From the Bay born & raised. Mom - “a true hippie”
(an activist)/artist. Dad – an Entrepreneur/ Vietnam Vet. Ian
McDonell aka DJ Havoc, is the perfect combo of the two. After 10+
years as a Promoter/DJ/Designer/Shit Starter, it’s no wonder
he’s had a life filled with the business of art, unbelievable
opportunities and wars to find his own identity. On a cold SF evening,
he breaks it down.
RMC: When did you get into music?
IM: I used to come home, with my one turntable and tape deck and I
would record the most epic rave jams. I would eat E’s and blast
ketamine and play Robert Miles’ “Children” and that
song “Dominator”
RMC: Awww shit! “Wanna kiss myself!”
IM: Yup! But to this day I spit the wrong words to every fuckin song
I love! And I still have no clue what Kurt Cobain was crying about.
RMC: Hahaha! What genres are you into most?
IM: All music! From White Zombie and 11-5 in the 6th grade to my current
favorite Senor Coconut. I care about the beats and the drops. You
can be talking about loving your wife or burying a bitch. I don’t
care.
RMC: When did you start Djing?
IM: Got my first turntable at 14. Got the 2nd one on my 17th birthday.
I’ve always just played what I like. I never put effort into
it as a career.
RMC: Ok, so promoting is more of a career?
IM: I love discovering new music. There’s always a certain thing
that hits home 1000% and you want to pass it on but only to close
friends. You have to entrust that they will only pass it to people
who will get it. It’s all about people who get it.
RMC: Ok, so they get it, but then what do you do with it?
IM: Get obsessed with it! Then book them! It’s the ultimate
fan card to play. BUT! The #1 thing to know, from the second that
fool steps off the plane … you are NOT a fan, you are an equal.
DON’T act like a fan.
RMC: OK! Damn, hahaha!
IM: Serious! Because of that, I’ve seen muhfuckas like Goldie
steal from corner stores and brag about it.
RMC: Do you think being a fan of Disco D’s (RIP) music was an
example of this?
IM: Definitely had that with Dave, he’s probably the artist
I put the most time into to better his career and mine.
From the bedroom room we hear ”Daaa”… Ian waits,
like any parent knowing that first cry might not mean trouble. “Daaaaaaaaaady”
sends him in making sure everything is cool with Miss Kailey, his
daughter. All’s well and she sends an “I love you”
to me. SWEET!
Smoke break #1
RMC: So why did you start promoting?
IM: Basically because I couldn’t slang drugs anymore, and I
needed my cool kid card.
RMC: Wow. When did you START selling drugs?
IM: Freshman year. 13 years-old.
RMC: But your parents found out?
IM: Yeah, so, after 2 years in treatment, drugs were no longer an
option. Music, always a drug, became the focus once again. Phone Call
#1 It’s Carlo Fox. Wants a last minute logo design for his new
store on Haight, “SO ME!”. Carlo is Ian’s ex-business
partner who share’s a tattoo of their infamous drum-n-bass party
Compression.
RMC: Perfect segue. Tell me about Compression.
IM: In ‘99, we threw a rave in Sac called “Compression”
and that’s when everything changed. Compression 2 was promoted
be massive. With Ink and the Compound crew headlining.
RMC: Awww, Clownpound! Classic. Shout out to Red Tapez!
IM: We put in $14,000 and 2 months of ridiculously hard work.
RMC: Where’d you get the money?
IM: Through loans. Between my legit work and his illegitimate work
we came up with it. Lost our venue 3 days before. Ended up in a giant
tin hut behind a brewery. 18+, but no wristbands and no one was turned
away. 2 giant screen TVs playing porn. 700 under-aged ravers, packed,
banging DnB. The energy was stronger than any high I’ve ever
experienced.
RMC: Wow. So that led to making Compression a weekly?
IM: Yup. We didn’t really know what the fuck we were doing.
We started Compression Sunday’s to have a place to hang out,
DJ on a live sound system and probably because the rave scene was
flailing.
RMC: Tell me more about your philosophy on promotion.
IM: Break the rules and start some controversy! That was the one thing
SF was missing. Everything became so serious. Scene-y. It was about
climbing some ladder or dubplates. Compression was the anti-christ
in the scene. We had wet t-shirt contests and pimps and hoes with
Fillmore Slim. Compression was the party where you snorted a new drug
for the first time or fucked bare back in the alley! We wanted people
to leave ripped out of their shells.
Phone call & Smoke break #2 - Scar Nick stops by.
RMC: Best shows you produced?
IM: Definitely, Compression 3-Year Anniversary @ DNA, with Preston
Lacey & Choda Boy, Gold Chains & DJ Marky. Mix Master Mike
with Goldie, Dizze Rascal, and of corse Rock the Bells. They are never
ending.
RMC: Dude! Choda Boy was sooo nice!
IM: Yup. Crazy night. Half the crew got kicked out for smoking weed.
Had a 4am meeting about our crew being “too ghetto.” Ironically,
I work for the DNA now, so obviously shit got smoothed out.
RMC: Right on. Has promoting always been easy for you?
IM: SF is a small town. It can be difficult to get your foot in the
door, but once you’re in, you’re set. I have to thank
Gary and Chad for their encouragement when I was fuckin nobody.
Phone call/ Smoke break #3 – Julia Chan Chan – I swear
we didn’t plan plan it
RMC: So you had some support with your schemes, what was the craziest?
IM: I loved NAW. It was basically a small-scale art piece to show
how the industry works. NAW was me and Carlo’s idea and then
we brought in DJ Mason. Labor Day weekend. Grooverider cancelled.
Basically, we made up a fake headliner, myself and DJ Mason as NAW
(what NAW stood for here) Super star mash up DJs from the dirty south.
According to a fake Guardian article that was an ad we bought. Over
400 people on a Sunday night.
RMC: Damn!
IM: I signed autographs! I was in costume as NAW, someone who knew
me, came up and was like, “I own all your albums!” A group
who I made up less than 2 weeks before from thin fuckin air!
RMC: Craziness. Anything else you proud of?
IM: I have a 4 and a half-year-old daughter. She’s changed my
life to raise her correctly and what I feel is correct may be different
than most. For example: We were watching “Little Miss Sunshine”,
she asked if she could change her last name to “Olive”.
Made me super proud that she could feel comfortable with this character
that is the ultimate existence of being herself.
RMC: That’s beautiful. Have you started sharing your views on
politics and media?
IM: Not really, I’m so angered by politics in the western world
that I avoid TV and News at all costs. And generally - I don’t
give a fuck what people talk about in music. To me, music has always
been about release.
Smoke break #4 – Peace out. |
