Graeme

I first heard Graeme in 92' (aka La Paix back then) at a rave party called Prophecy at club Trocadero in San Francisco. It was my first party ever and what I saw (and heard) Graeme do on the tables moved me like no other thing has to date. He merely took his headphones off and proceeded to scratch to hard/tribal techno for (what still seems to this day) like ten minutes. Off the hook!!!! I'd never witnessed anything more god-like. It was pure magic and an awesome display of a true dj artistry.

I later on got to know Graeme and he became my master/mentor as a dj. He once made a reference as me being a "young jedi"... I was honored and have- 14 years later- never forgotten the props. He was adamant in staying true to trance/techno, but more on the trancetic side of it all. To Graeme, trance was the spiritual solution to it "all"... and he meant it. And I believe(d) him... (and still do).

He had a just as amazing talent in his ability to find "sick" tracks that none of the other dj's in the Bay Area had yet found. Alas, he'd floor countless parties with "world premier-like" tracks (I know only one other dj who had that talent, namely Jeno from the Wicked crew). After I heard this one particular track from a recording of one of the early Funky Tekno Tribe parties (I heard the recording the day after the party) in SF, I a few weeks later got the guts to ask Graeme what that particular track was (mind you...Graeme wasn't one to tell ANYONE what ANY of his tracks where). He told me the after-noon day before that Funky Tekno Tribe party (he was spinnin' at my roomates' party in Sacramento), he was at Tower Records (RIP) and on blind faith (cause' you couldn't listen to vinyl at those music stores), bought La Tour's "E" (SMASH Records). I was "floored" by the news that he'd "found" that gnarly track a mile from my home, to the night after at FTT drop the bomb in front of 8000 partyers. Wow!!!!

His artistic presence on the turntables was second to none. He showed total control and fluidity like no other. To watch Graeme take his headphones off right in the middle of a mix to roll a cigarette and continue to monitor the mix to perfection was truly something to admire. And, he had ultimate knowledge of creating moods and layers throughout his mixes. Time and time again... never failed.

Nuff' said!!!!

Finally, after all these years, I still aspire to be of Graemes stature behind the decks; my latest mix in fact contains that same La Tour track (it took me years to find and own it).

Ode to Graeme, my master!!!!