FOOD, DRINK, & RESTUARANT ISSUE
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MAG Music | Fashion | Culture
APRIL 2013 ISSUE Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Andre LaMont Managing Editor LD Price Production Manager Polo Conway Contributing Photographers Doug Schwarz Andre LaMont Advertising/Marketing Muve Media STAY CONNECTED. www.MuveMag.com facebook.com/MuveMagazine twitter.com/MuveMagazine soundcloud.com/MuveMagazine CONTACT US Contact@MuveMag.com
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______________________ From the desk of: LD Price
Etiquette.
It’s a simple word. Something that a lot of people think is reserved for golf courses and snobby, members only clubs. Some think that it is reserved for a dinner table where there are salad forks and five course meals. In Oklahoma City, the word and its overall meaning is needed in an area that effects all that venture out on the weekends; the nightclub scene. For about two months now, I have been sitting on this editorial and whether or not it needed to see the light of day. I actually erased it a time or two, but I felt as though it was something that needed to be said (even if no one else wanted to say it at all). Okay, I get it. Everyone works hard all week and the hard earned money you make should entitle you to some “cut loose” time. I get it, trust me. If I’ve learned anything in my time at my place of employment, I’ve learned that the party is a party when we are all having fun and forgetting about how hard we worked on the Monday through Friday grind. That’s why I have come up with some funny, yet serious guidelines that I laughingly refer to as “The Club Commandments”. Remember, humor is the first thing you should use when reading, not emotion.
THE CLUB COMMANDMENTS • If you come out to the club looking to maybe find a guy or girl to get to know and date, dress your best. Dressing your best doesn’t just mean you get into the “super exclusive” clubs, it means you want to show someone you at your best. • Let stuff slide. If someone bumps into a couple times on the dance floor that is obviously packed, let it slide man. Just because a guy’s booty touches yours doesn’t mean you are meant to pick out curtains together. (Can’t help but hear the Chris Rock “smudged your Puma” line right now). • If you are 21 and it is your first time in a club, don’t inhale your booze. Bad things happen to good people. Namely, the good people get bad throw up on their Puma’s. • Flat brimmed hats are not hot fellas. Ladies, neither is spandex. Let’s just admit this to ourselves and learn from it. I don’t mind the short skirts but if I can see everything including birth canal when you bend over to pick up your keys, there might be an issue. And guys, I am sure that someone told you that you have a nice butt, but not everyone wants to see it. • If you can’t dance, that’s okay! Just shift weight from side to side and know how much space you have to work with. Just because you see dancers in “videos” twerking, doesn’t mean you need to start. Remember: Bad things happen to good people. You don’t want to be in pain the next morning because you pulled a groin or twerked your back. No bueno. • The DJ is not a jukebox. He has no slot to put quarters in and get the same song over and over and over. Just going to have to deal with it. Good DJ’s will play a fun/popular song twice in a night anyways. Get to know him/her. Hell, buy them a drink. They are corruptible too! • Your bartender is not UNICEF. They don’t work for charitable reasons. They make a dime and nickel more than two dollars an hour and have made you 5 drinks. Show them some love folks because without your bartenders, there would BE no club and you would get punch and cookies. Period. • Security is not there to ruin a good time. If security needs to talk to you, it might not be for a bad reason. They may just want to tell you that you have toilet paper on your heel or that you might need to pull your pants up. It is their job to make sure that no turds get in the punch bowl to ruin the fun. Don’t be the turd in the punch bowl. • Respect. It is a simple concept. You want to have fun. She wants to have fun. We can all have fun without getting into fights or throwing drinks at one another. You’re pride isn’t that hurt when a woman says she isn’t interested or a guy says he won’t buy you a drink. • Don’t procrastinate. If you wait until the last minute, you might miss out. Whether it be on getting in before the VIP list shuts off or showing up at the karaoke booth with 10 minutes left before closing. If you show up earlier, you might get what you want. When I go out on the town, I try to have as much fun as possible and take a lot of enjoyment in getting to know cool, like-minded people as me. Is the night going to be perfect? Never. But I can tell you that I have had the best times of my adult life being in a bar or club where the dance floor is packed and full of people just having a great time. Don’t worry if you didn’t get a number or didn’t take someone home, because there are other fish in the sea. Don’t worry if you drank too much vodka; that’s what Tylenol and sleep are for. And don’t worry if some guy stepped on your foot, smudging your Puma’s; they are just shoes. Just think of how much fun you had and do it again next week. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Now, with that being said, let’s have a damn good weekend folks. We deserve it. LDP
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MUSIC_________________________________ GRINDING HEAVY DJ HEAVYGRINDER p. 8 48 HOURS TO LIVE KATIE WICKS p. 12 FIGURED AS MUCH SUBKULTURE EVENT REVIEW p. 18
FASHION_______________________________ MORE THAN ELECTRO JOJO ELECTRO p. 22
CULTURE_______________________________ EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE FEATURING CHRIS SKER p. 36
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GRINDING HEAVY
HEAVYGRINDER HeavyGrinder is capturing the attention of audiences worldwide. Spain ( Ibiza ), Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico have been key international stops for this talent so far. In the Los Angeles club scene alone, she has played at most notable venues including Key Club, Highlands, Century Club, Avalon, Sunset Room and White Lotus. When she’s not playing in her hometown, HG is regularly headlining events across the United States at some of the biggest clubs and has performed in cities from Anchorage to Washington D.C., and Atlanta back to Honolulu as well as dozens of cities in between. Whether it’s a DJ performance, a mix CD release or her efforts in music production, HG continues to demonstrate why she has an ever-growing fan base around the world.
What was like growing up in Seattle? I only lived there till I was 5 years old but it was fun as far as Ican remember.
What was your last job before becoming a touring international DJ? I worked at a coffee independent clothing store.
shop
and
What prompted the move to LA? My mother wanted to move back to the states when I was 13. Been living here since.
You’ve had tremendous success with your production releases? Is there an Album in the works?
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I am working on various projects and collaborations. Not an album butmight be in the near future.
I wanted to be a singer. haha. So practically a musician.
Do you have a piece of studio gear that you can’t live without?
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My laptop which has all of my music programs. Ableton, FL, logic, etc. Where can we catch a DJ set from you? What’s in your playlist right now? Tons of metal + electro remixes.
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What’s next for Heavygrinder? I would like to take things to another level with my production and incorporate more metal/screamo/heavy sounds. ______________________________ facebook.com/djheavygrinder soundcloud.com/djheavygrinder
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48
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LIVE with Katie Wicks
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What’s the first thing on your to-do-list.? Well, I obviously only have 48 hours to live and the life I had before that definitely didn’t have a TO DO LIST. Haha. If only i would have been that organized. Honestly, I think I’d start of with “HOLY FUCK DUDE, IM LIKE TOTALLY DYING IN 48 HOURS” . I’ll probably post a comical Facebook/ Twitter post along the lines of “so i have 48 hours to live and as more time goes by I’m getting closer to literally being dead, serious”. Hopefully get some laughs and maybe some crazy plans happening. Also I’ll post it on a forum and watch all the strangers give no fucks, cause hey, that’s what the internet is about and i don’t want to die forgetting that. I think making it public for one is key because, i don’t want
to be dead and then someone ask about me later and get the horrifying news of my death and then feel terrible they didn’t know. I’m doing peoples feelings a favor which is something I like doing while I’m still alive and kicking. I guess after publicly announcing it, I’d rent a bus, maybe even 4, and cart everyone that wants to be apart of my life the last few days around with me and we will do just about anything you can do. Like, you know, the generic sky diving and eating weird shit kind of stuff. Of course I’d spend the last day all to myself and my lover at the time. I feel like thats the most intimate time you’ll ever be together (yeah yeah mushy stuff, but get
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real I’m dying mythically here). Man, you know even given this question its like I’m almost questioning my whole life this is actually pretty motivating! I’d hope that after i am gone, the music files I never got around to finishing get completed or even released some years later and people can relive my moments. I also hope that someone opens a Cat Farm after me and fosters all the cats that need love. It also wouldn’t just be cats but other animals too. Anyways back to the bus rides and stuff
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i didn’t really elaborate on that idea. If any of you reading want on my league of buses when I die this is probably a short list of what we will do: 1. Find Gene Rodenberry’s grave and lay my TNG comm badge replica next to it. (Santa Monica) 2. Eat the best BBQ ever 3. Fly in an AC-130 4. Take tallies on what other crazy random shit id be able to have time for.
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How do you want to go?
Do you have any deathbed confessions?
So i get to choose how i go? Well, honestly, I would want it to be in my sleep, but I never sleep really so that’s out of the question. I guess I’d just want to have a quick heart/brain hemorrhage in unison so it’s just like, “EH ,BOOM”, done, she’s dead. I mean, that seems like the only cool thing doctors would be able to predict that would cause my death. I don’t want to be deemed as dying of cancer or something that seems to be the normal way to go now and i am actually quitting smoking so id be so pissed!!!
I would have SO MANY deathbed confessions, but I’m saving those for the death pillow talk ill be having. I can’t spoil my own death. What’s your last meal? A mix of thai, bbq, pizza, and a pot luck with all my food allergies so i could actually get to use my EPI pen. Who delivers your Eulogy? Everyone. Everyone should write at least a
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bit of something about me, even if its bad, I am not going to care! What are people saying over your casket? You know, I would actually prefer not to know. I hope people know how happy with my life I was. Happiness is definitely something i will not lose in this whole death ordeal and i just want people to have a great time with me and be happy! What Band is playing your funeral and why?
Warrant, because “cherry pie� then any of my friends in bands, if they want to throw down they are totally welcome to. I hope my funeral lasts a few days like a crazy festival of people being crazy and having a good time. What does your tombstone header say? 404 error Because, hopefully i will be available again in the future but it is not a guarantee ______________________________ facebook.com/heykatiewicks soundcloud.com/crystalvision
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FIGURED AS MUCH
SUBKULTURE
EVENT REVIEW
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I found IDL Ballroom nestled at the corner of East 1st street and South Detroit Avenue in the Tulsa entertainment district. The event was breaming with bright eyed dance music enthuisiast, primed to set the night on fire. A kaleidoscope of colors blanketed the crowd from the laser lights poised above while they danced to the infectious tunes delivered by DotEXE. Fresh from touring with Krewella, he blanketed Tulsa with an amalgamation of engaging tunes.
The moment Figure took center stage the audience’s energy became effervescent. Figure fed their energy with bassbin throwbacks, low end growls and aggressively krisp drums. The signature sound that he is internationally known for. His DJ set ran the gamut of dance music’s grittest and grimmiest tunes. Infused with perpetual energy and turntable dexterity, he yielded a playlist that drove the densely packed dance floor into a riot. The crowd held on to each crescendoing snare build,
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beckoning the inevitable drop of low frequency madness. Upon completed of his set the crowd stormed the stage. The crowd stormed the stage to deliver a proper Oklahoma welcome to Figure. Subkulture had delivered.
focused on Break Beats and House Music. SR released Agent K’s “Start the Panic!” shortly after thier label began. Since then Subkulture has held strong to delivering dynamic shows at countless nightlife destinations.
Subkulture was founded in 2003 by DJ, Designer and Promoter Gerry Westby. Rooted in Tulsa, Subkulture began as an independent record store specializing in EDM clothing, vinyl, CD’s and Nightlife merch. In 2005 the brand launched Subkulture Records. The imprint
Subkulture’s next nightlife endeavor will present DJ Shadow to Tulsa on Friday May 10th at The IDL Ballroom. For more info touch base with www.iamsubkulture.com
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______________________________ facebook.com/heykatiewicks soundcloud.com/crystalvision
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W W W . M U V E M A G . C O M
MUSIC FASHION CULTURE
WHAT MUVES YOU?
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JOJO ELECTRO is a global brand of apparel and merchandise inspired by the late nights, djs, nightclubs, record labels, fashion, and music of the electronic dance music scene worldwide. It isn’t a company dedicated to “electro” music, like some have asked. Their name just happens to have the word “electro” in it. This is by design. The word “electro” means many things to many people, but is generally associated with fun nights out on the town, clubbing with friends, loud music, big bass speakers, house parties, and maybe even visions of your favorite dj. They chose the word “electro” because it means the same thing in every country and it doesn’t need to be translated. 22 | M U S I C
In addition to their own line of apparel and merchandise, their goal has always been to team up with influential people in the global scene and do collaborations with them. They strive to cover all genres of EDM in whatever they do and whomever they do it with. If it’s house, techno, dubstep, drum and bass, trance or even electro, then JOJO ELECTRO hopes to be involved somehow. The brand is passionate about what they do and have created items that have relevance and appeal. Support those who support electronic dance music. JOJO ELECTRO believes
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EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE WITH
CHRIS SKER 36 | M U S I C
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Founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1992, Us Against Them, better known as UAT, was a street-level crew that was formed on the love of the Underground. Cofounded by CODAK, David HEK and Chris SKER, UAT Krewe’s main focus was to represent the subcultures of graffiti, techno and hip-hop. Shortly after its inception, the crew started to expand, establishing a core membership of B-Boys, graffiti writers, and DJs. In 1993, SKER produced the first UAT party, an all-night/ afterhours affair that featured DJs from Tulsa and OKC, and fit into the then-brand-new “rave” scene. With a strong do-it-yourself ethic, a tight crew, and a unique vision, UAT went on to become one of the greatest names in the 1990’s underground rave/party scene in Oklahoma. 38 | C U LT U R E
SKER originally wanted to bring what he saw occurring in other neighboring states to Oklahoma. Chris states, “By 92, we were already doing roadtrips to Dallas and Kansas City, going to key early raves and clubs there. I wanted to recreate the same kind of vibe here. I believed Oklahoma needed that, and I believed that we could do it.” SKER’s passion for UAT led him to produce, promote and host dozens of events over the years. Starting with Kinko’s flyers and local DJs, the parties increased in size and scope, until UAT was able to hire headlining DJs from the coasts. Extensive street-level promotions, amazing stylish flyers, and a knack for choosing key DJs from the Midwest and local scenes, led to UAT parties earning a solid reputation. Chris remembers that “I started with my first four parties in Tulsa, then I moved to the 405 and from 95 until 99, UAT parties were all in OKC (plus a few in
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Norman). We would regularly have heads drive from Dallas and Kansas City, Fayetteville, Still water and of course Tulsa would posse up to the parties. For years, attendance levels of 600 – 700 was typical for these all-night parties, with the biggest UAT event topping off at 1,100 heads. This was all accomplished in conjuction with a strong OKC scene overall, thanks to the hard work of other key party promoters at the time. The mid-late-90s was the heydays, thanks to hardworking and skilled promoters like Ed Smith, Jeremy Dawson, Frank McCright, Steve Hernandez, and many others. There were several party crews throwing numerous events, like Pozitribe, World Wide Soul Tribe, Star 7 crew, EBM crew, CloudKids, BGC Lush, Raver Supply, Enfilade, Mark Zero, Massive Q, the list goes on. We had an incredible scene then, all based on techno-house DJ
MODEL: JAY BUFKIN
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parties that were non-alcohol, mostly one-off events in some crazy space, and went til dawn.” For the past 20 years UAT has adhered to providing Oklahoma with dynamic events, while sufficiently remaining rooted in its core belief: Represent Correctly. UAT officially ‘retired” in 1999, with a party called “BoomBox” which was “a great success,” recalls SKER. “There were 450 heads including folks from Dallas, and it felt great to go out with a bang and get that love one more time from everyone.” SKER produced and promoted parties heavily in the 405 until 1999, when he and his wife moved to Los Angeles after the birth of their first daughter. The couple moved back to Tulsa in 2001, so there was a 3-year span where he produced no events. But once back in his old home town, the bug bit him again, as SKER surveyed the scene
and made plans for his return. Adapting his promotions to the post-rave scene, he launched successful long-running club parties such as The Down Lounge and Smoov, which were free parties that focused on house music. Working under the promotion name SK (“Sker Kreativ�), Chris had successfully rebranded himself while still retaining the aura and flavor of UAT. Tulsa had and has a strong scene of key DJs who share a
love of the music, and in this environment SKER was able to stay active in the underground and provide Tulsa with a muchneeded musical dose. In the dance music arena, what was once relevant often loses its potency shortly after it reaches its pinnacle. That statement is true for burgeoning genres that have commandeered notable support today. SKER continues to steady their course with
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nightlife expeditions that reveal in nostalgia but are infused with mordenistic appeal. Chris Sker states, “Being a promoter is about establishing a connection with your crowd. In the OldSkool days, my crew would hit the streets with flyers in hand and build relationships with the people we were handing them to. Promotions in those days was a big endeavor, you had to focus on logistics and group organization. I believe that promoting today is a relic compared to what is was. The term of promoter in those days (for UAT anyway) meant hiring sound & lights, renting and paying for a venue, designing and printing full color double sided flyers and handing those out (in person), booking DJs and finally paying everyone after the event was over. Promoters put THEIR OWN WALLETS on the line in those days. Today, you are
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considered a “promoter” if you spend $150 for some DJs for a nightclub and make a Facebook event. Sending out thousands of invites on Facebook doesn’t build a connection with your crowd. I can’t be upset at the way things have progressed. Kids today don’t know what the OldSkool was like, they don’t know how we used to do things. You can’t be mad at a fourth grader for not understanding trigonometry, It’s up to you to teach them trigonometry so that they can comprehend what you are talking about.” SKER recently began work with DJ SNAP to develop on an Oklahoma Archive Website dedicated to the OldSkool. Due to launch by October, the site
will be called OK Represent. “The site is a labor of love, in reverence to all the people that experienced the OldSkool scene and still have love for those days and those events and those memories. It’s also a conduit of enlightenment, like a library
collection, for the youthful fans of that culture today. So that the younger people can see how we did things, see what we accomplished, see how big and how amazing and how fresh our scene used to be.” Over the decades, SKER and SNAP amassed massive collections of rave & club flyers, mix tapes, graffiti photos, and other memorabilia. Now with this website, anyone who wants to will be able to browse, listen, enjoy, reminisce, and
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learn. SKER laughs, “My wife’s definitely happy, there’s finally a good reason for me saving all those tons of boxes of flyers and tapes for so long!”
show on the projector screens. SKER says there will be tickets on sale in OKC, so look for that information by late summer.
“We started collecting flyers and mixtapes because that was our stuff and we liked it, it was fresh and so full of style. Now I’m doing this website because I want to preserve these images and these happenings, and present it for other people to enjoy. If we don’t talk about it, it’s almost like it never happened, you know. I don’t live in the OldSkool, but I like to visit there. And I know there are a slew of others out there who share the same sentiments.”
Chris SKER will also host ‘Decked Out 2.0’ on Saturday July 13th at Colour in Tulsa. It’s a group art show with about 20 artists, each doing their work on a blank skateboard deck. Expect an amazing list of artists from coast to coast, covering styles from fine art to graffiti to tattoo to abstract and design. The opening night event was a huge success the first time around, and SKER says he’d love to see some more OKC folks make the trip. The show is a benefit fundraiser for SKERs daughter’s special needs trust.
UAT is scheduled to host a very special 20th Anniversary Reunion Party in Tulsa in the fall. The event will be a throwback affair, with a modern feel. Expect a limited size, focusing on quality and style. Key DJs from the OldSkool scene will be spinning (all vinyl of course), while streams of old party flyers and photos
You can keep up with SKER at HYPERLINK “http://www.skpromo.com” www.sk-promo. com. As of print time, the site is not updated recently, but you can expect a full update after June 1. This will be the site to get information on UAT20 and Decked Out 2.0, and other events down the line (such as the
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9th Annual Red party, coming in November). Chris SKER heralded the UAT Krewe from 1993 until 2009, meanwhile establishing Sker Kreative/SK to his events roster and producingDJ/club events in Tulsa since 2003. He still produces his annual Red party each November, while organizing art shows. He also does art (murals and graphic design) professionally for a number of clients, and still to this day you can find him in the graffiti yards getting up. SKER Shout-Outs : Giant Love to my amazing wife LADY MIZ; Super Respect to my brother my main man HEK; Props to my UAT Krewe boys CODAK, DEFIANT, D.J.P, DUCKY, D-RANGE, MEEK, SEIKO, SRVLNC and ZEN. Shouts to my people DJ SNAP, Big Todd, JB, AWHIZ, EVOL-M, Squirt D, EAST, GEAR, Ed Crunk, Jeremy Dawson, DJ Love, Krisp-E, BIAS, ERATIK, RHAK, Jef Diamond, Steve Morton, Action, Tony Aco, Li’l Melanie, Morgan Freeman, ENTAKE, MANIK, Chris Que, Tiny T; Respect goes out to the Tulsa crew DJ Moody, JOKER, Kartel. Chill, A.B., Darren K, Jitsu, Evolve, Matt Lip, Ish, BSON, Rachel, CAM. Huge thanks to Andre for the magazine shine!! Major Props to all those that are still doing their thing, and everyone who represents our music and our scene.
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