DJ Romanowski SHOW
Romanowski shows off his artistic, musical skills
BY L. JEANETTE STROLE
FOR THE OLYMPIAN
The American dream usually involves fame and fortune galore. For Swiss-born artist Romanowski, that dream has been slightly modified. He is quite content with the fact that he hasn't had to work a normal job in 10 years.
This jack-of-trades has found acclaim in the San Francisco Bay area and abroad that's translated into steady financial support.
The Mark restaurant and gallery will feature Romanowski's visual art during Arts Walk. He also will be spinning his own musical hodgepodge experiments over the weekend.
After moving to the United States in 1988 to pursue a girl, Romanowski ended up staying and found ways to make his art and music profitable. Avid record collecting and musical history studies led to a regular job DJing and pursing other musical projects.
As for his art, Romanowski's ever changing projects embrace recycables, collage techniques, painting, sketching, photography and found objects. "I can rnultitask like a mom," he said.
Musically, Romanowski likes to think that his ideal pinnacle would incorporate the writing gifts of Quincy Jones, the funk of James Brown and the abilities of Sly Stone. "My taste sets me apart," he said. "I've been studying for the past 15 years: punk, soul, jazz, hip-hop and reggae. I know what's already been done and what's good and what's out there.”
Adding his own elements of electronics, hip-hop, funk, reggae and rock-steady provides distinctly unpredictable parameters. His latest idea involves using the freestyle vocals of a homeless woman he met on the street.
San Francisco is fertile ground for his artistic endeavors. "Every night there is something somewhere to be seen or heard,” he said. “I do my own thing, and people call me monthly.”
Romanowski is presently affiliated with Future Primitive Records, and he is waiting for them to release his EP, "Steady Rock and Rock Steady.” I also did this thing called 'The Strudel Strut' on a compilation called 'Urban Revolutions.' It was a big Latinfusion/ breakbeat thing, about eight minutes long, with about 80 different samples." He is not certain if he will continue to work with FPR or rely on self distribution in the future, but he has more than 200 songs ready to be released.
Romanowski's work at The Mark will include sketches, collages and paintings -- pieces that are portable for the purpose of flying up from California to Olympia.
Most, if not all, of his work, will be for sale. However, selling his art is not so much a goal as just a pleasant secondary outcome.
"I'm just happy to travel and show my work, and open up people to new ideas and things,” he said.
So what is one of the biggest driving forces behind Romanowski's creative fluxes? "I just like to not be bored,” he said with a chuckle.