’s wax. If you need me to I’ll say it again keep your eye

maze charts

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intro by brent crampton ~ photo by steveo ~ Florida-flavored DJ Danny Maze transplanted himself recently to Omaha, Nebraska to spread the sounds of hard house with a dash of Florida breakbeats. Having DJed for 14 years, Danny Maze cites DJ Monk from Rabbit In The Moon as having taught him the ways of house and breaks in Florida. It wasn't until the mid-90's, while in San Diego, that Maris Moon exposed him to hard house. Maze has been hooked eversince. "I couldn't get enough of the hard bass and non-stop high energy," Maze said. Having DJed on the both the east and west coast, Danny Maze plans to make his presence known in the Midwest. Be on the look out for this high energy act and make sure to check out DJDannyMaze.com for mixsets. Klubbslang - Klubbheads - DNA Recordings This track definitely gives you the feeling of the energy and the hard beats coming from the Netherlands. Put The Needle To The Record - D.S.A - Saviour Back again in hard house format.

drc mixes it up

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an interview by michael bradshaw ~ photos courtesy of undefined musik & Blue Moon Productions ~ DRC's influence is widespread throughout the United States in which ever form you happen to catch her. Whether she's playing Trance, Jungle or Electro House, DRC's name has been permanently affixed to quality raving since the early nineties. Her latest record, " Seeker" is quickly gaining her recognition not only as a superstar DJ, but a producer as well. Seeker is a two track beater with dual personalities. Although the pitch speed of both tracks is geared toward Trance, slow it down to 130bpm and you've got yourself a fine Electro House groove for all the kids sporting Converse. Engineered with DRC's longtime production partner, DJ Demetras Seeker works both as filler and floor rush. Demetras' side works more on subtlety and floor manipulation (which is the hallmark of any great filler track) where as DRC's original mix winds up the floor with

crampton style

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an interview with Brent Crampton by phelyne ~ photos by amy hunsberger, shaun & todd ~ I decided to interview a regional icon who is always dilligently taking his craft to the next level. If you thought you had heard a lot about this man, you will surely hear much much more in the coming years. He is on a steady track of successful musical ventures and has no plans to let up. For those of you have not heard of Brent Crampton yet, sit back and be as impressed as I am at this cat's passion, dedication, and motivation. He will surely inspire you in this in depth interview to follow your heart. Getting things started, here is what Brent confided in me for this interview... Please tell us about how music entered your life and why it has had such in impact on you. I have been djing for over 4 years. My first experience with music heard from sources other than the radio came when I started skateboarding, back when I was 12. I was real big into buying skate videos at the time. Si

annalyze interview

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by senseone ~ I've always been a fan of breakbeat, and even more, one of turntablism. The DJ's that combine these two talents, and do it well, are few and far between. Combining DMC battle tactics with the freshest in new-school breaks is Rochester, NY's, Annalyze. Having been in the trenches for close to five years now, and putting Rochester solidly on the electronic music map, her hard work has also earned her a sponsorship from Stanton, and brought her coast to coast in her travels, playing alongside greats such as Q-Bert, Craze, Shortee&Faust, and Z-Trip, just to name a few. What are your affiliations? Fused artist management / Stanton magnetics/ Breakline What is it about breaks, as opposed to other genres, that drew you to it? Hmm they have just always been around. My cousin form Miami got me into the scene & just watching the way breaks make people just get funky. House music will be on & people step to the beat, but when breaks are on people ge

d-fuse kabal

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story & photos by todd (as originally published with xpander.nl) ~ D:Fuse recently landed in Kansas City, MO for a night of movin' the masses at Kabal Restaurant & Nightclub. I was very much looking forward to this opportunity to experience his performance. The last time he was here, I was in New Orleans or something like that and I only caught a bit of his set in Miami earlier this year at WMC. I didn't hear much there either. It's so huge, it's hard to focus on any one particular artist for too long. Needless to say, I was really anxious to finally be able to see and hear this DJ, up close and personal, as I had heard that he was one of the rare few that could really work a crowd, more times than not, whipping them in to a dancing frenzy. I had a feeling that this night was going to be no exception. For those that haven't been to Kabal Restaurant & Nightclub, it is not just your regular nightclub. With the help of local production groups, such as

starving artists no more

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by Brent Crampton ~ photos courtesy of OffsetMusic.com, Trevor Lamont.com & Kent Frost ~ While the old saying of "starving artist" certainly holds its truth, these days, artists are finding a way to keep food on their plates. It's called a job. And more times than not, these jobs are full time careers that take away from the focus on their art. When you're a DJ and producer, your craft often comes at the sacrifice of many other things. Considering the economy of underground music, there's only a handful of people the music industry can support in a full time position. People like Johnny Fiasco, Darude, Derrick Carter and Qbert all live off of the industry. These people, and any one else who has "made it," most times have to assign themselves many different faces in the industry such as promoter, record label owner, producer as well as DJing. All this is a handful and a full time job in it self. As John Aquaviva said in the documentary "Rise,

kansas city dance best of 2004

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by todd ~ If you want a club night or a party that is top notch and not just another DJ-N-A-Box playing the latest tracks that pollute the airwaves day after day (and sometimes hour after hour), you don't have to look to hard to find what you need in Kansas City. You do have to dig a little sometimes, but mostly you just have to be willing to pull away from the norm a little bit. Seriously, this past year, Kansas City has played host to some of the finest mixers and producers in the industry, both nationally and internationally. Not only that, some of the local DJ talent in Kansas City is as good (and sometimes better) than the talent that they open up for. With so many things to take in to consideration, I decided to just keep it simple and do Best Party and Best Nights out in KC... so without further adieu, I give you my picks for the Best of Kansas City Dance 2004 Best KC Party: Chaos Theory The party of the year in Kansas City has to have been Chaos Theory v2.0: The A

january 2005 editor note

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Welcome to 2005. Looks just like 2004, eh? There's changes afoot this month and you'll notice a few small things here and there. Like the cover page this month. I thought it might be a good idea to downsize it a little and add some links. If you have an opinion on this, please... let me know. I'm going to be making some other changes of the same sort and I would really appreciate an opinion or three. Does it help the load time, or hinder it more? Personally, I just got tired of waiting on all those little blocks to load. We're trying something new too. The "on decks" column now has a mix available for download that you can only get on this site. The idea is to feature one artist every month that wants to do a a mix exclusively for phocas.net and give us a breakdown of his tracks. What do you think? This month's is kind of strange. Bits and pieces of it are pretty good, but other parts... eh... well... everyone has their own tastes. Have a listen a

january 2005 issue

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january 2005 editor note kansas city dance best of 2004 starving artists no more d-fuse kabal annalyze interview crampton style drc mixes it up maze charts solaris january 2005 techno dj t-rock tour phantom 45 full circle d3f1l3 on decks event photos jan.05