A selection of Motion Potion live sets from Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival over the years.

Live at Outside Lands

All the studio tracks that have been released (more to come)
... going back to 2000. Ordered in a way that seems to make some sense....

The MoPo Box Set 2000-2017

Celebrate 16 years of the Icebreakers Ball. On Saturday Jan 28, 2023 I am thrilled to be a part of the SIXTEENTH annual Icebreakers Ball with DJ Icey at our new home, Monarch SF. This event has been a huge part of my life through the years and I would humbly posit, that it has been an important milestone in each year's San Francisco electronic music scene. What started as an excuse to bring DJ Icey to San Francisco has morphed through the years to benefit first the Fringe Arts Collective, then the Janky Barge artcar. Those communities, the amazing winter white costumes, the original decor, the polar bears, all have been an incredible part of the fun. And though the event has been at Mighty, Public Works, Great Northern, and now Monarch.... AND there was even a year we couldn't get Icey (2005 we had Future Funk Squad and The Phat Conductor/Ill Gates) the two constants have been BREAKS and yours truly. While Sea of Dreams, North Beach Jazz, SF Funk Fest and Ghost Ship Halloween are wistful memories, the only musical constants for me have been working with Rebirth Brass Band, and Icebreakers Ball. 

I am thrilled to release a full live album's worth of sets from Icebreakers over the years. They run the gamut of styles, music and even quality. These are LIVE recordings, I was occasionally a bit tipsy, so there are certainly some goofs. 

That said, if you LOVE dance music, this is a good snapshot of the kind I have liked over the years. Most of it is breaks but there are some years I went more disco. more oldschool. more newschool. I will be posting these over the next few weeks and encourage you to enjoy and share. As always, you can DM me on soundcloud, join the MoPo email list, or hit me up on Twitter.com/moporobbie

MoPo Live @ Icebreakers Ball 2007-2023

I have been working at music festivals since 1997 when I volunteered at High Sierra Music Festival, chopping veggies in the commissary in return for a ticket. Many great DJ's PLAY music festivals but few actually sprouted from the festival scene. Unlike so many who grew up in the clubs, I came of age at outdoor festivals, and had it not been for the good fortune of being booked for Bonnaroo in 2001, I might not have had a career. 

Since that glorious first night in the Arcade on the Farm, I've had the extremely good fortune to play Bonnaroo ten times, Outside Lands at least as many, plus Coachella, High Sierra, Sonic Bloom, Camp Bisco, as well as some now defunct beloved events like Gathering of the Vibes, Vegoose, Power to the Peaceful, BerkFest, and Sea of Dreams.

But none of them have the combination of site, scene, & spirit that Electric Forest enjoy. No site is as well thought out & beautified, no audience as energetic & wonderful. As I embark on my 11th trip to Rothbury Michigan for Electric Forest 2023, I am beyond proud to release some of my favorite live sets from throughout the years.

In those 11 years, I have probably played more than 50 times, and probably at least 100 hours. Most of them in the Silent Disco, but I also played in a Wagon Wheel, a Grand Artique, a Forest Stage and even inside of Peter Hudson's incredible Zoetrope 'Monkeys' installation. Many of the sets have been recorded and this week, to get you ready for the FOOOOOREST, I am releasing 6 of my favorites to get you in the mood. They are all on this one playlist:
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.29.15 The Grand Artique - Organic Beats Set
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.30.19 The Makeout Session
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.27.15 Reggae Breaks Set
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.28.14 Beasties, Beatles & Beck
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest Fest 6.24.17 - Psyche Rock Set
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.26.16 - Ladies Night
• MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.26.15 Banger Set

Please enjoy & share and be sure to tag me @MoPo and Follow @MoPoRobbie on twitter where I typically focus more on activism in support of Ukraine.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest

MOPO LIVE @ Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, October 30, 2021
This was a gorgeous fall day in San Francisco and we had much to celebrate. This was the first major festival in San Francisco since the pre-Covid times and the vibes were incredible. As we always do a theme set for OLF this ones was a brand new one for me that I had only messed around with in the studio. Accordingly, you will note a few rough mixes, but I think the songs are terrific and I was very pleased with the response. This is one I listen to in the car quite a bit. ENJOY

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands 10.30.21 Soul Saturday Set (cropped)

Another Outside Lands theme set from the Heineken House, this time from 2018. Janet Jackson was set to headline the festival that evening and I wanted to tastefully set the stage early in the day with a career retrospective. However, since I had a long set length and the crowd at Outside Lands has a LOT to choose from I wanted to mix in some crowd pleasers to keep their attention. So what I settled on conceptually was a retrospective of both Janet AND Michael. So what you will hear is my best attempt to mix some of the best originals and remixes of both of these stellar artists into one coherent set. It wasn't easy by the way, given that Janet typically leaned on a more electro-princey-80's side of funk in her production, and Michael's music was typically more melodic, symphonic, and exquisite. At any rate I think it's a super fun listen, especially for the fans of these two icons. ENJOY! As always, hit www.motionpotion.com to get on the email list and follow me on the socials.

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands - Heineken House - Michael vs. Janet Set

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands Heineken House 8.12.17 (Metallica tribute) - A

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands Heineken House 8.12.17 (Metallica tribute)

Playing a Radiohead tribute set is something I take extremely seriously. In some ways it's a sacred commitment given how much I respect these artists, how much I love their music, and how challenging the music is to even listen to, let alone remix, or DJ with.

My first stab at a Radiohead remix was the very first mashup I ever made, JUST BREAK, which you an find on the Subterranean Homemade Alchemy release. It's basically JUST by Radiohead and BREAK by Jurassic 5. So simple but it still really holds up. That said, I would never have imagined creating a Radiohead DJ set. Their music is just too difficult. Some of it is in 3/2 like Reggae and D&B, some is in 4/4 like disco/house and some is just indecipherable, like 15 Steps or Pyramid Song.

However, by around 2015, there had been literally dozens of Radiohead remixes put out by a bevy of great producers. Add to these, whole albums of mashups by folks like Nick Tannone as well as whole remix albums done by the likes of Amplive, and Radiodread, tribute albums like the Bluegrass one and the covers comp. I had also been playing DAFT PUNK vs RADIOHEAD silent disco sets so I was starting to amass a nice collection of these tracks and deciphering how best to present them in a set.

So I figured there might be enough material and I had been messing around with several of their tracks in the studio so the goal became more ambitious, to remix a full album worth of Radiohead, then release an album and a mix, and perform it live. 

Behold: Subterranean HomeMade Alchemy (https://soundcloud.com/mopo/sets/subterranean-homemade-alchemy) which you can listen to as a complete record at the above link. Among the goals of the remix album was to use tracks that had not been remixed much by others. There are 100 Creep remixes and probably 1000 of Reckoners. So on Subalchemy I spent a lot of time deciphering some less celebrated tracks like B-Sides Bangers & Mash, and The Trickster, as well as personal favorites like There There and Planet Telex. I spent more than 2 years trying to remix Bodysnatchers before cracking the code with the version you see on the album. And then there's Everyone, my remix of National Anthem that I am as proud of as any track I have ever remixed. This was the single and actually made some waves.

At any rate, by the time Outside Lands 2016 rolled around, I felt comfortable taking these tracks and constructing a version of the set for the Heineken House. And then the pressure ramped up when I found out Radiohead themselves would be headlining. So I dived back in to the set I had been messing with at Silent Disco and reshaped it into something more powerful, incorporating my own remixes. You will hear discernible sections in the mix, of 3/2 areas with reggae & D&B, some 4/4 downtempo hip hop/rock sections and of course some dancier segments. 

To perform this set for serious Radio-Heads was a pressure cooker and you will hear some of the challenges in the mix.  To be clear, this is NOT my best performance of this set. I was extremely nervous to play THIS music on THAT stage on THAT day. And since then I have made a lot of changes to the set including adding about a dozen lynchpin tracks that have made the whole thing go down easier.

But for a place and a time that was extremely meaningful to me, this is a great representation of that day. I hope you enjoy this one and I look forward to future postings of more fleshed out versions of this set in the future.

As always, hit www.motionpotion.com to get on the email list and follow me on the socials.

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands 8.7.16 - Radiohead Set

2014 was an important and fascinating year for me as a touring artist and producer. In 2012 I had put out Electric Nostalgia 1-3 and spent a year touring on those tracks and by 2014 felt I had really rinsed that maximal rock/breaks remix sound. I was looking for something a bit softer but that could still play in that sweet spot where I was being booked, right before peak-hour folks.

And at the same time some of my favorite producers were diving into disco again. Kraak & Smaak being the most notable, but there were other major influences at the time, especially all of the music being put out my Trotter and Royal Soul in Brazil. So around the time Outside Lands rolled around in 2014 I was incorporating a lot of these sounds in to my more funky-breaks / remix wheelhouse.

What you will hear on this recording is a proper vintage MoPo dancefloor set. Unlike many other Outside Lands shows, there is no specific THEME but rather a solid club set, albeit delivered in a 360 degree dome at 3 in then afternoon in a San Francisco park.

As always, hit www.motionpotion.com to get on the email list and follow me on the socials....

MoPo live @ Outside Lands 8.8.14

MoPo live @ Outside Lands 8.8.14 - DIsco Set

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands 08.07.22 Bay Area Beats 1959-2019
My live recording from Sunday August 7 in the Heineken House at Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. Blessed with my thirteenth consecutive performance at this seminal festival I set out to do something special. In keeping with the tradition of building the theme around the event's headliner, I chose to make Green Day the focus but expanded it to encompass the entire history of Bay Area Music.

We start with Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck and move on through Bay Area hip hop, funk, soul, acid rock, pop, metal and disco. I probably spent more time on hip hop & Soul than one might expect although I think many overlook the Bay's contribution in these genres, from Sly to Confunkshun to Sylvester through Quannum Projects, Hiero, Digital Underground etc. For the rock stuff it was easier since Santana, the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Metallica, Green Day are artists widely associated with San Francisco. Many might overlook folks like Steve Miller, Huey Lewis, Chirs Isaak, No Doubt, 4 Non Blondes, and Mike Patton/Faith No More (my personal favorite Bay Area artist EVER!).

Among the folks that I wasn't able to fit in on this version were Tom Waits, The Luniz, DJ Zeph, Romanowski, Train, Counting Crows Third Eye Blind, Dan the Automator, and many others.

The set went over quite nicely and I am proud to share it with you here.

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands 08.07.22 Bay Area Beats

MoPo Live @ Outside Lands 08.07.22 - Bay Area Beats 1959-2019

As part of the 2023 reveal of a bunch of past sets from Icebreakers Ball I am thrilled to share one of the very best, from January of 2014 at my very favorite club of all time, MIGHTY. While The Great Northern, the club that now holds that space on 119 Utah St, is upgraded in many ways, from sound, to stage size, to decor, Mighty will always hold a special place in my heart. It was its very LACK of decor, its almost farmhouse industrial vibe that made it special. That and the massive 12' high original Richard Long speakers that dwarfed each side of the stage. So cartoonishly large that they seemed almost out of place in this smallish room, their size made the spatial understanding of the music being played completely visceral. The highs seemed literally up high, the mids hit you in the chest and the lows washed through the entire space. All that and the city's best-ever security crew, bartenders & tech staff so amazing that they still work the TGN to this day. And from their early ownership (Pete & Jeff) to Sean & Isabel nurtured by Carey & Derek & Craig along the way, this space always put music, and San Francisco's authentic underground culture FIRST. TGN is all that today, but that Richard Long system was vintage before vintage was vintage.

I am proud to share this as part of the January 2023 release of past Icebreakers sets in anticipation of the Jan 26 2023 16th Annual Icebreakers Ball (this time at the place with the city's NEW best sound system, Monarch). Again all credit to the King of American Breakbeat, DJ Icey.

MoPo Live @ Mighty 1.19.14 Icebreakers Ball

As part of the buildup to the 2023 16th Icebreakers Ball (Jan 26 at Monarch with DJ Icey), I'm sharing some of my favorite sets at this seminal event over the years. This one is from 2017, and we held it at Public Works that year as Mighty was gone and TGN was just about to start. San Francisco was always an embarassment of riches when it came to clubs in the 2000's. Any one of Mighty, Public Works, Mezzanine, Monarch, 1015, and others would have been the best club in a dozen other cities. For this year we raised money for the Janky Barge crew and had a huge turnout. This set was a concerted attempt to bring back some oldschool breaks sounds and I was really happy about it at the time. I still think it holds up today.

MoPo Live @ Icebreakers 1.30.17 - Oldschool Breaks A-

MoPo Live @ Icebreakers 1.30.17 - Oldschool Breaks

As part of the buildup to the 16th Annual Icebreakers Ball (at Monarch SF on Jan 26 2023) I am pleased to release some of my sets from past years at this seminal SF event. This set is from 2007, which one might consider my real 'prime' as a touring artist at least. That year I played more than 100 shows, and hit Europe, Canada, Jamaica and several festivals. I was also working heavily in the studio and getting set to release Electric Nostalgia later that year. This set is built around some of those tracks which appear in some cases before they were 'finished' or even mastered. This is also a really cool snapshot of an incredible time in San Francisco music when the underground was really in control of the music scene. We were doing amazing things with breaks, house, drum & bass and dubstep and nu disco was starting to come on. And it was a huge time for rock-remixes and 'electroclash'. LCD SOundsystem and Daft Punk were everywhere and you can hear that as well here. I had just supported Diplo at Temple on New Years Eve (imagine that... today) which was my first time promoting a New Years Eve show). This was the very next show and what I hear in this set is a lot of confidence, including the willingness to take some risks, make some mistakes etc. I was feeling myself, and it comes through in the set. Whether that translates to quality in your ears is up to you. Enjoy the breaks.

MoPo Live @ Icebreakers Ball 2007

One Saturday January 26, 2023 I am thrilled to be a part of the SIXTEENTH annual Icebreakers Ball with DJ Icey at our new home, Monarch SF. I am thrilled to release a full live album's worth of my sets from Icebreakers over the years. They run the gamut of styles, music and even quality. These are LIVE recordings, I was occasionally a bit tipsy, so were certainly some <em>goofs</em>. 

This particular night, January 19, 2018 represents a really positive time for me as a DJ. My son was a year old and after about 6 months in the weeds with diapers, I had worked very hard to get myself back in shape for that previous Halloween's Loveboat event and subsequent NYE performances at Eyeheart and Breakfast of Champions. So I was in tune with my tastes, had some great new music and was mixing as well as I ever had. In general if you like funky breaks and the kind of stuff that I do, this is as good a dance music set as I have been able to play.

MoPo Live @ Bottlerock Napa 5.25.18 - Earth, Wind & Muse Set

MoPo Live @ Icebreakers Ball 1.19.18

On Saturday January 26, 2023 I am thrilled to be a part of the SIXTEENTH annual Icebreakers Ball with DJ Icey at our new home, Monarch SF. This event has been a huge part of my life through the years and I would humbly posit, that it has been an important milestone in each year's San Francisco electronic music scene. 
I am thrilled to release a full live album's worth of my sets from Icebreakers over the years. They run the gamut of styles, music and even quality. These are LIVE recordings, I was occasionally a bit tipsy, so were certainly some <em>goofs</em>. 

The 2015 Icebreakers set is a really unique one in that I was not alone. I had the distinct honor to be accompanied by one of my alltime favorite producers and turntablists, the Bay Area legend DJ Zeph. When I arrived inSan Francisco in 1997, Zeph was already a star, having put out records on Om and Future Primitive. He helped teach me to DJ in the 90's and we even became roomates later on when I had the pleasure of watching him produce Sunset Scavenger. While I designed concert posters, the likes of Llyrics Born, Lateef, Gift of Gab, Jumbo the Garbageman and Azeem would roll through to drop rhymes on Zeph's beats. 

In 2015 I admit I was missing him and we decided to join up to see if we could bring something authentic to the dance club scene. With me doing most of the beats and him most of the scratching, we entitled it FLOORWAX (after his seminal disco-hop track of that name) and I at least thought it went over really well. We played Outside Lands and Bottlerock that year as well as Sea of Dreams NYE. This Icebreakers performance would be our last as we were both too busy to keep up the practice. But it's a great snapshot of what might have been and what WAS a pretty wonderful moment to capture.

MoPo & Zeph LIVE @ Icebreakers Ball 1.17.15

MoPo & DJ Zeph - FLOORWAX - LIVE @ Icebreakers Ball 1.17.15

Motion Potion live at Panic en La Playa, March 21, 2014 - Moon Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel, Punta Cana. 

First off, my sincere apologies for taking so damn long to post this.... You all deserve better...

So a little context about this set....
This the 4th night of a truly wonderful four night musical journey for me. The honor of playing for Widespread Panic's ravenous fans is not one I take lightly. I saw my first Panic show in the early 90's in New Orleans and have remained a loyal fan ever since. So when I was asked to play for them at their annual getaway in 2013 I was both honored, and a bit terrified. I know how discerning, demanding, and downright nuts the Panic fanbase can be. How the heck to approach this challenge as a DJ right? I chose in 2013 to focus my 2 sets on music that Panic had covered or played and it seemed to work well. One of those nights was posted previously here on Soundcloud as well. 

For 2014 Cloud9 upped the ante and gave me all four nights, at 4-hours per, so, simply repeating the previous formula didn't seem appropriate. Besides the fact that I would need to create some newer Panic-related remixes, I would also need to give everyone a different look and feel every night. Also, I would be up against a live band in another venue on two of the nights, and that supergroup included some of my favorite musicians EVER (including the likes of George Porter Jr, Col. Bruce Hampton and Grant Green Jr.) So as it turned out, the first night was indeed much like 2013, with a very rock-heavy set. It made sense since I was up against the big jam to do something unusual on night 2, so we went all Talking Heads (for FOUR HOURS), which certainly made some new fans (and a few haters). The third night was far more "clubby" and went over huge (to my surprise). 

By night four I felt like I had explored all of the different places that were musically appropriate for the event. I had done 3 nights for everyone else and felt safe to do one night for myself. Going up against the big blues jam also gave me some cover too. If someone didn't like what I was doing they could always go see GEORGE PORTER... I mean, come on, who's gonna have a problem with that right?

The other context is that the entire staff of this event was incredible. I don't just mean Cloud 9 Adventures... it goes without saying that they are the cat's pajamas. But for me the most wonderful thing about this event his how well the 100% Dominican staff of the Hard Rock treat two-thousand American rock & roll crazies. And after 3 nights in the club, (and 5 over 2 years) I had come to appreciate the sound staff, bartenders, waiters etc that made these parties so wonderful. So on that final night, instead of soundchecking, I spent the hour before this set playing Salsa, Soca, Afro-Cuban, and Latin breakbeat classics (similar to the stuff I used to play at Mojito). The Moonlounge staff basically spent the hour before their long-ass shift dancing with delight while the Panic kids watched the final glorious night of rock on the beach a quarter-mile away. It was the best warmup set I've ever had and the joy in that club BEFORE the crowd came in was palpable.To say that I was in a good mood by the time the show started is a huge understatement. Also, after 4 nights, I think my skills were sharper and my focus and understanding of this audience was dialed in. 

So what came about was, in my opinion as good a DJ set as I know how to play. That's not to say I haven't played as well before, or won't again. Or that there aren't some clams in here. It's a LIVE set, so there is an element of danger. But this one was, for my part anyway, as good as I get. So with that, it is my pleasure to share it with you all.

Huge thanks to Cloud 9 Adventures, the Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana, my visual guru Alton Brooks Parker, and my "roadie" Tim Dietz for their support. And especially to the Widespread Panic community for doing me the honor of requesting my presence at their events. Spreak For Life.

MoPo Live @ PELP 3.21.14  Disco @ The Panic

A DECADE OF KRAAK & SMAAK - Mixed by Motion Potion
For promo use only. Promo release approved by Kraak & Smaak management 2014.
Mixed in May, 2014 by Motion Potion - www.motionpotion.com
Mastered by Megasonic - www.thetonechaser.com/megasonic-sound.html
Support: www.kraaksmaak.com


In 2004 I was a strictly rare groove / funk / hip hop Dj in San Francisco when a good friend named Vinnie Esparza at the legendary vinyl shop "Groove Merchant" put a 12-inch single in my hand that would change my life. "Money in the Bag" was the first "dance music" record I had ever heard to that point that righteously represented the FUNK in a club format. If this blew my mind, then the B-Side "C'Mon People" with its outrageous Oscar De Jon live clavinet solo, made my head explode. For the next 10 years I have done everything humanly possible to support, promote, share, and make money for the Dutch production team known worldwide as KRAAK & SMAAK. To me, after years of friendship and many great times, including a tour they took ME out on in Holland, they are Wim, Oscar and Mark, my good friends. 

Kraak & Smaak may be the most under-appreciated  production team in the modern dance music era. Try to find a group that has been more PROLIFIC (more than 100 tracks and remixes released in that time), ECLECTIC (music that ranges from tech house to soul) and EXQUISITE (every release sounds like it was recorded by Jerry Wexler in the 70's). That K&S does not have as big a following in the States as they have in Europe is a travesty that I have done everything in my power, through SunsetSF, Silent Frisco and my many friends in the industry, to correct. But most importantly, their music has meant so much to me personally for so long. I listen to them all the time. I play their tracks all the time. Their version of dance floor disco has helped me to translate my love for rare groove into a dj and production style that modernized my own sound. To put it plainly, Kraak & Smaak may have saved my career. 

So for all those reasons, and to promote this summer which will feature a new album release at a time when the world seems finally ready for disco (thank you Daft Punk), I spent about a month putting together the mix you now hear. If anything stood out during the process, it was the sheer quantity of quality in their catalog. The hardest part was deciding what to leave OUT of this mix. 

While I'm at it, I want to thank Oscar, Wim and Mark, and their families, personally for being such supportive and good friends. To manager Jordi, former managers Marcel & Silvia, agents Robert and Wes, and labels Quango and Jalapeño, thank you for putting your precious time into these lovely humans. Also, I want to thank the Space Cowboys Ripecast for helping us publicize this mix - you guys ARE San Francisco breakbeat. 


Track List
MoPo Intro from 2008 show...
Squeeze Me
Squeeze (A Skillz Remix)
Back it Up  | CARO (K&S Remix)
Dynamite (K&S Boogie Funk Version)
Keep on Searchin
Hello Big Mama
Medicine | MARK RAE (K&S Remix)
Maputo Express
Keep Me Home
You Don't Know | SMOOVE & TURRELL (K&S Remix)
Come on People (original vinyl version)
Call up to Heaven
Forget About You . feat Lee Fields (Max Sedgley Remix)
Marsvin | JUNGLE BY NIGHT (K&S Remix)
Let's Go Back |  feat. Romanthony
Learning it the Hard Way
Learning it the Hard Way (Fort Knox 5 Remix)
Money in the Bag (original vinyl version)
Money in the Bag (K&S Remix)
Built for Love |  feat. Romanthony (Psychemagik Remix)
One of These Days (original vinyl version)
Bobby & Whitney
Plastic People
Sound Boy | MAX SEDGLEY (K&S Remix)
Funk Ass Rotator (original vinyl version)
Mad As Hell (MoPo's Maddow Edit)
Dynamite
More | JUNKIE XL (K&S Remix)
All Good | ZEROLEEN (K&S Remix)
Man of Constant Sorrow

01 A Decade Of Kraak & Smaak (Mixed By Motion Potion)

Although I have had the extreme good fortune to play Electric Forest in every year of its existence, I have rarely played anywhere but Silent Disco. In 2015 I got an invite to come over to the next stage over, Ian Xavier's gorgeous frontier fort of a stage experience known as THE GRAND ARTIQUE. Since an invite to play on a live stage at Forest wasn't something I take for granted I spent weeks devising the perfect set to fit the rustic, farmhouse decor and technobilly vibe of the staff.

With blues, bluegrass, rock & country rolled up into breaks, disco & midtempo, I think you will find this set of Organic Beats to be a tasty treat,

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.29.15 The Grand Artique - Organic Set A

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.29.15 The Grand Artique - Organic Beats Set

Back when we were essentially introducing silent disco to America in the mid 'naughties' the questions arose of 'HOW' and 'WHAT TO PLAY'. Our first Silent Disco tour was in 2008 but the first real residency was at LA's Central Social Aid & Pleasure Club in Santa Monica. The folks there were really supportive and we collaborated on a lot of crazy VS ideas. That is where the first Daft Punk vs Radiohead, and LCD vs Talking Heads nights dropped. We also did 70's vs 80's, 80's vs 90's and even 20's (ElectroSwing) vs 80's. 

But my favorite idea from this era was THE KILLER BEES. Basically an excuse to play three of my favorite 'whiteboy' acts in one DJ set, The Beasties, Beatles & Beck set dropped at the Central in 2012. In 2014 I brought it to Forest and had ZERO clue if anyone would respond. They loved it. And so should you. Seriously, if you don;t like the Beasties, Beatles & Beck, it is YOU, Sir that is WRONG. :-)

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest June 28, 2014 (Beasties-Beatles-Beck)

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest June 28, 2014 Beasties, Beatles & Beck

Around 2017 I think I had gotten a bit salty about the festival scene. If you may recall, this was the hype of dubstep hype, Trap was coming in hot, and the club scene seemed maximal, loud, and getting dumber by the minute. I was beginning to feel at Forest that year that I was hearing every DJ play the same 10 tracks and it was starting to make my ears bleed and my brain sweat. I was in deep need of a change of pace and I was guessing the Forest Family might be as well.

So I decided to close out my Forest with a Sunday set of softer sounds. I entitled it THE ANTIDOTE andI put the set together around soul, R&B, and chill disco and darkwave vibes. I tested it for the first time during Euphoria Fest in Austin that April and encouraged by the reception, worked on refining it for Rothbury. On July 1, 2017 I played it for the first time at Forest and it was a huge hit. I cant tell you how many people came over to thank me for sparing their ears and giving them something to dance to WITH someone.

But the 2017 version was still musically not as fluid & refined as I felt the set should be. I worked on the Antidote for a few more years before it morphed into the form you hear on this live mix. Again, the core is soul & R&B flowing into disco and even some house later on. It's like an intimate cuddle after a hard ride in the sack.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.30.19 The Makeout Session - Antidote A

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.30.19 - The Antidote

I recall one of my first club gigs in San Francisco. I was playing some organic drumming track, I think it was Olatunji's 'Jingo' into Santana's, into Fatboy Slim's and some lady came up to the booth, coked her head and smiled and said 'ya known you just can't PLAY this stuff in a CLUB' right? 

And she was right. I've always been a bit too esoteric & weird for club sets. My heroes like Mr Scruff & Cut Chemist & Nightmares on Wax get away with it because they release their own music (and they're geniuses) but I was never going to pul la whole club along with my own taste. Furthermore, I was also deeply ensconsed in Burning Man projects and having to follow the likes of The Mutaytor & Bassnectar on main stages there simply necessitated a morw aggressive approach. 

So I held my nose and came up with a 'peak hour banger set' to allow me to at least pretend I was a club DJ for an hour, when a promoter made the mistake of putting me on at 1am. As it turned out, I kind if liked the energy, and certainly the cheap, filthy, feedback I was getting, so I took to it a bit, like some Jedi falling hard for the Dark Side of the Force. 

This is a pretty representative SITH set from that era. Heavy on breaks & ghettofunk. A lot of bass but no dubstep. Mainly the tail end of the 'dusty beats' era on the West Coast. May the evil set you free.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.26.15 PeakhourBanger Set - A

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.26.15 Sith Set

Playing any silent disco is a challenge. One has to both subvert their ego and share energy with another person on stage, but also have the self confidence to continue 'doing your thing' even when most of said audience is listening to your 'competition'. And for me, having played literally HUNDREDS, irt might have gotten maybe TOO EASY in some ways. Frankly I know 100+ tracks that will always WIN the stage. But that's ridiculous because A: It's NOT a competition, and B: Getting over isn't the point C: If the audience is REALLY listening, REALLY immersed, why would you waste that attention on something trite and obvious?

So I was always trying to come up with little challenges for myself. This set is the result of that. If I recall correctly my set followed a run of female DJs who were absolutely terrific musicians. One after another were just wonderfully skilled, creative, and energetic. And then here comes this 42-year old white dude... what is said GenXer to do? Well I decided to keep 'ladies night' going as little longer and after an intro to mix in I tried to play only songs with female vocals (or the Bee Gees) for the whole set. I didn't get whole way but I think it's a fair attempt. It's also a REALLY fun set to dance to. Enjoy.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.26.16 - Ladies Night

2015 was a time I was deeply immersed in breakbeat. Although the style had mostly fallen out of the mainstream in favor of  the burgeoning dubstep culture, I just couldn't get enough of the breaks. Specifically how breaks were such an excellent platform for incorporating other more traditional forms of music. In this playlist you'll see the breaks as a platform for Psyche Rock, Blues & Bluegrass, and Hip Hop. On this one, the first half shows off breaks & ghettofunk incorporating reggae & ragga vibes. This was an important subgenre of the UK Breakbeat scene, specifically acts like The Freestylers, The Stanton Warriors and Deekline, who often used ragga as a crossover into drum & bass. 

The second half gets into more straight-up breaks of the era which makes sense, since this was a LIVE set. After an hour, you DO have to change things up a bit if you want to keep a dancefloor. And in the unforgiving crucible of Silent Disco, seeing all those folks change to the other DJ's color can be quite a motivation.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.27.15 Reggae Breaks Set A

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.27.15 Reggae Breaks Set

Bassnectar once called me 'The Hippy Solution' & this really made sense since I'd been THAT hippy, solving THAT music, for years. You probably have heard that I came out of the live music scene, and not the clubs. So while I didn't even start actively listening to hip hop until I was DJing it every Friday night in the early 2000's, nor exploring electronic music until I had to find a way to rev up my sets, I can safely say that rock music is NOT one of my blindspots. I have been playing rock tracks & remixes of rock tracks from the very beginning in Club Persephone in Santorini in 1995. Much has changed since then but not my taste for album oriented rock (AOR) and rare grooves. This set is reflective of a vibe I used to love to bring to the festivals, most notably Bonnaroo. But this set is more in keeping with one I developed for sunrise at the beloved-lost Gathering of the Vibes event where I had the honor to spin for many years. In 2017 I brought the set to Forest in the hope that the big String Cheese contingent would enjoy the gesture. Instead it was the hardcore rave kids that really took to it, seeing this as a change of pace and a middle ground between their parent's music & their own. Mission accomplished... that.

There's a bit for everyone and a LOT for me. Besides some more obvious remix candidates like the Stones, the Dead, and Santana, I also have a few choice cuts from folks like Siouxie, the Sex Pistols, Velvet Underground, JJ Cale, and even the Garcia Band. It's a hippy's dream, which I should know because I was THAT Hippy and had THAT Dream many times.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest Fest 6.24.17 - Psyche Rock Set A

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest Fest 6.24.17 - Psyche Rock Set

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest June 27, 2014 (Funk In The Forest)

I was extremely honored to play Electric Forest again this year for Silent Frisco along with my good friend (and San Francisco's funkiest ringer) DJ Mancub. I actually played four sets that weekend but this one was my personal favorite.  

Many big thanks to the Silent Frisco crew, the volunteers, Madison House, Insomniac, Mancub, Stu, and Chris and all of the wonderful people who make this festival such a thrill.

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest June 27, 2014 (Funk In The Forest)

This was perhaps my last of over 20 sunrise sets at the Burn and perhaps my favorite. Huge thanks to the Janky Barge, Sil-Vi, Bojon and the Sunrise Saloon. To learn the incredible story behind this set: read here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/moporobbie/

Set List:
Can You See the Light - Qdup RMX (Brass Construction)
Sunshine of My Love - RMX (Cream)
Coming Up - Thumbs Aloft RMX (Wings)
Here Comes the Sun - RMX (The Beatles) 
Sanctified - Czech Remix (The Commodores)
Stand on the Word - Larry Levan RMX (the Joubert Singers)
Feeling Good - Herbgrinder RMX (Bianca Gerald)
Feeling Good (Muse)
At Dawn (My Morning Jacket)
African Grace (Motion Potion)
Morning Glory (Motion Potion vs Earth Wind & Fire)
Hello Sunshine - Motion Potion Remix (Aretha Franklin)
Good Day Sunshine - JPOD Remix (The Beatles) 
Sunny - Featurecast Remix (James Brown)
Glorious Day (Motion Potion vs Radiohead)
Come out to Play (San Fransicko vs the Beatles)
Lovely Day - Contex Disco Edit (Bill Withers)
City of Dreams - Motion Potion RMX (Talking Heads)

MoPo Live @ Sunrise Saloon, Black Rock City, 8.29.14

MoPo Live at Bonnaroo  Silent Disco Sat. 6.12.11

My eighth straight year at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, a statement, only myself and Galactic can make. If you're looking up the word "Grateful" in the dictionary, you might find a photo of me at Bonnaroo. this year I debuted more than 7 new tracks of the 15 or so that I played that were my own joints. The setlist sticks pretty closely to this year's Bonnaroo lineup, which featured, among others Arcade Fire, Eminem, Robert Plant, Buffalo Springfield, Dr John, the Meters, and Widespread Panic. So my own setlist is very heavy on these acts. Also note that this was Silent Disco, and anyone's who's tried to mix on headphones should sympathize with the "imperfections". But all in all I was extremely pleased with this set and I hope you all will enjoy it.


SETLIST
Funky Hit Wrecked (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) Lyrics Born | 
Later (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) Paul Simon | 
Mama Told Me Fort Knox 5 | 
North (Fort Knox Five Remint) Widespread Panic | 
Supersonic (feat Penny) Manmade | 
Earthling - Shining Star Edit Stereofreakz vs Earth Wind & Fire | 
Saturdazed (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) EWF vs Ozo vs Bay City vs Dela | 
Pimp Deep  Pimpsoul | 
Me, Myself And I De La Soul | 
Shake the Room! The Funk Hunters | 
Superstition Neighbour | 
Right Time Wrong Place (For Knox 5 Edit) Dr John | 
IkoIkoBlend DJ Enki | 
People Say The Meters | 
Back It Up (Kraak & Smaak Remix) Caro | 
ReDick (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Mickey Avalon | 
Super Too $hort Nick Thayer | 
Jungle Jam (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) Motion Potion | 
Conflageration  (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Ohio vs Temptations etc.. | 
Rubbing Down the House  (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Talking Heads | 
Cities (Alternate Version) Talking Heads | 
Whole Lotta Love (Dirty Funker Remix) Led Zeppelin | 
Everything in its Right Place (Radio 1) Radiohead | 
Black Mirror (team9 remix) Arcade Fire | 
Animal (GC's Punk Blood Re-Edit) Miike Snow | 
EmineM3nkey (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Eminem vs Monkeylogic | 
Sweet E-Moment (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) Aerosmith | 
Boot Vibrations Stanton Warriors vs Beach Boys | 
Fasten Your Seatbelt (Pendulum Remix) Freestylers | 
Imitration Leather Shoes (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Widespread Panic | 
You Got Mr. Soul (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Motion Potion | 
Smells Like Me Nirvana vs Eminem | 
Tennessee Jed (MoPo's Jungle Edit) Grateful Dead | 
Airplane Home (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) Widespread Panic vs Talking Heads | 
City of Dreams (MoPo's 2011 ReBoot) Talking Heads | 

MoPo Live at Bonnaroo 2011 (6.13.11 Silent Disco)

On Friday the 13th, 2015 I had the incredible honor of playing before one of my alltime DJ heroes, Nightmares on Wax at Mighty in San Francisco. I probably put more thought, care and preparation into this set than any since I opened for Metallica in 2012.  The plan was to create the vibe and allude to his style without ape-ing it, rinsing it, or in any way rocking too fast, too hard, or too bassy. Ya gotta let the headliner be the headliner. The fact that I managed to execute it reasonably well gave me a good deal of relief. The vibe in the room was one I will not soon forget and his appreciation for my work will make me smile for a long time. Anyways... this one (IMHO) is one for the books.

Live @ MightySF 2.13.15 - w/ Nightmares On Wax

The James Brown Megamix. Featuring the music of James Brown, as well as remixes in hip hop and breakbeat by his admirers...

MoPo-  THE WET in SWEAT - James Brown Tribute 2007

The day after I got the word that my brother and hero Jon H of Fort Knox Five had passed I played at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas. The last 45 minutes of my set was the best I could do in my admittedly emotionally gutted condition, to do justice to their musical excellence. My apologies if it sounds bit rough. It's been a rough fucking week for a lot of us.

Obviously this is dedicated to the memory of the incredible person known as Jon H. 

To hear a bit more about our decade long relationship, what he meant to me, and to so many others, check out my blog post http://www.motionpotion.com/?p=384

Fort Knox 5 Tribute Live @ Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, 8.15.15 -

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.29.15 The Grand Artique - Organic Set

It has been my extreme pleasure to play at Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury Michigan every year of its existence. For that honor I owe the people at Madison House and Insomniac and the incredible crew from HUSHconcerts that travels with me there every year to produce the Silent Disco. There are, of course, also the incredible art team that build the event, none more talented than those who produce the Grand Artique stage. I have played roughly 24 sets at Electric Forest over the years but strangely, this set represents the only one I have done on an actual sound system (not headphones).  What came out is probably my best set of 2015. And with the year rapidly coming to a close, I wanted to take the time to share it with all of you. 

What's on here? Well the setting was daytime in an old ramshackle juke joint, so the music will sound like it fits in just such a setting. There's a lot of organic, live and band stuff that rarely gets played by DJ's let alone in clubs. Some of my favoeite Latin and Afrobeat tracks, a lot of remixed blues and rock, and some reggae remix bangers as well. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed playing it all...

MoPo

MoPo Live @ Electric Forest 6.29.15 The Grand Artique - Organic Set

Subterranean Homemade Alchemy

Planet Telex (Motion Potion Reboot)

Everyone (Motion Potion Remix)

Probably my most dependable go-to track featuring the unparalleled Bay Area hero Lyrics Born and a pretty slamming set of beats & bass (if I do say so myself). Enjoy, share and if you want a Hi-Res version, get it on Beatport. Special thanks to Trotter at Royal Soul Records for the support and of course the incomparable Mikey Harms at Hot n Heavy Records for the mastering help.

https://www.beatport.com/track/funky-hits-wrecked-feat-lyrics-born-feat-lyrics-born-original-mix/6914507

CELEBRATING 50TH SOLID GROOVES - COMPILED BY TROTTER

Funky Hits Wrecked (feat. Lyrics Born) 

Motion Potion's "Bonnaroo Bangers" 
Remix of artists who have played the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in the past 7 years I was honored enough to play the event.

MOPO's BONNAROO BANGERS
1. Why I Wham (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Dave Matthews Band (Bonnaroo 2010)
2. Just Break  - feat. Radiohead & Jurassic 5 (Bonnaroo 2005)
3. WatchaWeezer (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Phish & Beastie Boys (Bonnaroo 2009)
4. Airplane Home (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Talking Heads & Widespread Panic (Bonnaroo 2006)
5. The Deep Rhyme (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Dave Matthews Band & Soul of Man (Bonnaroo 2007)
6. Groove Please (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot )  - feat. Widespread Panic & Dee Lite (Bonnaroo 2007)
7. Bubbleshakedown (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Grateful Dead, MMW, Boots Riley & DJ Zeph (Bonnaroo 2008)
8. So Much to Break  (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) - feat. Dave Matthews Band & Elevator Man (Bonnaroo 2005)
9: Glorious Day - feat. Radiohead (Bonnaroo 2008)
10: FreezerFlowerFluff (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) feat Phish & the Grateful Dead (Bonnaroo 2009)
11: A Gentle Hell - feat. Wilco and Thievery Corporation (Bonnaroo 2008)




Why I Wham (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot- motionpotion.com)

FreezerFlowerFluff (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot - motionpotion.com)

To get the download : Follow me on Twitter  @moporobbie and check the feed :)

MoPo plays Start Making Sense, Live at the Central, Santa Monica on Feb 27,2012. This was our Silent Disco soundclash with Aaron Castle doing LCD. I did 2 hours of everything related to Tina, Chris, David, Jerry and company, including, covers, offshoots and imitators. I know I have posted sets like these before, but this is by far the finest I have been able to pull off. Many of these are rare live cuts and piecing them together live has always been a challenge. Very proud of the work I did that night. This family of musicians is my favorite ever and I have had the honor of meeting Chris, Tina and Jerry. This is done to shine a light on all of the power and influence of this incredible band.

Facebook.com/moposf   twitter.com/moporobbie

MoPo - T. Heads Live Set, LA, Feb, 2012 2

Motion Potion Live @ Gathering of the Vibes 7.21.12 -224k

For my first upload in more than a year Im sharing one of my favorite moments of the summer, a sunrise set at Silent Frisco at  GOTV this year. We had over 900 people on the beach at Bridgeport's Seaside Park. Vibes is a different kind of Fest, built around oldschool East Coast Dead family, so my set is aimed far more at them than a standard electronica audience. It was a beautiful moment that I just HAD to share.

Also note that this is MIXED WITHOUT MONITORS (Silent Disco stylie, so be warned some of the transitions may seem a bit less than my own standards....)

Motion Potion Live @ Gathering of the Vibes 7.21.12 -224k

Part one of a four-hour latenight set from Panic en la Playa, @ Hard Rock Hotel, Dominican Republic. A great honor to be chosen for this wonderful event (thanks to Cloud9 Adventures and Widespread Panic). I prepared a lot of music for this set, including research into stuff the band covered and made a few edits, mashups and remixes of my own. In all, very proud of the outcome, and overjoyed with the response. This was by far one of the most joyous events I have been to and I feel very lucky to have been there.

MoPo Live @ Panic en la Playa, 1.30.13 PART 1

Part two of a four-hour latenight set from Panic en la Playa, @ Hard Rock Hotel, Dominican Republic. A great honor to be chosen for this wonderful event (thanks to Cloud9 Adventures and Widespread Panic). I prepared a lot of music for this set, including research into stuff the band covered and made a few edits, mashups and remixes of my own. In all, very proud of the outcome, and overjoyed with the response. This was by far one of the most joyous events I have been to and I feel very lucky to have been there.

MoPo Live @ Panic en la Playa, 1.30.13 PART 2

All Time Low by Widespread Panic remixed for dancefloor efficacy. Made on the plane to Punta Cana for "Panic en La Playa 2013" and event I was honored to be booked for even before I knew how perfect it would be. Many thanks to all the WSP fans and Cloud9 for having me.

All Time Low (MoPo's 2013 ReBoot)

Christmas Rappin' (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot) by Kurtis Blow
A little Christmas cheer for you fine people this holiday season. Enjoy, share, drink and be merry.

Christmas Rappin (MoPo's 2010 ReBoot)

EMAIL:   moporobbie AT gmail DOT com

MoPo (aka Motion Potion aka Robbie Kowal) is one of America's most versatile, experienced and flat-out joyous party rockers. His decade long mission is to 'put the party back into the party', and to connect the casual music fan with the hard core dance music mavens and prove that music is more than just beats. Most commonly a bootleg breakbeat pusher, MoPo is kown for a rare ability to play exactly the right music for the moment and an expertise with a wide variety of genres that he seamlessly melds into a coherent blend. Since breaking out as a rare groove Dj in the 90's he has spent the 21st Century using funky breakbeat, trip hop and tech house as a backdrop for his genre-bending experiments. From a near religious love of funk and hip hop, to a lifetime study of rock and roll to a massive aptitude for latin, reggae and other outernational formats, MoPo incorporates bits and pieces of music culture into electronic edits that slam the dancefloor. As a backdrop, he creates, edits or chooses only the biggest baddest breaks, hooks and drops to create a sound that truly slams. To the dancer, MoPo is a breath of fresh air, often transforming a room into collective song or crowd chant that connect the audience to the DJ. These abilities have seen him preceding, following or tagging with a who’s who of breakbeat heroes like Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Icey, Cut Chemist, Grandmaster Flash, James Lavelle, Bassnectar, Evil 9, DJ Vadim, Tipper, Freq Nasty, Kraak & Smaak, Aquasky, the Freestylers, Future Funk Squad, Fort Knox 5, A.Skillz, Featurecast, and All Good Funk Alliance.

mopo

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