Food life

Hafeez and I formed the dj part of our Integrated Experience for a gig at Food Life - food court in the Water Tower Place. After we got set up, I hopped on the decks and started playing some hip-hop. Older stuff I hadn't heard in a while. After I put on the first track, employees of Food Life who were setting up, started dancing. These two guys started doing the dance from House Party. I was just doing my thing, playing music I wanted to hear. It's so cool to see people dance to music I like. Hafeez took over to warm up and started using some of the tricks I use (stutter starts, blending, etc.). He's getting pretty good with his mixing. It was cool to see him learn and use what I'm doing. I didn't even know he was picking that up while I was spinning. I often talk about what I'm doing, but it's more about what I'm seeing and thinking. Mixing is more instinctual to me now.

During the event, little things here and there were really pissing me off. A woman requested Sexyback when we were about to start the raffle, and she was very persistant about wanting it played. NOW! I did not play it. Hafeez took her to the side and talked to her. They talked for a good ten, fifteen minutes - she must have been really upset. Another thing was that one of the women who was part of the raffle asked me to make an anouncement and to say that it was happening in five minutes and to ask everyone to come to the dancefloor. I started to make the anouncement and as I was talking, she's telling me what to say and that I'm forgetting to tell them to come over. This is how far I got into my anouncement before she interupted me: "The raffle will be starting in five minutes, once again the raffle will be starting--" When things upset me during a gig, I immediately pull my assistant aside and talk with them about what happened so it doesn't effect my performance on my gig. It seemed like things were happening non stop during the night and I kept talking with people during the whole event. Hafeez would take over when this would happen and I would pull one of our other teammates aside to talk. I finally got it all out by the end of the raffle and we kicked into dancing hardcore. I was back on my game and tore it up.

--Jonathan