We've been in SF for six years now, and for much of that time the San Francisco nightlife scene had been OK. But if you've been hitting the clubs in SF any time recently you've almost certainly felt the influence of Jefrodisiac and Richie Panic. With their Frisco Disco weeklies and Blow Up! monthlies - not to mention the occasional one-offs - they've brought a whole new energy to SF that's bleeding over into clubs across the city. The robot rock / dance punk / house / electro / mashup sound only really serves one purpose...to get people to drink until they black out and go crazy on the dance floor (and if you're lucky you might wake up naked).
Tell us how you both met...
Jefrodisiac: We met in the dorms at San Francisco State; in the cafeteria called City Eats... Panic was complaining about how shitty his day was and I thought he was hilarious.
Richie Panic: I was belligerently drunk at 3pm. I probably insulted his shoes.
How did you guys get into DJing?
Jefrodisiac: There was a girl DJ who had a crush on me, I was broke so she asked me to DJ with her one night, then I fell in love with DJing.
Richie Panic: I was living under my friends' kitchen table with a bag of clothes and a crate of records. He decided to start throwing a party and decided that I would be the DJ. I had to earn my keep so to speak.
How would you describe your sound?
Richie Panic: Fucked up electro dance. No wait, FUN. I would describe the sounds as music that is as enjoyable for me to play as it is for other people to dance to.
In your opinion, what makes the San Francisco underground music scene different from other major cities?
Richie Panic: In SF everything is really about the parties and the music and just really hustling. There is not a lot of hype like there is for other cities, SF gets NO press. Maybe it's even better because there are all these great clubs and talented DJs working in a sort of media vacuum.
Maybe SF is better because of it? I don't know. But I have been DJing for a long time and I have had people from all over the world tell me that they have the best time in SF. And these people are covered in sweat and very attractive.
You guys have lit a spark in San Francisco with the introduction of the Frisco Disco shows at the Transfer, the Blow Up parties at the Rickshaw Stop, and now Robot Rock at Mezzanine. Tell us how this all started and where do you plan on taking it...
Jefrodisiac: Well that could be a really long story. Basically, we have always just tried to throw the kind of parties we would like to attend, and we are kinda crazy people and like to take things too far or just enough out of control so that you escape from the real world. We don't follow trends or create them, we just play music that's edgy and makes us wanna take it to 11. We are just as surprised as anyone that it caught on.
Blow Up now has 500+ people every month, Frisco Disco 350+ every week, and Robot Rock is close to 1000. I guess we must be doing something right.
Richie Panic: I agree with that 200 percent.
What advice would you give to an aspiring DJ who wants to make it in this scene?
Jefrodisiac: This is always a hard question, develop a dance-able/unique take on the music you like, and put your heart into it, keep on going for it until you find a niche that works for you, and then don't fuck up.
Richie Panic: Take lots of LSD and drink lots of tequila and be TOTALLY AND PASSIONATELY in LOVE WITH MUSIC ALL THE TIME. ALWAYS.
Fashion is a big part of the underground dance music scene. What are your favorite fashion labels?
Jefrodisiac: Hanes white t-shirts, Levis blue jeans, and cowboy boots from thrift stores.... I like WOWOCH my friends' company. In NYC they make awesome shirts. Otherwise I like to make my own cloths or keep it simple.
Richie Panic: I like Tsubi and just basic tees; Levis - the essentials. I like vintage band t-shirts. There is lots of awesome fashion out there and it totally inspires me in all sorts of directions but when it comes to my own self I find that I am a ruiner of many fine things. I like Free Gold Watch, shout outs to Matt! And of course all the fancy pants things that I cannot afford, and the usual things that all kids wear, Nike, and Supreme. It's just like music, mix and match, and be inspired.
What are you obsessed with right now?
Jefrodisiac: Cats, new restaurants, sex, tequila, taking it to 11, making more people dance, disco records, Indian summers, crazy picture from our parties...
Richie Panic: Cats, cat toys, pictures of cats, cat fur, cat purrs, kittens, cat houses, cat nip, cat food, the world wide web, Dyson vacuums, dreams, really loud awesome sound systems, friends, going out and then staying in. Also, finding that unbreakable pair of headphones.
Anything new on the horizon? What should we expect to see next?
Jefrodisiac: A new Frisco Disco mix CD, Jeffrey Paradise solo EP, friscodiscofever.blogspot.com, and we've been asked to do a TV show but we're still in negotiations and so we can't speak much on that just yet.
Thanks for chatting with us!
Images via John Liau of Vaindeer
Loved the interview...those dudes are real, and funny as hell. The music from the videos was the shit!!! The parties look like SF might know how to get down...
Might? Please. Jaison Chackoooooooooooooooo....come on down!
Free Gold Watch got dope shirts and hoodies! Starting to see them out and about in the SF nightlife more and more!
