SHIT I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. The Heat – So I’ve made a lot of noise as of late about the talents of Baltimore DJ Jonny Blaze and DC DJ Stereofaith as The Heat, and their manic “BMore Tek Heat” style. All it took to make me remember just how wonderful it is to have Jonny Blaze back as a contributing member of the international club music scene was verified in of all places, College Park, MD Wednesday night, where 300 kids went completely bananas at The Mark for Phil Real and Soohan with James Nasty and Jonny Blaze together as the closer.

But back to The Heat. It’s a combination that really does take the best and most conscientious of both worlds, as Jonny is very arguably the best hypeman in the club scene right now, and with a humility as disarming as his style, it’s my hope that his continued ascension back to the top of the Bmore game reaches fruition, as it likely couldn’t happen to a more dedicated preserver of the authentic, classic Bmore club sound. As well, there’s DJ Stereo Faith, as fine a bastion of the DC scene as there has ever been, and with guys like the Nouveau Riche kids putting in work attempting to create their own sound, it’s great to see Stereo Faith remain vital as well in this collaboration. Just today, Swedish megablog Discobelle featured a video of Jonny and Stereo Faith (with a guest appearance by Dave Nada) from the Feedback 1st Anniversary Party from July 11th, a destination point event if there ever was one. Anything I just wrote clearly has verifiable proof in the below video:



As well, they dropped their first collabo today, “Heat the Bitch,” which absolutely sounds like classic Bmore Club fight music. Powerful Black Sabbath guitar riffs with a looped Busta Rhymes sample and pinpoint synths and percussion mark this charging track tailor made to REALLY break down a party.

2. Amanda Blank prepares to unleash “I Love You” on August 4th – If you don’t like Amanda Blank, I understand completely. There’s a segment of the population for whom kewpie doll cute and impossibly thin white girls who wear nary a stitch of unusual clothing and rap ironically, yet breathily and sexily over smokin’ hot club tracks is everything that’s wrong with America, wrong with hipsters, and wrong with the pervasiveness of this subsector of society in present popular culture. But they do exist, and Amanda Blank will be releasing an album that will, if not make her their queen, will certainly rank her a high ranking princess in the royal order of things. The album, available for streaming on Amanda Blank’s Myspace doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does show what happens when superproducers like XXXChange and master DJs like Devlin and Darko get together, and have someone with the peculiar charisma and style of Miss Blank as a canvas upon which to paint their tremendous electro stylings. I’m not expecting this record to sell a million copies, but, on the mindless fun and frotteurism scale, this one absolutely ranks a ten. Sometimes we take these things a bit too seriously. It’s great to have someone around to loosen things up a bit. As well, RCRDLBL.com today released a remix by British dubstep kingpin Rusko of “I’d Like You Better If We Slept Together,” and, if you’ve heard “Cockney Thug,” or any of his other stylings, it falls well in line with that, which appeals perfectly to her population. Enjoy.

3. “Baby (remix)” Major Lazer ft. Prince Zimboo and M.I.A. – Outside of pretty much anything La Roux is doing this week, the world’s hottest track is the remix of Prince Zimboo’s charming club killer from the “Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do” album. Featured on their BBC 1 Essential mix and their Mishka mix discussed earlier this week by me over at Brightest Young Things. Featuring the first 16 bars Maya Arulpragasm has dropped since bringing Ikhyd into the universe, this track is still as vital and funny as it is now socially aware, as M.I.A. goes in on parental responsibility, really bringing some unexpected yet completely wonderful gravitas to the track. I really, seriously have missed M.I.A.’s voice in the musical universe, as the tracks she’s on are fire, and her verses always bring vital social commentary. Click the link right HERE and enjoy!

4. Slaughterhouse – Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9, Crooked I and Joell Ortiz. Right there, you have the type of hip hop that hip hop has been missing. There are a million pretenders all over the internet that frankly wish that they had the cache that these four emcees do. And in putting these cats all together on the same tracks on one album, while it won’t be the album that saves lyrical mastery in hip hop, it will at least allow for the door to be opened again. While I’m not a fan of going back to 1994, if done right, tracks that sound like a midget being pounded in the face repeatedly with a sledgehammer and suddenly filled with a gut full of lead are always terrific, terrific fun and remind true hip hop fans of why they grew to love the artform in the first place. Definitely take a listen to their current track with video airplay on MTV Jams, “The One.” Between the shoutout to BDP, and the hot chicks drinking Cristal at the club, It’ll make you feel nostalgic and ready to punch your boy in the face for no reason, AT THE SAME TIME!

BRIGHTEST YOUNG THINGS COLUMNS INFORMATION!

As of late, I’ve been really putting in some work at Brightest Young Things covering electronic and dance music with my “Humpday Hysteria” column, as well as Blisspop and My Crew be Unruly reviews. As you may have seen, the Humpday Hysteria column did also appear here for a week, but, frankly, the column itself is so image and multimedia intensive, I’ll no longer feature it here in full, but, instead, provide the link to the piece. For the uninitiated, it focuses on the top electronic and dance events coming to the DMV, as well as any major news or new tracks of worth that have been dropped internationally, and soon in the future will feature interviews with DJs and producers as well. Do yourself a favor and check the link below for everything great that’s been happening over at BYT!

MARCUS’ BRIGHTEST YOUNG THINGS PORTFOLIO!

SHIT I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. Nacey remixes Wale’s Chillin – There’s a lot of folks out there feeling angst over Wale’s “big splash” single. They say its not danceable, they say it’s not representative of DC, they even say it’s not representative of hip hop. Well, in my mind, it’s representative of an attempt to make mainstream money, and if you have a problem with that, then, you likely have a problem with a lot of other issues in the universe, too. The hook on Chillin’ and the sample and production on Chillin’ could’ve been totally different. Say it was local producer Judah Makes Beats with Chrisette Michelle on the hook. Tight song, but not tailor made for a brand new artist seeking mainstream airplay. Lady Gaga on the hook with a sample from Steam’s “”Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” and you’ve got a track tailor made for mainstream ears and mainstream tastes. Instead of banging in your whip, it’s meant for banging on Budweiser commercials. A different look entirely.

However, it IS 2009, and with a phalanx of hungry producers and remixers out there, your initial product certainly in no way has to be as amazing as everyone else’s finished product, and if there’s any justice in the universe, the DC connection of Wale and absurdly rising producer Nacey need to get together as he’s recreated “Chillin'” into a track that any hip hop head worth their weight in designer sneakers and Durkl t-shirts can love. Really. I know we say it a lot around here, but, if you’re not checking for Nacey, you’re really not checking for really hype remixes these days. Between Nacey, Steve Starks (check none other than French electro master Don Rimini with Starks’ “You Don’t Want None” on his World Tour Mix), Will Eastman, Dmerit, and Stereofaith, the talent pool in DC is knee deep these days.

NACEY – CHILLIN REMIX DOWNLOAD

2. Matt and Kim return to the DMV in September – Matt and Kim, whose Daylight is easily one of the most memorable tracks of 2009, with it’s infectious piano and easily one of the funkiest drumlines of any genre all year, hit DC’s Black Cat on September 16th, and Baltimore’s Sonar on the 17th with Amanda Blank on both dates for what could easily be one of the feel good parties of the fall. Matt and Kim are a real life couple whose pure punk bliss is overwhelming to the point that it has warmed the heart of such individuals as Stic Man of Dead Prez who remixed the track, which yes, also doubles as the background in a national Bacardi ad. Matt and Kim hit DC earlier this year with the Bacardi sponsored Major Lazer event which was a phenomenal evening, but to many mired in corporate sleaze, as it was clear that the music was the backdrop to the message to buy as man Bacardi and Cokes as humanly possible. However, Matt and Kim won over many unfamiliar with them that night, and, without the corporate banners flying, I fully expect this night to be an even better performance, and cement the duo as a dominant force in the minds of mny of the alternative music loving DMV scene at the end of that weekend.

3. DC hip hop, in spite of itself, keeps winning – So I’ve covered Wale and Phil Ade in the last two weeks. Tabi Bonney, and his excellent live show were onstage at Rock the Bells as an opener for all to see. At Sneaker Pimps, besides $20 parking, and nary a soul really buying sneakers, the main focus was on the music of the aforementioned Wale and Phil Ade, alongside closers The Clipse. As well, if you check out Marsha Gosho Oakes’ SoulCulture.co.uk, there’s a brilliant spread covering the depth and scope of the DC hip hop scene. Oddisee is rapidly becoming a brand name there, and Oakes’ site, a stalwart in the UK hip hop/soul community does a BRILLIANT job in really showing the depth and scope of the Capital City to a brand new audience. Actually, it’s so good that I urge everyone, namely DC folks, to take a look at this, and marvel at how great DC is made to look, and then think twice about the silliness, pettiness and infighting that plagues the city, and consider how to come together as, hell, even if not fully, a loosely organized front to maximize potential.

4. Drake (and to a lesser extent, Kid Cudi and Big Sean) – Wheelchair Jimmy, in spite of a legion of haters, keeps winning, too. The 2 million dollar man, Aubrey Graham, if for no other reason than being relatively handsome, quick witted, aligned with the right people, and a somwhat known television star whose two year old show has episodes that just “randomly” keep appearing on none other than MTV, has been anointed by the music industry to be the rapper to carry the torch of hip hop into the future. Not Wale, not Asher Roth, not Charles Hamilton, not Bobby Ray, nor Kid Cudi or Mickey Factz. Yeah, XXL would appear to be very, very, VERY wrong in their infamous “Freshman Top 10,” as, well, Drizzy, by virtue of one of the more amazing record deals for a new artist in recent memory, he gets 25 % of his album sales and keeps his publishing rights, well, he wins. Cudi’s fine as it appears as he and Big Sean (“Getcha Some”, his most MTV and mainstream urban radio accessible single has a video forthcoming and he has the G.O.O.D. Music pedigree, lyrical content and fashion sense to go far) are well positioned to be financial and critical winners as well in the face of blawghate. The video for “Make Her Say,” with it’s pastel colors and appealingly stylized videography is easily the most aesthetically appealing video of the year, and cements Cudi as a force to be reckoned with, even if not yet lyrically adept as his label brethren, for the future. Amazing sometimes how the visual assists the lyrical as “Day and Night” is a phenomenal video as well, and takes Cudi’s words and makes them magical.

5. Open Happiness by Butch Walker, Travis Mccoy, Brendon Urie, Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae and Patrick Stump –

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5685461&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

The Open Happiness Music Video from Open Happiness on Vimeo.

Remember SXSW when myself and my oft co-conspirator Winston “Stone” Ford of thecouchsessions.com ranted and raved about Janelle Monae’s R & B performances that were Tina Turner meets Laurie Anderson? Well, it’s literally been six months since I’ve seen her anywhere near my eyes, and, to my dismay I see her in this ridiculous video clip dressed like the school marm on the prairie with magic pixie dust that turns into crayons. I also see Fall Out Boy’s Pat Stump dressed like a portly Charles Lindbergh, Brendon Urie of Panic at the Disco as a manic news reporter, Travis McCoy looking more and more like a solo pop ready emcee that has graduated from high school and gym class by extension, and Cee-Lo as the Wizard of Oz in a zebra print suit. Clearly, this Coca-Cola ad wrapped in song is not meant for 31 year old writers from Greenbelt, Maryland. It’s also a dubious ad as well for teens, and a dubious one for pre-teens as well, as, we’re in cynical times, and, well, we, even in the younger sense, expect a little more normalcy from our pop artists these days and less frivolity. In recessionary times, I understand thinking outside of the box, but, really? This smacks of such levels of corporate desperation the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I can’t in good conscience hate on artists that probably cashed sizeable paychecks for the work. I can’t even hate on the track or Butch Walker’s songwriting. But imagine if the commercial featured these individuals, sitting in a glen, doing this, as the company did famously in 1971:

http://www.youtube.com/v/6mOEU87SBTU&hl=en&fs=1&

That commercial is so famous that Coca Cola went back to it in 1978 at Christmas:

http://www.youtube.com/v/_zCsFvVg0UY&hl=en&fs=1&

Imagine that same concept, with the “Open Happiness” voices, updated for 2009, but not in a slickly packaged MTV videomercial. I tend to think between Cee-Lo’s tenor, Stump and Urie’s falsettos, a quick sixteen bars from Travis, and Janelle Monae’s ethereal sound, that’d be something to hear.

Off soapbox.

I’m done.

MY CREW BE UNRULY 7/17/09 – PARADOX – BALTIMORE

It was a night that met every expectation. That really comes off as something trite, but, when speaking of an event of the hype of My Crew Be Unruly, it bespeaks a success of the greatest magnitude. One one night, in one venue, 30 of the world’s finest DJs came together, unified by what was initially advertised as a love of club music and to honor the legacy of late Baltimore legend K-Swift (whose last gig ever was at last year’s inaugural event), but by the end of the evening, became so much more, a statement of the desire of the individual to take music, a gift to the universe unto itself, and shape, meld and mend it in such incredible ways as to pull the most pure and joyous of expressions from those who hear it.

It’s not enough to call My Crew Be Unruly club music’s Woodstock. Every other gathering attempts that and fails. Yes, there were the ribald moments, like club legend Jonny Blaze of The Heat (with DJ Stereo Faith) so proud to be spinning in his hometown’s most famous of venues, a personal success in his post hiatus career, already the most hyped up and giddy hypeman in the game, taking his verbalism and turntablism to ridiculously entertaining new levels, and yes, at 4 AM, much like Woodstock, there was breakfast for the multitudes. But the Woodstock comparison falls short. It’s a whole different vibe we’re talking about here. Imagine if every performance was as inventive as Jimi playing the Star Spangled Banner, and you get a clue.

This night was as much about vaunted veterans like DJ Class of “I’m the Shit” fame and Scottie B performing together and arguably (you could have a great discussion including DJ Booman and Jimmy Jones of the Doo Dew Kidz in that as well) staking a claim to their absolute domination of the game. It was just as much about the generations that they’ve inspired, from the stars that they’ve spawned like Tittsworth, Dave Nada (and by extension Nadastrom), Philly’s Brick Bandits crew represented by DJ Tameil and the thundering Freddy Krueger stabs and Mike Tyson jabs of bass and manic energy of DJ Sega, and even deeper than that, the underground bubbling to the surface, folks like openers Adam Gonzo, and the 1.21 Jiggawatt Soundsystem of DC’s Andrew Jaye and Baltimore’s James Nasty, a duo that played so hard and so crowd friendly of a set that you’d think that the end of the world was coming and our only hope was that Baltimore Club could fend off the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Also telling was the very hipster and electro friendly “outdoor stage,” a stage well represented by DC stalwarts Will Eastman, and the oft discussed with good reason Nouveau Riche crew of Nacey, Gavin Holland and Steve Starks, who boldly played an abbreviated set of nothing but his own edits and remixes, clearly making the case that he was easily ready to change his status in life and do a little bit more than what he’s up to right now. These talents were mixed with those of Brooklyn’s Cousin Cole, a DJ who though diminutive in stature brings a giant sized wealth of talent to the table and exhibited it on Friday night.

And what of the people they moved? Well that’s the most important statement. From inner city Baltimore youth, ever colorful and utterly insane with their dance steps, be they the Wu Tang, Spongebob or Ice Cream (and likely 25 more I’m forgetting), and appreciative of their local genre of music, to the DC hipster mob, shaking our bodies to electro tinged sounds, and literally every derivation of person in between, the people were there to party. Well, not even so much to party as to be entertained, and have fun. It’s always my belief that in these times where there’s really so much going wrong, that dance music right now, especially on the underground, fresh, expansive, different and often mind boggling, can provide an answer to the question of what’s right in the universe. And everyone, from Baltimore’s Big L , Cullen Stalin or Say Wut, to NYC’s DJ Ayres (who opened quite well in the main room) got that point. It’s so easy, especially here on the Internet, to get caught up in denigrating music and tearing it asunder. But music, when in the hands of the capable and motivated, can motivate people, and, in the words of the immortal Rod Lee, make us “dance our pain away.” That happened on Friday night. And it was an absolutely beautiful thing indeed. Even amongst higher attendance than last year, and met expectations, that’s what I’ll remember the most. My life, which really sucks on numerous levels these days, was great for six hours, thanks to music. Our crew, well, the universe’s crew is certainly unruly these days, but for once we were glad.

Questlove DJ Set @ Liv – 7/12/09

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is seen by many in the know in the music community as one of the saviors and griots of the traditions of urban soul music. As the drummer for the legendary Roots, the hip hop, rock and soul exploring crew, he’s created a legend by providing such exquisite rythyms on their tracks that he’s caught the ear of, played and produced with everyone from N.E.R.D. to Nikka Costa, Joss Stone, Jay Z and Al Green. And, with The Roots (Questlove included) now becoming the house band for new NBC late night funnyman Jimmy Fallon, it would appear as if the master musician could comfortably drift into his distinguished musical twilight, able to now bask in his legendary success and fade into pleasant musical memory.

However, listening to this man DJ a set at Liv on Sunday night at a Rock the Bells afterparty would lead you to absolutely think otherwise. As great of a drummer as we can universally agree the man is, Questlove, it would stand to reason, as the man who has a 17 year musical pedigree, and is as well versed and studied as he is in providing the backbone rhythms from everything from The Roots’ jazzy exploration “Silent Treatment” to Al Green’s height of his Memphis powers recalling “You’ve Got the Love I Need,” would be a pretty excellent selector. And on Sunday night, he proved this with a three hour set dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson that certainly other DJs could have attempted to play, but, when you have achieved the cultural cache of Questlove, you are EXPECTED to play.

Whenever Questlove comes to Liv, it’s a pretty amazing time and makes one understand why they appreciate the place music can have in one’s world. However, the Rock the Bells crowd is a crowd of true appreciators of the line where hip hop and soul music blend. Most coming from an era where sampling was a new art, and the samples came fast and furious initially from classic soul artists with a pop crossover like James Brown, and certainly the Jackson 5, it was a perfect storm for the Roots member to really go in and explore Michael’s ENTIRE history, and do so in front of a crowd that wasn’t filled with people grieving just a man, but people who appreciate music as well, and feel just as much emotional gravitas for losing a most appreciated contributor to the traditions of urban music as well. The mix was a more than fitting tribute, and frankly, otherworldly.

Again, Questlove understands his status in the musical universe and particular gifts, but doesn’t suddenly expose it in drips and drabs, holding back his gift for just those privileged to have him in studio sessions. Instead he uses his status to allow for VERY deep explorations of the interconnectivity of sounds, letting a song a current artist sampled play out in full, giving you the true emotional and physical depth of the track, and THEN dropping the newer song. When he played the venue in February, he played the ENTIRE Menahan Street Band instrumental track “Make the Road by Walking” before dropping Jay Z’s “Roc Boys.” The average DJ, well, in fear of losing a crowd, would give it 30 seconds…and that’s a stretch. On this night in honor of MJ, well, Quest did that, expectedly playing the Jackson FIve’s “Maybe Tomorrow” into Ghostface Killah’s “All That I Got Is You,” and MJ’s solo track “I Can’t Help It” into De La Soul’s “Breakdawn,” but to separate himself from the rest, matched the drum patters between Puff Daddy and Mase’s “All About the Benjamins” note perfect with the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” a masterful moment of inspired genius that very few can cogitate.

He kept the crowd moving the entire night. Afro-Cuban breakbeat desiring breakers mixed with thong sandaled hipster hippies, with head nodding b-boys and b-girls and the exquisitely put together bottle service crowd tossed in. Achieving a status and achieving a sound appreciated by ALL is a goal that most hope to achieve for one moment of one day of a career. Questlove achieves this goal as a profession. The professor was teaching, and our minds, souls and bodies were the pupils. It was a phenomenal evening.

SHIT I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Outputmessage’s “Undone” puts more of DC’s dance music prowess on the map!

1. Nacey and Starks – Summer Madness – The rising production duo annd 2/3s of the Nouveau Riche team (with Gavin Holland) strikes again with their interpolation of the Kool and the Gang classic, pulsing synths with a phenomenal breakdown, and a sneaky cool 16 bar hi hat that really rounds out the opening, “Summer Madness” is the perfect hit for the ultimate end of summer party, encapsulating Kool and the Gang’s note perfect chillout relaxer, and at the same time creating a new freewheeling spirit, breathing life into the track for a brand new generation. Nacey and Starks are on fire, their tracks are ALREADY staples in sets all over DC, a likely other east coast cities, and it’s only now a matter of the right time, right space and right place for the team.

2. Outputmessage releases “Undone” to acclaim – The production team of Micah Vellian and Outputmessage, aka Dmerit are up next. As in next to make moves. In a city now dominated by the music that is quickly pushing the world to take notice, the quiet humility and overwhelming talent of these two are about to be on blast for the universe to see. Micah Vellian is handling a great deal of the production for DJ Will Eastman’s forthcoming Plant Music release, as well is Output Message, aka Bernard Farley, whose single “Undone” from his own second full length release dropped yesterday to immediate acclaim from iTunes no less, and it is absolutely warranted. A bit downtempo from the usual fare around these parts, echoing, dark lyrics mix with quirky synths to create something pop friendly but not overtly so, a moody groove of a track that is absolutely solid.

Also of note is DC selector DJ Autorock’s remix of the cut, as he reworks this into quite the peppy disco number, deep basslines and fun percussion taking the track and while keeping the meaning, taking the impact just a bit deeper. One thing as always, is if Autorock’s doing a remix, it’s certain to be a real pleaser, as he’s terrifically underrated in his knowledge of how and why certain sounds work. He’s a thinking man’s remixer for sure.

3. Phil Ade drops “Starting on JV” – So DC’s on the map. Wale’s “Chillin'” w/Lady Gaga and Bun B on U Street driving Lamborghinis. We already see where he’s headed, and good, bad or indifferent, he’ll stack some paper before the year is out. But what of everyone else. XO’s got a new mixtape out there, Tabi Bonney has a phenomenal live show, Oddisee has eschewed the United States and is arguably the most buzzed about rapper in Europe, and now hopping into a very crowded mix is Phil Ade. Backed by Raheem Devaughn’s 368 Music Group, Ade’s “Starting on JV” is a solid intro into the VERY young Nigerian American emcee, who damn near stole the show from fellow Nigerian Wale at Wale’s giant show/event last month by merely being witty, himself and different, using placards in a move akin to Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video clip to really stand out in a sea of, for very different reasons, standout performances. There is certainly more to come from the rising local standout.

4. Buraka Som Sistema drops Blood Diamonds Mixtape – Buraka Son Sistema, the Portuguese/Angolan DJ crew with roots in Kuduro music is one of the more audacious and exciting of the wild and exciting new signees to the Mad Decent label. The mixtape is noteworthy as the sound is pure African with drops from artists stateside and otherwise, and continues the genre bending traditions of Mad Decent, but takes them in a brand new and aurally pleasing direction. The crew murked Coachella this year, and fully expect a fall and winter filled with continuing to extend their fame as everyone is taking notice of the entertaining and diverse sound.

WEEKLY MOMENT OF ZEN: 2009’s NEW JACK REDUX JODECI/R KELLY v. JEREMIH/TREY SONGZ

http://www.youtube.com/v/m0MxY_A7jcg&hl=en&fs=1&

http://www.youtube.com/v/bJUjn3JUB5Y&hl=en&fs=1&

Of the more telling developments in music in 2009 is easily the return of grittier, urban, non crossover R & B to the national radar. Sure, Ne-Yo kept the fires burning with actual love songs that harkened back to the days of Smokey Robinson, such sweetly sung ditties the likes of which we haven’t heard since the 1980s sonically, but with Ne Yos particular voice, delivery and mainstream marketing potency since the days of Motown. But what has Ne-Yo’s success allowed? Well, in the search for more love starved crooners, we’ve had the rediscovery of Trey Songz, whose current single “I Need A Girl,” a sanitized ballad reminiscent of Diddy and Mario Winans same track from 2003, and new R & B creator Jeremih, whose “Birthday Sex” may be the surpise urban radio hit of the year. The key difference between Ne-Yo and these two, Ne-Yo talks love, and Songz and Jeremih, well, they talk sex. And if you look even further into the catalogue of Trey Songz, whose mixtape grind is legendary and made him able to be right at the top of the pecking order when it came time for music’s response to Ne-Yo’s success, well, it’s not sex, it’s absolutely ear melting tales of ravenous debauchery, as he takes liberty with pretty much every tune on urban radio, the fave being his version of MIA’s “Paper Planes,” (actually a Mad Decent label favorite) which he turns from a tale of third world yearning into a tale of free sex from a hooker yearning, in what was a top underground R & B track of 2008.

But why the connection to Jodeci and R. Kelly? Well, if it isn’t obvious, we’re clearly on the cusp, in this athor’s eyes, of a New Jack R & R redux. Songz has even gone as far as releasing the track “D.O.K (Death of Kells),” a track using Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.,” and over those wonderful French horns assaults R. Kelly’s age, skill, and advises him that he’s done in the singing game. Tempestuous words that certainly Jeremih hasn’t come close to touching, so it’s not all the young bucks that have gone wild, but it definitely bespeaks a dangerous attitude and a volatile mix of dangerous orgasmic sexuality that is more than present.

I link above to the days of Jodeci and R. Kelly’s youth and impact, when the two acts were the hottest in the game. Above are the blueprint which acts like Jeremih and Songz should be absolutely aiming towards. Jodeci’s “Come and Talk to Me” is legendary. Combining all the aspects of Sean “Puffy” Combs’ skills as a young producer and makeover artist, he took the two pairs of brothers, Jojo and K-Ci Hailey and Mr. Dalvin and DeVante Swing, amd turned them into living and breathing extractions of the hopes and dreams of what every young African-American male wanted to look like in 1993, and in song produced tracks and Jodeci sang verses that createst lustful throngs of female fans that knew what time it was, and definitely wanted the quartet to come and talk to them, but also do a little bit more as well. And R. Kelly’s epic 1995 “Down Low” video length movie is the ultimate loverman standard. What gets “Birthday Sex” consistent mainstream airplay is not just that politely autotuned, spanish guitar laden track. It’s what the song represents. There’s a romance there, something that definitely takes the listener back to the “Down Low” era Kelly, singing an AMAZINGLY seductive slow jam, but in the video portraying the limo driver and caretaker of coldest pimp ever Ron Isley as Mr. Big’s girlfriend “Lila Heart” (Garcelle Beauvais in an early debut). Their tempestuous and illicit love affair melts the screen, and after being caught, then both viciously beaten, the scene where Kelly bits a final farewell to Beauvais is the moment that cemented Kelly’s loverman legend in hearts and minds forever. While young and rising, neither Trey Songz or Jeremih has even begin to approach this level of craftsmanship, but seem absolutely filled with the drive and determination to do so.

Even more curious about the backgrounds of the new school new jacks is that Jeremih is from Chicago, R. Kelly’s beloved hometown, and of course, Songz, well, from Hampton Roads, VA, hometown of Jojo and K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci. The lineages are there, and are rather obviously being followed. It is this author’s hope, and sincere belief that mid 90s R & B was a fabulously fun time in urban music that allowed for collaborations and musical explorations that have come to define the urban edge of popular music. Seeing the outlines of this era once again, a wonderful development.

BLISSPOP – DMERIT/BOBBY JAE & KEN LAZEE/WILL EASTMAN/NADASTROM/TITTSWORTH – 9:30 Club – 7/3-4/09

The fact that Washington, DC now boasts a seven day a week underground party scene is fairly amazing, all things considered. For the numerous taunts and teases the city receives, from being a city of transient non neighbors, to that of being so polarized along racial and socio-economic lines that unity of any sort, on much of anything is virtually impossible, DC’s ability to persevere, namely in the DIY dance and electronic music community is commendable. Friday’s Blisspop Summer Extravaganza event at 9:30 Club wasn’t even so much a celebration of the talents of the DJs, so much as it was a notification of acceptance of our city on a national and international landscape. Nadastrom and Tittsworth, the closers, are INTERNATIONAL superstars these days that get namedropped in the same breath as globetrotting party starters du jour like Diplo, Steve Aoki, Rusko and so on, and so forth. It must be noted that in the mind of this author that it seems as though every time Nadastrom or Tittsworth comes back to the DMV after an extended absence, namely at a Blisspop party, the crowds are larger, louder and more knowledgeable of not just the music of the headlines, but of the culture in general, and that’s nothing but a positive. Will Eastman, a cultural curator of sorts of the Capital City, does well at these parties to support our “superstars,” while at the same time surrounding them with our city’s top stalwarts and rising talents as well, which was more than apparent as Dmerit, with their funky French electro, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee’s populist mixing, and Eastman’s stellar ear as a selector proving that DC is not just a two horse city.

Miniature water pistols? What’s a dance party without a parcel of water pistols?
Photo credit Max “max_imus” Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

What’s a birthday without a candy filled Little Mermaid pinata to hang from the rafters of the performance venue?
Photo credit Max “max_imus” Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

If DC is going to make any waves on the national forefront, it will be due in large part to crafting an identity, or giving the nation a sense of what DC parties are all about. This is where DC’s transient and cold nature comes in, as, if you read the Washington City Paper, we abuse lots of drugs and alcohol, which says nothing about really having a good time, unless, well, that’s your bag. Blisspop reflected a great DC party angle, that of ribald and outlandish debauchery, as, between Dave Nada and Will Eastman, and a great number of other local DJs, there’s a strong indy and punk rock background, which lends itself well to the type of anarchy loosed upon the event.

You had Dave Nada dancing while swaddled in a DC flag while throwing down Nadastrom’s Beatport #1 single, the Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life” sampling “Pussy.” Then, there were all manner of soccer scarves, ketchup, or pickle juice or mayonnaise filled condoms, as well, there were pocket water pistols filled with water, and the coup de grace, in celebration of Dave Nada’s birthday, a pinata, filled with candy, that Nada savaged like a madman with a stick, a moment certain to be frozen in this observer’s memory for quite some time.

Will Eastman with pickle juice filled condom as Tittsworth murks the DC faithful.
Photo credit Max “max_imus” Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Dave Nada with soccer scarf.
Photo credit Max “max_imus” Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Musically, what can I say. Dmerit, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee played the role of able openers, a difficult one in the DJ world, as you just can’t throw down hard, rattling basslines or 140 BPM manic jams, but you’re playing solidly, rubbing the sticks to start the flame, Dmerit really showing tons of promise, Micah Vellian heavily involved as a producer for Will Eastman’s debut solo effort and the work of himself and Output Message definitely worth a listen. Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee got busy and even threw in Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” for good measure in one of those congruous incongruity moments that we can thank Girl Talk for. Will Eastman’s Ruby Isle “So Damn High” remix is always a winner (director Kylos who provides Blisspop’s fetching visual backdrops promises a complete video VERY soon), and he, from a technical standpoint was really on point to be point of being phenomenal on Friday night.

And the closers. I tend to believe that Dave Nada, Matt Nordstrom and Jesse Tittsworth turn in the kind of performances they turned in in DC on a fairly regular basis. That’s what makes them who they are in the dance universe. Making the commonplace memorable is the type of thing that a chain restauant strives to do in their credo when they serve you spaghetti and meatballs. The energetic, musical firebrand, crowd murking, wall rattling raucous mania associated with Nadastrom and Tittsworth, when accepted as commonplace, makes memories that if commonplace, you’re either living life quite well at the edge of a lighting bolt, or completely nuts. There’s a love of music apparent in the productions crafted by both performers. There’s a joy of being DJs, of having no real limits, of being able to use wobbling, drunken dubstep basslines that can wake the dead, of sampling just about anything and with some deft turns of talent making it INTENSELY musical, or having at your fingers the world of music, and in Tittsworth’s case dropping Drake and Trey Songz’s collaboration from Drizzy’s So Far Gone mixtape “Successful” as a soulful, melodic and even ponderous dance break in the midst of his three hour piledriving powerslam of music.

At the end of the day, Blisspop didn’t reinvent the wheel. Even better, if you’re full of hate for the entire hipster, DJ adoring community, it probably didn’t rate as important on your radar. But, if you’re a lover of music, and a believer in it’s power to producer such positive concepts as love, peace, happiness and unity, then this was a celebration of that. We’re all broke, we’re all struggling, and, let’s face it, times just ain’t right. Friday night, a slew of uber talented made things a little bit better. And that’s wonderful.

Kudos.

TGRI ON BYT AND MORE!!!!

Yes, it’s true. As of Wednesday, July 1st, I am now a contributor for DC mega blog Brightest Young Things (www.brightestyoungthings.com), providing comprehensive dance and electronic music coverage for the website. “Humpday Hysteria,” hitting the site every Wednesday (and copied here as well,) will not be the deep and thorough musical exposition you find over here, but, a far more mainstreamed take on dance and electronic music, tailored toward the ordinary average partygoer who doesn’t usually care about the difference between Rusko and AC Slater, but just wants to have a great time. As well, there will be extensive reviews and interviews of the local party scene (starting with tonight’s massive Blisspop), much again, like what can be found here, but just being seen by 65,000 more potential eyes a week. Thanks to everyone for the constant support, as it is duly appreciated and I hope to be able to continue to provide you, the reader, with phenomenal content in the weeks, months and years to come.

Thanks again,
Marcus

BRIGHTEST YOUNG THINGS RE-POST: HUMPDAY HYSTERIA COMPREHENSIVE DANCE MUSIC COVERAGE

Welcome to what will be Humpday Hysteria (we’re getting a late start this week), your comprehensive stop for recollections and tales of electro sex kittens and dynamic disco fiends, as well as all things great, small and fantastic in the dance and electronic music world. I write about pretty much the same thing, give or take a few riotous punk shows, some hipster mayhem here and there, hip hop and current musical events over at my socio-cultural/music experiment True Genius Requires Insanity (tgrionline.com), and for The Couch Sessions (thecouchsessions.com), and am certainly glad to be here. The trend here will be to focus on the phenomenal local DMV scene with a broad smattering of the national and international involved. As well, I’ll tend to link everything thematically from item to item, just because it’s a fun mental device, and also to show just how large the DMV impact is these days in the scene. There’s a ton going on of note, so let’s not dawdle with any more useless text.

It’s July, so it’s summer party season in our local dance music scene. And this year seems bigger and better than ever.

THE BLISSPOP SUMMER BLOWOUT IS THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE 9:30 CLUB

Maybe one of the top three parties I attended last year was the Blisspop Christmas party, which featured enough mind blowing sonic occurrences to fill one column. After speaking with Will Eastman, I fully expect that memory to be eclipsed on Friday night. The lineup is frankly incredible, and features the local DC DJs with the greatest national impact (Nadastrom and Tittsworth), the forefather of this whole DC movement whose about to blow up big *again* (Will Eastman), and between Dmerit, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee, you’ll really get to see the depth and scope of the city’s gargantuan talent load. Doors are at 9 PM, $10 TICKETS! And, definitely check BYT next week, for interviews, footage, pictures and a review of the ridiculously good time!

Rye Rye f/ MIA – Bang: THE VIDEO

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/10032373001?isVid=1&publisherID=1612833736

Histrionic Bmore club rapper, party starter and dance princess Rye Rye finally dropped the video for “Bang,” the Blaqstarr produced instant anthem (that hyperkinetic staccato drum loop is a winner) that is tearing up the clubs worldwide, with even our own local triumvirate of Nouveau Riche DJs, Nacey, Starks and Gavin Holland getting in on the fun with their own remixes. MIA, Miss “Paper Planes,” even gets in on the fun on this one, and the low-fi video, actually shot in Baltimore two months ago at the legendary Paradox, features the freaking, jumping, popping, locking and swaying that Bmore club pulls out of just about anyone exposed to the sound.

MY CREW BE UNRULY

Superpromoter Puja Patel has put together the most incredible lineup of party crushing DJs around for the second “My Crew be Unruly” affair at the aforementioned Paradox on Saturday, July 17th. Baltimore club legend K Swift spun her last set ever prior to her untimely and most unfortunate demise at the mega affair that many dance industry insiders called the best party night in the nation last year. Twenty eight DJs (with more being added almost daily will spin between three rooms, with Bmore legends like Scottie B, Rod Lee, Jonny Blaze and the Dew Doo Kidz, DC’s own Nadastrom, Stereo Faith, the Nouveau Riche guys, Philly powerhouses DJ Sega, DJ Tameil, and the Crossfaded Bacon Crew of Emynd and Bo Bliz, and a cast of heavyweights, it’s going to be likely once again the party by which to judge ALL other parties. 18 and over, BYOB, free beer, hot 4 AM breakfast, $15 special tickets available at http://www.going.com/mcbu. More forthcoming on this party in the next two weeks!

IS DC READY FOR THE HEAT?!?!?!

Stereo Faith is a longtime bastion of DC’s club scene who gets underappreciated by many. Jonny Blaze is a legendary fixture of Bmore club music who has the same problem. Put their enormous talents together? Problem solved. Stereo Faith and Jonny Blaze (creator of the track for the hottest Bmore club dance the Ice Cream,) as dream tag team disc jockey combination “The Heat” are presently on a mini tour of the East coast, playing Brooklyn, Philly, Baltimore and every spot in between, but will come to rest on Saturday July 11th at the Feedback party at DC9, with headliner Dave Nada, two of the most criminally underrated selectors in DC, jacks of all trades Trevor Martin (get his latest Rock’n Bamaz 2….three year old hype girl, what?!?!) and Andrew Jaye, and performers the Hardy Boyz. Speaking of The Heat, expect an interview with the tandem, as well as a few exclusive samples of their technical wizardry to drop here before the end of the month.

CRAZY HOT HUMPDAY DOWNLOADS

In the wake of the demise of 14th Street’s Red Lounge as a popular underground DJ venue, 9:30 Club’s Backbar, replete with amazing soundsystem and alcoholic slushie machine (really, you haven’t lived until you’ve had the coffee slushie) has taken the reigns for the better as being the new burgeoning hot venue, and with hours until 4 AM, is the ultimate rising late night spot in town. The just mentioned Andrew Jaye, a Pittsburgh native who is a part of the 12 Pound Sound monthly (with Spiggums and B. Gully), hosted fellow Steel City natives now based in Philadelphia RCMP (DJs Apt One and Relative Q), who released their eponymous EP two weeks ago. The disco flavored dance floor buster on there, Ibiza, PA (download HERE) is a synth laden uptempo winner with a pulsing breakbeat that recalls tinges of late era Giorgio Moroder. For more info on the duo and their EP, visit http://www.myspace.com/rcmp.

Washington, DC native now living in Baltimore, James Nasty is an old Bmore club soul stuck in brand new times. Nasty stays true to keeping the beats bass heavy, pounding, and based around the “Think” and “Sing Sing” breaks that jam on the one, and with a wicked sense of humor and eye towards populist appeal has started to come into his own. You’d be an absolute fool if you’re throwing any sort of summer rager to not have two ridiculous James Nasty tracks in your collection, namely the absurd, funloving, must be heard to be believed, Jungle Brothers production trending “Put It in Her Pooper,” and the real hetero male, fist pounding, chest thumping, Jock Jam, old school Bmore club fight anthem winner, “Eye of the Club,” which makes Survivor sound like they made a really wussy record for Rocky Balboa, as the “Sing Sing” break, with the angry “WHUT!’s” all over the place take the track into some pretty wild territory. This record may or may not make you want to punch a personal trainer in the face when he postulates about how “partying keeping you from your fitness goals,” not that the author would know ANYTHING at all about those activities.

And in final, Major Lazer. Heard Diplo and Switch stopped through the city a week or so ago, and did a helluva job over at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Do grab the album, and even if it’s not your cup of tea, know that while the surf guitars meet heavy basslines, meets Santigold of “Hold the Line” pull you in, “Pon Di Floor” is the dance floor anthem for the rest of the year, and that “Baby (excellently remixed HERE and turned into a tribal themed breakdown by Arizona based Figure) ,” featuring hilarious Jamaican rapper Prince Zimboo (think Rufus Thomas type comedic timing in a patois tinged flow) is proof that while Jay-Z killed autotune, a sample of an autotuned crying infant, will live forever.

And there, friends, is your weekly dose of Humpday Hysteria.