The Sleeping Giants Put San Diego Music on the Map

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San Diego, with its rapid growth from small town to surfacing city, is slowly evolving into a new music Mecca. Artists no longer have to travel through the lake of fire, otherwise known as LA, and now have the ability to network from the comforts of "home" without, hopefully, the sacrificial surrender of the soul.

Sleeping Giant Music, a company dedicated to bringing DJs, MCs and musicians of all sorts to the forefront of the community and beyond, would agree that San Diego is filled with artistic, worthy adversaries and that this sleepy beach town is becoming a musical force to reckon with.

Sleeping Giant Music is a united vision that began four years ago between One Son, MC Blest, and DJ Fresh One. The talented threesome awoke to the world with the mission statement of "providing feel good music while thinking and acting collectively."

Fresh One still thrives on the original Sleeping Giant Music vision to this day. "Our mission is simple," Fresh One explains. "Sleeping Giant Music is dedicated to providing positive forms of entertainment to diverse, international consumer groups and is committed to provide a platform to launch successful careers while cultivating the artists, to maximize their potential and help them grow into independent, competitive forces within their professions."

The Sleeping Giant Music (SGM) website makes everything music and entertainment available to any and all artists represented by SGM, and those who desire to be a part of the entertainment collective. From blogs and bios to pod casts and play lists, SGM is the online hub for the music community where creators, performers, and enthusiasts can connect, interact, and discover up and coming or already existing artists.

While online interaction is open to all, attaining membership to SGM is not as simple as signing up. And the artists who apply should note that SGM, like any upstanding music cooperative, operates with standards of their own. "Currently our roster includes over 13 artists and DJs, and each person has been hand picked by SGM and our members," says Fresh One. "The criteria for becoming an SGM member varies, but each member must be driven in his or her career, must maintain a high standard of excellence, and must be ever evolving." This is no surprise, considering some of the SGM roster affiliates. Just take a look at the founders Fresh One and One Son, and their stand-out artists like MC Miki Vale and DJ Mikey Beats.

When not DJing at hotspots Ivy Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Confidential, and Aubergine Fresh One can be found working on his music and exploring new elements like mix tapes, radio shows and remixes, among his other musical outlets. "I work over 40 hours per week," he says, and justifies this as, perhaps, one of the reason for his success. "I think the key word here is consistency," Fresh One notes of "making it" as a DJ here in San Diego. "If you are consistent in your performance, the work will come. There is no 'making it' per say; getting gigs is always a hustle. In San Diego there's plenty of work but it's a competition. Consistency will definitely set you apart from the rest."

One Son, who is not a DJ but a vocalist and a singer/songwriter, also has a deep faith within the "hard work pays off" adage. Not far removed from his spiritual roots, his music, emitting the varied sounds of hip-hop to soul to boogie-down-funk on his latest single, "What does it Mean 2 U," illustrates his positive and uplifting vibe. His influences, like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, along with an appreciation for jazz, can be found within his voice, which can be both soft and seductive as well as colorful and animated and blends beautifully with his powerful lyrics. With the success of "What Does it Mean 2 U," which aired in Sweden, landed in the top 30 on the radio charts in Italy, and enjoyed some video play on television in Scandinavia, One Son is one San Diego based singer, songwriter, producer and all-around artist to be on the look out for.

Another SGM artist that has heads turning in San Diego, and also has her serious way with words is Miki Vale. Surrounded by soul, her older brother being a DJ who loved to play songs from the "golden rra of hip-hop," Miki was inspired by the sounds and the music scene that was unfolding right before her very eyes. "At the time it was pretty new, everyone was breaking and popping. I was a lot younger but I wanted to get involved. So I started writing rhymes, but I was so shy I just kept them to myself. I wrote my first rap in 1988 or '89 to the MC Lyte '10% Diss' beat," she says.

To think this girl with soulstess pipes and the commanding raps was ever shy is definitely a surprise. But like many artists out there trying to make it, putting yourself out there is the key and Miki is no stranger to this first principle of success. As far as getting gigs in San Diego, Miki looks at this from a different approach. "It's not hard to get MC gigs in San Dieo, there are always hip-hop events going on. To get paid gigs in San Diego," she clarifies, "is a different story. When I do gigs out of town I get paid but, generally it's a little harder to get a paid gig in San Diego."

Loving what one does and where one does it is certainly the first principle of DJ Mikey Beat's philosophy. "Honestly, I love so many different places it's hard to just settle for one," he says. "Let's just say for now that my favorite spot to play is anywhere I haven't spun yet. The reason being is that I love new places and new people. I especially enjoy myself when my friends and family come out to support. They made me who I am so wherever they're at is also my favorite place to be."

Mikey Beats is known for his signature style self-titled, "Chick-Hop," which translates as "What the ladies like, or what ever I think they like." Mikey Beats can usually be seen DJing at his regular residencies like Thruster's, Prospect Bar, Ivy Hotel, Stingaree, Mary Jane's at Hard Rock and Wavehouse. And if that lineup isn't enough, fans and friends can also find him "on Felspar Street, at Soul Grind Skate Shop, Firehouse, and Ramiro's parking lot fighting idiots, or in my pool."

With all the excitement going on in the life of a DJ, there always remains that nagging thin line between work and play. But as a veteran of the industry, Mikey Beats does not allow this teensy little problem, that has been the downfall of many a DJ, get to him. "My work is your party. People work all week to come out to the clubs on the weekends," he says. "Therefore I must make their party [a success]; that's my work. When I party, I'm not Mikey Beats. I'm the dude whose name is on my driver's license. That's where the line is. I come home and I'm just me."

As far as DJ stereotypes go, Mikey Beats swears these are all just silly rumors and is here to set the record straight once and for all. "The stereotypes that are completely untrue of DJs are as follows," he explains: "We are all sluts. We all do drugs. We are all fat. We all have a microphone. We are all good."

You heard it here first folks.

To hear more from these artists or other musicians affiliated with Sleeping Giants Music, visit the website at giantsarise.com. Those new and regular to the site will also enjoy the recently added podcast feature and should also be on the lookout for the coming soon SGM store where fans can buy exclusively produced tracks by favorite artists.

Check out San Diego nightlife photo galleries here of these top San Diego DJs playing at the hottest local bars and clubs.