And with four big stabs of a reggae soundclash airhorn, let’s jump into your weekly dose of Humpday Hysteria.
MORE DAVE NADA THAN YOU CAN HANDLE!
Not tired after Nada’s exhaustive gift of electrified electro funk from his birthday at Blisspop? Well, this week, you get not one, but TWO opportunities to catch the Dubsided/T & A local dance hero. He spins Friday night at Cullen Stalin and Simon Phoenix’s Tax Lo in Baltimore at Sonar with DJ Jackie O, as Nada, the former Tax Lo resident kicks it old school for the night. And Saturday, he’s on the super loaded Feedback One Year Anniversary bill with Stereo Faith and Jonny Blaze (The Heat), Trevor Martin, Andrew Jaye and new York’s Blu Jemz and Unemployed Lloyd, the Hardy Boyz, in a night that’s really incredibly dope and on so many levels certain to please. Speaking of “The Heat,” I’ll be spending some time with the duo Wednesday night, and that interview, along with some really clutch new tracks, will absolutely drop in this space in the next two weeks.
NO RULE IS CONSISTENTLY UNDERRATED
Speaking of Cullen Stalin, and also “The Heat” and Dave Nada, NO RULE, the Stalin curated Monday night affair in Baltimore is as advertised, consistently underrated. Yes, I know it’s Baltimore, and yes, I know it’s a Monday, but, if you have a true appreciation for dance music, you get to see the DJs and producers that are rising and shaping the sound that the world is going ape for. For FREE, you get Cullen, Baltimore’s finest and the legendary Unruly Records co-founder Scottie B, and various national and international guests including, but not limited to, MIA and Santigold’s tour DJ DJ Contra (this past Monday), Australia’s Bag Raiders and Lauren Flax, NYC face melter Jess Jubilee, the aforementioned local stars with national and international importance, and on July 23rd, Lisa Moody, who holds it down at Paradox’s Deep Sugar party, Baltimore’s leading deep funky house and disco event, will be in the house. Plus, Metro Gallery, the new venue for the party, is a really terrific art space and truly aesthetically pleasing as well. A win on all accounts.
CHRIS BURNS BRINGS THE LEGENDS TO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Yes, I know we’re travelling all around this week, but, the point here is to prove that really terrific dance in the DMV isn’t confined to a loosely boundaried space between K and U Streets NW. The Trinidad and Tobago Association, a nondescript dual level storefront on 5123 Georgia Avenue is easily my personal favorite party venue in the city. Chris Burns and the proprietors of the space have really made great strides in the past year to provide left when everyone else in the city is going right. An avowed fan and historian of the Shelter/Paradise Garage late 70s-early 80s NYC nightlife experience and electrofunk music, Burns has created that with T & T in droves. Legendary house music veteran Timmy Regisford spun for four hours one night, and literally upon entry the walls and linoleum floor were sweating with condensation from the energy of the people dancing, and the deep funk and mellifluous synths and horns absolutely created the essence of the classic Shelter parties he’s oh so known for and that a good 75% of the room bussed down from NYC, Philadelphia and Baltimore to see. Ending July at the space, on the 18th, Chicago house exciter Ron Trent, who along with fellow legend Danny Krivit, the last time he was in town for the inauguration, created a party so hard and so outlandishly great that the cops came knockin on the doors of the Loft on New York Avenue. This time, it’s legal! And on July 31st, there’s NYC veteran Quentin Harris, creator of some of the most soulful R & B remixes in the history of mankind (don’t believe me, listen to his 12″ Vocal Mix of Nelly Furtado’s “Say it Right”), is coming, which, to the average dance music fan of 2009 means nothing, but in the grand scheme of enjoying and preserving the history of dance means just about everything. In the venue’s basement on the 31st, Baltimore club, bass exploration and exemplary selection are the rules of the game with James Nasty, Nacey, Will Eastman and Harry Dixon (formerly Harry Hotter, download his STELLAR Right On! Mix), in one night, going down I-95, down 295, turning on Route 50, swinging down Mass Ave, and turning up to U Street. Amazing.
MY CREW BE UNRULY GETS UNRULIER
Speaking of names like Andrew Jaye, James Nasty and Will Eastman, just yesterday they were added to the My Crew Be Unruly lineup July 17th at the Paradox. As well, NYC’s DJ Ayres (check a killer interview here) who is known for his unquestionably amazing hip hop and soul infused “The Rub” parties with Cosmo Baker in Brooklyn was added to the bill, alongside, well, last week’s Blisspop closer, Tittsworth. Check http://www.going.com/MCBU for $15 tickets that involve a 4 AM breakfast (if you questioned how late/early this is going). Between three rooms, I think that there are in the neighborhood 40 (yes, 40) of the universe’s best DJs between three rooms, and when you put 40 of the best together, amazing things tend to happen. The lineup, be it KW Griff, DJ Sega, Nadastrom, or cats you may not know like the 2008 Best DJ in a Club as voted by the Baltimore City Paper, Adam Gonzo (download his brand spanking new ever soulful “Black Man in the White House” mix), literally everyone on the bill, is a headliner. It’s like the All-Star Game of DJs, and clearly will be the most fun you’ll have all year.
CRAZY HOT HUMPDAY DOWNLOADS
Easily one of my five favorite DJs/Producers in the world is Paul Devro. Played Cullen Stalin’s NO RULE a month or so ago, and I missed him. I’m still kicking myself over that one. Down with the Mad Decent label, Devro doesn’t really play by the same musical rules as everyone, people at the wildly unusual Mad Decent included. If you’re someone who’s musically adventurous, check his Dirty South hip hop by way of dancehall with lovely bits of the bizarre and absurd tossed in, Fader Magazine We Make It Good mix, and if that’s not enough, the best mixtape I was given at SXSW this year was Devro’s “Invasion of the Loop Zombies from Mexico,” a collection of the most bizarre rural Mexican tribal sounds you’ll ever hear, that somehow gets combined into a REALLY funky mix.
And in final, Lil’ Jon. In case you weren’t aware, he’s likely far more down with club music than any of us will ever be, and, I’ve always wanted more people to really appreciate something he released as he descended upon 2009’s Miami DJ extravaganza, the Winter Music Conference where he was ubiquitous and omnipresent. I give to you, Lil’ Jon’s Rock Boxes, Volumes 1-3. It’s exactly what you’d imagine, and more….YEEEEEEAAAAH!
And there, friends, is your weekly dose of Humpday Hysteria.
The one on July 21st? Fully aware of it. Still 2 weeks out. Ironing out a format still to encapsulate as much as I can. Thanks!
July 8, 2009 at 3:13 pmCool.
July 8, 2009 at 3:15 pmChris Burns and no mention of ELM. Show some respect.
July 8, 2009 at 3:38 pmIt’s great that there is now a column for electonic music at byt (about time). But I don’t quite get how you can completly ignore event series like electric cabaret, Loda, mnmlife, ELM, stp etc. There’s been some serious international DJ talent in DC in the recent past. In the last two or three weeks alone we had Richie Hawtin, Tiefschwarz, Matthias Tanzmann, Ryan Elliot an many more in town, this week there is Carl Craig and LoSoul on top of several other events with some cool local dj’s. The electronic music in DC is thriving well beyond the events by the organizers that you mention.
July 8, 2009 at 3:52 pmThat’s like mentioning a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and giving the jelly no credit. Marc, seriously, no disrespect. You guys do killer work up there. Terrible, yet accidental oversight.
July 8, 2009 at 3:52 pmTotally aware of the depth of what’s going on. As I wrote before, by next week, you’ll see some slight structural changes to reflect everything happening. As you likely well know, there’s TONS in just DC alone these days.
Regards,
Marcus
Let’s give dude a few weeks before crucifying him maybe? Its a huge amount of work for one person to cover the DC Dance scene and actually do it all justice.
July 8, 2009 at 4:32 pmDamn, I wish I knew Dixon was playing at T&T this month too, would of asked the ELM guys to put us on the same bill.
July 8, 2009 at 8:50 pmThanks for the love! Small correction: Dave Nada doesn’t play TaxLo until May 31. Great seeing you up on BYT.
July 8, 2009 at 10:35 pmGotta give credit to ELM and Juan, Joe, Dimitri, Hugo and Bobby for also putting in hard work to make TnT Clubhouse/Hometown Heroes what it has been in the past year.
July 9, 2009 at 1:14 amand couldn’t forget VAN for door duties as well!
July 15, 2009 at 4:33 pm
An electronic music update with no mention of the upcoming VNV Nation show?
July 8, 2009 at 3:05 pm