minceyfresh.

2011 11 - bass appreciation 005

2011-12-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

I mixed this in a different fashion than I've recorded previous Bass Appreciation volumes. If you enjoyed my Ground Level Radio guest mix (where I transitioned during breakdowns/buildups rather than letting the majority of the track play out), you'll feel right at home with this episode! Enjoy!

2011 11 - bass appreciation 005 by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Download: http://bit.ly/2011_11_BassAppreciation005

Groove Nation guest mix

2011-11-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

Well that was fun! For those who missed it live, here's the archived Groove Nation show that I guest mixed on... Mother Goose & D-Trak go for the first 90 minutes, and I start at 01:31!

*edit* Here's a cleaner recording of the show:

2011 11.23 - groove nation guest mix by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

You can also download the mix here: http://bit.ly/2011_11_23_GrooveNationGuestMix

2011 06 - bass appreciation 004

2011-06-30T00:05:00.001-07:00

2011 06 - bass appreciation 004 by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Download: http://bit.ly/2011_06_BassAppreciation004

2011 05.06 - live @ disco de mayo, monterey, ca

2011-06-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

2011 05.06 - live @ disco de mayo, monterey, ca by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Download: http://bit.ly/2011_05_06_LiveAtDiscoDeMayo

2011 04.21 - sines from below guest mix

2011-04-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

2011 04.21 - sines from below guest mix by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Download: http://bit.ly/2011_04_21_SinesFromBelowGuestMix

2011 03 - bass appreciation 003

2011-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

2011 03 - bass appreciation 003 by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Download: http://bit.ly/2011_03_BassAppreciation003

2011 01.14 - ground level radio guest mix

2011-01-26T23:33:00.000-08:00

2011 01.14 - ground level radio guest mix by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

The mix (split into individual tracks) can be downloaded here.

This was my guest mix on the January 14 episode of Andy McAllister's Ground Level Radio on NSBRadio.co.uk. I dropped a few "see what I did there?" moments throughout the mix... Can you spot them all? ;D

And special thanks to DJ Toxic Rainbow!
Check out the entire 2-hour episode of the show here.

two new mixes up!

2011-01-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone!

Just letting you guys know that I finally completed the second installment to my Bass Appreciation mix series! I hope that, starting with this volume, I'll be able to stick to a monthly schedule with these! *crosses fingers*

Stream the mix below or download it (split into individual tracks) here:
http://bit.ly/2011_01_BassAppreciation002

2011 01 - Bass Appreciation 002 by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

I also wanted to include a mix that I recorded at Somos Media during their Schoolyard Antics 2 art/music event last month.

Stream the mix below or download it here:
http://bit.ly/2010_12_03_LiveAtSchoolyardAntics2

2010 12.03 - Live @ Schoolyard Antics 2, Somos Media, Salinas, Ca by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Enjoy the mixes!

new mix up: Bass Appreciation 001

2010-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post! So yep, as the title suggests, I recently finished recording a new mixset a couple days ago. I decided to ditch trying to come up with creative titles for each mix unless they follow a certain theme (i.e. Two Sides, etc.), so this will be the first "episode" of my Bass Appreciation series! I'm looking into turning this into a (hopefully monthly) podcast, so that was another reason for keeping one consistent title. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy the bass!

You can stream the set below or download the set (split into individual tracks) here at Mediafire: http://bit.ly/2010_09_BassAppreciation001

2010 09 - Bass Appreciation 001 by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

new mix up: Early 2010 Favorites

2010-07-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Between working full-time and spending most of my time awake watching the World Cup this summer, I never really had time to do much besides sleep and maybe do a lil Facebooking and play some Split/Second for the 360 every now and then (man, that game is insane, but I digress). Now that the World Cup has been over for a few weeks, I've had one less excuse to sit down and finally compile this mixset that I'd been meaning to record for months. This particular set is filled with tracks I've loved from the first few months of 2010, so frequent club goers and music blog searcher types may already be familiar with some of the ingredients of this mix.

2010 07 - Early 2010 Favorites by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

You can download the set (split into individual tracks) here at Mediafire: http://bit.ly/2010_07_Early2010Favorites

I hope you guys enjoy the mix, and any feedback (whether positive or negative) is greatly appreciated!

new(ish) mix is up: window seat

2010-05-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

So... I guess that plan about writing a single post a day each with pics from my Japan trip this past January didn't work out exactly as planned... I really should take a break from Facebook so I can concentrate on blogging and organizing the photos in my Flickr photostream. Anywho, below is a mix I recorded in March filled with the tracks I had on repeat while I was in Japan... This was posted ages ago on Facebook, but I just realized that I never officially posted it in any of my blogs (this was posted in my Blogspot, in case anyone reading this via Facebook is wondering what I'm talking about)! I made the mix mostly for nostalgic purposes, but I'm confident that it can be enjoyed on its own, without any particular memories attached. Perhaps you can create your own memories with my mix loaded into your mp3 player!

2010 03 - Window Seat by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

(to anyone reading this on Facebook, click over to the original Blogspot post to stream the mix on the Mixcloud player)

You can download the set (split into individual tracks) here at Mediafire: http://bit.ly/2010_03_WindowSeat

Well, I hope that you guys enjoy the mix! I'll try to post more Japan pics either tomorrow or sometime next week!

new mix: hello, future! [] my first SF gig!

2010-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

First off, happy new year! Happy new decade, as well!

For my first post of the decade, I decided to show off my first mix this decade! It's actually the first mix I've done in quite a while that's over 70 minutes! The track list is displayed in the Mixcloud player when the music begins. Bonus points to people who know the significance of the first track! It shouldn't be too hard for most people. Haha.

2010 01 - Hello, Future! by Minceyfresh on Mixcloud

Something else that I'm excited to talk about is my first San Francisco gig! My buddies Mari and Rey (a.k.a. DJs Apsara and Mecca at Asparagus Heaven) have organized the first RED event in San Francisco. This event has been running for quite some time down in LA (I even had the chance to go to one back in 2003 to see the breaks act Cirrus do a live PA set), so it's pretty cool to see it making its way up to the Bay Area.

Headlining will be Dutch trance DJ, Thomas Bronzwaer.
Alongside him upstairs in the trance/psy room will be:
John Beaver
Ryan Russell
Apsara
Shawn Yapa
DJ Saphyre

Downstairs in the electro/hardstyle/breaks room will be:
Justin Illusion
Joshua G.
Jolan Ray
Nasher
MinceyFresh (Woohoo!)
Darwin S.
CTRL+D

You can buy presale tickets at Asparagus Heaven for $15, and admission at the door will be $25. I'm super nervous about my set, but I think I'll do okay. Well, I hope to see you guys there!!

new year's resolutions

2009-12-31T16:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years since I've seriously made a New Year's Resolution. This time around (especially with tomorrow being the start of a new decade), I decided that I should make a few. The following is not listed in any particular order:

Curb the laziness.
There is so much more I could've done this year if I didn't procrastinate so much. My excuse to put something off was always because I was too busy. Busy doing what? It's the end of the year, and I don't know if I ever finished doing whatever the hell it was I was busy with. Pulp flyers? I obviously can't use that excuse anymore. No more excuses! If I have something to do, I need to DO IT! I'm sure that the following resolutions will then fall into place naturally.

Reduce the clutter.
Clutter in my bedroom. Clutter in my mind. Clutter in my email inboxes. Clutter on my social network profiles. Clutter in my hard drive. Clutter in my iPod. Clutter everywhere! If you were to browse my flickr photos, you'll be hard pressed to find a recent photo taken of my bedroom. Why? The place is an embarassing mess! People get really surprised to hear how disorganized I am at home considering how I carry myself in public, but there's a reason that even some of my best friends have never seen what my room looks like. Just now, I bent down to pick up a receipt from the Ecko Unltd shop for a track jacket I bought in July. Yep. No idea why it was never thrown away. Twenty-Ten will be the year that I make my room, life, and mind resemble a Swiss graphic designer's dream come true.

Invest in a scanner/printer.
It's been something I've needed for ages, and I think that I'll finally be getting one. I've seen a few that have the option to print directly onto CDRs, and that's definitely something I need when it comes to making demo mix CDs to hand out to folks. I'll also be able to get rid of a bunch of the clutter in my room once I get around to scanning it all (interesting magazine articles, club/rave flyers, CD liner notes, etc).

Improve my Japanese.
I spent a year (and thousands of dollars) abroad to improve my Japanese, and where'd it all go? My Japanese (both speaking and reading/writing) has gotten so bad these past couple years, and I really need to get it back up to the level it was when I was living there and communicating daily. This will be the year to do it, whether it means dusting off all my old text books, blogging in Japanese again, investing in Rosetta Stone, or just trying harder to make Japanese friends either locally or online who wouldn't mind being language/conversation buddies.

Create a track.
2007 was the year that I finally started DJing after years of saying I would. 2010 will be the year that I finally produce a track. Whether the end result is a crazy, ravey banger or horrid excuse of a song, it will be nothing if I never start. I have the means of doing it, so it's time to get to it!

Continue school.
2007 was also the year I stopped going to school. I had my reasons, but the reasons are now completely irrelevant. My current plans are to start again in the fall of this year. I need to learn more about design!

Work out regularly.
I started using One Hundred Push Ups fairly regularly in September and October, but just kinda stopped in November. January 1, 2010 will be the day that the working out continues! I'm 31 now. I can't just sit around and expect to stay in decent shape without trying!

Manage money/finances better.
Does that really need an explanation?

I would normally say that *I wonder whether* I can accomplish all of my resolutions this year, but screw that. I WILL accomplish them all! Happy New Year, everyone! What resolutions do you guys have???

happy holidays! long time, no post!

2009-12-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

It's been way too long since I've posted! I'm debathing whether I should just post one HUGE update like I did for October, or if I should just machine gun a bunch of little posts talking about various little/big things I've been up to in November and the first half of this month.

Either way, this is just a "Happy Holidays" post in case I don't end up posting again before the holidays are over. I'm hoping to post another "Cold Day" mix like I did last winter... We'll see if I can get around to that!

LSS Sessions - Volume 2 is up! [] 32 Degrees tonight!

2009-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

Giuseppe Paolo and I finished compiling the second volume to LSS Sessions. Like the first volume, my set is filled with breaks & electro, while GP's set is hardstyle. They can both be download here at MediaFire:
http://bit.ly/2009_11_lss_sessions_vol_2
Enjoy!
(to anyone reading this on Facebook, click over to the original Blogspot post to preview the mixes on the Mixcloud players)

Lss Sessions - Vol. 02 - Part 1 - Minceyfresh by Life Support Systems on Mixcloud

Lss Sessions - Vol. 02 - Part 2 - Giuseppe Paolo by Life Support Systems on Mixcloud

Apparently, Soundcloud started increasing the limitations to their free accounts... I'm not quite ready to invest in a paid account yet, so I decided to post our sets to Mixcloud rather than Soundcloud this time around.

Come to think of it, I might start reposting all of my previous sets into a Mixcloud account, too... Xanga Audio is fine for individual songs, but definitely not the ideal choice for 40-80 minute DJ mixes.

Aaaaand... Catch us spinning tonight in Santa Cruz at Nestar Entertainment's 32 Degrees!

The lineup is as follows:

Room 1:
12am-1am: Carlos Alfonzo vs Aleks
11pm-12am: Nes
10pm-11pm: Infusion vs Toxic Rainbow
9pm-10pm: Dane O. vs MinceyFresh
8pm-9pm: Giuseppe Paolo
7pm-8pm: DJP

Room 2:
12am-1am: Timonkey
11pm-12am: Rastatronics
10pm-11pm: Fire Lieber
9pm-10pm: Dub Pirates
8pm-9pm: Twitchdubz
7pm-8pm: Smasheltooth

Afterparty: (location to be announced @ the main event)
4:30am-6am++ : Leafy Green
3am-4:30am : Dj Seek
2am-3am : CM
1am-2am : Rob Monroy

Hope to see you guys there!

october (lovevolution, halloween, and everything in between)

2009-11-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Warning: This post is LOOOOONNNNG!

I kept meaning to write individual posts on the various things I did last month, but I was either too busy working, sleeping, or doing said things that I never had a chance to really sit down and write/post pics about any of it. I decided to just lump them all into one post (which actually took me about a week to write)... Here goes!

10/3 - San Francisco LovEvolution

So October started off with a bang... It was SF Love time again. The event known as the "San Francisco LoveFest" and "Love Parade San Francisco" changed its name to San Francisco LovEvolution this year, as the folks at Go Ventures apparently had the rights to the name "Love Festival" and were going to take legal action with the SF Love organizers if they continued to use the name "LoveFest."

But yeah, this year the event was the biggest it's ever been; not particularly with the DJ lineup (which I don't believe was as large as it's been in previous years), but the amount of people who showed up! I got there fairly early, but it was PACKED! Seriously... It was the most crowded SF Love event I'd ever been to, and it started actually making the event a little less fun. My guess is that this was really the first year that it's happened while word-of-mouth social networking (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Xanga, etc) was as at its biggest. I wonder if the promoters are going to use the same location next year, because this year turned out to be a bit much...

After the parade itself, I went to Opel's afterparty ("Infuse: Love Evolves") over at Kelly's Mission Rock to watch Will Bailey, Zodiac Cartel (a.k.a. Elite Force), and Lee Coombs, among many others. I wanted to go to the Skills Official Afterparty, but I just wasn't ready to part with over 80 dollars just to rock out for a few hours...

In hindsight, I kinda wish I did go to the Skills Official Afterparty. At Infuse, I was so exhausted from running around all day that all I wanted to do was sit down, listen to the music, and stare at lasers (yes, I was sober), but there was hardly any decor at the venue, and there definitely wasn't anywhere clean to sit down and relax. The Skills Afterparty was at the Bill Graham Civic Center, which is filled with bleachers. I remember chilling up in the bleachers for quite some time last year... So yeah, after the event was over, I met up with Kimathi and his friends (who split off to go to the Skills party) and we all grabbed a bite to eat at IHOP then crashed at the Travelodge next door.

View the rest of the photos here!

10/08 - I bought the Palm Prē!

Back in September, I finally came to the conclusion that I would be getting an iPhone... That was, until Sprint suddenly announced the Any Mobile, Anytime plan, which has unlimited data, messaging, GPS navigation, and mobile-to-mobile (with any carrier) for $70 a month. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't find a plan cheaper than that on any other carrier without having to sacrifice one feature or another. It didn't help any that I finally got to play with a Palm Prē for a minute when I hung out with my buddy Megu and her friend Christine (who had a Prē). So yeah... I finally broke down and bought one on the 8th.

I didn't want to buy it from a Sprint store, as I would've had to pay $200 and wait for a $50 mail-in rebate... I decided to go to Radio Shack The Shack and buy it there (where the price was $150 out the door). Unfortunately, buying it at a retailer that doesn't have its own dedicated cell phone staff means that they might not know how to properly activate a phone. After standing around for about an hour or so, I had to take the phone home and activate it myself. It sucked, but the in-home process wasn't so bad.

Ooh, pretty!

It came with this nifty little felt pocket! I never really use it, though...

There it is next to my old Helio Ocean! I kinda feel that the Pre is the spiritual successor to the Ocean, what with Matias Duarte being the design chief at Helio (r.i.p.) and now the (inhales) Vice President of Human Interface and User Experience (exhales) at Palm.

That was a cool little easter egg in the product packaging!

Overall, I'm satisfied with the device. It was able to sync my Facebook contacts, Gmail address book, and AIM buddy list without a problem (though I did have to sit there and manually merge all of my duplicated contacts, though that was to be expected). I like the way the phone combines AIM conversations with the SMS text messaging threads, and the email client was SUPER easy to set up. Tweed, the more popular Twitter client on the phone, and the phone's Pandora app kick ass as well.

Like any phone, it's not perfect, though... The camera is fixed focus, so I can't take any macro shots like I could with my Nokia N82 (I <3 me some macro shots, haha).

The Google Maps app on webOS (the Pre's operating system) isn't as deep as it is on most other phone, either. On the Ocean and the N82, I would be able to save favorite locations, and even plot directions from one favorite saved location to another. I haven't figured out a way to save any locations in the webOS version of Gmaps... The closest I could do to that is to save an address in a friend's contact info. When you click on someone's address in their contact list entry, Google maps automatically opens and shows you the location. That feature is pretty nifty, but in future versions of the app, I hope that the developers let users save locations, if not in the app itself, at least back into the phone's contact list. Either that, or I hope that Google goes all out and releases the turn-by-turn Google Maps Navigation app for webOS.

I also kinda miss having a directional pad or joystick on the phone. It doesn't sound like it would be necessary on a touchscreen phone, but it really comes in handy when moving the cursor around when typing, especially if you don't want to accidentally hit the "send message" icon before you finish a text or IM.

Wow, I didn't realize that I was going to nerd out this much over my phone!

10/11 - San Juan Bautista Photowalk

This was the second Monterey photowalk I've gone on (the first was in downtown Monterey back in August), but this was the third one that was officially organized by my friend, Joe Doudna. Most of the photos I've been taking these days have been more just to archive my life, so it's nice going on these photowalks; I haven't really been taking photos for art's sake much lately, so these have definitely been giving me the opportunity to put a little more thought into my shots.

This was the first time I'd ever been to San Juan Bautista. It felt like someone had plucked a city from an entirely different period of time and plopped it down into central California!

View the rest of the photos here!

10/23 - Got the Sennheiser PX 100-IIs!

I think I'll write up a separate blog post about this...

10/29 - Lisa's bday @ Cibo & checking out Scandals Halloween Bash @ Doc's in downtown Monterey

I was invited to a friend-of-a-friend's birthday dinner at a restaurant in downtown Monterey called Cibo. I've worked across the street from the place for years, but this was my first time eating there! It wasn't bad!

We then went over to Doc's, where the Scandals folks were throwing their Halloween bash. There were local bands (Mapless, Candy Flip, and one more that I didn't get to catch) and a few electro DJs playing all night...

10/30 - Twisted Land of Oz

My buddy Trevor (who DJs as Omega) invited me and a few other local electronic DJs to spin at this Wizard of Oz/Halloween themed house party/rave on the 30th.

Can you tell who I was for Halloween (again, lol)?
Half the people there were giving me hi-fives, while the other half jokingly yelled at me because of their healthcare concerns. Haha.

The party was shut down due to noise complaints about 30 minutes into my set, but I had a lot of fun spinning (though admittedly I did completely trainwreck when I tried to mix my intro track into the end of Durty's last track! Whoops)! Poor Joe didn't get to spin, though...

Phew! Wow, you actually made it this far down? Good job!

october mini mix [] hundred push-ups

2009-10-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

2009 10 07 - october mini mix by minceyfresh

I recorded a new mini mix earlier this month... These are a few bangers I've been dying to put in a mix. They don't seem to fit in with my upcoming "Autumn Audio 2009," so I gave them their own little mini mix! You can download the mix as one long 37 minute mp3 from that little download button on the above Soundcloud player, or download it split into individual tracks here from Mediafire:

edit: Actually, I had to take the mix down, as I was informed that a particular track in the mix was still an unfinished, in progress track that wasn't supposed to be distributed. I'll try to re-record the mix, with the final version of said track, one of these days. Either that, or I'll try to make a full 80 minute mix and include all of the tracks that were in this mix. I'll try to figure something out. Haha.

01) product.01 - ready 2 rage (eshericks remix) - [dead famous records]
02) quadrat beat - spike - [illeven eleven]
03) neurodriver - sidewinder - [broken robot recordings]
04) far too loud vs. code zero - blackout - [exogenic breaks]
05) firefarm - volatile (pyramid remix) - [broken robot recordings]
06) beatman & ludmilla - ayra - [ayra]
07) vent - whiteout - [hardcore beats]

(lol, I just noticed that I have a "Blackout" and a "White Out" in my mix...)

Since the middle of last month, I've been constantly visiting One Hundred Pushups. When I was in high school (which was AGES ago), I used to be able to do fifty in under a minute, but since then, I haven't been able to do more than 30 without wanting to kill myself... A friend of mine posted a link to this site on Facebook a little while back. It trains the viewer to eventually be able to do 100 consecutive push-ups after 6 weeks of their program. I decided to try my hand at it (especially since I haven't been going to the gym anywhere near as much as I expected to)... I just finished week 4 the other day, and I made it up to 160 push-ups! Not 160 consecutive push-ups, but 160 total. I haven't tested how many I can consecutively do now, but I know for sure that it's over 30! Can't wait to see where I'll be by week 6!

I was planning to finally post some pics from the San Francisco LovEvolution, but I think that'll have to wait til next post!

my new mixes are up! "two sides 2009 (pt. 1 & 2)"

2009-08-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

What's up, guys!

It took me forever (I blame it on my temporary Street Fighter IV addiction, haha), but I finally completed my latest mixset!

Two Sides 2009

Just like last year's Two Sides to the Coin, one mix is filled with breaks and electro, while the other consists of trance and progressive breaks. This time around, I made sure that each part wouldn't go over 40 minutes in order to fit both onto one CDR.

(to anyone reading this on Facebook, click over to the original Blogspot post to preview the mixes on the Soundcloud player)

2009 08 - two sides 2009 - part 1 - electro/breaks by minceyfresh

2009 08 - two sides 2009 - part 2 - trance/progressive breaks by minceyfresh

Both parts are zipped into one folder and can be downloaded here at Mediafire.
http://www.mediafire.com/?nnzyjlizuto

I hope you guys enjoy the mixes, and any feedback would be appreciated!

r.i.p, mr. jackson [] my most memorable mj moment

2009-06-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

So I log into Facebook after taking a nap this afternoon (had to catch up on some sleep after a friend's 21st birthday), and this is what I come across:

I then log into my Twitter, and yep, it's no different:

I just heard about Farrah Fawcett dying on CNN earlier today *before* the nap, and now Michael Jackson??? Crazy...

So what was your most memorable MJ moment? One of mine was when I was about five or six years old... My family just received a package from the U.S. with all sorts of goodies, including a VHS tape filled with recordings all sorts of sitcoms, cartoons, and music videos that we couldn't see on AFN (we were stationed at the time in Pattonville, a U.S. Army base in Stuttgart, Germany).

One of the videos (which was more of a short film) was this brand new Michael Jackson song called Thriller. I had never seen any horror movies up to this point, so *hoooly crap* that Werewolf scene scared the bejesus outta me. I thought it was all over, and then, a few minutes later, ZOMGWTF ZOMBIES!!! And that narrator's voice! *shudder* Scary overload for a six-year-old!

Luckily, The Jackson 5's Can You Feel It was also recorded and included somewhere else in the tape, so that made things better and made me forget about the horror that was Thriller. ^^

Well, you will be missed, Mr. Jackson. I hope that people remember you for your greatness, and nothing more.

Aaaanywho, I need to get going... Sorry btw about not having my mix up yet! I was super sick these past few days (imagine trying some banging trance & breakbeat with a headache)... (>_<)

recording another mix (or two or three?)

2009-06-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the process of compiling tracks for a new mixset (or two). Now I'm just trying to decide on the format of the mix(es). Should I record one typical 80 minute long breaks mix? Two 40 minute mini mixes (each one a different genre such as breaks, trance, or drum 'n' bass)? I've been tempted to try my hand at a 2009 version of the Two Sides to the Coin mix I recorded last year (which was comprised of two 80 minute mixes).

Looking back on it, recording that mix last year was a pretty frustrating and time consuming project since each part was a full-length mix in and of itself... Maybe I should go ahead and try "Two Sides '09," while keeping each "side" no longer than 40 minutes in order to a) fit both onto one CD, and b) avoid doing stupid things such as train wreck an hour into recording.

I don't work tomorrow or Wednesday, so I'm hoping to have the mix recorded and ready for download by the time Thursday rolls around... And for the sake of saving time, I don't think I'll get as intricate with designing the album cover this time around. Haha...

LSS Sessions: new mixes from myself & giuseppe paolo!

2009-04-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Joe and I finally got our mixes done! Well, they've been finished, so I guess I should really just say that I finally got the album artwork finished and embedded into the mix!

LSS Sessions - 2009 04 - MinceyFresh & Giuseppe Paolo

Joe (Giuseppe Paolo) and I recorded our mixes at roughly 40 minutes each so they can both be fitted onto one 80 minute CD. My mix is first up and is filled with breaks and electro house.

GP's set follows up with some banging hardstyle.

Parts 1 and 2 are both zipped together and can be downloaded here at MediaFire:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mqmww3jyfmy

I hope you guys enjoy our mixes! If you do, be sure to check us out in the main room at Honeycomb, a rave in Santa Cruz on the 25th this month!

Tickets can be purchased at the NeStar MySpace page.

The PULP poster for April

2009-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Katie and I had a chance to meet up this afternoon with our buddy Tawna who was able to model for our Pulp 11" x 17" poster for the month of April! She's had modelling experience before, so she was really natural in front of the camera.

So yep, I just finished putting together the Pulp poster for April about an hour ago, and now Tyler's off to go get some printed.

I can't relax just yet though, as I need to finish the 5" x 7" flyer in addition to the poster for April's Electro Funk Combustion... I hope I'll have them done by tomorrow! For now though, it's time to head to The Hippodrome for the final Pulp event of March... The San Francisco DJ John Beaver will be headlining tonight! Can't wait!

i thought that it was supposed to start warming up...

2009-03-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

... but it ended up raining the other day!

The weather in Monterey was actually starting to warm up before that, but now it's back to the hella cold December-like weather again, even when the sun's out.

I'll try to have some photos from Pulp, Electro Funk Combustion 6, and the Boys Noize show in my next post, whenever that'll be (hopefully sooner than later). Oh, and I'll be on the radio tonight doing a versus set with Joe (aka Giuseppe Paolo). I've never tried mixing with him before, and the stuff he spins is A LOT faster than what I usually play, so it'll make for an interesting set.

http://tat.csumb.edu/radio
The show runs from 8pm - midnight, and Joe and I will be on sometime within that timeframe.

random d&b/jungle madness

2009-02-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

These were too funny... I had no choice but to post an entry just to share these.

Speaking of which, I really oughta try my hand at a drum 'n' bass mini mix one of these days...

PULP - week one

2009-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

I guess one reason I haven't really had the urge to blog lately because of all of the Twittering (or tweeting as it's properly called) and updating of my Facebook status I've been doing lately.

Something in particular that's been keeping me busy has been the preparation for an electronic music weekly that my friends (Tyler, Katie, and Peter) and I are throwing in downtown Monterey called Pulp, which is every Thursday this month at The Hippodrome (formerly Club Octane). It took me forever to complete the 5" x 7" flyer design, and by the time I finally did complete it, I was asked to put together an 11" x 17" poster as well (with all of the information from the back of the flyer).

This is the front and back of the 5" x 7" flyer...

... and here's the 11" x 17" poster.

It was kinda tricky trying to figure out how to cram all of that information onto the back of the 5 x 7 flyer and the front of the 11 x 17 poster without making it too cluttered and busy. I think I did alright... Whaddaya guys think?

But yeah, this past Thursday was our opening night, and I think I can confidently say that the night was a success. Initially, we all kinda had the mindset that, like, "Ya know, it doesn't matter if there's a smaller turnout than we hope... This will be a learning experience for us..." To our pleasant surprise however, people kept showing up and filling the room! And they all kept dancing til the place closed!

I haven't had time to go through all of the photos, but here are a couple from the night.

I didn't realize just how awesome the view was from this room (the Skyy Room)! I'm pretty glad that we scored this room rather than the smaller (and darker) room on the opposite side of the club!

Anywho, I gotta run some errands, but I'll try to have the rest of the pics up soon!

a trance mini mix to tide you over til my next update

2009-01-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

Geez, I haven't updated this in a while! I've been that big combination of busy and lazy...

But yeah... Here's a mini trance mixset I recorded in the beginning of last December that I had never got around to uploading for various reasons... I'll go ahead and put it up now for you guys to download. I did burn it onto some CDRs along with the Summer Mini Breaks Mixtape and toss them out to the crowd at last month's ElectroFunk Combustion, but to anyone who wasn't fortunate enough to catch one of the CDs, here's your chance to have it for yourself.

Download it in a high quality mp3 format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?33g1ihyounw

Alrighty, well, I hope to have an update with a little more substance next time, but til then, enjoy the mix!

Oh, and happy Lunar/Chinese New Year, too!

the most amazing sunset i've seen all year (even though it's still the 2nd of january)

2009-01-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

I'll let the video and pics do the talking.

my winter mix is up: "electronic for a cold day"

2008-12-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

I finished my winter mix this morning and here it is!

Download it here in higher quality mp3 format.

No matter the genre, there are always those tracks that make for good listening when bundled up with a hot cup of tea watching the rain (okay, well, not all genres, but I'm sure you get what I mean). I wanted to compile a mix that invokes that type of feeling; something that I could put on while taking a nap or driving around at night. It's quite different from what I normally spin, as it starts off a bit slower and subdued, and eventually picks up into music with a little more energy. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I did mixing it!

Happy holidays!

pics from electrofunk combustion 5

2008-12-17T21:52:00.000-08:00

Oh man, that party was nuts! Everyone there had such good energy... We all appreciate everyone who came and rocked out!

Click on any of the photos to see them a little larger.

The rest of the pics can be seen here at Flickr.

So yep... it was an rad night with rad people and rad music. It was definitely an honor to be a part of it! The next event is tentatively set to be on Friday, February the 13th. I hope you all can make it!

a train ride through tokyo

2008-12-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this video on Kato630's blog this morning:

I believe I rode this monorail when I went to hang out in Odaiba with some friends in the spring a few years back. I remember being taken aback at the beautiful view that passengers have while riding, as looking in one direction gives them a huge view of the bay, while looking the opposite gives an enormous view of the city skyline...

The future-funky music only enhances the video, and I think that the second track that starts in the middle of the video [First Class '77 (Fantastic Plastic Machine remix)] is audible bliss.
Turns out that the music's by a fellow named Yoshinori Sunahara, and it looks like quite a bit of his music is available in the US on Emusic, Amazon MP3, and iTunes, so I'm sure I'll have no trouble loading up on his discography.

Seeing the video and getting all nostalgic is making me want to post a few photos from that day in Odaiba.

Oh, and I'll have try to have the photos from last night's ElectroFunk Combustion on my next post!

coming soon: two trance mini mixes (one from me, one from katie blades)

2008-12-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

Katie Blades and I will be spinning a trance set together at the next Electro Funk Combustion event (Friday, December the 12th). To promote our upcoming set, we'll both be recording a 40 minute mini mixset each and putting them both onto 80 minute CDRs to hand out to people (and we'll of course be posting them online).

Although the sets I usually spin are comprised of breaks and electro house, I've put together a couple trance mixsets as well. It will, however, be my first time spinning trance live. This mixset I did back in July is a good example of the type of trance I like to spin.

It'll also be my first time spinning on CDJs live. Up to this point, I've been spinning on my Macbook running the Torq DJ software [which is not unlike Traktor and Serato] using the M-Audio Xponent controller. Controlling the CDJs and controlling the, uh, controller are fairly similar, but I really need to get accustomed to not staring at the waveforms of the tracks while I spin (which is what I've been used to doing when mixing on a laptop. I'm hoping that doesn't throw the timing off during my transitions too drastically, but I guess that's what practicing is for, right? Wish me luck!

On another note, man, it was hard finding decent photos of all of the night's DJs when designing the above poster. I need to be sure to get good action shots of them while they're spinning this time around so they'll have decent portraits that they can actually give to promoters if they want their pics on more flyers in the future...

my mix and pics from Stellar Landing

2008-11-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone! I hope you all got nice and stuffed yesterday! I'll save my "thankful" list for the end of the year when I'll compile my "ups and downs of 2008" list.

Last Saturday (the 22nd), I had the chance to spin at a renegade called Stellar Landing. It was a good ol' fashioned rave, too. The only way to get there was to receive a text message from the promoters with directions to the place!

Download the set I recorded that night/morning here at Mediafire!

I forgot my camera in my car (I rode up with Giuseppe Paolo), so I had to take all of my photos with the camera on my phone! (>_<) The phone usually takes decent photos in the daytime (I suppose the same could be said about most phone cameras, now that I think about it), but it sucks oh so bad when trying to take pics in the dark (which is what my FinePix F10 is VERY good at doing). So yeah... sorry for the crap photos!

Hope to see you all at the next one!

btw, I wonder if iTunes' mp3 encoder has changed... I used to encode my sets at 160kbps (VBR) mp3, and they'd never go over 100 MB for an 80 minute set... I just upgraded iTunes to 8.02.20, and the above set (which was just about 66 minutes) ended up hitting 105 MB! This normally wouldn't be a big deal, but Mediafire (understandably) limits users' uploaded files to 100 MB... Hm.

i'd say this past electrofunk combustion went well. :-)

2008-11-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

You can download the set I spun tonight here at Mediafire.

I was only able to stay for the first half of ElectroFunk Combustion, as I had to leave for work a couple hours before it was over. The turnout was quite well, though! I can't wait for the next one, which will be held Friday, December the 12th.

It looks like I'm flipping someone off! Haha...

You can check out the rest of the photos here at Flickr. Now there's no time to rest... It's time to start working on the flyer for next month's event!

fall randomness (2 new mixes | efc | mixing on the radio show)

2008-11-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

I finished recording two mixsets in October... I was supposed to post the first one (called Autumn Audio) as soon as I finished it, but I got pretty caught up working on designing the flyers/posters for The Return of Darkness (the Halloween event on campus that ended up getting cancelled) and this semester's first ElectroFunk Combustion (posted below the mixes in this post). Anywho, download away and enjoy!

2008 10/09 - autumn audio
Download in higher quality mp3 format here at Mediafire.

specimen a :: algorithm [funkatech]
deadmau5 feat. mc flipside :: hi friend [mau5trap recordings]
sam hell :: grunge [mofo recordings]
tba
buy now :: body crash (streetlife djs remix) [la'mode]
the rogue element :: panic attacks [exceptional]
journeyman vs. barrcode :: no exception [ho-ju]
stylus rex :: surge (ninelives the cat remix) [ground level breaks]
beat assassins :: direct hit [mofo recordings]
schmidt :: perfect [rocstar recordings]
shut up and dance :: come to turn it out (ctrl-z remix) [shut up and dance]
rennie pilgrem :: so real (andrea lai remix) [tcr]
stanton warriors :: hope time (the rogue element remix) [punks]
the crystal method :: now is the time (vote '08 remix) [promo]

This next mix is one I recorded during one of my guest mixes on Technopedia, the radio show that Tyler hosts on CSU Monterey Bay's radio station (the Kelpcast) on Tuesday nights.

2008 10/28 - guest mix on Technopedia
Download in higher quality mp3 format here at Mediafire.

faithless :: mass destruction (paul jackson big weapon) [cheeky records]
free*land :: we want your soul (club mix) [marine parade]
sam hell :: gun club [sinister recordings]
cash candy :: lee disco (just banks remix) [etage noir special]
digital base :: don't get tired [ibreaks]
30hz :: innocent (far too loud dub remix) [lot49]
lee coombs :: control (the rogue element remix) [lot49]
mr. sam vs. human resource :: dominator (maverick bacon remix) [appia music]
j2k :: millenium [kick it recordings]
noisia :: seven stitches - [division recordings]
vent :: gash (clean mix) [hardcore beats]
hedflux :: non stop [breakin even records]
plump djs :: rocket soul [finger lickin records]
underthis :: revolution [distinctive records]
wrexx :: timeline [en:vision recordings]

This is the flyer for this semester's first ElectroFunk Combustion (next Friday, November 14! Mark your calendars!). I had a lot more fun playing with this one than I did with the Darkness poster. I can't count how many times I reworked and fine-tuned the thing, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out (especially considering it's only my second time designing a party flyer).

Here's the lineup (yeah, it's already listed on the poster, but these are links to their MySpace pages):

Viticus (Digital D&A Music)
Toxic Rainbow (Just For µ)
Omega (Monterave)
Jaxxin & Paolo present: The Techslingers (E=mc²)
Katie Blades
Raver Rob

Hope to see you guys there!

Here are some pics from the past couple weeks on Tyler & Joe's radio shows. Katie bought a pair of Pioneer CDJ-400 turntables and the Behringer DDM4000 mixer and she and Tyler have been bringing it into the "studio" for everyone to mix on their shows. Man those things are sick... Whenever I do invest in some CD decks (if I decide to indulge), I'll try to get the 400s. For now, the Xponent + Macbook is good for me, but I really do need to get used to mixing on CD decks.

A clue as to who I'm voting for:

2008-11-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

This is who I was this past Halloween:

(btw, the aluminum foil we're all wearing was for the "Free Boo-rito" promo that Chipotle had on Halloween, lol)

Who and what are YOU GUYS voting for???
Y'all are voting today (that is, if you didn't already send off your absentee ballots some time ago like I did), right? RIGHT???

not much to say, but so much to say at the same time

2008-10-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

I've just been so caught up doing a bajillion other things that I have been too lazy/busy to really post about any of it.

Well, the LoveFest was fun, as always. I kept planning to post an entry with a bunch of photos from the event, but just never got around to it (usually because blog entries that have tons of photos take forever to put together). You can check out all of the photos I took that weekend here, otherwise, here are a few of the favorites that I snapped.

I'll try to eventually get the videos I took that weekend up onto Youtube and post them here, too.

E=mc2 (I'm too lazy to figure out how to put the 'squared' in its proper format, lol) will be throwing a party at the Black Box Cabaret for Halloween called The Return of Darkness. The lineup will be:

Viticus (Digital D&A Music)
Jaxxin & Paolo present: The Techslingers (E=mc2)
Matt D.
Katie Blades
Meadux (formerly known as DJ S0ulFree)

Oh, and I designed the poster & flyer for the event!
(my first party flyer/poster! woot!)

This is the 11 x 17 inch poster:

And this is the front & back to the 5 x 7 inch flyer (which, unfortunately, was finished too late to print).

It's been forever since I've done anything design-related, so it took me forever to get this done. Hopefully everything will fall together a little more effortlessly the next time I work on designing a flyer (or anything else for that matter).

Alright, time to get ready for work! I can't wait for the day when "work" will consist of DJing and graphic design, rather than verifying receipts at a hotel all night...

san francisco lovefest 2008: are YOU going???

2008-10-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Man, I really need to update this more often (or at least write something a little more prolific whenever I do update). Anyway, although I should be blogging about something important such as the Vice Presidential Debate, I just wanted to mention how excited I am to go to the San Francisco LoveFest again this year. For those who don't know, it's one of (if not THE) largest electronic dance music events in California (well, I guess Burning Man would probably be THE largest, now that I think about it). I've been going every year since it began in 2004 (when it came to the US as the Love Parade San Francisco), and I have left one of these events disappointed... Well, maybe disappointed at myself for not wearing more comfortable footwear, but definitely not disappointed with the music and energy the event delivers.

Who am I excited to see spin this year? Let's see...

(in no particular order)
Elite Force
Rennie Pilgrem
Armin van Buuren
Above & Beyond
DJ Mehdi
Aquasky
Kyau & Albert

My must-see list isn't as big as previous years, but if I think about it, for a majority of the time that I was rocking out in front of the various floats, I had no idea who the DJ was that was spinning (many of whom were local San Francisco DJs).

Well, here are some videos I took at previous Lovefests/LoveParades.

Carl Cox @ LPSF 2005

Ferry Corsten @ LPSF 2005

A random float @ SFLF 2006

Hybrid spinning at the SupperClub float @ SFLF 2006

Paavo & Tony of Above & Beyond @ the SFLF Afterparty 2006

See you all there!

my pix and my mix from Night Sweats

2008-09-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to type very much at the moment, but here is a photo slideshow from Night Sweats, the horror-themed rave I spun (and danced my head off) at this past Friday.

And if you either missed my set (or would like to relive it), here it is in mp3 format!
http://www.mediafire.com/?n2emkedbtjm
Enjoy!

the aut0b0ts & screwface :: apocalypse
plump djs :: snake eyes
journeyman vs. barrcode :: no exception
future funk squad :: the mothership
ninelives the cat :: the invisible
far too loud :: play it loud (broken robot remix)
ferry corsten feat. guru :: junk (body snatcher vocal mix)
aquasky vs. masterblaster :: boom! (breakfastaz remix)
the crystal method :: high roller (myagi remix)
hybrid :: sleepwalking
vent :: encoded
the aut0b0ts & screwface :: final conflict

I'll update this post soon!

dj gig @ giza hookah lounge, santa cruz 9/17

2008-09-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I was invited to spin at Giza Hookah Lounge in Santa Cruz tomorrow night for Electronic Wednesdays! I'll be on from 11pm - midnight... Wow, two non-Monterey gigs in one week!

Come rock out!

edit: I guess having directions to the venue would help, wouldn't it? :-P
Click the address below to see it on Google Maps.

1515 Mission St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

i don't browse Threadless very often, but...

2008-09-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

... I just came across this tshirt while clicking around teh Internets and was devastated to find out that it was sold out! I'm not quite sure how Threadless works, but I believe users have to vote for it to be reprinted or something... Is that how it works?

The tshirt reads:

they lied to us

this was supposed to be the future

where is my jetpack,
where is my robotic companion,
where is my dinner in pill form,
where is my hydrogen fueled automobile,
where is my nuclear-powered levitating house,

where is my cure for this disease

Although the text is pretty effing awesome (are these lyrics or something?), it was the grid-like, techy layout of the text and lines that really caught my attention. It sort of reminds me of a tshirt I'd come across in Japan... Come to think of it, the last time I had tshirts with this much text (albeit Engrish filled) was when I actually lived in Japan.

Getting back to the Threadless tshirt (which was designed by a freelance graphic designer named John Slabyk), it looks like there is at least an 18'' x 24'' art print still available... I suppose I could hang it up on my wall or something.

If Threadless always has tshirt/hoodie designs this awesome, I'm really going to have to make it a point to browse them more often!

my next dj gig: Night Sweats - sep. 19 - santa cruz

2008-09-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

My next gig (if you didn't see in the post's title) will be at Night Sweats, a horror-themed rave at the Santa Cruz Vets Hall on September the 19th, presented by Just for µ.

It'll be two rooms:

The Pet Cemetery, featuring:

Dub Pirates
Chlorophil (Cosmic Leaf Records/Ajana Records)
MinceyFresh (831/E=mc2) (that's me! Haha...)
Dane O (StumbleJuice)
Ouija (Meta Music Records)

The Crypt, featuring:

Arize (Connected)
Psyfreq vs. Sausee (Galaxy Unknown)
Giuseppe Paolo (831/E=mc2) vs. Mick Khaos (MonteRave)
Omega (MonteRave) vs. Downward
Toxic Rainbow (Just for µ)

There will also be an official afterparty (presented by Sugar) (location announced during the event) featuring:

DJ Seek (SUGAR)
Rastatronics (SUGAR/Subwize)
Rendr801 (DubScouts/Mechanized Records)
Steve Eatough (SUGAR)
187 Soundsystem (Subwize)
Dave J (Subwize)

Presale tickets are only $7.00, but will be going up to $10.00 as the event gets closer. They can be purchased via PayPal at the Just for µ website and at their MySpace page. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $15.00.
Tickets at the door will be $15.00.

Okay, my laptop's starting to act up, so I'd better hurry up and save this blog entry before everything I just typed disappears.

ninjas with rollerskates

2008-08-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

I came across this at TokyoMango yesterday.
The less I try to explain, the more awesome this video remains.

random stuff (new mini mixtape, photography, fam reunion, & upcoming rave)

2008-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

random new mini mixtape from me:

Download the set in higher quality mp3 format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?vt6etvxyjo1

cash candy :: lee disco (just banks remix) - [etage noir special]
napt :: gotta have more cowbell - [funkatech records]
lee coombs & nick thayer :: tfm - [lot49]
far too loud feat. subsource :: you know the sound - [funkatech records]
plump djs :: snake eyes - [finger lickin' records]
noisia :: seven stitches - [division recordings]
kid digital :: wicked (screwface remix) - [bombtraxx records]

-----
random photography from 2008 08/08:

-----
random blogging:

In about 24 hours, I'll be on a plane to Georgia for a family reunion! I haven't been there since 1996 when my grandmother passed away... Now that I think about it, I don't think I've even been in another state in this country at all since that time (hanging abouts Reno for a couple hours back in 2000 doesn't count, haha). It'll be nice to see all of my relatives again, many of whom I haven't seen since I was a child.

Oh, man, there's quite a bit more that I want to blog about, but I have a ton of things to do before heading out tomorrow morning (including getting a bit of sleep and working a full night's shift at the hotel).
-----
one more last random tidbit:

If any of you are anywhere from Monterey up to San Francisco this coming Friday (8/15), you all should check out this rave that's gonna be up in Santa Cruz called Love is the Law. My buddies Mick (Mick Khaos) and Joe (Giuseppe Paolo) will be spinning there, alongside a ton of other talented DJs.

You can find more info here at the event's MySpace page.
Support your local underground parties, y'all!

my first trance mixset! "expanding horizons"

2008-07-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Download the set here in higher quality mp3 format:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zktmyymxdn1

adymus :: a place not far (maarten hercules remix) - [fraction zero]
nish :: blue sunshine (sean tyas remix) - [tetsuo]
above & beyond :: world on fire (maor levi remix) - [anjunabeats]
ayu :: appears (kyau & albert dub mix) - [drizzly]
foundry :: foundation (arctic moon remix) - [tranceflo records]
tba
blank & jones feat. bernard sumner :: miracle cure (martin roth nu style remix) - [soundcolors]
p.a.f.f. :: shabby - [flashover recordings]
tiesto & bt :: bright morningstar (andy duiguid remix) - [magik muzik]
ferry corsten :: i love you - [flashover recordings]
tranquility base :: buzz - [anjunabeats]
tba

So yep! Although this isn't the first mix I've posted with trance (part 1 of the "Two Sides..." mix was pretty trancy for the first half of the disc), I just wanted to try something different this time (hence the mix title) and record a set full of trance tracks. I also want to use this mixset to let everyone know that I'm not strictly a breaks DJ.

I hope you all have as much fun rockin' out to this set as I did compiling & mixing it!

this saturday (7/12) in Monterey: RUSH

2008-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! Rush is back!

Saturday, July 12
Jose's Lounge Underground
638 Wave Street, Monterey, 93940
FREE ADMISSION!
21 & up

Featuring DJs:
Lexx & Skwallie (1015, Reverb)
Maitre V (Aquarius Productions)
S0ulFree (Audio Jaxx Productions)
DJ Mick Khaos (MonteRave)

new mix up: early '08 favorites

2008-06-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Download the set here in higher quality mp3 format:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9njyaqn3hj2

the rogue element :: dead drummers - [exceptional records]
unbalanced jack :: kickin' rhyme steady (aut0b0ts remix) - [broke recordings]
dj dan & donald glaude :: stick em - [instereo recordings]***
ed209 vs. ken mac :: hell yeah! - [hardcore beats]
mason :: when farmers attack (malente remix) - [unique records]
deadmau5 vs. jelo :: the reward is cheese - [netswork records]***
the young punx :: rockall (phonat mix) - [mofohifi]
noisia :: brainstitch (aquasky remix) - [shogun audio]
the crystal method :: badass (the rogue element remix) - [tiny e records]
meat katie & d ramirez :: stop the revolution (30hz remix) - [lot49]
moby :: alice (general midi remix) - [mute]
ctrl-z :: chemistry - [hardcore beats]
the magnet men :: you're the type - [hardcore beats]
nick thayer :: mind control - [passenger]
hybrid :: i choose noise (elite force remix) - [distinctive records]

If some of these tracks sound familiar to you, you're not trippin. I actually played some of them in a few of the live recordings I uploaded these past few months (i.e. Monterave, Electro Funk Combustion, etc), but I really wanted to have them in a proper 80 minute mixset (hence the name of the mixset, despite the fact that some of the tracks weren't necessarily released in 2008).

Now that I have this set out of the way, I can start working on a couple other mixes I've had planned for a while (one being a long overdue trance mix). Anywho, I hope you all enjoy it!

*** (Thanks Tyler & Brandon for making me fall in love with these two tracks even though you two are probably sick of them already. Haha.)

a couple of (FREE) electronic music events in Monterey! =]

2008-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! Here are a couple electronic music events coming up here in Monterey:

1) SUNDAYZ
Today! 12pm - 11pm
@ Del Monte Beach
All ages

with DJs:
- Maitre V
- s0ulFree
- Mr. Tyler Jackson
- Joey C (831)
- Matt D
- DJ War
- John Havok

-----

2) Maitre V & Aquarius Productions presents the return of... RUSH!
Saturday, 7/12
@ The Lounge Underground (underneath Jose's Bar & Grill next door to the IMAX Theater)
638 Wave St, 93940

- Progressive, Trance, Electro
- FREE!
- DJs TBA

new mix up! - late spring mini mixtape - breaks

2008-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Late Spring Mini Mixtape - Breaks

I finally finished the breaks minimix yesterday. I was originally thinking of calling my mini-mixes "Pocket Mints" (ya know, MinceyFresh and all), but I decided to keep them straight to the point and call them Mini Mixtapes (too lazy to have to explain that they're mini-mixes, hence *pocket* mints, etc).

As I mentioned before, something I'm trying right now with the mini mixes is to keep them at under 40 minutes so I can squeeze two of them into one 80 minute CDR. I'd ideally like to put two mixes of completely different genres onto the CD to show what I'm capable of mixing. Anywho, this is my (surprise, surprise) breaks mix.

Download it here in higher quality mp3 format:
http://www.mediafire.com/?47zvzgxgi3n

general midi - milton (digital one mix) - [distinctive records]
future funk squad - the mothership - [en:vision recordings]
jmekka & jbass - freestyle (robosapiens remix) - [ibreaks]
ferry corsten feat. guru - junk (body snatchers vocal mix) - [positiva]
atomic hooligan - i don't care (ctrl-z vs. pyramid remix) - [bochit & scarper]
jude sebastian - rubberman (miles dyson remix) - [erase records]
the body snatchers - twist up - [passenger]
drumattic twins - can't give you up - [finger lickin' records]

So yep. I should have a few more mixes (both mini mixes and a full 80 minute mix) coming up pretty soon. Enjoy this one in the meantime!

2008 05/16 [] Kind of a Big Deal [] New Work by Bask & Tes One [] Seaside, CA

2008-04-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

copied + pasted from Tes One's MySpace blog:

The Gallery at The Alternative Cafe Presents:

Kind of a Big Deal – an exhibit of new works and prints by Bask and Tes One
Curated by Andrew Jackson of Outer Edge Studio

May 16th – 7:00pm to 9:00pm

The Alternative Cafe 1230 Fremont Blvd. Seaside, CA 93955

About the Artists

TES ONE // www.tesone.net

The work that I create is the line of demarcation between traditional art techniques and digital graphic design. From graffiti art and illustration, to vector graphics and raster images, the fusion of these contrasting elements are a direct representation of my surroundings and how I see them.

Bio:

From crayons to krylon, Leon "Tes One" Bedore has been creating art on walls for the majority of his life. Tes became a serious street artist in 1992, painting murals and graffiti art throughout the Tampa Bay, Florida area. In 1999, he began developing compelling graphic design and web pages for a number of clients.

Today, Tes One combines his street-art roots with his digital design experience to create works that reflect his unique worldview. Tes is quickly gaining international recognition as a contemporary artist seamlessly bridging the gap between graphic design and fine art. He has developed his own signature by producing an urban street style with the deliberate and thoughtful technique of a fine draftsman. Tes works with themes such as the contrast between technology and nature, color versus contrast, and grime versus grace. The end result is a compelling mixture of emotion and composition, which reflects on the viewer like an intimate conversation. When experienced, it becomes obvious why such emotionally compelling work is moving from the street and onto the walls of museums and galleries.

Tes One has enjoyed acclaim in places such as London, Miami, Detroit, Cleveland and San Francisco, and his work has been featured in a number of international publications, while his work often finds home in private collections worldwide.

BASK // myspace.com/baskinyourthoughtcrimes

Bask is the moniker of one, Ales Bask Hostomsky, who along with his parents emigrated from Czechoslovakia to Florida and began to soak up America's popular iconic imagery along with the sun. He quickly began to notice similarities between the communistic iconic propaganda from his youth and the consumer advertising of his teens. Bask soon discovered that they were simply, two sides of the same coin. Each vying for our short-lived attention spans, all the while selling us (or telling us?) anything and everything from Marxism toMcDonalds. Seeking conspiracies-and finding them embedded in the popular iconography of the mass media, Bask began painting bold, media critical broadsides to assuage his fear of being manipulated. A fear cultivated in a repressive regime, had now returned, but to the most unlikely and safest of places- The American living room.

The artist's richly textural work imbue his "anti-iconic," sometimes satirical worldview with an undercurrent of dark emotion. His canvases are the city's flotsam and jetsam of industrial and consumer decay. Combining his graphic skill with his trademark multi-layered applications, Bask builds up the surface only to break down the image. "My art is a type of deconstruction," says Bask, "I try to focus on the imperfection of things, rather then their unachievable perfection."

Bask's imagery has appeared in countless publications in both advertising and editorial capacities. His work has been shown in the Florida International Museum as well as the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art which also has his work in it's permanent collection. Bask has also exhibited his work in solo shows in Baltimore, Detroit, Miami and Tampa among others.

must... cheer... up!

2008-04-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

C'mon, James! Positive thoughts, you can do it!
Haha... Anyway... Onto various other random topics.

An idea that I've been considering lately regarding DJing is to record my downloadable mixsets just under 40 minutes. I'd probably be able to fit about 7 or 8 tracks into each set, and it would probably be easier for listeners to sit completely through rather than going through an entire 80 minute set in one sitting. I'd also be able to fit two sets onto one CDR if I were to burn them to hand out at parties. Doing these mini-mixes would also make it easier for me to make themed sets (such as the "chase scene" mixset that I've been dying to compile since before I'd even began DJing) without forcing myself to try to find enough tracks to fill an 80 minute CDR, regardless of how well they'd flow.

Doing these sets would also be good for me if I were to try my hand at various genres. So far, I'd been mostly spinning breaks and electro house, even though I have a pretty good deal of trance and prog tracks at my disposal. I don't want to strictly label myself a breaks DJ, especially if potential club/rave promoters would be looking for someone who spins, say, trance or house. I could ideally fit a trance mini-mix followed by a breaks mini-mix onto one CDR to show listeners what I'm capable of doing with each genre. I'll try recording a couple of these types of sets sometime next week if time allows.

Well, tonight is the last Electro Funk Combustion of the semester. I'm really bummed that I didn't get a slot to spin tonight, but the event is only 4 hours, and we obviously can't have the same DJs over and over at each of these events, so I suppose it's just one of those things can't be helped. I am, however, pretty happy for my friend Mick (a.k.a. DJ Mick Khaos), finally does get a chance to spin a set tonight. He came to the previous two parties to show his support and enjoy the music that everyone else has been spinning, so he really does deserve to be up there.

A fellow named DJ Conspiracy, will also be there, and headlining the event is San Francisco's John Beaver, who spins at tons of Skills events and at 1015 pretty often.

Well, I just got off work a couple hours ago, so I'm really just wanting to put on some music and head to bed. Hope everyone's having a fun Thursday!

my mixsests from the past two EFCs are up!

2008-04-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to getting my mixsets from the past two Electro Funk Combustions online and ready to download!

Keep in mind that these were recorded live... When I'm recording a mixset at home, I have the chance to stop, yell out some curses and start over whenever I start to trainwreck, but when it's live, I just gotta keep going with it and hope that nobody really noticed.

So without further ado, enjoy the mixes! Load them onto your iPod, burn them for your friends, or just bump them on your laptop speakers.

minceyfresh - 2008 03/13 - live @ electro funk combustion

Click here to download the set at Mediafire.

amb - romeo - (edit) - [chi recordings]
move - around the world (way out west remix) - [avex tune]
wiesel & captain koma - nice - [ruff dog recordings]
mighty dub katz - magic carpet ride 07 (shinichi osawa remix) - [southern fried records]
sta - in living colour - [marine parade]
mason - when farmers attack (malente remix) - [unique records]
moby - alice (general midi remix) - [mute]
specimen a - rock this house - [funkatech]
public domain - operation blade [bass in the place] (cut & run bootleg remix) - [cdr]
slyde - kiss kiss bang bang - [finger lickin' records]
brancaccio & aisher - freak around (koma & bones remix) - [burrito records]
überzone - 4 bit (überzone 2 bit downgrade mix) - [nitrus records]

minceyfresh - 2008 03/27 - live @ electro funk combustion 2

Click here to download the set at Mediafire.

plump djs - get kinky - [finger lickin' records]
ed209 vs. ken mac - hell yeah! - [hardcore beats]
ctrl-z - chemistry - [hardcore beats]
nick thayer - mind control - [passenger]
the magnet men - you're the type - [hardcore beats]
aquasky vs. masterblaster - boom! (breakfastaz remix) - [777 records]
noisia - brainstitch (aquasky remix) - [shogun audio]
moby - alice (general midi remix) - [mute]
unbalanced jack - kickin' rhyme steady (aut0b0ts remix) - [broke recordings]
sta - in living colour - [marine parade]
the young punx - rockall (phonat mix) - [mofohifi]
dj stew - funky fresh (shake-n-breaks mix) - [henry street music]

pics from Electro Funk Combustion 2

2008-03-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

I just had time to make a little slideshow in SlideFlickr for the photos from last night. Ashneel was kind enough to run around the floor and do camera duty for me while Joe (aka "Giuseppe Paolo") and I switched off working the visuals for the night.

Oh, and you can go straight to the album in my Flickr profile here.

electro funk combustion is back! thursday, 3/27

2008-03-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Not so much of a blog entry as much as it is an announcement:

- 8pm til Midnight (try to COME EARLY!!!!, 7-7:30)
- Located at the Black Box Cabaret @ CSU Monterey Bay
(Click here for an online map)
- FREE

Coming from off campus?

From Santa Cruz: Take Highway 1 South until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

From Salinas: Take S. Davis Road or W. Blanco Road to Reservation Road. Head west on Reservation until you hit Imjin Road and turn left onto Imjin. Follow that until a stop sign at 8th Street; turn right. Then, turn left onto 4th Avenue. The BBC will be on the right, just before 3rd Street.

From Gilroy/South Bay: Take 101 South to 156 West. Take 156 West to Hwy. 1 South. Take Highway 1 South until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

From Carmel/Monterey: Take Highway 1 North until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

I hope to see you guys there!

stickers & stencils

2008-03-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'd really like to start playing with designs and looking into good quality sticker paper or learning how to make stencils... The only thing is that I'd be REALLY tempted to show my stuff off on Xanga or on my Flickr... And that would be a problem since it's... well, not exactly legal to go around slapping stickers and spraying designs all over the place.

Hrm. I'll just have to stick with taking photos of other peoples' work for now...

photos (and my mix) from electro funk combustion

2008-03-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

The above audio is my set at Electro Funk Combustion. I'll have it available to download soon! Til then, here are photos!

We got to the venue early in the afternoon to set up...

It was around 7:30 when we finally had everything (the audio, visuals, etc) up and running.

Joe (aka Giuseppe Paolo) had VJ duties this evening. He did a freaking badass job, and will be showing me how to use the app + controller he used so we can switch off in future events (so he won't be trapped back there the whole night like he was for this event).

First up on the decks, MinceyFresh (aka yours truly)!

Megabyte Mike followed after me.

3rd up to bat were The Ghettotechnicians (aka DJ S0ulFree & Mr. Tyler Jackson). Their set was when people started showing up in full force! The dance floor had so much energy!

Headlining the event was Durty!

All of the DJs of the evening...

The turnout for the event was great, and I can definitely say it was a success.
Thanks to everyone who showed up and made the event what it was!

I CANNOT WAIT for the next one (which will be Thursday, March the 27th)! Don't miss it!

Don’t forget: ELECTRO FUNK COMBUSTION this Thursday, 3/13!

2008-03-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

I wonder if ANYBODY from Monterey or its immediate surroundings even reads my blog. Haha... I'm posting this anyway, as this will be the next event where I'll be spinning.

ELECTRO
FUNK
COMBUSTION

(Monterey's only bi-weekly electronic music dance event)
Thursday, March 13, 2008

PREFORMING:

Durty (Digital D&A Music)
The Ghettotechnicians (Mr.Tyler Jackson & DJ Soulfree)
Megabyte Mike (E=MC2)
MinceyFresh (E=MC2)

- 8pm till Midnight
- Located at the Black Box Cabaret @ CSU Monterey Bay
(Click here for an online map)
- FREE (like waffle fries)

Coming from off campus?

From Santa Cruz: Take Highway 1 South until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

From Salinas: Take S. Davis Road or W. Blanco Road to Reservation Road. Head west on Reservation until you hit Imjin Road and turn left onto Imjin. Follow that until a stop sign at 8th Street; turn right. Then, turn left onto 4th Avenue. The BBC will be on the right, just before 3rd Street.

From Gilroy/South Bay: Take 101 South to 156 West. Take 156 West to Hwy. 1 South. Take Highway 1 South until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

From Carmel/Monterey: Take Highway 1 North until you see the the Fort Ord/CSUMB Main Campus exit. Take the exit and keep going straight to Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. then turn left.

my latest DJ mixset: "Two Sides to the Coin" (parts 1 & 2)

2008-02-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone!
I FINALLY finished my latest mixset!
"Two Sides to the Coin"

I was a little ambitious this time around and tried my hand at making it two parts:

If I'm at all successful,
Part 1 ("Heads"), which consists of trance and progressive breaks, will work your head, while
Part 2 ("Tails"), which is made up of electro house and breaks, will work your tail!
(get it? har har, I'm so clever )

You can download part 1 in higher quality mp3 format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ix1dhngwtyy

You can download part 2 in higher quality mp3 format here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hxqwxkmodcm

Part 1 - Heads:

toby shark - prolight (lighter remix) - [green martian]
tranzident & peter dubs - drift (orange project vision) - [sonar eclipse recordings]
delerium feat. isabel bayrakdarian - angelicus (andy moor full length mix) - [nettwerk]
rank 1 vs. jochen miller - and then... - [high contrast recordings]
marksun & brian - saturday (club mix) - [euphonic]
lange vs. gareth emery - back on track (gareth emery back on breaks mix) - [lange recordings]
pavliga - horizon (pavliga's summer breaks mix) - [deep blue records uk]
opencloud feat. kirsty hawkshaw - time stand still (royal sapien event horizon remix) - [proton music]
stoneface & terminal - st. francis foley - [euphonic]
deepsky - let me live - [kinetic records]
blank & jones - urban hymn - [gang go music]
rob dougan - clubbed to death (hybrid remix) - [cheeky records]

Part 2 - Tails:

sta - in living colour - [marine parade]
chromeo - tenderoni (etienne de crecy remix) - [back yard]
sander van doorn feat. mc pryme - by any demand - [ultra]
the subs - kiss my trance - [lektroluv]
tom real & the rogue element - machine - [passenger]
pro 7 - dislexic disco (arrow!!!'s technically ill mix) - [future perfect]
mighty dub katz - magic carpet ride 07 (shinichi osawa remix) - [southern fried records]
brancaccio & aisher - freak around (koma & bones remix) - [burrito records]
tonite only - danger [the bomb] (hook n sling & kid kenobi remix) - [hussle recordings]
boogie army - das tier (malente remix) - [gene poole]
yelle - a cause des garçons/acdg (tepr remix) - [kitsune]
cirez d vs axwell - galactic tiger - [cdr]
blatta & inesha - bass on her face - [mantra breaks]
public domain - operation blade [bass in the place] (cut & run bootleg remix) - [cdr]
überzone - 4 bit (überzone 2 bit downgrade mix) - [nitrus records]
the ragga twins feat. aquasky - let me see your hands (the body snatchers crank dat mix) - [777]

Enjoy!

testing this youtube playlist of monterave videos...

2008-02-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

let's see if this works!

Hm... It looks like it doesn't automatically jump to the next video... You have to scroll to the next one manually or press the < or > buttons... Anywho, enjoy these videos from MonteRave while I work on my latest mixset (I just finished them [it's in two parts], but now I gotta chop them up into individual tracks)!

And happy Valentine's Day to everyone, too!

february update (new car, monterave)

2008-02-07T01:28:00.000-08:00

Click here to download the mixset at Mediafire. The track list and details are below!

I haven't been really updating my blog lately (though I was supposed to a while back)... Well, first thing that's new is:

I got the Scion xA! I'd been checking Vehix.com just about every day since I talked about having to get rid of Mr. Neon, and as soon as a car I wanted would pop up, it would disappear just as quickly (apparently there are others in my area who have a similar specific taste in cars). One day towards the end of January, I decided to click around Scion.com's preowned cars and saw a 2006 xA in Sunnyvale for $12,991.00. I called the dealership to make sure it was still there, and it was, although they realized that they posted the wrong price for it (it was supposed to be $14,991). Since I already saw it for 12 k on their website, they were able honor the price! Pretty awesome, huh?

I'll be paying for it for a while, but right now I don't even care. It feels great not to have to worry about whether or not my car will last another month, and it's especially nice just to have all the buttons and switches on the dashboard, steering wheel, and doors actually work.

The day after I got the car was MonteRave. I don't even know where to begin. The event was intense, and I can't wait for the next one. I spun the opening set of the night, and I was pretty nervous. I have no idea why, either. I didn't feel any anxiety at all going into it. Once I started the set, though, I kept freaking out (probably just in my head, as nobody seemed to notice it when I asked them about it later). One idiot mistake I made being so wound up, though, was that I forgot to start recording my set until about halfway into it.

So yeah, the mix you just downloaded (YOU DOWNLOADED IT, RIGHT???) actually starts off in the middle of the sixth track of the 12 that I played that night. Here's what I actually recorded:

far too loud - play it loud - [funkatech records]
the rogue element - dead drummers - [exceptional records]
601 - hit that switch (anti-science mix) - [waveshape records]
scratch perverts - stand by (krafty kuts remix) - [super charged]
ctrl z vs. screwface - kung fu funk - [hardcore beats]
stanton warriors - hope time (the rogue element remix) - [punks]

I think I got kinda carried away with the effects. Haha... You might notice what I'm talking about, but if not, then good.

I'll try to post a new, full mixset sometime this week (maybe even tomorrow).

long time, no post!

2008-01-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened in the past few days!

One especially big happening was MonteRave! I'm REALLY sleepy right now, but before I head to sleep, I may as well share the photos from the night (which was INSANE, but in a good way).

I uploaded all of the photos I took that night to my Flickr. Have a look there, or feel free to click through this slideshow!

I'll try to update more after I wake up!

my first step towards world domination: appearing in a rave flyer! =P

2008-01-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

Quick lil update:

Here's the flyer for MonteRave (which is Friday, January the 25th for those not paying attention).

(click on the flyer to see it in its original size)

It's still pretty surreal to see my name and photo in a party flyer... especially up there with guys who've spun at huge clubs and massives for years... I can't wait to see how far (and how quickly) I can make it successfully as a DJ! I wonder if promoters, other DJs, clubbers, and ravers will accept the fact that I use the M-Audio Torq Xponent + MacBook combination to spin rather than using a pair of Pioneer CDJs or Technics 1200s (with at least Serato, if not actual vinyl). Well, that's really another topic that I can carry on for a while, so I'll do that in another post.

Keli did a nice job with the design, and I'm glad she actually found a pretty decent photo of me to use for the flyer. I kinda joked with Mick that he and I almost look like the same person in the photos. ^^

On my next day off, I'm gonna have to buy a bunch of CDRs and paper CD envelopes to burn a bunch of demo mixes to hand out after my set.

Oh, speaking of Technics, have you guys heard that Panasonic (Technics' parent company) will have all of its sub-brands (Technics, National, etc) be renamed "Panasonic?" So in a couple years, all new Technics 1200 turntables will be manufactured as Panasonic 1200s. I think.

my next DJ set: MonteRave! Friday, January 25th

2008-01-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

Matt (Maitre-V) and Trevor (Omega) invited me to spin at their next party! I found out last night that I'll fortunately get that night off!

For anyone new to my blog, download some of my previous mixsets to get a good idea of what I'll be spinning that night! Oh, and btw, remember that eBreaks set I made a couple months back? I finally chopped it up into individual tracks (as opposed to being one continuous 80 minute mp3), so re-download it, yea?
2007 11/26 - eBreaks
2007 12/01 - live @ jacked up
2007 12/19 - winter breaks

Anywho, here are the details for the party!

Aquarius Productions & 831 Present:

MonteRave!

Friday, January 25th
9pm - 6am (possibly 7am)

We have a great exclusive Monterey Bay location
Exact location and directions will be given the day of
Intimate capacity, kick ass sound, argon lasers, premium lighting and decor

An oldskool style rave
plus:
Kick Ass Vibes
Great people with positive attitudes
Backbacks, candy, lights, etc.

minus:
DRAMA (NO DRAMA WILL BE WELCOME AT THIS PARTY)

equals:
A Great f**king night to bring back the old times

You will hear: House, Electro, Industrial, Breaks, Trance, Cybertrance (97-99 era), Freeform & Hardcore

Best of all, free admission!
However, donations will be greatly appreciated and will only contribute to the next great free party in Monterey!

DJs:

Durty
Kilogram
Maitre V
Dan The Man!
Omega
Mick Kaos
MinceyFresh (Premier Set!!)

MORE INFO AND FLYER SOON TO BE ADDED!!

christmas

2007-12-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

I hope that you all have a merry and safe one!

new mixset up: winter breaks! (updated)

2007-12-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

I just finished my newest mixset (and the last one I think I'll do this year). So with out further ado:

minceyfresh - 2007 12/19 - winter breaks

(the mixset is downloadable in mp3 format here at MediaFire. Xanga is being a little brat and not letting me upload the mix to their streaming audio player, so you'll just have to take my word for it that you'll enjoy the set.)

jmekka - bear in mind - [iBreaks]
plump djs - system addict - [finger lickin' records]
unity street - say ho! (jl aleph remix) - [aleph recordings]
mr. no hands - hit n hope - [diverted music]
scratch perverts - stand by (krafty kuts remix) - [super charged]
hyper & jhz - computer says no! (hystero rebrand) - [kilowatt records]
far too loud - play it loud - [funkatech records]
hardy hard & lady waks feat mr. x - minimal (the rogue element remix) - [menu music]
tha beatslappaz - rogan josh (grand def audio remix) - [iBreaks]
backdraft - labrat - [passenger records]
born tricky & mr. frisk - let me out (hyper remix) - [spin out records]
minuit - fuji (timmy schumacher remix) - [doll house records]
subsource - this town (andy page found on friday remix) - [spin out records]
bitfriend feat. shaunell - boxing the stars (stefan anion's alien robot revenge mix) - [polytechnic]
the autobots & screwface - final conflict - [broke recordings]

Enjoy!

So it turns out that the weird glitch on the radio show the other day was specifically due to using the combination of the Torq DJ software and the MacBook's trackpad. I noticed that if I specifically use the x-y trackpad that's built into the Xponent itself, the mouse pointer doesn't suddenly drag the song back and forth the way it does on the laptop's trackpad (which I was complaining about in the other post, though I didn't really specify what happened).

Although I prefer to use the trackpad on the laptop itself (as I like to rest the palm of my hand when moving the pointer around), using the one on the Xponent isn't too bad. Anywho, enough of my rambling! Enjoy the mix and enjoy your winter break(s)!

Lunar Solstice @ Club Hide, SF - Dec. 22

2007-12-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

Beat Entertainment (which is run by my buddy Josh) is throwing an event at Club Hide in San Francisco on the 22nd called Lunar Solstice. I'd never been to this club before, but I read that it's supposed to be pretty large and that the sound system there is pretty nice, so I'm pretty optimistic that it'll be pretty fun.

The lineup:

Mystre
Durty
Maitre-V
David Jeffreys

Omega
DJ Mick Khaos
Joey C
DJ Chris
Mr. Tyler Jackson

The rest of the information is on the flyer below!

(edit: ugh, I forgot that the width of this blog is pretty narrow and cuts off the sides of the images I post on here. You can click on the flyers to actually see their full size).

But yeah, it's pretty cool to see so many DJs from Monterey spinning up in the city!
Oh, and it's also gonna be Tyler's birthday, so wish him a happy one if you're there!

I'm trying to decide on whether or not I should rent a room at the Hotel Tomo in Japantown that night. I've been meaning to stay there since this past July, and seeing that it's kinda slow in the hospitality season, room rates are fairly decent, too. I just hope that my having a place to crash doesn't automatically equal EVERYBODY crashing at the place and getting me evicted.

Oh, and yep, I'm still working on the new mixset tonight. I spun the set earlier today, but I'm gonna spin the set again (i.e. tighten up some of the beatmatching, etc)...

with all positives, a negative has to come along to balance things out...

2007-12-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

So that little 40 minute guest mix on the campus radio station (that I had mentioned in the last post) ended up transforming into a 2 and a half hour disaster. I really hope that nobody was watching/listening to that... And if anyone did see it, I... well, I don't know.

I already knew that Tyler would be heading out early, so that's how I ended up agreeing to do the guest mix, but I found out this morning that Mike couldn't make it to his show either, so that ended up tacking about another 2 hours to the 40 minutes I had planned.

I was doing decent for about the first hour and a half...

...until my music just STOPPED.
COMPLETELY.
UTTER SILENCE.

It's hard to describe wtf happened (it probably wouldn't make any sense if I did), but I REALLY hope that it doesn't happen again... As much as I love computers and how convenient they can be for various tasks (such as DJing in this case), it can be such a pain in the ass when they decide to behave sporadically. I suppose that's just the nature of technology. Especially if they're calculating a zillion different things at the same time. A simple mouse click can end up stopping a DJ dead in his tracks.

By that point, I was confused and annoyed and just started playing another track (but like an idiot I had left the crossfader on the channel that wasn't playing anything). I played another hour's worth of music, but I just couldn't get into it... I faded in tracks way too early or too late... I just wanted to get out of there.

As awesome of a day it was that I had DJing on the beach this past Saturday, today was equally as horrid. Yin and yang. Well, disasters happen to everyone. Now that it's happened to me, all I can really do now is just brush myself off and keep trying my best (and hope the track pad on my Macbook doesn't spaz out again, haha).

my first time DJing in front of people!

2007-12-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

You can download the set in mp3 format here. I actually chopped the set up into 15 individual tracks this time, too, as opposed to the set being one long mp3 file.

minceyfresh - 2007 12/01 - live @ jacked up
(I originally thought that this event was called Seaside Renegade, but it turns out that it was called Jacked Up.)

krafty kuts & tim deluxe - bass phenomenon
30hz - fiber optics
601 - hit that switch (anti-science mix)
hybrid - sleepwalking (future funk squad's worst nightmare remix)
hyper - no rockstars
hook n sling & kid kenobi - the bump (tonite only remix)
the crystal method - trip like i do (tom real vs. the rogue element remix)
freestylers feat. corrina greyson - in love with you (rogue element remix)
general midi - f.u.n.k.
boom jinx - manipulator
lange vs. gareth emery - back on track (gareth emery's back on breaks mix)
kultur - street knowledge (stefan anion's bookworm remix)
cirez d - mouseville theme
public enemy vs. ferry corsten - bring the noise (ferry corsten extended remix)
pavliga - horizon (pavliga's summer breaks mix)

So yep! The day actually went quite well. I got there while Tyler, Brandon, and a few others were setting up, and the weather was surprisingly clear (it had rained that morning in Marina). Myles, Joe, Nick, and Kelley were the some of the first ones who arrived, and it was actually a pleasant (I almost wrote 'present.' haha) surprise to see them all there.

Once all of the equipment was plugged in and generator was up and running, I got to start things off with the first set of the evening. The sun was just beginning to set, too!
I thought that I would've been waaay more nervous, but I guess I kept my calm due to the fact that everyone there when I began the set were friends of mine.

OH HOW I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS MOMENT...
To be standing behind some decks, blasting music that I love and seeing people enjoying it; for a while, I seriously started to secretly think that I'd never see this day.

I was pretty happy with how my set went. I was able to avert some pretty close disasters in my headphones before they hit the speakers. I must say, I now have a new respect for producers who put loooooong outros in their tracks.

Tyler was up next after me, and then Mike after him, and they both played some amazing sets. A ton of people showed up later with firewood, pizza, and drinks.

I really wish I could've seen everyone else spin that night... Well, I'm sure this won't be the last party like this, so hopefully I'll be able to stay for the whole thing next time. Since I had to work that night, I had to leave towards the end of Mike's set (though I was pretty amped the whole night at the job even though I hadn't gotten much sleep that day). I'm so grateful to Brandon and Tyler for inviting me to spin that day... It definitely gave me tons of confidence, and I can't wait til the next time I can do this!

I think I might be spinning again this Wednesday night on Tyler & Mike's radio shows on the campus' radio "station." Since they have back-to-back shows, I'm thinking of spinning for the last 20 minutes of Tyler's show and the first 20 minutes of Mike's to make a quick lil 40 minute mix.

a rave on the beach Saturday afternoon/evening?

2007-11-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

*UPDATE* I pasted the details/directions at the bottom of this post.

...and I'll be one of the folks spinning (alongside Brandon [who is throwing the event], Tyler, Mike and probably a few others)! Woohoo!
Hopefully I won't be as nervous spinning on the beach in front of a bunch of strangers as I was in front of my friends (and web/TV Camera-ish thing) on at the campus radio station this past Wednesday.

I was trembling out of anxiety then. I think I'll still be trembling this time around because I'll be playing in a combination of:

1) Monterey
2) the beach
3) the evening
4) December

Needless to say, I'll most likely have to dress like an Eskimo. But it should be fun fun fun anyway!

I'll try to have enough sense to press the record button in *the beginning* of the set this time around, too.
(I recorded the set I did on Wednesday [trainwrecks and all], but I had forgotten that I was planning to record the set until the middle of the 2nd track). I'll upload it later...
So yeah...

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 (oh crap, that's tomorrow)
3:00 pm - midnight
Seaside Beach Renegade Celebrating Christian's Birthday.

Everyone welcome
Good vibes, free food n drinks
Live music & DJs

3:00 - 4:00 mr. tyler jackson
4:00 - 5:00 minceyfresh
5:00 - 6:00 megabyte mike
6:00 - 7:00 john
7:00 - 8:30 s0ulfree
8:30 - 9:30 ramonski
9:30 - 10:30 dj mute
10:30 - 11:30 TBA
11:30 till closing TBA

Directions from Hwy 1 North
1. take the Sand City/Fremont St. exit
2. make a right onto Fremont St.
3. slightly Merge Right onto Del Monte Ave.
4. make a right onto Playa Ave.
5. take Playa Ave all the way down and find parking (better if you park at circuit city or orchard suply.)
6. take the bike trail up underneath the highway and straight down to the beach. were on the shore.

Directions from Hwy 1 South
1. take the Sand City Fremont St. exit.
2. repeat steps 2-6 above.

I'm pretty sure if you see this bike trail you know you're headed in the right direction:

mixset #2: eBreaks!

2007-11-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

I just finished my second mixset (though I'll consider this my first official demo mix), which I'll call eBreaks, as it's comprised mostly of breaks with a bit of electro house (though the two genres are sounding more and more alike each time I hear a new release). It's a full, CDR-friendly 75 minutes, and I can honestly say that it's a little more polished and consistent (in terms of genre) than the Test Mix that I made a week ago. And I purposely chose the first track because I've waited so long to finally get some turntables. Have a listen, and you'll see what I'm talking about. :-)

A downloadable mp3 of the set is available here.

Here's the tracklist:

ils - tiny toy
adam freeland - silverlake pills
cirez d - mouseville theme
culprit one - tricks (the rogue element re rub)
hardy hard & lady waks feat. mr. x - minimal
justice - waters of nazareth
aaren san - osc low nyzz (blende remix)
plump djs - get kinky
fatboy slim - love island
krafty kuts & tim deluxe - bass phenomenon
wiesel & captain koma - nice
kavinsky - testarossa (sebastiAn remix)
the crystal method - busy child (hyper remix)
general midi - never gonna stop the show (dylan rhymes mix)
hybrid - i'm still awake (christian j mix)
poxymusic - our break

my first mix! (^o^)/

2007-11-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

I finally came up with my first mix on Monday evening... It started as just being those three tracks I was talking about in my last post, but I just kinda decided to keep it going for a few more tracks.

Keep in mind that this is MY FIRST TIME EVER making a mix, and it will probably be obvious. For now, I'm just trying to learn to beatmatch properly (I refuse to let the machine try to beatmatch for me!), so I didn't really try to play with the EQs or do any sort of stutter effects this time around.

For those who want to listen to it on the go, you can download the set as an mp3 here at MediaFire.
Here's the track listing:

1. junkie xl - mushroom
2. paul van dyk (feat. rea garvey) - let go
3. hybrid (feat. perry farrell) - dogstar
4. way out west - apollo (general midi's apollo 8 mix)
5. yelle - a cause des garçons (tepr remix)
6. m.o.v.e. - freaky planet (akira yamaoka rosy mix)
7. plump djs - get kinky (I threw this one in at the last minute and decided it was a bad idea, so I just kinda cut it off pretty soon into the track).

Enjoy! (^_^)
(oh, and thanks to Mick for recommending MediaFire!)

waking up with ideas for a mix

2007-11-18T16:35:00.001-08:00

Hi. I just woke up. I always sleep with my iPod playing at a low, ambient volume, and while I was in bed just now, Paul van Dyk's "In Between" album was playing. The track "Let Go" featuring Rea Garvey on vocals was on, and I woke up thinking "Whoa! This would sound perfect in a mix between Junkie XL's 'Mushroom' and Hybrid's 'Dogstar!'"

So here I am awake saving those tracks to a usb stick to throw onto my macbook so I can later on try mixing them and testing how well they flow. I'll make that my first mini-mix! If they flow well, I'll let you guys hear it whenever I get around to mixing them.

Alright, I'm going back to sleep for another hour or so...

macbook & xponent

2007-11-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

My Macbook arrived!

I ordered the Macbook last Monday, and I found out that Leopard (the Mac OS update) would be shipping with all Macs that were ordered anytime after the OS hit stores (which was the previous Friday, I believe). Normally, I'd be pretty happy about that, but since I bought the computer for the sole purpose of digital DJing with the Xponent, I was pretty upset. Why? Well, this is what M-Audio said on their FAQs about their audio equipment in regards to Leopard:

Due to the nature of software and driver development, we are not able to provide exact dates for when specific drivers will become available—but please rest assured that supporting Leopard is a top priority for us. As soon as Leopard drivers or updates for any product become available, our Web site will be immediately updated to reflect this.

If you choose to install Leopard on your system before your M-Audio product has been qualified for use with the new OS, please be aware that your M-Audio device may not function properly. Please continue to check M-Audio.com for updates.

Aargh! Dammit! I decided on a Macbook so I could hurry up and get started with the thing! Well, anyway, things turned out to not suck when the package arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. It turns out that Tiger (the version of OS X before Leopard) was actually preinstalled into the laptop, while there was a Leopard install CD in the packaging! So it looks like I'll be able to use the Xponent without waiting for a driver update after all!

Now I just gotta figure out how I should reorganize my room for there to be space to set up the Xponent and the Macbook...

I love how Blogger...

2007-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Looks so fresh and so clean! :-)

Anywho, my main (and original) blog is over at Xanga, but I might start using this once I get my DJ identity up and running (which will hopefully be sooner than later)!

I recently bought the M-Audio Torq Xponent, but I'm running XP Media Center Edition on my laptop (which is like THE ONLY OS it doesn't work for), so I haven't been able to use it yet. I should be getting a lil 13.3" Macbook for the sole purpose of spinning.

I just hope that it works flawlessly, and not buggy like people have been complaining about in the Torq DJ forums... (>_<)
Well, I'll keep you guys posted here, I suppose!

-----

I wonder if there's any way for me to make my blogspot blog look exactly like my Xanga (of course without all of the extra widgets, blogrings and other clutter)...

-----

Oh, and I decided to paste old posts from my Xanga blog in here that are relevant to my DJing (and eventually design). Luckily, you can specify the date and time when posting, so everything should stay in chronological order. :-)

James.

random thoughts and happenings

2007-10-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

I should be ordering a Macbook pretty soon, initially for the sole purpose of hooking my M-Audio Torq Xponent and FINALLY BEGINNING TO DJ. The hardware is compatible with just about everything BUT Windows XP Media Center Edition. Any guesses as to what OS my laptop came installed with? Because of that, it's just been sitting there in the original packaging sitting next to my bed (with exception to the times that I take it out and silently pretend like I'm DJing in front of a massive arena of fans).

I'm kinda scared that the Xponent will act kinda buggy... Lately, that's all I've been reading people post about over at the Torq DJ forums. But maybe that just means that the people who are all satisifed with the unit (hopefully the majority) are just not posting and complaining, but instead spinning in front of a massive arena of fans! Right? Right?

I just heard the track Goodnight Lover by Fluke on Pandora and assumed that it was a new track (it has a bit of that Hybrid/James Bond feel). It turns out that it was from their album, Risotto, which was released TEN YEARS AGO! What rock have I been living under?
It also turns out that The Designers' Republic designed the artwork for the album. I'm definitely ordering that one.

finally got some turntables (sort of)

2007-09-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I got back from Fairfield, I saw that the package I had ordered from the Guitar Center in Gilroy on Monday had arrived!

Aaaaaaaw yeaaaaaah!
It's the M-Audio Torq Xponent that I wrote about about a month back!

I can't wait til I can finally get it all hooked up! It unfortunately doesn't support Windows XP Media Center Edition, so I'm gonna have to partition my laptop and install XP Pro on half of it temporarily. I'll probably just get a little 13.3 inch Macbook later to use for it. Now I'm just trying to think of where online I should host mixsets or podcasts once I get started. I really oughta learn how to make a podcast before I jump ahead of myself. And what would I call it? The Tokyo Overground (my old radio show at CSUMB)? I was thinking that The Fresh Sessions would be kinda cool, too. :-P

a too perfect solution for wannabe laptop djs (i.e. me)?

2007-08-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

For years, I'd been meaning to eventually pick up a pair of turntables and a mixer, and more recently, I'd been looking into picking up a pair of the Pioneer CDJ-200 decks and the DJM-400 mixer. They're all the entry level models of Pioneer's Pro DJ equipment. I've noticed that Amazon seemed to have the most affordable (and legit) means of purchase, and with the CDJ-200s being $350 each, and the mixer at $400, that would be $1100 before tax for ENTRY LEVEL. Don't get me started on the CDJ-1000s. (>_<)

Keep in mind that I can pick up a pair of actual vinyl decks and a decent mixer for a fraction of the above mentioned prices, but I don't think that I'm ready to devote myself to a collecting vinyl (especially since the closest decent record shop is in Santa Cruz, which is about a 40 minute drive from Marina).

This morning (during my usual hours-long check-my-mail-for-a-minute session), I stumbled upon M-Audio's Torq Xponent Advanced DJ Performance/Production System (wOoOo, fancy terminology for a turntable-shaped midi controller). I initially passed it off as another crappy laptop controller like that Mixman DM2 that I suckered myself into buying a few years back, but after reading some reviews and watching a some videos of it in action on youtube, I realized that this is actually something that I NEED RIGHT NOW.

What I appeals to me about the unit is that it takes just about everything that I need to get started (minus the laptop and a pair of headphones) and stuffs it into one piece of equipment. It has the two touch-sensitive jog platters, mixer/crossfader, EQs, various effects, a touchpad (which doubles as a mouse pointer and a Kaoss Pad-like FX thingy) and it even has its own soundcard built in so I'll be able to properly cue tracks in my headphones while still pumping out music over loudspeakers.

The original MSRP is $750, but it's available on Amazon for $600! By the way, everyone, my birthday is August the 23rd. Heh.

Anyway, this looks perfect for me. I'd love to rant on more about it, but I gotta run... For now, enjoy this demo/review that DJ Mag TV did!

Here are some other videos of the Xponent in action!