Full Value Review

MADLINS 1/29/05 SPOKEN WORD NIGHT

Presenting a theme night for the second straight time, Madlins put on a ‘spoken word’ night this time for Temecula, CA. Although long a planned project, springing a ‘hip-hop’ night in Trendy Temec seemed too ‘Compton’ for yuppie Ville. The powers-that-be at Full Value Entertainment always gave it a ‘let’s think about it’ vote when it would come up for discussion. However, after sampling MECHANIZM once or twice and seeing no increase in wrought iron front doors, 1/29/05 was chosen to be the first all hip-hop night. The next hip-hop night is scheduled for 3/26/05.

SET 1 – PANDORA’S BOX

For all the restrictions placed on females in other cultures, especially the Chinese (wrapping the feet of women at age three in rawhide and unwrapping them at 21 – yes that’s why you see Chinese women shuffling along) and Islamic (total robe wrap exposing only the eyes), you have just two women to blame for this big societal ‘smackdown.’ The first is of course Eve, and the second is the non-biblical Pandora. Despite all of History’s Queens, heroines, and even the mother of Jesus, there has been no woman able to wipe out the skid marks of those two. Eve’s dirty deed was done with an ‘apple’ while Pandora used her box. The first group is named for PANDORA’S BOX. The name seems to fit this four piece group from Oceanside, CA, made up of one DJ, Euphoric; and three rappers, Stimuli, Tacs, and Elum. Euphoric, on Stanton dual turntables utilizing the ‘flying saucer’ strobe platters, opens up with the 80’s pop hit, Morning Train, before giving way to a three way rap on the adoration of women and the love angst brought about by them. Elum mostly stayed in the background, adding additional rap licks and add-ons, while Tacs, a serious rapper, and the aptly named Stimuli, who acted out his rap punch lines, put out a rhythmic flow of words that had the diversified crowd all nodding in sync. Rap in their space on myspace.

SET 2 – DJ SCI FI

Removing his ‘No Bush’ platter covers from his Numark dual turntables, DJ SCI FI opened with the ‘Neo’ theme song from ‘The Matrix’, a fitting opening for the b/w hoodie wearing, club sound styling DJ, who looks like a fighter shadow boxing while working the tables and getting into the beat. After a few house instrumentals however, the rapper MC Poisn, from L.A., is invited to freestyle by the Temecula DJ, to lay strings of spoken words, here and there, atop the DJ’s club mixes. MC, looking like an extra from the Run-DMC video, ‘Walk This Way’ with the untied skaters’ fat-tongue sneakers, brought the scratching out on this ‘salt ‘n’ pepper’ team, and was joined on the last song by Profisized Storm.

SET 3 – MECHANIZM

Back again was Ethereal and joining him this time was more of the MECHANIZM crew from L.A., all looking very political and activist. Euthanasia, a sprite little thing aged just 23, with one young baby held to her in a wicker sling, and Ancient Heretik, her husband, with MC Poisn doing the DJ work of scratching and holding Euthanasia’s other still-in-diapers little one, lit sage and joined Ethereal on stage to give us all our fair share of abuse. Delivering live political rap to the crowd that they brought in with songs like ‘The Third World War’ and ’Children Of The Matrix’, they espoused theories and ideologies not heard much outside the ‘conspiracy’ circles in the dramatically animated fashion of being ‘in your face’. The song about feminine energy featured a nice three part harmony of blended voices. All the songs are to make you think about the current state of affairs in the world and in your life. All politics, all the time, and no whammies! They should be back on the 26th.

SET 4 – MISGUIDED POETS

Combining politics and girls and raps about each, was the Temecula based group MISGUIDED POETS, made up of Element One, in a red T bearing the likeness of Jimi Hendricks; Profisized Storm, doing most lead raps; JS Free, sporting a denim shirt; Derision, in a ‘South Pole’ T; the black T’d Jester; the white hoodie wearing Spyda-Mann, and a real scratcher, DJ Wreck’em. Although the crowd faces changed, the size did not as a nice gathering of fans, friends, family, and ‘outsiders’ got to hear a full-on rap assault to the ears and minds, delivered with a sense of style and humor. The crew ‘served’ Jester, who spat out a rap without any scratches or sampling, to answer any doubts that he got soft while in the ‘619’ (the area code of San Diego). Jester also did a rap about a girl in his High School that he has an eye on. DJ Wreck’em, though using only 1 turntable with a CD mini system, was the most creative on DJ work and had the hometown crowd’s little kids dancing to the rap beat. – PT ROTHSCHILD