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It was a dark and stormy night...the party had been busted twice so far, moved from a beach in SF to a SOMA warehouse, then across the Bay to the Berkeley Marina. So much rain was coming down that the needle of the one working turntable left a wake on the record. And still it happened. The unspeakable "it"...the reason we all got hooked on dancing forever, wherever, whenever. If it could happen in those conditions, it could just happen. Like Mom used to say, "Go outside and play!"
So we took Mike's speakers, a generator borrowed from Chevron (don't ask), Jacob, Andy and Scott's records, and all the friends we could round up down to the same spot a few weeks later for a little Sunday afternoon jam. We were young, idealistic, definitely feeling the vibe of SF's dance culture, and wanting to make a point about freedom, community, and the importance of both to life on Earth.
Of course we were instantly labeled hippies. We were also jaded, tired of watching the scene disintegrate around us, and not yet willing to grow up and call the best times of our lives mere youthful folly. Looking back from today, what followed were several seasons of what could only be described as youthful folly. Spontaneous midnight raids on numerous East Bay parks...Santa Cruz beaches...sketchy deserted industrial areas along the SF waterfront -- these became our playgrounds.
There was a feeling in the air, and we weren't the only ones to notice. It was time to make our dreams reality, and the explosion of DIY sound systems in SF that summer in 1993 made for plenty of great collaborations. Your Sister's House, TAZ (later SPAZ), Gateway, THC (Primal Records' crew), the New Moon folks, and many others all helped make free and/or cheap gatherings a regular weekend expectation. Not to mention the wonderful group of freaks living at the Chateau Student Co-op, whose enthusiasm for utterly mental marathon beat sessions provided the perfect laboratory for testing new ideas.
After several years of mayhem, the next experiment called for taking the show on the road. Brad had moved back to LA and joined forces with Moontribe; Jacob stayed in SF and began working with Cloudfactory; Madeline continued her art activities; and Scott and Whitsitt loaded up the Corolla with records, popped in a mixtape, and went lowriding to Texas.
Much of the fall of 1995 and spring of 1996 was spent working with the Hazy Daze Collectif in Dallas, and the extended Phukawhee/Coprolingus tribe in Austin. Another brief tour of the East Coast and Midwest in summer of 1996 eventually led us to settle in Boulder, Colorado, where we met Ejay, Ivy, Satori-C, and the Humble Souls (another group of East Bay expatriates with a similar soulful approach to gatherings).
The Rocky Mountains have become a source of constant inspiration. Although the high altitude makes for a shorter outdoor party season than the Bay Area, the abundance of remote spaces and breathtaking views of sunrise after a full moon party at 10,000 ft. are incomparable.
The Colorado "rave scene" has largely come and gone with little involvement from us. Instead, we have spent many wonderful Sunday afternoons at sunset parties (with respect to Pacific Soundsystem in SF), splashing in the creek, barbequeing chicken and making sure even the youngest dancers could get their boogie on and still make it to bed in time for kindergarten on Monday.
We’ve introduced countless urban party kids to the mountains in their backyard. We’ve turned warehouses into temporary art galleries, and restaurant buffet rooms into discos. Sure, we've played a lot of records, but we’ve developed as many friendships, and more importantly, a community...one which shares our love of "it."
"always respect your mama!"
mother Earth sound system
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