I had planned Friday as my major work day - with four interview
scheduled.
Starting the day was West Coast breaks producer/DJ, Uberzone. Miss Catherine from Funky Dumpling met me at the Majestic and brought me to meet Timothy who was quite charming and talkative. Living in Nashville, most interviews are phoners so doing in person interviews are quite a treat. Its easy to see why Catherine was so insistant that I meet Timothy in person, his personality is real and it comes across in his coversation. After listening to a few new tracks, we discussed his upcoming cd, tour plans and what he has been up to lately. Look for the interview in the next few weeks for the Uberzone interview to be posted here.
In addition to record labels trying to sell music and DJs trying to pack clubs, the captive audience of dance music fans is also a great place to launch new products. Aiming to seed the influential electronic DJs/artists that many fans emulate, BPM magazine and Overamerica productions set up a gifting suite. Never one to pass up an opportunity to learn more about the marketing side of electronic culture, I stopped by.
When I think of Kangol hats, Roger Sanchez comes to mind immediately. Tony Touch and Danny Tenaglia are few other major DJs who rock the classic Kangol. The hat is ventilated and enables DJ's to use headphones without crimping the look. Kangol and BPM teamed up for a special 10th anniversary hat with a hot reflector on the back.
My introduction to Artful Dodger came a few months ago when I saw DJ AM photographed with an insane track jacket. Though the label is rooted in the edgy hip-hop world (Ludacrus and Lupe Fiasco both rock the gear), Artful Dodger is reaching out to the electronic world with its colorful collection. Each season, AD designs their collection based on an 18th century British gangster and his worldly adventures. Pieces are colorful detail oriented with embroidery, detailed sewing and metallic ornamentation.
Groove Armada is probably most known for wearing clothing from the fashion sportswear line 55DSL but househeads will recognize the clothing as worn by King Britt and DJ Spinna. Their Spring/Summer collection showcases slim fits with classic lines updated with details. There's a definite ocean theme and the clothing is shying away from the big/baggy look of most streetwear and introducting military themes with dyed cottons and uniform inspired pieces.
Do you know what I mean by aspirational? You drive a car but one day aspire to drive a Rolls Royce, Ferrari or Lamborghini? The Zero Halliburton DJ suitcase is the ultimate aspirational piece of DJ Gear. Touching the smooth metal is nearly orgasmic and it opens to provide spaces for a laptop, peripherals, cables and everything a DJ needs to rock a major gig. The case is nearly indestructable with Airplane grade/reinforced materials and a clean look that just screams class. Its no wonder why Paul Van Dyk, Tommii Sunshine, Louie Vega and King Britt choose to use the Zero Halliburton DJ suitcase for their hectic travel schedules.
It was time to do some European press and I headed to the Shore Club for interviews with Tom Novy and Sander Kleinenberg. The IMD crew had everything perfectly planned and I was quite excited for these two interviews - as I am a fan of both. Just as Pepper Mashay had complained about the prices of Miami hotels, I will voice my own complaint for the stuck up staff at certain hotels. Lets just say that we were forced to move to a new location, across the street to the Maxine. Much kudos to Kim from IMD and Ministry of Sound for their quick thinking.
The move ended up being a welcome blessing. Nervous records was hosting a pool party and we got to enjoy a pumping set from Peter Luts as we prepared for the interviews. Tom Novy was great to talk to and it was interesting to hear about how different singles hit different markets at the same time. Managing release schedules is always a challenge as you never know what is going to hit when and where. When we finished, I had fun taking Tom Novy around and introducing him to the dance radio dj and promoters who were chilling poolside. I also got a great shot of Eddie Thoenick, Peter Luts and Tom Novy together - three great European producers having major dance hits in the US.
