ON THE ROAD 2003 (THE D:FUSE BLOG)

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January 04, 2003
Vision, New York, NY

A few days after N.Y. this time and a bit thin on audience participation and Vision is out of Crown Royal. Oh well, at least the Jack and Coke's kept coming and some familiar faces made it special. The Spundae crew treated me well. Club Vision in Chicago has got to be one of the nicest joints I've seen, lots of swank couch space and you don't have to pay extra to lounge on it. Bonus! Thanks guys! A special shout out to the Grayarea boys who introduced me to the "High Ten" hangover. Did get a track cut in the studio with them, however. A bit of a dreamy chill housey number. Should be out this year. You can see why their all the buzz!

January 10, 2003
Glow, Washington, DC

Glow in DC together with John Flemming. Thanks to 007 and Ray Kang for bringing their crowd and opening the night. A little on the hard side, but hey, I love ya! Ya made up for it at the afterparty. Was that Kris on the decks!? Thanks to Panarama Produtions for a solid club night as usual. That sound system absolutely rocks!!!! DC, even though Bush lives there, it's a pretty damn cool city if I say so my damn self.

January 15, 2003
RA @ The Luxor, Las Vegas, NV

Duane King always throws a tight party. Consistently the best time I have playing in Las Vegas. Cirque style circus performers doing they're "thang" above the dancefloor. At one point, a performer on the rings grabbed one of the girls on the dancefloor and pulled her up 2 stories in the air! Nice! Gambling on the old strip with my honey is a must. Can't wait to get back to sin city!

January 25, 2003
Vinyl, Denver, CO

The first time out to Vinyl was a bit thin, but no longer. The club was full and there were smiles all around. The drink of choice when in Denver? Vincent Van Gogh Apple vodka and some sort of energy drink I can't remember at this moment- Oh yeah, Go fast! Trainwreck anyone? My cowboy hat off to Together Productions and all who came out to the show.

February 14, 2003
Cirrus Room @ Sky Lounge, Austin, TX

Returning to the hometown for the 2nd official time in over a year was off the hizzy, and it was well worth the wait. Despite tons of problems with the lighting System7 arranged, the show went off well. A very special thanks to Dr. Mike for running back to my studio for the emergency American DJ spinner light. Always good in a pinch and the light of choice for future shows at the Sky Bar. I love you Austin!!! Thanks for turning it out like only us Texans know how!!! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwww!

February 15 , 2003
Spundae @ Circus Disco, Los Angeles, CA

God didn't want me to play the last time in LA with his "Lightning and Flood" hurrah that closed down Circus. But this time he let me do my thang. Thank you almighty one! Man how I've missed LA and this night reminded me why. Place was bumpin' like a mad house. Great sound, great light, and the best DJ booth on the planet, seriously. The perfect set up to feel the crowd and bang the drum. I've never heard of anyone getting kicked out of the Standard for being a little loud. But that's what happened to my little late night clan. Moved the party to Charlie Chaplan's old place. Nice! Oh yeah, and got mugged walking my friend Mirabella to her car. The guys were to the point, however, and grabbed my money, her purse and left quickly. Believe me, it could have been much worse. Word to the wise. Don't walk to your car alone after the club and look out. Circus Club, how about beefing up your security in some other form than the parking lot Nazi's?

February 28, 2003
Heaven @ The Maze, Honolulu, HI

This was the 2nd time in Honolulu. First was great. 2nd time might have even been better. Got to admit, it wouldn't have hurt the club to clean the place up a bit. Place looked scary even in the dark. But who cares!? The beer was cold, the sound system pumpin', and Behrouz was throwing down a tight deep funky set when I got there. Nice! Got on the decks and had a blast. That old school dark basement vibe was in full swing, I luv ya Waikiki beach! Eating dinner at sunset on the 30th floor of the Hyatt overlooking the surf and sand with a bottle of pineapple champagne. God my job is rough. Hats off to the Heaven crew for cultivating the scene so well.

March 01, 2003
Release, San Francisco, CA

Every time I play here it reaffirms why this is my absolute favorite gig. The gift of being able to play a five hour set and the place is still kickn' on my last track at 6:15. Thanks Martel, Nabiel and Release! SF is in so many ways like my hometown of Austin, laid back and full o' love. Hats off to the after hour crew at the Palace for keeping the posi-vibe kickn' for way too long. Sunglasses anyone?

March 02, 2003
Anu, San Francisco, CA

An inpromptu set hosted by the legendary Thump radio boys. Once again got to throw down my thang with the ever talented Sen Sei on the keys (after a "fog"-filled exit from the basement). A tight family of 50 filled the place conformably and the Red Bull and vodka's flowed like the wine at the hotel after party. The Monaco rocks!!!! SF will be the death of me I swear. But what a way to go! I want my funeral to be down Fulsom street with a bunch of cross dressing lads spanking my coffin with bullwhips. Now that makes a statement.

March 04, 2003
Ohm(set 12am-1:30am), Portland, OR

A last minute booking to replace Kimball Collins (just a touch of the flu). I literally had about 8 hours from the flight from SF before I was back at the Austin airport early morning. The best $4 breakfast tacos you could ever have when you're at the Austin airport and not a damn thing is open except for Matt's El Crappo. No self serving Austinite can call that stuff Tex Mex. Head to Chuys!!! Anyway, show went well though I'm pretty sure the crowd was out for Fat Tues and not to see yours truly. They danced anyway!!! But I didn't see a single breast. Such a shame.

March 04, 2003
Cobalt Lounge(set 1:45am-3am), Portland, OR

It's getting late for the Fat Tues. drinkin' bunch. But the 30 people left in the place made the best of it. Kept signaling the chick with the ponytail to get her head out of the speaker to no avail. Next time I'll bring bigger beads.

April 10, 2003
Centro-Fly, New York, NY

For some ungodly reason I was booked for a bunk time slot at the club by the promoters. Oh well, gracious apologies from the owner went a long way and my New York crew showed up in full force. Two guys known as Astroglide followed-up my set and played a damn tight funky set of pumpin progressive before we took off for some loft party action. It's bad enough when Andreamico, Darbi, Yurko, Ollie come to turn it out. But when all around nice guy Steve Porter shows up something's gone haywire. We made it to the end-all when the host of the party storms into the living room and yells "Alllllright you pussies! We're gonna turn this party up a notch! I'm ordering everyone into my kitchen to shotgun beers now! We all sulk into the kitchen for rounds of shotgunning. I lost count at 3 in just about 3 minutes and nursed a killer hangover all the way to the airport. Yowza.

May 02, 2003
Spy Club, Cincinatti, OH

I love this club! Holds only about 200 people and has a feel like a good old fashioned house party. Only the Kentucky Derby is tomorrow and apparently the whole area shuts down to see some horses run around a big circle. Crowd was a bit random and had a bit of a clueless look in their eyes but they danced, and that's really the main thing, right? Sold some T-shirts and a lot of CDs and had a nice time to boot. Resident Geoff Gulley played a solid opening set and was nice enough to spill an entire beer on me the next day at lunch. Nothing like walking through airport security smelling like a hearty, full bodied, amber. Paybacks Geoff, paybacks...

May 09, 2003
Sky Lounge Cirrus Room, Austin, TX

Another night of FUSE:D in Austin and this night I've flown in DJ Shell to be thrown to the wolves. Only they love er! A tight opening set, fat sound and that special home town crowd ya just gotta see to believe. I hit the decks and have the time of my life, can't wait to get back for my People_2 CD release party!

May 10, 2003
Red Zone, Columbus, OH

Always good to be back in Colombus. Played the show with DJ Dan (who threw down a very funky-cool set I might add) and the place was packed. Crowd was a bit aloof but ya can't win em all It was hotter than a whore house on nickel night! Still had a blast and DJ Shell opened up the night extremely well. Kicked it back at her place afterwards where boyfriend Michael and the crew played the ultimate hosts. One more Vodka Red Bull and whatever else ya got for the road please! Tag teamed with Shell for a few hours and am now officially convinced this is one of the best DJs I've seen in a long, long while. Expect great things from her! Haven't had that much fun since the old days of going one for one with DJ Filthy Rich in Austin. My records can beat up your records man! Not this night, Shell held her own quite well.

May 24, 2003
Ice Palace Film Studios, Miami, FL

It had been raining ALL DAY and into the night when I arrived. So a mainly outdoor venue might have a hard time attracting people, right? Right. The place was dead and the people confused. But ya gotta feel for the promoters who did a great job. THE nicest one-off party I've ever seen, crystal clear sound, intense lighting, THE best visuals I've ever seen, fully stocked bars everywhere, even a VIP balcony with white couches and bottle service! The artist area had a full buffet with chefs cooking Italian! Check out who else was on the lineup- me, Christopher Lawrence, Freaky Flow and MC Flipside, Dave Ralph, Josh Wink, DJ Craze, Keoki, The Executioners, just to name a few! It was good visiting with everyone in the industry I haven't seen since the WMC. Oh well guys, better luck next time!

May 31, 2003
Tantra Sutra, San Diego, CA

Now San Diego has been a bit of a sore spot for me. In the past I've been booked on odd nights by promoters and expected to fill the club with the cards stacked against me (much luv 2 ya Pauli!). Now a lot of crowds in San Diego are way more into looking good and hooking up than giving a rat's ass about the music, but tonight was different. Clayton of Polka Dot productions throws a fat party that contains the "see and be seen" element, but I'll be damned if some serious D:Fuse heads weren't in the house as well! The place was packed. Hotties, and I mean HOTTIES everywhere swinging to the music, a bumpin' sound system, solid visuals, and THE best vibe I've seen in San Diego. Nice! Thomas Michael followed-up with the closing set and decided to start with a pumpin' house number with the lyrics "suck my dick, suck my mutha f'in dick" over and over. Only thing was, the chicks were lovin' it. Now if I could only find that record... Time to collect my papers and prepare for a 7am flight. Ouch.

June 02, 2003
House of Blues, New Orleans, LA

I don't care where in town the booking is, if it's in the Big Easy...I'm there! Arrived in town a day early to drink beer and eat Cajun food with the misses. Was recommended a place called Deannie's by the concierge and judging by his portly manner we figured he knew the goods. He couldn't have been more right. Damn! The beer came ice ice ice cold in frozen jumbo scooners, the boiled shrimp were nice n' spicy, the gumbo made ya wanna slap yo momma, and the half seafood platter was as big as yo' face! Ate way too much and went back no less than 9 hours later for more punishment. Highly recommended to say the least. Now on to the gig. Played for Monday's Service Industry Night which has had a bit of a struggle to keep going. Who cares! The drinks were cheap, the sound pumpin', and a select group of clubbers arrived with People and Progressive Mix 1.0 CDs in tow for signing. Rocked the crowd like I was playing to 3,000 and had a great time. Once again, quality over quantity and it's working!

June 06, 2003
Illusion Lounge, Atlanta, GA

My first show in Atlanta in well over a year. What's with this city!? At least Jason Hitt had enough belief to bring me in and it was much appreciated. Arrived to rainy weather while TV stations overly hyped "flash flooding" that never occurred. Nevertheless the people in Atlanta believed the hype and attendance was a bit thin. It's not the quantity but the quality, right? This was the case tonight, a small room of dedicated listeners and fans showed up and the intimate setting allowed me to hang out and get to know a lot of new faces. Jason Hitt promoted the show and proved to be one hell of a nice guy and my Atlanta friend Jan was the usual social butterfly and handy with the drinks, thank you. The booth, however, needed some serious work! A janitor's closet-turned DJ booth with a 2' by 2' window cut out. Ouch! All in all a good time however and I look forward to being back.

June 07, 2003
Release, San Francisco, CA

Tonight is great because the good friends at the Palace Loft have organized a CD release Pre-party complete with Sushi from Sushigroove and open bar! I arrive to a full house and Hugo spinning some funky tough house. I grab a few drinks and spin a few. It's a room full of smiling faces and shaking asses, they even have some live percussionists who are laying down some solid beats so I join them a bit before packing up and heading to 1015. I arrive to a line that stretches down the block. As usual, it's going to be a great night in SF! The entire SF crew is in full representation as the night blurs into an amalgm of beats, pulsing bodies, and screams. God I love this city. Throw my last record on at 6:20am and head to the after party. After kicking it live with the crew for a few hours I'm back at my hotel for much needed rest of an hour before heading to the plane. Another SF night well done. A big shout out to all at the Palace and all in SF!

June 12, 2003
The Church, Denver, CO

Pete Lorimer (29 Palms) opens the night and does a damn fine job in this beautiful venue. As the name states, its an old Catholic church built in the early 1900's. The place is full and I get on the decks. As I start, two break dance circles begin, which as you know is just not my vibe. The floor is at a standstill while everyone stares at the spectacle. I should have been professional on this a let them do there thang for a few minutes but instead decide to get on the mike and tell them to stop. Lets just say I was a bit cocky and apologize to all involved. I did get mine later, however, when like an amateur, I lift the needle off the record that was playing to the shouts of 800 people yelling "Way to go, loser!". Well, they didn't actually yell out loud, but I KNOW that's what they were thinking. Not good. Oh well, I recover and the night goes off without a hitch. I play my encore, say hi to everyone who sticks around for my John Hancock, and head to the hotel for some sleep. I've got my return to Austin tomorrow so I need to get some rest. I'm at the Westin, Oh heavenly bed I adore you!!!!!!

June 13, 2003
Cirrus Room at Sky Lounge, Austin, TX

I wake up at 8am in Denver to call into Miss Kitty's FM morning show to have a chat about tonight's show. It's the big CD release for my hometown, so the word's out! I jump on a plane and am in Austin by 1pm. I'm excited about the show tonight. We have some early drinks at Saba in the Warehouse District and head to the club. It's nicely packed and Johnny Invisible is doing an excellent job of warming up the night, Alex Vasquez takes over a plays some well selected deep progressive. The place is verging on sold-out as I take to the decks to one of the warmest welcomes I've heard. It's so nice to return to Austin! It's probably one of the best nights I've seen in Austin in years, the place is absolutely packed and going crazy. I play Blockster "Grooveline" (Matt Darey) remix as an encore to once again take it back to the old school. Oh the memories! We sell loads of CDs and raise well over $200 for EMDEF. I head to the afterparty and dance with everyone 'till dawn. Always good to be back in the home town!

June 14, 2003
Lizard Lounge, Dallas, TX

Every time I come back to Dallas for this gig I get to hang with DJ Merrit and spin live on his show Edgeclub, which is simply one of the best FM mix shows in the nation. The Lizard Lounge crowd is a bit more of a stand around and scam vibe, but some true heads always come out and make the night. Tonight we've got a full-on Austin crew who got a couple hours rest and made the drive with me to Dallas in a monster passenger van- around 8 people in all. We've got the entire VIP area directly above the DJ booth taken over and the drinks are flowing. Long story short- I hit the decks and do my thang, we hit an afterparty where I take over the decks and save the crowd from a blistering set of circus trance, and end the night raiding the minibar in the room singing Justin Timberlake. Now that's a night. Time for some rest before my flight to LA for studio work all week.

July 03, 2003
Spin Bar, Juarez, Mexico

I've been doing studio work in L.A. all week with studio master Joy to put some finishing touches on the album. Combine this with the tour and it's taking it's toll. I'm feeling a bit under the weather with a killer cough developing. Luckily the promoters were nice enough to drive me my a drug store on the way to the hotel and I stock up on copious supplies of Orange Juice, Echenacia, Vitamin C and Cough drops. I check into the hotel, grab a couple of hours of rest and room service, and I'm off. This is a new club in Juarez, and walking in I'm really impressed with the sound system and quality of tunes the opener is playing. Nicely progressive stuff. It's a small cozy space and it's filling nicely. I go easy on the alcohol and hit the decks. I've asked them to load the booth up with candles, but even doing this it's really dark. I'm having a hard time seeing the mixer and in the cramped space it's hard to position my drum. I'm focusing so hard on everything that I don't look up for the first 3 tracks. When I finally do, I notice the place isn't dancing much but when they see me looking they break into cheers and start moving. I put my head down for another mix and look up to notice the same thing. I look up and smile, they dance. I look down, they stop. I rummage through my record bag, find some Liquid Paper white-out, and paint eyes on my forehead. The place dances the rest of the night, if not somewhat suspiciously. All kidding aside, a good time all around. I play a couple of encores to end the night and the place closes. Only it doesn't exactly close. A group of people stay, several more enter through the back, a DJ gets back on the decks, the bar opens, and it looks like a full-on after party is going on! I wish I could guys, right now I gotta get some R & R. I get a few hours sleep, go through the ever-so-long process of crossing the border back into the states, and I'm on a plane to Portland.

August 8, 2003
FUSE:D at Sky Lounge @ Cirrus Room, Austin, TX

It's been over two months since I've played my hometown, the last show was a complete sellout and I'm wondering how the turnout will be tonight. I shouldn't have worried, System 7 have done another good job promoting and we arrive at 11:00 to a place already full and growing by the minute. Familiar faces old and new are everywhere and I'm having a great time catching up with everyone. Johnny Invisible and MC Master T lay down a solid starting set with a good groove. The guys from System-7 have picked the second DJ tonight, a girl by the name Angelica X who I'm not familiar with, so I'm curious and excited to hear what she lays down. She begins her set. Now, I'm sure in a more pumped up atmosphere in an extra underground club the music she plays would work. It's intelligent and on the funky side of things and her mixing is solid, but tonight is just ain't workin'. The BPM's are screaming at about 140 and the entire crowd clears the floor. I bite my lip wondering if the sound will get toned down but no such luck. Thankfully Angelica surrenders the decks early and I step in to tone it down with some groovy house. The dance floor comes to and bodies start to move. A good thing right? Wrong. We're talking about the peak of the summer in Austin, people. The temperature peaked at 108 degrees today and its still 90 degrees at nightfall. Within 10 minutes of moving bodies the place is like a sauna. Everyone's drenched in sweat including me, who begins downing bottles of water. When it's hot like this, it's hard to keep everyone going. Time to break out a night with a lot of classics. Throughout the night I play new stuff intermixed with everything from PVD's "Another World" to Sander Kleinenberg's "Sacred (Dub)". It goes over well as Club Sauna continues. Another great night of screaming voices and smiling faces. Austin is back! We're currently working with the club to get better air circulation in place for the next show, so everyone don't worry. We'll have it cooled down as we're moving the event to the upstairs main room!!!

August 9, 2003
Ice, Las Vegas, NV

Tonight is the grand opening of Ice. Much hype has surrounded this club. Rumor has it that millions have been spent completely redoing the former Drink locale. I check into the MGM Grand a bit hung over from a late night in the ATX with the crew, so I'm ready to get some food and some sleep. The hotel is packed but I do manage both and get ready for the night. The legendary Vegas resident DJ Scott Stubbs agrees to be my host for the night. I head downstairs to have a drink or two in the new lounge (if I could only remember the name). The atmosphere and music is ultra loungey in a good way, and I'm amazed at all the hotties, and I'm talking H O T T I E S everywhere. The casino, bar, even the waitresses are amazing. Hello Las Vegas! Scott picks me up and takes me to a local bar for some cocktails with friends and we head to the venue. There's a line around the club and the club is gorgeous. Marc ushers us into a VIP table and sets us up with champagne. I'm loving this club already. The place is full and once again, filled with beautiful women. The soundsystem is absolutely state-of-the-art and Robert Olysek is spinning tribal house with accessible touches of vocals and white label remixes. The booth is terribly placed in the sky high above the floor, which is very disappointing when everything else about the club is so well thought out. The booth is set up well however, and Johnny from LA is working the lights and ordering the shots. Lets get started! I start with straight funky house and build from there. I'm careful to throw in vocals and popular bootlegs. Vegas can be a bit touristy so ya gotta play accordingly. The room goes pretty solid until 4:30 when I play the last record. We head to afterhours at club Ibiza where Stubbs gets on the decks and plays a funky set of housey progressive. Solid. After numerous shots at the bar the crew begins a old school game of ABC where we name animals in the alphabet which is really tough after Jager. A voluptuous blonde gets topless in one of the cages to the cheers of the crowd. The city of sin is still rocking at 7am. I crawl back to my room at well after daylight and sack out. Viva Las Vegas.

August 16, 2003
Spy Bar, Cincinnati, OH

The last time I played at Spy was the night before the Kentucky Derby, which made for an unusual night. I'm feeling like tonight might be good, something's in the air. I show up to the venue to a bit of a thin crowd, but people are streaming in steadily and resident DJ and all around nice guy Geoff Gulley is planting a well placed set of smooth progressive and getting the place warmed up. Now if you remember from my previous diary, Spy Club is located in an old house in the downtown area. It's a small place with a vibe like an old school house party. As I go on, the place isn't packed, but it's comfortably full and the dance floor is going steady. A bottle of champagne and a couple of shots later and it's already time to finish my set. Manager and all-around party host for the evening Callie closes the doors and a few of us hang around the bar for a few nightcaps and listen to a Geoff throw down an intimate set in the late night. Solid. Get back to my room and off to the airport the next morning.

August 22, 2003
Liquid Lounge, Charlotte, NC

Liquid Lounge is a little thin tonight. Apparently, because this is a big college town everyone is hanging at an outdoor kegger. Oh well, the club treats me damn nice, and everyone at the event is social. After a solid house set from the resident DJ Matt (he was nice enough to give me The Cult "Revolutions" white label). I take the decks and throw some down. The people that are there take the floor and it's an all around good night. Liquid Lounge is a well run club that really goes the extra mile for the music, and I look forward to returning.

August 23, 2003
Release, San Francisco, CA

What can I say, I write about this gig all the time with rave reviews, and tonight is no different. I love this gig!!!!!! Tonight was absolutely no different!

August 30, 2003
Puresounds, Los Angeles, CA

I'm a little worried about this gig because it was originally scheduled for the rooftop of the trendy Standard with an after party later (which I was excited about). Now it seems the Standard part of the night has been cancelled, but up to the very day of the show the Standard is still listed as the venue. Confusing. Jenni and I check into the hotel early, they've put us up in a pimpin' suite with a killer tub, so we do some shopping and return to relax in the tub and catch some rays at the rooftop pool. The Standard's a funny place, you pay top dollar to get mediocre drinks, food, and to get treated like crap. But it's the trendy place in LA, right? What else really matters?! Done with this place. Get to the gig, it's a nice and moderate sized studio complex. Security are busy treating everyone brutally and giving it the ol' rubber glove. Luckily my crew gets in without getting the probe. We grab some drinks and listen to sets from Behrouz and Luis Osbourne both who play well. I take the decks and notice the stage is too rickety to play the drums without making the records skip, so I focus on records and take the crowd into a hypnotic Trance direction. The place fills up with a load of altered faces and sinks into the groove. Superchumbo take the decks and takes the groove seductively deep, which is the perfect change for the room and the crowd eats it up. I say my goodbyes and get back to the tub. The next day Jeffrey and Christina throw an impromptu rooftop party in downtown LA, so Darren Provenzano (a newcomer and very good DJ) tag team into the night with a breathtaking view of the city. Mirabella shows up groupie style and promptly ends her 6 month relationship with her boy, and I pass out like an amateur after too many tequila and vodka shots. Many apologies to Jenni, thanks for carrying me back to the hotel. See ya next time LA.

September 06, 2003
ROAR Rally and Club Five, Washington, DC

I know this is going to be a good weekend, why? Because my girl Jenny is with me on this excursion, and Dr Mike and Laura have decided to join us. I'm also excited about this weekend because, finally, someone has decided to get people together to speak out and demonstrate against all of the laws directed against electonic music. The ROAR rally happens literally on the lawn of the Capitol, and about 1,000 people have shown up. Polywog is on the decks, decked out in an Abraham Lincoln beard and suit, and strutting it to some well placed funk, she turns to face the Capitol and gives it a special double-fisted one finger salute. Nice! It's a beautiful night under the stars of the DC sky, and I get on the decks and take it in a spiritual direction, playing some tunes from some past mix CDs like Spiritchaser "Heaven" and my own "Everything with You", the crowd gets a bit subdued up in front but a dancier vibe drifts through the crowd and most people are swaying and smiling all the way to the back of the crowd. In the middle of the set I grab the mike and do a short speach encouraging everyone to get out and vote. This means YOU! I close the set to a healthy bit of applause, then head to the hotel to quickly change and get everything together for a special Deep House set at Five. We arrive at Five and start drinks on the rooftop deck, we're joined by the usual DC suspects of Kris, DJ Ray Kang, Dasien Bo, Spushor, and crew. I start and keep the set at 126 bpm and slowly move the crowd from deep funk, to vocal house, and on to deep tribal progressive. Jark Prongo's "Shake It", probably my favorite and most played record, absolutely devistates the room which is absolutely rammed. Screams erupt in the crowd everytime the slightest breakdown hit the floor, the vibe is infectious. I love you DC! Polywog joins me in the booth for Tequila shots, then Ray Kang decides to join me in some Tag-teaming on the decks for the last hour, and throws down some excellent house flavor. What a night!!! We end the night at a chill afterparty and then toast the sunrise back at the hotel, Dr. Mike, Laura and Me are hovered over my laptop like it's a fire listening to the mornings final tunes. Jenni's asleep and it's hard as hell to not to wake her when the room's as big as a typical bathroom! Moans and loads of throat clearing from her let me know it's for bed. That and the ever so subtle "Get ya'lls sorry asses ta bed now!!!!" We spend the next day at a street fesitval running up a massive tab at a sunny bar downtown while the DJ serves up a perfect Sunday mix of housey funk and hip hop. Nice! We spend the next day jogging to all of the central monuments (I highly recommend the FDR, Korean war and Lincoln memorials) and checkin' out the Holocaust and Spy museums. If you've never been to DC, ya gotta go, a great city filled with friendly people and good restaurants.

September 12, 2003
TX FUSE:D at Sky Lounge, Austin, TX

Tonight's the night, after months of shows packed past capacity in the Cirrus room, we decide to take over the main room. Kieth and the System-7 crew pull out all the stops and promote like crazy for weeks. Well done! The place is confortably full by 11:30 and going mad by 12:00! It's Katherine's bachlorette party so crew is looking hot and the place is filled with lots o' ladies. My favorite kind of crowd. After a teasing 45 minute set from me, our special guest Michael Anthony takes the decks for a bit and throws down the funk. If it's any test of whats to come, I better be on it tonight. At 1:00am we begin a tag team set throwing down two records each before switching. As Micheal's spinning and cutting the fader, I'm banging the drum. The place is going mental! The vibe is absolutely off the hook all night as Michael and I try to outdo each other with the funkiest records we have. Nice. End the night with some afterpartying at Alex's and some early morning drinks at my pad. Time to get Michael to the airport and for me to get some sleep!
Once again Austin, you do me proud!

September 13, 2003
Lizard Lounge, Dallas, TX

Now I'll be honest, normally the Lizard Lounge gigs are fun, but there always seems to be a large amount of people on the dancefloors just standing around. Not tonight. The place was full as usual, and from the second I put on my cowboy hat, the place erupted and danced like crazy. I threw in an extra funky set of choice tracks and ended with some hand-in-the-air pumpin' Trance. Fun all around, and a special thanks to all the dedicated heads with D:Fuse shirts uniting the vibe! Tonight is another crazy afterhours at the men's Clubhouse, and when I did a cameo there a few months ago the place was lined up with hot female dancers scantily clad and rubbing all over each other while dancing. Nice!!! Not tonight. I walk in and notice the place is full, but the only people dancing in the entire room are 3 or 4 shirtless guys, strutting for the crowd on stage right in front of the dj booth. These guys had the cheese factor rolled into high gear and while I'm pretty sure they weren't gay, would have fit in perfectly at a circuit party with that strut. Ouch. I get on the decks and figure some well selected funk for the ladies might liven up the room. Not a chance. This place is hurtin'! I gracefully play a cozy 30 minutes, fake a big yawn and say I'm beat and it's time to go home! At least the Lizard Lounge was good. Once again, a huge thanks to DJ Merrit for having me on the Edgeclub radio simulcast. And thanks to Jacob, Dave, and T:Fuse for hanging with me. See ya next time Dallas!

September 19, 2003
Club Medusa, Seattle, WA

It's a beautiful day in the rainy city, Crystal blue skies and about 70 degrees. I check into my hotel and the Westin upgrades be to a 36th floor room with a floor to ceiling window view of the waterfront and downtown. It's beautiful!!! I do a quick workout, dine on roomservice at sunset. God I love my job. Head to the club, Benjamin takes good care of getting me set up in the booth. DJ Eva is doing a solid job of warming up the room with some groovy house. The club is beautiful, huge floor to ceiling roman columns and huge Roman statues as you walk in. The booth sits on top of a waterfall and though it's a bit too high off the floor, is still a nice touch. Soundsystem needs a little work but that's okay, the floor is packed and dancing like crazy. Old Austin friend Jesse shows up to suprise me, and after a couple of Jager shots I get to work. The set goes well and I have a good time, I shake off invites to hang afterhours and get some sleep. Thanks club Medussa, easily one of the best times I've had in Seattle.

October 04, 2003
Release, San Francisco, CA

Another killer night in the bay area! Get off the plane and have a couple of hours to chill and get my set ready before heading off to Sushi Groove for some apps and drinks. Katherine and Naseem start the crew out bringing their own homemade brew of Vodka Lemonade Renegade style into the restaurant, you know she's pullin' at my white trash heart strings when she pulls a move like that and there's nothing like watching a chick pull a half gallon jar out of her purse and pour 'em up under the table! Scott and Shannon, and Katie Bell finish out the crew and we head to the club. It's a little slow at first, but Behrouz is warming up the room nicely with some nicely techy progressive house. All the ladies in the SF crew (Katherine, Naseem, Andrea, Katie, Shannon, Deb) are looking exceptionally hot tonight so I'm going to be enjoying a long night of eye candy, thank you. By 12:45 the room is nicely full and when I take over the decks at 1:10 the room is close to being rammed. The good news- the Kryo system is fully loaded for the first time in two shows. Bad news- most of the horns are out in the main room and the sound is average at best. Oh well. With his trademark, larger-than-life- outfit and loud as hell whistle, Scott Card commences the dancing festivities on the floor, and I sling out everything from Positive House to Funky Progressive to uplifting Trance to Breaks and everything in between. Track of the night- Led Zeplin "Baby I'm gonna leave you" (?????? remix). Hybrid's newest absolutely mesmerizes as well. Obviously I'm not nearly as in the zone as I think because I have to keep peeking my head around the VIP booth and scream, "Stop shining the seats with your butts and get yer ass on the floor!!!" Nick McGeachin slips me a nice arsenal of new tracks just transported from England that I tear into as well. Nice! An after-hours stash of vodka appears with some cranberry juice and the night gets a bit blurry from there. Sorry about that. Play my last record at 6:15. End the night shuttling between Katherine's place and the Palace for early morning shenaningans. Call it an early night at 8:30am and feel better on Sunday for it! Pile in the car for a few days in the wine country with wifey Jenni and Deb, Hugo, Scott, and Shannon and have a blast sipping cabs 'till Wednesday. Oh California I luv ya!

October 09, 2003
Club Big Wig, Chicago, IL

Straight off the plane I high-tail it to Grayarea aka Blueletter's studio and party compound for some track reworking. I want to put a chill-out version of "Indecision" on my upcoming album and I've got several hours to kill before the show. Nosmo, Mcrae, and Ruin are hospitable as hell and offer me a beer the second I walk in the door. On a table in the studio sits chips, salsa and Guatemala. After the journey this show of generosity brings a tear to my eye, and we all hug. We get down to business in the studio which once again consists of the trio all taking turns at the wheel while I sit in the back going, "Uh, yeah, that sounds really good, but try more cowbell. More cowbell!!!!" I do manage to get some creative direction into the song and it turns out beautiful. Like I've said before, these guys are good! After four hours in the studio I'll have a cozy 45 minutes to change before heading to the venue. The last show I did at Big Wig was about half full and getting people to dance was like pulling teeth. Tonight is no different. I walk in the door to a very un-crowded room. Well, it's a bit early, lets hope some people arrive. DJ Chris Gin is playing a solid set of progressive house, but there is absolutely no-one dancing, even toe tapping seems foreign to this room. So I'm thinking, hell, once the famous D mutha F'n Fuse comes on, this place is gonna come ALIVE! The room gets a bit more crowded and I take the decks (insert the theme to Space 2001 here) only to find-guess what- no one moving, not even bobbing their heads. I take a quick walk around the room and check for vital signs, yes, everyone still breathing. Dammit! I play for the next hour and a half to temporary moments of half-hearted energy, and am decently happy when it's finally time to close. I wave off invitations from Grayarea to grab more drinks at a late night club and get the hell back to my room. No disrespect to the promoters of the night, I know they work hard to bring a quality Thurs. night event, maybe this just ain't my room. To all my good hearted Chicago listeners, tune into my set on Q101 every Saturday night at 10:00pm, we'll see what happens when I return.

October 12, 2003
Planeta Bar Real, San Antonio, TX

Past shows I've done for Redline productions have been good, aside from chronic hotel mishaps (they've tried unsuccessfully to stick me with The Days Inn twice), so I'm ready for tonight. It's a Sunday night so I'm wondering how tonight is gonna be. We show up to the venue which is huge, it must hold at least 1,500 people, and that's a lot of space to fill. I's looking a little less than half full, but people are slowly trickling in. But it's not the crowd tha's worrying me, it's the opening DJ. We'll call him "Dr. Speed" and he's banging the place with mind-numbing music full of bleeps, squeaks, sirens, and the occasional overdone throwback sample from the 90s. Exactly two people are dancing (I counted), the dance floor is lined with people showing appreciation of his set by sitting on speakers and leaning against walls. You think this response would get Dr Speed to change things up and play for the floor, instead it only strengthens his resolve to play even harder. Brilliant. It gets to be my time to hit the decks, and I anxiously crowd the decks to get this guy off and end the insanity. In an effort to reset the room , I let the music go to silence for a complete minute before I start my first record, to which the place erupts and the dancfloor fills. I move from pumpin' house through progressive and end with epic trance. Even though the club wasn't full the crowd acted like it was Saturday night out, and I truly appreciate it. It was good talking to everyone who hung out by the booth after the show. Thanks San Antonio.

October, 2003
Kabal, Kansas City, KS

Now this is what I call treatment, I arrive, get checked into my hotel, and get treated to an hour long massage by Message Therapist Tionna. THE best massage I've had to date. A she was cool enough to make it to the show afterwards. Highly recommended if you're ever in KC. We show up to the venue and start with some drinks. Opening DJ and resident Paul is playing a killer set of funky, pumpin progressive the likes of which I wanna trainspot. And everyone around is coming up to say hi and to welcome me to my first show in KC. Local producers Ebon are hanging out as well. Even the owners are tending bar, pouring 'em strong and wearing cowboy hats, and at least 6 other people on the floor are sportin' it cowboy style as well. Lovin' the support! The club has a minimal set up, but still has a warm, friendly feel because of the people. The light show is nicely minimal as well, and the sound system sounds crisp and punchy. I take the decks to a full and nicely worked dance floor and do my thing. The drum lights em' up as I keep the progressive funk vibe going. I have a bit of a challenge mixing tonight but cover for it sufficiently. End with the lights full up and everyone dancing and singing the lyrics to "NYD". A truly memorable moment! I drink a few too many jagers and agree to join everyone for a little after party. At the after party my excessive jager consumption hits me and I stick to shot-gunning water and talking politics in the kitchen I'm driven home an hour later for some sleep. Hats off to Kabal nightclub and everyone involved in bringing a quality dance scene into KC.

May 31, 2003
Tantra Sutra, San Diego, CA

Now San Diego has been a bit of a sore spot for me. In the past I've been booked on odd nights by promoters and expected to fill the club with the cards stacked against me (much luv 2 ya Pauli!). Now a lot of crowds in San Diego are way more into looking good and hooking up than giving a rat's ass about the music, but tonight was different. Clayton of Polka Dot productions throws a fat party that contains the "see and be seen" element, but I'll be damned if some serious D:Fuse heads weren't in the house as well! The place was packed. Hotties, and I mean HOTTIES everywhere swinging to the music, a bumpin' sound system, solid visuals, and THE best vibe I've seen in San Diego. Nice! Thomas Michael followed-up with the closing set and decided to start with a pumpin' house number with the lyrics "suck my dick, suck my mutha f'in dick" over and over. Only thing was, the chicks were lovin' it. Now if I could only find that record... Time to collect my papers and prepare for a 7am flight. Ouch.

October 25, 2003
El Paso, TX

I'm wondering just who is going to make it out to a Thursday night before Halloween. I'm thinking it ain't gonna be pretty. The promoters are nice enough and take care of my hospitality rider stuff for the hotel (which everyone seems to forget) I gotta get my spring water and powerbars at the hotel!!!! Not the show people!!! And no brown M&M's dammit!!!! There's no room service at the Courtyard Marriot they've put me at, but it's got a balcony with a great view of the Juarez and El Paso skyline, which is quite beautiful. Who needs food when you've got an iced down bottle of Pinot Grigio anyway? I answer some emails and get to the venue. We walk into the mainroom which is a bit slow but small, so the vibe is workable. The resident is playing a very cool, chill set of house, and a saxophone player is backing him up nicely. It's going well until the sax player decides to hit it "hot jazz" style and rips a solo too close to the microphone. My eardrums begin rattling in place, the whole bar squints in disbelief at the decibels as the speakers blow. What is left coming out of the smoking stacks is something that sounds like pure muffled mud. With only minutes left before I'm supposed to take the decks, the promoter closes the upstairs room and moves everything to the basement, a club called Therapy. It's a cool little place with low ceilings where the tables all resemble hospital beds and the cocktail waitresses are dressed like naughty little nurses that need to give ol D his medication. Dirty. I digress. The DJ is playing some solid house but is then forced by the owner into playing hip-hop which worries me a bit. As I take the decks, however, the place around the floor and the booth fills and the entire bar starts to move. There are lots of smiles in the room, and I start the first of the set playing lots of housey classics mixed with some new stuff. I move into trance later in the night. All in all, a very fun show. And lots of cuties in the house as well, bonus! After the set, I chat a bit and then beeline for the hotel. Got a 7am flight in the morning to LA...

October 31 31, 2003
Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

Been looking forward to this show for a while. The main theme of the room is Dante's Inferno, so I''ve decided to spin in a Pope costume. Promoter Mark Burton has been working hard putting this show together and getting the word out, and from the amount of calls I receive begging for guest list slots I figure he's done a good job. We get to the hotel where hospitality coordinator and all-around cutie Summer has set up the room with a load of goodies, all my rider stuff, and a fine bottle of champagne. They've set us up in a nice suite with a beautiful view of Hollywood and the greater LA skyline. I can already tell it's gonna be a good night! Jenni has come with me, and SF friends Scott and Shannon have also made the drive. Austin's own Terry (T-dog) also grabs a flight in. We get our costumes on, have some drinks in the room with DJ Eve and Alex, and head down to the party. It's amazing, over 90% of the people in attendance have dressed up, and the costumes are great. The people who stole the show by far were a group of about 10 people who all dressed up like a basketball team of the 70's, complete with white short shorts, headbands, and wristbands. One was dressed like a referee and every now and then they would all huddle around her and do the tip-off. Hilarious. It's raining in LA tonight, which usually causes power outages and generally causes the city to panic, but a good size crowd is filling the hotel anyway. Superchumbo opens the night, his set has some nice moments, but he's banged it a bit tonight, and I'll have to bring things down a bit to start my journey. I take the decks in my costume, play Gregorian chant music and don my big pope hat. This throws the crowd a bit, but when I hit the drum a little bit they realize it's really me. I play some funky house to a luke warm reception. Luckily, I've packed some classics in my bag tonight -it's Halloween after all- and launch into a house remix of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" this wakes them up as I move into a "Let it Whip" remix and on into Spacedust "Music Sounds Better with You". The main ballroom is now filled to capacity and going absolutely crazy. I dedicate the 2nd half of my set to modern pumping trance and mix into "NYD" to close the night. The room is still rocking, and I'm smiling ear to ear. What a night. It's getting into the first verse of the song, everyone is screaming, when the fire marshal so nicely decides to show up and tell me to turn it off "NOW!!!" I oblige immediately to the sounds of boos. No-one can believe they've shut it down like this, and everyone keeps screaming for more. No luck. Mister fire gestapo is firm. The place isn't THAT crowded, it looks more like h's just upset people are actually having fun. How dare them!!!! Such a disappointing way to end the night, but whatcha gonna do. We head back to the room, after party till the sun comes up among friends, and call it a great Halloween. I've got studio work with the great Pete Lorimer tomorrow, gotta get some sleep!