Dropped by a Major Label, Dilated Peoples Excel at DIY Hip-Hop

Comments (0) By Tamara Palmer Wednesday, Oct 31 2007

Roger Sanchez.

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New York DJ Roger Sanchez is touring to celebrate the release of Afterdark Vol. 3, his billionth mix of underground house music. Okay, perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but Sanchez has been one of the genre leaders since the early '90s, a jock who is revered outside the States — and has the salary demands to prove it. He tends to favor tracks with steadily pounding beats and naughty vocals, a combo that does well in this hedonistic club town. Check the S-Man behind the wheels of steel on Friday, Nov. 2, at Ruby Skye at 9 p.m. Admission is $15; call 693-0777 or visit www.rubyskye.com for more info. — Tamara Palmer

Talented hip-hop artists often have to make crucial choices when it comes to label backing. They can try banking on fame and risking fortune (if that fame doesn't happen) by signing with a major, or stay independent and somewhat unknown, operating with 100 percent artistic and monetary control. Los Angeles' Dilated Peoples (Evidence, Rakaa Iriscience, and DJ Babu) documented both sides of the coin with The Release Party, a DVD chronicling their lives before and after signing to Capitol. The documentary covers the group's victorious release from the major label and its shift back into the indies. In the film, the compelling industry narrative fights for the spotlight with the music, which has a hard, intellectual groove that thrives onstage. Dilated Peoples perform on Friday, Nov. 2, at the Independent at 9 p.m. Admission is $20; call 771-1421 or visit www.theindependentsf.com for more info. — T.P.