SMARTBOMB Presents: Double release party for Mike Boo’s Dunhill Drone Committee // Heavy Arts Ensemble

SMARTBOMB: Double release party for Mike Boo's Dunhill Drone Committee 20th Anniversary Vinyl & Heavy Arts Ensemble's terminus est Saturday, November 15, 2025 View our FAQ page for more info, or contact us at [email protected] with any accommodation requests. SMARTBOMB presents a night of head nodding experimentalism in the form of turntablism, drone jazz beats, painting installations, live visuals and communal crate digging. This event is a celebration of two special releases, Mike Boo's Dunhill Drone Committee 20th anniversary vinyl and Heavy Arts Ensemble's debut EP terminus est. Originally released in 2005 on Los Angeles’ influential Alpha Pup Records, Dunhill Drone Committee is the debut solo album from Bay Area turntablist Mike Boo. Originally mixed and mastered by Daddy Kev (Alpha Pup co-founder and architect of Low End Theory), the album marked a radical reimagining of what a turntablist record could be. Crafted entirely on vinyl and turntables—with minimal DAW involvement—every drum hit, melody, texture, and atmosphere was hand-sculpted and scratched from records. Expanding turntablism beyond the battle stage, Mike ventured into moody, introspective terrain, blending minimalism, ambient dissonance, and meditative repetition. Arriving at the twilight of the late-’90s/early-2000s turntablist wave, the album quietly earned a cult reputation in scratch and experimental circles. Nearly two decades later, it stands as a hidden landmark in all-scratch composition. Now, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, Dunhill Drone Committee receives its first-ever vinyl release on Boo’s own imprint MNML/LMNL—introducing this formative work to new ears while reconnecting with old ones. 545 is a turntable quartet composed of four renowned turntablists and longtime collaborators: D-Styles (Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkies, Low End Theory), Mike Boo (Secret Sidewalk, Smart Bomb co-founder), DJ Excess (Ned Hoddings), and Pryvet Peepsho (Turntable Symphonograph Orchestra). The group’s name—545—represents their creative approach to making albums: five songs crafted by four turntablists over five days. Since their inception, 545 has produced multiple albums. Their recording sessions have taken them from Bangkok to Hawaii, San Diego to Abu Dhabi, and Las Vegas—each location leaving its imprint on the group’s evolving sound. Their music emphasizes sonic exploration, melodic composition, and manual sample manipulation via the turntable. By fusing traditional DJing and turntablism into something more compositional and intentional, 545 pushes the boundaries of what scratch music can sound like. Members of 545 played key roles in the collectives and events that expanded the possibilities of turntablism and scratch music in the early 2000s. A Night at the Knitting Factory (2002) marked the first time a scratch album—D-Styles’ Phantazmagorea—was performed live on stage with a full turntable ensemble. Alongside Ricci Rucker and Toadstyle, Ned Hoddings carried scratch music into a new phase of composition and live performance. Scetchbook (2002), created by Ricci Rucker and Mike Boo, showed how scratch music could operate as fully formed compositions, emphasizing mood, structure, and atmosphere. The Bastard Language Tour (2003) carried that vision on the road across the West Coast. And with Gunkhole, scratch music expanded further, weaving live percussion into improvised turntable performances. 545 is the continuation of that lineage—a culmination of over two decades of experimentation in collective scratch composition. With 4 full length albums under their belt and a 5th on on the way, the quartet has never performed live until now. With members spread across multiple time zones, their collaborations have remained rare and deliberate. This debut performance coincides with the 20th anniversary of Mike Boo’s Dunhill Drone Committee—now being released on vinyl for the first time—making the event both a celebration of Bay Area turntablist history and a landmark moment for scratch music. Heavy Arts Ensemble is a collective of Bay Area musicians. Through a collage of extended melodic improvisation, live sampling, modular synthesis, live visuals, and the outer edges of experimental beat culture, ambient jazz, and drone, Heavy Arts Ensemble seeks to push deep grooves into trance-inducing states. The collective features a rotating lineup alongside core members Justin Esposito (double bass), Joel Reber (saxophones), Diego Mungia (modular sampler) and Melanie Marie (live visuals). Dakim (aka Dakim Saadiq) is a Detroit-born electronic and hip-hop beat maker whose work has earned him a cult following within the global beat scene. Renowned for his experimental and intricate production style, Dakim is often described as a “producer’s producer”—a prolific yet elusive figure whose music circulates primarily among connoisseurs and fellow artists. Rooted in Detroit’s rich musical legacy, Dakim draws inspiration from the city’s techno pione