Well, hello lovers of music and culture. We are Under the Stars, a quasi-weekly column that stays on message with strong-ass opinions, presenting new music releases, upcoming shows (like the new Club Darc series), and other adjacent items. We keep it moving, hustling with the changes, thinking outside the margins. We’ve been doing this for five years… Spend some time with us…
We want to give a quick shout-out to Thomas Kent Carter, aka actor T.K. Carter, who passed earlier this month. For those who know the deep cut, may Diavolo Washington from that basic cable rewatchable of my youth, “Doctor Detroit,” live on!
Ok, let’s get into it…
DJ DELON, “LIVE420FIVE” MIX
Alain Grissette, also known as DJ Delon, has been a central figure in East Bay DJ culture for almost three decades. He hosted epic editions of the drum and bass Beatdown party, right there on that Jupiter patio, that provided an opening for DJs to experiment with the connection between electronic music and hip-hop, jazz, funk, and soul.
Beatdown can be perceived as some type of precursor to the whole SMARTBOMB X SFJAZZ Community Open House events that happen now more regularly. Grissette foresaw all of this in 1996; give him his flowers.
In any event, when he sends you a mix, take heed; pay attention. His Live 420Five mix is classic Delon liquid drum and bass, for the dancefloor and beyond. But I’ll let him tell it:
This was a practice mix I happened to record, and it wound up in my rotation. The first half is classic producers and labels I’ve been into for years that happened to drop new stuff in 2025 (Carlito & Addiction, DJ Marky, SunandBass), and then I flipped over to a bunch of SoundCloud finds from folks I’d never heard of but put out some gems. That Sister Nancy Bam Bam remix has been on repeat with my kids on their way to school.
I trip on how I’ve been spinning jungle for nearly 30 years, and that I still get excited finding new tracks by young producers embracing the style, as well as old heads still getting it done.
FARSIGHT ON NEW SITUATIONS EP
Marshall Smith, aka Farsight, has consistently crafted gelatinously wobbling basslines that reverberate throughout his distinctive, progressive dancefloor arrangements. Over the past four years, the former San Francisco DJ-producer-painter has been refining the formula, enhancing a dynamic mix of trap, Jersey club, reggaeton-meets-UK funky, and tribal house. When we last spoke in 2022, he told me that his inspirations ran the gamut from experimental heads such as Photek, Pearson Sound, Bloom, to locally minted players Bored Lord and Bastiengoat.
With his upcoming Situations EP, slated to drop toward the end of February, the South Bay-raised, Peruvian-American producer has unveiled his most dubby concoction to date, on his own imprint. This arrives after years of releasing on renowned labels Fabric, Rinse, Scuffed Recordings, Cloudcore, and Maloca.
All four tracks on the Situations EP hit and dip, releasing that low-end pressure, making backsides sweaty and palms shake, while the bassline runs right through you. We caught up with the busy producer, who relocated to London about a year ago.
Farsight: It’s so nice to hear from you. So glad to hear you enjoy the release, I’m pretty happy with it. I’m actually currently in Berlin, subletting an apartment for January and February since I got a good deal from a friend. I’m in-between spaces in London, enjoying moving around while I have a light footprint and not much holding me down physically. Also, I do quite like the arts scene and energy in Berlin.
48 Hills: Situations is so cool. I remember us speaking about how UK funky and dubstep were certain wings of bass music you were fascinated with, and this sounds exactly like what we’re talking about.
Farsight: Yes, yes, my influences have broadened for sure, but the basics are the same, I think.
48Hills: I hear some differences from your previous releases, but that stamp, that polyrhythmic imprint is still there.
Farsight: Over the past several years, I’ve spent lots of time deeply listening to music that really excites me, trying to better understand exactly why it affects me the way it does, and then trying to consciously and intentionally work those things into my own music.
This has required me to exercise humility, saying “I don’t know how to do that, how can I learn?” and being honest with myself about where I can improve, and then exercising the discipline to go and learn new skills in the studio—whether by asking trusted peers, or researching for myself online—some obscure post on a forum or a niche youtube tutorial, for example.
But perhaps even more important, I’ve worked in the studio with many highly talented artists in the last few years and allowed myself to shamelessly ask questions, rather than stay quiet for fear of seeming ignorant. I think it’s really critical to remember we’re never done learning, and to think otherwise is pure ego that will sink you in the long run.
Pre-order Situations here.
ROB REINER TRIBUTE MARATHON AT THE NEW PARKWAY THEATER, OAKLAND, JANUARY 25
Sometimes we don’t really get it. We don’t recognize absolute genius until it’s taken away from us. Rob Reiner, the Bronx-born actor, producer, entertainer, and political activist, was also a mother-funkin’ G.
His horny 1985 teen-comedy starring John Cusack, and a young Daphne Zuniga (way before Melrose Place) The Sure Thing was actually some version of a core origin story for the most influential romantic comedy of the 20th Century, When Harry Met Sally.
Robert Elswit’s cinematography gives the viewer a comfortable seat while our young protagonists move from mere interest to lust, love, confusion, and then a complete match. Long Richard Linklater-type conversations between Cusack and Zuniga occur, sometimes lasting 7-10 minutes, that build inviting tension. Reiner treats these young people with so much respect, allowing them to stumble but never fall, achieving a certain level of maturity, putting the dumb teenage horned-up sex comedy trope in the “gag me with a spoon” trash receptacle.
Remember this, director John Hughes was out there in the young adult skreets circa early-’80s, Molly Ringwalding with the best of them, listening and observing a young Gen X population, coming to grips with a “Let’s Make America Great Again” Reaganomics regime. Rob Reiner peeped game and caught all of it.
You can revisit this gem along with five other Reiner classics, at this very special marathon. RIP Rob Reiner, for sure. More info here.
DIRECTIONS IN STEREO AT 540 BAR, JANUARY 30
Listen, the first Directions In Stereo party of 2026 is about to cue up, an eclectic, sonic backdrop for that well-earned Friday night feel. You can trust DJ Circuit 73 and special guests will deliver on that all vinyl, variety mix to the max at the Clement Street staple, 540 Bar, 7pm-11pm. Grab a drink, my friend. Dry January is about to kick dirt. Settle your ears on funk, soul, jazz, rock, pop, reggae, disco, and everything in between, spanning all eras past and present.
As a teaser, dive in on this special 2025 mix tape from Circuit 73, above, as he weaves about selections from Cass McCombs, Phantogram, Genesis Owusu, a nice chunk of the trippy Vinyl Williams (he’s a fave at 48 Hills), Pachyman, Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, and so many more goodies.
One listen, and we guarantee you will be a monthly patron at this human-curated, sound and vision event that goes down in the heart of the Inner Richmond. See ya next Friday!
PARAMETER FESTIVAL AT SVN WEST, MAY 14-17
One of the Bay Area’s raviest party crews is at it again, on a bigger scale. Bay Area festival Parameter will take place May 14-17, with over 45 artists confirmed to perform. In its twelfth year, the fest will kick off with an opening concert at Gray Area on May 14, before continuing at SVN West, May 15 through May 17. Attendees can expect DJ sets from Octo Octa and Faited, Introspekt, Polygonia, upsammy, D.Dan, and Ciel. Live shows will come from Actress, Dopplereffekt, aya, Voices From The Lake, Nosedrip, and Aurora Halal. Grab more info here.
