Mayer Hawthorne aka Haircut
August 18th, 2009
So this mystery man Mayer Hawthorne is playing records for us this Saturday at Victorian pub and trendy hang out – the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath.
His Stones Throw podcasts are filled with those beefy mid tempo soul records, the ones with dramatic horns, orchestral swooshes, and clipped symbols that give an infectious syncopation that in this country, we call Northern soul. Most of the tunes have dreamy doo wop vocals that entice you to dance sideways and feature ever-so-catchy choruses which stick in your head with joyful irritation. “uh uh I aint gonna run no more…”
However this mystery man also goes under the name of Haircut …
At 28 years young, Haircut has rocked clubs and concerts from Detroit to LA and Toronto to Tokyo. Now a greater Los Angeles resident, the Michigan born and bred triple-threat (DJ/Producer/Vocalist) has continued down the path he started following over 12 years ago. He’s performed with heavyweights such as Eminem, Mos Def, The Black Eyed Peas, De La Soul, Ludacris, The Pharcyde, and Slum Village just to name a few. He is one third of Now On (A Detroit to LA hip-hop and soul outfit) and produces much of the group’s music. Between shows, he has been working on beats and projects for several local and national artists as well as DJing a popular weekly at Room 5 in Hollywood.
“I just play good music… music with soul.” Whether rocking some of the most exclusive clubs in Los Angeles (a list which includes Privilege, Montmarte/Day After, The Cabana Club, The Key Club, Star Shoes, and the Roxy amongst others) or producing and writing music of his own, Haircut has established himself as a tastemaker in the music community with the power to make or break records among his peers and fans.
Now it can be pretty scary supporting folks, playing second fiddle to some big shot or indeed trying to impress someone who you have respect for and who you hold in high regard. This guy is obviously a big shot – well under the name Haircut he is. But when djing under the name of Mayer Hawthorne I will be eyeing with a particular wiley suspicion – because my people, he may be the ONE. The one we have been waiting for. The ONE who came to save us, the one to make old soul cool with the youth, a taste maker and advocate for original SOUL. Inspiring a whole new generation that can advocate for its future survival after a ‘Girls Aloud-Pop-Apocalypse’. We thought the 2nd generation mods would do it, but they are too flaky and would happily vibe off the syncopation of Ska. We thought Winehouse could do it – but her affection with narcotics seems to be more prevalent these days. We thought that Hip Hop might do it – but they just nick the best bits and credit the original artist in a super small font on the back of their MP3s.
All I can say is watch this space. I am preparing myself and so should you.
”When I DJ, you’ll always hear something amazing that you didn’t even know was out there.” Haircut
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
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