Lance Walden has worked in the music industry at various labels in New York and San Francisco. He also
spins music at the Bay Area night club Riptide. The club is located near the coast at 3639 Taraval Street
off Highway 1 just north of the San Francisco Zoo not far from the Sunset District. The club
offers a mix of music from DJs, live bands and open mic performers. On February 11, 2015 we did a live interview on Facebook,
which is listed below. It's a peak into what's happening in the San Francisco club scene and what types
of music is pleasing the crowds that come from all over the world.
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Interview with San Franciso Club DJ Lance Walden
by Alex Cosper, February 11, 2015
Alex: Hi everyone, it's time for another live social arts interview on Facebook for
my site SacTV.com with my friend of many years from the music industry, Lance Walden .. Welcome, Lance, before we get into
your DJ work in San Francisco at Riptide, briefly tell us about your music industry background.
Lance: I began in New York at Island 4th & Broadway Records. In 1988. I was hired to do Club Dance Music Promotion.
Dave Lombardi was a fellow Dj in New Jersey and set me up with an interview there. He was very helpful getting me introduced
into music industry.
Alex: And during the 90s, we were buds while I was at KWOD and you were in the music biz breaking records.
Lance: I did 2 years at Island. Got laid off and was then added to the
National Billboard Club Dance DJ Panel. Did a year as Billboard Club DJ then Arista Records, George Hess
asked me to do Club promo for him did 2 years there then got the NW Radio Promotion gig in 93 and moved
from NJ to California. That's when we met when you were Program Director at KWOD.
Alex: Who were some of the artists you worked with?
Lance: Let's see ... Outkast, Pink, Sarah McLachlan, Notorious BIG, P Diddy, Spiritualized.
Patti Smith, Mase, Usher, Crash Test Dummies, TLC, Dido.
Alex: Those are some big name artists. I remember you being deep into electronic music .. Describe your
passion for dance music.
Lance: Electronic music morphed out of the club scene and the great use of
synth music. OMD, Depeche Mode and Chicago House Music scene. I was going to clubs as a promo person and
DJing at house dance clubs in NJ asxwell as Alternative clubs. And was able understand the house scene,
the English invasion of the early 80s into 90 where you could play Clash and Buzzcocks and then New Order
then a James Brown song then a club track like Konk or Ten City and the floor kept moving.
I happened to be in high school when disco hit the mainstream and
dancing was fun. I loved Earth, Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, Parliment, all the Philadelphia sound Harold Melvin
Teddy Pendergrass D-Train. The Trammps, Tower of Power - anything that had a
soul sound to it. And I was a decent dancer.
Alex: So now you are spinning at the San Francisco night club Riptide ..
I think that's every club DJ's dream gig .. How did that gig come about and how long have you been spinning at Riptide?
Lance: My dj gig at Riptide came as a result as I went in for a drink and a dj
was playing records. So I asked the bartender about it and gave her my info and she called me a few
weeks later and I've been djing there for the last 6 years.
Alex: What kind of music do you play at Riptide in SF?
Lance: Almost anything as long as I have it on vinyl. Anything from Al Green
to Nirvana, a lot of 80s alternative, new wave, punk lately but I always have a box of soul funk and party jams ready to go.
Alex: Do you play to whatever crowd shows up or is there a set format?
Lance: I always play to the crowd even if it's a set format. If I'm playing
funk and someone wants Zeppelin or AC/DC or whatever I will find a way to play it. I'm there to entertain them.
Alex: I was spinning myself in SF from 1998 to 2004 from the SF Hilton's top floor when they
had a club called Cityscape .. It was fun seeing the Bay Bridge out one window & the Golden Gate out the other ..
Each night was a different crowd .. How vibrant is the SF club scene these days?
Lance: It's big and all kinds of music is here and available to everyone. Many international
djs spin in SF. The big clubs 1015 Folsom, Ruby Skye are among the biggest and most visited.
Alex: Do you do any promotions with radio stations or how does Riptide draw its crowd?
Lance: Mostly just local and word of mouth. At times KFOG 104.5 in SF has cross
promoted my events on their web page or mentioned on air.
Alex: Tell us about your "Love Stinks" Valentine's Day gig coming up.
Lance: I'm going to play mostly anti-love songs as a pre-Anti Valentine's Day theme.
Alex: Well have fun with that. Before we wap things up I'm curious if you ever play any
local music or music that isn't on the radio yet.
Lance: Yes, If I have it on vinyl and it's good. Or the band singer
hands me a record and asks me to play it.
Alex: Great! Lance, thank you very much for doing this interview, which
I will post later today on www.SacTV.com for the date Feb 13.
Lance: My pleasure, thank you.
Check out more of the San Francisco Scene here
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