Who is Max Vantage?

Who is Max Vantage?

I went back and forth about whether or not I should bother dragging my turntables, mixer, effects, laptop, headphones, and army of cables into work. Wouldn’t people be just as, if not more entertained if I simply created a solid iPod playlist of soulful hip-hop and melodic house music? I had a party to go to afterwards... I didn’t want to be burdened with all that gear. Yeah, no one‘s going to pay close attention anyway... they won’t care either way, right? Meh, probably not.

Then I found out about the disco ball. A disco ball without a DJ? Let’s think about this for a second. No, that doesn’t make any sense. Who’s going to enjoy the party the most if I do DJ anyway? Well, me! Stop making excuses. The cost of failure is very low. As Luna-C (the greatest DJ in the world) expressed: “Don’t Die Wondering”.

So I spun... live at Jive. And no, most people neither loved nor hated it. Some people asked about ScratchLIVE, many were amazed at the concept (as I still am). Some asked about the art, I showed them a bit, even let Nick try his hand at scratching. Expecting the crowd to die out after an hour, it went on for two. The practice was priceless and I had a blast. I mean, I’ve been spinning off and on for a decade now, I’ve got the technical skills down, I’m just lacking in public performance experience. And so...

Do you need a DJ? Not a wedding DJ, a real DJ. One who mixes records, drops effects, even scratches a bit? Listen to this mix and if you like it, let me know, whether or not you want me to rock your party.

I will spin for free... anywhere, anytime. You need the awesomeness and I need the experience. Let’s work something out.


This just in: I'll be spinning with Chris Coda at Beerforge III (Jive's OSCON afterparty), held at Bossanova on July 24th.

San Francisco Trolley Race

I finished with the “business” part of my business trip at 2pm. My client dropped me off at SFO airport, and I began to wonder what I would do with the six hours I had left before my flight’s departure. Sure, I could search for an earlier flight, but I was in San Francisco! And... didn’t BART connect SFO to downtown and Oakland?

I knew that area pretty well. Four years ago I stayed at a hotel near the corner of Powell and Market, chosen for its proximity to a BART station and the end of a trolley line. My mission was clear.

I hopped the BART, rode to Powell, grabbed a round-trip trolley ticket and got in line. The last time I rode the trolley I took a seat, but my general state of consciousness has evolved since then. I’ve learned to let go of fear, to keep that which I cannot control out of mind. I stood at the front of the car, hanging off the side, my backpack against my belly, and we were off.

The Powell-Market line has the most dramatic hills on the trolley line, and leads you through some diverse, scenic areas. It’s familiar to anyone who’s ridden before... it’s the one that ends at Ghirardelli Square.

So... BART to trolley... trolley to bay... bay walk to Fisherman’s Wharf... quick photo op with the seals... quick walk back through the pier... crab cake sandwich... brisk walk back to Ghirardelli Square... trolley to Market... BART to SFO... SFO to PDX... MAX to Hollywood.

Plenty of time, plenty of pics. Got my San Fran fix and life is good. Now that’s a quality business trip.