Los Angeles, CA – The Sights and Sounds of DJ Dusk Festival returns for its third installment on Sunday, May 3rd, three years after the passing of the renowned LA deejay/youth mentor for whom it is named after. Hosted by the By Youth For Youth (BYFY) group of MVFC, the 3rd Annual Sights and Sounds of DJ Dusk Festival will bring together the surrounding community and the friends, family, and colleagues of this LA pioneer. The event is free and will take place from 3:00pm to 7:00pm at the Mar Vista Family Center, 5075 S. Slauson Ave., Culver City, CA 90230.
In May of 2007, the Sights and Sounds of DJ Dusk Festival, which has since become an annual celebration, commemorated the life of long-time Mar Vista Family Center employee and youth leader, Tarek "DJ Dusk" Captan. On April 29, 2006, Tarek tragically lost his life to a drunk driver and his absence has been felt citywide, especially at Mar Vista Family Center. Through art and music, Tarek was able to reach wide audiences across the Los Angeles landscape and beyond. During his ten years of service here at Mar Vista, he was able to empower youth with the tools to seek higher education and social justice.
The Mar Vista Family Center is a nationally recognized program that creates positive changes through dozens of community programs, including BYFY, which promotes individual and social responsibility among youth. The BYFY program provides positive role models and important leadership development tools for 65 underprivileged youths, ranging in age from 13 to 21. These youths, in turn, supervise enriching activities for 600 children and preteens who attend programs at MVFC year-round.
This celebration combines Tarek’s passion for music and art with his devotion to youth activism by exposing local youth and aspiring artists to veteran performers who believe in using art and music to create positive social change. Now with the new Everychild Foundation Youth Center complete, MVFC will be able to serve three times the number of current youth, while impacting the lives of countless members of the community and their families.
The new building adds 11,000 square feet of space that will include a computer lab, a library, a game room, BYFY room with college prep counseling, and the Tarek “DJ Dusk†Captan Preteen Room, where the preteen boys and girls groups will hold their twice weekly meetings. Aside from housing the tutoring program (grades 1-12) and other offices, the new youth center will have a brand new dance room, and provide other programs in the creative arts such as music, deejaying, art, video, and photography in the much anticipated multimedia room.
The festivities include performances by hip hop group Aesthetics Crew, cumbia sounds by Buyepongo, Latin soul hip hopper Ray Ricky Rivera, and soul artist Alex Painter and the Joyful Process. Pocho Joe and the Downbeat 720 high school poets and musicians will demonstrate their talents on stage, as will some of MVFC’s own youth who will be stringing away on guitar. LA historian Mike the Poet will be accompanied by a local youth, sharing his lyrics that have made him one of the city’s finest poets. DJ’s Expo, Monalisa, Jun, Rude 1, Wyatt Case, Sloepoke, Jeremy Sole, Lisa J, Double K, J-Logic and Music Man Miles will bless the turntables throughout the day with LA’s favorite host Azul 213 on the microphone.
Other attractions include live art by Food One, the DJ workshop in the multimedia room with Chris Boogie and other deejays, and His Story Room where anybody can share their favorite story of DJ Dusk so that it can be digitally recorded and added to an online collection featured on InDuskWeTrust.com- a website/company started by the immediate family of DJ Dusk that aims to keep his name alive, raise money for non-profit organizations that he was part of, and preserve his record collection. Each of MVFC's programs (preschool, community, youth) will be selling all sorts of homemade food and treats as part of their fundraising efforts. Like each preceding year, the festival is a family type environment that provides fun for all the children, youth, and adults in attendance.
“None of us are as strong as ALL of us.†– DJ Dusk
For more information visit www.marvistafc.org and www.byfy.org
What: 3rd Annual Sights & Sounds of DJ Dusk Festival
Where: Mar Vista Family Center
5075 S. Slauson Ave.
Culver City, CA 90230
When: Sunday May 3rd, 2009
Time: 3:00pm- 7:00pm
Contact: Joey Bravo, Event Coordinator:
[email protected]
BYFY website: www.byfy.org
(video courtesy of Aurelito - I N I Soundsystem, Los Angeles)
