Ever since his music career started in 1984, local DJ Dave Paul has taken on roles such as college radio DJ, club DJ, remixer, magazine curator, and record-label owner. In the early '90s, during the Golden Age of Bay Area hip-hop, he was best known for his former local magazine and independent label Bomb Hip-Hop, where he helped artists like Dan the Automator and Peanut Butter Wolf rise to fame by issuing flexi-discs through his magazine. In 1994, he released the Bomb Hip Hop Compilation on his label featuring then-unsigned artists like Blackalicious, and the late Charizma, which instantly sold out and is considered a classic and rare collector’s item today.


While the magazine and record-label are now defunct, the 30-year DJ veteran is still keeping his DJ career going strong by primarily focusing on his themed Prince and Michael Experience party. Now in its 13th year, the party has gained international fame and Paul currently spends his time traveling to places like New York and Chicago showcasing the party with SF’s own Madrone as its home base. We caught up with Dave Paul about DJing in 1984, The Bomb Hip-Hop magazine, and his preferred local hangouts. He plays Madrone this Saturday [10/3] for the Prince and Michael Experience. 


Paint us a brief picture of the local DJ scene in 1984.
It was definitely a different time in San Francisco in the '80s. Venues like Palladium and City Nights and later Club Mirage, Holy Cow, DNA Lounge, and Townsend. We had Cameron Paul and Michael Erickson mixing on the radio and everyone was a mobile DJ. It was an exciting time with dance, freestyle, rap, rock and new wave music.

What was your first DJ gig ever?
A mobile DJ battle against Nitelife Sensations at our high school on September 21, 1984. They destroyed us! Never make your first gig a battle. I learned the hard way; then again the most important lessons always hurt [laughs].

Tell us your inspiration behind The Bomb Hip-Hop magazine.
I was doing a rap show on college radio in 1990 at KCSF (City College of San Francisco). I used to do a monthly playlist that would also contain a paragraph or two with a concert review or small article. I had written a couple of pieces for new rap publications but the magazines never put out their first issues. One morning I woke up and decided that I was going to do a hip-hop magazine myself. I put the first issue together (Oct. 1991) by using an old typewriter, reducing the size of the text on a copy machine and then pasting the paragraphs together with a glue stick... pretty archaic, but it worked! At that point there was really just The Source and then when I started up Bomb there was One Nut Network from back East and then later on came The Flavor (Seattle), Straight From The Lip (San Diego), and other magazines like that.

How did it evolve into a record label?
In 1992 I issued two flexi discs by a then unknown Dan the Automator (of Dr. Octagon/Deltron fame), Charizma, and Peanut Butter Wolf and other artists inside The Bomb Hip-Hop Magazine. While doing the publication I would always receive demo tapes for our demos section in the magazine. In 1994 I released an album titled Bomb Hip-Hop Compilation that featured Blackalicious, Charizma, and Peanut Butter Wolf as well as many others that we has been in contact with by receiving and reviewing their demos. Bomb Hip-Hop Compilation was out of print basically right after it came out in 1994. I originally released the album when I was doing the magazine in conjunction with an independent label from Los Angeles. They got credit from the pressing plant, sold the albums, and took off with the money and didn't pay the pressing plant or pay me anything for the artists share as well as my cut... that was my introduction to the record business. That's when I learned I had to do it on my own.

Speaking of which, what was the biggest challenge of running the record label?
Selling records and then actually getting paid for them. You could ship a lot of units and have 50 percent of them returned 6 months later cause distributors ship to most retailers on consignment. Even when you did sell units distributors would string you along and then when they went under you never got paid. It’s a tough business. Returns can kill you.

You also run The Prince and Michael Experience. When did you get the idea to throw this themed party?
In the yearly ‘00s I wanted to do an all Prince party but there was already Dream Factory in the Bay doing those. So my friend Jeff Harris mentioned Michael Jackson so in November of 2002 I brought all my Prince records and Jeff brought all his Michael Jackson records to the club and that’s how it started.

The Prince and Michael Experience by Dj Dave Paul on Mixcloud

You are approaching your 13th anniversary next month. Share with us one of the most memorable moments thus far.
For the 10-year anniversary I had Jerome Benton from The Time guest host the event. He had some great stories about his time with Prince while they were filming the Under The Cherry Moon in Europe. Really down to earth guy and we still keep in touch by phone.

How have you seen the local nightlife scene change in your thirty years of DJing?
There are way more venues that are set up to have DJs. Back in the day it was just nightclubs but now little bars and restaurants have DJs. Problem is with digital DJing there are also way more DJs out there. Everyone thinks they are a DJ nowadays if they have a few thousand mp3s. The biggest change is most venues just want to open their doors and sell alcohol. You as the DJ are now the promoter too and you have to bring the people.

What are some of your favorite local hangouts?
I play almost every weekend so I don’t hang out at venues that much other than when I’m working. Places that I like have no dress code, security who know how to deal with people, bartenders who have personality and music that is good and at the right volume. When there are twenty people in a small bar you don’t need the volume turned up to 11.

For your personality, who do you gravitate more towards, Prince or Michael?
For me - Prince. I love both and respect both but for me growing up I was able to relate to Prince's music more. Songs like "When You Were Mine" and "Anotherlover"... to the nasty songs, to his production with the Linn drum.