This post may or not make me a pariah here in the St. Augustine Bar/DJ scene, but something inside me is compelling me to put this out there.
Growing up in south Florida and being raised on hip-hop and bass music has molded me and musical tastes into what they are today: eclectic and wide-ranging. Some days you'll find me listening to Metallica, 311 and Nine Inch Nails, and others I'll be jamming Sub Focus, RJD2 and James Zabiela. Now, if those names mean anything to you, you'll know how different all that music is from one another. I consider myself a bit of a music snob, but I think if you ask anyone who's history is remotely similar to mine (and they answer truthfully), they'll admit to the same. Sure, there are genres and artists I just can't get into and others who can do no wrong, but I think anyone who's a true fan of music feels very similar to me. First and foremost, I'm a fan of electronic music: drum and bass, breakbeat/electro, house, abstract hip-hop, IDM... whatever you want to call it, there's a good chance I'm into it. I was raised in a house where we'd have country on one day, classic rock the next, and pop music after that - all of which gave me what I would consider a pretty well-rounded musical palette. But electronic music is my personal favorite.
For over 10 years, I've been heavily involved in the promotion of electronic music. From my very first days in radio (in the late 90's), that's what I've been all about. My radio show, Subliminal Messages, has always focused on forward-thinking music. Starting from my obsession with The Chemical Brothers, to evolving a taste for DJ Shadow (thanks, Feller!), and being introduced to drum and bass in the way of Shy FX's "Simple Tings," EDM (electronic dance music) has pulsed through my veins.
I got my first DJ gig (outside of a radio studio) at 16, playing at Triple M's Heaven, one of my most memorable moments. Since then, I've played gigs all over south Florida and even had a short-lived residency here in St. Augustine - which is where this rant takes off.
Ask any DJ, and I'm positive they'll have at least one story about shady promoters... most of them have many (which is really a shame, considering how many good promoters there are out there). My shady promoter story is about that residency here in STA. I got the gig through a local reggae DJ, Brian "Raggamuffin" Sullivan, who I worked with at WFCF. The promoter asked him to put together 2 nights a week, one playing reggae (Brian's bread and butter) and one playing house. Now, Brian is one of the most down-to-earth and kindhearted guys I've met, and is extremely passionate about his music - which immediately gained my respect, as I'm the same way - and he knows his limitations when it comes to DJing multiple genres. I could never match Brian's skill or knowledge when it comes to reggae, and he also holds down hip-hop residencies here in STA, to which I could never match up (mainly because he plays spots where they want to hear stuff they know and have heard on the radio, as well as running 4-hour marathons of the aforementioned music). But he knew that I was all about EDM, so he recommended me to the promoter to play the house night (and I'm still extremely greatful for the opportunity). The first two or three weeks went great, with people turning out and seeming to enjoy it for the most part, though as the night progressed, I'd constantly get asked for Lil Wayne or T.I. or whatever hip-hop-turned-pop songs were on the radio at the time. So I gave in and started mixing styles, giving them a little hip-hop and a little breaks and house.
The problem was that the promoter didn't promote. By the end of the first month, I was basically the only one talking about the night, begging friends to come out because most of them had no idea the night - or even the place - existed anymore. Even with that, we threw a massive blow-out for Halloween. Over 500 people turned out for Brian and I, and the night was a huge success (by local standards). The following week, the promoter decided to "take the week off" and not follow up his biggest night ever... he didn't even open the doors. Suffice it to say, those doors didn't open again.
Recently, another local promoter/DJ went to the owners and pitched them another opportunity. They accepted, and from what I understand, the new night has been doing extremely well. Shortly after hearing they had reopened the bar, I tried contacting the promoter to ask if there was anything I could do to help... not only in the way of DJing, but promoting, offering to do graphic design, or anything that could potentially raise the awareness of the night and reignite the local scene, as well as get me involved again (after graduation, I left the radio station and have only played out once with Brian). I sent emails to multiple addresses, Facebook messages, etc., and never heard anything back from him.
Its now been over 2 months. The night seems to still be doing well, and just this past week, he's added 2 more DJs to the line-up. I'm wondering who these two other DJs are. I know it can't be Brian because he plays another bar on the night of this event, and beyond maybe one other person I know of in the area, I've never heard or seen any other DJs up here - playing hip-hop or otherwise. Last week's tagline on the promotions were "now with 4 DJs and brand new music you won't hear anywhere else." This got me wondering not only who those DJs were, but just what kind of music is he talking about? I re-started Subliminal Messages at WFCF in '08, and got constant phone calls thanking me for playing dubstep, drum and bass, house and breaks week in and week out on the show because these people couldn't hear it anywhere else. Is this the same "brand new music you won't hear anywhere else?"
In the past few months, I've put together a few mixes: one dubstep, one b-more, one house, and one with straight up party tunes. All of them have gotten good response from downloaders and people I've given them to - even those people who don't claim to know a single thing about EDM... which makes me wonder if I'm missing something. Not that St. Augustine is an EDM town - I know that - but there are definitely those people out there who want it, not to mention those people who don't know much about it, but they know party music when they hear it. And I know that dubstep from guys like Datsik or 12th Planet may be a little too much for them to handle, but drop in that "I Love College" dubstep remix and watch the floor fill up.
Earlier this week I tried again to be in touch with him, and still no response.
I just want to play music for people. I just want to make people dance. I've been doing it for over a decade. I've got a proven track record of radio shows, mixsets and successful promtotions. All I ask is for an hour to show you what I can do with a party. I'm already talking to my old crews in south Florida about upcoming gigs just for the simple fact that I'm fiending for a crowd to rock, and they've been happy to oblige. I've been a promoter, I know that you can't always take a DJ at their word, and that they might have to prove themselves, and I'm not opposed to that in the slightest. I'll play for free to show you what I've got.
Yes, DJ Hu and Classic Blends, I'm talking to you. My emails are in your inbox. Call a brother. I promise I'll make it worth your while.
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