A DGAF New Year

Let's make 2011 a better, more DGAF year. We missed quite a few opportunities and free shows in 2010. We missed everything from the RZA at the Otis College of Art & Design graduation ceremony...

(But our friend Roger Tsao managed to meet him, so we're jealous but VERY grateful that he let us use this photo!)

...to the Record Makers 10th Anniversary art show (thank fuck we caught the much better promoted music show) to Michel Gondry (NOT Mitchell) doing a book signing. Hell, we even missed the Rubber premiere. I guess it was at the AFI Fest? It was the same night as Yelle, however.

Our internet stalking had failed and we can't let that happen again. We were on top of that shit in 2009.

Finances kept us from seeing the Wu-Tang performing 36 Chambers at Rock the Bells, our first ever Coachella, and countless other events, including the Red Bull Culture Clash and the Prince vs. Michael Experience! But we had no excuse to miss free shows from Peanut Butter Wolf, Hyper Crush, or Don Rimini. Except for conveniently timed colds, sicknesses, and/or physical ailments.

BUT NO REGRETS PEOPLE! NO TIME FOR THAT SHIT IN THE NEW YEAR!

CMYK got a new musical collaborator, our own DGAFriend Don aka Van Aerial. He definitely set the bar and raised our remixes up a few hundred notches.

We rang in the new year with Mr. Oizo on the decks at HARD NYE. Nothing says 2011 like a denim shirt.

We'd also like to announce our DGAFriend of 2010... Her name is Satsuki and you might know her from zakka nouveau.

You can read all about her in our long-anticipated interview, coming soon. Yes, we've been saying that for a while now... and we apologize for the delay... but another DGAF year is definitely on the way.

one of the funnier moments of 2010

don't ask.

time flies when you're being DGAF

Holy shit... where has 2010 gone? I swear we were just ringing in the new year with Chromeo and Peanut Butter Wolf at Club Nokia. Our musical input has slowed down a bit, but we should be back in full force next year (which is less than 2 months away?!?!)... We're planning a special remix for New Year's, and possibly another mash-up... but we have to take a break so we can finally finish the long-awaited interview with our DGAFriend Satsuki from zakka nouveau.


Let's see, so what else will we be up to for what's left of the year? Well, first of all, we will be DJing at Pop Monster this Saturday, November 20 from 7-10. It's free and local if you're from the South Bay. We love Pop Monster because they support local artists and it's the only place like this in the area. Check this place out because we're lucky here in Torrance to have it!

We may have missed him at HARD Haunted Mansion 2010 (not our fault) and the RUBBER premiere (totally our fault), but don't worry... we're going to ring in the new year with none other than Mr. Oizo.





Is anyone else already scared about 2011?

It ain't Halloween unless it's HARD

ALL PHOTOS BY OUR FRIEND KAREN PEDROZA. THANKS GIRL!!! :)

I always thought Halloween was one of those holidays that of course reached its prime in childhood. I mean, dressing up in a costume and getting free candy? You can't top that. As an adolescent, I discovered things such as Knott's Scary Farm, to much disappointment (I found it more annoying that anything, but that's another story). I started to be at a loss every year for costume ideas. Besides, all the costumes for women were getting annoyingly "sexy". And with no Halloween parties REALLY worth going to, I just accepted that I'd outgrown the holiday.

That is, until in 2008, HARD revived the holiday for me. I can't imagine Halloween without it anymore. It's now back to being the holiday I look forward to the most! It's WAY more fun than trick-or-treating, and good music is also good for your health, unlike candy (no pun intended). I've also realized that dressing up is something you should NEVER grow out of. You're an adult, and you can come up with more ideas and more elaborate costumes. HARD Haunted Mansion, we salute you.





We arrived this year a little late, but we managed to score free street parking around the USC campus. We did miss Busy P, which was a bummer, but ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I AM GLAD TO HAVE MADE IT IN TIME FOR CROOKERS. THEY NEVER DISAPPOINT. They played a lot of their old fidget hits, and kept the crowd relentlessly going until they ended it with a Boyz II Men song. They will always be DGAFavorites and DGAF heroes.

Rusko was dirty and heavy... fucking dope. I definitely wanna see him again. I don't give a shit, I loved the tracks he produced for M.I.A.'s latest album.

Fortunately Shimosh remembered JUST in time that SebastiAn was playing indoors, and we clamored to get back into the Harder Stage. There was understandably a huge crowd wanting to get in as well. The setup is great so that when you walk into the indoors stage, you're already up at the front by the stage so you don't have to fight your way up from the back. SebastiAn KILLED it as usual. He is DEFINITELY one of the most underrated (if not THE most) DJ out there right now. He always plays pretty flawless sets. Very DGAF.

Now, we were SUPER bummed that Mr. Oizo had to be cut from the lineup (apparently due to visa issues). He was definitely one of the acts we wanted to see most. (He was replaced by Diplo, who wasn't a bad choice at all.) Now Mr. Oizo sure didn't play... but we did see him there! In the crowd! With TWO Flat Erics!!! WTF??? We're not trying to start any internet rumors or anything...





Bloody Beetroots were a good close to Saturday night. It was a more mellow live set, but they still made you dance. You don't mess with the Bloody Beetroots or their genre-defying live shows. Ever.



We returned Sunday as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. 2 days of HARD is always tiring but worth it. It just feels more epic. We ended up getting there late again, but we scored free street parking for the second night in a row! We managed to get there for the start of A-Trak and Flying Lotus. It was a TOUGH decision, and a kind of painful one, but we decided to check out Flying Lotus as we hadn't given him a chance at HARD Summer. We'd seen A-Trak play a mind-blowing set at the Ed Banger 7 party back in February, and it was tough knowing we'd missed another one, but we had to make a choice. I did not regret that decision at all, because FlyLo was nothing short of sick. He killed it with his ominous, eclectic mix of tunes. I believe the hype now.

We saw a bit of the special guest, who was Miiike Snow. As much as I wanted to stay, I needed to go to the Hard stage to see the act I was looking forward to the most that night: Underworld. The last time I'd seen them was 11 years ago at the Santa Monica Civic Center! Yes, ELEVEN years!!! How time flies. 1999's "Beaucoup Fish" was one of my favorite albums when I was younger, and I was dying to see what they'd be like in 2010. I was NOT let down. They were as vital as ever. It's hard to believe they've been around for 30 years!!! Karl Hyde is super DGAF... he's got way more energy on stage than performers half his age and dances around with an undeniable presence. Their music is uplifting but with dark undertones, and doesn't sound dated a decade later. "Two Months Off" felt like a total ray of light, "King of Snake" was a glorious surprise, and "Born Slippy" was the finale that just burned down the house.

Underworld just couldn't be topped. We caught some of Boys Noize and Jack Beats, who were both tearing it up, but by that time I was too tired and blown away by Underworld. But we already can't wait for the next HARD event.

Go HARD and go DGAF.

Steppin' Up

Thanks to Anthony Dray Johnson (who rightfully got a high five from M.I.A.) for the photos!


M.I.A. is definitely one of the most DGAF people alive. She's got the most swagger, the most epic beats, and puts on a show (or more like a party) so energetic that it will melt your face off. You're guaranteed to dance your ass off and shout along to every lyric. She played a fair amount of songs from each of her 3 albums, including the "hits"... one of the things I love about her is that her music evolves with every album but remains unmistakably her.


She's a raw performer, and she was all over the stage; dancing, climbing on stuff, and constantly going up to the audience to mingle. She even gave a bottle alcohol(?) to someone in the crowd, and invited people up to the stage for the finale, "Born Free". (I also noticed that one of her dancers was one of the guys in that video. He's a HELL of a dancer too, you've got to see it to believe it.) I mean, who else can effortlessly rock hot pink and yellow sequin suits? You have to see her live to experience the badass that is Maya Arulpragasam.
















XXXO

Part of DGAF never dies

Need we say more? photo: JKatan

The best thing about LA is its ability to have outdoor music festivals without humidity or a big chance of rain. And the best thing about outdoor festivals is definitely the fresh air. It can get hot, nasty, and stuffy as hell inside a packed indoor venue. I mean nothing against indoor venues of course, but it's definitely way more comfortable being in the middle of a sweaty crowd when you're outside.

Not a bummer in sight. photo: JKatan

HARD Summer had the right idea of moving to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. It was the same quality, just a different vibe. Instead of an all-night rave style party, it felt way more like a regular daytime music festival.

This is not EDC, people. photo: JKatan

The security was not messing around... we'd already witnessed an arrest before we'd even got in. We then had to remove our shoes at the gates, airport style. Police were patrolling the streets, drug dogs were walking around, bouncers were everywhere. Nobody was fucking around.

HARD gets it right again. photo: JKatan

We arrived just in time for Breakbot, who warmed up his set with clean funky disco-tastic house, surprised everyone when he decided kick into harder gear. We were left so flabbergasted by the transition from Snoop Dogg to Mr. Oizo that we did a synchronized jaw-drop that no one could even imagine choreographing.

The breakdown with Breakbot. photo: JKatan

We headed to the Harder Stage for Switch, who was dropping all kinds of baile funk fun, and witnessed a pretty intense 2-hour tag team set from Benga and Skream. It was wobbly, energetic dubstep madness. They know how to work a crowd.

This is how we roll (no pun intended). photo: JKatan

We listened to the always dope sounds of Diplo as we headed toward the food trucks. The only thing security couldn't stop were the red ants that were crawling on my shoes and biting my feet while we were in line. We finished our sandwiches and made our way back to see Flying Lotus, who was playing a good but very mellow set. Apparently I missed him drop some heavy ass shit just as I left to check out Crystal Castles, who were assaulting the senses with their controlled, noisy chaos. If they're not punk as fuck, I don't know what is. Hell, even Alice Glass rhymes with badass.

Is that steam? photo: JKatan

But we could not bear to miss Tiga, who was tearing it the fuck up. He probably played the most undeniably danceable set all day. Proxy kept the party going... but we had to head over to at least catch the end of Major Lazer. There was a Chinese dragon and a ton of people dancing on stage, and we knew we'd missed some ridiculous antics. Leave it up to Major Lazer to take the party to the next level.

video: JKatan

But nobody brings the party like Soulwax. Yay Belgium! If you also know about 2ManyDJs, you know that the Dewaele brothers have so much musical talent it's disgusting. They've evolved from a really cute, catchy, and interesting pop band to this nonstop dance machine. It amazes me how they make live instruments sound electronic and analog equipment sound digital... you get the energy of a live band with the sound of a DJ set. It's totally legit.

video: JKatan

My only complaint? That they didn't play for like 2 hours. They were the perfect closer to HARD Summer. I don't think you can really follow Soulwax; I think it worked out to not have other DJ's on til 4am after the headliner.

But I forgot to mention one of the highlights of the day, and it was seeing the lineup for this:

Part of the weekend never dies.

HARD LA goes M.I.A.

But it's not over yet, because we still have HARD Summer with its expanded lineup AND WE CAN'T WAIT:



See you August 7th!!! It's gonna be a DGAF Summer... so let's keep on dancing!

tiger style

... Or are they?



Here's the big debate of summer 2010. Well, for me at least...

You see, Wu-Tang is a way of life. One of the most conceptual music artists of all time are back to perform their classic "Enter the 36 Chambers" album in its entirety. Sounds like a dream come true. Well it is... kind of. So why am I not as excited as I should be?

Well, first is the obvious: no ODB. I have no idea how much his son can pick up the slack. I mean, it's fair compensation... but there was only one ODB and there only could have been one. Just because you're a blood relative doesn't mean you're as DGAF. I don't know, maybe he is. But ODB to me is just irreplaceable. Am I being too skeptical?

If I am, maybe it's because... well... real talk... Wu-Tang, when I saw them at Rock the Bells in 2007, were a pretty disappointing and disjointed live act. They were all over the place, totally not cohesive, and ultimately could not get it or themselves together to pull of a solid live show... I mean, they didn't even finish songs. They played my favorite song of 36 Chambers, "Da Mystery of Chessboxin", and it was cool but I wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. I don't know if it's ego or if they just started being DGAF in the wrong kind of way. Curiously, A Tribe Called Quest is billed over Wu-Tang. Could it because Wu-Tang got a reputation for being underwhelming live?

So this is why I'm a little hesitant to buy my ticket... I'm a little broke right now and I know I'll get my money's worth from the rest of the lineup, but if I buy a ticket, it would be for Wu-Tang and I'll feel ripped off anyway if they don't deliver. To be continued...

It's gonna be a HARDGAF Summer!

HARD LA with the Bloody Beetroots was the SHIT!!! The Hollywood Palladium was a great venue to host it as well. Good location, a decent size, and easy to get around in. It got me excited for HARD Summer! It's going to be interesting seeing HARD mostly during the day at a new location.

Tons of Friends: Tons of DGAF

the "NOT Tons of Fidget edition"





BOOM CLAP BOOM CLAP BOOM CLAP BOOM CLAP

Yes, Crookers could have released the epic fidget house album that we were all waiting and hoping for. Or they could have done something very DGAF and done something that nobody was expecting. So let's all chill the fuck out and appreciate the fact that they did the latter instead of deciding to pigeonhole themselves in one type of genre.

Don't get me wrong, Crookers' unmistakable bouncy sound is what initially drew me in as a fan and kept me there, beat after relentless beat. It seemed like they'd perfected their signature style. Crookers made some of the most addictive, exhilarating, crowd-pleasing remixes this side of fidget... So where do you go from there? Well, you can either keep doing what you're doing, or step out and prove you that you're not just a one-trick pony.

Of course we all, myself included, wanted Crookers to come out with an album that took their original sound a step further. Even though I would have danced my ass off to an album like that, I actually respect Crookers more for releasing an album with a more mature and sophisticated sound, and something less predictable. *gasp* I think it was a badass and interesting move to put the accapella version of "Day N Nite" instead of reminding fans yet again of their obvious straight up smash hit remix. It was like putting a middle finger up to everyone who was wishing for the rest of Tons of Friends to sound like the original "Day N Nite" remix.

We wanted soul claps, they gave us subtlety. Before writing it off, try listening beyond the surface. It's not going to instantly beat you into submission like their older songs... this time you actually do have to pay more attention to the details because it's no longer about face-melting instant gratification. But because they've moved away from their distinct sound, this album does at first sound subdued and even underwhelming by comparison... but once I gave this album a chance, I was hooked. It took a few listens to realize how much the production is integrated with the vocals. Let's face it, the old Crookers sound was pretty overpowering, so this time they've stepped back to allow the guest vocalists to shine, which was a pretty generous and respectful move.

The new Crookers sound is about atmospherics and textures; it actually forces you to listen to the quality of songs and dynamics rather than flashy samples, beats, or basslines. Of course they're still there, but in a different perspective. I think Crookers went in the right direction by proving they could be insanely versatile producers. Tons of Friends boasts a diverse range of pop, R&B, hip hop, electro, reggae and even the indie/country/folk of "Lone White Wolf"... Crookers can tread them all, without losing consistency, or relying too much on past formulas. The future is now, and the future is DGAF. Tons of DGAF.

My only real complaint? "Festa Festa" is not on this album.

check them out at crookers.net

Time after time, I told myself...

That I wasn't gonna lag. (I never had anything to lose. I also checked myself, just to make sure.) That was 2009. We mean it this year. We're a week into 2010, friends and enemies. It's a new year, a new life, a new car for the Suzanarchist. No more waiting MONTHS after an event to blog about it. A few days is acceptable. A few weeks is pushing it... but months is unprecedented. No more waiting and then doing like 10 blogs at once to catch up. We're DGAF, but that's not the kind of DGAF we're aiming for.

This year we're gonna be DGAF more regularly, and that means blog more regularly. We've already booked some adventures for the next few months... and we know this is going to be the most DGAF year yet. The DGAF crew has some projects up our sleeves... be afraid. Be very afraid. CMYK are set to make our DJ debut this year (for real this time), with possibly a single, or a few, or an EP, or an album or two??? Who knows. And the Suzanarchist will start work on her new website/design project which is a collaboration with Shimosh's photography. The circle is breaking and is continuing to multiply in various patterns.

The future is now. The future is DGAF. We're doing it again in '10.

I can do it anNYway that you want it...

Black Hole Son of a Bitch

People not in the DGAF circle may not be very aware of our many inside jokes about Soundgarden. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg:



So New Year's wasn't as stupid as expected. However, this is another case of a joke misfiring... as something unexpectedly stupid beyond our comprehension apparently happened on the fateful first day of 2010...

CHRIS CORNELL ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A SOUNDGARDEN REUNION.

It was one thing to get the "Jesus Christ Pose" single on vinyl for a joke Xmas present... but this? And what did my friend Leer Jet, who got me this aforementioned single have to say about this?

"We're there"

Oh, Jesus (Christ Pose) indeed.

ChromeOMGUG

HAPPY 2010, everybody!

To celebrate the end of a ridiculous year and the beginning of another ridiculous year, CMYK + some DGAF friends went to see Chromeo & Peanut Butter Wolf at Club Nokia. 2009 was great, but in 2010, we're doing it again! The first song we heard as we went in was Skee-Lo's "I Wish", and we knew it was gonna be a night to remember.



The show started off with Gaslamp Killer, who has the best hair I've ever seen on a DJ. The way he was rocking out, our friend BJones commented "it looks like his hair's going to fly away." Dubsteppy and fun.

Then Vega hit the stage. The singer had a fro and a leather vest. He is full of inside jokes. Let's not forget that they looked like At the Drive In if they were a Jonas Brothers cover band. Ok, they weren't THAT bad. They were cute indie pop.

And then... PEANUT BUTTER WOLF. Sorry everybody, I love Chromeo, but this was the main event for me. After experiencing the magic of PB Wolf back in September at FYF, I was expecting nothing short of genius. Chromeo was a definite contender, but this was pretty much the deciding factor for me to ditch HARD NYE this year and go to Club Nokia. I waited in anticipation to end 2009 with PB Wolf... and let me tell you. He KNOWS how to end a decade.

Of COURSE he starts off with Serge Gainsbourg, as if he saw Shimosh's "I Love French Boys" t-shirt. We all laughed and stared at the video projection in disbelief. But when Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" suddenly popped into the mix with no warning, I was awestruck. When ODB came in out of nowhere, I swear I almost broke out in tears. I mean I'd witnessed 2ManyDJs mix Dolly Parton into Slayer... but this was on another level for me.

And so he began his onslaught of hip hop videos, from old skool to '90s and '00s, while still somehow managing to fit Flight of the Conchords, Phoenix, and the Cure into the mix! (And by the way, did anybody notice that Modjo probably got "Lady" from the very first verse of Michael Jackson's "Working Day and Night"?) DAMMIT! I realized I should have requested DMX's "Up in Here" when he was requesting videos for this NYE show on Twitter!

During PB Wolf's set, a very small child came out on stage. His name is Miles, aka Baby Boogaloo. Maybe you've seen him on Ellen, but he's an adorable and tiny dancer! He was actually on stage for FYF but we could barely see him from where we were standing. Check those terrible videos I took with my phone...



Miles, aka Baby Boogaloo


look at him go!!!


Miles & his daddy

Sorry for the terrible quality. But regardless, it was a treat! Baby Boogaloo is DGAF!

And again, PB Wolf ended his set with Wu-Tang's "Triumph". Another tear in my eye... but once the projections stopped and the screen was put away, he proved himself still a formidable DJ without the visuals. I could not have asked for a better finale to 2009. Thank you PB Wolf. What a way to countdown to 2010...

10!

9!

8!

7!

6!

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

CHROMEO!



Yup, they brought on the non-stop dance party to kick off 2010 with a whole lot of 80's style funk... WOW!!! The 80's were 3 decades ago now! Who cares when Chromeo brings it, it never sounds outdated. Songs like "Tenderoni", "Fancy Footwork", and "Night By Night", have you almost wishing for a jheri curl revival (or is that just me?). And P-Thugg is the world talkbox champion, let's not even kid ourselves. We at DGAF are so glad we got to see them play live finally. They're pretty slick DJs, and again P-Thugg's talkbox is unbelievable during mixes, but they are a fun live party band!



Thee Mike B ended the night with a schizo mash-up of club hits, dance tracks, hip hop jams, and pop songs. It was the start of a new year, a new decade, and the finish of another exhausting night of dancing.

Now all 2010 needs is a Club DGAF.