About July: The Experience at #FridaysatOMCA
The Experience:
A short summary about my experience this past July as the resident DJ/Sound Selector for OMCA's(Oakland Museum of California) Fridays at OMCA events. I want to thank Niva Flor, Anne Blair Daum, Preston (MC each friday night) and all of the wonderful sound folk that were always there to assist if needed! This was by far the most organized venture i've been part of and i thoroughly enjoyed not having to wait around on anything. Everyone I came in contact with were really easy to work with, ask of questions and willing to provide help if needed. Thank you again for allowing me to bring in my brand of vibe to Oakland.
I've attended many events and those that have had the unfortunate luck of going out with me to clubs or parties know the one thing I will complain about is the musical selections, of which i personally hold ALL DJ's responsible. As a DJ, you are responsible for moving the crowd and that can consist of various movements, the responsibility of breaking new music from new/old/indie artists from around the globe, coupled with the responsibility of changing up BPM's throughout your set. We all can enjoy a great Trap set however, when that set runs all night it appears as if we have been hearing the same damn song with various artists on it! The switch needs to happen and this is the method to my madness.
The most memorable experience while being resident DJ was watching the children take so well to the music. There were no biases on the children's behalf it was purely about how sound resonated with their being. I watched in amazement at some of the same children each week come up to the area where I was to say hello or just make their presence known. Secretly, the children gave me life and a purpose to play responsible music whether that be Jazz, Afro Beat, Afro Cuban, Acid Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop or Soul, from well known artists to the most obscure. Each week I measured my weight against the response of all the children present and I didn't lose while the babies never missed a beat! Lol no, seriously they did NOT. Quite a few people came up to politely ask; "who was that?" or "that was the best piece of music i've heard in a while" and my personal favorite, "I didn't hear one Top 40 song and people are still dancing!" Yes & no, we did Whip that Nae Nae. I've attached a few pics from each week below feel free to look & comment. I also have a few videos from each week as well as mixes I will be posting soon. The first week I was unsure what to expect, so each week there are more pictures as the momentum was gained. Engaged in musical ritual I was able to forge some new relationships & potential future endeavors. Stay up for that!
Music is a powerful tool and should be used wisely! A huge thanks to Khalifia Khaled & Taylor of StarrPRG for helping me through 5 weeks of travel, photography, videos, set lists, me being too stubborn to set practice time, my nervousness, me staying out all night Uber'n in SF instead of putting playlists together! Your help means so much more to me than I can put into funny words. We have so much more work to do. Thank you so much!
Catch me again in Oakland at October's Art Murmur spinning at Heraldry Leather Co. event as well as my own monthly events in Los Angeles. Stay up & in tune to what's next by Joining my email list now!
With Love,
Nekaybaaw
FridaysatOMCA Week 5
FridaysatOMCA Week 4
FridaysatOMCA Week 3
FridaysatOMCA Week 2
FridaysatOMCA Week 1
All photos except where noted were provided by: StarrPRG