Fort Knox Recordings and The Vinyl District are proud to present Memorial Weekend Blowout at U Street Music Hall this Sunday night, May 29th. Get your summer started off right, and blow out that three day weekend with the best DC funk, soul, reggae, and dub beats.
Memorial Weekend Blowout
Sun, May 29, 2011
10:00 pm – 3:00 am
U Street Music Hall
$10.00
Tickets available through Ticketfly
Ages 18+, ages 18-20 must buy tickets in advance
LIVE SETS:
See-I
Empresarios
DJ SETS:
DJ Who
Thunderball
Empresarios’ DJ Arsam and Sonny Cheeba
Yesterday, we interviewed John Bowen and Javier Miranda of the Empresarios, and for Day 3 of our UHall Showcase Week, we get familiar with two of its other members who will be DJing the Blowout in addition to Empresarios’ live performance, DJ Arsam and Sonny Cheeba.
Empresarios | Mo’ Glo Radio February 2011
DJ Arsam, like his fans, stays good humored on and off the job. He recently opened up about his thrash metal roots and early flirtations with 1990s House scene in the SF Bay.
Tell me about your house influence. Where does it come from?
I was born in San Diego but grew up in Northern California, in the South Bay, just south of San Francisco. Around 1995, I was exposed to my first House party in San Francisco. There was a crazy synergy going on in the mid ’90s in SF. All this house/electronic music was given a chance to be experimented with, to tens of thousands of people who were open to it. The vibe was embraced, and there something very magical going on there, and I was fortunate to get thrown in head first. I haven’t looked back since, and a day hasn’t gone by since the summer of ’95 that I haven’t listened to some sort of House music in one form or another.
If you were jamming to your own music, engaged in any activity/activities what would it (or they) be?
I’ve worked on projects and mixes that can really play well with almost any situation in my life, whether it’s relaxing to background music, dark profound moments, or getting fully pumped up. Most people think of House music as a straight dance floor medium, but that is just one facet of the music. There isn’t any mood in my life that I can’t throw together a mix that can encompass that sentiment. There are House music varieties to suit any mood or experience in life. There is a lot of depth in the music, and once you have experienced or been a part of that, then it never leaves you.
DJ Arsam | No Reservations Mix
Did you get your start in playing live instruments? What instruments?
I started out getting a guitar in high school and teaching myself the basics. Got decent at it—wrote a couple songs with some friends that were equally as untalented and untrained as me. It was fun, we would jam, and we thought we were on our way. I was into Heavy Metal/Thrash and we had a great time just listening and being a part of such an underground, not mainstream, form of music.
Right around the time I was getting pretty decent at the guitar, I was exposed to my first House party, and by the next week I had two Technics 1200’s, and my guitar started collecting dust. I have been meaning to pick it up again, but I find that I am always drawn and more inclined to the computer production side of the music where I can have my hands in all facets of the music. I don’t think I will ever be content with my knowledge and experience with it, so I guess I am a student for life, and I think that is why I always go back to the computer to learn more rather than try and pick up an instrument again.
Besides DC: New York? San Francisco? Or Los Angeles?
New York is great. Anytime you set foot there, you seem like a part of something great. It’s a forefront of a lot that goes on in the world, and people’s attitudes reflect that. [It’s] very motivating to play there and see such diverse crowds so enthusiastic about the arts, music, and life.
SF is, and always will be, a special place to me. Playing and visiting out there makes me feel as though I am continuing that journey I first started “back in the day,” and it will always be one of my favorite cities to play; SF is truly a majestic place.
DC has a lot of talent. A lot of people tend to move out of the city when their artistic/music careers take off, which is unfortunate, but nevertheless, it is a political-driven city, and music does take a backseat occasionally to the “who’s who” mentality. Fortunately, there are very dedicated and talented people that push the arts/music very hard in this city, and it’s beginning to show. There is a lot of talent coming from this city or at least originating in this city, so that must mean something is in the air that’s worth taking note to.
LA, not yet, but I hear things!
What was your laugh out loud funniest experience ever on stage?
I am a lighthearted person, and I find humor in almost everything in my life even the stressed out portions. On stage and in the deejay booth––hmmmm, plenty of funny moments, very funny moments actually. I think I would get into some trouble if I let you know of some of these tales. So for now I’ll take the 5th.
Sonny Cheeba | Cheeba Mix April 2010
Sonny Cheeba, like his stealthy name sake (you know, Hattori Hanzo), kills his fans with Caribbean-derived beats and rhythms. He took a moment to give me the skinny on what makes Sonny Cheeba stand alone among his brethren.
To which superhero would your music be the theme?
Music theme would be Batman—coming out at night and killin’ the decks!
Do you find your inspiration comes from pop culture references or more classical?
My musical influence is definitely classical.
Who are some of your favorite vocalists?
Some of my favorite vocalists are Al green, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson… I can keep this list going…
Do you feel invincible when you go out there to perform? Or do you have any fears?
I had fears when I first started twenty-three years ago, but [now] know it’s all about reading the crowd and bringing it. I only get excited and ready to go… DJ’n is my domain.
Frank Zappa once said, “A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his…” How would you complete this sentence?
I’d complete it by saying “wisdom of flavors no matter where you are and what you do.”
