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TIM HASLETT R.I.P.1,608 views |
| generoso - 3/19/08, 4:53 am |
| As far as music was concerned, Tim Haslett was easily one of the most knowledgeable people I have
ever met . A lovely guy how genuinely loved to spread knowledge and sounds. The piece below is taken from the WMBR Discuss list. Love Generoso __________________________ A True Champion It is with real sadness that I report that Tim Haslett passed away unexpectedly March 13th. He was a true champion of so many great sounds and styles and in a very distinct way, from the music he turned me onto, I owe many of the connections and contacts I have, including the gentlemen here at moodmat.com As host of the early 90’s WZBC show “hardwired” he educated listeners to the burgeoning sounds coming from the hotspots of electronic music exploration. Along side Brian Coleman he brought “funk to the folks” and took us “back to the old school” each week with two hours of must hear prime time urban style music. Amongst the Beyond The QE2 Crew we fondly referred to him “The Professor” because of his endless and encyclopedic knowledge of music. Transcending a mere academic approach though, Tim guided us not so much by what he had to say about the music, but through sharing with us what he heard *in* the music. He could illuminate his points with a quick needle drop that would shine a light on the souls behind the music machines. I can clearly see him now, shaking his fingers, squinting behind his spectacles, and bobbing his head along with the beats. He was as well an eloquent and passionate writer and wrote not only music reviews but delved deep into discourse on black studies and feminist culture. He was then a true modern day cultural anthropologist. As a DJ he was a positive example of how what makes for a good DJ isn’t necessarily that they can beat match and blend two records perfectly and for as long as I can remember, he never much concerned himself with that, he just put his faith in the music, cued up his cuts and let them roll out… start to finish. His knack for staying at the breaking crests of the waves of electronic dance music made for a thrilling ride for us all who knew him. Personally, what made his company a sincere delight was a boundless sense of humor that would keep us in stitches in the several… correction EVERY local music store he worked in. A typical exchange between us might involve riffing dance music “insider jokes” through the pairing of two disparate camps under one release. I might ask, “Tim, do you have the new Sven Vath on Transmat” and he’d quickly retort, “No, but the Richie Hawtin on Mokum is out and it’s simply a scorcher!” Other opportunities for sarcastic humor arose with the advent of trashy throwaway dance music, upon recognizing a particularly gut wrenching trance or progressive house record in the bins, I’d hold it up to him and ask coyly “can you tell me what this is like?” and a smirk would wring out his face as he detailed in exuberance a gumbo of genres that would have you laughing from one ingredient to the next. In the end though, we always wound up our conversations talking truly about what was moving us and what in the future we were looking forward to… ending with a “see you next week”. Tim was a special person who touched many people and as such there are a few local events percolating to honor his life, if you’re interested to know details, drop a comment here and I’ll get in touch. |
| petrinavegan - 3/20/08, 8:06 am |
| WZBC tributes Tim Haslett today 6pm & 7pm (Th3/20) sat late night 1am on QE2 also monday 3/24 in his old time slot Brian Coleman tributes Tim from 5-7pm revisiting "Funk to the Folks" "Back to the Old School" "School Beats" and "Hardwired" 90.3FM wzbc.org (streaming) |
| level60WIZARD - 3/20/08, 8:08 am |
| omg, wow. man. rip. |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/20/08, 8:10 am |
| Oh my god this is horrible, I loved Tim. His and Brian's show was the best thing on for years. RIP Tim |
| tinobeat - 3/20/08, 8:10 am |
| RIP. A huge loss... |
| petrinavegan - 3/20/08, 8:17 am |
| squar3.com/2008/03/20/tim-haslett/ tim posting here as well |
| petrinavegan - 3/20/08, 8:17 am |
| http://www.friendster.com/photos/298943/174916311/23267 |
| whence? - 3/20/08, 8:19 am |
| very sad, i heard about this tuesday, he & some of my bandmates used to work together. a tragedy. |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/20/08, 8:46 am |
| I'm reading his blog entries now. what a brilliant guy |
| blah - 3/20/08, 8:51 am |
| this is tremendously sad. i didnt know him well, but he always seemed pretty great. |
| petrinavegan - 3/20/08, 3:34 pm |
| http://wzbc.blogspot.com/ sign our blog for tim!! |
| petrinavegan - 3/20/08, 3:37 pm |
| should have posted this one for posterity http://wzbc.blogspot.com/2008/03/tim-haslett-1966-2008-tim-haslett.html |
| R.Schwarzkogler - 3/20/08, 4:42 pm |
| Poor kid. |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/21/08, 11:52 am |
| top |
| SandraB - 3/21/08, 6:08 pm |
| Tim's memorial was today. Thanks to everyone who came. I've often spoken of him as an anecdote, and as an icon. But one thing he never was, was an archetype. Tim was a true original, and I feel fortunate to be counted amongst his friends. I know that his family was touched and, perhaps in some small way, relieved to see the great showing of support and love today. Tim made a huge impact on so many people- so many people who may never have known his name, or his significance in all of our lives, but who benefited from his expansive knowledge and his willingness to share it. He was a great friend, first and formost, as well as being an unforgettable character, and an unquestionable genius, he was a great giver of spirit, love and compassion. I feel lucky to have shared his company for many slow work hours, over many years. The outpouring of appreciation and caring from anyone and everyone who knew whom, in whatever capacity, means a lot to those of us that are suffering deeply from his loss. Tim was my friend, and he was a huge, important person in so many ways. His absence will leave a void in my inbox and in my life until, as so many people said in his memorial today, the end. It's so hard to be succint in any summation of his life-- he was anything but short of words in his own time here. I guess I just want to make sure that people know how phenomenal he was. There are no words to describe the experience of knowing Tim Haslett, but those of you who met him, hopefully, understand. thanks. Sandra |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/24/08, 8:33 am |
| word Sandra a bunch of archives of his ground-breaking "Hard Wired" show are surfacing here also I am going to listen to Brian Coleman's memorial show tonight at 5PM on WZBC 90.3FM or here |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/24/08, 10:04 am |
| top this is now top |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/24/08, 10:36 am |
| now playing, "2, 3, Break" by DJ Supreme Born Allah or something |
| DR_PEEBZ - 3/24/08, 1:32 pm |
| tonight! "Music in the Spirit of Tim" Beat Research with DJ Flack, Wax and Wayne & Brian Coleman Enormous Room 567 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge Monday, March 24, 2008 9PM - 1AM 21+ Free [If you’re a DJ type who knew him, come on out & bring a few rekkids Tim woulda liked.] |
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