Press
An E-mail sent by a Boston University Student
From: Carla Corban
To: Boston Housemusic Coalition
Subject: FEEL FRIDAYS!
Hi. I am writing in regard to FEEL on Friday night at Brookline Community
Center for the Arts. I read about FEEL in the Globe this weekend and was
impressed with the concept of a late-night community dance venue. I am
a grad student at BU in broadcast journalism and would love to do a
feature piece on the program. Would it be possible for me to film the event
this weekend and perhaps do a few interviews? I would also love to
attend as I live right around the corner. Please let me know if this would
be possible. Thanks so much for your help.
Sincerely,
Carla Corban
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Improper Bostonian E-Interview with Bob Diesel
From: BOSTON HOUSEMUSIC COALITION [mailto:bostonhousemusic@excite.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 9:00 PM
To: Daniel Spurling
Subject: FEEL FRIDAYS!
Hey Bob -
I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions so that I can include some quotes from you about the night. I’m hoping that you’ll have a chance to read this message a get back to me sometime today… If I don’t hear back from you, I will give you a call this afternoon. I just want to make sure that I have a chance to talk to you before I finish the article. Here’s just a couple of things that I’d like to know – just a sentence or two for each question is perfect if you have time to write back, thanks!
1) Does the DJ lineup change from week to week?
YES IT DOES, WE WILL BE FEATURING WELL KNOWN AND UP AND COMMING DJ’S FROM BOSTON AND OTHERS FROM ELSEWHERE.
2) Would you say that the primary focus of Feel is on the music, dancing or equally on both?
BOTH, PROMOTERS ALWAYS FOCUS ON SPECIAL EFFECTS AND DECOR TO WOW THE CROWD FIRST FOR ATMOSPHERE WE WANT TO BRING THE MESSAGE OF MUSIC. BECAUSE IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC!
3) What is the idea for the night musically? Is it just one style of music for the whole night, or do deep house, hip-hop etc get mixed together?
DEEP HOUSE IS A VERY ECLECTIC BLEND OF MUSIC. IT VARIES FROM DJ TO DJ, IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT THE PARTICULAR DJ GELS TOGETHER TO KEEP THE VIBE. MANY TYPES OF MUSIC ARE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AFRICAN JU JU, LATIN, ROCK, JAZZ, SPOKEN WORD, FUNK, R&B, WORLD MUSIC AND DISCO CLASSICS.
3) How does the Community Center fit with the night? It sounds like a great utilization of a community space! Is Feel the only event of its kind that happens there?
THE COMMUNITY CENTER IS PRIMARILY A DANCE STUDIO, AND IT WORKS WELL WITH OUR NIGHT. DAN MARRSHALL THE CENTER DIRECTOR ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE. VARIOUS TYPES OF DANCERS FROM THE CENTER ATTEND FEEL FROM TANGO DANCERS TO BREAK DANCERS, IT BRINGS A NICE FLAVOR EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT WITH OTHER PROGRAMS FROM MARTIAL ARTS/SELF DEFENSE CLASSES, FITNESS COURSES BASICALLY OUR NIGHT IS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND.
4) I assume that there’s no alcohol involved, right?
YES, ONLY FOR VERY SPECIAL EVENTS, WE ARE ISSUED A TEMPORARY LIQUOR PERMIT FOR THE NIGHT.
5) Can you explain just a little bit more about the crowd that Feel draws (or is aiming to draw)?
FEEL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULY ATTRACTING A VERY WIDE SPREAD AUDIENCE, SO FAR WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PEOPLE RANGING IN AGE FROM EARLY THEIR TWENTIES TO MID FIFTIES. WE EXPECT TO SUSTAIN THAT CROWD DUE TO THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED.
6) Is Feel going on just for the summer months or may it continue into the fall?
WE INTEND TO CONTINUE THE PARTY AS LONG AS IT’S ABLE TO LAST.
7) Anything else that you’d like to add?
FEEL IS A “SOULFUL AND SPIRITUAL” EXPERIENCE THAT HAS NO RESTRICTIONS ON DRESS OR SOCIAL STATUS. IT IS MEARLY A VEHICLE FOR ALL DANCERS TO PARTICIPATE IN AN EVENING WITH NO MUSICAL BOUNDRIES.
That should be it, thanks again for the help!
Dan
Daniel Spurling
Improper Bostonian
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Lecture and DJ Demonstration for “The Godfather of Disco” Film Documentary with Boston Housemusic Coalition
With Members Bob Diesel & Kris Kono
From: “Liza Zayas” <lzayas83@yahoo.com>
Hi Guy & Gal!
Aliza of Truthserum.org and James Nadeu as CineMental are bringing The Godfather of Disco Mel Cheren Biomentary back to Boston on Wednesday, December 17 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge .
We’re asking you Kris if you would be down to play a live set before the movie at the theatre and are asking you Bob to be a panel speaker and demonstrator of mixing technicality and West End history and landmarks along with Timmy (if he confirms).
Below is Aliza’s vision and ad. Once we know if you 2 would like to be the DJs involved, we will be reaching out to promoters to ask if they would like to co-sponsor and promote the event. I’ll send you guys that reach-out email as well so you can read the idea.
DJ equipment may be needed for the set-up. The budget is hers to discuss but there would be a donation for donated equipment.*
There will be 1 comp ticket for you and all of promoters and for your supreme efforts, Aliza would like to thank Us by recognizing these efforts and allowing any of us to share a short but sweet testament to Mel Cheren and the Music and Community that brings us together and plugging your own work and artistry from the stage. *This entire paragraph will be in the promoter’s proposal letter! Keeping it real!*
Any questions, please email me or Aliza directly at aliza@truthserum.org – Let us know as soon as possible if you’re interested so we can reach out to the promoters! LOVE TO YOU!
I look forward to collaborating,
Aliza Shapiro
Truth Serum Productions and Co-Programmer CineMental
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9pm
CineMental Presents:
The Godfather of Disco
Plus live Dj mixing and Demo by Boston Housemusic Coalition Dj’s: Bob Diesel and Kris Kono at The Brattle Theater 40 Brattle Street Harvard Sq. Cambridge 9:00pm $10 http://www.truthserum.org The Godfather of Disco by Gene Graham (2007, 82 min.) Based on Mel Cheren ‘s autobiography, My Life and the Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin’
We will be celebrating The Godfather of Disco, the music of the era, pioneer/activist/survivor Mel Cheren (who passed in December 2007), and the house scene in Boston . The Screening will be followed by a live DJ demonstration of mixing techniques used in the dance clubs featuring music from the West End Records catalog and illustrating just how revolutionary Mel ‘s forward thinking was.
Mel Cheren is the guy who put an instrumental on the b-side of a 45 so DJs could mix with it. He’s the guy who pressed the first 12″ single which revolutionized the way DJs spun dance music in the 70′s in the clubs. Cheren had his finger on the pulse of a burgeoning generation that crossed cultures and sexual orientations and changed music forever. Today’s hip hop and electronic music would not be the same without Cheren and colleagues such as legendary DJ Larry Levan and former partner and Paradise Garage owner Michael Brody . Mel Cheren is The Godfather of Disco. Pioneer. Activist. Survivor. Fallen Hero .
Based on Mel Cheren ‘s powerful autobiography, My Life and the Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin,’ The Godfather of Disco (G.O.D.) offers a mesmerizing overview of the rise and fall of ’70s-era dance music. Through a series of interviews with a who’s who of the dance music community, G.O.D. uses the arc of Mel’s life to examine the early 70′s musical and cultural currents that gave birth to disco, West End Records ‘ contribution to that scene, the rise of Paradise Garage, and the onslaught of HIV/Aids and it’s impact on New York City. We look at Mel ‘s activist years as he harnesses the power of music to fight Aids via his charity work for GMHC and 24hrs for Life/LifeBEAT. Through it all, Mel has been there, done that, lived to tell the tale until December 2007. And continues on through this documentary and the music, spirit and love he left behind.
James Nadeau and Aliza Shapiro, who have been involved with programming for the Boston Gay and Lesbian Film/Video Festival and other independent film/video presentations, have created a series that explores the fringes of queer film, video and groundbreaking performative work with a decidedly alternative perspective. CineMental showcases the best of independent queer media in a way never before seen in Boston . CineMental is the convergence of film, video, performance and music. It will change the way you think about
what is queer, what is art and what is queer art! In a world where “The Gay” is becoming mainstream, we celebrate the
radical.
CineMental is every third Wednesday at The Brattle (though sometimes we move around.)
CineMental is co-presented by The Video Underground in JP
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Boston Housemusic Coalition DJ
Boston’s Sexiest: Our first annual look at locals who define the indefinable
by Stuff Boston | April 05, 2010
Cover Photo
Boston’s Sexiest 2010
Beth Ladew AKA Ms. Thang
(Boston Housemusic Coalition / Ca$H 4 Gold)
This club queen rules the dance floor: the turntables are her scepter, and her headphones are her crown. But when giving our ears the royal treatment, Ladew (Ms Thang, if you’re nasty) looks as good as she sounds – a sight to behold, plus pure aural pleasure.
Some female DJs say the industry is “a man’s world.” Thoughts? I suppose I agree for the most part. It still isn’t very common to see women spinning…. One advantage is getting booked based on being a woman. People like to see a hot chick in the booth…. I definitely had some haters when I first entered the scene, and maybe I still do, but at this point I could care less. I’m so used to men asking, “Are you really mixing?” or “Are you the DJ?” I’m like, “No, sweetie. I’m just standing here with headphones on, pretending.” I know that doesn’t happen to male DJs.
What music gets you in the mood? Silence is golden. I wanna hear your heartbeat.
True or false: you can tell how “sexy” people are by how they dance. False. I knew this guy: worst dancer ever! He wasn’t exactly impressing me with his moves. But behind closed doors … whoa. Different story.
Do you get hit on while spinning? Almost never. It’s like there’s an invisible force field around the DJ booth…. Occasionally, some drunk guy asks if I can give him private lessons. I just tell him he can’t afford me and send him on his way. I’m working!
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