![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I ended up walking from the Devil Girl House to Substation in Ballard. Why walk, you ask? Because the bus that would go right there from my neighborhood doesn't run very often after 2100. Harrumph. Ah well, at least I got to see some lovely houses on the west side of the ridge.
The first DJ I heard was local lady GriffinGrrl, who always scratches me right in my groove spot. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard a set of hers that I didn't love. Balm for the soul.
But in the big, rectangular back room was Mark Farina, of whom I've been a fan for twenty years. He started out kind of minimal, and I thought, 'I hope the whole set isn't like this.' Fortunately, it wasn't. I think I've finally figured out where his crisp on-the-beatness comes from: old school hip hop, a la Run-D.M.C. Farina (and I) are of a generation that would appreciate it. So yeah, imagine old school hip hop party people who've travelled to the future, and you've got Mark Farina.
A note about the visuals behind Farina: they featured old footage of airline travel, and also mushrooms. Years ago he put out an LP called Air Farina, and he's done a big downtempo series called Mushroom Jazz*. I thought that was clever. Did the visual artists ask him for themes, or are they fans?
I also think I figured out where Farina's minimalism came from. Doc Martin came on at 0200 with that kind of sound. Even though one of the reasons I came was to hear him, he satisfied my curiosity quickly and I called it a night. Yeah, minimal and acidic can be nice, but somehow I wasn't feeling his sound right then.
I did not walk home because that would have been a long walk uphill, and the shortest way is awfully dark at night.
Yes, I abused caffeine. No, I didn't get nearly enough sleep. Je ne regrette rien.
Notes about Substation: its owners have consistently invested in the place since it started. Signage. Video monitors for the bar offerings. A coat check. And a pro tip courtesy of promoter & DJ Ramiro Gutierrez: there's a second pair of restrooms attached to the back room where the line for the ladies' is much shorter than the one near the front.
*I have Air Farina and three of the seven Mushroom Jazz LPs. I recommend the latter especially. My fave Farina record of all time, though? I think it's still San Francisco Sessions Vol. 1. Jazz-flavored sunshine; bop 'til you drop.
The first DJ I heard was local lady GriffinGrrl, who always scratches me right in my groove spot. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard a set of hers that I didn't love. Balm for the soul.
But in the big, rectangular back room was Mark Farina, of whom I've been a fan for twenty years. He started out kind of minimal, and I thought, 'I hope the whole set isn't like this.' Fortunately, it wasn't. I think I've finally figured out where his crisp on-the-beatness comes from: old school hip hop, a la Run-D.M.C. Farina (and I) are of a generation that would appreciate it. So yeah, imagine old school hip hop party people who've travelled to the future, and you've got Mark Farina.
A note about the visuals behind Farina: they featured old footage of airline travel, and also mushrooms. Years ago he put out an LP called Air Farina, and he's done a big downtempo series called Mushroom Jazz*. I thought that was clever. Did the visual artists ask him for themes, or are they fans?
I also think I figured out where Farina's minimalism came from. Doc Martin came on at 0200 with that kind of sound. Even though one of the reasons I came was to hear him, he satisfied my curiosity quickly and I called it a night. Yeah, minimal and acidic can be nice, but somehow I wasn't feeling his sound right then.
I did not walk home because that would have been a long walk uphill, and the shortest way is awfully dark at night.
Yes, I abused caffeine. No, I didn't get nearly enough sleep. Je ne regrette rien.
Notes about Substation: its owners have consistently invested in the place since it started. Signage. Video monitors for the bar offerings. A coat check. And a pro tip courtesy of promoter & DJ Ramiro Gutierrez: there's a second pair of restrooms attached to the back room where the line for the ladies' is much shorter than the one near the front.
*I have Air Farina and three of the seven Mushroom Jazz LPs. I recommend the latter especially. My fave Farina record of all time, though? I think it's still San Francisco Sessions Vol. 1. Jazz-flavored sunshine; bop 'til you drop.
