Being fierce is priceless. Like the women at the end of the video, we're left asking, "How did he do that?" (Thanks to clubs editor John Graham).
This weekend is kind of a slow one for music in the Bay Area--next week promises to be better, with many artists hitting town before or after the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival--but if you're looking for something to do Saturday night, how about "Golden Era: East Meets West Edition."
Somewhat of a bicoastal soundclash, the event, held at 111 Minna, matches DJs Jah Yzer and Daze (spinning classic East coast hip-hop) with Mr. E , Franky Fresh, and Vickity Slick (spinning West Coast favorites). The music selection promises to hark back to an earlier, simpler time in hip-hop, before the genre went corporate. Tickets are $5 before 11 pm and $10 thereafter. More info is here.
Is "Amerika's Most Complete Artist" also a complete diva? Last night's Ruby Skye show --featuring Quik, Kurupt, the Kev Choice Ensemble, and Trackademicks--was, from the look of things, a wholly entertaining concert, featuring not one but two live bands, two classic West Coast artists, and an undercard of some of the Bay's finest emerging talent. Appearing onstage in a tuxedo, a ponytailed Quik definitely gave his fans their $30 worth (though the same could not be said of the venue's $7 12-oz. beers), even if he was outshined somewhat by Kurupt (whose classics, among them "New York, New York," XXplosive," and "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" earned a more enthusiastic audience response than Quik's "Tonite" and "Born and Raised in Compton").
However, according to ASD's trusty spies, at the rapper-producer may also have been somewhat of an egotistical playa-hater behind-the-scenes. Apparently, Quik thought he was James Bond and Frank Sinatra all rolled into one, delaying the opening of the show so he could take a photo shoot in the venue lobby, refusing to allow the other acts to sound-check, and not allowing the local musicians to store their gear in the backstage room.
Despite Quik's attempts to sabotage his opening acts, even without a sound check, the KCE outplayed Quik's Blaqkout band, who were competent but fairly listless. The closest they got to stretching out was a long vamp on "Tonite," which was no match for Choice's classically-inspired piano riffs. Not to take anything away from Quik, but Choice actually seemed like a more complete artist, in that he seamlessly transitioned from rapping to bandleading to being an instrumentalist, while Quik just rapped or posed for the crowd.
Quik's onstage banter offered some hints as to his conceitedness; at one point, he remarked, "that's okay, my hair appointment isn't until tomorrow." The off-the-cuff remark may have been intended as a joke--I'm sure it was hot onstage, especially with a tux on--but in light of the allegations of backstage bullying, it seems more insightful than perhaps Quik intended.
This DJ doubles as a writer, a compiler (he's released a couple excellent comps for the Soundway label), and a man about town who can give you tips on great Latin acts in the Bay Area (see below; he's DJing for one this Saturday ). He's giving us A's to our Q's today, though, first and foremost because he gets the dancefloors going at places like Elbo Room, Slim's, and Skylark.
Name: Beto (Roberto Ernesto Gyemant)
Club night(s): Colombia! Classic Cumbia - Salsa Descarga - Funk Tropical - Latin Boogaloo (@ Elbo Room, various venues around the city) with Vinnie Esparza (Groove Merchant/Dis-Joint) and Guillermo (The Better Half); Slim's; Guest spots at Hella Tight (Amnesia) and Free Funk Friday (Elbo Room).
Style(s) of music you spin: Latin dance music from the 1940s to '70s: Mambo Jazz and Classic Salsa from NYC, from Cuba, Puerto Rico and DR; Hard '60s Salsa from Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama; Classic Colombian Cumbias, Gaitas and Porros. Panamanian música típica, Afro-Colombian Funk & Musica del Lítoral Pacifico Colombiano. Some Panamanian dancehall, Colombian hip hop, Regueton.
So what's your story, in 100 words or less? I was born and raised in S.F., took my chips and left to live and write in Costa Rica in 2002 where my father's family lives. I traveled a lot in Central America and lucked upon a radio station with a bodega full of records in Panama. I started to research, doing interviews and meeting musicians and rumberos from the '40s thru '60s in Panama and Colombia, and asking lots of questions. That led to a series of compilations (Panama!, Colombia! and Panama! 2) on Miles Cleret's Soundway Records (UK) label, and articles on the history of Panamanian and Colombian dance music in Wax Poetics. Through Miles I met a brilliant musician and producer named Will Holland (Quantic) and we've been traveling around a bit in Latin America learning about and documenting the music that we love.
