Eating in with Debaser Issue #40

DJs from San Francisco's hottest '90s party take the cake

By Lisa Hix
Published: June 1st, 2009 | 12:00pm

As a teenager, James Guzzi of the Debaser DJ crew was probably too busy listening to hardcore punk and gangster rap to truly appreciate the early ‘90s Olympia scene led by Calvin Johnson, his band Beat Happening, and his label K Records.

“People think we play music that we were really into in the ‘90s,” says Guzzi, a.k.a. DJ Jamie Jams, of San Francisco’s hit ‘90s indie music night, “but that’s not necessarily the case. Some of us were too cool, too young, too old ... so we’re going back to relive what we missed.”

Perhaps that’s why the Debaser crew decided to embrace a return to innocence by recreating one of Johnson’s cake parties, complete with the decor of a child’s birthday party — streamers, balloons, confetti, party hats, and noisemakers.

Most important, everyone shows up with a ‘90s-themed pastry in tow. Debaser’s Jessica Beard comes with a batch of homemade vegan cupcakes embellished with the K Records shield logo (a famous Kurt Cobain tattoo), while Debaser’s Matthew Davis brings “Frank Black Brownies” topped with a stencil of the singer’s mug and sugar letters spelling out his name. Beard and artist Holly Coley show off box cakes decorated in tribute to Sarah Records and the heart on Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, while Guzzi presents a vegan mint chocolate swirl ice cream cake with a silkscreen of Hole’s Live Through This from Maggie Mudd’s ice cream shop.

Not so innocent — the strawberry punch spiked with two bottles of cheap vodka. However, the concoction helps fuel the giddy energy as everyone bounces and sings along to Velocity Girl’s “Crazy Town” and Juliana Hatfield’s “Everybody Loves Me But You.” Throwing confetti and swirling streamers, the guests barely avoid a full-on cake fight that would have soiled all the pretty, prim clothes. (The men wear button-up shirts and pastel cardigans, and the women don vintage ‘60s shift dresses, mini skirts, knee socks, and naturally, Chuck Taylors).

The monthly Debaser dance party, usually held at the Knockout bar in San Francisco, was a project five years in the making – which in 2003, Guzzi admits, was a little early. Back then, not that many people were missing the flannel, baby-doll dresses, and “modern rock radio” of the ‘90s. “We felt like the ‘80s nostalgia was so played out that there was nowhere to go but the ‘90s. Then we looked at each other and asked, ‘What IS the ‘90s?’ And we couldn’t put our finger on it.”

The three other thinkers in question were Beard, who already had an indie pop DJ night at the time (Aisler Set and Death Cab for Cutie were common tunes); Davis, a graphic artist who spins Britpop under the name DJ EmDee; and Sarah Gion, an expert in the riot grrrl movement.

Guzzi says once they had the idea, they spent years trying to “distill the essence of ‘90s-ness.” The Debaser crew scoured record shops, buying wall records that run from $12 to $100 a piece, like rare 7- and 12-inch singles such as the Breeders’ “Saints” (Single Edit) and Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” (Joan Jett Version) before they finally launched their party in 2008.

But you don’t have to have an awesome singles collection to throw a twee cake party of your own — just some friends with some ‘90s nostalgia. Guzzi recommends making a couple cool cakes and posting the pictures on Facebook to get a competition going (How about Smashed Pumpkin Pie? Mudhoney Mudslide?).

“Your cake is your chance to represent your whole scene, or whatever band you were really into at that time,” Guzzi says. “So the cake is about the music, too. You have that bonding experience of ‘Wow, you like that, too.’ For example, Juliana Hatfield is new to me, but every time we play one of her songs, a couple people say, ‘Hey, I used to like that song!’”

Bite their style

Sure, you could go the Duncan Hines route, but where’s the fun in that? Try these yummy vegan recipes:

Vegan “K Record” Cupcakes (By Jessica Beard)

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

2. Mix 1¾ cup flour, 1 cup vegan sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt with a whisk.

3. Add ¼ cup good dairy-free margarine (like Earth Balance) and 2/3 cup water, beat with an electric mixer 1 minute.

4. Add ½ cup soy milk, 2 teaspoons vinegar, l½ teaspoons vanilla, and beat one more minute.

5. Put cupcake covers into muffin pans and distribute mix. Bake 25 minutes.

For frosting: Beat 1 tub of Tofutti cream cheese and ½ cup of margarine. Add 2 or more cups of powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency) and 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice.

Vegan “Frank Black” Brownies (By Matthew Davis)

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

2. Begin by mixing 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 cup water in a large bowl. Mix adequately and let sit for about a minute.

3. Stir in 2 cups brown sugar, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.

4. Mix in ½ cup vegetable oil, 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup applesauce until well blended.

5. Spread evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Let cool for a few, and cut into tasty squares.

Optional: Cut out a stencil of your favorite indie rock legend and sprinkle some vegan confectioner’s sugar (Hain makes an organic vegan option) to celebrate the likeness.