We took some time from the day to head into Tribeca. Some shots of the scenery.

We somehow ran into the Ghostbusters building which has just about made my week now.

New York City is vast, people.

Doc Scott is playing at Elements, one of the longest running drum and bass weeklies in the United States. Its a Boston thing and has been for a very very long time. Doc Scott has been spinning records, as well, for even longer.

I remember sitting in the cafeteria at Northeastern University and my very good friend Michael rolled in with the new Metalheadz Platnium Breakz Comp from the UK. This was 1997 I assume and jungle had been tearing up the scene for a while now with drum and bass beginning to develop into its own.

The track that floored me on the comp actually came as the track one disc 2. It was indeed a Doc Scott track.  For years I referred to it as “The Unofficial Ghost” which was its original name on the UK pressing. Later, US domestic pressings called it “Fabio’s Ghost.” That’s trivial at this point because either way, the track would crush dancefloors and I, for some reason, have never heard it played at a drum and bass night in the USA. I probably never will.

“The Unofficial Ghost” unequivocally changed something logically in my brain as to how I heard and understood music at the time, not just jungle or dnb. For the first time, I focused on the bass instead of he drum track and, from that point on, I needed nothing more to move me.

The crushing harmonics of “Ghost” almost throws the listener into the next room. Musically, nothing has every moved me sonically in this manner. For those that have been around me when my mobile rings to the “Ghost”, you know what’s up.

Doc Scott is probably better known for “Shadow Boxing” and “Drums 95″. Absolute sonic bangers at the time, almost more so than “Ghost.” “Shadow Boxing” crawls up onto you from over a hill. The image is startling; like a wall of soldiers marching to the frontlines. The pause midtrack without rhythm is your last chance of escape.

These three tracks, to me, are what made this genre of music maybe the most influential in my life and may have opened my ears to more experiential sounds – be it alt rock, no wave, bossanova, I thank jungle/dnb and Doc Scott for waking me the fuck up.

I bought this Metalheadz cap back at Black Market Record in London I think around 1997. It brings me back.

Aw, fuck it, you can download my ringtone version of “Ghost” here. I made an iPhone and MP3 version for your loving. It will surly scare the kids. Just in time for Halloween!

Some music. Four tracks in my current rotation.

The very good people at Fixed Gear Gallery have returned from last week’s Interbike 2008 Show in Las Vegas. FGG has published a shitload of photos from the show, with real focus on the track, fixed gear bikes and accessories being displayed. You’ll get some new views of the RVCA Cinelli, the MASH Cinelli, and many many other.

But the pure standout to me was introduction of this $299 Schwinn Cutter FG/SS to the market. Thats $299 for a complete bike. The barrier of entry has been significantly lowered by the people at Schwinn and anything that can get people onto bikes is about as important a feat as trying to convince them to convert a road bike or drop $500+ on a style of cycling that takes some time to get used to.

I look at the Cutter’s $299 pricepoint in comparison to the barrier of entry for many electronics. Take for example the 2007 Christmas Holiday season where GPS navigation systems hit the $200 mark. In technology breaking the $200 mark makes technology affordable to the masses. $299 for a complete fixed gear bike has to be relative. If I could have spend $299 when I first got into riding fixed, I would have saved hours converting my (oddly enough) Schwinn Le Tour.*

Clearly when this $299 Schwinn hits the market, it will not come built up from the most premium of components but we know this based on the price. The fact still remains that a $299 bike by Schwinn will be built well enough to get the average user to re-examine a single cog bicycle as a choice. Schwinn is making it easy for anyone to join the cycling masses.

I miss my old Schwinn Le Tour. I sold it on Craigslist years ago. I pray that it remains in good hands.

* As much as converting the Schwinn Le Tour was a bitch, I did take a handful of bike repair workshops at Broadway Bikes during the process. Those hours in the shop learning the ins and out of bike mechanics I would never give up. I highly recommend that everyone take a basic bike repair course if not to teach you how basic some repairs/adjustments are.

Here’s hoping you love it

- Jeff