A quick set by DJ Zo who is a founding father of our program and instructor for the DJ class!

A beat produced by Duke Westlake who helped teach our music production classes!

A song by Intuition who taught our MC/writing workshop!

Day 1

Intuition drops some knowledge on some of the components of meaningful lyrics. Later on, for an activity, students were partnered up and given 10 minutes to make a 4-bar verse to the intro of “Big Pappa” by Notorious B.I.G. Some verses were very serious, while others, light-hearted and funny; nevertheless, students had a chance to showcase their skills!

Taking it to the streets! The class goes out for a little night-time adventure (outside Bresee). Sharing an original song, Moshe (student rapping) drops bars in front of SPEAK! and Intuition.

EOM walks around the classroom – providing students with pointers on making dope beats – everything from the layout, to layering on sounds and filters! Students quickly realized the technicalities of beat producing.

In the city of Los Angeles, Moshe and the crew attempt to create their very own MV. Knockstudy hosts its very first Film Workshop!

Shout outs to Casey and AK for getting involved!

Over the winter break, I had a lunch meeting with a gentleman name David that wanted to discuss and pick my brain about Knockstudy. He was visiting from Boston and had awesome ideas to start a DJ Academy of his own out on the East Coast. With enthusiasm, I was happy to share ideas with him to assist in making his goals possible in the future. Now during this lunch, another gentleman was sitting along side of us and apparently was listening to the whole conversation. Somewhere in the middle of my lunch with David, this guy sitting on the side of us came along and kindly offered to donate 2 mint condition Technics SL-1200 M3D turntables, Pioneer DJM-707 mixer and roughly about 150 vinyl records. Shocked by the offer and the odd chain of events that brought us together, I kindly accepted. I wanted to take some time to thank Randy for his generous donation and thank whatever higher being or force that brought us to meet. Thank you Randy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In collaboration with the Bresee Foundation, KNOCKSTUDY has been able to offer FREE DJ & Music Production workshops to high school students in LA for the past two summers. From the success of the last two cohorts, we have been invited to DJ teen events at the MOCA, LACMA, LACMA II, Youth, Arts & Music Festival. and other non-profit organizations looking for music led by the students for the students. We invite you to help us spread the word regarding our Spring 2012 programs which will include three 4 week sessions covering MC/Writing, Beat Making and Film Production workshops. KNOCKSTUDY hopes to continue to expose and provide an outlet for students to express themselves and learn the craft from experienced volunteers in a safe and educational environment like Bresee. Applications available under “SPRING SESSION.”

Please email completed applications and inquiries to applications@knockstudy.org.

Back in 2010, the pioneers of the Knockstudy DJs received their first official inauguration to the DJ community through their participation with MOCA Teen Night. A night time event where a high school ID got you through the gates, this party managed to draw in roughly 2000 high schoolers from all over Los Angeles. The legacy our first group of DJs left was so great that the MOCA Apprenticeship Program invited the Knockstudy crew of 2011 to entertain their guest yet again this coming February 2012.

The two groups had the opportunity to meet, discuss their thoughts and brainstorm what they envisioned for their audience.

It was agreed that the ambiance should engage, inspire and stimulate thought around the theme of the current exhibit titled Under the Big Black Sun showcasing art in California between 1974-1981. If you haven’t already checked it out, we definitely encourage you to take a gander at the thought provoking images of our sunny state of California during a time period “when the political and social roles of artists, the authority of institutions, and the ‘objecthood’ of art were all being questioned.”

Patty and Fabrizio, the masterminds behind the MOCA Apprenticeship Program, paid us a visit at our new and improved Knocksville location. We’re all super excited to work with you guys again and look forward to more collaborations in the future!

-Dee

Arts focused non-profits were scattered throughout Marina Green Park in Long Beach on a sunny Saturday to share, interact and engage with young people and provide them an outlet to express their creativity.

Thank you to Tripmastermonk, Dr. Oc2pus, Katie and Nga for volunteering their Saturday to help us out!

Much thanks to everyone that made this years class possible. Click here or on the image above for the full gallery!