A GIANT IN THA MENTAL
I promised to give y'all a little more info on tha legendary DJ Mind Motion -- and he's spinning at my party this Thursday, so it seemed like tha perfect time. He's on of my idols and teachers in tha game and without Mind Motion and tha Pirate DJs there wouldn't be no DJ Sake One or (((Local 1200)) DJ crew -- beleive dat! I did a brief interview with him (sorry, dudes is busy) and he was cool enough to pass along a couple OG pics. This is Bay Area hip-hop history right here -- do tha knowledge and make sure to check out Mind Motion at tha hottest clubs around tha Bay Area, on air (weekday mornings and weekend evenings on 106.1 KMEL-FM) and also on his website www.mindmotionrockstheparty.com....
One thing that was ill about doing this interview is that Mind Motion is like a big brother to me and alotta other DJs in tha Bay Area -- and yet, like me, he was put on and inspired by HIS older brother. Its fresh to be able to pay tribute to giants like Mind Motion while they are still at tha peak of their game...
SAKE: When did you start DJing?
MM: I've been around djing since about 1982-83. I started djing around 1986-87 and really started my come up (knew for sure that it was my life) in 1989-1990.
SAKE: Who/what inspired you to become a DJ?
MM: I started djing all because of my brother and cousin as they started to do it when I was a young kid. I was always fascinated by it and I wanted to be as cool as they were. They always had the hottest music.
SAKE: Who is your brother?
MM: (The Original) DJ EFX is my older brother. He was the one responsible for me doing what I'm doing now. I have a lot of love for him for giving me life in this DJ world. What I really admired about him was, he always knew when to move on to the next thing happening and never forgot what he and other fellow DJs had done in the past as they moved forward.
DJ EFX
He's retired now, chilling in El Salvador (he's done it all, so now he's on to the next thing.... hahahaha)
SAKE: Who did you look up to coming up? What other DJs inspired you?
MM: The DJs that have inspired me when first coming up where the bay area (TRUE) legends... My brother DJ EFX of course, Dr. Funk (Miguel Fonseca), Big Bob & The Monster Crew (for all the young djs out now, Big Bob is our Afrikka Bambataa of the Bay Area, learn about him), Cameron Paul, Michael Erickson... from the east coast Funkmaster Flex and Red Alert.
SAKE: How did you develop your own style, while learning from tha old school?
MM: I looked at these DJs I mentioned as teachers. Everytime I would go see them DJ, they would have glow around them that made them shine and it translated to them rocking the party. I learn from them what to do and what not to do as they were pioneering DJ mix and crowd control skills I still follow today. You really have to be deep into DJ'ing to understand what I'm talking about.
SAKE: Alot of Bay Area people talk about Cream of Beat. What was Cream of Beat, and why was it important? What is its legacy?
MM: Cream of Beat was the godfather of all hip hop parties in the SF Bay Area from about 1992 to 1996. It formed from earlier parties we used to do outdoors starting at 2am (when clubs didn't want hip-hop at all) wich that ivolved to a party called "Mothership Connection" and as that party was reaching it's peak, we flipped it to Cream of Beat. The name came from the breakfast hot meal cream of wheat, wich the first cream of beat flyer was the actual design of the box of the meal. We controlled the music industry in the bay area. 99% of all legendary hip hop artist/groups broke out here after performing at the party, along with some of our local big djs still doing it now. At it's peaked, Cream of Beat packed in about 1,600-1,800 people once a month. We showed and proved to clubs that hip hop was profitable and we open the doors to other hip hop parties to blossom in the bay area. I can get more detailed, but it would take a cople of days... hahahaha
The legacy that Cream of Beat has left is that the party created a community based around hip-hop. Breaking new music, artist and DJs were the key for the party. Also, a lot of families formed from that party. Now days when we do the reunion, people come up to me and say to me that they met their wife/husband at cream of beat...that's big.
That's why cream of beat is so important to us Pirate DJs -- all the love and support we got from the people back in the day when we were helping build the culture here in the bay area for all of us and all the love and support we get now which keeps us going on doing what we do.
DJ Mind Motion & DJ Ivan (2nd and 3rd from left, respectively) in 1994 during tha "Cream of Beat" Era. Along with DJ Rolo 1-3 (aka Daddy Rolo) these three formed tha Bay Area's premier DJ crew -- the Pirate DJs.
CATCH DJ MIND MOTION FLEXING HIS LEGENDARY PARTY ROCKIN' SKILLS THIS THURSDAY NIGHT IN SF @ COLORS!!!!!
One thing that was ill about doing this interview is that Mind Motion is like a big brother to me and alotta other DJs in tha Bay Area -- and yet, like me, he was put on and inspired by HIS older brother. Its fresh to be able to pay tribute to giants like Mind Motion while they are still at tha peak of their game...
SAKE: When did you start DJing?
MM: I've been around djing since about 1982-83. I started djing around 1986-87 and really started my come up (knew for sure that it was my life) in 1989-1990.
SAKE: Who/what inspired you to become a DJ?
MM: I started djing all because of my brother and cousin as they started to do it when I was a young kid. I was always fascinated by it and I wanted to be as cool as they were. They always had the hottest music.
SAKE: Who is your brother?
MM: (The Original) DJ EFX is my older brother. He was the one responsible for me doing what I'm doing now. I have a lot of love for him for giving me life in this DJ world. What I really admired about him was, he always knew when to move on to the next thing happening and never forgot what he and other fellow DJs had done in the past as they moved forward.
DJ EFX
He's retired now, chilling in El Salvador (he's done it all, so now he's on to the next thing.... hahahaha)
SAKE: Who did you look up to coming up? What other DJs inspired you?
MM: The DJs that have inspired me when first coming up where the bay area (TRUE) legends... My brother DJ EFX of course, Dr. Funk (Miguel Fonseca), Big Bob & The Monster Crew (for all the young djs out now, Big Bob is our Afrikka Bambataa of the Bay Area, learn about him), Cameron Paul, Michael Erickson... from the east coast Funkmaster Flex and Red Alert.
SAKE: How did you develop your own style, while learning from tha old school?
MM: I looked at these DJs I mentioned as teachers. Everytime I would go see them DJ, they would have glow around them that made them shine and it translated to them rocking the party. I learn from them what to do and what not to do as they were pioneering DJ mix and crowd control skills I still follow today. You really have to be deep into DJ'ing to understand what I'm talking about.
SAKE: Alot of Bay Area people talk about Cream of Beat. What was Cream of Beat, and why was it important? What is its legacy?
MM: Cream of Beat was the godfather of all hip hop parties in the SF Bay Area from about 1992 to 1996. It formed from earlier parties we used to do outdoors starting at 2am (when clubs didn't want hip-hop at all) wich that ivolved to a party called "Mothership Connection" and as that party was reaching it's peak, we flipped it to Cream of Beat. The name came from the breakfast hot meal cream of wheat, wich the first cream of beat flyer was the actual design of the box of the meal. We controlled the music industry in the bay area. 99% of all legendary hip hop artist/groups broke out here after performing at the party, along with some of our local big djs still doing it now. At it's peaked, Cream of Beat packed in about 1,600-1,800 people once a month. We showed and proved to clubs that hip hop was profitable and we open the doors to other hip hop parties to blossom in the bay area. I can get more detailed, but it would take a cople of days... hahahaha
The legacy that Cream of Beat has left is that the party created a community based around hip-hop. Breaking new music, artist and DJs were the key for the party. Also, a lot of families formed from that party. Now days when we do the reunion, people come up to me and say to me that they met their wife/husband at cream of beat...that's big.
That's why cream of beat is so important to us Pirate DJs -- all the love and support we got from the people back in the day when we were helping build the culture here in the bay area for all of us and all the love and support we get now which keeps us going on doing what we do.
DJ Mind Motion & DJ Ivan (2nd and 3rd from left, respectively) in 1994 during tha "Cream of Beat" Era. Along with DJ Rolo 1-3 (aka Daddy Rolo) these three formed tha Bay Area's premier DJ crew -- the Pirate DJs.
Labels: Bay Area DJ history, Cream of Beat, hip-hop history, Pirate DJs, San Francisco Hip-Hop HIstory
posted by dj sake 1 at 3:46 PM
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