Sunday, April 11, I’m pleased to be named a resident of Dub Patio at Cinespace in Hollywood. I’ll be headlining at 11:30. I know it’s a Sunday night, but it’s also Hollywood, where apparently, there are no weekdays. If you email your name to RSVP (at) breakofdawn (dot) org, you get in free until midnight.

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Valentine’s Day I’m playing some Dubstep at Cinespace from 10-11p. If you RSVP with me, you get in free until midnight. I’m super excited for this gig. Nothing but wobbles all night.

RSVPs can be sent to: RSVP (at) breakofdawn (dot) org

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I’ve been reluctant to say that I am a complete dork when it comes to typography. I can spend hours looking through font specimen books for no reason other than just to gawk. Subtle differences between similar fonts pass most people by, but to me, it’s the difference between good design and hasty choices. So when it comes to events in Los Angeles that showcase interesting type related design, it immediately goes in my calendar. Which makes me mad that I completely missed John Downer at ReserveLA last night.

The blame for this falls squarely on me. I’m just over a week behind on my blog reading, and that can really add up. After a day, I usually have somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 unread posts. So when I ran across this post on Hoefler & Frere-Jones’ blog, I knew I had missed something important.

John Downer started his career as a freelance type designer in 1983 and is a master sign painter by trade. The Propagandist has a slideshow here of his work. It’s a great read if you enjoy design and typography. You can also see the line of shirts John designed for Freshjive on slides 1 and 25.

I don’t know if the exhibit is still up, or if it was a one night thing. I’ll update as soon as I know.

Picture taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingdiamondkid/ and displayed under fair use.

I wanted to give a big shout out to everyone who came out to Midsummer Nights last Friday. I had a good time overall and especially enjoyed hearing all the props afterwards, it made my night. However, by far the most annoying part of the evening was setting up all the sound equipment for the performers who just don’t understand how their shit is supposed to work.

I’m a fairly technical guy, I love knowing how things work…I think Vanilla Ice put it best: “If there’s a problem, yo, I’ll solve it.” But that love ends when I’m stuck at a gig trying to figure out everyone else’s shit. If you don’t know, tell me you don’t know instead of having me play 20 Questions and get incorrect answers because you just don’t understand anything. If you want the privilege of playing out, at least understand your own equipment and bring all the cables you need so we don’t have to hunt shit down because you just assume it’ll be there. It’ll keep people like me from writing posts like this about how big of a fucking moron you are.

Many people talk about the lost art of DJing, and having been a DJ for almost 12 years myself, I understand. There seems to be a difference between using technology as a tool, or having the technology make you a Tool. Serato and Traktor can be used to an amazing degree, allowing great DJs to do things that would never be possible before. However, it seems like a lot of DJs these days are allowing the software to do all the heavy lifting. Beatmatch syncing blows, it’s stupid, it makes you look like a moron, and has an unmistakable perfection that any real DJ can pick out after your first “mix”. Now that Ableton has come into the picture, the landscape is changing even further. Track selection and feeding off the crowd and making a great environment for everyone has completely gone out the window.

The picture of DJDT above is not from Midsummer Nights, but from Beach Dazed, a party that happened a couple weeks ago. They played at Midsummer Nights as well using a similar setup. This time it was a laptop running Ableton and a mini-to-RCA cable running from the headphone jack. No MIDI controllers, no Samplers, no control surfaces of any kind. Just Ableton. And one long, premade set. Click the pic above if you don’t believe me.

And as much as this bothers me and many other DJs out there, I’ve come to the realization that nobody cares. The crowd doesn’t care, the venues don’t care, the promoters don’t care. The only ones who care are the ones who have spent a great deal of time working towards an art that seems to be dying. It’s now a commodity to see a DJ playing a “SPECIAL ALL VINYL SET”, even though that’s what DJs were doing fairly exclusively up until a couple years ago.

Arguments about records being too heavy are understandable. I admit, switching to Traktor has saved my back quite a bit. But most of the people making that argument are the ones who don’t buy records, don’t mix by ear, and think that beatmatching is just making sure the numbers on each side of the screen match up (Phase? What’s phase? It’s a filter, right? Wait, where’d my bass go?).

Soon, it’ll just be CD listening parties with the “DJ” only pressing play and then proceeding to  jump up and down on stage with the enthusiasm of David Lee Roth, doing the physical equivalent of “Dude, you have to hear this part coming up, it’s so good!” When the tools were harder to get and harder to perfect, the end result was much better.

Accessibility breeds mediocrity. And that leads me to the picture caption, the peril of Ableton is that someone might actually try and get a crowd shot and accidentally capture the fact that you aren’t doing anything other than jumping around like a lunatic.

This is an important update to the previous post.

I am DJing August 7th at an event called Midsummer Nights. There is a band, but don’t fool yourself, this is a straight up dance party and the heat will be brought. We switched venues to one that is much more reliable and relatively unknown. If you have been to Cirque Berzerk, you already know the area. If you haven’t, then lucky you! Go see Cirque Berzerk’s 8:30pm show on August 7th, then show us your ticket and you’ll get in for only $5, you don’t even have to drive to the venue! Walking Distance! Easy! Map and details are after the jump.

theFMLY and noelectro present:

MIDSUMMER NIGHTS!

Friday, August 7, 2009

!!!NEW VENUE!!!!
Directly across from CIRQUE BERZERK!
@ Junction Block
1637 N Spring St.
(entrance and parking are on Baker St.)
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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A night of eye candy and gyrations in the heart of summer.

Featuring:

Dr. Strangeloop and his mind-fucking visual mind-fucks.

Oh Yeah, The Future
(more tba)

DJs:
Dustin Ames
Mearii
Maxwellhaus
and more…

live art by:
Blamo Sad (with art giveaway in the wee hours)

$5 with rsvp@thefmly.com
$5 if you show us your Cirque Berzerk ticket.
$10 at the Door
10PM – whenever

I’m playing August 7th at Midsummer Nights, a party hosted by noelectro and theFMLY. I’ll be dropping some bowel shattering bass, so bring a change of pants (and shoes).

10PM – 4AM

Living in Los Angeles has its advantages, but nature certainly isn’t one of them. I took this picture leaving Lake Tahoe after my 10 year High School reunion and realized that there aren’t many places I can go to just get away for the day. Don’t get me wrong, the smog in LA does lend itself to some amazing sunsets and moments that make you get lost in your thoughts from time to time, but the toss up is that you don’t get the clear skies, the billowy clouds and the wide expanses of…nothing. I know that last statement sounds completely obvious, but I haven’t really made a point of noticing it since I started living in Southern California.

Anyway, sappy musings aside, the picture presented itself as I was sitting at a stop sign and I thought it was a halfway decent picture. Click to see it on Flickr where you can get a bigger version.

10 East Before National Blvd Possible Fatality 5:00 AM

• Thomas Guide Map Coordinates: Page 632, Grid 7D
• Silver Honda Civic in 1 Lane Going West 5:00 AM
• Vehicle Traffic Collision D Possible on Fire 5:01 AM
• Reporting Party Has Visual Vehicle Tcd Head on Just East of 405 5:01 AM
• Vehicle now on Fire 5:02 AM
• Vehicle on Fire-Just West of National 5:03 AM
• Fire Department Rolled on Dupe Log 5:04 AM
• Fire Department Rolled on Log 258-Message/Item Delivered LA Fire Department 5:07 AM
• Off Duty LAPD 97 Advise 2 Vehicle S on Fire 5:08 AM
• Per Dupe-1, 2, 3 Lanes Blocked-1 Vehicle Fully Engulfed Unknown If Party S Exited Vehicle S 5:09 AM
• Transportation Management Center Copies Sigalert 10-39 Media 5:10 AM
• Please Issue Sigalert 1, 2, 3, 4 Lanes-Unknown Duration 5:11 AM
• Please Issue Sigalert Forat Least 2 Hrs 5:16 AM
• Transportation Management Center Copies Sigalert Update 10-39 Media 5:16 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 5:16 AM
• Per 79-S3, Issue Sigalert for 45 Min for 10 West Past Natl-1, 2 Lanes Blocked By Fire Department 5:18 AM
• Message/Item Delivered LAPD Air, Ofcr Rosas-Airship Down Until 0830 Hrs 5:27 AM
• Per 79-S3-Will Need Caltrans for Long Term Closure for East 10 Just East of 405 5:30 AM
• Message Sign S Up, Caltrans Traffic Mgmt Rolling, ETA 15 Mins 5:33 AM
• Please Roll Coroner for 2 White Male Adult S in 30 S-Both Possible Fatality 5:35 AM
• Per 79-S3, Double Possible Fatality S 5:35 AM
• Caltrans Crew ETA 40 Min 5:37 AM
• LA City Fire 92 Cptn Ellmert Pronounced at 0515 5:42 AM
• Staging Area-West Center Divider & East Center Divider at Coventry 5:48 AM
• Per 79-S3, Long Term Closure for Nb/sb 405 Transition to East 10, Tfc Will Be Directed off at Bundy 5:51 AM
• He Will Be Rolling Out to the Scene 5:52 AM
• Message/Item Delivered Sgt Karol**mait**will Make Call Outs 5:58 AM
• Message/Item Delivered Coroner Case #2009-00761 and 2009-00762 ETA Driving Time from Dtla 5:59 AM
• Check With Mait Sup to See If He Wants the Coroner to Hold of Extrocation Until They Get Here, ETA from Coroner-Per S3 6:08 AM
• If Mait Wants Coroner to Hold off, Then Cancel Coroner-Per S3 6:09 AM
• L1 & D8 On Scene 6:16 AM
• Advise the Coroner to Disregard at this Time Per S3, We Will Call Them Back 6:19 AM
• Is There a Duration for the #1, 2 Lanes on the West Side-Caltrans Transportation Management Center 6:19 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 6:19 AM
• Yes-Please Disregard Coroner for now 6:25 AM
• Message/Item Delivered LA County Coroners Ofc // Already En Route Still Disregard ? 6:25 AM
• LA County Coroners Sopies Lane 80 Will Disregard 6:26 AM
• Correction Copies Lane 80 How Many Are Possible Fatality They Would Like to Know? 6:27 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 6:29 AM
• CHP Requesting Bt 5 to to Black Transition Rd South 405 to East 10 6:30 AM
• Per Freeway Service Patrol CHP is Requesting Bt 17 and Bt 5 Trks Assist With Traffic Control, Message/Item Delivered 5-D1 6:30 AM
• LA County Coroners Ofc Still Be En Route Will Just Observe Til CHP Ready for Them Per Heath 6:30 AM
• Line 47-It Will Be a Double Possible Fatality Thanks 6:30 AM
• S1 En Route to Scene, Please Have Caltrans Roll for Closures on Transition Rd-Line 87 South 405 to East 10, North 405 Transition to East 10, East 10 Route to 405, As Well West 10 6:33 AM
• Sup Please Run a Criss Cross Plate to Follow 6:36 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 6:36 AM
• Please Roll Caltrans With an Aerial Bucket Per Somait7 6:44 AM
• CHP Unit Enroute 6:44 AM
• Caltrans is On Scene Closing Trand Right Shoulder for the 405 6:45 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 6:46 AM
• ****** Citz Advise He Has Been Stuck in this Traffic for the Duration–Says Other Drivers and Trying to Back Down the Centinela On Ramp *** 6:51 AM
• 63-Transition Rd South 405 to East 10 All Trfc is Stopped 6:51 AM
• **dot** ETA to the Scene Per 79-S1 // Radio ** When You Get a Response, Please Advise 79-S1 6:52 AM
• Sigalert (per 79-S1)-East 10 All Lanes Blocked / West 10 #1, 2 Lanes Blocked—(these Closures Wl Remain in Place for at Least 6 Hrs-Maybe Longer) 6:52 AM
• Caltrans Has 2 Crew at the Transition Roads 7:02 AM
• Message/Item Delivered S1-S2 Handling Clearing of the Lanes 7:04 AM
• Message/Item Delivered S2-Still Clring North 405 to East 10, S2 Will Be There in a Few 7:05 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 7:09 AM
• S1-Please Notify Metro Buses, Sm Bus Lines, Mta-East 10 Closed Atleast 6 Hrs // and Allied Agencies-LAPD, West LA Pacific, Smpd, Trfc Will Be Backed Up Due to this Closure 7:10 AM
• Message/Item Delivered Santa Monica Police Department 7:13 AM
• Message/Item Delivered LAPD #844 7:13 AM
• Update Sig Alert North 405 to East 10, South 405 to East 10 Closed 7:14 AM
• 63-South to East Closed With Signs, is 63 Needed East 10 Just West of 405 7:14 AM
• Transportation Management Center Please Advise Media to Go East 10 Through the Closures, As Opposed to West, Media Set Up Just West of Traffic Collision Scene 7:15 AM
• Message/Item Delivered Mta 7:15 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 7:22 AM
• S1-South 405 to East 10 Closed-79-63 With S2, North to East-Per S2 All Closures Manned By Caltrans at this Time 7:25 AM
• Citz Advsing That Trf Exiting Freeway Using the Onr; Centinela On Ramp to East 10-Trf Making U Turns 7:28 AM
• On Ramp to Be Too Backed Up for Vehicles to Make U-Turns-Per 64 8:06 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 8:14 AM
• CHP Unit on Scene 8:54 AM
• Citz Has Been Stuck in the Back for 1 Hr–Says Traffic is Still Entering the Freeway at Centinela and Bundy and Getting Stuck in the Back Up Also 9:02 AM
• Please Run 29 Subject Check-27 to Follow 9:06 AM
• Message/Item Delivered Jdic *** All Clear ** No Hits 9:07 AM
• US Highway Tow Responding 1 Tow Truck Required Flatbed Tow Truck 9:13 AM
• S2-Advise Enter Overland Off Ramp on Surface Streets Onto to East 10, Advise When They Are 97 Units Will Direct Them Onto the Freeway, 2 Flt Beds 9:14 AM
• Message/Item Delivered US Highway Tow With 2 Flt Beds, ETA 20 Ol-Cpy to Enter from Overland and Will Advise When 97 So Units Can Direct Them on 9:16 AM
• S2-Freeway Service Patrol Please Respond West Side Need Them to Tow a Chevy Van, Thanks 9:19 AM
• Please Run 29 Subject Check, 27 to Follow 9:36 AM
• No Hits Ln/palma 9:40 AM
• Message/Item Delivered US Highway Tow to Enter 9:48 AM
• Per Motorist Stuck in Traffic No Signs Activated on Smf or Sdf 10:23 AM
• 13 Message Sign Signs Are Activated for this Incident, Also Tmt Are Are Out There With Sign Trucks-Caltrans Transportation Management Center 10:28 AM
• Vehicles Are Going Exiting the Freeway on the East 10 Centinela Onramp-Transportation Management Center 11:36 AM
• Citz Complaining of Vehicles Using the Fire Lane to Pass Vehicles & Have this Lane Blked Also 11:40 AM
• Per S3-Send a Unit to Check On Ramp-64 En Route 11:45 AM
• Party Complaining That Vehicles Residence Backing Up off the Cloverfield On Ramp 11:57 AM
• Per Freeway Service Patrol Vehicles Still Going Wrong Way on the Cloverfield on 12:04 PM
• S3-All West Lanes Are Open, Please Update Sig Alert 12:14 PM
• Transportation Management Center Copies West Lanes Open 10-39 Media 12:14 PM