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Just An Online Minute... DECON Gets Fresh, Gives Finger

DECON "Never Not Fresh" Celebration, Sullivan Hall, New York
October 21, 2008

CMJ is shaping up to be my favorite most painless busy week ever. Last year I saw a great show at Cake Shop because The Boy(friend) is in music. The band was Pride Tiger and I remember thinking "now this is a show." People were crammed and tucked all around the band (set up right there on the floor), sweating. Awesome venue. Now I've got my own "ins," and it's not a bad gig, I tell ya. Last night's Showcase-doubling-as-launch-party was at Sullivan Hall, a wide yawning mouth of a venue reminiscent of middle school skate parties. And this morning, I arrived to see that DECON gave me the finger.

It's no secret that I love the city of New York (and yes, all of its boroughs [I wish there were burros, too]). Just when you think you've seen it all, you trip over a new rock. I have never been to Sullivan Hall, tucked into Sullivan Street near the never-a-dull-crackhead-moment-boasting Washington Square Park (of "drug tree" fame). As I waited outside with my +1 while he finished up an overlong phone call, I could hear the DJ's "Never Not Fresh" beats trying to sneak out the entrance. I love the crescendo and decrescendo of sound when people enter and exit a show, it's the sound of good times, it really is. So what was DECON doing all up in your DJ/Hip Hop business? They were just keeping it "Never Not Fresh," a celebration of their multimedia roots combined with the launch of their creative agency AND a freshly redesigned Web site.

Kids, this was not your typical ad party with handshakes, card trading, and fake guffaws. The deliciously talented DJ Babu (and strangely enough, high school friend of Belle Lenz, DiGennaro Communications, who rediscovered him on Facebook) weaved his beats in between videos and each foot tap and head bob instigator that hit the stage. My personal favorites were the goofy Izza Kizza, a fancy white-jumpsuit-wearing threesome with smile-inducing choreography.

The blinding lights behind them enhanced their strangers from another planet vibe when they mixed with the mysteriously dank swirls of smoke poofing from the crowd. Aceyalone's freestyle and brain twisting flow made me jealous. I can barely speak without tripping over my own tongue -- and this guy was piling line upon ridiculous line devoid of flub up. Another DECON artist, 88 Keys, made me want to stab my eyes out with his overreliance on eighth grade hooter humor and constant reminders that Kanye West produced his album, but to each his own, right? Right.

In between acts DECON offered their audience their reels, which was only a tiny buzzkill not because of the content, which was quintessentially urban gritty, but because, well, I wanted music.  Peter Bittenbender, President and Co-founder, and his partner in crime, Jason Goldwatch, Executive Creative Director and Co-Founder, have married their experience and success with clients like Universal Music Group, Verizon, and Adidas, and their tightly snuggled roots in music and entertainment (don't forget DECON Records) and popped out an already relevant to me creative agency baby. Oh, and let's not ignore the fact that with the music industry in a constant state of WTF it doesn't hurt DECON to diversify their tentacle touch points.

What's relevant to me? Severed fingers, people. Which is exactly what I discovered this morning on my desk, courtesy of DECON. With it was a note: "We have something you need - DECON" in glorious blood-splattered ransom letters. The finger is a USB drive containing the password to their not yet launched new site deconmedia.com.  My new finger drive would be a perfect place to store my photos from the Fear.net party that I'm not attending due to their stick-in-the-mud, inflexible-like-the-Loch-Ness-monster's-public-appearance-schedule PR agency (I'm assuming they use some PR types to promote their party and keep the list clipboard handy), but really, I severely digress.

If DECON's party is any indication of how fun the rest of CMJ is going to be, I'm afraid my head will explode. Either way, you'll find the wiggly chunks here! Be on the lookout for tomorrow's write-up of tonight's BlackBook and Patron Tequila showcase to save the New Orleans music scene. Drinks are sponsored by Patron -- and you know what that means, right? GREAT photos. Possibly of severed fingers.

Making big moves and celebrating?  Invite kelly@mediapost.com and get it covered in Just An Online Minute.

Take a look inside Sullivan Hall in the Flickr photo set!

Join the hundreds of other gluttons for punishment that follow me on Twitter.

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