Living Underground

The Fakiegrind soundsystem, "Wheels of Steeltown" has been moved to the basement, where it is actually quite cool, dark and agreeable in the midst of the summer heat wave we have been experiencing. My housemate's son has started the early intervention therapy for his autism, and the operation has taken over what used to be my bedroom. It's going well. Pretty, young women show up at our place twice a day and shower their attention on my young friend, who isn't always appreciative, but seems to be coping well enough.

I'm setting up a primitive recording operation featuring my Candle turntable and a couple of tape recorders. Having read Yes Yes Y'all, an excellent account of the beginnings of hip-hop, I discovered that some early pioneers like Grand Wizard Theodore (the inventor of scratching) was making music mixes on one turntable only, by picking up the needle and moving it to different positions on the record. I was up all last night working on this technique, and it takes considerable skill. Luckily, skateboarding experience has taught me to persevere. I only hope I don't break my needle because I'm not sure you can buy replacements for such an old machine.