Vipr...

Coolest pic of the week, srsly.

Photo skillz...

Gotta love my photography skills.  Always capturing the things that really matter.

Best. Show. Ever...

After a disappointing show at the Metronome friday night, last night's impromptu rave at Timeless Underground proved a smashing success!

If there's one thing I've learned being a DJ (and there are several) it's that a good crowd is key to a successful show.  How do you get a good crowd?  Well, it's a combination of things, and when these elements don't fall into place you can be left with a shoddy mess.  On the one hand, your DJ might not be up to par.  Perhaps he/she isn't playing what the crowd wants to hear; that's a surefire way to exterminate an otherwise roaring experience.  On the other, maybe the crowd's just not giving back as they should.  Remember, it's a 50/50 deal; it's the DJs responsibility to entertain, and it's the crowds' job to throw that energy back at them.

That's what's unique about the crowds of SL.  So often people have such varying musical tastes that it's almost impossible to read them.  When one person wants techno, another wants hard rock, and another wants whatever the heck tralsa is--you're left scrambling to create a mix of tunes that will at least please some of the people, some of the time.  Now if the crowd goes along with it, and enjoys at least 50% of what they hear, you're good.  Hopefully they return that energy even throughout the songs they don't care for and a good time is had by all.  

As I discovered last night, feedback is key.  When an audience sits there and says nothing, even for the songs they enjoy, you're left with a dull experience that eventually fades away.  On the other hand, when an audience cheers with applause as you play some long forgotten song, that really brings the life back and gets people pumped.  

That's how it was last night.

The crowd really gave back, and even if a song was played they had never heard, they seemed to go along with it and enjoy themselves just the same.  Was it just a better crowd than most?  Nah, things just came together a bit better.  And whatever the reason, Timeless Underground certainly rocked the house last night.

Death at Gen X...

Yes, it's true, yours truly was "killed" at Gen X With Gabrielle last night.  Oh sure, some would say lying in a pool of blood all night is in bad taste, but hey, this is how we get requests played!  As always a huge shout out to Gabi Riel for a fantastic show!

Formal meeting...

Yours truly was invited to a formal get together for members of the Jazzers Thingamabobber and Radio Riel last night (and naturally I made sure to wear my Sunday best).  The news?  The Jazz folks are buying an island!  That means the location of The Rock Factory will no doubt be moving, and from what I was told, Rock Factory 2.0 is going to be a lot bigger!

Now the question is, will it be big enough to hold my ego?

And the rave goes on...

WOO!

Last night Radio Riel was rocked to its very foundation as yours truly DJ'ed over at The Rock Factory!  For the first time in my short Radio Riel career, DJ Gabi cut the strings and let me hold the show on my own.  The party went from 7-9:30 SLT, cus you know The Rane Man can't leave without an encore or two, and a great time was had by all (natch).  

A big thanks to Moxie for her hosting services!  Being a host isn't easy, but really helps the DJ a lot.  When you're focused on your playlist and making sure everything's coming through nice and clear, you really can't be distracted by a dozen or so TP requests.  Worst of all, you have no way of greeting people that arrive, or helping them dance.  For that reason, and about a dozen more, a host is an invaluable resource.

My next scheduled Rock Factory show will be Sept. 28th, hope I see you all there!

RIP Dave Frey

A bit of sad news today from RL.  David Frey, a salesperson I worked with, friend, and overall nice guy passed away this past Saturday.

He was 39 and will be sorely missed.