Sweet Satisfaction: Deep Sugar at the Paradox

November 13, 2008 by Star  Send to a Friend

all photos by Josh Sisk

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Jesus Christ, where do I even begin? I’ve lived in DC for only a year, but I’ve attended some notorious dance nights- Nouveau Riche, 411 NY Avenue parties, LODA, and most recently Hometown Heroes. They’re all high quality, but none of them could prepare me for the sheer magic I encountered this weekend at the Paradox in Baltimore.

It was chilly Saturday night, and I’d prematurely escaped from my best friend’s birthday for what was “not to be missed.” The gracious doorlady greeted us at the indoor entrance with a “Come in, baby, the party’s fiiiiiine!” When the double doors opened my eyes and ears were assaulted by a scene both familiar and unfamiliar. A huge cavernous dominion, crepe paper streaming from the ceiling, a very eclectic crowd. The party’s host, Ultra Naté , reigned over her subjects in the DJ booth while her cohorts, Lisa Moody and DJ Soulgiver, traded turns on the turntables. All at the same time, I was surrounded by athletic Asian girls dancing furiously in their track pants, portly black men well past middle age, skinny white indie kids sprinkled here and there, and many other characters one would only encounter at this hour of the morning. Despite their differences, the masses were formed into a gigantic pulsating amoeba of ecstasy which threatened to devour me if I didn’t voluntarily join them. Duh. Stripping off jackets and scarves we dove in.

There was no pretense, no self-consciouness, just a fucking fun party. Black, white, young, old, they’d all come to see the “Master at Work,” Louie Vega, known for his similarly diverse style of Latin, disco, soul, and house. Little Louie Vega, looking dapper in his signature fedora, fell into the rhythm easily as he took over the booth; wiggling to the beat as he made the party sweat on a November night. One could barely distinguish waving arms from whirling torsos from shaking heads in the pulsating light. With the !!! !!!! !!!!! !!!!!! and  //* \\* //**** of sidesteps and claps, and the hah-hah-hah-hah of heavy breathing equaling exhiliration, it was still growing in strength at 5:00 am.

The beat got deeper, louder, stronger. The bass ascended slowly slowly and dropped back down again like an atomic bomb, sending the masses into an earth shattering frenzy. Screaming, hands in the air, eyes closed and begging for more. Ohhhhhh shiiiiit!!!!!!! I was overwhelmed by an orgasm brought on by Arthur Russell’s “Go Bang!”

Ughhh too much fun, I needed a break. The other DJs in the booth were kind enough to revitalize me with icy Cape Cods, courtesy of the brilliant BYOB policy at Paradox. Looking out onto the crowd from above, I realized, when was the last time I experienced musical ecstasy? For me, a guitar devotee from Austin, mostly rock concerts come to mind. This was the first after hours dance party that made the short list. With a name like Deep Sugar, what would I expect? And I thought, why can’t DC have more places like these? Why can’t we also have these sparkling lights, this badass sound system, and most importantly that shiny snack counter where revelers reenergize with boxes of fried chicken?!

Then, perhaps fortunately, our ride suggested it was time to go. On the way home I collapsed in the back seat, my feet aching from over 4 hours of nonstop dancing. What seemed like moments later I woke up again in Chocolate City, my head spinning, my voice gone from shouting, the early morning light signaling a new day. Upon entering the house, I sighed happily and threw up. Can’t wait for the next one.

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