Slocals Only

Here I am one quarter down, back on the grind at Cal Poly... I've just started watching Californication and I'm feeling a little like Hank Moody right now so here goes nothing for that drunken bastard/genius. Winter Quarter is over in SLO and Australia is long gone. However, its not as gloomy and sad as you might think. In the short time that I've been back in America I've seen more than a handful of friends from over seas so far. In two trips to San Diego, I've gone to two different shows, had two amazing times, and had way too much fun. We got to see Calvin Harris again, Steve Aoki, and Avicii all of who were unreal. Each DJ was completely different but ultimately had the same goal, rock the fucking dance floor... And if you asked anyone who was there, that mission was accomplished. Not only was San Diego crackin unlike any other city in america, we got to spend time with true friends which only made it more special. Don't get me wrong, San Luis Obispo is incredible (and the happiest city in America) but its pretty hard to compete with the Devon beach front atmosphere in sunny San Diego. Having said that, I do have to say how proud I am of the music scene here in SLO town. We have no one to thank other than Killa Cam for what I'm bout to drop on you folks. The man, the myth, the legend, THE Wolfgang Gartner will be gracing us with his presence in our little town on April 5th at the Grad here in SLO. This may not seem like a big deal, but for a MAJOR Dj to make a stop on his North American Tour in our fair city is borderline incredible. It just shows what a great atmosphere can do for a DJ and a dank ass company like Collective Effort to bring it all together. Now I just have to focus on finals, and get cruisin on to the next step in this journey called life. Until then enjoy the slice of slaps... SHOOTS!

Finals... AKA checking your facebook every 15 seconds.

Red Bull Flugtag, Sydney. Holla!

The sun is out shining, the trees are swaying in the breeze, and I'm sitting inside wishing I could enjoy the day... Bummer. But its finals time here at Macquarie University and some people have already left (Shout out to Lucas in Italia, do work brother) and others are gearing up to leave. Whats really a trip is how fast this thing came to a close... I have 2 finals left and then a week to cruise; then Herzi, New York, and I are going to Fiji to meet up with Bri guy and Philthy. Should be solid with a chance of epic...


This has really been an amazing trip so far; where in the world could I say I pet a kangaroo, snowboarded in August, and see the purest sand in the world? Australia thats where... (NZ can come too) Haha to be honest, it seems like a blur now though... All those Fridays at Ivy and Saturdays at Argyle have kinda blurred into one tremendous experience. I wish there was more time to see all the places on the map that ive spent time staring at, wishing I was there, but now thats just incentive to make some paper and come back. You feel me? But until then, heres my boys in the bay doing work on a new project. Holla at ya boy Zumbi!

The City of Oak, Smoke, and Broke

Vietnam, 1966. Oakland... Home


Most people have heard of the iddy biddy city by the water before. But most people have only heard horror stories of gang violence and murders. This is true, no doubt, that the violence that inhibits the city of Oakland has hindered its growth tremendously. But the troubles that this city has gone through has given it a soul, something only a few other cities can claim. Yes, its true that some say Oakland is the home of Funk, and I whole heartedly agree with that statement. Because throughout our history we have had some of the funkiest, crazy, clever characters this country has ever seen.


Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, and Bruce Lee all have been residents of our city at some point. Sports legends like Rickey Henderson, Leon Powe, and Marshawn Lynch have all gone through our gates. Even the first Medicinal Marijuana dispensary was founded in Oakland. Its people like these that make me proud to be from Oakland. And I'm not the only one, every street you walk down you'll see A's, Raiders, Warriors, and Oaklandish gear proudly rocked, and we rock it well too. Its a different style in the Bay, there is something in the air that makes us all feel a little different. Its made the Arts scene is incredible too. Rappers, rockers, and even hippies all grace their presence in the history of our incredible city.



The reason why most people are proud to be from Oakland, is what I like to call the underdog effect. It feels good when we see it happen and we all like a good story, so why not help support Oakland? A great friend of mine has been telling me the same quote for as long as ive known him, "Its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." And we always give this guy so much shit for saying the lamest cliche ever, but you know what. People like cliches, we like to see Rocky beat Apollo. We like to see Will Smith kill aliens, and we sure as shit like seeing the Giants win the World Series. And it doesnt matter to us, because in Oakland, seeing love is hard sometimes and the more you see it the better it feels.

P.s. Best dancers in the world too... I would know.

Summer in Sydney? More like Rain. With a Chance of Rain.

Man oh man... Back to Ivy again last night, and boy was it smackin. Not only was it our friend Laura's 21st but we also got to enjoy the pouring rain! Now you may think I'm referring to the rain as a total bummer.. but it DEFINITELY wasn't. While me and a few female acquaintances were tearin up the dance floor, it then proceeded to rain Monsoon style all over the entire dance floor. But after the initial shock of getting completely soaked, it turns out that dancing in the rain is pretty fuckin fun. Me, these girls, and the rest of the die hard cruisers were the epitome of "Murkin' a Dance Floor" and we stayed there till the wee hours of the night. What can I say about my favorite place in Sydney? I guess even in the worst conditions you can still be the king of the floor...

CHAMPange shower!

Damn its been a while... The fall classic is over, and our beloved San Francisco Giants are the current World Series Champions!! This comes as a bit of a surprise to some people, but when a city so adamantly supports a team I feel like its nothing short of destiny when a group of "Misfits" ends up winning the title. The Giants hadnt won a World Series since 1954, and they hadnt won a World Series in San Francisco ever. But the draught is over, finally, and the folks in the Bay can celebrate once again. Here on the Sydney front classes are coming to an end, I'm currently writing a final paper for one class, or at least trying to... People are going on trips, Keola and Sneaky are in Bali, Herzi just got back from Melbourne, and I will be leaving for Fiji in a month. Its such a shame to leave such a beautiful place so soon, and there are so many spots in australia that I still want to go to. Melbourne, Gold Coast, Great Ocean Road, and I haven't even touched the West side of Aus yet. Oh well, it just means i'll have to come back and journey some more! You feel me? But I do have an entire month to get into as many shenanigans as I can. Until then peace out, and much love to the Bay.

P.s. We need all the support we can get, so if youre in Oakland... GO TO THE RAIDERS GAME!! Lets beat those Queefs!

Commitment to Excellence

I have to give a SUPER special shoutout to the 2010 Oakland raiders. This year they finally completed the task of beating the San Diego Chargers, a feat that hasnt been accomplished since 2003. I know that one win isnt much to brag about, but in the past couple of years there hasnt been anything to brag about being a Raiders fan. So this one goes out to Raider Nation. Just win baby.

The Techie Beats hit Australia. HARD.

Now, being the connoisseur of music that I am, my most recent addition to the repertoire of musical depth has been techno. Id have to fashion it mostly to the house/funk genre but there is trance and other stuff mixed into my new taste as well. To be honest before I had heard techno songs that I actually liked, I HATED techno, and when i say i hated it I fucking hated it. I couldnt listen to a song for more than 15 seconds without bitching, but thanks to a good friend of mine, who will be referred to as Guysworth Montana, he showed me the light. When I think of techno now, i like to relate it to soccer. Easily the biggest music in the world, every club in Europe/Australia/South America will be playing house. But when you go to the states its fairly subdued. Sure you can find house clubs in big cities but the mass appeal to Americans just isnt there. With all that said, Id like to give you guys just a little slice of some of the solid techie beats that ive been slappin lately. And hopefully some of you will change your mind just like I did. Enjoy.

P.s. you might want to listen with headphones. Get that bass deep in your head.



This song right here got my ears adjusted to house. It has a super sick sample with a good build up, sure to tear up any dance floor. However, this is what i like to call mainstream house. Its made its way into pop-culture and now even my friends' little sisters will slap this with their friends on their way to O'Dowd. Here is a remix of We No Speak Americano that slaps wayyy harder than the original...



One of the first things you need to understand when talking about house or any music in general is: BE PATIENT. Most techno songs dont start slapping until about a minute or two in. All the time before that is what we call "the build-up" the dj knows you to want to hear the bass drop but a good dj will make you wait for it, he will add layer after layer until he feels its enough and then he will unleash a fury of bass and thump to shake the floorboards six stories below. Learn to love the build up, learn to love techno. Here is one song with one of the nastiest build ups of all time.



Finally, there is the indie remake. A lot of house DJs now take indie hits and turn them into club bangers. For example plenty of DJs have remixed Walkin on A Dream by Empire of the Sun or Kids by MGMT. This song is a direct shoutout to my roommate Herzi, he showed it to me and it has been on steady repeat for the past couple of months.



Now hopefully ill see all you house freaks at Stereosonic on Nov 27th in Sydney. Also, feel free to facebook me if you want some more. I literally have hundreds of songs that slap just as hard as these, if not harder. So hit ya boy up and get your techie fix on. Shooots!