#Julius The Mad Thinker

[albertonavajoart]

#Fantastictober Day 5: DERANGED

[tales-of-the-red-room]

Captain Marvel #12, 1969

[reading-hawkeye]

Avengers #39, 1967

[clints-cup-of-coffee]

Star Lord and Mad Thinker must reluctantly work together to save the galaxy. It will be described as grateful.

[generationblame]

She-Hulk #6 (2004)

[blkwidowsweb]

Chicago Spotlight: A Conversation with Julius the Mad Thinker

Julius the Mad Thinker is a dynamic producer and International DJ talent. Since the age of 17, Julius has worn many hats while distinguishing himself in the dance music industry. He is a true visionary with infectious energy and amazing music. His reputation for uniting music communities and launching premiere DJ music events has attracted worldwide acceptance and respect. Julius’ most recent production to gain international awareness is Mi Casa Holiday (MCH). In 2009, Julius and business partner Jenn Hurst bridged DJ entertainment with unique travel concepts to co-found and form MCH. In 2012, MCH achieved sold-out status. Approaching its 10th season, MCH is a destination event of choice for international travel, leisure, and music enthusiasts in the know.  In March of 2017, He released his debut album, “Perspective.  I recently had a chance to speak with him about his career, Mi Casa Holiday, his Album and upcoming projects. 

BW:  Where did your name come from?

JMT:  That’s a funny question.   I was a creative manager/executive producer of a hip-hop group we (Emmaculate and I) worked together with called the “Rec Center”. We were working on our first album and deciding what would be the first music video. It was 10 MCs, Emmaculate and myself.  Everyone went in line and said what they thought the first video would be.  When it was my turn and I finished talking the room was silent.  One of the MC's looked at me and said,  “The Mad Thinker”.   It was right around the time I was deciding what my DJ name would be.  So that’s how I got my name. It just made sense.

BW  Wow…I totally thought it was based on the Marvel Character. [Laughter]

JMT:  I didn’t even know there was a Marvel character named The Mad Thinker until years later when I was looking up my name.

BW:  You know he’s known for being a genius with this knowledge of technology and photographic memory?

JMT:   That’s crazy! [Laughter] Well, I’m definitely on the mad kind of analyzing tip.

BW: What attracted you to house music?  How were you introduced to the genre?

JMT:  When I was a kid, we would listen to the radio and do splice mixes with three radios and it would always be playing on one, recording on the other.  It was always somebody in the mix, whispering “shhhhh” {Laughter}.  I didn’t know what I was doing. We were just doing it to do it.  Then in 6th grade, there was a kid who moved to our city.  He was the kid that if the teacher could control him, she could control the class. So one day she told him," If I grant you one wish, can you make sure the kids will do what they are supposed to do”?  He said yes and his wish was to listen to the hot lunch mixes in class instead of going to the lunchroom. I was one of those kids who listened every day at lunch.  That was the first time I knew house music.  Then, as a junior in high school, I remember seeing these guys getting ready for a talent show and they were dancing. They were moving in a certain way to this music and I was like what is this music? One of the dudes told me it was Larry Heard.  I was aww man…this is the real deal. Then there was a teen club that opened and from there… you know…it went from seeing it and listening to it, to dancing to it.  After that, I remember throwing my first party.  It was so boring sometimes in the suburbs; I bet my cousin that I could throw a party with 500 people.  My cousin thought I was crazy.  I convinced my mom to throw a party and she would only let me do it on 2 conditions. I had to write an organized plan of what it would be and if I made any money, I’d have to give my sister some spending cash for her first senior trip.

BW:   That sounds like me as a mom! [Laughter]

JMT: [Laughter] So it took a while, but I wrote a plan. She didn’t think I would do it and be so detailed.   She told me years later when she saw that plan, she said, “I can’t believe this kid wrote this plan…now I gotta let him throw this party”! [Laughter]

BW:  Your first business Plan!

JMT: RIGHT!  She couldn’t believe how detailed I was, down to the garbage cans and security.   I had 605 people to show up for that party. At that party, Emmaculate was one of the first DJs I hired along with another guy, DJ Beauty.    I was able to give my sister $300 for her trip.  So, my sister goes to Acapulco and has the time of her life. I go on to produce a slew of parties and events.  My sister was trying to convince the company she traveled with to hire her as a student organizer.    Around the same time, I decided to start DJing.  My sister got hired and started working in the travel and hospitality industry and  I get hooked on DJing and event production and spend years doing that while my sister spends years working in travel and hospitality.   Fast Forward to 2009 we founded Mi Casa Holiday.

BW:  What was your motivation for creating Mi Casa Holiday?

JMT:  You know, after 9/11, people started to reprioritize what they wanted to do and what was important.  I was into producing events; I produced another event around that time called 3 degrees.  The disposable income wasn’t the way it was before and it had an effect on promoters, events, and clubs.  They didn’t want to pour any money into taking risks anymore so it made the window to be able to succeed in the business, get noticed or have opportunities get smaller and smaller. They started hiring the same DJs over and over again from out of town. I decided to take the type of community and music and create my own niche. That’s the vision I had.  My sister always said I should do something in Mexico because that’s what she was doing as a student organizer.  It didn’t make sense to me until I started traveling around the world and meeting different artists. One of which was Frank Oral. I ran into him one day and he told me they would love my sound down in Playa Del Carmen.   That was 3 years before we started the event.  A few years later, I ran into a guy named Nicodemus at a music festival in North Carolina and told him what we were thinking about doing.   Nicodemus told me he would introduce me to the president of the clubbing district. I met all the right people my sister had the resources.  Ironically, that same company that took her on that tour in high school and hired her is the same company that handles our hotels and tours now.  That’s a 20-year relationship that has enabled us to offer 4, 5 and 6-star hotels since the beginning.

BW:  See that was a $300 investment and you didn’t even know it! [Laughter]

JMT:  Yeah! Totally! [Laughter]

BW:  You focused on event production instead of music production initially.  Why is that?

JMT:  A couple of things. I really felt strongly about the art of DJing.  I always wanted to travel around the world and I wanted to be known as a DJ not necessarily just a producer.  I went out of my way not to work on music until about 2003.  Then I was buying so much music. I remember telling Eric we can totally make this or even better.  I’ll never forget what he said; he said: “Dude, this shit is surpassable”!  [LAUGHTER]    So I started making music. I had a mentor named RC and he was one of the original engineers with Ron Gresham and Steve Shapiro.  He told me to keep working on music but to continue to build my community. He asked me, do you see yourself as this superstar DJ or do you see yourself as the person who plans and produces everything? I remember telling him, I can’t imagine not producing things because I’ve always been that way.  He said if you build your community, everything else you want to do, you can do it. After a few years of producing Mi Casa holiday. He told me I  don’t have fans going to Mi Casa Holiday, I have devotees.  I didn’t understand that until he said, These are people who are devoted to your community.  Companies spend millions to get what you have. He said the road may be rougher because everything you are going to do is unconventional but you will naturally distinguish yourself from everyone out there.  He told me to stick with my own vision. He said when it hits…it’s gonna hit hard.

BW:  That’s awesome advice!

JMT:  I feel like we are at the very beginning of everything, even though it’s going on 10 years. I kept doing the music but I focused on the event brand and building the community. That’s the narrative of my life, building community. You know it’s either be a star or build a community; for me, it’s always been to build a community.

BW:   Why is that important to you?

JMT:   I’ve always felt like I can make it but what’s more gratifying for me is when I build something where multiple people can make it or take advantage of it. I’ve been that way since I was a kid. 

BW:  Who were some of your early house music influences?

JMT: I remember some of the first records I bought.   I bought Lil Louis, “Video Clash”, Frankie Knuckles “Whistle Song” and Kerri Chandler, “inspiration”.  But what really hit me was when my friend, Eric sat me down and had me listen to "Journey of the Lonely"  by Lil Louis.   We listened to the entire album and it told this entire story…it was ingenious. I was blown away. It gave me a detailed interpretation of how I view music and projects.

BW:  How do you feel music is transformed in your hands as a DJ?

JMT:   It correlates to the passion you have for it.  For me, I learned that the way I treat the mixer is like an instrument. I played the trumpet from 5th to 12th grade.  When I’m playing music, it’s just like when I played the trumpet.  The way I take in or absorb the music is an intricate analyzation. When I’m hearing it, I don’t know what I’m listening for but it’s always something special about what I choose and it’s  not the same thing or the same amount.  It could be one little sound.  From that point, I’ve dissected the song and when I play it, I’m going to break it apart so that I understand the role of the part that touched me and deliver it to the crowd I'm playing for; everything else is supporting.  I’ve never been intimidated by how someone plays something or if they have the same record as me because they aren’t going to interpret it like I do.

BW:   I took a listen to your album and was completely caught off guard by my emotional reaction to it.  It had so many different sounds and emotions.  I thought it was eclectic, original and told such a relatable story.  What was your intention with Perspective?

JMT:  I knew I wanted to do an album but wasn’t sure when.  Once I connected to Russoul and he shared with me the direction he was going in,  I told him about this album.  Russoul and I started working together and during a session, I gave him two options, and he chose “Born to Do It.” Now, I originally wrote this song for Peven Everett but that didn’t work out, so then I tried to do it with Nathan Adams, but that didn’t work out either.  So Russoul did it and it worked beautifully.  “Born to Do it” was the first song we recorded for the album. Once we finished the song, we were super hyped and excited about how it came out.  After that, I remember Lil Louis booked me for a party and he asked me if I produced music.  I let him hear a few songs and he said this is really good music, however, you played some stuff tonight that was really hard.  You got to remember to make sure to give people the ability to hear that side of you as well.  That’s why the song “Lifeline” is so intense! Then we worked on the title song, “Perspective”,    I knew the album was going to be called Perspective. I had to ask myself, “What’s my perspective on life”?   Life can be intense, it can be tragic but here are all these opportunities and possibilities in between. You have to make sure you don’t drown in the negativity. 

So now I had the feeling of the album but I still needed to figure out what the story was. What was the story that would generate those feelings and emotions?  This album is 99% about telling the story. This story is about a young girl with this incredible musical ability who loses her entire family in this horrible tragedy.    Her friends convince her to perform years later and join the music business again and it goes from there.   I had to figure out, how does she feel? What is she going to go through?  That’s why the 2nd song was “Moments” because it’s about reflection.  How would you feel 5 years after this tragedy and performing at this incredible moment of success but your family isn’t there to share it with you?  What does it feel like going from that high to that low?  Every time I would talk about the different songs, the pieces of the story would come together. “Do It” was going to be the final song on the album but we ended up deciding not to do that.  That forced me to write a new song.  That’s where “Fearless” came from.  Russ and I wrote it together for the album.  So the opening song and closing song were the two songs written specifically for the album.  When I thought about the album, it wasn’t just about making an album to sell but more about telling this story.  After that, I had to figure out the order. So the best way I did that was to make a screenplay for it and that’s how I figured out the order of the album. 

BW:   It’s rare to get bodies of work in house music because you usually get just singles and tracks.  The album reminded me of my own life’s journey.  The highs and the lows and all the emotions in between; the anger, the frustration, the pain, the joy, sadness, the doubt, the hope and the fearlessness to rise above it all.   That’s why I connected to your album so much. 

JMT:   That’s so cool.  I’m an unconventional thinker, so the entire time the strategy was to provide the context before you hear the music.  A lot of times it’s about what’s hot or whether or not this song fits here or there. I thought to provide the context first then let people hear what it’s all about.   Everyone who worked on this with me put their blood, sweat, and tears into this project.  I may have gone about the distribution differently but the feedback I’ve received has been similar to yours. People who listen to it really connected with the story.  I put everything into it and I’m totally cool with the outcome. As long as I keep going, eventually someone is going to see what we are doing over here. 

Black Widow:  You wear many hats, DJ, Event Producer, Label owner, Music Producer.  How do you balance it all and what do you do just for fun and relaxation?

JMT:   My favorite thing to do in the world is DJ, but who I am in life is a producer, whether it’s music, events, etc.  Everything I do is a part of one vision so it’s not like I’m going left or right, I’m going the same direction. It’s more about timing.  Last year I put a lot of time into Mi Casa Holiday and I had a short window to finish the album. So instead of resting, I did my album. That kind of burned me out. I usually shut down after the Mi Casa finale for about a month to regroup recover and reset.  I love to binge Netflix movies and series because it helps me as a writer.  Sometimes it reaffirms how I think…everything starts with a story. Whether you build it into a song, movie or business…it’s always about a story.   Outside of that, I work out and that helps.  My wife also… I don’t know how she puts up with me because I have these crazy creative swings.  She keeps me laughing and grounded.  

BW:  That’s the Yin and Yang! It’s awesome to have a partner to bounce those ideas off of and to keep you grounded and be honest with you.

JMT: {Laughter} she’s the tester of all my ideas! We think completely different which is what I love.  When I’m writing music, the lyrics have to be strong otherwise my wife will let me know. She’s all about the lyrics first. I’m like a student with some of the awesome friends and musicians I work with.  They help me craft the writing into melodies and such. I’ve learned so much from them.  

BW:   What’s next for you? What’s in store for you in 2018?

JMT:  2018 will be the Launchpad for the next 5-10 years of music, events, writing.  It’s  also the 10th anniversary of Mi Casa Holiday and we are planning that right now.  We have so many different countries we are scouting; Negril, Italy, Rio, San Paulo, Panama, Brazil.  I’m focused and excited about that. I’m also working on making sure the “Perspective” story gets in the hands with some Hollywood producers too.   I’m in talks about possibly turning the screenplay into a musical, TV series or a movie.  I also have Break Away remixes coming out in Dec/January and my song, “I Just Love You ft. Kaye Fox and Russoul was licensed for the movie, “Illicit” ft. David Ramsey and Vivica Fox. 

BW: Oh wow, you have your hands in so many different pots.

JMT: Yeah, when I wrote the screenplay, the point was to hand it off so it can keep going. So while I’m doing everything else, these other things are still developing.  

BW:   What does it mean to you to be a Chicago Artist and to represent Chicago around the world?

JMT:   It’s where I’m from. I love my city.  I take pride in being from here.  Knowing that it’s the birthplace of house music.  I feel honored, blessed and privileged. It’s almost not fair because one thing Chicago DJs have in common is their passion. It’s unmatched here!   The tier of DJs here is so high, the passion for what we do shows no matter where we are.  

BW:  Thank you so much for speaking with me today! I look forward to hanging out with you for your birthday party!

JMT:  Oh cool!  I’m so happy you shared your thoughts on the album. It’s what Life is all about. It’s about going through the most traumatic stuff but you didn’t give up and you bounce back from things you thought you’d never bounce back from and the only way you do that is by becoming fearless.  It was my pleasure speaking with you! Thank you so much!

BW: It was my pleasure! 

Hope you enjoyed my interview with this amazing artist and musical creative!  Until next time, see ya on a dance floor!

Black Widow

Find Julius The Mad Thinker at the following:

Website:                      www.themadthinker.com

Mi Casa Holiday:         www.micasaholiday.com

Facebook:                   www.facebook.com/juliustmt

Instagram:                   www.instagram.com/juliustmt/

Twitter:                        www.twitter.com/juliustimt

Soundcloud:               www.soundcloud.com/themadthink

[stoptimenoir]

Julius The Mad Thinker @juliustmt live at the birthday celebration . . . . . . . . #juliustmt #smartbar #bday #chicagohouse #legends #deephouse #chicago #longlens #longexposure #clubphotography #nightphotography #eventphotography #dreams #purple #thoughts #stoptimelive (at Smartbar Chicago)

[koval77744]

749) Mad Thinker / The Thinker / Dr. Jose Santini / Keith Dramn / Mister Fantastic - Julius (nazwisko nieujawnione)

[loungefidelity]

**Free event at Jay Pritzker Pavilion** Celebrate House music, born in Chicago 35+ years ago. MAIN STAGE Live Artist Performance: THE HOUSE LEGACY PROJECT is a DCASE commissioned band led by musical director Jerry C. King. The project preforms live some of the classic Chicago House Music hits using new arrangements and often including the original singers and musicians of those seminal songs. Apart from the classics, the project also looks to develop new emerging talent and write new music to release and perform live as Chicago debuts at the Chicago House Party event. Jerry C. King (Musical Director/Keys), Steve Miggedy Maestro (DJ/ 106.3/Assistant Musical Director), Day Rock (Bass), Chuck Lacy (drums), Duane "Rude" Jones (guitar), Gus Lacy (keys) Phillip Glover (2nd drum), Sam Eli Glover (2nd bass) Featured artists lineup: Billy Monroe, Faith Howard with dancers Faith Rebecca,Sarah Lloyd, S&S Recording Artist Jameisha Trice, Andrea Love, Dawn Williams, Gus Lacy, Carla Prather, Lorenzo Owens, Kennedy Simone, with special guest performance by Curtis Mcclain & Ivelisse Diaz. Background Vocalists: Melody Cowan, K'mar, Bernetta Donalson, Robert Townsend with special background vocalists modifier Tommy Thumbs "E.S.P." Produced by Joe Smooth & Jerry C. King ______________________________________________________ MAIN STAGE DJ sets by: Maurice Joshua DJ Pierre DJ TERRY HUNTER Anthony Nicholson Julius the Mad Thinker Hosted by: Dana Divine, Kim Jay, and Lady Laronda Maestro ___________________________________________________________ SECOND STAGE DJ sets by: RP Boo DJ JES "Queens of House" (Khris Hutchinson, Nakiyah SolKat A, Dee Jay Alicia) Chicago Skyway *Special House Dance Workshop with Boogie McClarin! Hosted by: Discopoet Khari B For more information, visit www.millenniumpark.org.

[aridara]

"The Breitbart employee closest to the alt-right was Milo Yiannopoulos, the site’s former tech editor known best for his outrageous public provocations, such as last year’s Dangerous Faggot speaking tour and September’s canceled Free Speech Week in Berkeley. For more than a year, Yiannopoulos led the site in a coy dance around the movement’s nastier edges, writing stories that minimized the role of neo-Nazis and white nationalists while giving its politer voices “a fair hearing.” In March, Breitbart editor Alex Marlow insisted “we’re not a hate site.” Breitbart’s media relations staff repeatedly threatened to sue outlets that described Yiannopoulos as racist. [...]"

"These new emails and documents, however, clearly show that Breitbart does more than tolerate the most hate-filled, racist voices of the alt-right. It thrives on them, fueling and being fueled by some of the most toxic beliefs on the political spectrum — and clearing the way for them to enter the American mainstream."

"It’s a relationship illustrated most starkly by a previously unreleased April 2016 video in which Yiannopoulos sings “America the Beautiful” in a Dallas karaoke bar as admirers, including the white nationalist Richard Spencer, raise their arms in Nazi salutes. [...]"

"[Yiannopolous] added that during his karaoke performance, his "severe myopia" made it impossible for him to see the Hitler salutes a few feet away. [...]"

"Yiannopoulos was a useful soldier whose very public identity as a gay man (one who has now married a black man) helped defend him, his anti-political correctness crusade, and his employer from charges of bigotry."

"But now Yiannopoulos had a more complicated fight on his hands. The left — and worse, some on the right — had started to condemn the new conservative energy as reactionary and racist. Yiannopoulos had to take back “alt-right,” to redefine for Breitbart’s audience a poorly understood, leaderless movement, parts of which had already started to resist the term itself."

"So he reached out to key constituents, who included a neo-Nazi and a white nationalist."

"“Finally doing my big feature on the alt right,” Yiannopoulos wrote in a March 9, 2016, email to Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, a hacker who is the system administrator of the neo-Nazi hub the Daily Stormer, and who would later ask his followers to disrupt the funeral of Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer. “Fancy braindumping some thoughts for me.”"

"“It’s time for me to do my big definitive guide to the alt right,” Yiannopoulos wrote four hours later to Curtis Yarvin, a software engineer who under the nom de plume Mencius Moldbug helped create the “neoreactionary” movement, which holds that Enlightenment democracy has failed and that a return to feudalism and authoritarian rule is in order. “Which is my whorish way of asking if you have anything you’d like to make sure I include.”"

"“Alt r feature, figured you’d have some thoughts,” Yiannopoulos wrote the same day to Devin Saucier, who helps edit the online white nationalist magazine American Renaissance under the pseudonym Henry Wolff, and who wrote a story in June 2017 called “Why I Am (Among Other Things) a White Nationalist.”"

"The three responded at length: Weev about the Daily Stormer and a podcast called The Daily Shoah, Yarvin in characteristically sweeping world-historical assertions (“It’s no secret that North America contains many distinct cultural/ethnic communities. This is not optimal, but with a competent king it’s not a huge problem either”), and Saucier with a list of thinkers, politicians, journalists, films (Dune, Mad Max, The Dark Knight), and musical genres (folk metal, martial industrial, ’80s synthpop) important to the movement. Yiannopoulos forwarded it all, along with the Wikipedia entries for “Alternative Right” and the esoteric far-right Italian philosopher Julius Evola — a major influence on 20th-century Italian fascists and Richard Spencer alike — to Allum Bokhari, his deputy and frequent ghostwriter, whom he had met during GamerGate. “Include a bit of everything,” he instructed Bokhari."

Should I continue?

Oh, also: both the video and the photo show that the bonfire was away from the building. And someone assured me that their own sources are irrefutable, so you can trust 'em.

“What has violence against Nazis ever accomplished?” 

The end of the holocaust, for starters, ya lollipops. 

[nebris]

Hitler's secretary, Christa Schroeder, with Hitler, 1939 

I was Hitler's secretary

As Hitler's right-hand woman, Christa Schroeder had a unique insight into his  intelligence, his temper, and his quirks. In this exclusive extract from her  memoir, she describes her time at his side

by Christa Schroeder

7:00AM BST 26 Apr 2009

When replying to a tiny job advertisement in the German newspaper, Münchner Neuesten Nachrichten, I had no premonition that it was to determine the future course of my life.

It was 1930, and aged 22, I had just arrived in Munich from Bavaria, eager to explore a new part of Germany. The post was a secretarial one and I was invited by an unknown organisation, the 'Supreme SA leadership (OSAF)' to present myself in the Schellingstrasse. In this almost unpopulated street the Reich leadership of the NSDAP, the Nazi Party, was located at No. 50 on the fourth floor of a building at the rear.

In the past, the man who would later become Adolf Hitler's official photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann, had made his scurrilous films in these rooms. The former photographic studio was now occupied by the Supreme SA-Führer, Franz Pfeffer von Salomon and his chief of staff, Dr Otto Wagener. Later I learned that I had been the last of 87 applicants. That the post was awarded to me, someone who was neither a member of the NSDAP nor interested in politics nor aware of whom Adolf Hitler might be, must have resulted purely from my being a 22-year-old with proven shorthand/typing experience who could furnish good references.

Once Hitler had become Reich Chancellor, stenotypists were requested to volunteer for the NSDAP Liaison Staff in Berlin. In March 1933 I arrived in the capital.

Tea with the Führer  

After seizing power, Hitler had installed himself in Berlin's Radziwill Palace. His study, the library, his bedroom and later, alongside it, Eva Braun's apartment were all on the first floor.

Directly opposite the door to Hitler's study a couple of steps led to a long corridor, beyond which was the so-called adjutancy wing with the rooms for Hitler's aides. The first room was the Staircase Room (Treppenzimmer), where at least one of us would be permanently on standby, regardless of the hour, should Hitler need to give a dictation. Then came the rooms of Julius Schaub, Hitler's rather unprepossessing factotum, Dr Dietrich (Reich press officer), Sepp Dietrich (commander of SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Hitler's personal bodyguard unit) and Hitler's chief adjutant, Wilhelm Brückner.

If one descended the staircase beyond these one came to the so-called ladies' saloon, actually the reception room, to the left of which wing doors, always pegged open, led into the film room. To the right was the Bismarck Room, also known as the smoking room. The dining hall was next to it and annexed to the Winter Garden, which ended in a fine semicircular path. Breakfast was taken in the Winter Garden and in the afternoon Hitler held most of his talks strolling its length.

One day Hitler happened to pass the Staircase Room at teatime, saw us sitting there and asked if he might join us. This hour of easy chatter was so much to his liking that he later came to tea almost daily. The Staircase Room was a place where he felt unburdened and I always had the impression that what he said there came from a secret memory box which at all other times he kept locked shut.

He would often recall pranks played in late childhood, for example, the time as a 12 year-old when he wagered his classmates that he could make the girls laugh during a religious service. He won the bet by intently brushing his non-existent moustache whenever they glanced at him.

He also spoke of his mother, to whom he was very attached, and of his father's violence: 'I never loved my father,' he used to say, 'but feared him. He was prone to rages and would resort to violence. My poor mother would then always be afraid for me. When I read Karl May once that it was a sign of bravery to hide one's pain, I decided that when he beat me the next time I would make no sound. When it happened – I knew my mother was standing anxiously at the door – I counted every stroke out loud. Mother thought I had gone mad when I reported to her with a beaming smile, "Thirty-two strokes father gave me!" From that day I never needed to repeat the experiment, for my father never beat me again.'

Hitler's tailor

For Hitler, clothing was purely functional. He hated trying things on. Since he made lively hand and arm movements to emphasise points he was making in his speeches, and also liked to extend his body while strolling in conversation, especially when the subject was one which excited him and which he did mainly by raising the right shoulder, he had an aversion to a close fit. His tailor had to shape all uniforms and suits for comfort in this regard. This occasional raising of the right shoulder may have been due to the left shoulder being stiff. During the putsch of November 9 1923 Hitler fell to the pavement, dislocating his left shoulder. Dr Walter Schultze, the leader of the SA medical corps, could not convince Hitler to have it X-rayed. Hitler feared being 'bumped off' at the hospital. The shoulder was therefore never properly fixed and remained stiff ever afterwards.

'Imagine my face without a moustache!'  

I found Hitler's eyes expressive. They could look friendly and warm-hearted, or express indignation, indifference and disgust. In the last months of the war they lost expressiveness and became a more watery, pale light blue, and rather bulging. One could always tell his mood from his voice. It could be unusually calm, clear and convincing, but also excited, increasing in volume and becoming overwhelmingly aggressive. Often it would be ice-cold. 'Ice-cold' or 'Now I am ice-cold' were much-used phrases of his. 'I am totally indifferent to what the future will think of the methods which I have to use,' I heard frequently. 'Ruthless' (rücksichtslos) was common in his vocabulary: 'Force it through ruthlessly, whatever the cost!'

Hitler's nose was very large and fairly pointed. I do not know whether his teeth were ever very attractive, but by 1945 they were yellow and he had bad breath. He should have grown a beard to hide his mouth. During the years of his friendship with Ada Klein, who worked on the Nazi party newspaper, Völkischer Beobachter, he told her: 'Many people say I should shave off the moustache, but that is impossible. Imagine my face without a moustache!' and at that held his hand below his nose like a plate. 'My nose is much too big. I need the moustache to relieve the effect!'

'His face turned to stone'

Hitler set great store on hygiene. He bathed daily, often several times a day, particularly after meetings and speeches, from which he would return sweating. Harsh and inflexible as Hitler could be with others, he did not exempt himself. He would reject tiredness and would call upon endless reserves of energy. No wonder that the trembling left hand was such an embarrassment to him. The knowledge from 1944 onwards that he was no longer master of his own body was a heavy burden. When surprised visitors saw his trembling hand, he would cover it instinctively with the other. Yet to the end he remained master of his emotions. Should bad news arrive during a private conversation the only clue would be a movement of his jaw. I remember him receiving the report about the destruction of the Möhne and Eder dams, which flooded much of the Ruhr. As he read it his face turned to stone, but that was all. Nobody could have gauged how deeply the blow had struck him. It would be hours or days before he would refer to such an event, and then give full vent to his feelings.

Memory man

From his youth onwards Hitler had a great lust to read. He told me one day that during his youth in Vienna he had read through all 500 volumes at the city reference library. I was always amazed at how precisely he could describe any geographical region or speak about art history or hold forth on very complicated technical matters. In the same way he could describe with amazing detail how theatres, churches, monasteries and castles were built. The Oberbürgermeister of Munich, with whom Hitler enjoyed discussing the expansion and beautification of the city, related how surprised he was when Hitler recalled the minute details of a conversation they had had months previously. Hitler had reproached him: 'Six months ago I told you I wanted it done this way!' and then repeated word for word their conversation, a fact confirmed by architects Speer and Giesler post-war.

It is confirmed that from his youth onwards Hitler had the gift of an unusual memory, but his secret was that he trained and expanded it every day. He said that when he was reading he tried to grasp the essence of a thing and fix it in his mind. It was his practice or method during the tea hours and when chatting at the hearth over a subject he had been reading about to repeat it several times in order to anchor it more firmly in his memory. Despite the effort Hitler made to surprise people with his rich trove of knowledge, and to show them his superiority, he made sure he never let them know the sources of this knowledge. He was expert at convincing his listeners that everything he said was the result of his own deliberations and critical thinking. Nearly everybody was convinced that Hitler was a profound thinker, and a wonderfully sharp, analytical spirit.

Once I began working for him, I wanted to get the thing straight. One day Hitler launched into a philosophical dissertation on one of his favourite themes. To my astonishment I realised that he was reciting a page from Schopenhauer, which I had just finished reading myself. Summoning all my courage I drew the fact to his attention. Hitler, taken a little aback, threw me a glance and explained in fatherly tones: 'Do not forget, my child, that all knowledge comes from others and that every person only contributes a minute piece to the whole.'

Dictation with the dictator  

Back in the Staircase Room I would wait on standby until a valet shouted through the wing door: 'The chief is asking you to come for dictation!' He would open the door to the library and shut it as he withdrew, hanging a notice on the latch: 'Do not disturb.' As a rule Hitler would be standing at or bent over his desk, working on the punch lines for a speech, for example. Often he would appear not to notice my presence. Before the dictation I would not exist for him, and I doubt whether he saw me as a person when I was at my typist's desk. A while would pass in silence. Then he would close in on the typewriter and begin to dictate calmly and with expansive gestures. Gradually, getting into his stride, he would speak faster. Without pause one sentence would then follow another while he strolled around the room.

Occasionally he would halt, lost in thought, before Lenbach's portrait of Bismarck, gathering himself as it were before resuming his wandering. His face would become florid and the anger would shine in his eyes. He would stand rooted to the spot as though confronting the particular enemy he was imagining. It would certainly have been easier to have taken this dictation in shorthand but Hitler did not want this. Apparently he felt himself as if on wings when he heard the rhythmic chatter of the typewriter keys.

The typewriter had its own mechanical noise. As Hitler would never be seen wearing spectacles in public, typewriters were later manufactured with 12mm characters so that he could read the script in public without glasses. The 'Silenta' brand machines had the advantage of typing quietly but the keys tended to tangle if one typed over a certain speed. Since Hitler did not – or did not want to – notice this and kept on dictating, this was naturally very unsettling for the typist and often made her very nervous. One became anxious that while unscrambling the keys a sentence might be missed and the text would not flow.

On one occasion I did not like the way he had phrased something. When I dared mention it, he looked at me, neither angry nor offended, and said: 'You are the only person I allow to correct me!' From the outbreak of war Hitler would never deliver a speech without a manuscript. 'I prefer to speak, and I speak best, from the top of my head,' he told me, 'but now we are at war I must weigh carefully every word, for the world is watching and listening. Were I to use the wrong word in a spontaneous moment of passion, that could have severe implications!'

The smoking ban  

The day at FHQ Wolfsschanze had been as dull as any other. After dinner I saw a film in the hope of relieving my boredom, then I went to the officers' mess from where Hitler's manservant winkled me out just as I was getting comfortable. In the hope that the tea session would perhaps not last too long, I promised to return to the mess afterwards. Torn from a convivial environment, I now came to a Führer who wore a frown. I knew that he would be in a bad mood, for the situation at the Russian Front was not good.

Today's theme was that old chestnut, smoking. He would start out with special reference to narrowing of the arteries caused by smoking. How awful a smoker's stomach must look. Smokers lacked consideration for others, forcing them to breathe in polluted air. He had really toyed with the idea of outlawing smoking anywhere in Germany. The campaign would begin by having a death's head printed on every cigarette pack. 'If I should ever discover,' he often said, emphasising the depth of his antagonism to smoking, 'that Eva were secretly smoking, then that would be grounds for me to separate from her immediately and for ever.'

At that time I was a heavy smoker. Hitler said that because tobacco products were distributed to them freely, even young soldiers who had not been smokers previously had now taken up the habit.

They should be given chocolate, not cigarettes. Everybody nodded in agreement, but I, already in a rather spirited frame of mind from my visit to the officers' mess, chipped in and declared: 'Ah, mein Führer, let the poor boys (I might even have used the word 'swine' here) have this pleasure, they don't get any others!' Ignoring my idiotic outburst, Hitler went on to explain how nicotine and alcohol ruined people's health and addled the mind. Now I brought up the big gun and said, referring to photographer Heinrich Hoffmann, 'One cannot really say that, mein Führer. Hoffmann smokes and drinks all day yet is the most agile man in the shop.' At that Hitler clammed up.

Without another word he rose quickly and took his leave – 'ice-cold' and with an aggrieved expression, from which I finally saw what I had done.

Next afternoon when I inquired of the manservant in what mood the boss found himself today, Hans Junge gave a colleague and myself a long look and said that tea would be taken today without the ladies. Albert Bormann had been told to inform us officially. When I asked him, Bormann admitted in embarrassment that the boss was annoyed with me and would not be requiring the ladies' company at tea.

I no longer existed for him. It was to be many months before Hitler forgave my faux pas.

'You are sentimental'  

In 1978, Henriette Schirach [the wife of Baldur Benedikt von Schirach, head of the Hitler youth and Reich Governor of Vienna during the Nazi occupation] reminded me of an encounter she had with Hitler on Good Friday, 1943. I remember that evening Eva Braun had sat at Hitler's right before she went upstairs, and to the left of Henriette.

While the other guests were talking, an argument developed between Henriette and Hitler, the subject of which was an occurrence in Amsterdam a few days previously. She had been awoken at night by an unusually loud disturbance and had watched from a hotel window as some weeping women were ordered forward across a bridge and disappeared into the night.

The next day she learned from her friends that this had been a deportation of Jewish women. She promised to bring the matter to the attention of Hitler, which she was now doing. Hitler answered her in a very brusque manner: 'Be silent, Frau von Schirach, you understand nothing about it. You are sentimental. What does it matter to you what happens to female Jews? Every day tens of thousands of my most valuable men fall while the inferior survive. In that way the balance in Europe is being undermined,' and here he moved his cupped hands up and down like a pair of scales.

'And what will become of Europe in one hundred, in one thousand years?' In a tone which made it evident that he considered the matter closed, he declared: 'I am committed by duty to my people alone, to nobody else!'

'He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Secretary' by Christa Schroeder, introduced by Roger Moorhouse (Frontline Books, £19.99), is available from Telegraph Books for £17.99 + £1.25 p & p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit www.books.telegraph.co.uk

WHO WAS CHRISTA SCHROEDER?

Working as Hitler’s secretary from 1933 until his suicide in 1945, the young Christa Schroeder never knew a private life. In 1938, she became engaged to Yugoslav diplomat Lav Alkonic. When Hitler refused to give his blessing to the liaison, Schroeder raised the possibility of leaving his employment. Hitler replied: ‘I would know how to prevent that.’ The engagement was broken off in 1941.

After the collapse of the Third Reich Schroeder was arrested by the US Army Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC). Initially convicted as a war criminal, she was later reclassified as a collaborator and released days later, on 12 May 1948. Dr Karl Brandt, formerly Hitler’s emergency surgeon, described Schroeder under interrogation at Nuremberg: ‘Clever, critical and intelligent, she had a turnover of work which no other secretary matched, often spending several days and nights almost without a break taking dictation. She would always express her opinion openly...and in time became sharply critical of Hitler himself. Her boldness undoubtedly put her life in grave danger.’ In civilian life, she worked in the metal and insurance industries, retiring at 59, and living in Munich until her death, aged 76, on 28 June 1984.

Christa Schroeder was never a National Socialist in the true sense: ‘I was told I had to join the Party since only NSDAP members could be employees. I suppose I went a few times to the big assemblies, but I felt nothing in common with the speakers or the masses and I must have appeared terribly stupid.’

An alternative view of her appears in a US Army intelligence report of May 22 1945: ‘Mr Albrecht… interrogated her. She was rather stupid, dumpy and an ardent Nazi.’ Schroeder wrote of this event: ‘After the interrogation was over, Lt Albrecht...had a very friendly conversation with me. When I expressed regret that my whole life, all the years, had been for nothing, he replied, “No, everything has a purpose, nothing is wasted”.’

Anton Joachimsthaler

@evahitler

[davidsabat]

The Last Boogie of 2017....NYE 2018 is on tonight w/Julius the Mad Thinker, David Sabat & Just Joey @Exit 1315 W North Av 9-4a! $20 w/Champ toast & free pizza. Don't overthink NYE. Keep is simple & let's just do this! The Last Boogie of 2017....NYE 2018 is on tonight w/Julius the Mad Thinker, David Sabat & Just Joey @ Exit 1315 W North Av 9-4a! $20 w/Champaign toast & free pizza. Don't overthink NYE. Keep is simple & let's just do this! (at EXIT)

[reading-hawkeye]

The Avengers #134, 1975

[impulsetravels]

impulse travels radio show. 23 august 2017.

special guest: deepjust aquabeat (getopen sessions)

or » DOWNLOAD HERE «

photo: Reading the urban landscape from the evening. Cape Town. South Africa. | by Aaron Brown. licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Our 8/23 episode features a live Deep House Impulse Mix special guest DJ DeepJust AquaBeat, as well as music by Jimpster (UK), Ninetoes (Berlin), Fish Go Deep (Ireland), Amber Mark (NYC), Thornato + Kongo Elektro (QNS + Cape Town), Orezi (Nigeria), The Funkees + The Busy Twist (Nigeria + NYC), Popcaan + Davido (Jamaica + Nigeria) and more. You can check out Deep Just's Impulse Mix below featuring music from Black Coffee + Thiwe + Manoo + Francois Aymonier (South Africa + UK), Abstrkt Afriken + Ade Alafia Adio + Oscar P (Maryland + Nigeria + Amsterdam + NYC), DJ Kemit + Choklate + Ancient Deep (ATL + Seattle), Julius The Mad Thinker (Chicago), Kuniyuki Takahashi (Sapporo), Wouter de Moor (Amsterdam), Jordan Rakei + KCIV (Brisbane + UK + Rennes), Rebel Tumbao + Ron Trent (NYC + Chicago), Kemdi (NYC), and Robert Glasper Experiment + Bilal (Houston + NYC + Philly) as well as some unreleased exclusives and some of his own productions.

soundcloud.com/deepjust facebook.com/GetOpenSessions getopensessions.podomatic.com » CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST «

[giveabeat]

Give a Beat Celebrates International Youth Day With Multiple DJ Events Across the Country

In honor of the United Nation’s declared International Youth Day, Give a Beat is connecting DJs and music promoters across the country with a series of dance music events

By the Give a Beat Social Media Team

In partnership with DJs and promoters in the U.S., Give a Beat’s International Youth Day events are raising awareness and funds for its programs by engaging the dance music community in helping families impacted by mass incarceration and giving youth in America a voice. From August 10 to August 13, 2017, music promoters across the United States will honor the United Nation’s declared International Youth Day (August 12) with a series of dance music events spanning from Detroit to Los Angeles. The events will raise money and awareness for Give a Beat’s music, mentoring and re-entry programs which bridge the dance music community with youth and families impacted by mass incarceration. 

In addition to raising funds for Give a Beat’s innovative programs, a major educational initiative will be implemented so that attendees can learn about the myriad ways in which the mass incarceration epidemic is negatively affecting youth, and how to get involved and push for positive change. This is an ongoing nationwide effort by Give a Beat to raise awareness and educate dance music fans and the public at large about the plight of youth in marginalized American communities.

Here in Southern California, long time Give a Beat collaborator Ben Annand will once again throw the anchor event –  which single-handedly brought in over $5,000 in funds last year. Annand has been throwing his beloved Tropical Events since 1998; the Tropical Boat Party since 2004. On August 12th, LA's original house music boat party will sail out of Long Beach Harbor, featuring sets by Annand, DJ Three, Doc Martin, Marques Wyatt, Patricio, and Jamie Schwabl.

“I grew up in an area plagued by gang violence, but I’m fortunate to have loving teacher/musicians as parents. Not everyone is so lucky. Give a Beat is the perfect partner for Tropical because we are able to focus on making a great dance party, while they put the money we raise toward after-school programs for underprivileged youth. Full circle, we are all connected!” says Tropical’s Annand.

Background on the Issues:

The deleterious effects of mass incarceration are particularly difficult for American youth in marginalized communities. Currently, 2.7 million children (minors under 18) in the United States have an incarcerated parent. In addition, the United States is the world leader in incarcerating youth, spending $6 billion per year on juvenile corrections. On any given day, there are over 70,000 juveniles in custody in the U.S.  Furthermore, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that puts minors into solitary confinement, tries them as adults, imposes life sentences without parole, and sends juveniles to adult prisons at a stunning average cost of $80K a year, more than a Harvard education. And perhaps most disturbing, 1 in 3 African American youth will be in prison during their lifetime. “There are so many people locked up in the U.S. right now: women, teens - most who have already been victimized, and are now separated from family.  Our for-profit prison system has been able to grow unabatedly for 45 years. It’s a machine, making it very difficult to intervene and correct, but there is still a lot we can do. For one, we can just be there for people who've been through it by receiving them when they get out. This alone can make a world of difference.” says Lauren Segal.

Give a Beat’s Programs:

In addition to the development of its unique mentoring program that connects previously incarcerated young people (ages 16 to 24) with mentors from the music community to help guide them toward a creative music-driven career and away from imprisonment forever, Give a Beat has other programs that use the power of music to heal from trauma caused by the impact of mass incarceration on at-risk communities. Since its founding, Give a Beat has held numerous DJ workshops for youth in collaboration with several organizations including A Place Called Home, Arts for Incarcerated Youth, and Girls Rock Detroit and is working on expanding this successful program across the country. In December of 2016, Give a Beat’s social justice work and youth mentoring programs was featured in the PBS special, “The American Spirit with Mary Parks of CBS.”

Background on International Youth Day:

August 12th is the UN declared International Youth Day, which “aims to remind the public of the importance of youth as a stage in life and is celebrated all over the world.” On this date each year, the UN recognizes efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society and also promotes ways to engage youth to get more involved in making positive contributions to their communities. Give a Beat, in partnership with promoters, is hoping to raise awareness about how youth are being negatively affected by the mass incarceration crisis and raise funds toward our programs that offer positive alternatives to the school-to-prison pipeline.

Events This Year Include:

Chicago, IL Juice Sunday Party 8/13 with Julius the Mad Thinker and Randall Dean

Detroit, MI SchoolhouseThursdays at the Mix 8/10 with Stacey Hale, Bruce Bailey, and Pontchartrain 

Durham, NC DanceGruv Radio presents Transmissions 8/12 with Marshall Jones, DJ Nugz, Lady Fingers, djseanEboy, Strider   

Humboldt, CA Elevate: Hip-Hop Edition 8/11 with DJ M, Skinny Pepperwood (LFO), Esch, Gabe Pressure 

Humboldt, CA Sundaze 8/13 with Basstard, Derek Watts, Joe-E, Baggadonuts 

Long Beach, CA Tropical Boat Party 8/12 with DJ Three, Doc Martin, Marques Wyatt, Patricio, Jamie Schwabl, and Ben Annand  

Los Angeles, CA SHIFT 8/13 with DaVoid, Jamie Schwabl, Tocaio (Live Set), Barstool Astronaut (Live Set) 

New Orleans, LA The Ice Pit 8/12 with Unicorn Fukr, Matt Zarba, Herb Christopher  

San Diego, CA Soulonbeat/I'll House with You 8/11 with David Harness, Oscar P, Joe Pea, Cris Hererra, Gooseman, Boyz Don’t Disco  

San Francisco, CA Temple Night Club 8/11 with LA Riots 

Tucson, AZ Dazed and Confused Presents: Give a Beat! 8/10 with DJs Shelby Anthouguia, Eliogold, and Bank Notes 

Give a Beat’s International Youth Day promotional partners include: DJ Times, Fusicology, DanceGruv Radio, Green Galactic, Electronic Music Alliance (EMA), and Universal Rhythm.

To learn more about Give a Beat’s 2017 International Youth Day events (IYD2017), please visit: http://www.giveabeat.org/iyd2017. 

[blkwidowsweb]

A Conversation with Chosen Few Guest DJ, Emmaculate!

Raised by a Father and Mother who were a musician & abstract painter, respectively, Eric Welton AKA Emmaculate was groomed for the arts.  As a child he dug into his parents’ and older brother’s record collection spanning from The Beatles & James Taylor to Run D.M.C. & The Fat Boys.  Growing up on the outskirts of Chicago, he was exposed to the sounds of House Music in the late 80’s as a young teenager. In 1990, Eric started collecting House & Hip Hop records and learning how to blend.  One of his close friends had an older cousin who was a DJ with an extensive record collection, but was incarcerated.  Eric’s friend brought this collection over to his house, which turned out to be a treasure chest of 80’s House Music.  The obsession began.  Eric’s mixtapes quickly caught the ear of some older guys in the area.  They took him in under their wings, taught him much more about the music & culture, took him to legendary record stores Importes Etc & Gramaphone, & introduced him to a professional recording studio.  This all led to Eric starting to DJ basement & house parties as a teenager, some thrown by a budding young promoter, Julius the Mad Thinker (co-founder of Mi Casa Holiday), who is one of Eric’s high school friends.

 Eric was nicknamed Emmaculate as a play on words because of his immaculate attention to detail & quality.  He developed his DJ’ing & production skills in House Music & Hip Hop, and became one of the go to producers and sound engineers in Chicago.  He has worked as a producer and mix engineer for many top Urban Music artists in the US, as well as DJ’d countless events.  Over the years, Emmaculate forged relationships with some of the Chicago legends of House Music, giving him an invaluable education and mentorship. 

2017 marked the year that Emmaculate began releasing music as an artist himself. His break out single, “Do It” ft. vocalist Kaye Fox, was released on Terry Hunter’s T’s Box Records and reached the top 10 Soulful House chart on Traxsource.  Since then he has released several singles, remixes & an EP on T’s Box, Dopewax, & S&S Records.  He has played live sets at Mi Casa Holiday in Mexico several times, as well as Amsterdam Dance Event in 2017 & 2018 for T’s Box & Chosen Few DJ’s. His sounds are eclectic... sometimes hard, acidic, dreamy, jazzy, funky, & soulful... a cosmic slop of organic technology".  I first spoke with Emmaculate two years ago (Check out my first conversation with Emmaculate here). Since then, his career has grown rapidly. I recently had a chance to speak with Emmaculate for a second time about his continued growth, his new projects and playing this year’s Chosen Few Picnic and Festival! 

Black Widow:  It’s been two years since my last interview with you and quite a bit has happened with you and your career.  What has that journey been like?

Emmaculate:  It has been an amazing journey. I’m very happy I made the decision to change the route of my career. I spent many years working in the studio producing other artists; predominately R&B and hip hop artists. I wasn’t just producing music for them, I was helping them with their marketing and promotion and helping them manage their business and the decision to put that same effort into myself, by releasing my own music under my own name and working on branding myself…was a great decision.  I’m also glad I made the decision to start working with Terry (Hunter).  It has been such a blessing. We’ve developed a really good, reciprocal working relationship. He’s done so much to help me and provide his platform for me to release my music and more. It’s all happening faster than I expected honestly.

Black Widow: I know! Just two years ago, we met and I recorded vocals for your re-release of your song Fenix.  You have quite a few releases since then with Kaye Fox and others, remixing and of course producing.  You’ve been very busy.

Emmaculate:  Yeah, I’ve released three records with Kaye Fox, done some instrumental tracks for the 2087 project, remixes packages on various things and the Glenn Underground remix of my track, The Light did excellent. I’ve been able to work with quite a few incredible artists, Mark Demayo, Mike City, Alex M. I have an EP coming out on Youruba records with Osunlade. Even on the DJ side, I’ve been able to play ADE twice, SouthBySouthwest, and it’s just been one thing after another and I’m very happy with the momentum.  I’m just keeping my nose to the grindstone. 

Black Widow: What do they say, “Booked and Busy”!

Emmaculate:  Absolutely, it’s all about focusing on the work, the creativity and putting blinders on the distractions. As long as you stay focused on creating, all the other stuff lines up on its own.

Black Widow:   What have been some of the best lessons you’ve learned over the past two years?

Emmaculate:  There’s a lot of noise and negative noise if you choose to listen to it or give energy to it but like I said earlier, I’ve learned to just focus on the work, the music, the creativity.  I’ve learned to stay focused on what we do it for; it’s about the love of the music; the creative and personal artistic expression.  Its fun…you have to remember to have fun with it.  It’s not supposed to be stressful. This is art. It’s supposed to be what we love and it’s a choice.   Staying focused on creativity and treating people well, that really sums it all up.

Black Widow:  Has your creative process changed? Do you approach making music differently now?

Emmaculate:  I’ve learned quite a bit over the last few years.  For the people who read the credits, you can see I do a lot of remixing, editing and final mixing of records. I’ve mixed the majority of Terry’s records over the past few years and by working with him and seeing his process, I’ve learned.  It’s always something new to learn and watching him and how he builds records has been a great learning experience. He’s a master at his craft and it’s led to me working with other artists and watching how they do things.  As an engineer, working with Joey Fernandez has been great. He’s another master at his craft.  He’s taught me some tricks of the trade in terms of mixing and things like that.  We just all have a good synergy because we always bounce ideas and critique one another.   Even as a DJ, watching great DJs do their thing is very inspiring. There are always takeaways from being in the midst of fellow creatives. I’m a sponge, I love the experience of being around some of the greats and observing what they do and taking that influence and applying them in my own way.

Black Widow: I definitely relate. I remember not knowing much about songwriting and song structure because I was a poet. Being around Terry and Mike was great because I was learning how they put my words to music and how they place them and even now over the years, connecting with other songwriters and vocalists is so inspiring to me.  It’s nothing like sharing space with other creatives. You just learn so much. 

Emmaculate: I love drawing inspiration off of what other dope people are doing.    Competition can be positive and fun or it can be negative in spirit.  I believe iron sharpens iron so you want to be around people who are great at their craft.  It can’t be ego based, fragile, and paranoid and negative spirited.

Black Widow:  I agree there are so many artists in this scene and there is space for everyone.

Emmaculate:  There’s enough opportunity to go around for sure. Every success from any artist here draws attention to our city as a whole and makes it more likely for all of to get more opportunities. That’s how I approach it.  

Black Widow:  Building those relationships and connections with others in the industry is important.  It helps because it’s another form of support.   I remember my 1st performance and being so scared. After I performed, I remember Terisa Griffith being so complimentary to me. It really did something for my confidence and it was such a small thing but it meant a lot. I remember thinking Terry threw me under the bus [laughter] when he asked me to perform with such an incredible lineup of experienced talent but he really did it to make me better and it was a huge learning experience for me.

Emmaculate:  I have a similar story. At the T’s Box party, ADE in 2017, Wayne (Williams) and Alan (King) were doing a tag team at the T’s Box Party.   I’ve been DJing professionally since 1990 but it was my first time DJing in Europe. I remember Terry saying; hey…get in on the tag team! That was my first time playing with Wayne and Alan [LAUGHTER] So here I am, my first time playing in Europe and I’m in a tag team with legends. [LAUGHTER]  You know…you have to get uncomfortable in order to grow.  Being nervous and uncomfortable is a good thing. It pushes you to the next level.

Black Widow:  I completely understand that! Every experience is a learning one; good and bad!

Emmaculate:  What you said is key…stay focused on improving your craft. You have to always push yourself to improve and be better. 

Black Widow:  My dad would always say, whatever your art is, it’s a muscle and you have to work that muscle every day.  You have to make space for your craft.  I think I’ve really come to a greater understanding of that since “Fenix” honestly.

Emmaculate:  You know what’s funny about Fenix?  Terry never told me what he had up his sleeve when he was doing that version. Julius and I had done the song on our own label years ago.  One day he called me and asked me why I called it Fenix. I explained it to him and he said ok and that was that.  When I heard what you wrote, I was like, WOW, that’s perfect!  It’s amazing that we never had a conversation about this when you wrote it because you articulated exactly what I wanted the song to say. That’s the way the universe works.

Black Widow: My dad call’s that the “collective consciousness”

Emmaculate: Exactly! Your dad is a wise man.  That’s exactly what it is and we just happened to be tapped in…all three of us.  It worked.

Black Widow:  I loved that opportunity so much because after making Rough, I wanted to do something different and show a different side of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love “Rough” but…

Emmaculate: I think you made it clear in the song, how much you love it Rough! [LAUGHTER]

Black Widow:  [Laughter] True, but it was just a piece of who I am and I wanted to share another side and Fenix gave me that opportunity!

Emmaculate: Absolutely! I still play it and the acapella version all the time. 

Black Widow:  We are totally getting off topic! [Laughter]

Emmaculate: I know! But it’s all good!

Black Widow:   What was your reaction when you got the call to play this year’s Chosen Few Festival?

Emmaculate:  Terry called me a few weeks before the official announcement and tricked me.  I honestly never expected to get booked to play this year.  I thought it might happen one day but I never thought it would be this year.  Terry says, "What are you doing on July 6th"?  I remembered that date but said," Whatever you got for me".   He says, "Does that date ring a bell"? I’m like yeah that’s the day of the picnic. When he called my daughter’s mom was around and he said to put him on speaker phone.  He tells her not to make plans for July 6th and told her I was playing the picnic this year! I was like WOW! That’s crazy! Thank you! It was such a pleasant surprise.

I’m so honored to have that opportunity. A Friend of mine said it best; The Chosen Few Picnic is like the Superbowl for us.  I feel like I get to play in the Superbowl!  I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to it and I’m a bit nervous too but it’s a good nervous! [Laugher]

Black Widow: Have you thought about your set?

Emmaculate: I have but I never pre-plan a set. I call it “Planned Improvisation”.  All Djs have a glossary of blends that they know work.  I’ll usually create a separate crate for a gig and put a collection of records together that I think work for and then wherever it goes…it goes. I’ve learned to just go with the flow and the mood.  You think you are going to approach a set one way and it goes a different way. I have a few different thoughts on how to approach it so you’ll just have to see. I have a diverse musical palette so it will definitely be interesting.

Black Widow: I’m sure! I can’t wait to see what you do!

Emmaculate:  I’m looking forward to it! I’m grateful and humbled that they thought of me. I can’t wait to take it all in and hear the other DJs too! It’s just a great time!

Black Widow:  I agree! There’s nothing like it.  My only advice would be to take that moment in. That moment on that stage…It’s going to be incredible!  Thank you for speaking with me today!

Emmaculate: No doubt!  I definitely will! It’s always a pleasure.

You can catch DJ Emmaculate this year at the Chosen Few Picnic and Festival on July 6th, The Groove Society at Celeste Every Tuesday and the Soulnic Experience at Pier 31 on August 3rd. He will also be at the Amsterdam Dance Event and Mi Casa Holiday this October!!

Instagram - @djemmaculate

Twitter - @djemmaculate

FB - https://www.facebook.com/djemmaculate

Mixcloud - https://www.mixcloud.com/djemmaculate/

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/djemmaculate

You can find Emmaculate’s latest releases on Traxsource! https://www.traxsource.com/artist/327722/emmaculate

 The Countdown is on! See you at the Picnic!

-Black Widow