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oh i also know why nat wanted to look at it.
| quote: | Welcome to the DJs Are Alive page.
DJs Are Alive is a brand new project by The Scumfrog, DJ Skribble, D:Fuse, Static Revenger and Kristine W. All of us on one stage, all of us alternating behind the decks, and whoever is not spinning is playing live instruments. It is the ultimate hybrid of DJ Culture and Live Music; the collective that sounds like a DJ set and looks like a band!
It has been a long time since I’ve been this excited about a musical project. With remixing getting less challenging by the day, and underground dance music still losing ground in clubs throughout the US, I was looking for a new challenge and found it during the Wet Grooves tour in Texas (of all places!) this past summer.
It was a smoldering hot day in the middle of August and the Wet Grooves bus had landed in Dallas, Texas, where an impressive lineup of DJs was set to perform that day. The outside stage, however, got struck by lightning from a sudden thunderstorm, and during the four hours it took to assess the damage and relocate the stage, everyone’s timeslots had been downsized from 90 minutes to 45.
I had been killing time with D:Fuse, his crew, and a bottle of Patron when I saw how Skribble was organizing a new stage setup to best accommodate the delayed party. Impressed with his tireless energy and motivation, D and I decided to lend him a hand until the power generators were buzzin and the stage was set for some serious decibels. Since D and I both play percussion during our sets (D is actually an acclaimed drummer) and Skribble is a Wizard on the Pioneer EfX1000, we spontaneously decided to combine our shortened slots and create one set with all three of us on the small stage, taking turns behind the decks, drums, and EFX.
The impromptu performance was so much fun that, right there and then, the concept for DJs Are Alive was born. For the first time I was on stage with people who understood both DJ culture and live musicianship. Every DJ will agree that such a combination of DJs and musicians is extremely rare.
I started to think about other DJs with backgrounds as musicians and immediately Static Revenger came to mind. Upon my return to New York I called the Berkley graduate and explained the concept to him: “A collective of DJs that will sound like a DJ set, but look like a band”. He loved the idea and suggested that we also look for a vocalist who is at home in DJ culture. I immediately contacted Kristine W, who is not only the most qualified for this challenge, but also a ton of fun to work with. Kristine agreed to feel out the concept and generously offered her Ranch in Vegas as our rehearsal space. We set the date for our first rehearsals for December 12, 13 and 14.
Even though there were many elements of this project that had never been tested, it didn’t take long before all of us “got it”. On the second day of rehearsals we had all become familiar with both the musical and the technical side of things and it was time to put together a set list. Each of us picked one of our own songs that we would like to perform, and the remaining time was filled with live mash-ups of beats from existing songs, complemented with live vocals and music from other songs. All of the songs were then mixed together like a DJ set. Fun? Yes. More work than initially expected? Absolutely.
A band is not complete until it has recorded a single. This was the next part of the project. I started a groove on Pro-Tools and sent it out to all the members of the band, who then added stuff and sent it back to me. I finished the track in New York and it is now set for release on Effin Records; “Gimme Some Love”.
As I write this we are in the process of scheduling our try-out gig in New York and confirming our appearances during WMC in Miami. Come back here often and get the latest info on gigs, music, and guest appearances.
And most importantly, tell your friends about this project!
The Scumfrog
the crew
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