On October 31st, 2021, DOOMSDAY SF celebrated –in true Bay Area fashion– the life and art of Daniel Dumile, an artist of many monikers though perhaps best known as MF DOOM.
Co-organized by Ryen Motzek (proprietor Atlas Skateboarding / The City Station), Alán González (Senior Designer, Thrasher) and Jason Jägel (artist), DOOMSDAY SF invited 34 exclusively-Bay Area visual artists to create original DOOM-inspired artworks. Those works were made available for purchase to the public at an outdoor market at the City Station, an outdoor, open lot on the corner of 18th and Valencia Streets. 50% of all profits from the sale of artworks were donated directly to the Estate of MF DOOM.
The City Station was transformed for the event. Jägel-DOOM art held down three corners of the lot. On the south wall was a hand-painted, 15-foot tall “DOOMSDAY SF” mural (also available on orange-colored t-shirts during the event). The garage to the east was transformed into a full-color DOOM head (painted in one day by Jägel using solely rollers, no brushes). And at the north side, attached to the front of the DJ table a painted wood panel with requisite DOOM character and “DOOMS DAY ” (interwoven, blunted SF). Artist tables held down one side of the space and were filled with items such as prints, clothing, cassette mixes, ceramics, and DOOM light fixtures. A plywood wall featured original paintings and drawings, stained glass, a “Fancy Clown” mirror, custom DOOM jerseys and much more.
The soundtrack throughout the event perfectly encompassed the scope and span of DOOM’s eclectic career. With curated performances by some of the Bay Area’s finest, the audience was treated to over 5-hours of inspired tracks and original interpretations. First, DJ Abby Imperial set the tone with a healthy DOOM collage sprinkled with Bay and Madlib touches. Jerry Nice followed up with a creative blend of beats, features, and obscure sample sources. Cutso, doing what he does best, seamlessly chopped up layers of tracks that helped to create Supervillain anthems, while KingMost rounded out the DJ ensemble with tasteful re-edits and choice cuts that spanned across his diverse catalogue. Closing it out was Stanley Ipkuss, who brought the house down with live KMD and DOOM remixes (via his SP-404) that hyped the full-capacity crowd from start to finish.
Required for participation, every artist and musician were and continue to be massive DOOM fans. Local hero Jeremy Fish quickly sold out his suitcase of t-shirts. George Rocha of Iris Skateboards auctioned a DOOM mask created from recycled skateboards. When MF DOOM’s Instagram promoted the auction, Iris Skateboards’ website was overrun and crashed. Upcoming, Iris will be releasing the mask via Gas Drawls. Visual artists participating were Alán González, Dennis Brown (Bagger 43), Jason Jägel, Cecelia Perez, Ferris Plock, Sarah Vyeda (Heart of Glasswork), WRN FRSH, Joe Roberts (LSD Worldpeace), Jeremy Fish, George Rocha, Emily Fromm, SunNight Editions (featuring Lenworth McIntosh, Soleil Summer, Dennis Brown, Penelope Anstruther & Drew Grasso, Fresh Daily, Ryan Whelan, Liz Hernandez, Muzae Sesay, Jason Jägel), Ellie Andrews, JP McNicholas, Rico Duenas, Lil’ Zen Ten, Dane Nomellini, Rewina Beshue, Phil Peralta, Donta Santistevan, Brian Barneclo, Nile Gibbs, Jerome McCaskill, Jackie Brown, Max Martilla, Michelle Nguyen.
An hour into the event there was an entry line that wrapped down the entire block of Valencia, around the corner and down 19th Street. Inside were crowds for merchandise. Spirits were most high, water was provided, and the Señor Sisig food truck kept people sated. Perhaps most of all the raw elegance of well-crafted DOOM soundtracks that bound everyone together. It was agreed that Bay Area energy was in full effect: a soulful & creative collective gathered in union to witness the unfuckwithable genius of MF DOOM.
-Words by Jason Jägel
Watch the recap video below!
