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“DJs – THEN & NOW”, Week 10: SUPERSTAR DJ KEOKI!!!

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Hello, everyone! Yes, we’ve made it to Week 10 of “DJs – THEN & NOW”, and what a legend we have for you today! It’s the originator of the term “Superstar DJ”, and in his case, the term is well-earned. From the beginnings of the late 80s New York club scene to his becoming a true electronic music superstar globally, this man has walked the line between artist and celebrity, and between genius and madman as well. He’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and somehow he survived it all, refusing to become just another stupid musical casualty. He’s the King of the Club Kids, the master of impending disaster–the one any only SUPERSTAR DJ KEOKI!

Superstar DJ Keoki

The shot on the left is poolside at Winter Music Conference in Miami (this is when people still actually went to Winter Music Conference). The shot on the right is from a tribute dinner to the now-legendary L.A. printing artist Richard Duardo. Overall, none the worse for wear, we’d say! Check out all the ink outlines on his younger self…just think of all that color that had to be filled in! This is a guy who’s put more miles behind him than most rock stars, and come out intact in the end. Kudos to you, Keoki–can’t wait to read your bio. Bet it’s gonna be a monster…wink, wink!

DJs -THEN & NOW, Week 7: RICHIE HAWTIN!

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Whoo-whee! A big apology to  everyone for last week’s lack of a “DJs: Then & Now” segment…we were quite honestly all wrapped up in the social media launch of our newest book project THE RAVER STORIES PROJECT. This is 5150’s next major book project, and so understandably some other things had to take a temporary back seat. But guess what–WE’RE BACK! And this time we’ve got someone really special for you on today’s Throwback Thursday! It’s the techno master himself, RICHIE HAWTIN!

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That 1999 shot of Richie was taken at the world-famous Viper Room on the Sunset Strip, when the great old club Atmosphere was in there. This was at the height of his Plastikman era. The one on the right is Richie not quite showing off his PLAYdifferently mixer at Sound in Hollywood. As you can see, putting the razor away can make a world of difference.

Richie appears a couple of times in the pages of DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM, by the way…just thought we’d point that out…

And while we’ve got you here, we really do want to draw your attention to THE RAVER STORIES PROJECT. It’s going to be a fantastic collection of amazing raving nights, as written by the people who experienced them…the ravers themselves! In other words, this is going to be the first book about ravers, by ravers. If you haven’t noticed on social media already, we’ve just put out a Call For Submissions in the rave community, and the initial response has been nothing short of fantastic. Dozens of electronic music fans have already inquired about how to contribute their favorite rave memories to the project, and once our official press release goes out soon, we expect to see a lot more.

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We have a saying here at 5150: “Every raver has a story”, and this is the foundation of THE RAVER STORIES PROJECT, because it’s true! Every raver really does have a story, whether it’s about their first rave, or when they saw their favorite DJ spin, or when they found their significant raving other, or when Daft Punk conquered Coachella. It’s the amazing experiences that people go through that drives the rave scene in the first place, and we want to spotlight this long-neglected aspect of our wonderful community.

So yes, we really want to read what you have to say. Go to www.raverstoriesproject.com for full details!

And SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!!

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“DJs – THEN & NOW”, Week 6: DJ COLETTE!

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AWRIGHT! It’s Week Six of “DJs – THEN & NOW”, and that means a lot of miles on the time machine’s odometer! Well, you know what we say? Screw it – bump that baby up past 88 MPH and bring out the next DJ! And we’ve got a great one for you this week–all the way from Chicago, IL, it’s the best singing DJ in the land! Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the one and only DJ COLETTE!!

Colette FINAL JPG

Can you believe that this babe hasn’t had any work done?? Colette truly is the epitome of aging gracefully! Of course, it’s a bit easier when you’re living life young, like in this video from one of Colette’s favorite old haunts, the much-missed King King on Hollywood Boulevard. Listen to her voice, she’s fantastic!

As you might expect, Colette appears in the pages of DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM! Shouldn’t you order a copy for yourself today??

And BTW, stay tuned for a BIG announcement coming soon about out next book project!!

DJs – THEN & NOW, Week 4: MOBY!!!

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What’s up, folks???

 

Yes, it’s Thursday, and you know what that means! It’s time once again to take advantage of Throwback Thursday with another edition of “DJs – THEN & NOW”! And do we have an industry veteran for you today! Not only is this man an internationally celebrated dance music pioneer,  well-known vegan and restaurateur, but he’s also the author of a number of books, including his autobiography Porcelain. And if just half of what he writes about in the book are true (particularly the chemically-inspired parts), it’s something of a wonder that he’s made it to “THEN & NOW”, and not become a casualty along the way–unable to make it past “THEN”. Fortunately he’s very much in the here and NOW…the man who told the world to press “Play”! Yes, it’s MOBY!!!

Moby FINAL JPG(left: “Groove TV” taping in L.A., 1999. Right: book signing in West Hollywood, 2015)

Well, this man certainly does know how to age into his role of music intelligentsia, doesn’t he? Coming soon to an NPR station near you…no doubt Jason Bentley will open!

Moby appears in the pages of “DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM“, by the way. You can order it right here on this web site. We certainly hope that you do.

 

Coming next week: IT’S A MYSTERY! STAY TUNED!!!

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DJs – THEN & NOW, Week 3: DJ RAP!!!

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Oh, yes folks…it’s that time of the week once again! You already know what this is, we shouldn’t have to tell you…but screw it, we’re going to say what it is anyway! (Actually, we’re probably contractually obligated to do that) So strap yourselves in, as we now prepare to warp the Rave Time Machine back to the last millennium, to drop in on a little club in Santa Monica, California. Why are we going here, you ask? Because, oh ye of little faith, this is where we’re going to experience some of the most ferocious drum ‘n bass on the planet, courtesy of the one and only DJ RAP!!!

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(and now we’re coming back to today, whoooooooooooooooaaaahhhh!) (*INSERT SCI-FI SOUND FX HERE*)

WOW! The years have definitely been good to Ms. Charissa Saverio! We dropped in on her just about a month ago–see the video below–and it’s safe to say that she sounds and looks as hot now as she did back in the day! What a treat to have such an amazing talent as part of this community for all these years, especially knowing that she’s now passing down that talent and skills to an entire new generation of spinners. The people who dismiss the rave scene and DJs in particular as unimportant and untalented have obviously never met this great woman! Keep up the great work, Charissa…you rock!!

 

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