The Couch Sessions » Blisspop

Photos: Blisspop Dance Party Extravaganza

Lady Glock — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:27:28 +0000

I was going to do a write up of Blisspop but Marcus beat me to it. Ah well. Here are some more photos from the debauchery that was Friday night.

BLISSPOP DC Dance Party Summer Extravaganza Review

Marcus K. Dowling — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:15:44 +0000

The fact that Washington, DC now boasts a seven day a week underground party scene is fairly amazing, all things considered. For the numerous taunts and teases the city receives, from being a city of transient non neighbors, to that of being so polarized along racial and socio-economic lines that unity of any sort, on much of anything is virtually impossible, DC’s ability to persevere, namely in the DIY dance and electronic music community is commendable. Friday’s Blisspop Summer Extravaganza event at 9:30 Club wasn’t even so much a celebration of the talents of the DJs, so much as it was a notification of acceptance of our city on a national and international landscape. Nadastrom and Tittsworth, the closers, are INTERNATIONAL superstars these days that get namedropped in the same breath as globetrotting party starters du jour like Diplo, Steve Aoki, Rusko and so on, and so forth. It must be noted that in the mind of this author that it seems as though every time Nadastrom or Tittsworth comes back to the DMV after an extended absence, namely at a Blisspop party, the crowds are larger, louder and more knowledgeable of not just the music of the headlines, but of the culture in general, and that’s nothing but a positive. Will Eastman, a cultural curator of sorts of the Capital City, does well at these parties to support our “superstars,” while at the same time surrounding them with our city’s top stalwarts and rising talents as well, which was more than apparent as Dmerit, with their funky French electro, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee’s populist mixing, and Eastman’s stellar ear as a selector proving that DC is not just a two horse city.

Miniature water pistols? What's a dance party without a parcel of water pistols?
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

What's a birthday without a candy filled Little Mermaid pinata to hang?
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

If DC is going to make any waves on the national forefront, it will be due in large part to crafting an identity, or giving the nation a sense of what DC parties are all about. This is where DC’s transient and cold nature comes in, as, if you read the Washington City Paper, we abuse lots of drugs and alcohol, which says nothing about really having a good time, unless, well, that’s your bag. Blisspop reflected a great DC party angle, that of ribald and outlandish debauchery, as, between Dave Nada and Will Eastman, and a great number of other local DJs, there’s a strong indy and punk rock background, which lends itself well to the type of anarchy loosed upon the event.

You had Dave Nada dancing while swaddled in a DC flag while throwing down Nadastrom’s Beatport #1 single, the Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life” sampling “Pussy.” Then, there were all manner of soccer scarves, ketchup, or pickle juice or mayonnaise filled condoms, as well, there were pocket water pistols filled with water spraying the throng, and the coup de grace, in celebration of Dave Nada’s birthday, a pinata, filled with candy, that Nada savaged like a madman with a stick, a moment certain to be frozen in this observer’s memory for quite some time.

Will Eastman with pickle juice filled condom as Tittsworth murks the DC faithful.
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Dave Nada with soccer scarf.
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Musically, what can I say. Dmerit, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee played the role of able openers, a difficult one in the DJ world, as you just can’t throw down hard, rattling basslines or 140 BPM manic jams, but you’re playing solidly, rubbing the sticks to start the flame, Dmerit really showing tons of promise, Micah Vellian heavily involved as a producer for Will Eastman’s debut solo effort and the work of himself and Output Message definitely worth a listen. Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee got busy and even threw in Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” for good measure in one of those congruous incongruity moments that we can thank Girl Talk for. Will Eastman’s Ruby Isle “So Damn High” remix is always a winner (director Kylos who provides Blisspop’s fetching visual backdrops promises a complete video VERY soon), and he, from a technical standpoint was really on point to be point of being phenomenal on Friday night.

And the closers. I tend to believe that Dave Nada, Matt Nordstrom and Jesse Tittsworth turn in the kind of performances they turned in in DC on a fairly regular basis. That’s what makes them who they are in the dance universe. Making the commonplace memorable is the type of thing that a chain restaurant strives to do in their credo when they serve you spaghetti and meatballs. The energetic, musical firebrand, crowd murking, wall rattling raucous mania associated with Nadastrom and Tittsworth, when accepted as commonplace, makes memories that if commonplace, you’re either living life quite well at the edge of a lighting bolt, or completely nuts. There’s a love of music apparent in the productions crafted by both performers. There’s a joy of being DJs, of having no real limits, of being able to use wobbling, drunken dubstep basslines that can wake the dead, of sampling just about anything and with some deft turns of talent making it INTENSELY musical, or having at your fingers the world of music, and in Tittsworth’s case dropping Drake and Trey Songz’s collaboration from Drizzy’s So Far Gone mixtape “Successful” as a soulful, melodic and even ponderous dance break in the midst of his three hour piledriving powerslam of music.

At the end of the day, Blisspop didn’t reinvent the wheel. Even better, if you’re full of hate for the entire hipster, DJ adoring community, it probably didn’t rate as important on your radar. But, if you’re a lover of music, and a believer in it’s power to producer such positive concepts as love, peace, happiness and unity, then this was a celebration of that. We’re all broke, we’re all struggling, and, let’s face it, times just ain’t right. Friday night, a slew of uber talented made things a little bit better. And that’s wonderful.

Kudos.

Interview: DJ Will Eastman

Stone — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:33:39 +0000

If you didn’t know, Will Eastman is one the DMV’s most prolific DJs. The name is in your consciousness, because Eastman has been on his grind in the city for a hot minute, opening for such acts as Moby and MSTRKRFT. This FRIDAY marks the annual Blisspop EXTRAGAGANZA this FRIDAY with Tittsworth, Nadastrom, Dmerit, and SPECIAL GUESTS. Check him at Blisspop.com or @willeastman on Twitter. Buy tickets here.

So yeah man, you’ve been in the game for a while, doing indie rock and such, how did you get started DJing??

I played in bands and spun music at house parties in high school, did college radio, etc. but didn’t really step behind the decks until grad school when I started hosting parties with bands and DJs at the old Black Cat. The notion was to pair like-minded bands and DJs. I picked up DJing duties and quickly fell in love with it. Since 2007, I’ve been a full-time DJ.

Are you a vinyl or Serato man? And why?

I use Serato because it’s the closest you can get to playing with vinyl and still having 10,000 tracks at your finger tips.

You started Blisspop over 5 years ago, and it’s become one of the mainstays on the DC party scene. What was the idea behind that party? How has it evolved?

The basic notion behind Bliss is a no-attitude, no velvet rope party that merges DIY punk spirit with dance music. The musical format has changed over time as my own tastes and abilities as a DJ have evolved. The party has a free-form format and it’s not uncommon to hear house, hip-hop, indie, and classic punk in a night.

What was it like to open up for Moby??

He’s an incredible artist. I mean, Play alone. It revolutionized dance music. He has tremendous presence. He played hard and deep, as one would expect from someone with as much experience, but he also played a really “now” set, not resting on his laurels. I admire that alot. Frankly, I didn’t expect my set to go over as well as it did warming up for him, but I’m thrilled it did. People still come up to me and say “Aren’t you the guy who opened for Moby?” During his set the power went out and we ended up banging on beer kegs and plastic garbage cans on stage for about 15 minutes. It was surreal. There’s a video of it on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8eQw1yDoUE)

What do you think about the DC DJ Scene in General?

There are a lot of really live events happening now, and, more important, a lot of DJs are getting into the production game and doing it well. It’s a welcomed trend and I see it blossoming further next year.

What is your favorite spot to play in DC?

9:30 Club has one of the best sound systems in the county. I’ve been fortunate to play some really fun Blisspop parties there with Tittsworth, Nadastrom and a ton of others and great shows with the Ting Tings, Ghostland Observatory, etc. The Black Cat back stage is always fun and I like that you’re so close to the floor and you get a real feeling of connection to the crowd.

So I know you’re stepping your production game up this year. Can you share with us what you’re doing with Baltimore’s TT The Artist and the DMV’s Helix Queen? Also, I hear that you’re working on an album soon?

Yes, I started working on the album last winter with Micah Vellian from Dmerit. A single, “Feelin” is coming out in September on Plant Music with remixes by Tittsworth, Nadastrom, and Dmerit. I hope to release that and at least one more single before the end of the year, and the album will drop when it’s ready. There’s an electropop/Hip-Hop track with Helix Queen and T.T. the Arti$t called “If U Like” and a funk/house song, “No Sleep In Brooklyn” that T.T. raps lead on. We debuted those songs live last week opening for Thunderheist and are doing them again this Friday at 9:30 Club for the DC Summer Extravaganza. T.T. and Helix are on point and it’s great fun working with them in the studio and on stage. I’m also currently working on a remix for Outputmessage.

We all know that last year’s Blisspop Summer Extravaganza popped off real well. What surprises do you have in store for Blisspop this year?

If I told you, homey, they wouldn’t be a surprise! Hahahah, well I just mentioned one, which is the live vocal performances by Helix and T.T. Y’all have to come out to find out what else is up. It’s Dave Nada’s birthday so you know some crazy things are gonna happen.

If someone were coming to DC from, let’s say NYC, where would you tell them to go?

It depends on where their interests lie. If they’re cocktail fans, I’d tell them to go to The Gibson. If they like house music or reggae I’d tell them to go to ESL Sundays and Wednesdays respectively for Sam Burns and See-I. If they like records, I’d tell them to visit Neal at SOM Records and if they like wearing flip flops to clubs I’d tell them to go to Arlington and stay there.

And finally, what are the top 10 songs on your iPod right now??

Oh snap, I guess I can’t fudge it! According to my Top 50 Most Played automatic playlist:

1. Friendly Fires “Paris” (Aeroplane Remix Feat. Au Revoir Simone)
2. Wale “Sweating Out Weaves” (ft. UCB)
3. Van Morrison “Sweet Thing”
4. Major Lazer “Pon de Floor” (feat. VYBZ Kartel)
5. Catherine Wheel “The Nude”
6. Classixx “I’ll Get You” feat. Jeppe
7. Outputmessage “Resurface”
8. Ryan Adams “When The Stars Go Blue”
9. Little Boots “New In Town”
10. The Glass “Wanna Be Dancin” (Nadastrom Dub Edit)

There you have it. The iPod doesn’t lie.

DJ MIX: Will Eastman Art Buzz Mix

Stone — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:34:43 +0000

DJ MIX: Will Eastman Art Buzz Mix (direct link)

Will Eastman hit up my inbox today to share his latest mix for Art Buzz, a fundraiser for DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, which is going on tonight at the Source Theatre. Art Buzz will feature works by local artists. The first 100 people through the door get a hard copy of the mix which also includes a sneak peak of his new track “Feelin.” Check it.

Tracklist:

Passion Pit “The Reeling” (Calvin Harris Remix)
Classixx feat. Jeppe “I’ll Get You” (Royal Rumble Edit)
Kraak And Smaak “Bobby & Whitney”
The Juan MacLean “One Day”
Gui Boratto “No Turning Back”
Calvin Harris “I’m Not Alone” (Good Life Mike Remix)
Ruby Isle “So Damn High” (Will Eastman Remix)
The Glass “Wanna Be Dancin” (Nadastrom Dub Edit)
Lykke Li “Dance Dance Dance” (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)
Dmerit “Stuck On You”
AC Slater “BanGer” (Tittsworth Remix)
DJ Gant Man “Juke Dat Girl” (Nadastrom Remix)
Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now” (Ursula 1000 Edit)
ZZ Top “Sharp Dressed Man”
Tiga “Shoes” (Mr Oizo Remix)
Outputmessage “Resurface” (Vocal Version)
Sidney Samson “Riverside” (Extended Mix)
Das Racist “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
Chavy Boys “Friday Night Flu”
Rye Rye ft. M.I.A. “Bang” (Gavin Holland’s “Here Comes The Dubstepper” Bass Mix)
Will Eastman “Feelin”
Santogold Ft. Spank Rock “Shove It” (Grandtheft Remix)
Loco Dice “Pimp Jackson is Talkin Now!!!”
Matt Nordstrom, Orlando Villegas “Spanglish”
Mikael Simpson “Slaar Skaar”