Back in '85 I was in the 5th grade. My boy Albert had that one rap tape that we all rocked while playing with Transformers, watching "Goonies" and pencil fighting. We were up on the entire "Roxanne, Roxanne" series and of course Rappin Duke (daa-haa, daa-haa, you never thought that hip hop would take it this far).Fast forward to '93 (til infinity). Having lived in 2 countries, 3 states, and 6 cities already, I graduated from Alamogordo HS (NM...what's up Jeremy, Dave T, Ed, all yall) and hit Berkeley and Telegraph in the era when Del worked at Leopold's records, Mystic Journeymen threw "Unsigned and Hella Broke" shows for $2 with a pack of Top Ramen, and O-Dub hosted a low-key Fugees on KALX who later that night got booed off stage in Frisco when Lauryn recited the lines "I don't wear jheri curls cause I'm not from the West." Me & Gene Kim Whitney (big up!) shared 1 turntable, Shing02 was drawing the Grouch's first logo & tape cover, and Kirby D was the dorm freestyle king. Funny how time flies.Now (party like) it's 1999. Fresh back from Boston with a Master's in Education and a minor in Reggae Dancehall, me & DJ VNA rock a party in the basement of an SF Chinatown bar that's so steamy the ceiling is dripping on my new "Xxplosive" vinyl. The next year I connect with a slick Kenyan cat who rocks a good 80s set and another sarcastic dude who always has fresh hats. DMADNESS, MPENZI and JULES form KNOWMADIC DJs and start a party called SHELTER at a spot that Mpenzi has the African hookup at, Chibbo Bar & Grill. Later a smoove sister named NETA joins the fam, the party moves to OASIS in Oakland, and Jules becomes a father and goes into (semi) retirement.Anyway, enough history. I am DJ DMADNESS, of Golden Soundscapes & the Knowmadic DJs. You can catch me around the Bay spinning necksnap boom-bap time travel , staticky island dreams, and things of that nature. Catch me at GOLDEN with the incomparable DJ ZITA every third Saturday at Laszlo Bar in the Mission, and at REVERSE with bredren Mpenzi for hip hop and r&b throwbacks every 4th Friday at SF's Levende Lounge.Be easy. Dmadness.
D's Mixes:
