Rockbox Raises The Bar With Their Vinyl, “dance Party”

This Friday at Holocene was done proper. In attendance were the many devote followers of  Rockbox who took the opportunity to help celebrate one of Portland’s best monthlies.  The sets were the genre bending Rockbox favorites of Dance Hall and Hip Hop and you name it. I did feel though that the older funk/soul brought out a more intense and passionate vibe, especially from the ladies. It was great night indeed I have only one issue that bugs me a little. Holocene doesn’t have the Bass that could turn Rockbox into night of Brazlian Carnival. Luckily Portland has great DJ’s with some ill selections.

After listening to the samples I was sent of Rockbox’s new 12″ “Dance Party”, I’ve been thinking over how did this come about and why? Not a “why did they do this.” but a why did a mix become an album. I love that a local crew has gotten together and put out a 12″ encapsulating their night at the tables. Plus it gives the opportunity for locals to hear other locals tear shit up. Seriously you should ask the DJ if they just have it. Of course not to play it but at least to know people in Portland are trying to cross boundaries with their music. Dundiggy, Kez and Matt Nelkin the three members of the Rockbox crew who have put a lot of themselves into this put a little more into how it was done and why.

I guess the first question is why did you feel this was a project worth committing to?

Dundiggy “Since I got heavy into music I wanted to make a record. I have been collecting vinyl since 1999. So since then my objective has been to make my own 12″.

This project is also important to us as dj’s because it legitimately establishes us as artists. Hopefully now you can come out to one of our events and you’re not just seeing us as dj’s anymore. So this 12″ might serve as a transformation or a milestone. On another level, we wanted to make something that our fellow dj’s can appreciate. Hopefully, they will enjoy it and play it. Maybe even do their own remixes or edits? Who knows?”

How did you decide the “give and take” each of you would exert on the process? For example did you ever run into a situation where there were two or more ideas for the same song and section?

Matt Nelkin “We actually worked fairly individually in terms of our ideas. That was because most of what we put on the record, especially in Kez’s and my songs, came directly from blends that we had been doing with records at Rockbox. Speaking strictly in terms of my contributions to the record, I had already worked out exactly when to drop the acapellas of the songs over the beats so that the verses & choruses would match up from doing the “mash-ups” live. I know that is also true of Kez’s Erykah and Cool Kids blend. We definitely brainstormed and gave each other feedback on what we thought of little additions to add to the mix like effects, extra vocal samples, and how to extend the intros and outros, but the main body of the work came mainly from our actual djing experiences at Rockbox. And if I could say, one aspect of this record that I feel really good about is the fact that it is so directly tied into our club night.”

How much is taken from the actual nights you were mixing at Holocene?

Kez “Mine were both “discovered” by accident while playing around or prepping for a gig at home. I’m sure I’ve dropped at least one of the two at Rock Box and both at The Fix, live, before the record was pressed of course.

My first one on the record I’d been doing live for a few years. The second one I “discovered” probably around a year ago.”

How long did you work on it?

Dundiggy “Our timeline was approximately as follows. The first track was started in February of 2009. I think we worked on recording the other blends up until May or June. Then the mastering and extra engineering took a month or so. And pressing took about two months.”

Do you feel that something might be missing or there wasn’t room for?

Dundiggy “It doesn’t seem as if there is anything missing. We originally planned for each member to have space for 2 tracks. After researching the pressing process, we didn’t want to crowd the vinyl either. Lately, I have been playing dubstep and those records have about one or two tracks per side at 45 rpms. On those you are getting the maximum output that a needle can pick up off the groove. So for what we needed what we have is perfect.

In the future, you can definitely expect to see more remixes, blends, and original music from all of us. The whole process is really addicting. And giving away a nice piece of vinyl means the Christmas spirit came early this year for all three of us.”

Do you have plans on another record in the future?

Matt Nelkin “I’m not sure if we will make another Rockbox record. I don’t think we are in a hurry to do so anyways. It will probably depend upon the feedback we get from this one. In my dream world though, if we are blessed to have Rockbox continue to be a part of Portland’s nightlife landscape I could envision us dropping a Rockbox record on an annual basis. That being said, keep your eyes up for more projects from us individually!”

You also spin at the weekly The Fix and so Does Dundiggy, what makes Rockbox different?

Kez “I’d say that The Fix is more hip hop, soul and r&b oriented. We do go in different directions and play a lot of different styles at The Fix, but I think the Rock Box crowd is more open to things like electro, house and the like. We can play classics AND throw some curveballs at Rock Box that just don’t go over at The Fix.

Also, at The Fix it seems as if there’s a smaller portion of the crowd that shows up to dance, but at Rock Box, almost everyone is there to shake it.”

Is there something that everyone should know about this record?

Matt Nelkin “When I talk to people about the record, I really try and emphasis that for me, the real sense of pride I have from it stems a lot from the fact that we did something collectively that I would have never dreamed of doing alone. Being productive, focused, and building towards something is the greatest high for me and this record just represents the culmination of that. However, this is just the start. This is a stepping stone to learn about the process and how every stage works. I can guarantee that it will just get better from here.”