Two DJs synonymous with the New England rave scene in the early- to mid-nineties were 333 and M Gee. British brothers, Paul and Mark Slater were regulars on the A-list East Coast club/rave circuit and held a residency upstairs at the original Loft on Stanhope Street in Boston. 333 played mostly trance in those days (but has since switched to house), while M Gee played mostly progressive house. Because of their foreign slang and infectious enthusiasm this duo were highly quotable. One of my favorites was Paul’s (333) response when I asked him at an afterhours in Montreal if he was going to play house: “House is for houses!” In other words, “F*ckin’ Goa – c’maown!” (more…)

At some point in late 1993 or early 1994 I returned home to Santa Cruz for a visit. During this trip I went to a rave in San Francisco that Dante was playing at; I’m pretty sure it was an event thrown by Wicked. The venue was an indoor/outdoor space under a freeway overpass in central San Francisco. If I had to guess, I’d guess it was somewhere around Division/13th Street or in SOMA between Harrison and Bryant. There was at least one sound system in what I recall was a two-story night club but the main stage was outside in the parking lot. With the subterfuge required to throw parties on the East Coast I was amazed that the city allowed this kind of event in such a central location. (more…)

A real gem here from Onionz; circa 1992. Some of my favorite early techno and trance jams pitched way down and blended with that mysterious element which made young Onionz so magic. A common phrase uttered by DJs and trainspotters in the early 90’s whenever O was playing was “Where the f*#@ does he get his records?!” This is because he frequently dropped weird or overlooked records that either no one had heard before or didn’t have the balls to play. To this day, much of this tape remains a mystery to me. (more…)

In late 1992 or early 1993 an offer appeared on a rave mailing list I was subscribed to (probably NEraves) for a five tape collection of recordings from a party in San Francisco called Vision. I don’t know exactly where or when this event was held, but based on the music I think it was sometime in 1992. The DJs on the tapes are Spun, Tony, Josh, Jeno, and Garth. (more…)

The fourth episode of El Tintero comes from our collaborator in this project, Markus Mehta, head of Munich-based Electronic Soul.

Markus, tell us about this mix…
Getting this months mix together wasn’t the easiest task. I had so many great records to choose from, all of which were released in the last couple of weeks. (more…)

Wonderland was of the Boston area’s first large raves. KC & The Sunrise Gang held “Deep” in Portland, ME, the weekend before and there was a lot of excitement that a scene was developing and we were all part of something special. Wonderland was held in the Northeastern Trade Center in Lowell, MA on January 30th, 1993. On the night of this party there was a blizzard and when we came out in the morning the roads hadn’t been plowed and driving home was a real adventure. (more…)

Though several promoters had been throwing smaller events in New England for about a year by this time, it was in the first months of 1993 that things really took off for the New England scene. Events got larger and more frequent. KC’s “Deep” (1993-01-23) and Never Neverland’s “Wonderland” (1993-01-30) were both outstanding but the scale of Blue (1993-02-13) was on another level.
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I’m a little late with my mix for the third episode of El Tintero. I’ve been digesting a lot of music lately and had a tough time deciding which direction to go. Very happy with the result; I think it’s worth the wait (I know you’ve all been waiting). (more…)

The second episode of El Tintero comes from our collaborator in this project, Markus Mehta, head of Munich-based Electronic Soul. His mix was recorded live during a gig at the Ampere Club in Munich in late October 2008. (more…)

While on vacation in Spain in September 2008 Shannon Shalako lost a hand of cards for which he bet he would do a dj mix every month for a year. His friend Markus Mehta, of Electronic Soul, bet the same on the next hand and also lost. So they decided to do this podcast together. El Tintero, a famous seafood restaurant on the beach in Malaga, was the site of the event. If you are ever traveling near Malaga, El Tintero is a do-not-miss experience. (more…)