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Dark Matter Tutorial v.2: Fixed 45s // Digits

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:02:00 -0700

Dark Matter's Houdoken is well known for extending the vocabulary of Digits (Digitz) by exploring new concepts to share. In this tutorial he speaks about a digit technique called Fixed 45s.

He defines them as: "A linear fingerwave technique where a single iteration consists of pulling a line in the fingertips 90 degrees through a fixed point achieved by approaching and exiting the fixed point at mirrored 45 degree angles. Fixed 45s can be used to create square waves, triangle waves and sawtooth waves"

Special thanks to Controlled Kaos for supplying the music. If you dig the song it is available for free download at their Soundcloud Page.

Dark Matter Tutorial v.1: Fans // Digits

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:00:00 -0700

In this tutorial Houdoken breaks down the technique of Fans used within Digits. Fans utilize close coordination with each finger in which the movement mimics that of a chinese fan being opened and closed.

Special thanks to Aligning Minds for hooking us up with the music for this video.

Ode to the Mixtape v.8: Richie Hawtin AKA Plastikman

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:13:00 -0700

DJ Richie Hawtin
Power 96 Radio Mix // 11.24.1989
Download

Electronic Music on the Radio!? Yeah back in the early days of House and Techno, dance music was freely played on the radio during mix shows such as The Hot Mix 5 out of Chicago. I have a few mixes from the late 80’s of their shows as well, but up first: Mister Hawtin!

If you are involved with the electronic music scene and don't know DJ Richie Hawtin is you are straight up wrong! Born in England and growing up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, across the river from Detroit, he was perfectly placed in the late 1980’s to help the North America Rave movement come into being. DJ Richie Hawtin has created some of my favorite tracks such as “Packard” and “Birth” and is great to see live, which I have done many times at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF), now called Movement. This month’s Ode is a live radio mix recorded onto tape from Power 96 in Detroit way back in 1989.

Yeah 1989..... either that makes you feel like a complete newb, or quite old!

Enjoy,

Where's the Party At?: May 14 thru May 20, 2012

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:20:00 -0700

Dancer Highlight v.4: Tommy Von Flowington III

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:35:00 -0700

Chicago resident, Tommy Von Flowington, III, is no lightweight in the Liquid dance community. Over the last 6 years, we’ve had the wonderful opportunity to watch him grow as a dancer and practitioner of Liquid and Digits. It was apparent when we first came across this guy, that he had “it”. By “it” we mean a formidable concept of the driving principle of Liquid; Flow.

Tommy is a true ambassador of EDM dances and continues to demonstrate how Liquid and Digits can be made dynamic through his multi-level approach, using much of the 3-dimensional space around him. And that’s why we have picked him for this week’s dancer highlight.

It is important to work all of the space around you. Many times we see Liquid practitioners focus on just the space immediately in front of them. Take note in the below videos on how Tommy continually moves around his available space, in front of him and behind him. Enjoy!

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Name: Thomas P.

Dance Name: Tommy(or tmy) Von Flowington III, I didnt have a dance name for my first few years or so....hell I barely considered myself a ‘dancer’ back then versus someone who was just interested in dance. The flowington thing was just something random I changed my facebook name to one day out of boredom. Everyone seemed to like it so it just stuck.

City/State: Chicago, IL

Age: 28

Core Dance Styles: Liquid, Tutting

Years Dancing: 6

Where to Find Tommy Von Flowington, III:

Facebook
YouTube
Reddit
Email Tommy

My Inspiration Comes From: The experiences I have lived through(good and not so good),the music I listen to day in and day out, and the people I have met along the way(good and not so good). I try to absorb as much art(all types) as possible to maintain a creative mind and a passionate soul. I view science and technology as art forms as well but for those who don’t... these inspire me too and have been a big part of my life. Applying concepts I’ve learned as a computer science major to dance has helped me a great deal...using the newest language to understand our oldest language.

Other Dancers that Influence Me Are: For liquid, the most influential would be Houdoken, PlainWhiteTom, Kai, Frequency, and Relic. Some poppers would be Slim Boogie[MGF], Greenteck[MZK], Icon[WCA], Future[Assassins], and Soul[IMS]. I am also inspired by various hip-hop dancers, lockers, turfers, flexers, experimental, and object-manipulation artist.

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Flowington, DEMF(May2011) & Axiom (Nov2011)

Clown Around Down Town

TMY, Botanic, May '10

TMY, Quick Practice

Where's the Party At? : May 7 thru May 13, 2012

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:45:00 -0700

Dancer Highlight v.3: Mark Flux

Tue, 01 May 2012 09:20:09 -0700

Mark Flux is a good friend to many of us here in the DMV and can often be seen competing, teaching, judging, joining us at a master workshop or getting down at the club. His expertise in understanding musicality is evident in the precise timing of his movements. Mark fuses robot, boogaloo, animation and other styles together, creating an off balance/unique approach in his movement. Maybe not the most accurate way in describing what he does but his clips below will show you what we mean. You can catch Mark judging the next all styles battle at Bridge 4.5 on Saturday, May 12, 2012.

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Dance Name: Mark Flux

City/State: Virginia

Age: 24

Core Dance Styles: Popping

Years Dancing: 8

Where to Find Mark Flux:

Facebook

My Inspiration Comes From: "Generosity and understanding, friends and family, sound and movement, most importantly having fun~ everyday holiday!"

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Mark Flux 03/13/2011

Mark Flux Free Stylerz Showcase

Mark Flux vs Sun @ SDFX 2

Mark Flux Soul Release v2

MicroControlUnit: The System E.P.

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:00:00 -0700

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fundamentalbassintelligence.bandcamp.com/album/the-system-e-p" mce_href="http://fundamentalbassintelligence.bandcamp.com/album/the-system-e-p"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The System E.P. by MicroControlUnit, Morphogenetic ( remix )&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

If you have a fancy for electro, then this release is for you! We have known Starrie, from FBI Recordings since back in the early Liquid Pop Collective days, when Facebook was yet to be born and online forums (for us it was reflective.net) ruled the interwebs.

This release off of FBI Recordings, by MicroControlUnit, brings heavy, bass driven electro to your dome piece. Take a moment to check out other releases by FBI. You can even download a couple full mixes by Starrie, aka DJ Selekta Stjarna here.

MicroControlUnit, The System E.P.

"The first ever 12″ release by Belgian producer, MicroControlUnit, is finally here! 4 choice cuts, full of heavy electro-bass beats, deranged sequences, captivating and sometimes suspenseful synth lines; all produced with uncanny precision. The 12″ also features a remix by label mastermind Morphogenetic, who reworks MCU’s “Save The World”, off of his 2011 release on Intellegenix Records, in a powerful and very majestic way, with rich strings, classic beats, and inspiring sequenced melodies.

"There is also a bonus rework of the song by MicroControlUnit, which leaves the original theme almost intact, yet it introduces brand new melodies, and arrangements not heard before. If you are looking for a record to truly devastate the dancefloor with the perfect balance of perfectly crafted melodies, sinister grooves, and ferocious bass-heavy beats, this new 12″ by this fascinating Belgian producer is right up your alley…"

Where's The Party At?: April 30th thru May 6, 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:01:45 -0700

Ode to the Mixtape v.7: The Curious Case of DJ Z Trip

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:30:00 -0700

DJ Z Trip
Uneasy Listening Volume 1
Download

So sue me, it's technically not a mixtape, but this mix from 2001 is so dope I have to share it! The first time I heard Z-Trip’s & DJ P's “Uneasy Listening, Volume 1” mix I thought I was tripping. As a child born in the 70’s and raised in the 80’s I witnessed first-hand the explosion of so much good music.

Listening to this this mixtape truly educated me on how a great DJ/Producer/Artist can take various genres of music, some from completely different eras or cultures, and flawlessly fit them together, no matter what the style.

“Uneasy Listening” not only helped give Z-Trip his due notoriety, but him and DJ P are widely considered to be the pioneers of the mash-up movement.

Some of the mixes on this tape are epic. If you are a fan of Classic Rock from the 80’s and Hip Hop you will love this mix. All of it is blended together so seamlessly you’ll wonder how it was never together in the first place. I have had the opportunity to see Z-Trip live many times and have seen him do these mixes live with vinyl. Which is becoming a dying art in itself.

Z-Trip is a talented scratch artist, and has been featured in the documentary called “Scratch”. If you have not seen this movie, take some time to watch it when you can!

Newcleus “Jam On It” + Bruce Hornsby “The Way It Is” + Run-DMC “It’s Like That”...Oh yeah they go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Check it out!

LPE

The Rave Scene Funnies v.2: Comical Humor and Satire

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:30:00 -0700

We're back with some more lighthearted rave satire purely for your dose of lulz for the day.

Smack the Raver

Yes, someone went there. This flash game is probably going to remain a timeless gem forever to be discovered, no matter how hard we try to forget it even existed! "Do you know where the glowstick stand is?" Sorry iPhone users, this baby is was built in Flash before there where even iPhones.

Disclaimer: No ravers where harmed in making this game. Dark Matter does not condone the smacking of ravers!

Dancer Highlight v.2: Storyboard P

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:42:57 -0700

This week's dancer highlight is Storyboard P. With a broad knowledge in both underground/urban dance styles and modern/contemporary movement, Storyboard P, defies the physics of balance and gravity. We recently asked him a few questions about his style and background and obtained a few videos which he recommended to us. Here is another great example of a dancer that integrates various styles and movements to create his own unique character, that has come to be known as Storyboard P.

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Beyonce: "If I were a Boy" Video, 2008

Name: Saalim Thabit Muslim

Dance Name: "My original dance name was Profesoar. Which means to be a master or teach profession in the concept, evolving or elevating. He was a curator and he helped dancers organize and gain control over their abilities. He also was a creator of many forms and held the power of transforming the cells in his body to music. Over the years after film school, I was given the name “storyboard”, for my masterful skill of storytelling on paper, verbally and with my body. I kept the P on the end to replace a period."

Crew Affiliations: Mutant, Motion Picture Wave, Warriors, Maineventt

City/State: Brooklyn NY

Age: 21

Core Dance Styles: Mutant, Contemporary, Bruk Up, Modern Lyrical

Years Dancing: 14

Where to Find Storyboard P:

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

My Inspiration Comes From: "God and the universe. Life. My earliest inspiration was motion picture and its classic storytellers like Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen who animated a lot of the wonderful films from the golden age. Together they worked on the original Mighty Joe Young and King Kong. Ray was his protégé and carried on his skill sets to bring to life the mythological tales of Medusa, Perseus, Zeus and so many other fantasies and stories that prior to that point was only learned of through word.

"This was amazing to me because it taught me that creation is first from thought, then word, then visual. This helped me with my creation process. Then, I saw movers who were from the neighborhood who were into animating their bodies to reggae. So I rushed to learn under them, because I thought if I learned, I could help create a legacy as great as some of these early filmmakers and movers from the neighborhood. And thus this inspired me to blend my writing and thought process with every little move I made. This helped to me create something very distinctive and individualized. I have other influences like musical influences and other artists, but then I would be here for days adn months elaborating!"

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Storyboard P: Freestyle Performance at Clutchfest 2011

Storyboard P: The Beatles Freestyle

Storyboard in Sweden

Storyboard P "Dancer in Gucci Dressed" @ NYThrowDown

Storyboard P vs Retro @ Loud 4 Eva

Where's the Party At?: April 23 thru April 29, 2012

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:03:24 -0700

This week has two multi-day events going on in the Washington, DC area. The Forward Festival runs From April 25 - 29, 2012 and the International Soul Society Festival runs form April 21 - 29, 2012. Both events have tons of programs scheduled during this week. We highlighted two of them below, but we recommend you visit their websites as well to learn about their other workshops, discussions, music events and much more!

Visit The International Soul Society Festival Website

Visit the Forward Festival Website

Beatbox EDM Style: Dave Crowe of Heymoonshaker

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:30:00 -0700

We have all seen the likes of Rahzel and Dougy Fresh. Recently we even posted some crazy highlights of the World Beatbox Championship from 2012. But what do you get when you drop extreme beatbox talent into the world of EDM. You get this freaking guy: Dave Crowe. Actually, it would be unfair to say he is an EDM beatbox artist. Dave Crowe covers it all working as a duo Beatbox/Blues group called Heymoonshaker with fellow artist Andy BaLcon. Nonetheless this guy's solo pieces certainly traverse the EDM sound.

Dark Matter Squad is about converging various arts and cultures to produce unique versions of artistic output. Plainly put, dont restrict yourself to just what you see directly around you, amazing things can happen just by bridging two different artforms. Haymoonshaker is a great example of this!

Check out some of this videos and street performances below.

Dave Crowe: Dubstep Beatbox

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 1

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 2

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 3

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 4

Dancer Highlight v.1: Bishop

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:00:00 -0700

Our newest installment of blog topics: Dancer Highlights! We pride ourselves on being comprised of dancers who have unique, sometimes out there, styles. Dark Matter is all about our origins of Liquid and Digitz (Digitz), but we all practice other styles from different cultures to enhance our core styles. We study and learn from other dancers and explore techniques that we can then incorporate into our own personal style and character.

This new blog topic is about discovering and showing you other dancers, who are at times, a little less known to the masses, but come with a unique and identifiable style. Some of you may know the dancers we will be posting up here, and some of you may never have heard of them. Either way, our intention is to offer you some great videos we come across that we think you too can find as a helpful influence, or just a pleasing viewer experience!

Today, we highlight Bishop, who was recently recommended to us by a fellow friend and liquid dancer, "Liquid Kevin" from Japan while he was attending our workshop Axiom in November 2011.

Many times when we discuss Liquid, the one topic that continually comes up is, "What about the rest of your body?" "How are you dancing with liquid?" or "What kind of Footwork works with Liquid?" The amazing thing about Liquid dancing is that it leaves this open to the dancer. There are people who incorporate House dance style, Martial Arts and Popping to name a few.

Bishop provides some great visual insight into how you can move your body with a particular Flow. His "Windstyle" technique is a brilliant mix of waving and full body movement. In a post reply on his YouTube video he states the technique is “intuition and analysation of what could be the natural fluid movements in our world.” Here are a few of his videos demonstrating his technique. Enjoy!

Hiphop dance, Bishop windstyle tryout

AragoRn a.k.a BishoP practice trailer 2010

BishoP in moscow 2009

Visit Bishop's YouTube Page

The Rave Scene Funnies: Comical Humor and Satire v.1

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:52:00 -0700

Oh I see, People got Jokes...This blog entry has been created with the sole purpose of tickling your funny bone with a wide array of rave satire I know you will enjoy. Some of these items are straight up hilarious and some are just plain wrong.

Ravers have always been targets for jokes since it does not take a rocket scientist to point out we are different. But then again, isn’t that what also makes our culture so great? Here are some true gems that I have discovered over the years and I want to present them to you for your amusement at our expense.

This installment includes a hyperactive raver, Star Wars PLUR, and a classic nostalgic gem for the 30 and older generation.

Raver Meltdown

We all have seen this happen more than once. It's not the most politically correct thing out there. But funny it is! "I'm the lord of Trance!"

Click Image or Here to Play!

Robot Chicken: Rave on Genosia

Not even Star Wars is safe, especially when Robot Chicken gets a hold of it.

Strong Bad: Techno

EPIC! Needs no introduction. This bad boy has been around for quite some time. If you have never seen this video, you are in for a treat!!

Stay tuned for more to come! Have a funny video, photo, gif etc you want us to post on our next Rave Scene Funnies? Email us transmit[at]darkmattersquad.com

Where's the Party At?: April 16 thru April 22, 2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:30:00 -0700

This weekend Dark Matter plays host to the legendary street dancer, Flattop which includes a 4 hour workshop on Saturday. Since a couple of folks are coming in from out of town, we wanted to communicate all the other wonderful events taking place this weekend in our area.

Where's the Party At?: April 9 thru April 15, 2012

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:01:22 -0700

Beat Box Battle Highlights: World Championship 2012

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:28:00 -0700

Scouring the interwebs, we came across this 4 part highlight reel covering various artists from the Beatbox Battle World Championships. Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Sunday School v.2: Amen Brother!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:52:00 -0700

When you hear people say "Amen Brother!" what comes to mind? When I hear those words I recall the 6 second drum break that single handedly gave rise to a whole new style of music. The break is from a 1969 song performed by the Winstons called “Amen Brother”. This break ( Amen Break) would go on to engrain its way into all forms of music and most notably it is the genesis sound for Drum and Bass, also known as Jungle. Here is a video I came across that really breaks down the impact of the Amen break and its evolution. I have also included two other videos. The original Amen Break, by the Winstons and KJ Sawka, who is taking the Amen Break to the next level. I hope you enjoy the videoes!

blog

Dark Matter Tutorial v.2: Fixed 45s // Digits

Dark Matter Tutorial v.1: Fans // Digits

Ode to the Mixtape v.8: Richie Hawtin AKA Plastikman

Where's the Party At?: May 14 thru May 20, 2012

Dancer Highlight v.4: Tommy Von Flowington III

Flowington, DEMF(May2011) & Axiom (Nov2011)

Clown Around Down Town

TMY, Botanic, May '10

TMY, Quick Practice

Where's the Party At? : May 7 thru May 13, 2012

Dancer Highlight v.3: Mark Flux

Mark Flux 03/13/2011

Mark Flux Free Stylerz Showcase

Mark Flux vs Sun @ SDFX 2

Mark Flux Soul Release v2

MicroControlUnit: The System E.P.

MicroControlUnit, The System E.P.

Where's The Party At?: April 30th thru May 6, 2012

Ode to the Mixtape v.7: The Curious Case of DJ Z Trip

The Rave Scene Funnies v.2: Comical Humor and Satire

Smack the Raver

Dancer Highlight v.2: Storyboard P

Storyboard P: Freestyle Performance at Clutchfest 2011

Storyboard P: The Beatles Freestyle

Storyboard in Sweden

Storyboard P "Dancer in Gucci Dressed" @ NYThrowDown

Storyboard P vs Retro @ Loud 4 Eva

Where's the Party At?: April 23 thru April 29, 2012

Beatbox EDM Style: Dave Crowe of Heymoonshaker

Dave Crowe: Dubstep Beatbox

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 1

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 2

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 3

Heymoonshaker Documentary Part 4

Dancer Highlight v.1: Bishop

Hiphop dance, Bishop windstyle tryout

AragoRn a.k.a BishoP practice trailer 2010

BishoP in moscow 2009

The Rave Scene Funnies: Comical Humor and Satire v.1

Raver Meltdown

Robot Chicken: Rave on Genosia

Strong Bad: Techno

Where's the Party At?: April 16 thru April 22, 2012

Where's the Party At?: April 9 thru April 15, 2012

Beat Box Battle Highlights: World Championship 2012

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Sunday School v.2: Amen Brother!

Video explains the world's most important 6-sec drum loop

KJ Sawka Live on c89.5

The Original Amen Break