NextShark x Traktist Interview: DJ Shortkut joins LL Cool J’s F.O.R.C.E. Tour in celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary
Traktivist writer Stephanie Lamond caught up with Shortkut to talk about his memories of the early years of Bay Area DJing, the power of the community around the genre and what he’s looking forward to the most about the upcoming tour.
DJ SHORTKUT IS driven by his passion for every genre of music. A member of three of the arguably most-influential DJ crews in history — the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies and Triple Threat DJs — Shortkut, born Jonathan Cruz, began his career in the mobile DJ sound system scene in San Francisco in 1987 before he started competing in international DJ championships in 1994.
As a seasoned veteran in battle DJ competitions, Shortkut is known for creating new techniques and constantly innovating in the turntablist culture while maintaining dance floors internationally and playing music that spans countless genres. Now, he’s joining The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) Tour, presented by Rock The Bells & Live Nation Urban and headlined and curated by legendary rapper LL COOL J, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Traktivist writer Stephanie Lamond caught up with Shortkut to talk about his memories of the early years of Bay Area DJing, the power of the community around the genre and what he’s looking forward to the most about the upcoming tour.
Traktivist: Since this tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and has gathered such an impressive lineup from the community, let’s go back in time for a moment to when you were just starting out. Give us a snapshot of what it was like in the Bay Area underground scene at the time — where were you playing, who were you often playing with, and what was special about this particular corner of the world of hip-hop?
Shortkut: I started in 1987 when the Bay Area had a deep mobile DJ sound system scene where the pro dominant music was Miami bass and freestyle music. This was definitely a special era for me as I was influenced heavy from the scratching I heard from records I played during the time and trying to mimic what I heard. This eventually led me to entering local DJ battles and taking it further to national and world championships.
For some growing up Filipino in the Bay Area, their experience and love of hip-hop and turntablism was intrinsically tied with pride in identity and place. For others like my husband, growing up mixed Filipino in Chicago, what made it special to him was that it was such a diverse community overall, gathering around their shared love of this art form as an equalizer. What have you loved most about being part of hip-hop, and what has the community meant to you over the years as it’s evolved?
I love that hip-hop gave me a way to express myself creatively and keep me out of trouble and focused on my passion for DJing. It’s brought me around the world to make friends with people where we shared a common language of the music and its culture, even though we didn’t speak the same native language. And to be able to make a living off something I love doing is one of the biggest blessings from being a hip-hop DJ.
NextShark x Traktivist Interview: Ez Mil on being the 1st Asian American artist to sign with Eminem’s Shady Records
His first full deluxe LP and debut under Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, “DU4LI7Y: REDUX,” was released earlier this summer. Traktivist writer Stephanie Lamond interviewed the multitalented artist to find out more about the signing, his experiences growing up biracial in the Philippines and his thoughts on his place within hip-hop, as well as how he retains his own creative voice while under the giant spotlight that’s now on him.
His first full deluxe LP and debut under Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, “DU4LI7Y: REDUX,” was released earlier this summer. Traktivist writer Stephanie Lamond interviewed the multitalented artist to find out more about the signing, his experiences growing up biracial in the Philippines and his thoughts on his place within hip-hop, as well as how he retains his own creative voice while under the giant spotlight that’s now on him.
Traktivist: Congratulations on the new release and signing with Shady/Aftermath/Interscope. What was it like for you to meet Dr. Dre and Eminem, both of whom you’ve talked about being huge influences on you, and how has it been working with them since the signing?
Ez Mil: Thank you! It has just been an honor for me to be even in the conversation with them, so I’ll make sure to work hard to be worthy of their belief in me!
Can you walk us through the road to the signing? We know they got shown the unfinished “Realest” track – how’d it get in their hands, and what was the process like?
Honestly, when we met we all just got distracted sharing music, and Em asking to sign me kind of even rolled off his tongue like he almost forgot to mention it that day!
TRAKTIVIST INTERVIEW: Raye Zaragoza and MILCK’s “Joy Revolution” Invites us to Radical Joy
LA-based singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza released "Joy Revolution", a collaboration with fellow LA-based activist-artist MILCK and co-written with AG; they came together from afar to tell Traktivist the story of "Joy Revolution" and share what it's like collaborating with friends.
In May of 2023, LA-based singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza released one of the first singles from her upcoming album Hold That Spirit, "Joy Revolution", a collaboration with fellow LA-based activist-artist MILCK and co-written with AG.
With Raye in the midst of a busy Summer tour schedule and MILCK on the road across the globe in Rwanda and Cape Town, they came together from afar to tell Traktivist writer Steph the story of "Joy Revolution" and share what it's like collaborating with friends.
Traktivist: Raye, the story of the song has such a sweet sentiment you’ve been sharing. Can you tell it again for those who may not have heard it yet?
Raye: Joy Revolution is all about how we all need to experience radical joy and laughter on a day to day basis - because our ancestors fought hard for it! It’s so easy to get caught up in the big stresses of life, but it’s also so important to be present with the small joys - like freshly picked flowers, a warm cup of coffee, or laying on your back in your friend’s backyard and laughing uncontrollably. I’ve always been someone who feels like I need to work enough first to earn rest and play - but the “Joy Revolution” is all about prioritizing joy whenever we can!
(Editor’s note: don’t miss Raye’s moving essay on her mother’s own Joy Revolution: https://bit.ly/MyImmigrantMothersJoyRevolution)
Women of NAMM's ReVoicing the Future: Meet Women of JAM Industries
In celebration of Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, ReVoicing the Future teamed up with JAM Industries to shine a light on some of the women behind the company.
In celebration of Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, ReVoicing the Future teamed up with JAM Industries to shine a light on some of the women behind the company. Join Natalie for a journey into the careers of Terri Shaw, Director of Sales for KMC Music & Davitt & Hanser, and Leann Ryan, Director of Product Development of The Music People.
They dive into the importance of mentorship, how they’ve grown their careers from the bottom up, and how your identity as a woman brings an equal asset to the table. They dive into the importance of mentorship, how they’ve grown their careers from the bottom up, and how your identity as a woman brings an equal asset to the table.
WIMN INTERVIEW: Beatie Wolfe's imPRINTING: The Artist’s Brain
In this interview with “musical weirdo and visionary” Beatie Wolfe, the artist and inventor takes us inside our musical brains with her project imPRINTING.
Photo by Hideko San
With imPRINTING, “musical weirdo and visionary” Beatie Wolfe takes us inside our musical brains.
In this sonic self-portrait, “musical weirdo and visionary” Beatie Wolfe presents a new format for the digital age: a data-encoded “thinking cap” tailored by Mr Fish as a counterpart to their award-winning, wearable Album Jacket. Via retro listening stations, plugged into the hat, the audience will be able to listen to and explore the brain’s many channels which include music (limbic system), memory (temporal neocortex), collaborations (medial prefrontal cortex), conversations (Wernicke’s area) with the data related to each “brain channel” ecologically encoded in glass and woven into the cap to be preserved for up to 10,000 years.
Beatie ‘sat down’ with us from afar to share some thoughts about the project.
The WIMN: Diving right in– I’ve read that you were drawn to dementia and music research work after some family members were diagnosed with it, and were inspired by Oliver Sacks groundbreaking work and book Musicophilia. Music’s power to reach beyond diseases like dementia and Alzheimers is incredibly beautiful, heart-aching stuff; my grandma living with Alzheimers constantly sings the “who could ask for anything more?” line from “I Got Rhythm”. What’s one of your favorite concepts or ideas you learned through your research in this area that you love sharing?
Beatie: That music imprints on the brain deeper than any other human experience and that we think of ourselves as a language species but we are really a musical species.
The WIMN: What’s one ‘core’ piece of music for you that you feel has become part of you in this way?
Beatie: “Tonight” by David Bowie and Tina Turner. I don’t know why. There’s no good story behind it or a specific moment that it takes me back to but whenever I listen to it (which is now thousands of times over many years) it always makes me feel exactly what it sings about… that everything will be alright. That’s also the magic about music, there is so much mystery in it, why it impacts us the way it does. There’s so much left to explore.
Stephanie Lamond on the UnStruktured Podcast: Paving Your Own Road
Just after starting Unpaved Roads Studio, I got on the other side of the interviewing mic with Michelle Rose of Struktur Society to talk about my path to this new venture and into music, the power of story, and what’s next.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF TRAILBLAZERS AND PAVE YOUR OWN WAY?
Just after starting Unpaved Roads Studio, I got on the other side of the interviewing mic with Michelle Rose of Struktur Society to talk about my path to this new venture and into music, the power of story, and what’s next.
WIMN INTERVIEW: Covet Debuts Vibey “Firebird” Single and Video from their Forthcoming Album, Catharsis
Guitar virtuoso and 2022 She Rocks Awards Honoree Yvette Young shares the story behind the song and I catch the group’s rockin’ performance at New Parish.
Guitar virtuoso and 2022 She Rocks Awards Honoree Yvette Young fronts rock band Covet, and for her, their new single and video carry a special meaning.
I got to connect with Young about the story behind the song and catch the group’s rockin’ performance at New Parish.
The Age of Livestream Gigs
Live music is tentatively reemerging, so let’s reminisce on some of my favorite virtual gigs.
It’s officially a year into COVID-19, and live music is beginning to tentatively reappear.
Performing on Zoom concerts and Facebook Live gigs has been interesting to say the least, but I’ve actually found it to be a fabulous way to lean into practicing. Like my dad always says, “These online gigs are your 10,000 hours, your Beatles-play-a-million-gigs-in-Hamburg”. Here are a few of my favorites.
First off, I bring you my set on Monday Night Muses, from my good friend Rorie Kelly. This one’s chock full of Irish songs, since it happened the week of St. Paddy’s Day 2021.
A little holiday fun with the Stream Team!
Formed by a longtime NAMM show media friend-turned-my-producer, Diggy Kat, the Stream Team came together in the beginning of the pandemic to play music as part of a longer festival style lineup, often on LuckyStar Radio’s Facebook Page, and at times in partnership with other stations to broadcast as well. For our Holiday edition, I played this set; I always love a reason to break out my Pizza Port Holiday Sweater. Another notable Holiday set was with as part of the fantastic Lo Brooke & Friends Christmas Show, non-embeddable but viewable here.
Down Memory Lane… a Year of Stream Team!
Oh man, what a trip… my first set ever for Lucky Star Radio’s Stream Team fest. A year later, and we just celebrated our anniversary with this set. Then and now! Some piano in this one, as well as my pop-punk anthem I’ve been terribly neglecting, “Record Store Love” (watch at 19:38).
Thanks for playing!
Cheers to a freakin’ year. I can’t wait to see you all back out there soon, but ‘til then, I’ll happily keep rocking out online.
xoxo
Lucky Lamond
Buzzing Daily Review: "Where Did Summer Go", Bre Kennedy
The first thing I think of to describe “Where Did Summer Go,” Bre Kennedy’s latest single, is tender.
Image courtesy of Bre Kennedy and Lindsay Patkos
The first thing I think of to describe “Where Did Summer Go,” Bre Kennedy’s latest single, is tender.
The mixing here is absolutely gorgeous; her vocals are a perfect mix of strength and dreamy breath, expertly lifted by a soft, lilting instrumental bed of guitars, subtle piano and stripped down drums. She goes on to lament that summer has passed her by with “nothing to show,” and I don’t know anyone who would hear this in the depths of fall 2020 and not feel a deep heartstring mercilessly pulled for the year that’s almost gone (and did it ever really begin?).
Buzzing Daily Review: Simen Mitlid's "Last of Us"
With “Last of Us”, Oslo’s Simen Mitlid takes a soft, lush cloth to the foggy windows of our Zoom burned-out minds.
