I have written a couple of pieces on my blog about my involvement and history with DJ culture in Southern California. My academic focus has been on Chicano DJ culture focused on the Eastside of Los Angeles. Chicano scholars have not included DJ culture as part of our experience and DJ Culture/Rave Culture scholars have not included Chicano DJs in their investigations. This makes Chicano DJ culture a truly Chicano experience: ignored by both (our own scholars and outsider scholars), stuck in the middle between two worlds, not factored in.
This project I am working on with G727 is taking form everyday. We have been holding meetings and gathering friends and participants to make this happen. In researching our experience I have learned that we need to include as many voices as possible. We are not Chicago who has Frankie Knuckles, nor are we New York with a Larry Levan. Detroit’s history looks at the Bellevue Three. Here in L.A. we need to look at the hundreds of thousands. There are many factors that lead to the LA experience being different to the East coast.
We have better weather so we have outdoor parties 10 out of 12 months, in East Los a lot of us had large backyards to host massive parties, we are a car culture so we all could have mobile systems that we could easily transport and we could get to more parties in one night. The list goes on.
Anyhow, please support our first fundraiser at Eastside Luv next Thurs.
This is what I’ve been sending out to all my ‘social networks’:
Based on my Master’s thesis “An Oral History of DJ Culture from East Los Angeles,” I am working with G727 on building a living collaborative archive. All DJs, promoters and dancers who were a part of or were inspired by Chicano DJ culture based on the Eastside are welcome to bring their flyers, memories and music to this project. We are having a few fundraisers for out supplies, please come out and support or send us a check.
“Featuring the Lightz and Soundz of…”
A 30-Year Survey of DJ Culture from East L.A.
June 7Â – August 9, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 14, 7- 11pm
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Saturday 12-6pm
G727 is pleased to present “Featuring the Lightz and Soundz of…” an interactive participatory exhibition celebrating the first 30 years of DJ culture rooted in East Los Angeles.
This exhibition will develop over the course of nine weeks and invites the public to contribute their party flyers, images, anecdotes, and spinning skills to an ongoing series of events and remembrances, while developing a living archive that can serve as the basis for historical research of the genre’s contribution to the Southern California cultural landscape.
Working in collaboration with Power Tools (a weekly DJ mixshow program on Los Angeles’ Power 106 FM), which have chronicled the nuances of the DJ scene and continue to keep it alive in underground settings, “Featuring the Lightz and Soundz of…” will function as a staging ground for the search of the intimate and personal experiences that have contributed to the formation of distinct alternative dance movements, honoring the complexities of its chronology, geography, and surrounding social context.
G727 welcomes testimonies, photos, flyers and mixes (cassette, CD or MP3) to help build the narrative about the variety of spaces and happenings that make up the first 30 years of East L.A. DJ culture.
This exhibition provides a collaborative contextual framework for participants, past and present, to become active producers in the documentary process of their own cultural histories.
Contact:
Adrian Rivas
213 627 9563
gallery727losangles@yahoo.com
http://www/myspace.com/7dos7
About G727:
G727 seeks to generate dialogues on artistic representations and
interpretations of the urban landscape. The building blocks of a city
comprise more than simply buildings, streets, and sidewalks. They equally encompass personal experience, collective memory and narratives. These are the less tangible, but no less integral elements that transform mere infrastructure into place. Through photography, painting, writing and video installations, artists open our eyes to these elements and heighten our awareness of what makes a place a place. G727 welcomes these artists to its space to help us all better understand the complex nature of cities and
the urban condition.
Aztek Nation Change the partycene in an infamous way when they started adding crew guests and envites and promoters on flyers. Atek Nation had a later start than Kaos-madness-rebels-Network 23-saints and needed crowds to compete in the east l.a. party scene so they started adding crews. If you were in the scene and knew someone from the crew most likely your crew was on the next flyer and were given several flyers for them to promote. If you ever went to one of the jam packed parties half of the people got in for free that was the cost of fame for the East L.A. Aztek Nation Crews like— Above All B%!!-Outrage-insatiables-latin pride-Naughty Boys-ho patrol-suspects-madd circle-were sure party shows
Thanks for adding your voice to this, much appreciated.
Just wanted to clarify for you that party fliers, since the earliest ones we collected to 1979, have always had invites for other crews in the area and to high schools, car and truck clubs.
Only crews on the inside of the flier, we use to fold them, were expected to promote by handing out fliers. We wouldn’t let half of any promoting crew come in for free. Just the main heads one-four at most everyone else claiming to be in the crew had to pay half or some other negotiated price.
Female promoters who would promote and get there early would often be let in free entirely. We wanted the place with more women than men early, so that any men coming by would see there were women there already in large numbers and would then pay to get in.
Crews listed in special invites, that were on the back of the flier near the map and info lines, were not expected to promote and they had to pay at the door.
Adrian, there is a BACKTODISCO.COM , i think they also collaborated to your project from what I was told and that they have revived all that scene. Just about every DJ from then has paid a visit there including the Marco Time guy that i think was part of them too at one time. They have the largest database of information and pictures from those times. Check them out, maybe they can help you if they havent yet.
GO BULLDOGS !!!
Sup my peeps in case you are interested there is a Facebook page about L.A PARTY CREWS there you will find tons of old school flyers , music and dj’s from back in the day , see the link below
http://www.facebook.com/groups/137313779615755/
Also here is a youtube channel with all the good old techno and house songs from our era
http://www.youtube.com/user/DeejaayMrEd
Fun days in Boyle heights the putasos at Tommy’s on Esperanza and Whittier bl or 24hrs on soto and Whittier bl cruising around garfield HS and whittier Bl (the bully)looking for trouble & hynas wish we can do it all over again Roosevelt H.S was the business all you fools we got into it with know whats up I know you agree it was fun ! We were the REAL BAD BOYZ THE MUTHA FUCKEN ENGLAND BOYZ from the ESTARADA COURTS PROJECTS ! it was all fun and games that was our shit blasting putasos busting all nighters smashing on the hynas from the irresistibles. I see some dudes we tripped on back in the days with their families and they show respect fuck it that was the name and the game back then. Now it’s all about showing love we made it through all that crazy life wouldn’t trade it for nothing Project kid from the start project kid to the heart!
Waz up everybody just thought I check in ELA wild ones chunky wish shit didn’t get bad like it did shootings stabbings etc 90 91 92 93 best years of the ELA party scene
Aye, we were the baddest mo fos out there back v in tha days, Puro pinchi og ELA UNDERTAKERS! Lol naw but it was a blast in the past, DJ Toro, Karloz V. Dj. Mr Jdee, Dr.Destruction , Dj Julio.n more. . Good times throwing Ditch parties n Fox 11 news doin their documentary on us party crews.. good times..
Frankie Casanova here…Bring you the High Energy show live every Saturday night from DQ’s Downtown…Where the boys meet and the girls go wild !!!
Many great memories from the past. Lots of fliers, little digital documentation exists of DQ’s.
hello everybody from the old east l.a. house and party crew scene,
average joe! here, what’s going on? whats happening? i am posting on this blog to share my many found memories and the many found moments. that I can best recall, to the best of my knowledge, about the east l.a. house / party crew scene. first off I wanna say that the house / party crew scene, or “the scene” for short, was not solely based in east l.a. the scene was “all city” or all over los angeles. however we, that where in the scene in east l.a., were the staple of house culture and we were the trend setters to los angeles as a whole.
the scene, to me was and still, is a sub-culture within our chicano / chicana culture and community here in l.a.. like lowriders and lowriding here in los angeles, and yes not that movie that’s in the theaters. the real deal, cruising whittier blvd. from 6th.st bridge all the way down to the town of whittier to five-points. even cruising hollywood blvd. and sunset blvd. on the wesrside. or the street racing scene, again not that movie the fast of the furious. the real deal, if anyone is old enough to remember, before it got shut down permanently up in elysian park behind dodger stadium. of course their was the early warehouse parties, lofts, the rave, and the club scene and culture too. the scene in east l.a. was a way of life to many.
from 86-96, if many remember, another sub-culture was on the rise. the tagger, tag-banging, and the cholo / chola gang culture was also big as well. we can’t turn a blind eye to that reality, and I say that because all of these sub-cultures is what makes us all and the scene in los angeles. to many, those that participated in the scene in east l.a. was a means to escape the violence, and because of the cholo / chola gang culture. because, again, that’s a part of our culture too. but los angeles was a real violent town / city during that time. we escaped life in los angeles in our scene in east l.a.
to me, and it is safe to say for many, when it all really boiled down to it. it was really about the music. house music in the scene was and still is a way of life. house music and culture was our escape. i lost many, many friends who died and others to gang life or “la vida.” after leaving the scene in east l.a. to join a neighborhood, but that was their choice that they made. i lost a lot of friends who lost their lives as well to “house banging” too. when it started up towards 96 and after. we remember the bad, but we remember the good and we live it. we live the good.
i know i can look back now and say some twenty-five years later that I made it, but more important we made it. everyone from the scene has got to be in their forties now including myself. i’m forty-two now going thru man-o-pause!!! but back to the scene in east l.a. those were days and the times of our lives:
the ditching parties.
the parties in parks.
the old van de kamps factory on whittier blvd, & atlantic blvd. which is now a target or cvs.
meetups at the famous stairs by el hoyo on the east l.a. / city terrace border.
the meetups at the water tower up behind wabash and mott st.
all of those back yard house parties night after night, every weekend after weekend.
even the house parties in the projects.
when you got the munchies and sought out the after-hours scene:
mcdonalds on 4th. and indiana.
rock n’ roll diner on lorrena st.
king taco on 3rd. and arizona.
tommy’s on whittier blvd. which is gone now.
gotta mention the after-hours and the clubs in hollywood:
florentine gardens – the doom live with power 106 f.m. with power tools when it was cool and the crap that they play today.
mr. j’s on sunset blvd. before it burned down to the ground.
the vine.
circus.
sweet sunday’s.
if you did local, every sunday night always, always baby dough’s.
all of those flyers, hats, shirts, and the crews or party crews from:
north east l.a. where I grew up.
elysian valley.
boyle heights.
city terrace.
south east l.a.
the sgv.
and of course east l.a. where i spent most if not all my time.
some crews female / male / or both between 86-96 that I remember, off the top of my head, and not in any order were ladies first of course:
the desirable ones.
down for action.
ladies of elite.
babes of insanity.
precious latina’s.
ladies of pleasure.
ladies of guess.
pleasurable ones.
the adorable ones.
ladies of passion.
the irresistible ones.
good life.
ladies of desire and so on and so on.
the gentlemen:
the original first and last the rebels from ramona gardens housing projects in boyle heights.
the x-men.
kaos.
madness.
the english dogs.
the untouchables.
the rude ones.
the specials.
the crewsaders.
the kingsmen.
the townsmen.
drunk life.
latin alliance.
latin family.
latin maniacs.
the committee.
l.a. sex mobb.
the obxcure.
the insane ones.
rebel alliance.
rebel family.
the stray cats.
the outsiders.
rescue.
invasion.
vicious ones.
the leaders.
the handsome devils.
the acid slaves.
the acid men.
operation x.
the juveniles.
the looney ones.
the suspects and so on and so on.
some events, producers, magazines, and promoters that i also remember of the top of my head were:
q.u.e. – quality underground events.
metro events and promotions.
dough boy productions.
raw v promotions.
ripe promotions.
carlos love productions and his famous volkswagen car club of montebello.
the one and only precious promotions or the hotline.
enchanted creations productions.
the one and only pleasure promotions another hotline.
latin underground events and productions.
street beat magazine.
the scene newsletter.
power 106 street team, i know considered mainstream but was pretty underground and showed mad luv n’ respects to me and to the east l.a. scene during that time.
so many memories, all the good & bad times, and all the time in the world. i wouldn’t change a thing and if i had a chance i’d do it all over again all the way. i wanna give a huge shout outs to the following dj’s. i just wanna say we made it, if you are all still alive out there.
shout outs to:
dj overdose.
dj backdraft.
dj oso big.
dj flavor.
dj blue.
dj echo.
dj dough boy.
dj carlos love.
dj r.a.w.
dj trance.
dj k.r.o.q.
dj michael xavier
the power 106 f.m. street team and resident dj’s:
dj a.j. mora.
dj alex i.
dj richard humpty vision.
dj tony b.
and anyone else whom i failed to mention who showed me nothing but love and the deepest respect which was given to me and not earned. thank you all.
once upon a time i was known to the world and was called paul c.e. the promoter now i’m just an average joe.
mad luv n’ respect to you all, lates.
respect.
p.s. to pachuco 3000, if you wanna hear my side of the story of the east l.a. party scene and party crews from 86-96 you can reach me at: white.crow42@yahoo.com.
respect, average joe.
LADJ & EAST-LADJ both in production now.
I was from the true OG BADBOYZ!!EAST LOS ANGELES,THE PLEASURE LOT,ALL DAY EVERY DAY!!! We used to go at it with the England boyz, 357, Bulletboyz and others.. They hated on us, because we were small but down. Took over parties and rival crews hinas.. BADBOY FROM THE BADBOYZ!!!!
Damn… Brings back so many memories of the party scene in SGV and Hollywood in the mid to late 80’s. Florentine Gardens, Mr. J’s, Club Sensations and all the party’s put on by promoters…