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Tizok of Misol Tribe | Telling Stories with Images
TELLING STORIES WITH IMAGES PART II - Take a look inside the world of
Dario "Tizok" Debora, and get the back story on one of the most prolific
discographies that ever came out of the City of Angels. See how this Boyle
Heights native utilized his talents to enlighten the darkness around him. MISOL
2012
PART
I - Fabian "Spade" Debora - Telling Stories With Symbols
InMyMommaHouse Studios, East Los Angeles circa.early 2000s | photograph
by Salvador Rojas
My cousin
CapsOne was the one that introduced me to the flow and to Dario (I give a big
thanks to you for that Brother Randy - Pretty Randy what they call him). After I
gave him a copy of “High Tide or Low Tide” by Bob Marley to take to his friend
Dario Debora with the message, "Does the breakdown percussion move you to
something?" Capps called me and said, "Yeah, he wants to talk to you…" Soon
after, I was walking into “InMyMommaHouse Studios” in the heart of East Los
(just a stone's throw away from the intersection of Gage and Cesar Chavez Avenue
- formerly Brooklyn). The Debora residence was just like a million other
households, but there was something special about this family. Two brothers
turned the back bedroom + a laundry area into a recording studio/ underground
art gallery. Elder brother Fabian Debora mastered the artwork, while younger
brother Dario handled the music. It was obvious that they influenced each
other's work and were always of the same mind. I knew these guys were serious
when I saw they built a sound-booth around the mic to record the vocals right.
That house on Hammel St. was a haven for inspiration to a lot of artists in the
area including Kwixminded One, the nuAi Tribe, Big Malok of the Kalpulli, Fe
Montes and a number of others.
In the early years, the Debora Brothers
(known as Shorty's Sons in the projects when they were kids) were involved with
an underground hip-hop crew called I.T.S. (It Takes Skillz). OriGinal cats,
like: Azul, DarkMan and Dj Dubb1 took skills to another level by utilizing their
talents to escape the dismal street life; and afterward, mentored others. That's
the motto of the MISOL Tribe (Mexica Indios Surviving Over Life). Dario was
molded in this environment in his teens. After, he was cutting beats himself and
sliced them so precisely, it was mysterious how it seemed to come so naturally
to him. Of course, he dedicated himself to polishing his skill and killed track
after track, until he earned his moniker Tizok (which means the Bloodiest One).
When I met Tizok, he was a leader of the Lost Souls Tribe and he handed me a CD
with an Aztec hieroglyph of an indigenous man offering up smoke on the cover.
That CD had 20+ songs and was different from anything I had heard before.
Another thing that I'll never forget is a flash animation Dario showed me that
he had created as a promo for MISOL. It had a backdrop of the downtown city and
was complete with an animated police chopper lighting up his block! The amazing
thing was how he synchronized a hypnotic beat to the chopper, spotlight and city
life. That old school flash animation would foreshadow something huge...
When the Debora Brothers lived by Roosevelt High School they did the
same thing; as far as, shined on their block and become artistic pillars in
their neighborhood. During that time they were relentless in their execution,
rockin’ shows and networking. Tizok recruited talented local kids and recorded
their album called G.R. (General Relief). Those years are also documented by
numerous tracks on the night sessions collection and the “Pigeon Crumbs” album.
It was then that he joined forces with DJ Dubb1 (also called Chato by his
friends), and put out the monumental Sun Shines in Shadowed Souls, Dreaming in
Circles. The production was PHAT. The sound had that official MiSol trademarked
style. He said, "The dreaming in circles (in the album title) is what the
imagination must do, when the physical body is trapped." You see, Mi Sol means
My- Sun, that Life-Giving, Sustaining and Dependable Energy that holds the
universe together. The Great Symbol of Gods power in our daily lives is our Star
in Heaven. Our ancestors realized that connection long ago.
Misol Studios, Huntington Park, CA. | photograph by Salvador Rojas
As technology
caught up to him, Tizoker showed me the musical slideshows he had created. It
was awesome how he combined music and still-frame images to express his feeling.
The best ones were dedicated to his loved ones. Dario used photographs, his
brother's artwork, and Los city-shots that went perfect with the song being
played. The soundtrack couldn't be touched because he was the modern drummer boy
/ beat producer since back in the day. The imagery just explained another half
of the story, completing his artistic expression. Eventually, this led him into
full-on audio / video editing, and (not surprisingly) he took that to the next
level... onto a global platform.
A couple years ago, I called up Brother
Debora to set up a meeting and he told me to meet him on Nuetro's Grounds off
Marengo. When we reconnected, it was apparent that the tribe had went from a
clan, to a collective, to a committee and then grew into a secret society, one
where it takes skills to overcome the traps and snares of the jungle. Tizok had
become a Capo in that movement. During that time, MiSol was also spreading into
South Central Los Angeles by absorbing Guerilla Warfare and DJ Reazn into the
click. Y.O. (Young One) and Rebel Souls were also in the circle. Dario was
overlooking other artists' projects, like the phenomenal A.O.D. album titled
Hope for the Streets (produced by none other than: DJ Dubb1).
More
recently he has been bringing out other artists like the homie Complex and the
L.A. to Worldwide album, Gin & Guece's Love Letters and Therapy Sessions
album and the Bastard Chronicles (by B-Child of the Guerillla Warfare kamp).
Lately they've been getting ready to release the Reign of King Darius album
(02-12-2012), which will also be an epic DJ Dubb One production with the MiSol
Tribe artist King Darius f.k.a. D-Low. The best thing about Dario Debora is that
he doesn't forget his original calling to Hip-Hop, and takes to the frontline of
the event- rocking the show with his long-time partner Kwixminded. The duo is
called NoNotUs and Dario goes by the stagename P-Flaks (from the nickname
Flako). These home studio veterans and street soundtrack specialists are real
emcees. The microphone is to an emcee, what the light saber is to the Jedi.
Honestly, it's quite spectacular to see NoNotUs do their thing.
Tizok Portrait (January.2012) by Salvador Rojas
Yes, Tizok and
Spade have come a long way from their humble beginnings in the Aliso Village /
Pico Gardens; Al though they've never abandoned their community. In fact,
they've become an even bigger part of the positive rejuvenation of the area.
Like High Priests in the Temple of the Sun that teach people how to conquer
their demons. There's a quote on the Misol Tribe website that says, "We used to
think we could save our culture, our community, and the world with our art and
music. Now we understand we can only save ourselves.” These guys are sharp, as
well as talented. Fabian has given me personal advice and Dario always motivates
me to believe in my instincts. Year after year, they've connected with a lot of
like-minded people. And truth be said, Shorty's Sons are amongst the most
respected artists on the eastside. In another age perhaps, the Debora Brothers
would be considered Toltec kings; anointed by the Creator and blessed with the
talents to deliver divine messages to the population. In ancient societies
spiritually enlightened artists were rulers and of royal nobility... but,
nowadays, we're just glad to call them our homeboys!
www.misoltribe.com
GoinHardNDaPaint,
ESkribe.Uno
p.s.- Anyone interested
in filming a video for their business should get in contact with Tizoker. He's
gonna go commercials and make videos for the independent shops out there. I'm
calling out to 90031 "Stand Up!". TV Bikes on N. Broadway: C'mon Devin, U need
to get out there, bro. Hire Dario to do you a dope-ass video and blast it on
YouTube. Pass out a chingo de flyers. Armando at Vision Sk8shop what up? Even a
Cafe in the Heights music promo would be firme. How about the world-famous
Airliner Nightclub? The possibilities are endless...
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