Wow…Been awhile

Besides posting mixes, I haven’t wrote a real blog in awhile. I have been really busy at work, my real job, and DJing, my favorite job. I also have been trying to travel more and put a little more into my relationship.

This is pretty much what has happend since I last put something up.

Job:
Been helping out with many engineering projects that are planned for LA while the main railroad work is being reviewed by clients. I have helped with a BRT (bus rapid transit) extension project, a light rail extension project, a commuter rail extension project, and I am now currently working on a storm water mitigation project for a new bridge close to Angel Stadium in Orange County. I get so caught up in work sometimes I don’t even notice when I stay one or two hours longer than I should. This is pretty much what has been keeping me from SIPA Sessions. No matter what, the challange is welcomed with open arms. I like to stay busy and feel like I am contributing to the company’s success.

The bad news is that one of the support staff employees was let go this week. They pretty much gave her a few hours to go. She didn’t do anything wrong and she was a reliable employee so it shocked everyone. We even had a meeting the next day with the So Cal Regional Manager so they could explain things. Nothing good came of the meeting and some people at the meeting at the office made it clear, rudely, that the lady who was laid off shouldn’t have been and it should have been one of the other admins that was at the meeting. Shit is crazy…no one’s job is safe.

DJing:
The Come Up has been going as usual. I actually missed the January Come Up since I was out of town. I made my re-appearance at the February Come Up for the USC Dental Hygiene school fundraiser with a video set for no one to enjoy since the dance floor cleared. I just went back to drinking and chatting.

The March Come Up will be my 26th b-day celebration and a fundraiser for Tiny Toones in Cambodia. I am happy we got them to join us for a fundraiser since I really want to be involved with getting the DJing program going.

Speaking of Tiny Toones, we having been having big talks lately (me, Ryan, June, etc.) and we linked up with Jeff from Radio23. He wants to help us broadcast DJ lessons to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. This is great and now we just got to ge them equipment. 5 kids from Tiny Toones will be coming to the US to perform on May 2-4 and hopefully we can send some of the equipment back with the escorts. We actually got two set ups ready to go out there.

The Come Up Crew’s new party, Chocolate, is ready to come to a close. We tried to throw a Sunday party at Jimmy’s Lounge in Hollywood and it was just too hard to pull off. The first month consisted of dance crews, performances, and great DJs performing for a pretty empty room. We couldn’t get people there and even the most confident promoters could only pull in 20% of what they promised. Even when we did get a bigger crowd for DJ Virman on March 8th, people just don’t want to drink on Sunday night. Our last party will feature DJ Shy from KIIS FM and hopefully it won’t be a huge loss.

I have been pumping out mixtapes, as you can see, as much as possible. I want to be heard. I don’t want to play the tracks that most people want to hear and come to expect from DJs nowadays. I want to play what I am feelin’ and I want those who like it to continue to listen to my stuff into the future. Mixtapes used to be such a headache to me in the past because they were a lot of work but they have become my favorite part of DJing since I can let people into my head and take them on a journey through sound.

Travel:
Less than two weeks after the inauguration trip, I flew to visit my sister in Honolulu for a three day weekend. This sounds crazy but the round trip ticket was only $250. I couldn’t pass it up. It was great, I saw local stuff, enjoyed the beaches, countryside, and city, went hiking, and shopped. I actually left some mixtapes at In4mation and found out that they were playing some of them in the store. I wish I had a better handout but I put it together last minute, I just want to give them the music in the end.

Less than two weeks after Hawaii, I drove to Tijuana to fly to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. We bought tickets because a Mexican airline was offering 1 peso tickets. I went with my friends, Manuel and Leo, and girlfriend, Trisha. It was dirt cheap. Trisha and I only spent $300 total, out of pocket, from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. I will be going back again sometime soon.

This weekend I will be heading to Vegas to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 30th b-day. Trisha and I are only staying one night at Trump Tower. I plan on getting fucked up.

Future plans include another Vegas trip in May, Ensanada driving trip in May, Amsterdam trip in September (hopefully), and last but not least, a trip to the Philippines in December, with a stop in Cambodia, and hopefully China on the way back.

Health:
Health is pretty bad right now. After moving to my current residence 8 months ago, I recently realized that not much has changed in my life since then. Honestly, 0%. I want to have fun and enjoy life. The price to pay is health. Excessive drinking, consumption of junk food, and lack of sleep have caught up with me and has not got any better in the last week. Need to watch myself.

Coming soon…
Hawaii trip post
Monterrey post
Come Up Crew update post
Vegas trip post

Tiny Toones Need Your Help!!

Check out the new video about Tiny Toones.

I was asked by Jumakae if I could give up my turntables and get new ones so she could send a set to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. But at this time I can’t afford to get a new setup. I am offering my two mixers but they still need help. To get the kids started on DJing they need:

1. At least 2 Technics 1200 turntables
2. Cartridges and needles
3. Serato box, software, and records
4. A computer that supports Serato (almost all records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge)
5. Monitors and/or loudspeakers
6. Turntable and Mixer cases to be able to send them to Cambodia within ATA regulations

If you guys can help with these items or money to buy these items, contact me at spingineer@gmail.com and I will put you in contact with the folks trying to personally deliver these items to Tiny Toones in Cambodia. I hope you guys can all help.

Peace

Spingineer

SIPA Update…Tiny Toones in Cambodia

Laurent, on the Left, Teaching How to DJ

I went to SIPA about an hour late last night cause I had to pick up my dry cleaning at Sloan’s on Main in Lincoln Heights and traffic was a bitch even though I cut a little bit of that time off by taking Alpine through Chinatown. I brought my Rane 57 SL mixer but we didn’t use it until the end of the class. It turns out that one of the guys, Laurent, who used to take the class wanted to teach the class and the money would benefit him more than me since he is in college. He was really good at teaching though and even though he doesn’t have as much experience as me, Linotype, Soulspeak, or Phatrick, it seemed that he remembered all the lessons he learned when he was being taught himself and delivered the message concisely.

I feel like I am past the point where I want to teach anymore. Back in SF, I taught a few of my friends how to DJ and helped guide others who already had the basics down. I was happy to teach then, but now I don’t know why I don’t have the urge. Maybe its because I am surrounded by great DJs and I have more to learn than teach, where as I was the pinnacle of all the DJsI taught in SF. This may be true, but the urge to teach the craft still lingers inside me.

While I was hanging out at SIPA while Laurent was teaching away, I talked to a homie of my friend Matt who was telling me about DJ teaching opportunities in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the Tiny Toones. I first heard about this from Jumakae and have been fascinated by the story ever since. Hip hop was pretty much nonexistent in Cambodia and was brought in the last 5 years by former Khmer Rouge refugees that were deported back to Cambodia for felony charges. Breaker Kay-Kay was one of those deportees. Kay-Kay would give breakdancing lessons for free to help keep at risk kids away from prostitution, drugs, and gangs. Now the program services about 2000 kids a week and they want to expand out into the other hip hop elements. Right now, the program wants to try to obtain two turntables, a mixer, serato, and a computer that can support serato. Although using scratchlive doesn’t really promote the true DJ element and its place in hip hop, it makes more sense since records are very expensive to ship and most records were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge. Serato makes it easier for the kids to have access to all music and makes it easier for us to send them music. I would donate my turntables if I could afford new ones but at this point in my life I can’t. Rest assured, they will get my turntables when I do get new ones though and I will deliver them myself.

I am really thinking about the the teaching opportunity in Cambodia and I hear that Soulspeak is as well. I would want to be there for at least a month though to really feel like I was making a difference. I was told that food and housing would be provided and that I would just have to get my ass there. But there are many reasons why I can’t go.

1. I have no Time off meaning I would have to take leave without pay for a month.
2. I would still have to pay rent, utilities, cable, cell phone, college loans, credit cards, all my insurances.
3. I would have to pay for my ticket to Cambodia.
4. I don’t have any savings in the bank right now and couldn’t support myself after I got back.

I do have some ideas for making money while I was there though.

- DJ nightclubs out there where I hear there DJs really suck but I would probably have to bring my turntables for the nightclub and the class anyway.

And in reality if I do end up going there.

1. I would probably just leave my turntables there knowing that they would be way more beneficial to a endless amount of at risk kids rather than myself.
2. I would want to donate any money I made there to the organization because I feel like they are doing something really special.

I see myself teaching kids to DJ within the next year with my turntables that I let them keep. This is a program I truly want to support and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Hip hop is brand new in Cambodia and in its first generation. It is already helping kids stay off the streets and bringing communities together at weekly breaking shows.

Support the Tiny Toones and help at risk kids in Cambodia help themselves.

Tiny Toones Official Webpage
Tiny Toones on Myspace

From the Tiny Toones Website

From the Tiny Toones Website