Artist Spotlight: The Metaphysical

Ed "The Metaphysical"

Well last night was a fun way to start the weekend. First, our very own DJ Remote Ctrl threw down some great beats in Adams Morgan to kick off the night. We had an interesting encounter with a weird dude who thought it was a good idea to pour hot wax on his bare chest out of a glass candle (which he then broke). Next, we headed over to U-Street Music Hall to catch a set from Gigamesh. I have personally been looking forward to seeing Gigamesh live for quite some time and was not disappointed. He played mainly his own remixes and edits which are all superb.

Today we feature a local Washington, DC DJ/Producer, The Metaphysical. Ed has been involved with music since he was a young teen. At the age of 13, he got his first job assisting a studio owner and helping maintain and troubleshoot his museum of vintage synthesizers. I don't know about you, but that certainly sounds a lot cooler than my first job. He started DJing in the DC hip hop scene after college and has moved on to spinning dance music and other genres. Now he makes his living exclusively from his work as a DJ and can transform to play whatever style is requested of him. He recently put out a new edit that has been stuck in my head all week. Its a track called Disco Jam (DC BASS MIX) that was originally put out by Eddie Drennon in 1978. This track is huge and it is sure to make you move. You can check it out right here:

Disco Jam (DC BASS Mix) by The Metaphysical

I asked The Metaphysical about his early influences and he said "pioneers like Clara Rockmore the immortal theremin virtuoso, Steve Reich the father of looping, and french soundtrack composer Francois de Roubaix. My heart has always been in the 70's from prog rock to funk to disco, the sound and the feel is unmatched by most musicians. It was a time of experimentation when trained musician were in abundance." Today, his favorite producers mostly come from either Wolf Music or Sleazy Beat Recordings. Artists like Fantastic Man, KRL, Tornado Wallace, and Eddie C. His favorite producer who's kind of on the hush is Pied Piper, "his long format acid disco edits KILL."

Like other artists we feature on the blog I asked Ed what his favorite dance move was, and this is what he said, "I have always wanted to master the art of the Ninja, or more specifically Willi Ninja. His Vogue can not be matched. I've always wanted to throw a Paris Is Burning style Ball in his memory."

Ed will be playing tonight with Trev-Ski (whose Guest Mix for DPC can be found here) at their monthly party at MiG Bar in DC called Captiol City Disco. Definitely swing through if you don't have plans. You can also see The Metaphysical in the area on Saturday at GKYK at The Rock and Roll Hotel with DJ Keenan or Thursday the 23rd at The Get Down in Fells Point, Baltimore, with DJ Mic_L.

Also check out The Metaphysical's Soundcloud page for other old school edits, live sets, and some really good mixes. Below is a mix The Metaphysical recently did for One Love Massive. Its a half hour long and contains some great tunes.

The Metaphysical - OLM Mixtape by OneLoveMassive
Tracklist:
Tornado Wallace - Tornado Never Dies
Daniel Solar - Into My Life
The Metaphysical - Disco Jam (DC Bass Mix)
Ray Charles - What'd I Say (Bobby C Sound TV Remix)
The Metaphysical - Everymans Chance to Disco (Unreleased)
Perseus - Russian Girlfriends
Eddie C - My Woman (Wolf Mix)
Jeremy Glenn - New Life (Perseus 'Summer of 83' Remix)
Luther Vandross - Sugar & Spice (Hey Champ Edit)