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| FROM THE RAVE SCENE TO MAINSTREAM |
By Alex Daniel
From the Rave scene to mainstream, master VJ's Masa Nicon and Gabe Zebata take the east coast by storm with an idea that was born in the back beats of the percussion, in between the baselines, and underneath an electrifying lighting display of the Rave. They worked an idea to fuse the live audio world of the DJ, with the live visual world of the VJ, and immerse the audience in a total interactive experience. Now, what is a VJ you ask? Well they're definitely not those you see on MTV. These VJ's are reinventing a visual art form by mixing projected visual images to coincide with the DJ's sweeping expedition. But get this, it's all done live! Just imagine yourself immersed in an atmosphere where booming bass lines and extended percussions entertain you ears while electrifying lights and virtual images magnetize your eyes. Imagine yourself in the realms of the vinyl shaman known as the DJ, moving between two turntables of carefully orchestrated rhythms of bass and treble, in a world of virtual ecstasy. Just like the DJ blends tracks together generating a tale of musical prose, the VJ can accomplish alike effect when live images are projected to the DJ's mix.
So humm…how do they do it? First they begin with inspiration. It's the "beauty in the beats" that inspires Masa and Gabe to craft such an innovative art. The way it works is a combination of two enormous talents. Gabe, a video producer and cinematographer honed his skills through diligent practice, learning to operate a digital camera in free form without use of a steady-cam. He uses an assortment of cameras from the Cannon GL-1, VX 1000 with night vision, to small handhelds equipped with wide-angle lenses. Masa, originally from Yokohoma, Japan studied virtual imagery at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, mastering graphic design. While nurturing his passion for graphic design, Masa became obsessed with electronic equipment, synthesizers, and 3-D animation. He began crafting his own virtual images via computer. A "Rembrandt" of our time, he paints portraits of these images on a projection screen with programs like After FX, Photoshop, and a very top secret Japanese program, where if I told you, I'd have to kill you. The two met through mutual acquaintances and decided to team up to create VEU Entertainment, an entertainment company that provides live visual entertainment for any event ranging from concerts to fashion shows, to music festivals. Simultaneously, the dynamic duo can capture whole events live as their happening. Gabe maneuvers through the crowd shooting gorilla style, capturing live video of crowd reaction and performers, while Masa projects these images freestyled with his authentic graphics. There are anywhere from 1 to 8 video screens set up across the room. Cameras can be wired anywhere, including DJ booth, mixer, or along the walls so that people can see themselves and have no idea where the camera is coming from. Gabe enjoys this particular style of shooting. He says, "adding live camera shots involves the crowd in the performance, which adds interactivity between the crowd and the artist." He continues, "Visual projections give DJ's a stage presence, where as like back in the day the DJ booth was in the back of the club and nobody really knew who the DJ was or what they looked like." Gabe explains "It's like a visual jam session. Like a DJ, a VJ will write an optical tale by blending two images together. Our show is never the same twice!"
VEU Entertainment has trilled audiences nationwide and worked with various ultra famous DJ's and performers Funk Master Flex, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Apollo Confold, and Rob Base & Easy Roc. They've rocked enormous venues like the Winter Music Festival held in Miami, Fl, Ultrafest in Baltimore, MD featuring "Diesel Boy", and dabbled a little bit in Philadelphia with a local DJ competition called "Pitch Control".
When asked what the future has in store for VEU Entertainment, the two say that they hope to be picked up on a musical tour or a big award show like MTV or the Emmy's. While their virtual antics continue to inspire them to renovate musical artistry, they say that they'll continue to dare to be different. Masa explains, "I don't think I'm an artist, but something like that."
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