Friday, July 17, 2009 - 09:00 AM - Tampa DJ Blog log entry by DJ Frontier

INTO THE DIGITAL AGE

Can you believe that it has been almost twelve years since my last release, which was Party Zone RMX? It's also been almost seven years since I last DJ'ed an event (I had a miserable experience DJ'ing a wedding in December 2002. I spent the summer of 2003 in my very own "DJ school" auditing every Tampa wedding DJ, assisting Marlon Brown with his wedding DJ gigs, and then took a break to focus on my photography career. What I've learned as one of the top photographers in Florida will greatly enhance my DJ career, and it's time to resume that career while working my photography career, too. Oh, and I will say that my friend Marlon is still the best Tampa wedding DJ, hands down!) My, how technology has changed since the good old days. It looks like I have all this down to a science now, much like my mastery of photography, and my continued success as a professional photographer.
Regardless of what I've said earlier in this Tampa DJ Blog (and I've hardly had a chance to really look over what I have written), some things have been decided. Listen up, people, here is the rundown, as of now.
Eventi Events will once again become the core Passinault.Com company sometime in 2010. I know that I said 2009, but I've been really busy working on something important. This something will drive my photography business as well as my event planning business. It will also drive my re-launched DJ career next year.
Since 1994, I produced roughly a dozen GEN 3 Cassette Program Releases (mix tapes) under the name of DJ Frontier. While I know that I have stated in the past that these releases will stay in archive, and won’t be re-released, I’ve changed my mind. I haven’t heard many of those releases myself in years (one of my girlfriends and I listened to one back in 2003, and I think that Lowie and Roxy obtained some copies in 2002), and they are quite entertaining; everyone deserves access to them. I’ve gone over the list, and of those, ten are classics. I dumped the country “mix tape” release and the new age release, Aurora, from the lineup. Both of them I consider to be mis-steps, done to appease pressure from the public (advice to DJ’s- do your own thing. Start caving to public pressure, and you won’t love what you do; your work won’t be its best, either). The country music release was done because it was requested, and it really wasn’t my thing (Country music is my kryptonite, and it will put me in a bad mood rather quickly). The new age release, although it had awesome music, was just that- music. There were really very little structure or samples, from what I recall, and I didn’t say much because the target audience didn’t want to hear me talk (or so I thought. This one girl didn’t want to hear me talk, but talk I shall. The girl hated Party Zone 3, too, which was one of my most popular releases, and that speaks volumes about her tastes, and ultimately, the source). Well, Aurora will be up for the remix treatment, and it will be done right in the near future.
At any rate, the ten which were left will be converted to a digital audio format and re-released as MP3 programs. With the production technology that I now have, all the releases will now have new covers made, too, which will be image files formatted for IPods and printing. This work will cut my teeth on the new GEN 5 technology that we will be using for future releases.
GEN 3 to GEN 5? What’s missing here? GEN 4, that’s right! We skipped right over that generation in the past decade. GEN 4 releases, which almost went into production back in 2000, were CD releases with professionally designed CD covers. That technology is now mostly obsolete.
I have a Sony audio cassette dubbing deck in the studio, which hasn’t been used since the studio was commissioned ten years ago, and after I get it cleaned, it’ll be hooked to a computer and given one final run. This could happen as early as this week. The master tapes will be digitized, and I’m thinking full audio file treatment for digital masters, with no compression. Obviously, these files will be huge. After the digital masters are created, the tape masters will be returned to archive, and the digital files will be adjusted. I will them create high quality MP3 files of the releases. Each CPR is 90 minutes, with 45 minutes for each side of the program. Each release will be done as two parts, with an MP3 file for each side. Obviously, I will have to come up with a new format for GEN 5 releases (or perhaps not- I have not decided yet, as the 90 minute format has served me well- the MP3 program parts can be converted into CD audio files with a program such as Nero, and burned to CD’s. Since a CD can hold around 70 minutes of audio, 20 minutes short of a 90 minute release, and I know from experience that anything less than 90 minutes is pushing my program flow, you have to figure two CD’s by default. Why waste the extra space? Future releases will range anywhere from 90 to 140 minutes, and I am fine doing 140 minute programs. Actually, that would be rather interesting- releases which are more than an hour and a half, and push two hours and twenty minutes. I will have to program GEN 5 releases with two CD’s in mind for those who want to burn the program to CD’s. More goodness for my fans! For the record, I have done 100 minute releases in the past, but the extra audio tape didn’t play well in all audio cassette players. 100 minutes never became a standard. I did toy with 180 minute releases on two tapes, but tapes are bulky, and can become separated. Many people would have ended up with half a release when they lost one of the tapes. I don’t see this being an issue if fans burn their own CD’s).
Each GEN 3 digital edition will have a “cover” image file set and a text file for acknowledgments and credits, etc, which will support the old Z card inserts that the GEN 3 release were famous for. Obviously, the new GEN 5 releases will carry on that old tradition.
So, which releases are scheduled for re-release? Here they are, and I’ve included notes on them, as well as pointing out which ones are my favorites.

1. Futura
The 22nd release - June 1994
The first GEN 3 release, Futura was supposed to be a companion (Sidekick release) to a television series that I was developing with the same name as that time. In 1993, while I was obtaining equipment for my new Geomedia One studio (The name Geomedia was not trademarked by another company at that time, and even if it were, I would not have been able to check it, since I did not have a computer or the Internet back then), I decided to drop the DJ Wiz Kid name and become DJ Frontier. Futura was my “comeback” release, the first as DJ Frontier, and the first release with professional production standards, 3D audio, and CD-sourced music. GEN 3 releases pushed analog audio cassette technology to its limits (limits which would again be challenged four years later when they were not good enough to pull off Rush Hour). Futura had a lot of electronica and top 40 music arranged in the release.
Oh, and Futura also was the reason that I started a photography company, which makes me money to this day. We shot a cover for the release on June 10, 1994, at Lowry Park; my first shoot! Karen, my then-future sister in law, was our photographer, and I directed.
Futura was done by myself and a girl who I was teaching to DJ, Nicole Angel (DJ Cricket). Nicole was also my very first model!
I like Futura, but it is not one of my favorites. It is a solid release, with many new concepts highlighted, but it’s a little stiff for my tastes. Oh, and DJ Cricket had a really high pitched, annoying voice (according to some, as I thought it was ok). People bitched about that, as I recall. I will expect the people of the near future to also complain, once the release is out there again. You cannot please everyone.
Futura was a good demonstration of what was to come, and it was a successful debut of some unique, and effective, technology. The 3D sound, for example, was technology developed for my interactive theme events. Once encoded, the 3D mastered programs could reproduce the full sound out of normal stereo speakers, with no sweet spot for the 3D sound field. All GEN 3 CPR’s were encoded in this 3D audio technology (I used it once at a live event in 2000, and it caused a nasty feedback loop when I tried to introduce someone, which annoyed the crowd. Keep in mind that the 3D technology is not ideal for live performances where you use a microphone, but rather artificial environments and audio programs, where you can keep it under control).

2. Party Zone 2
The 23rd release - July, 1994
Ah, now we’re talking. The follow-up to my hit, 1991's GEN 2 dance mix Party Zone, was really creative, and it further flexed my GEN 3 production technology muscle. Party Zone 2 was my first true dance mix, made possible with my new Peavey 7032 DJ mixer (I now own two mixers/ sound boards for event work- I still use that 7032, which is in perfect condition). Party Zone 2 was better than the original Party Zone, which was made with jump cuts and equipment which wasn’t that great (GEN 1 and 2 releases were made with a double tape deck dubbing boom box, stacks of cassette tapes, and a $15.00 microphone from Sears; the difference with GEN 2 releases were more planning and crude covers made with copy machines. That boom box was later destroyed by Samantha and a tube of toothpaste. When preparing for GEN 3, I decided to get real equipment, and it took a while. GEN 3 releases were done with professional, but still analog, equipment. I had several CD players, an expensive cassette deck, a Sony dual cassette dubbing deck, a Peavey 7032 DJ mixer, an SRS AK-100 3D audio retrieval system, a Shure XLR microphone, and miles of professional grade, shielded cable. GEN 3 releases also had color covers made with text print-outs and laser copiers, that looked professional, but were designed and laid out by hand), and it used a lot of samples from video games, namely Sega CD games like Night Trap and Sonic CD. This release also had some leftover samples from Nicole during our production of Futura. Party Zone 2 was a decent program, but it never quite gelled right, in my opinion. I can’t give specifics, because it has been a long time since I’ve listened to it, but I recall a revenge subtext to it, and the anger clashed with the music. I recall something along the lines of a “hurricane of anger” described in a monologue, or perhaps that is how I visualized the cover. At the time, I was still pissed about my party being rioted back in 91 and my life being trashed by my so-called friends, and the bitterness soured my work. Those damn Bridgers.
I needed to learn how to have fun with it again. This would come soon enough. I was about to get up to speed.
Party Zone 2 also suffered from an overall lack of CD’s as a source of music. I didn’t have that many CD’s at the time, and although I was buying them like crazy, it would take time to replace, and retire, my audio cassette library. This said, I do believe that the release was entirely CD-sourced, but I can’t verify it until I listen to it again.
I will be reviewing my releases as I re-release them. More on this later.

3. Horizons RMX
The 24th release - June, 1995

Now this was something cool, and it marked the start of a busy release schedule. In 1995 and 1996, a lot of releases were produced; it was a new golden age of DJ’ing for me. I found my form, and by 1995 had a large CD library to utilize. The original Horizons release, done in November 1990 under my old name of DJ Wiz Kid, was my third release and my first major hit. Horizons RMX was a reworking, and a remix, of the original, with the latest technology and a solid theme this time around. This release was the 24th release, and ironically was also the third GEN 3 release. This one, much like the original, gelled, and became something really special. It became my first big hit as DJ Frontier.
If you get the chance to listen to it, do so. It has a certain something that makes it more than the sum of its parts. It’ll speak to your soul, and it has lots of cool music, too.
Horizons RMX is about the past. It’s also about the future. It’s about getting lost, looking back at the past, working toward the future, and earning redemption. It’s also about forgiveness, and true friendship.
The 3D audio work here is phenomenal, too, especially the helicopter. when it flies around your head. Close your eyes when you hear the helicopter, and you’ll freak out. I remember, while on a break while working at the Bank in the late 1990's, chilling out in my car in the parking lot listening to Horizons RMX. My jaw dropped when that helicopter flew around my head- at least it sounded as if it were there. It was an interesting effect. Who needed drugs when my releases themselves were a trip?
Horizons RMX was in my car tape deck a lot. So were some other upcoming releases.

4. Waveform 3
The 25th release - July, 1995

Another hit, Waveform 3 defined the series and what it was really all about. 1991's Waveform, the 13th release, was about new wave music, and had a lot of music from Devo. The music was cool, but its theme was a little underdeveloped. Waveform 2, the 20th release, also debuted in 1991, and was my last release as DJ Wiz Kid (Didn’t Samantha do the 21st release, Smooth Love, under her DJ Foxx name? Indeed she did!). In that program, I whined and ranted a lot about my rioted party. The music selection was good, but it didn’t have much of a theme, or much direction (some of you will get the chance to hear these oldies, too).
Waveform 3, much like Horizons RMX, found its proper footing. The theme was strong, it had a story, it had characters, and it even had some acting! Waveform 3 had a story, you see, and introduced a character by the name of Washout. Washout was a wannebe surfer who dreamed more than did, and the release had a beach theme to it. Waveform 3 was a massive hit, too, and it is a great one to listen to. Waveform 3 had great music. It also featured samples from 60's beach movies like Beach Blanket Bingo and Beach Party. Also, I have to love the line about that Porter poseur (sigh... a reference to the riot and a lost, so-called friend)! God, I love fake people.........
Waveform 3 had a sequel of sorts in preproduction at the time that the GEN 3 line was taken offline in 1998. That release was Daytona, and it was about Washout and his friend Tobey taking a trip to Daytona Beach to scam on girls and crash parties. The script for Daytona and much of its preproduction prep was done (the script can be read online on some of my web sites, but there are so many of them I couldn’t tell you where off the top of my head. The script for Rush Hour is online, too- somewhere.), and it is scheduled to be produced as a GEN 5 release in the near future. Waveform RMX, a remix of Waveform 3 with more music, was also in preproduction at the end of the GEN 3 era. Waveform RMX is also scheduled for release as a GEN 5 production.
Will there be a Waveform 4? Perhaps, especially since there is probably going to be a Futura 3, a Party Zone 5 (the Party Zone series will possibly be replaced by another property after PZ 5, and this could be the final Party Zone), and a Horizons 5 (Horizons 5 may be renamed New Horizons). Futura 3 is locked because most of the preproduction work was already done near the end of the GEN 3 line, and it was shaping up to be the best Futura release (there may also be a Futura RMX, a remix of both Futura and Futura 2 with new features added). Futura 3 will feature 3 DJ’s, myself included, and it will be a GEN 5 release (so far, GEN 5 is shaping up to go on for years. I can see the 100th release years from now being a GEN 5) . Back in the GEN 4 days, around 2001, when Futura 3 was going to be one of those new-fangled CD releases, I had planned on Futura 3 to feature myself, DJ Shy (Marlon Brown), and model/ dancer Melissa Maxim. I don’t recall if we ever decided on a DJ name for Melissa, but we talked about doing it a lot. My God, that woman had it. She was beautiful, she was a great dancer (she worked at many of the nightclubs in town, tearing up the dance floor as a professional dancer), she was smart and witty, and she had the voice to DJ, as well as the knowledge of dance music. Melissa and I had some sort of falling out, so she is gone (I hope that she is ok, as she was my friend, and still is, wherever she is), but Marlon is still around, so he can be in Futura 3. At any rate, back to the subject of Waveform 3.
Waveform 3 also spawned an indie film script, a feature length movie titled Waveform, so Waveform 4 would probably tie into that storyline as a sidekick release (a sidekick release is a release which ties into and cross-promotes another production property of mine. The term was coined back in the GEN 3 era, fifteen years ago).
Waveform 3 jammed. This was another release that was listened to a lot in my car cassette deck, and there were rumors of people playing this at beach parties of the time.

5. Rebellion
The 26th release - July, 1995

Oh, this release. This was a heavy metal music release, with music from bands like White Zombie and Nine Inch Nails. The cover was interesting, too, because it had Fulgor from the arcade game Killer Instinct (I just played that game the other day, too!). I can’t say much more about this release, because I don’t remember much about it. This girl who I hung out with one night told me that she loved it, but she also told me that she loved me; at any rate, I recall it being a solid release, and not that much of a hit (she was a great kisser, however... Who’d think that you can make out to metal?). I like the music genre, which basically was the theme for the release, but don’t listen to it much. Oh, I remember trying to sound like I was demon-possessed in my monologues, too, which really didn’t work that well. Not one of my favorites- DJ’s, stay in your element, and don’t cater to what others pressure you to do! Expect a full review, soon (again, more on that later).
Fulgor!

6. Party Zone 3
The 27th release - October, 1995

Oh, Party Zone finally found its mark. This was one of my most popular dance mixes of all time, and it became implanted in my car cassette deck almost permanently. Party Zone 3 was constantly playing, and it never got old. It played, literally, for years.
At the time that I produced Party Zone 3, I was planning on re-launching my sorority, Alpha Omega Delta, and my fraternity, Alpha Beta Delta, at USF. As such, I tied in the release to the fraternity and the sorority. Party Zone 3 introduced the sorority mascot, who I created for marketing purpose, Alexis Johnson (Alexis was to be drawn as an anime character and used to market the sorority. Tobey, my fraternity mascot and a character in Daytona, was supposed to market the fraternity... God, I had good ideas even back in 1995!). Eventually, I had to shelve plans on bringing my fraternity and sorority to USF. I still own the rights to them, and often reference them in my stories, novels, and scripts (remember that I was a writer before anything else. I am a published author).
Party Zone 3 was just.... well, fun. I had a lot of fun making it, and it shows.
The music was great. I even recall mixing in Tracy Lords’ hit “Control”. Party Zone 3 had samples from Deep Space Nine, Bachelor Party, and other sources. It moved fast, had a rich atmosphere, and had its share of secrets.
Two girls complained that Party Zone 3 had too much sex in it, or was it sexual references? Well, an analogy of dancing and sex was in the subtext, and you can read whatever is on your mind into it, I suppose. Party Zone 3 did have some sexual innuendos in it, however (Party Zone RMX did not, though). Sex and dancing? Not much of a stretch.
I recall there being a glitch because I stopped one of the CD players during my “performance” (I stopped the wrong CD player to load another CD after I faded over), and Party Zone 3 was more of a constant, sequenced mix than Party Zone 2 was.
Party Zone 3 was a big hit, too. It inspired me to quickly do Party Zone 4, which probably wasn’t a good idea so soon after Party Zone 3.

7. Generation
The 28th release - February, 1996

This was a weird one, but it proved to be a hit. It kind of started with a piece of the original Waveform, and adopted a sci-fi element to it. Generation also reminds me of my DJ Wiz Kid release Back To The Streets (14th release, July 1991), with a sci-fi story and music from a variety of eras.
In the release, I play myself in the future, and meet with one of my researchers in one of my “V.R.” labs, a scientist named Dr. Fabian (also played by me, yes, yes). I remember using futuristic ambient music in the backgrounds of the monologues and the dialogues, the beeping key sounds from a Gameboy, and the splashy explosion sound sampled from the movie Apollo 13 (when the spark explodes in the spacecraft). The researcher hooks me up to a machine, and using subliminals through an optical eyepiece, triggers lucid dreams where I explore the past through my memories. The story was good, and it deserves a sequel in the form of another release (especially now that I am really in the future and have all this information in hindsight. Perhaps DJ Frontier can travel back to the past to meet his younger DJ Wiz Kid alter ego in his mind? I wrote a short story in 1992 which, while a bit dark, could be adapted for Generation 2, which would be a GEN 5 release with more characters and actors).
Generation was a great release, and its story inspired other projects. The basis of the story was adapted for REM, an independent film project which is still in the works, and the character of Dr. Fabian was utilized in other projects.
One thing was for certain. First, with Waveform 3, and then Generation incorporating stories and acting, my releases were in new territory. No other DJ was doing programs like mine. Expect innovations like this to continue with the GEN 5 releases.
Oh, and Generation proved to be a hit. It wasn’t as popular as Party Zone 3, but it had its fans.

8. Futura 2
The 29th release - April, 1996

This sequel to Futura is much better, but a bit worse on some ways. It should have been better, and would have been if it would have been done as planned. DJ Foxx (Samantha), was supposed to help out, but her husband had issues with us working together, and I was stuck with cutting out her part and using samples of our recording session instead. Jeez, Sammy, first the toothpaste in the boom box, and then this? What a hopeless cause.
Futura 2 ended up being a propaganda piece. Pure and simple, it was preachy. It was political. It had way too many opinions. It wasn’t that fun, either. It did, however, have great music and samples, and the program was excellent. It was a hit, and it blew the first Futura out of the water. What still annoys me, however, is the thought that Futura 2 wasn’t all that it could have been.
Ah, yes, and Futura 2 also had subliminals in it. Several hours of messages and suggestions were sped up and cycled through the background. They worked, too.
In Futura 2, I also slammed the media over recent news on a crackdown on raves. I let them have it. I sampled a newscast, and ripped on them.
The really weird part? Eleven years later, I got a job at the same television station, and had to work with the anchors who I sampled for Futura 2. I worked there for a year and a half, and every now and then, I’d smile and think back to Futura 2, and how I was wrong about some of my observations. If only they knew. The irony is still with me. My views about raves are different, now, and the anchors and I got along well.

9. Party Zone 4
The 32nd release - July, 1996

Party Zone 4 was popular, too, but didn’t quite hit the spot like Party Zone 3 did (at least for me). Another mix, with samples from PCU and other sources. Although it was a hit, and a lot of people were into it, I wasn’t happy with it. I wanted a dance mix that would outdo Party Zone 3. It was a good dance mix, but overall, nothing that special.
I do recall some really cool music on Party Zone 4. It might have been better than I recall, and I do remember many people telling me how good it was. Some even went clubbing listening to Party Zone 4.
I’ll have to listen to it again.

10. Party Zone RMX
The 33rd release - 1997 / 1998

Party Zone RMX did it right. It was a remix of Party Zone and Party Zone 2, with lot of cool new stuff. In my opinion, it was better than Party Zone 3!
Party Zone RMX was really cool. It had a lot of great stuff in it, too, such as a sample of a bunch of drunk girls screaming “Don’t touch it Churchboy, it’s evil!”. Gone were the sex analogies and references of Party Zone 3. Party Zone RMX was purely about dancing, and the mix supported dancing. It certainly drove a lot of people to dance, and some elements of it hinted at the possibilities of the future of the release line.
Party Zone RMX was technically the end of the line for GEN 3, and while popular, this was it. It would be a long time before I would get to do anything else like it (right now, twelve years later, I still haven’t).

After Party Zone RMX, I did some work on other GEN 3 releases, but didn’t complete any of them. I worked on Daytona, a follow-up to the story in Waveform 3, Silvertree, a sidekick release for a successful theme event that we did in 1988 with an espionage / spy theme, and Rush Hour, which was 30% completed when I decided to pull the plug.
In 1998, I began working on web sites and bought a lot of equipment, including computers. I also became very serious about my photography, as my web sites would need photographs. At this point, I became sidetracked, and never returned to the GEN 3 CPR projects. It was a transitional time.
In 2000, I did a lot of work preparing for new GEN 4 releases, which would have been completely digitally produced on CD’s, but there were delays. By 2003, I was really into my photography and the modeling industry, so GEN 4 ended before it got off of the ground. As a DJ, I took a break.
Now, in 2009, we are in the digital download generation. I’m going to leapfrog GEN 4 altogether and do GEN 5 releases as MP3 programs, although GEN 5 releases will be backwards compatible with the GEN 4 format, and they can be made into CD’s by the fans.

In the past week, I’ve been meeting with my attorney a lot (mostly about slander and stalking threats made against me). She rolled her eyes when I brought up GEN 5 releases, and then settled down when I told her my plan. I have a plan, and this time, we’re going all the way. So, why am I doing the new releases? Well, there are reasons which I am not at liberty to go into right now, but I can give you a good one. At the end of GEN 3 release line, we were on the verge of something great. I could feel it. Now, without the limitations of dubbing tapes and with the advancement of new technology, there are really no limits to where a new generation of releases can be taken. I really want to push this and see how far it can go.
Going back to ripping the GEN 3 releases to digital MP3 files and re-releasing them, we’re off to a good start. It’ll be a good breaking in period, and I will be able to enhance them to bring them up to their full potential. They will be nothing compared to the new program releases, however.
I have a lot of cool ideas and half-done releases. I have unfinished business which deserves much better.
In closing, I’ve been considering digitally ripping and converting many of my GEN 1 and GEN 2 releases done as DJ Wiz Kid. Back To The Streets and Bitch: The Major Release were quite good, although they had some very explicit content (I did some releases with a lot of cursing and rap music back then). I will say that I am definitely planning a sequel to Bitch, Bitch 2, as a GEN 5 release. It will be more tasteful than its predecessor, though. The original Bitch was a bit crazy, and it crossed the line a lot. That one release is suspected of being the cause of the party riot of November 2, 1991. This said, that one release is extremely funny and entertaining, and it is one of my favorite DJ Wiz Kid releases.
I’d like to hear those older releases, too. I may have to, simply because, sometimes, the only way to prepare to go forward is to study what was done in the past. This is the way to new horizons, and I am excited about what is to come.

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