about

by

phocas.net

documenting music, dance, life, art, and cultural events

There is not much more to say about it.  

This is a view into the world of the twenty-first century.

A "photo-historical observation on culture and society," and so much more.


... a bit of a backstory ... 
 
Launched August 24, 2000, the site started off as a project site and testing ground for various internet-related concepts, web design projects, and other emerging online concepts.

One project dominated the domain from 2001 through 2009, transforming this space into a social and media source, documenting the electronic dance music culture of the time.

It likely contains the largest single collection of photos related to underground dance music, prior to the emergence of the social media giants, hosting more than 100,000 photographs.

A snapshot of an era, this collection encompasses the people, the DJs, and performers in and around Kansas City.  Other locations are also heavily involved, from Miami to San Francisco, Minneapolis to New Orleans, nearly every point between, and even a few points beyond, thanks to various collaborators and contributors.

The story for that stage of the site begins in December 2001, documented loosely under the backstory tag, beginning with "inspiration."

Access to photos and video are available under the original event date through the story archive.

Those taken during the time of the zine that ran from 2005 through 2006 are compiled in a single monthly "event photos" post for each of the months during that time frame. 

A few contributors continued posting beyond that, and their content remains hosted as part of the collection of events.

A more diverse selection of events populates this web presence these days, reflecting a different cross section of society.  While there are different actors, they still seek much the same thing in this continuing photo-historical observation on culture and society.





support this bit of free press








popular now

skateboard art and tacos

by
Image
Hunger demanded increasing attention today, while passing along 39th Street near KU Medical Center.  Noticing a few options not previously recognized, a spot for parking on the street quickly opened its arms.   Noon found not many spots.  Tiki Taco was the spot that had actually caught attention.  It turned out to be a super friendly and delectable choice, also offering some appealing and intriguing skateboard art displays.  This may just be the best place in the area to grab a quick mouthful of deliciousness.
read more »

crunching snow

by
Image
Out and wandering about the woods again today with the old camera.  It seems to take much better photos than the phone, even though they are technically the very same megapixel.  It just not the same.  Photos on the phone always seem to lack a certain clarity. That was not the goal today though.  The primary objective was to simply get out and crunch through the fresh snow, listen to it and the ice crunch underfoot.  Included in that, a little slogging through the mud.  Even that was ok.  Above is the only evidence of the adventure.
read more »

pbr built ford tough kc

by
Image
We had not been out to the bull riding spectacle in quite awhile, and the upcoming Professional Bull Rider Built Ford Tough Championships seemed to be as good of a time as any.  It was in Kansas City, at the Sprint Center, and featured some of the best of the best. I took several photos throughout the night, and experimented with a feature I found on a small camera that I didn't know it had.  Slow motion video of these rides is just the thing to do.  I pulled all of those little videos together, along with the photos, laid in a track and created the YouTube below. view more photos from this event
read more »

midwestern farm life

by
Image
It was all about the Deere this weekend, climbing on them, walking under them, and admiring their shiny coats at the Western Farm Show in Kansas City. It was not just all about John Deere, I suppose. They did have the biggest display in the building though, and nobody was shy about climbing aboard for a look around.  That was the intent after all.  Two huge halls contained a variety of technology and work equipment, while another two areas showcased an array of odds and ends in support of, and dedicated to everyday farm and ranch life, to include a few goats.
read more »

technical rose growth

by
Image
It is almost as if one cannot take more than a handful of steps without encountering art in Kansas City. This random encounter appears on the side of Surreal Tattoo Studio in Mid-Town near State Line.  Either I missed capturing the artists name, or it was not included.
read more »

warsaw bottle cap art

by
Image
A journey down to the Benton County Courthouse for some business in Warsaw found this one-of-a-kind piece lingering about the inside the historic building.  Produced by Warsaw South students to show their respect for the US flag and all those that stand to protect the same.  The assemblage of a multitude of red, white, and blue plastic bottle caps is interesting, though does not indicate any sort of production date.
read more »