January 2008 | On Our Radar
Seattle’s JUICE
Spinning for a cause
By Amy Pennington
On ‘da street, when you have “juice,” you have power and influence. Since October of 2006, DJ Darek Mazzone and DJ Rhythma have been using their “juice” by spinning for a cause. Billing the night as JUICE (www.myspace.com/juiceinseattle), they can be seen and heard the first Saturday of each month live at Nectar Lounge in Fremont. Does dancing your hiney off for a good cause sound like your idea of a Saturday night well spent? We thought it might.
These two rhythmic powerhouses (Mazzone is most famously known as the weekly Tuesday Wo’ Pop disc jockey on the cooler-than-you’ll-ever-be local station KEXP) come together for one night a month to preach global music and practice global change. “This got started as a way to give back to a global community we all care about,” says Mazzone. “The music and culture we love and derive so much joy from — modern global music — is often created in countries and regions which are in deep poverty or have some type of economic or political strife.” While the music-filled night can certainly inspire the dancing queen in all of us (expect the beats to be funky, dirty, mesmerizing and hypnotic), the evening has grown to encompass global influence on a small scale.
Deciding early on to forfeit any payment, this team selects a much deserved nonprofit each month to dedicate all of the proceeds made at the door. The venue, in turn, maximizes this amount by donating the space. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved” says Rebecca Campeau, JUICE coordinator and global music aficionado. Nektar, a local and dare we say, conscious club gets a crowd in, the DJs have their music heard by a new audience and the nonprofit gets some well needed funding. Darfurwall.org, which gives to several Darfur relief organizations, has had the biggest turnout thus far. Funds raised were also matched by Microsoft, which brought new meaning to the phrase: “Think Globally, Act Locally.”
“We blend and mix styles from around the globe as a means to educate,” says DJ Rhythma, a.k.a Eric Schmidt. “Juice is our instrument to broadcast the rhythms of the world.” Broadcast away, boys. We are listening.
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