Udall reads...
Author Brady Udall reads from
his novel tonight.
Shaman Drum. 8 p.m. Free.
RTS
michigandaily.com /arts
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 24, 2001 8
Straight out tha Ghettotech trunk: Disco D
revs up for raging Necto releaseparty
By Ben Godstein
Daily Arts Writer s ..' y,"~.
At the age of 21, Dave "Disco D" Shayman has
already accomplished more in his life than many of
us, sadly, ever will. He has performed worldwide as a
DJ, spinning a style of Detroit-bred urban dance elec-
tronica called Ghettotech, which has begun to garner
91
Disco D
The Necto
Doors open tonight
at 10 p.m.
serious attention outside of its
city of origin largely because of
his own innovations and relent-
less touring. Shayman is the
founder and CEO of GTI
Recordings, a record label he
started in 1999 when he was
19-years-old, and has been rec-
ognized as a prodigious talent
by magazines including Details,
Alternative Press, URB and
Mixer, to name a few. And all
this while pursuing a business
degree at the University. Truly,
Dave Shayman is a busy little
beaver.
"Hey guys, guys ... we are less than original."
Punk bands today:
Lack of i'nte'grity
permeates genre
gourtesyodsTkN s
Dogs, hustlers, players, pimps: Disco D deep in thought about how sick the Necto scene will be tonight.
In the world of Disco D every day is a party, but
today is especially meaningful for him. His new
album Straight Out Tha Trunk, which represents his
first commercially available Ghettotech mix CD, was
released yesterday, and to celebrate he's hosting a
release party tonight at the Necto. Disco D's previous
releases primarily consisted of promotional demos for
live appearances and vinyl 12" records intended for
other DJs to spin, but a distribution deal with the New
York-based Proper Sales and Distribution (Transmat,
Never Records) is changing the game. Squeezing us
in between a North American tour and a Business
Law exam, Disco D was kind enough to grant The
Michigan Daily an interview.
THE MICHIGAN AILY: Wow. I'm a little
starstruck. Are you really Disco D? Like the Disco
D?
Disco D: (laughing) C'mon, man, we were in the
dorms together! Gimme a break!
TMD: Disco D, your new album is so sick it needs
a bone-marrow transplant. Discuss.
DD: Well, I just wanted to come with the hot
tracks, you know? I wanted to wait to p'ut out a mix
CD until I had stuff that I was really happy with, both
my own stuff and stuff from my label. I think it's a
really good representation of where the sound's
going, where I've been, where I'm going, and where
Ghettotech is going. I'm most proud of the remix that
I did with 8Ball and MJG being on there and the stuff
with Paradime, and also the stuff off my own label
from other artists, like DJ Deeon, DJ Nephets and DJ,
Slugo. I'm real happy with it.
TMD: For the uninformed and uninitiated,
describe Ghettotech.
DD: I think my boy Joe, who works for Sony, said
it best: "You wanna know what Ghettotech is? Take a
little bit of house, a little bit.of techno, a little bit of
drum 'n' bass, take that shit to the hood and pour a
40-ounce of St. Ides on that shit." I don't know how
else to describe it.
TMD: What can we expect from your set at the
Necto tonight?
DD: Lots of foul sexual language, lots of crazy
scratching, high-energy tricks and lots of ass-shaking.
That's the most important thing. I wanna see people
shaking their ass.
TMD: Speaking of foul sexual language and ass,
some of the samples on Straight Out Tha Trunk are
pretty racy. Would you say that sexual energy is an
integral part of the Ghettotech sound, or are you just
some sicko who likes putting dirty words in his
mixes?
DD: I think a lot of music is about sex. You listen
to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," and it's just talk-
ing about sex, straight up. So what's wrong with
being upfront about it, you know? People love it, peo-
ple want to be hit in the face hard like that. If they
don't love it, they're completely appalled. Either way,
I'm making an impact.
TMD: You're blowing up so fast you'll probably
be starring in movies soon. What kind of movies
would you want to star in?
DD: I know you want me to say porno, but I'd
rather just direct them.
TMD: Direct porn?
DD: Maybe. No, just kidding, just kidding. Maybe
I'll just do the soundtrack, I don't know. I don't know
if acting would really be for me. Hey, you never
know, I don't got no shame, I'll do whatever! Just no
porn. Well, maybe just directing the porn, but that's it.
TMD: What's the wildest thing a fan ever did to
get close to "the big D?"
DD: Just recently in Seattle, a fan asked me to sign
her breasts while her boyfriend took a picture. Actu-
ally, the picture is now the desktop art on my comput-
er! I don't know, I get flashed a lot, people ask me to
sign their thongs and their breasts and what not. One
time I was leaving for the airport after a show and
there was a thong hanging on my doorknob.
TMD: Whoa!
DD: And I have no idea who left it there. So, it
gets a little wild when I'm on tour.
TMD: Most B-School students I know whine and
complain about how hectic their lives are, and they
don't have tours and record labels to worry about.
How do you respond to them?
DD: My take on the B-School is a little different
than most people, just because a lot of what the B-
School culture's about and what it breeds is this
whole recruitment thing, and the need to recruit with
these companies that are coming to the "U" all the
time. I haven't gone to a single interview or gone to a
single recruitment session. It's just not for me. I got
my own thing going on. I can understand why they'd
be a little stressed about that, trying to get a job. Me, I
just kinda go with the flow, do my classes and have
my own thing going on outside of school. Most kids
are in like five million clubs, marketing club, consult-
ing club, blah blah blah and then some business fra-
ternity, and I'm not involved in any of that.
TMD: Pretend you're me and I'm you. What
would you ask me? Meaning you, of course.
DD: Can I get into your show for free tonight?
TMD: Absolutely, I'll put you on the guest list
plus one. Hey Disco, is there anything else you want
to plug right now as far as upcoming projects and
events?
DD: I just really want this CD to succeed. I want
everyone to go out and give it a listen. A lot of stores
around here will have it in the listening stations, so
give it a try. If it's not for you, cool, but if it is, pick it
up. And if you do like it, the next one will be coming
out in September 2002. I can't mention names, but
I've been working with a lot of bigger urban artists,
doing some collaborations. So expect some crazy shit
to go out. What I'm really trying to do is bridge the
gap between urban and electronic music: An"addition,
I'm producing a couple tracks for Detroit rapper Lola
Damone, who's on Universal. I've also got a remix on
the new Lords of Acid CD that comes out this fall. So
that's about it, try to catch me on tour.
TMD: Seriously man, no B.S., where's the after-
party tonight?
DD: For you? You can go home. For all the fine
ladies, come to my apartment.
Straight Out Tha Trunk is in stores now. For more
info on Disco D, go to wwwdiscod.com.
By Taryn O'Leary
Daily Arts Writer
Five years ago, today's headlining
punk bands were opening shows for
today's "has-beens."
Some bands change their sound,
some change their intensity, but all
maintain their strong cult following.
And although their listeners find
their single humorous, this song
touches upon a significant worry
plaguing most punk bands: Play for
ourselves, or the contract.
Over the past 10 years, punk has
attempted to make itself fairly more
mainstream. By releasing singles to
be played on the radio, signing on
to soundtracks, even playing back-
ground music for teenage video
games, these bands strive to pro-
mote their name in an industry that
pretentiously perceives them as just
a bunch of boys playing their gui-
tars in their moms' basements.
A classic example of short-lived
radio success is Goldfinger, who
released their first single in 1997,
"Here in Your Bedroom," yet they
saw no fruit from their labor until
their newer single, "Superman,"
started playing on "X-Games"
soundtracks all over the country. Yet
unfortunately, their best music shall
never be played for the public; sin-
gles of their newest album, such as
"Pick a Fight," or even "Counting
the Days," don't fit the cookie-cut-
ter mold of pop-punk the radio
industry has in mind. This smolder-
ing of creativity truly leads to a
less-than-original sound, as well as
less-than-quality singles. When
Sugar Ray released their wretched
waste of album space, "Fly,"
Atlantic Records was most certainly
laying the smack down on Mark
McGrath, for the rest of 14:59
sounds nothing like that teeny-bop-
per, beach party blow-out crap.
Reel Big Fish is another example
of a band that has yet to release
another single for over half a
decade ... yet, their shows still con-
tinue to sell out.
Instead of concentrating on legiti-
mate music, major record labels
force their artists to produce a
sound that could potentially start a
new genre, or trend. Looking for the
Backstreet Boys in a band like Ran-
cid is purely a mute point. Yet this
money driven pressure jeopardizes
the talent of the group, straining
them for a fleeting, number one sin-
gle like "Ruby Soho," thus leaving
the rest of their albums on the back
burner. The singles Fenix TX
released two years ago came and
went, although radio stations
attempted to re-release them this
past summer in celebration of the
release of their newest album. The
popular and edgy single, "Total
Mortal," created by A.F.I. was mas-
terfully butchered by Dexter Hol-
land of Offspring in an attempt to
boost their tour following their
release of Americana. Yet, as these
B-side bands mature, their 'sounds
transform as well, causing doubt in
the minds of their listeners.
The threat of selling out to a
record label looms over the heads of
every punk musician, as well as
their fans. With bands like Incubus
molding their sound from an intense
"Certain Shade of Green," to a
weaker more melodic "Pardon Me,"
their newest upcoming release has
vultures circling overhead, anxious-
ly observing their audience's feed-
back. Bands like NOFX have
completely denounced all radio
play, especially last summer when
they formally requested that their
single "Bottles to the Ground,"
never ever be released over another
radio station again. This gutsy move
made punk's truest intentions
known to their fans - the passion
and power of their music lies not
within their record contract, but in
their live performances.
The fervor and gusto resonating
in their live shows is c1eaxly evident
as tons of sweaty and bruised teens
come pouring out of mosh pits and
theaters decked out in Converse ten-
nis shoes, spike covered belts and
very dashing, jet black hair. These
are the audiences who focus on the
music and the energy as opposed to
the $11.99 Best Buy charges them
for their groups' latest production.
Stocling their websites with video
clips and latest releases, these are
the bands that connect with their
fans, using their music, allowing
every teen home on a Friday night
to feel loved. 'Tis this underground
following that maintains the deep-
seeded angst and diversity punk is
so fondly known for, and prevents
the radio stations from unifying all
singles into one large mass of gui-
tars all playing the same four
chords.
01
.;
Gypsy' will Cature
Hill with dance, art
By Jenni Glenn
Daily Arts Writer
Local audiences'can experience a
taste of Roma culture tomorrow when
"Gypsy Caravan i' serves up a variety
of gypsy music and dance from around
the globe at Hill Auditorium.
Gypsy
Caravan II
Hill Auditorium
Thursday at 8 p.m.
The show pre-
sents the Roma
people and their
musical tradi-
tions, which orig-
inated in the
Rajasthan region
of India. The
Roma migrated
to areas through-
out Europe and
Asia during the
past 2,300 years,
incorporating
local musical and
cultural influences into their traditions.
The performers in "Gypsy Caravan II"
represent Roma musical styles from
Macedonia, India, Romania and Spain.
"It's (like) fast food with various
tastes of gypsy culture," said Azzouz,
the manager of Maharaja, the Indian
dance troupe from Rajasthan featured
in the performance.
"Gypsy Caravan" returns to Ann
Arbor after a successful appearance in
1999. That performance featured the
talents of Maharaja, then known as
Musafir, and Antonio El Pipa's Flamen-
co Ensemble of Spain, which are
returning with "Gypsy Caravan II."
Macedonia's beloved Roma singer
Esma Redzepova and the Romanian
brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia are joining
them on the current tour.
Combining folk music from the
desert of India with flamenco dancing
from Andaluciaa, Spain and other vary-
ing Roma traditions may seem like a
strange idea, but Maharaja dancer Har-
ish Kumar said the artists relate well to
one another. The performers share the
common link of music and Roma cul-
ture, he said.
Even within the Maharaja dance
troupe, the performers hail from a vari-
ety of backgrounds. The members of
Maharaja are not Roma, but they do
come from the Rajastan region where
the, Roma culture originated. The
troupe contains Hindus and Muslims,
and the members belong to several dif-
ferent Indian cultures, including the
Langas and Manghaniyars. Dancer
Sayeri Sapera accompanies them in the
performance.
Maharaja's members would normal-
ly not appear together because of
India's caste tradition, but they have
grown close through the music, Kumar
said.
"Together we have feelings like fam-
ily members," he said.
Kumar performs a dance called the
"chakari" in "Gypsy Caravan II." The
"chakari" involves him dancing on his
knees to fast-paced music. Kumar said
he believes he is one of two people in
t 4
Courtesy of World Music Institute
"All you young cuties out there need to come to these sexy arms."
the world who knows how to perform
the chakari.
While furthering his own art, Kumar
said he also has enjoyed watching the
other groups featured in "Gypsy Cara-
van II." Each brings their own talents to
the show.
Esma Redzepova is popularly known
as "The Queen of the Gypsies" and has
been performing Roma music for more
than 40 years. The 10-member Fanfare
Ciocarlia, one of the last of the tradi-
tional Romanian brass bands, will per-
form songs from Turkey, Bulgaria and
Macedonia as well as Romania on their
first U.S. tour. The Antonio El Pipa
Flamenco Ensemble will perform the
spirited dancing that founder Antonio
El Pipa brought to the hit Broadway
show "Gypsy Passion."
Although they hail from different
areas of the world, the performers'
music shares common features. The
stories of migration and human experi-
ence behind the Roma music make
"Gypsy Caravan II" a fascinating pei-
formance, Kumar said.
"We play gypsy songs, and in every
song, there is a love story, a story of
long ago and far away," Kumar said.
1.1-1- 1 ............... ..... I- I.- I -- - l- I.. -
Courtesy of Sony/Epic
Incubus laughs at their own bad music.
O
C
Graduate School
Information Fair
i
C
';
Today!
11:00am- 3:00pm
Michigan Union
Meet with graduate schools from
across the country.
Impwww I-
I N- ..- wh Upw
Since 19871