Booking #100: Dream, NYC

Last night I spun at a party run by a few friends of mine, good people. I played earlier that i would have liked, 11-12 and i walked in and there were 2 people there... But it packed up very quick, big up NYC for coming out before 12:30! I played alot of minimal deep tunes and some really chill rolling tunes, songs by Lynx, Lomax, Do the Math, Mindscape, Chino, Mixmaster Doc, High Contrast, a few Commix tunes... There were 2 MC's from upsdate who were alright, they could rhyme but i'm not sure they knew when not to rhyme, its just as important. I like MC's who can rap, but being an MC for a DnB party is more than rhyming, its about connecting with the crowd, letting them know who they are listening to, alot of people miss those subtle parts. One of the MC's rewound my record when i turned around to get another one. Don't do that. Ever. The AC was broken, which made it rather uncomfortable, but still an enjoyable evening.

Booking #99: Driven AM Showcase 2.0 @ Midway, NYC

This was the 2nd edition of the Driven AM Showcase series at Club Midway. It was a Great night! Musically the night was fantastic and diverse. Great sets all around, and great to see everyone in the place dance to Mixmaster Doc's original stuff, those deep, bass heavy tunes were the highlight of the night for me, alongside Odi's insanity behind the decks, and Strife's excellent selection. I played for 30 minutes from 3:30 - 4:00, its a total blur. i heard i played a really good set, but i don't really remember too much. It was just to short, and my mind was somewhere else at the moment, but it was fun. Really looking forward to the next one with Bachelors of Science, Raw Q and Seen.

Booking #98: Direct Drive @ Midway, NYC

Last night was Direct Drive's return to Saturday nights in NYC. I booked Club Midway for the first Driven AM showcase in July, it went really well and the owners wanted us back, so now we are doing every Saturday night. We were scheduled to be downstairs from 1-4, but there was a band until about 2... So we ended up playing upstairs. I started with about 15 minutes of Electro House to continue what CT Burners (Chris Thomas) was playing. I like Djing house and they had a very professional setup, so i had fun. Then i played about an hour of DnB, started with some chill vocal stuff as were we technically in the lounge area. Nice size crowd seemed to be enjoying the music even thu the majority of them were not there for DnB. My set got a bit harder and the crowd for the most part stayed with me. Saw a bunch of new faces, and some of the regulars, big up to the new people who introduced themselves to me. I think it was a good start to the weekly event, good vibes in that place!

Booking #97: The Secret Night of Science, NYC

Raw Q

I've been trying to play this party for a year now since it started. Run by DB, Secret Night is likely the best DnB night in NYC at the moment. It is at Club LOVE which is an amazing underground place, literally and figuratively. Likely the best sound system in NYC, great light and lighting person (thou she does keep it quite dark), nice layout of the club, few places to relax/talk/rest your ears. The staff is also extreemly friendly, they are all about vibe and it works, happy dancing people all over that venue. The Dj booth is crazy. Built for House Dj's its all rotary knobs, no crossfader or regular up/down volume controls that DnB Dj's are used to. 2 Technics SL-1210M5G, which really thru me off, first time i think i have used them, the range for pitch control is +16 instead of +8, very sensitive turntable, and not something that i have been practicing on for 10 years now and am used to like the 1200/1210's. Still i played well and had a very nice crowd dancing for my set. I played after Raw Q, who killed it and left the floor busy after he finished his set. I played from 3-4, again i played all the new Lomax, Calibre, Lynx, Mixmaster Doc, Icicle, Nu:tone, High Contrast, i played the Photek Remix of Roni Size's Brown Paper Bag, that made alot of people happy. Artisan by Lomax was a huge tune, followed by Calibre's Hustin, i could see the crowd really enjoying that stuff. It was a real pleasure to play on that System, best i've ever played on, even thu the mixer was a huge headache. Many thanks to DB for having a Driven Artist Management showcase at his monthly, much respect! It was also my birthday set and Strife brought a cake for me! It was enjoyed by a bunch of friends and local dj/producers, really nice of her, made my night!

Booking #96: Paradise City, Albany NY

My first time DJing that far upstate. Road up with Dj Force, nice drive, not to long. Our hotel room reeked of disinfectant, but thats to be expected. The setup at the venue was very nice, Pioneer DJM-500 mixer, 2 cdj 1000, good monitor and great speakers. Unfortunately there was an outdoor area that was much more popular than the inside where i was playing, likely due to it being a great warm summer night... So i DJ'd to 5 or 10 people for most of my set while there were lots of people outside. Total disappointment. I did get to meet a few real nice people, and chat with some people i don't get to see often, so i did enjoy the night. I played all the new Lomax tunes, bunch of new Calibre, Lynx, Icicle, i played a deep harder than usual set.

Booking #95: 3rd Annual DnB BBQ on Long Island

Another year, another great BBQ. 3rd annual time Dj Strife and I presented this BBQ, ant this was the best year. Wonderful weather, not to humid, but nice and sunny. The music was fantastic, everyone played a long set, highlight to me was Odi. He played just about every style of DnB in his 2 hour set, a really span of tunes, and of course matched with his skill it was really impressive. Seemed like most people i know came out, lots of support from the local DnB scene, every one had a real good time. See you all again next year!

Booking #94: Driven AM Showcase

Great night! This party was my idea, i booked the club and the talent, thankfully alot of the people i know in the NYC DnB scene came out. The vibe was real strong all night, good turnout and great music. I personally played one of my best sets in a while, everything just clicked and i played a bunch of records i purchased in the UK, so i was well prepared with new music to keep them dancing. We had to ask people to leave at 4:05am, people were still dancing. I will be hosting more Driven AM each month at club midway, many thanks to everyone who came out to support!

Dj Strife vs. Dave Shichman Live on Bassdrive (Mp3)

I tagged with Dj Strife again on May 26th, this time for Bassdrive internet radio. The show was run by Overfiend, good dj, nice guy. The setup to play on was amazing, lots of fun. Many dubs on this mix, signed and unsigned. Its a fun mix, starts light and gets harder and harder. Always fun to tag with Strife.
Download the set here: Dj Strife vs. Dave Shichman live on Bassdrive May 26th 2007

Bungle & Ney Faustini - Ni Routine (Jerona Fruits)
Random Movement – Scarlet Trouble (Bingo)
To-Sha & Sinda– Give Me Your Boot (dub)
Ray Keith Feat. Alexandra And Navigator - No No (Dread Recordings)
Inztance – Never Say Never (dub)
Basic Operations - 4th Street Sound [Kubiks & Lomax RMX] (Phunkfiction Recordings)
Saburuko & Style Control – Center Line (dub)
Break – Diffusion (Subtitles)
Logistics – Inhale (Hospital)
Capone – What You Sayin (Test Recordings)
Dj Hazard – Busted (Playaz)
Mixmaster Doc – Love Dub (Forthcoming on SideChain Music)
Saburuko – Exudus (dub)
Mixmaster Doc – Eeka (dub)
Apex Feat. Ayah - The Space Between (Hospital)
Roni Size – Sound Advice (Full Cycle)
Klute Feat. Calibre – Freedom Come (Commercial Suicide)
Icicle – Numbers (Med School)
Spectrasoul – Emptyness Is Form (Diverse Products)
Bungle & Vandre - I'll Be (dub)
Utah Jazz - Feeling inside (Liquid V)
Marky & XRS Feat. Stamina – LK (V Recordings)
Architect feat. Ayah - Dance Child (white label)
Datcyde – Crumble (Taciturn)

New Mix from Dj Odi

I'm hosting a new mix from Dj Odi called Human Traffic.

http://drivenam.com/Guest_Mixes/DJ_ODI_HUMANTRAFFIC.mp3

Booking #93: One Night in Brooklyn

After catching an excellent set by Dj Strife @ the Secret Night of Science, i drove to Brooklyn to DJ a late night set at Club Exit. Very nice club. It was primarily a techno and hardcore rave so i played in the 'Chill room', which was lots of fun. While my style has progressed to the point where i really enjoy playing dancefloor style melodic dnb tunes, it is always fun to throw down a chill set of funky, melodic, atmospheric style DnB. As usual, my set progressed in intensity as my hour went on. I played a few classics (Midnight, LK, Feelin) and some new classics (Bungle w/ Ney Faustini - No Routine, Klute - Property is Theft, Kubiks & Lomax - Things To Come). Thanks to the early morning crew that enjoyed my 3:30-4:30 set, and special thanks to the guys at DPIM records for having me down.

Strife @ Secret Night Of Science, NYC

Love may be my favorite club in NYC, except for the fact that its way to hot in there, even before it was crowded it was to hot. Strife played an excellent, smooth set of classic DnB tunes (Brown Paper Bag) and tunes by Saburuko, Random Movement and Peshay. I was disappointed to hear her play so early, and i know i was not the only one. I would have very much liked to hear her play the 12-1 slot, perhaps next time. I plan on being there next month twice for The Insiders and for Klute, both have released some fantastic music this year.

Booking #92: Purchase College

I was asked to play a Rave at my alma mater Purchase College. I received my BA there a few years ago in Psychology. I loved the school so it was nice to go back. There were a trance DJ on before me, who drove everyone away with awful music. Thankfully i had an extended set, played about 90 minutes and i brought the crowd back. Good amount of people dancing and enjoying themselves. Met some nice people. Overall good time.

Dave Shichman - Something Beautiful (New Mix)

New Mix, 17 Tracks, 43 Minutes
http://davidshichman.com/Djmixes/Dave_Shichman_-_Something_Beautiful.mp3
1. Mixmaster Doc – Never Loved U (dub)
2. Red Shift Mantra – Rain [Blame RMX] (720 Degrees)
3. Nookie – Get down (Phuzion Recordings)
4. The Insiders – Renaissance (Nu Directions)
5. ST:Cal – Losing Ground (Soul:R Recordings)
6. Switch & Redeyes – Backwards (Celsius Recordings)
7. J-Cut – The Beginning (Fokuz Records)
8. Dan Marshall – Dream Catcher (Under Construction)
9. L.A.O.S. - Beautiful (Defunked)
10. Ska & Bratwa – Solitude (Good Looking Records)
11. D Bridge – Dream Pipe (Bingo Recordings)
12. Logistics – Together (Hospital Recordings)
13. Saburuko – El Presidente (Horizons Music)
14. Icicle - So Close (Med School Records)
>>>NIN – The Good Soldier
15. Saburuko – Exodus (dub)
16. Supply & Demand – Right Move (Cold Steel Records)
17. Dave Shichman – In the Picture (dub)

Booking #91: Sullivan Room w/ London Elektricity

My second time Djing alongside Tony Coleman AKA London Elektricity, and its always a pleasure. His set was great, thu harder than i expected. I had some trouble with the digital monitors as they had a .5 second delay, which is no good for trying to beat match. It was not my best set, still a honor to play alongside Tony again, as well as alongside Dj Seen and Eshin, two of NYC's best at one of the best clubs in NYC, Sullivan Room. Big up to the Direct Drive family.

World of Drum and Bass @ Sullivan Room, NYC

WOW Crazy night! I spent most of my time help work the door so i can't give a detailed review of the music, but WOW, packed place, amazing vibe. Every time i stepped on the floor all i saw were people smiling and dancing. SS grabbed the mic as expected and ran around the venue with the cordless mic mcing over the other guys sets, awesome!

Booking #90: Direct Drive @ Tonic, NYC

This gig was bittersweet. It is always fun to tag with Strife. She is one of the only DJ's in the area that i feel comfortable enough to tag with, and whose records work well with my records. Our live sets together are always so much fun, and unexpected, due to the improvisational aspect of tagging with someone, mainly working off each others last record. The night was a fun locals night, real good sets by Dj Stress and one of NYC's best Eshin.

But the bad part was knowing that Tonic would soon be closing. Another great venue for live music in NYC, particularly the lower east side is gone. Tonic was landmark for experimental music and jazz, it will be missed.

Booking #89: Direct Drive @ Tonic, NYC

Always an honor playing for Direct Drive, one of the best and longest running parties in the US. I had an opening set tonight at Tonic, my first night playing this venue, but i do own the Medeski, Martin and Wood CD 'Live at Tonic', so it was cool to be on that stage. This was the first time Direct Drive has had DNB there, and the setup was difficult. It took the sound guy my entire set to setup the monitor and get the levels properly set, which made it hard to play. Still had fun. Crowd really enjoyed Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Makoto RMX), always a pleaser.

Booking #88: Direct Drive @ R&R

This venue has years of NYC DnB of history. It used to be called Rare and is next to the venue formerly known as Baktun. Direct Drive ran their live Saturday night weekly for something like 4 years at Baktum a few years ago. That was before my time with DD, but still to this day people talk about those parties. DD also ran events at Rare. That was the first place in NYC that i DJ'd, alongside Dara, it was great. Lots of history for me.

This night was another bittersweet night, Rare club closed a week after I dj'd there. Turning into condo's or something. Sad really. I tagged with Bluewater (Lou), it wasent; great, we both had a different idea of where we wanted to take the set, it did not work out as expected. Perhaps in the future we can meet in the middle. Thanks to DD, always a pleasure!