Jesse Michael interview for Bescene Magazine's "Schorched Issue"

Jesse Michael Interview from Murkem on Vimeo.

Just recently, "In the cut studios" was down in Miami at Carcan Studio's for a  behind the scene's look at Jesse Michael's photoshoot and interview for bescenemag.com's"Scorched Issue"

Jesse's shoot was done by none other than Derrick G, the infamous photographer who documents the lives of rap sensations Baby, Lil Wayne & Drizzy Drake.

To see more of Derrick G's work, head over to ThaRealDerrickG.blogspot.com

To find out what Jesse Michael has cooking, take a look above at the interview footage Murkem shot, and head over to bescenemag.com for the rest of the pictures Derrick G shot.

Citrusonic's Dance or Die WMC2k10

Thursday night at WMC was by far the coolest for me. We ended up attending Citrusonic's "Dance or Die" party at the Coco De Ville. I had been hyped about this party weeks before it actually started when I heard about it from my good pal "Dj So What", out in San Francisco. Dave, AKA "Dj So What!" had been raving about these artists ever since I've known him, so with his his help,  he arranged for us to get inside with our cameras.

The line-up of Dj's was absolutely spectacular, and although I had never heard any of them spin in person, I knew I was in for a ride. I was first introduced to Automatic Panic and DJ Cat NYC who both had some killer electro sounds that kept the pretty people of Miami on their toes. I got a chance to interview them as well and discovered that Automatic Panic had just finished up a ton of remixes including work for artists such as Tegan & Sarah and even Michael Buble'. Quite Impressive!

Next up, I listened in amazement as I heard Matt Devine & Greg from the band Kill Hannah spin. They are both from Chicago so they brought an old school Chicago house flavor mixed with some nu-disco and funky electro sounds. The sound they played fit the model-filled room perfectly with a truly sexy vibe that Miami nightclubs could certainly get used to. Murkem was there to catch an interview with them.

House Legends Larry Tee & Alexander Teqnique were also in the house representing hard for their label "Dj's are not Rockstars" along with Lauren Flax & live act "The Fire & Reason." Fire & Reason took center stage and did a live performance that brought back that nostalgic discotheque feel with some new school flava that captivated the crowd while making them boogie at the same time. The rest of the D.A.N.R crew also brought down the house and left the people of Miami wanting more.

If That's not enough, Jeremy Dawson from Shiny Toy Guns was also there to do a dj set as well as Dangerous Muse. These Rockstars know a thing or two about rocking crowds, and it was no different at the Coco Deville. Not only was their music making all the ladies go crazy, but their haircuts also got the crowd of super-models equally excited.

This Year WMC was definitely an eye opening experience for Murkem and I. The Citrusonic Dance or Die party really helped put our passion for the dj scene in perspective, so we will be devoted to bringing you much more from WMC in the years to come. For now, enjoy some of the interviews and pictures we were able to catch from this amazing event.


Automatic Panic vs Dj Cat NYC from Murkem on Vimeo.



Mat & Greg from Kill Hannah from Murkem on Vimeo.


Jeremy & Chad from Shiny Toy Guns from Murkem on Vimeo.



Alexander Technique from Murkem on Vimeo.


MK from Murkem on Vimeo.



Lauren Flax's Dark Sounds from Murkem on Vimeo.



The Fire and Reason from Murkem on Vimeo.


Dangerous Muse from Murkem on Vimeo.

Catching up with The Classixx- WMC 2k10

I can remember the first time I had ever really heard "The Classixx" I was looking through one of The Cobrasnake's photo galleries and happened to come across a music video that he had produced for them on a song called "I'll get you." The catchy hook and melody played in my head for weeks, and I was determined to find the song in 320kbps to drop in my dj sets. At that time, it was way too new so I could only find it in 128kbps on Gotta Dance Dirty.

Since I first heard them that day, I have continued to follow "The Classixx" ever expanding musical career. At this time if you aren't, I suggest you do the same. Originally hailing from L.A., they are now touring the country dj'ing, producing their own original tracks & remixes, and also working with the french electronic label Kitsune' Music. In December 2009, Kitsune released a whole remix album for the track "I'll get you", featuring artists from the likes of Treasure Fingers, Les Gillettes, and Gigamesh from the group "Discotech."

Find it on Itunes here.

Just recently at WMC 2k10, Murkem & I got to hear them live and meet them for the first time.  Their set's contained a funky mix of rare grooves and mid-tempo dance tracks that set the perfect tone for BBQing, drinking beer, and connecting with other WMC artists. They took the time to give our pal Anthony Nicholas some advice on dating and how to handle bullies and groupies. Check out some pictures and Anthony Nicholas interview here.

Classixx's advice on Bullies from Murkem on Vimeo.

Dungeon Familie's Dr. Dax WMC Confessions

The first night of WMC started out with a bang. Some of the biggest names in electro music were playing at Mansion that night, and Murkem and I had front row seats. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my earplugs to mansion and although that MSTRKRFT, Benni Bannassi, Wolfgang Gartner, & Japanese Pop Stars were all spinning, I decided to bounce over to White Room to kick it with Caleb Gauge from The Overthrow, and some of the other artists that were attending the " Made to Play Showcase " party that night.

When I got there, it was already quite late, but I managed to meet a variety of great artists and dj's who were making an impact on the scene. One of the most unique artists I met that night was Dr. Dax from Atlanta. He informed me he just got out of jail, but he was in town for WMC along side his homie Dj Rob Wonder promoting for his website www.snortthis.com Dax's swagger and "I don't give a fuck" attitude really promoted me to get to know him and find out what he's going on.

Although the conference was filled with the worlds greatest electronic Dj's, it was refreshing to meet someone who had a different prospective on the music scene. It turns out Dr. Dax is a renowned graffiti artist, and the moment he touched down in Miami, he already blessed the city's architecture with a graffiti piece. Aside from graffiti, Dax is also a videographer who works alongside "The Dungeon Family" and just recently filmed Big Boi and George Clinton's new video, "For Your Sorrows." For more on Dax, visit his websitewww.snortthis.com. It's better than Coke! I also got a change to get an interview with Dax on the streets of Downtown Miami, take a look and meet the man behind behind the dopeness of www.snorthis.com.

Dr. Dax Confessions from Murkem on Vimeo.

Watch his New Video with Big Boi, Too Short & Fubk Legend George Clinton!


Big Boi - Fo Yo Sorrows VIDEO ft.Too Short,George Clinton,SamChris from SNORTTHIS.COM on Vimeo.

Hot Pink Delorean at WMC 2k10

Being the worlds biggest Back to the Future Fan, any group with the name "Delorean" in it is sure to catch my attention. {And anyone else with a passion for flux capacitors for that matter.} Mix in some "Hot Pink" and you've caught the attention of all the Bodacious babes as well. But it's not just their name that makes "Hot Pink Delorean" such a deadly combination. It's their music, style and chemistry that keep them rocking crowds in the past, present, and future. Yeah, this is heavy.

Just type in their name on Hypem.com and you'll get a bazillion remixes from this Electro trio. They have been sprinkling their flavor on names ranging from Laidback Luke, Steed Lord, Enur, & even Beyonce. It seems as if these guy's really have been traveling through time and space to create all the remixes that they do. You can also catch them touring around a city near your rockin' pink and spinning some Mc "Fly" dj sets that will have you feeling like your "Back to the Future"

I first ran into these dudes back in 2009 at The Overthrow's infamous Black Sunday party as they capped off WMC that year. This Year, Murkem and I got to catch up with group member Jon, as he gave our friend Anthony Nicholas some advice on getting girls in the 305. He eventually advised us to hit up the strip club where he topped of WMC with a final epic dj set at Goldrush Downtown Miami.

Here is the interview along with some pictures of Jon from "Hot Pink Delorean"

Will wearing Hot Pink help Anthony Nicholas with woman? from Murkem on Vimeo.

Bang Bang...Skeet Skeet

     I used to live in Davenport when I was a kid. The only thing cool there was the weather!  I never thought I would ever meet someone famous from Iowa.  While attending a rad party during Mia's WMC, DJ Skeet Skeet was found walking around outside of White Room, near Bar on Wednesday night.  Bang Bang! Skeet Skeet!  It was then, that my good old friend Anthony Nicholas and I caught up with him for an interview.     

     DJ Skeet Skeet is a Performing DJ originating from LA, but raised in Davenport Iowa.  His mom calls him "Trevor".  Becoming well known in the LA party scene, he quickly started gigging in Hollywood.  Skeet Skeet climbed the success ladder, djing with DJ's such as, Royal Rumble, The Young Americans, aka Classixx, & LA Riots. This cat has been in films and has played for huge crowds all over, including WMC 2k10.  

     The energy was through the roof during The Overthrow's explosive Bang Bang party.  The crowd was on edge and full of energy.  They danced erratically till the sun came up.  I was put on to so much new music this year at the Conference.  I can't wait till next year for more madness!



DJ Skeet Skeet's bizarre definition of the term "skeet skeet" from Murkem on Vimeo.

Here are some photos to go along.

Article by: Murkem   
Photography by: Murkem

Drop the Lime WMC 2k10

     Teaming up with The Overthrow for WMC 2k10, Anthony Nicholas and I hit Downtown Miami for 4 dope parties.  The Bang Bang party, Annie Mac, Temple of Boom & the Hard to Leave party, were all a tremendous success.  We found ourselves bouncing back and forth from Bar & White Room capturing interviews from A list Electro DJ's.  One of the DJ's we caught up with was Drop the Lime.

     Luca aka Drop the Lime is an electronic DJ/Producer, born in NYC.  He runs the dance label Trouble and Bass.  He is an innovative DJ that is known for infusing live vocals layered over original tracks.  Luca's style was an electronic odyssey of a house sound accompanied by ghettotech, dancehall, northern soul, doo wop, dubstep, and most definitely crunk!

Luca jumped on the "wheels of steel" with no introduction needed.  The crowd roared, and pumped their fists in the air ferociously. I immediately snagged some photos as the astonishing performance captivated the crowd in a melodic trance.  Drop the Lime's build ups & breakdowns were 100% mapped on count.  What really amazed me, was of course when this manic displayed his passion for the mic. To make things even better....Luca sang on the compositions that were of his own production!

     

     My geeky pal Anthony Nicholas interviewed him earlier that week, and decided to ask for personal advice rather than traditional interview questions.  When I fist met DTL, I never imagined for him to "murk it" as hard as he did at The Overthrow's Temple of Boom Party!  He is by far one of the best Electronic DJ's I have ever heard spin.  "There wasn't too many wobbles", I told myself.  Some melody's had a tropical feel, with spine tingling chord progressions. Oh yea...don't forget the BASS!    

Drop The Lime Advice from Nick Flash on Vimeo.

Check out the full Temple of Boom photo gallery

Article by: Murkem

Photography by: Murkem

Joey Funk's Funkadelic Interview {Interview By Kristina Rodriguez}

beScene is here to bring you an exclusive interview with one of Miami's freshest new graphic artists & entrepreneurs, Joey Funk!


Check Out His Website here! JoeyFunk.com



Check Out this poster he made for our new website coming soon.



Model: Aban Sonia 
Photography: Eddy Angel
Producer: Amliv Sotomayor
Vector Art: Joey Funk

Here is an Interview with Joey Funk brought to you by Kristina Rodriguez.


1.What makes you different from all the other artists in the Miami scene?


It's mostly the style, in recent years, graphic artists have been leaning towards that abstract grungy look, I've been trying to not fall into that hole by using precision with my lines for a cleaner, tighter look. It's easy for grunge artists to get away with more because of the messy nature of the grunge art. Also, there aren't many Cuban Americans that delve into psychedelic art. I grew up around that funky beauty salon 80's art with clean lines and white skin, you know the kind you can see in nearly every old school beauty salon in Miami, I always thought It was a great style because It was so iconic during that time, women hitting up the salons, transforming themselves for the weekend wars.


2. What artist can you most relate to?


Well, my modern heroes are all comic book artists, Joe Maduerira, the late Michael Turner, Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, they really know how do flesh out some serious art, but that's not the kind of art I make.

I watched Yellow Submarine the other night for the first time when I noticed what the animators were doing with the use of white space and colors... I was totally blown away that the animators of Yellow Submarine used the same white balance techniques that I use to make colors more vibrant . I couldn't believe that I had done this naturally over the years while the animators of Yellow Submarine did it decades ago. I can relate more to the hippies who worked on the great concert posters of the 60's more than my favorite modern comic book illustrators.

3. What message are you trying to send through your art work?


Each piece I work on is always different, there's never really a set message, its really up to you for interpretation. I've really been into the psychedelic overtone of repeating patterns lately, I think it's just a natural evolution of the way I see the [F]Artwork moving forward. Every piece I make gets more detailed and complicated, It's just me trying to outdo myself so the public always gets something that is progressive.

4. What fuels your creativity while your a work? bands? music type? etc.


Music is a huge influence on what I do, it helps 'lube' the creative flow. In my first artist themed piece "The Haunt Of Roulette Dares" I jammed to The Mars Volta for hours, letting the music flow through my consciousness as I worked. Hours go by and I didn't even care that I had two tracks on repeat, trying to capture the images in my mind's eye through sonic mayhem of "Roulette Dares" and "Eria Tarka." Same for the Thom Yorke/Eraser piece and the other artists themed [F]Artwork, just jamming and making it happen. For the beScene exclusive, I jammed to Does It Offend You, Yeah?

5. What do you find to be most challenging when your creating pieces of art?


Choosing the colors! Lately I've been making 'Variants' of all new [F]Artwork, I'm never happy with the final colors so I make the variants to cure my never ending appetite to see different color possibilities... and they look really trippy when you mess with the more rad color combos.

6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?


Honestly, I would love to have my own design studio with 3 or 4 other graphic designers working on smaller design projects while I handle the promo/marketing/advertising for the studio itself. I'd love to have a space at Art Basel as well, I'm really bad at keeping on top of registering for it, im always late due to running on Cuban time. I want to hit up San Fransisco for a few years to check out the west coast, then maybe Spain. During the Bush administration, I wanted to leave the states for good, I didn't have much faith in the States anymore. The situation has been getting better since talks of decriminalization and the legalization of medical marijuana have been floating around the country... I'd stick around for that.


7. What scares you most about the "creative community"? as in... any artists you disagree with on views, artistic abilities etc.

The thing about the creative community is that everyone always thinks they are the best at what they do, and no one will admit that. The thing is, when an artist works on something with their heart, they don't want to hear it when someone criticizes their work. I believe that egos should not have anything to do with artwork, if artists in the community collaborated more than they tried outdoing each other, we'd have some crazy awesome shit for everyone to enjoy.

I got my first piece of hate mail the other day, it was from a local Cuban artist and gallery owner from my parent's generation, which will remain nameless; It was in reference to a series of Cuban Postage Stamps designed to look like LSD Blotter art I had posted on Facebook. The woman was very heated about the "Che"
postage stamp, she went on about how ignorant I was, painting such a monster and glorifying evil for no reason. What she failed to understand was that the Cuban Postage series was more of a window to a world gone by, old Cuban postage stamps no longer in circulation, these were objects everyday people in Cuba touched and used to communicate with others. I had turned that into something more by making them appear as if they were infused with LSD, which helps free your mind of restrictions which normally bind us to reality.

I never heard from her again, which is sad because I would of loved to have read what she would of replied with.


8. Do you have an advise for anyone who wants to pursue a career in graphic design?

Yeah, stop asking me for free classes. lol but really, stick to it, don't give up! If you want to follow a career in art, do it! I told my parents in high school that I wanted to make art for a living, my aunts were pissed because they wanted a lawyer. I didn't care, I wanted to be happy with what I did... everyday. When you do what you love, you won't ever work a day in your life.


9. In the future, how do you want your art to be used for the greater good?

Greater good? I would love to help with a campaign to legalize marijuana, that's the greater good in my opinion. This lame 'war on drugs' has gone far enough, I know a lot of good people in trouble for marijuana related offenses that, honestly, do not deserve to be prosecuted because the government won't own up to another failed war.

roc on,
:://funk.out_


Check out Joey more of Joey Funk's art!!