Blonde No. 6 – Joe Vargas
Posted on May 15th, 2012
Summer is starting to find its way into Michigan; what better way to usher it in than with a new Blonde Mix primed for all those patio-parties you are about to start planning; and who better to piece it together than Detroit’s own Joe Vargas.
We had the pleasure of meeting Joe a number of years back when he and (fellow Blonde Mix curator) Erno the Inferno started their “The Cycle” series of events in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area. Since then, we have watched Joe grow his skill for event throwing and DJing alike. With his ever growing roster (Tour Detroit, Blank Artists, to name a few), we found it fitting to sit down and talk with him about the party-scene in Detroit.
1.) Tell us about you, Joe Vargas.
Well, both my parents are Detroit natives. after me and my brother were born we continued to live in Detroit till I was about 9. I guess I’ve been finding excuses to go back ever since, ha.
In the mid 90′s, after I started high school I really got into the indie rock/punk/hardcore/ska (ha!) scene in Detroit. I was going to Places like The Grounds, Zoots, The Shelter, etc. and just kinda fell in love with the city.
After High School I studied music at Wayne State University, and shortly after that started going to ‘underground’ parties. I think my first party was Intermission at the Tangent gallery (there’s a horrible picture I got tagged in on my Facebook from this party, ha!). The event had quite an effect on me and shortly after that I got into electronic music seriously, and have been plugging away ever since.
2.) Tour Detroit has been around for about 4 years now. For those who don’t know, give us a little history on Tour D and where you see it going in the next few years?
Tour Detroit was formed by myself, Ernie Guerra, Steven Robert, and Mike Mackool. Originally, we were calling ourselves The Cycle, but changed it up after Mackool and Steve got on board. The first two years we did Tour Detroit as a 6 month spring/summer project that went to different spots around the city. We did one party a month, most of the time with a guest of some sort, trying to highlight some of the lesser known, gritty-er spots that Detroit has become infamous for. Sometimes an old rave spot. Sometimes a newer gallery or theater. But always unique.
Were do I see it going? Well, we still are throwing parties (although we’ve broken from the original 6 month format) and we’ve kinda been hinting around about starting some sort of label.
3.) Having been to events inside the city that have been poorly attended, is the party scene here dead?
I don’t think so. Most of the time, when an event’s not properly attended, it’s because it wasn’t promoted properly, or there was an unreasonable expectation of some sort. Just because you think a particular producer/DJ/Band/whatever is the greatest thing since sliced bread doesn’t mean all of Detroit does. Plus, I think Detroit has the unique problem of having to many chefs in the kitchen, ya know? There are just A LOT of DJ’s and promoters here, and not enough patrons to support. So, if there are 2 or 3 things going on in a single night your turn out is likely to suffer.
4.) What does it take to host a successful event/party?
Success is subjective, but for me, a proper venue, proper sound system, and a concept that ties it all together is really all it takes. Oh, and a lean line up. Please, promoters… Stop booking a billion DJ’s. Actually, now that I think about it, the most important thing is probably a good graphic designer.
5.) What will it take for Detroit to “come back”, do you think it can happen?
4am liquor service?
6.) Can you call out any up-n-comer’s (musically/creatively) in the Detroit area?
I kinda feel like Detroit’s brimming with up and comers. But if I must name a name, Craig Hejka. This kid’s got talent up the wazzoo! And a solid dude to boot. Expect great things from him in the future.
7.) What have you yet to accomplish that you would like to?
Well, I did just have a track released on Blank Artists under the moniker, ‘Hector’. Putting out an Ep, and then a Full length for them is what I’m working towards right now. Obviously, I’d like to play other cities, specifically New York. Yet, somehow I can’t seem to get all my ducks in a row for that one.
8.) What else should people know about Joe Vargas?
I absolutely LOVE chicken tenders. mmm…
9.) Where can we catch you next?
I’m playing the Blank Artist Movement Pre-Party on Friday, May 25
BLONDE NO. 6 – Joe Vargas [Free Download]
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Blonde Interviewed by Paper & String
Posted on February 9th, 2012
Read the entire interview over on the Paper & String blog.
Photo credit: Detroit Exposure
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Blonde in H&R Block’s “Never Settle For Less” Ad.
Posted on January 2nd, 2012
We are honored to have our clothing featured in the recent H&R Block “Never Settle For Less” ad campaign.
Shot here in Detroit, the commercial highlights the great (and often unseen) gems of the city while celebrating
giving back to the city’s residents.
The Yorba Hoodie [purchase] and June V-Neck [purchase].
The Space Tee [purchase]
The New City Tee [purchase]
Watch the full video:
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Three New Styles, Out Now
Posted on December 1st, 2011
Today we are pleased to announce the arrival of the first of our Winter 2011 goods. These three new designs,
designed and printed with care in Detroit, are now available for you inside the Blonde web Flagship Store.
The New City Tee:
At the heart of the Blonde business is the belief that the city of Detroit will once again take its place
as a cultural hub and world class city. Over the years, Detroit has seen a good majority of the
creative class and young professionals transplant themselves to New York City. While we at Blonde
have nothing but love for the Big Apple (unless it’s Tigers v. Yankees, of course) we wanted to
make a little something for the new creative class transporting themselves here, from NYC.
Purchase it here.
The DJ Tee:
Give the DJ some. Detroit wasn’t only the birthplace of Motown, it was also the home to the
beginnings of Techno. Regardless of musical backgrounds, the city harbors a large number of
impressive DJ’s. On any given weekend you can fill your ears with slow jams at Woodbridge Pub,
deep house at TV Bar and nu-disco at The Old Miami. When you are out, make sure to give the DJ
the respect they deserve and rock this shirt.
Purchase it here.
The Derby Hoodie:
Established in 1978, the Motor City Rollers were the first in a series of underground derby teams
that would meet in and around the city to practice and perform their craft. The derby meets were
always kept secret and private, those who were there only had stories and memories to pass along
after the night ended (as no photos were allowed). Rumor has it that the last of the derby matches
were held in late 1985.
Purchase it here.
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Blonde No. 5 – K-Fresh
Posted on September 13th, 2011
Michigan slowly works it way into fall, and we are holding on for the ride. To welcome the new season, we offer up the “slowed-down-banger” side of Blonde. Ease back into your books, routines and work life with our Blonde No. 5 mix curated by Detroit DJ/Blogger, K-Fresh.
Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier has been sort of a “jack-of-all-trades” in the Detroit hip-hop scene for the past decade. As the years have gone by, his focus has been that of a tastemaker for not only the hip-hop scene in Detroit, but of the whole music scene. Reason enough to pick his brain for a minute:
1) Tell us about you and your ties to Detroit?
I grew up in the metro Detroit area right off 8 Mile in Warren, and
had a passion for music in general since about age 6. I was listening
to Jimi Hendrix and The Who. In my teen years after getting into
hip-hop with stuff like Dr. Dre, Wu Tang, Black Moon, Gang Starr,
among others, I started catching wind of Detroit hip-hop. Stuff like
Esham, Natas, and Kid Rock got me into Detroit music, and I just
started exploring it from there. I went to record stores and checked
out the local sections, I talked to people there, and read local
magazines. By the end of the teen years, I was already going out to
hip-hop shows and just seeing what Detroit had to offer, and I’ve seen
some great things in the past 15 years.
2) Give us a little background on The Loop Detroit?
Over ten years ago, I launched the web site Renaissance Soul Detroit
as an unofficial J. Dilla web site. I originally curated the J. Dilla
discography that you see used on the web still, and Renaissance Soul
Detroit was built for it. I tracked down all the new and obscure J.
Dilla productions and songs. Over the years, I expanded to all of
Detroit urban music. Last year, around May 2010, I relaunched the site
as The Loop Detroit. The name came from my old local hip-hop column I
used to write for Real Detroit Weekly from 2003-2006. After J. Dilla
passed in 2006 along with a general shift in my own musical tastes, I
felt that I needed something new. The new site is much more focused
on a balance between Detroit’s hip-hop, electronic, and indie scenes,
along with showing Detroit’s effect on the global music scene by
interviewing non-Detroiters who have a definite love of our music.
3) What local artists would you recommend?
There’s a electronic pop duo called Phantasmagoria that is really
dope. They make this beautiful, yet a tad dirty electronic music with
lovely vocals. Danny Brown is my favorite. He’s the most creative of
anyone in Detroit in the post-Dilla era. Guilty Simpson is epitome of
hardcore hip-hop in Detroit, but he’s very open to doing some left
field stuff. Kyle Hall is the future of electronic music in Detroit.
He’s a young musician from the streets that is open to help molding
others along with continuing to learn himself. Apollo Brown is a
really dope hip-hop producer who is modernizing the boom bap sound of
the 1990s. I could go on and on about people who haven’t gotten their
due yet.
4) Favorite spot in the City?
With places coming and going these days, that’s hard to say. I love
being at a good show at Saint Andrews Hall though. It feels like home
there. Anytime you walk in, memories just fill your mind.
5) Any words of of wisdom?
Learn from people that are actually successful at it, but be yourself.
Everyone successful at it are just being themselves. Its good for
people to be competitive and critical of you for technical reasons,
but anything outside of that is just being closed-minded. Be yourself,
be open minded, and always keep learning something. The consensus of a
group of people isn’t always the right path.
6) Where can we catch you?
These days, I mostly do one-off stuff around Detroit.
Recently, I’ve played nights at Saint Andrews and The Magic Stick.
[More on K-Fresh: http://theloopdetroit.com/]
[tweet: @rensoul]
01. The Black Opera – M.A.S.H.
02. Sally Paradise – Je n’aime Pas Danser
03. Unison – Outside
04. Jonwayne – Grayscale
05. Apollo Brown – Never In A Million Years
06. The Weeknd – Lonely Star
07. Frank Ocean – Swin Good
08. Elzhi – Detroit State Of Mind
09. Danny Brown – Die Like A Rockstar
10. Tyler, The Creator – She (featuring Frank Ocean)
11. Creep – You (featuring Nina Sky)
12. Alpines – Cocoon (Nocturnal Sunshine Remix)
13. Paul White – Dirty Slang (featuring Guilty Simpson)
14. Danny Brown – Pac Blood
15. Random Axe – 4 In The Box
16. Jamie Woon – Spirits
17. Maya Jane Coles – Senseless
18. DJ Harvey Presents Locussolus – Next To You
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