Photo by Gerry Visco / www.flickr.com/photos/gerryvisco/
Don’t hang the DJ. If your night sucks, it’s probably your own damn fault. Then again, the insane mixes of yesteryear have become watered down with celebrity sets, dull venues and an over-reliance on Top 40. Everyone and his great-grandmother says they’re a DJ these days. Jesus Luz, Madonna’s 22-year-old hunky Brazilian DJ model, is already commanding $10,000 a night.
Of course, there are still some bona fide DJs out there who know their way around a turntable. I found that out when I traveled down to Wall Street to attend the 10th anniversary of DJ Emskee’s Rare Radio Show on WBAI. It was eight hours of nonstop music, commercial free. I entered the room and rapper, producer and actor Q-Tip was spinning. We’re talking vinyl. “It’s Kamaal the Abstract on the wheels of steel, give it up for Q-Tip right now! He’s here and he is for real!” Emskee announced into the mic he carried as he threaded his way through the guests getting their groove on. Then he handed me a Corona.
There were other guest DJs on hand, including Randy Anderson, DJ Monk One, DJ 3D and DJ Mihoko. This was the 33rd edition of the show and was on air until 5 a.m. The show, which broadcasts every other month, is devoted to the classic and obscure dance ’70s music from the glory days of clubs in New York City at such venues including The Loft, Better Days, MKs, The World, Mars, The Underground, Palladium, Tunnel, Save the Robots, The Gallery, The Paradise Garage and Limelight. People still know how to party, but back then calling in sick to work was so much easier.
A perfectionist, Q-Tip has been called the Orson Welles of hip-hop. A founding member of the acclaimed A Tribe Called Quest, which disbanded in 1998 and reunited again in 2006, Q-Tip hosts a popular weekly party called OPEN at Santos Party House. Originally from Queens—where he got the “Q” in his name—the rapper released a solo record, Kamaal The Abstract, in September, although it was recorded in 2002.
DJ Emskee, a big burly guy, has been playing music for a while and he’s got a real funky warm energy. Until recently, he DJed at Black Betty on Saturday nights, but since the Williamsburg mainstay closed, he’s now the DJ at “Make Love, Not War,” a new party in the front room of the new Knitting Factory every Friday night.
I lived with a DJ back in the ’70s—talk about a roommate from hell. But that night, DJ Emskee and the others were playing tracks I hadn’t heard since I put away my platform shoes. It's exciting to hear radio as a medium is coming back thanks to the internet and archiving. No, there ain't no tits on the radio but there are plenty of cojones.
Of course, there are still some bona fide DJs out there who know their way around a turntable. I found that out when I traveled down to Wall Street to attend the 10th anniversary of DJ Emskee’s Rare Radio Show on WBAI. It was eight hours of nonstop music, commercial free. I entered the room and rapper, producer and actor Q-Tip was spinning. We’re talking vinyl. “It’s Kamaal the Abstract on the wheels of steel, give it up for Q-Tip right now! He’s here and he is for real!” Emskee announced into the mic he carried as he threaded his way through the guests getting their groove on. Then he handed me a Corona.
There were other guest DJs on hand, including Randy Anderson, DJ Monk One, DJ 3D and DJ Mihoko. This was the 33rd edition of the show and was on air until 5 a.m. The show, which broadcasts every other month, is devoted to the classic and obscure dance ’70s music from the glory days of clubs in New York City at such venues including The Loft, Better Days, MKs, The World, Mars, The Underground, Palladium, Tunnel, Save the Robots, The Gallery, The Paradise Garage and Limelight. People still know how to party, but back then calling in sick to work was so much easier.
A perfectionist, Q-Tip has been called the Orson Welles of hip-hop. A founding member of the acclaimed A Tribe Called Quest, which disbanded in 1998 and reunited again in 2006, Q-Tip hosts a popular weekly party called OPEN at Santos Party House. Originally from Queens—where he got the “Q” in his name—the rapper released a solo record, Kamaal The Abstract, in September, although it was recorded in 2002.
DJ Emskee, a big burly guy, has been playing music for a while and he’s got a real funky warm energy. Until recently, he DJed at Black Betty on Saturday nights, but since the Williamsburg mainstay closed, he’s now the DJ at “Make Love, Not War,” a new party in the front room of the new Knitting Factory every Friday night.
I lived with a DJ back in the ’70s—talk about a roommate from hell. But that night, DJ Emskee and the others were playing tracks I hadn’t heard since I put away my platform shoes. It's exciting to hear radio as a medium is coming back thanks to the internet and archiving. No, there ain't no tits on the radio but there are plenty of cojones.
