DJ Vadim has posted an amazing essay about his ongoing bout with ocular melanoma (eye cancer). I don’t mean to get all McPalin, but it is truly a demonstration of the wonder of the Internet that Vadim could post such an essay and reach his fans immediately and unfiltered.

I’m not going to try and excerpt any of it here. Instead, I encourage everyone to visit his MySpace blog and read it for themselves.

For those who don’t know who DJ Vadim is, he’s one of the leading lights of the “downtempo” era of the mid-90s. His second album, 1996’s USSR Repertoire (The Theory of Verticality), is a classic. He’s continued to release excellent material since, including last year’s The Soundcatcher. Get familiar.

Today brought unfortunate news on two major artists.

Allhiphop.com reports that Buckshot just suffered a series of seizures that led to his hospitalization:

According to Duck Down co-founder and CEO Dru Ha, the legendary MC was returning home from a European trip, when he suffered from multiple seizures.

“I got to see him today and he’s doing OK but obviously needs time to recover,” Dru Ha told AllHipHop.com in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, Yarah Bravo writes on her MySpace blog that DJ Vadim has been diagnosed with cancer:

Vadim has been diagnosed with Cancer!!!
(If you would like to know more about it, please google it.
As i do not want to delve into it here.
The name is: Ocular Melanoma / choroidal melanoma and
it is a very rare type of cancer)

This has obviously been a shock for all of us.

Thankfully, it seems that neither man is in mortal danger. Nevertheless, my thoughts go out to them.

After a lengthy fall tour for last year’s impressive reggae/future soul/electronic/hip-hop hybrid The Soundcatcher, DJ Vadim will head back out on the road in February to complete some West Coast dates. This time, it will be a mix of full-on concerts and DJ gigs. Yarah Bravo, a.k.a. “Lil’ Miss B,” and Abstract Rude, who’s preparing for a run with Brother Ali, will join the Russo-British producer for a few gigs.

The itinerary is listed below.

• 2/01: Poleng Lounge, San Francisco, CA
• 2/02: Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
• 2/05: Casbah, San Diego, CA
• 2/07: Air Conditioned Lounge, Venice, CA
• 2/08: The Hut, Tucson, AZ
• 2/09: Zenbu Lounge, Squaw Valley, CA
• 2/10: Tonic Lounge, Reno, NV
• 2/13: Bar None, Vancouver, BC
• 2/14: Little Temple, Los Angeles, CA
• 2/15: Darkroom, Chicago, IL
• 2/19: Continental Rooms, Fullerton, CA
• 2/20: The Airliner, Los Angeles, CA

2/01-2/05, 2/08-2/10, 2/14: w/Yarah Bravo
2/08-2/10, 2/14: w/Abstract Rude
2/08: Gem & Jam

www.djvadim.com
www.myspace.com/djvadim

Photo by Hilary Sol Allen.

This fall, UK producer DJ Vadim will head across the U.S. on tour in support of his latest album The Soundcatcher. Accompanying him will be Yarah Bravo, the rapper/vocalist who collaborated with him on his One Self project; and L.A. rap veteran Abstract Rude. The trio plan to course through the nation’s bohemian cafes and small nightclubs, and are looking for people to help spread the word.

“If you are familiar with One Self. Then you are probably familiar with mine and my crew’s work ethics,” wrote Vadim in a MySpace message. “We are looking to create a Street Team in all the cities we are hitting. We need people who can help us distribute flyers and posters to record stores, clothes stores, coffee shops, colleges … hit up local radio, campus radio, promote at local shows etc … and spread the word! If you got a website, or run a blog etc … feel free to post it on there as well. We’ll make online flyers too.”

So consider this modest post a contribution towards the effort. If you want to help, contact the Russian through his MySpace page. In the meantime, check out the tour dates below.

• 9/26: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
• 9/27: Soundlab, Buffalo, NY
• 9/28: TBA, Chicago, IL
• 9/29: The Social, Milwakee, WS
• 10/03: Hume Lounge, Nelson, BC
• 10/05: Lucky Bar, Victoria, tk
• 10/06: Richards on Richards, Vancouver, BC
• 10/11: Nectar Lounge, Seattle, WA
• 10/12: John Henrys, Eugene, OR
• 10/13: Fez Ballroom, Portland, OR
• 10/14: Domino Room, Bend, OR
• 10/16: The Wayside, Shasta, CA
• 10/17: Green Room, Reno, NV
• 10/19: Mighty, San Francisco, CA
• 10/20: Kava Lounge, San Diego, CA
• 10/21: Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, CA
• 10/23: Continental Room, Orange County, CA
• 10/24: Solar Culture, Tuscon, AZ
• 10/25: Blunt Club, Meza, AZ
• 10/26: Grab Bar, Houston, TX
• 10/27: Flamingo Cantina, Austin, TX
• 10/28: Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
• 10/30: Spanish Room, Baton Rouge, LA
• 11/01: Beta Bar, Tallahassee, FL
• 11/02: Apache Cafe, Atlanta, GA
• 11/03: TBA, Charlotte, NC
• 11/04: Alley Cats, Richmond, VA

www.djvadim.com
www.myspace.com/djvadim

It’s been a long journey for DJ Vadim. The Russian-born, UK-bred producer first came to attention over a decade ago, thanks to mind-bending joints like “Abstract Hallucinating Gases.” His second album, 1996’s U.S.S.R. Repertoire (The Theory of Verticality), is one of the best albums from the downtempo/post-Shadow period, taking deconstructionist turntablist techniques to absurdly minimalist conclusions. The years since have seen him evolve into a proponent of less-rigorous quietude; “Your Revolution,” his controversial 1999 collabo with Sarah Jones, was a particular high point.

For most of that time, when not releasing new product on his now-defunct imprint Jazz Fudge, Vadim was rocking with Ninja Tune. With The Sound Catcher, however, Vadim is switching over to UK future soul imprint BBE. It makes sense: his last joint as a member of the group One Self (with Yarah Bravo and Blurum 13), Children of Possibility, seemed out of place amidst Ninja Tune’s harder electronic sounds. Considering Vadim’s new soulful direction, BBE is a natural fit.

So why should xenophobic Yanks care about this? Well, in a press release Vadim promises that The Sound Catcher is “by far my most concise, precise and best work to date,” one that brings his restless experimentation to fruition. And everybody likes good music, right? The Sound Catcher is slated for April 16 in the UK, with a U.S. release shortly thereafter (if not on the same day).

Guests announced for the album include Abstract Rude (”Soundcatchers”), Skinnyman (”Ballistic Affairs”), Kathrin DeBoer (”Black is the Night”), Zion-I, Killa Kela and Jamalski (remember him from Boogie Down Productions?). And, unlike his last solo disc, the vocal-heavy The Art of Listening, this will also include the Vadim instrumentals that hip-hop DJs love. The first single is “Like the Wind” featuring Bay Area rapper Deuce Eclipse b/w “Boom Sumting” featuring Demolition Man.

www.djvadim.com
www.myspace.com/djayvadim