Now that we’ve got two acts that fit the bill, all we need are a string of blog posts, a feature article in a music magazine expanding on what exactly fits into the tropical electro-disco mold and we’ve got it made as godparents of the movement. Expect it to join the ranks of “shoegaze” and “nu rave” by showing as an official genre on iTunes in approximately nine months. In the meantime, enjoy this Q&A with the aforementioned DJ Lifepartner. We talk Holocene happy hours and an upcoming mobile gallery. Oh yes, and collecting unemployment:

How did you decide on your DJ name? What’s your real name?
The name came from another act I was in with a friend from Boston called Life Partner DJs. We stopped playing together when we moved to opposite sides of the world, so I dropped the pluralization, lost the space and claimed Lifepartner for myself. My street name’s Kirk though, like the Captain of the Starship Enterprise.

As the Rapture say, “People don’t dance no more, they just stand there like this” – how often do you encounter this?
Since moving here in 2007, I’ve been fortunate enough to play to crowds that have gotten into the stuff I’ve been putting on. I have had a few experiences with folks just looking confusedly at me not knowing what to do, which always make me a little self-concious.

Ideal crowd?
The perfect combination of the energy created in a basement or at house party and the dance floor of a well-equipped venue, complete with sweaty, happy faces.

How do you feel about requests?
Requests have their time and place, like at a party where one might be playing the hits. It’s a bit bothersome, however, when playing an already thought out set to have someone holler a track name at you- especially if said song might wreck the dance floor. I don’t really mind though, I’m a nice guy and try my best to entertain them.

Do you have a story about a particular request or requester?
I played a private birthday party for a guy in his late-thirties recently. A drunk woman at the party was not into what I was playing and decided to incessantly shout “bring it back to 1974, I wanna hear some Shaka Khan!” Granted, I love Ms. Khan, but I wasn’t alive in 1974 and didn’t see it fit for me to bring it back to the time period she requested. I settled the disruption by playing a Nina Simone remix. The woman later told she was a witch, while serving herself more jungle juice out an ice sculpture shaped like a chalice.

Do you DJ full time? / What do you do outside of DJing?
I’m trying to make an occupation out of DJing, but haven’t quite done it yet. In the mean time, I work events for Chychele Event Design, collect unemployment and study History.

Where can we find you?
I play a lot of house parties and do happy hour at Holocene and various events for them when they need me. I’m also working on getting nights at Dunes and Rotture as part of the start up DJ group I’m in, Wild Life. We’re gonna have a podcast and new nights starting in February, so keep an eye out. I’m also working on starting up a non-profit artists collective and mobile gallery called Sugar Cube which I’ll be DJing the openings for starting on the first Thursday of February at (10th and Flanders above the new Nuvrei Bakery space). And I play weird shit at Ground Kontrol every second Friday, just ’cause.

How long have you been spinning?
About three years now.

What drew you to DJing originally?
Going to house parties and queer nights in Boston as a kid and seeing other folks play was what got me into it at first. I figured I had as good of taste as the next DJ and decided to give it shot. I’ve been in love ever since.

What are your thoughts on vinyl versus CDs versus laptops?
I mostly use Serato Scratch when playing out (except when playing dancehall). It’s ideal for me because it’s like playing vinyl and I don’t have to lug around crates of records. This allows me to ride my bike to get to gigs, and play stuff that’s not available on vinyl yet, saving me cab fair and keeping me up to date with new shit. I do love live vinyl though, and don’t think anything can beat its authenticity.

What songs will we find ourselves dancing to with you?
1. Midnight Request Line (Switch Remix) – Skream
2. Tunisia Bambaata – DJ Mehdi
3. Strawberry (Rapclash Remix) – Adrian Lux
4. Township Funk (Kingdom Remix) – DJ Mujava
5. Segertåget – Maskinen

How would you describe yourself in five words or less – complete sentence or not:
A genuinely nice young man.

How do you describe the genre you play?
A mix of electro, disco and dancehall. So I guess Tropical Electro-disco?

Who are your other favorite Portland DJs?
Beyondadoubt, Bruxxy, RAD!, Linoleum, Nathan Detroit, Hoop Dreams and The Fix guys

Links:
DJ LifepartnerSpace
A project with a MySpace genre tag of Tropica/Electro/House Disco

Photo care of MySpace

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How did you decide on your DJ name?
When I first started DJing I knew nothing about how it was done. When I was first asked the question, “What is your DJ name?” it was the first time it occurred to me I should have one. I started out as a substitute DJ for my friend, Michael who went as “The White Sheik” and played psychedelic rock, stoner rock, funk, soul, and world music at Dunes once a week. When the then club owner Honey Owens heard my set she asked me to play there regularly and I got my own night called “Emotional Rescue.” She [then] gave me the name DJ Furpurse.

As the Rapture say, “People don’t dance no more, they just stand there like this”—how often do you encounter this?
Luckily, I don’t encounter an empty dance floor too much anymore. I think the general public is more inclined to dancing to electronic dance music now that it is appearing more and more in mainstream hip-hop and rock.

It’s very important to be able to read your audience and give them something they can relate to. I try to get as much information as I can about the event I’m going to play beforehand so I can play tracks that people will like. Another trick to getting the dance floor moving is dancing yourself and showing your love for the music you are playing; it’s contagious.

Ideal Crowd?
My ideal crowd is anyone who wants to dance and try to understand where I am coming from with my set. I always keep the people in the room in mind when I select tracks. Playing tracks with your audience in mind is a way of having a collective conversation with a whole room that can become so complex, beautiful, and exciting. It’s constantly evolving with and responding to the different people involved who are dancing or not dancing and how they are dancing. When people let the music affect them a new world is created that we built together through music and imagination. A Latin beat can bring a little Brazil to Portland, a little French vocals can take you to Paris. I am not an exclusive audience DJ, but I do want my audience to have an open mind. I want everyone to have fun and unite for beauty, music, and freedom. Music and dancing have the ability to bring people together who may not otherwise choose to be together due to certain differences. As long as there is music and dancing I think peace has a chance.

How do you feel about requests?
I don’t mind requests if they are given early in my set, are complimentary to what I am playing, or during a slow paced night. If I have the requested track in my collection and it is something I like then I will play it in the right circumstance. However, if I have been on a roll for a half-hour and someone comes to me with a song request that would take me off track, I won’t want to play it. In those situations, I try to go with a compromise. My preference is that the audience will have an open mind and trust my plan, but on occasion I have had some good requests and it’s exciting to let yourself be guided a little.

Do you have a story about a particular request or requester?
Last month at Red Cap for 546 Tuesday, I got a request from a deaf young man who wanted me to play louder so he could dance to the vibrations of the bass. I believe he is completely deaf. That request moved me deeply because I can’t imagine what it would be like to be deaf and regard a room full of dancing people and wish to join in. I applaud this young man for coming to me and asking me for more bass. I turned it up and played more bass heavy tracks and watched him dance. I told him later that he should check out Kulturszene on second Fridays at Branx because they have a great sound system there for feeling the bass.

What do you do job and hobby wise outside of DJing?
Right now I don’t have a day job. I am looking for a new job, though. I worked at Whole Foods before and then at Bent Image Lab as an Art Department PA. Hobby wise, I do a little bit of modeling and in the past I participated in dance and theater performance. I like to take photos to document the music and art events I attend.

Where can we find you?
I mostly DJ at Rotture and Branx. My main gig is at a party called Neon that happens every first Friday at Branx. I sometimes DJ at Tube for Bang a Rang, at Dunes for Come Alive!, for 546 Tuesdays at Red Cap, Super Kidz at Rotture, and many Saturdays at Masu. This month I have two shows in San Francisco which is super exciting for me. I have one show at a fashion exhibition here in Portland this month. If you want to know where and when I am DJing, the best way to find out is to check out my MySpace calendar.

How’d you get your current main gig?
Neon is my current main gig and I got it through DJ Tre Slim, who is the founder of Neon. He started the party alone, but asked me and DJ Pocketrock-it to be his partners after he booked us as guests together. We have great chemistry between us. I’ve been a part of Neon for over a year now and I love it. I now help with the booking of guests for Neon, too.

How long have you been spinning?
I have been spinning for four years now.

What drew you to DJing originally?
I love to dance so I began collecting dance music records and playing them at home to dance to. When my friends would come over to my house to hang out, I would play them dance songs and they would tell me I should DJ. I luckily got the chance and have been keeping busy with it ever since.

What are your thoughts on vinyl vs CDs vs laptops?
When I first started DJing it was all on vinyl format. Then I discovered obscure music I wanted to play that was out of print and on records worth hundreds of dollars. I thought it wise to archive those songs to CD from the records after too many nights of people falling on the turntables, or spilling drinks on my records. Some of those records were ultra rare and borrowed from Discourage records and friends so the last thing I wanted was to see them get hurt. So I would do a mix of CDs and vinyl. Now I use Serato Scratch, which I love and am very pleased to be using. It’s a great way to combine all three formats. If I want to put on a record all I have to do is switch the channel on the mixer and put it on. I can import my CDs as WAV files into Serato, too. I can easily buy music online that may not be in Portland stores. I love that I can set trigger points on the tracks and loop portions from 1/8 of a beat to 32 beats. I love having the ability to use a vinyl/turntable/mixer interface with the program.

I think the biggest debate about which format is better has to do with the quality of sound of the song and whether or not the music industry and artists are getting proper compensation for their work. In cases where it is possible, I buy and play WAV formated songs which are a relatively “pure”, i.e. lossless file types, suitable for retaining “first generation” archived files of high quality. This format sounds great in the club and in my discussions with several serious sound engineers, there is no cause to complain about Serato as a DJing program or WAV formated music.

I have no problem with any format that people want to DJ on. I do believe that the artists should get paid for their work and one should strive to present that music in a great sounding format.

What songs will we find ourselves dancing to with you?
This is a weird list, but I play different music depending on where I’m at.

Heartthrob- “Futures Past”
Burnski- “NoseBonker”
Gianni Pellecchia- “Mnemonic”
Diplo & Buraka Som Sistema- “Inna De Ghetto” (remix)
Turboweekend- “My Name Is Legion” Patience edit

How would you describe yourself in five words or less—complete sentence or not:
Wild, emotional, helpful, social, energetic.

How do you describe the genre you play?
I don’t play strictly within one genre. I play everything from synth punk to house to HiNRG, to electro bangers to minimal techno. There are little threads in music that allow you to make these journeys through the worlds music. I like to keep myself and others on their toes, but there is a time and a place for being pure. I am a whimsical gal and I sometimes don’t know what genre I’m going to play on a given night. I just love music and want to dance. I get these ideas and go with it. My gut is usually right.

Who are your other favorite Portland DJs?
My other favorite Portland DJs are DJ Tre Slim, DJ Koolaid, DJ Pocketrock-it, DJ Dome, DJ Linoleum, Linger & Quiet, M. Quiet, and 31 Avas.

How did the XLR8R profile come about?
I got an e-mail from XLR8R in August saying I had been selected as a DJ they wanted to interview for their annual city issue which is dedicated to Portland this year. I was contacted by Kerry McLaughlin from XLR8R in July to set up a show for DJ Star Eyes at Neon. I think they learned about me at that time and decided later to include me in the issue, which I am very grateful for.

DJ Patricia Furpurse’s next Portland appearance is on Friday October 24th at Branx. The next Neon is on November 7th at Branx.

Links:
Patricia FurpurseSpace
July 2008 DJ Mix Download
Patricia Furpurse flickr
NeonSpace

Photo by Minh Tran

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How did you decide on your DJ name? What’s your real name?
I’m one of the few DJs that actually use their real name – I swear it’s on my birth certificate. Unfortunately, there is a DJ Solomon already (he’s the Oakland Raiders official DJ! he he) so I’ve moved the DJ part to the end, put in a comma and voila: Solomon, DJ.

As the Rapture say, “People don’t dance no more, they just stand there like this” – how often do you encounter this?
Hardly ever really. I’ve had some tough rooms in the very recent past but I’ve managed to win them over in the end. It’s all about reading the crowd, giving them a little of what they want and then tricking them into liking what you want them to. Of course every DJ has played to a crowd of people with crossed arms and scowling faces. It’s a rite of passage for DJs and builds character.

Ideal crowd?
Mixed nuts.

How do you feel about requests?
I always say, if I have it I’ll play it. But I rarely have it, so I never play it. Generally I feel like people who request songs are dingleberries who don’t have any good ideas. Attention requesters: here are the sentences no dj wants to hear: “play some old school””play some hip hop” “play some Britney”- at least the last one is specific enough to fulfill although completely retarded. The “old school” and “hip hop” requests are just nebulous set ups for disappointment. What the fuck is “old school” anyways? Wasn’t I already playing hip hop? Can’t you just leave Britney alone?!

Do you have a story about a particular request or requester?
A gross crack ho type once offered to show me her breasts if I played Black Eyed Peas. I told her I’d play them if she promised not to show ‘em. I ended up not having any Black Eyed Peas. My eyes are still scarred.

Do you DJ full time? / What do you do outside of DJing?
I have a day job that often complains how tired and shabby I look due to the late nights out DJing and cavorting. I work at an animation studio called Bent Image Lab. We make commercials, music videos and special effects for feature films.

Where can we find you?
Second Wednesdays at Bangarang at Tube and More Better at Rotture as a regular guest. Valentines sometimes. Faggottron at bar convivium. This April/May I’m on a west coast tour with my good buddies Fleshtone! Watch out LA, SF, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas and SLC!!!! We comin’ atcha!!!!!

How many times have you played in the past with Fleshtone?
I’ve played with Fleshtone maybe about seven times. How many times have I seen ‘em? Uuuuh… I’ve maybe missed like three shows ever?

How long have you known them?
Three years now and counting. We’ll see if I’m still on speaking terms with ‘em after the tour. Just kidding! They are so awesome and weird and talented, I’m just excited to be around ‘em especially in a windowless van for two weeks!

Seriously though, I really believe in what Fleshtone has to offer. They have evolved so much since the early days of giant waffle costumes and putting corndogs up people’s butts. It’s nice to see/hear them grow, refine and distill what it means to be Fleshtone. It’s evolved for me too ’cause now I’m like their stage mother: giving advice, pep talks, standing in the back row screaming “smile honey!!!” and all that Mama Rose bullshit.

How’d you get your current main gig?
My longest residency is for Bangarang at Tube (2nd Weds). I’ve been there for over a year and I love it! It started out as just me but its morphed into this cool tagteam night between me and DJ RAD! Its really great because the whole crowd feeds off the energy of the collaboration between us. Its exciting for everyone to see us work it out like that and its super fun for us too . A good tag team experience is like sex for DJs. But without all that “I’ll call ya sometime” awkwardness. Oh yeah, I never answered your question. Rad got me the job.

How did you meet Conrad originally?
We met through a disastrous attempt to do an all day t-dance (t dance or tea dance is a gay tradition of having a nightclub on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon) two years ago at Dunes. What we learned was nobody wants to hang out at Dunes on a Sunday afternoon in the mids of summer. Big suprise. Anyhow, I just think Conrad is the greatest and deserves much props for helping build a scene for local djs and also for bringing great electronic/dance acts to town. Not to mention he can throw down with the best of ‘em!

How long have you been spinning?
That’s a tough question. I guess I became a DJ when I started trying to beatmatch records but I’ve been playing music for clubs for over 10 years. I started being a “real DJ” (hee hee) about six years ago. I played on a CD mixer before that, but that was just training wheels for moving up to vinyl. Also, learning Protools and audio editing in general was a catalyst for my interest in mixing and sequential DJing.

What drew you to DJing originally?
The money. Ha. No really it’s the love of music, the fact that I kinda grew up in the club scene and the idea that DJing can be a way to bring people together. I know that last reason is corny, but in this age of digital facelessness and myspacelesssness I feel it’s my job to try and get people to come out to a real venue and interact with each other.

What are your thoughts on vinyl vs CDS vs laptops?
I use vinyl only. It’s just that simple. It’s the best. Yes I’m old fashioned, but I really like the simplicity and the tactile quality of them big black flat round thingies. I do enjoy some Serato and some CDJs (see below) but its hard to ignore the blackcrack!

What songs will we find ourselves dancing to with you?
“Beeper” – Sinden
“Footstompin” – KW Griff
“What is Love?” – Dee Lite
“LaLaLaLaLa” – Green Velvet w Jamie Principle
All Songs – Chavy boys of London ep

How would you describe yourself in five words or less – complete sentence or not:
Weird but fun.

How do you describe the genre you play?
Party Music! (the jams?)

Who are your other favorite Portland DJs?
RAD!
Kez
Brokenwindow
Dundiggy
Girlfriends
Hoop Dreams
Automaton
Stormy
Dandylion
Grant
Nathan Detroit
Bonaparte
B-retta

Links:
Solomon, DJSpace
Solomon, DJ Mix Downloads
Chris Crocker – “Leave Britney Alone” on Youtube

Photo care of Solomon, DJSpace

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