August 2001On 25 June 2001, THE RECORDING ACADEMY's San Francisco chapter hosted an industry event for the Bay Area's dance and electronic community, the first of its kind within the organization. "Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as the Recording Academy, is dedicated to improving the cultural environment and quality of life of more than 20,000 musicians, producers, and other recording professionals." Of course, what this organization is best known for is the annual GRAMMY Awards extolling the year's best in music from one hundred music categories. This extremely successful event, hosted by Executive Director Merl Saunders Jr. and Chapter Governor Tyler Stone, reinforced the professional attitude that we have here in San Francisco. Some of the prominent movers and shakers showing their support were Miguel "Migs," Cathy Cohn (Tinocorp/ Jack Dangers), "Big Ed," Gavin Hardkiss (accompanied by his other half expecting their first child), Jay-J Hernandez and Chris Lumm (Moulton Studios, DJ Charlotte "the Baroness," Julius Papp, J. Boogie (KUSF), DJ DRC and Ian of Betalounge.com. DJs spinning at Sno-Drift the event were DJ Polywog, The Stand Out Selector a.k.a Steffen Franz, DJ/Producer/Remixer and owner of PSM Recordings, DJ Jon Williams, DJ Sol, Sean Evans, and Ali Gross. In an effort to reach out to the Bay Area dance and electronic community, the San Francisco Chapter hosted this event for Remixers, DJs, Indie label representatives, and anyone with a part to play within the music industry. Everyone enjoyed the great music and atmosphere at the fabulous Sno-Drift Club; we all networked and learned about the GRAMMY¨ awards process. As an added incentive The Recording Academy offered a special membership discount rate for those who joined that night. The Remixer Of The Year category was revised this year. Starting with the 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the category will be called "Best Remixed Recording," with the award being given to the Remixer for a specific remixed recording, rather than for an entire "body of work." This change adds a great deal more credibility to the award and opens the door to all the excellent new comers, remixers, and labels. Entries in the category will be initially judged by craft committees comprised of remixers who are voting members of the Recording Academy, then the 14,000 voting members will decide the prize. If you qualify as a voting member you need to join The Recording Academy. A remixed single can be any kind of music and if we want club music to come out all the way from the Grammy closet we need voting participants from the club community. The Recording Academy is internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards and is responsible for numerous groundbreaking outreach, professional development, cultural enrichment, education, and human service programs. The 27-year-old San Francisco chapter, with over 1,000 members, is one of 12 regional offices of the national organization. So even if you do not have the requisite six music releases under your belt, you can do your musical brethren a great service by becoming part of The Recording Academy. At this event approximately twenty new members joined and that is a good number to add to the 1000 local chapter members. Since there are twelve regional chapters of The Recording Academy
nationally, chances are good that there is one near where you live. Contact
your local chapter and encourage them to present a similar event in your
city. You can contact The Recording Academy on how to proceed and find out
how to contact your local representatives: Heather Miller, The Recording
Academy, 310-392-3777 or DIMENSIONAL HOLOFONIC SOUND aka D.H.S. has for a lack of a better term become a "house-hold" word to those involved with underground music. One would've had to have been living under a very large rock not to be aware of the quintessential club anthem by D.H.S., "House of God." "Mind Control EP" on Tino Corp. is D.H.S.'s first release since "LSD-3D" in 1993. For the last eight years Ben Stokes (D.H.S.) has been producing innovative music videos for the likes of De La Soul, Public Enemy, The Orb, Meat Beat Manifesto, Josh Winks, and Tino! During that interminable gestation both Stokes' D.H.S. sound and "House of God" (it does have a life of its own at this point) have managed to remain part of the bone and sinew that structured much of the progressive club sound since it first arrived almost a decade ago, sampled, bootlegged, and remixed as much as Loleatta Holloway. The "Mind Control EP" had very large boots to fill and it looks like this EP will be another contender. There are five tracks that all have their individual unique nooks and crannies. Side A features three tracks that will be eagerly added to all progressive sets. The overall approach is mind-bending minimalism of the sort where "House of God" set the standard, and the three tracks have a solid theme, "mind control." "Hypnosis" begins the side and is a mid-tempo affair with layers of tweekiness and sedating vocal samples. "I Am Your Control" is the logical next step after "Hypnosis" and the tempo picks up as does a firmer kick with just a touch of acid, "just let yourself go." "Mind Control" wraps it up with a punched-up beat and rhythm and a seductive rubbery bass line. The B-side tracks, "Telephone Sounds" and "Subliminal," will either entice with their daring experimental approach or make one envious of the obvious consumption of recreational substances. That the possible play speeds are offered at either 33 1/3 or 45 (or 78?) will give some idea of the places these two tracks might take you. BO SQUARE "Sizing Things Up" is the abstract beats project for the "headz" from producer Mike Powell. This album is an expansion on his "Outer Space Suite" featuring Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra), recently reviewed in this column. If nothing else the San Francisco Bay area fosters a breeding ground for boundless creativity; this has been evident on each new release from the fledgling label Tino Corp. The full 9:10 of "Outer Space Suite" is present, together with "Numbers," the other A-side of the first single release. The other five lengthy tracks are equally enthralling with a masterful use of rhythm and a twisted ear for samples and sound bites. I believe the mere mention of the titles should give the right impression of the "nu breaks" from the "nu beats generation." "Radio 2000" is loaded with broadcast (shortwave, CB, AM & FM) oddities, funky guitar, and beats. "Source of Every Sound" joins Mr. Powell during the peaks of one of his aural "trips," very fascinating and encased in a finely honed clippy drum & bass rhythm. "The Further Adventures of Happy the Clown at Burning Man" is a hypnotic down-tempo "nu breaks" track with an especially eerie otherworld tone; it could have only been accomplished with recorder in hand, on just the right dose of mescaline during our little party called "Burning Man." "Burn it down, burn it down!" I don't know if that sample was directed at the wooden man structure or at their blunt -- probably both. "Deje" is dark and I mean dark-alley-anything-could-happen dark. With the odd choice of gravelly male vocal sound bites of "ephemera" and "space" one can only relate to a cold short existence; there doesn't always have to be a happy ending. "South of Market Phone Trouble (Obsession) / Alter Destiny" winds the set up with what has to be the best sample in years: "practically every person who goes insane, wants to be." If you ever find yourself in San Francisco's South of Market area, the madness on this track and the whole album for that matter will make perfect sense. "Obsession, you're scaring me!" We should all be grateful that the Jack Dangers school of music exists. I am. Please listen. Send review material to: |