Sunday Sessions at Grand Park - A very wonderful homecoming

Wow. What a homecoming. Although I did come back to California for Slinky in May, I wouldn’t call that coming back and playing in my hometown. I received a call from Jia at 6AM Group in late May. He asked how I was doing, and I replied that I was “Doing good, but very homesick”. His reply was, “well, home is calling and wants you back”. I have known JIA a long time and having him call me to come back home for the Grand Park party series “Sunday Sessions” was just the kind of homecoming I wanted. He told me the concept of having DJs that represent the history of the Los Angeles underground scene and I have to say I was honored to be thought to be a part of this event.

I love the old school look of this flyer.

I knew for a while before the info dropped in mid-July about the show. It was hard to keep my mouth shut. I just wanted to get it out there, but I just waited and kept myself busy with other things. Like leaving my job in Hawaii and after taking a job in Oregon. This opportunity would help things for my little tour of LA. Since I can work remote it allowed me the chance to fly into LA and stay a while. So instead of a 5 day drip it is now a 4-week trip that I am currently in the middle of. I have to say it is great to be back home.

When I got to the park on Sunday the vibe was just off the charts. The love was in the air, the weather was perfect and friends I haven’t seen in months were front and present. It was a beautiful day. I loved every moment. Dela Moon was dropping a great Melodic Techno set. I started at 4PM and it was electric. I honestly never wanted it to end. The crowd was just feeling it and so was I. After my set I was overwhelmed. There was so much love in the air. Hugs, Pictures, Videos and Conversations were captured and shared. It made me realize so quickly that I need this back in my life.

While I have been DJing in Hawaii and it is a great scene, it isn’t home for me. I do love Hawaii, but it has been hard to be away from the community that I have been a part of for over half of my life. I really do need to come back to where I belong. Being away hasn’t been all bad. I think sometimes you need to step away from what you must fully realize what you really need. Also, I think some separation is good. As I was told, “How can anyone miss you, if you never leave?”. I know I have missed LA, but I also felt on Sunday that LA has missed me. So, when I return to Hawaii on 09/15, I know the next time I come back to LA in 2020, it won’t be just for a visit. I’m coming home.

The Long Goodbye - Live at Re:Love Aloha (01/06/2019)

I have been in Hawaii exactly one month as I write this. What a crazy adventure this has been. When I announced, in the middle of December, that I was leaving Los Angeles and moving to Hawaii it didn’t quite seem real. As the days went on in December and I started preparing to move by purging, packing and shipping, it became more and more real. My last gigs in LA were so much fun but there was a hint of sadness at each one. It all came to a head at the special going away re:love park party on 01/06/19. I actually got there early to bring my XDJ decks for use at the party. I dropped them off and then grabbed some brunch with my friends Koko and Bernard Thomas in the valley. I went home, downloaded some tracks and thought of how I wanted to end this party. I was hoping I could make it somewhat special and memorable.

When I got to the party DJ Dan was wrecking things. I was so happy that DJ Dan came out and provided his skills and talent for the festivities. Having him there just really set the right tone for me personally. DJ Dan was first DJ that I spun with at my first gig in LA back in 1992. Fitting that he be the one to help me say goodbye to LA. Even for a bit.

When I drove in, I just couldn’t believe how many came out to say goodbye to me. Walking around the party, I kept running into friends everywhere I turned. People I haven’t seen in years came out of the woodworks to give a hug and a hope to see you again. It felt amazing. I was overwhelmed. I wanted to have a group photo taken so that I could display it in Hawaii. The professional photographer wasn’t there yet but we got some good group shots before I went on.

After the group shot, I went on and although I DJed 2 hours, it went by so very quickly. I played new stuff and old stuff and things in between. I was just feeling it. The love in that canopy was real. I never wanted the feeling to end. At one point my wife came up to me and asked, “Is there anything you need?”, my reply was, “For this to never end”. Bret Wallace told me I could play past my allotted 2 hours but I felt I had the right way to close this party and I wanted to get most of the crowd to be a part of it. After the last song of my set, I played “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and I couldn’t help but to start to cry. It felt like there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It is a moment that will live with me forever. Thank you LA. Thank you for that. I needed it.

It was such a beautiful way to end this long chapter of my DJing in Los Angeles. I have been blessed to be a part of so many LA events over the past 27 years. Being an LA DJ is such a huge part of my identity that it is very hard to let go. But I took this opportunity to live in Hawaii as a challenge to myself. I just thought I would always be in LA. Maybe retire in the central coast one day. I never thought I would be given the opportunity to try something like this out. I just had to do it. It may not be forever, I might be back in a couple of years. Who knows? I just know that I would always regret this if I missed out on this chance to try something new. But LA I miss you. I really do. I am sure I will come out in a couple of months and drop a set or two and I really hope you are there to say hello.

One more night in LA - Live at Back To The Underground

This was a fun night. My last night time gig in LA for a while. And it was a great way to say good bye. It had been raining for a while in the evening but it cleared up as some friends and I headed out to Catch One to this show. Bret Wallace was on deck when I got there and he was dropping some great tracks. I got on the decks after and the energy and vibe was amazing. So many came out to say goodbye and farewell to me. It is a pleasure to receive that love and energy. Thank you so much LA.

The Countdown to 2019 - Live at Teleport (12/31/2018)

What a great night. I pulled up to a random warehouse in Downtown LA and it felt like I was teleported back in time to the mid 90’s. The location was epic. When you walked in there was that immediate rush of nostalgia. It was an awesome to witness. Jason Blakemore was on deck when I get there and he was getting the crowd moving. My old friend Mickey Flair was acting as MC and he ran the countdown right before my set. You can hear the countdown in the set below. I came on and just dropped the tech house bangers and the vibe was just incredible. What a way to bring in 2019. An excellent time.

The Boom Box Art Car - Live at Nocturnal Wonderland (09/15/2018)

I can’t believe I forgot to post this. This was so much fun. I was very honored to be asked to play at Nocturnal Wonderland and to be with some of my good friends hanging out at the Camp OG campsite was just the icing on the cake. I got into the camp a few hours before the doors opened on Saturday. I chilled out with the homies and shared a few brews before heading into the event. I was on second on the art car and Subcoder was dropping some great breaks before me.

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The Camp OG crew at Nocturnal Wonderland

I had no idea what I was going to play so my set is a bit all over the place. Some old school house, some bass house and some tech house all blended together. The vibes were great. It was great to see so many familiar faces mixed in with the younger generation. After my set, my wife and I wandered around the party checking things out. We ran into Pasquale and I had an opportunity to thank him for keeping this going and always taking care of the old school. He really does make sure we are taken care of. All in all, it was a great time at Nocturnal and I hope it wasn’t the last time. Hope you enjoy the set.