May 2, 2019
Wiggle here. I am going to Talk Story prior to dropping part 3 of the Femmebot set. Let’s hop into the way back machine and have a look at the origins of Matter & Motion.
It’s July, the year is 1996, the setting, Rowan College. I am living off campus with some mates. They mostly didn’t work, and rarely made rent. Steps had to be taken, parties had to be thrown: Rent Parties if you will. A very simple, ages old, formula was employed: Music + Ladies get in free + Dudes with a $5 spot get the red cup and the Natty Ice from a keg. All the furniture from the first floor would go out in the yard. We would throw one, or two, a month and we were pulling rent + utilities with ease.
For being just house parties, we had large and diverse crowds. Way less Heads of Meat than you would think, and not one fight the entire time we were in that joint. I am usually playing all night, and I am playing everything. Old school hip hop, 90’s rap, Cybotron/Egyptian Lover/Planet Rock/Al-Naafiysh old school electro, House, Liquid Polka, Amish Techno, and as many Florida and Cali breaks tracks I could get. Basically, you name it I played it. That attracted a few promoter acquaintances of mine, and then some unexpected people started popping in to hang or play….Dave Aude from Moonshine…Karl-K from Candyland…Cosmic Kev from Silk City….Tony-D out of Trenton.
Fast forward a few months to a Saturday in November. On this night, a guy walks into the "booth" wearing a Kangol. He is sporting a leopard skin headphone case, and a Caffeine record bag. “My name is Allen, this is Joe, can we spin?” *Allen was going by Dominator back then…and Joe Candidi was just Joe at the time…later to become a very well-known Drum & Bass DJ: J-Smooth.*
Anyway, Allen hit the decks and smashed a hard break together with Biz Markie’s-Just a Friend…I thought, that’s that, this dude is from my Tribe.
The meeting itself was a serendipity. The party was supposed to be on Friday. That Friday morning, I got a last minute call to play up in Boston at The Avalon\Axis. That same Friday, Allen was playing at The Limelight in NYC. To top it all off, I flew up to Boston, but all the flights back were canceled. I had to catch the train back down to Jersey for the party on Saturday.
It's 23 years ago now. We can still get on some decks and create a vibe that people pick up on.
M’Out - Wiggle
Also, I still play Amish Techno. It is hard to hear, has very few fans, but it’s very tru-school analog.