WE NEVER LEAVE THE CLUB: Quarterly Baltimore Club Music Update

Whether you like it or not, this guy had the best year in Baltimore club music. By a long shot.

As 2010 draws to a close, Baltimore club music is in an unusual place. On one hand, the music is more mainstream accessible than ever. Blaqstarr is positioned to become and underground pop icon and everything that was either directly or indirectly attached to the hipster movement from Pabst Blue Ribbon beer to Diplo is achieving a place in the mainstream. Usher’s “OMG,” a Baltimore club track disguised as a pop song was voted by MTV as the channel’s favorite pop tune of the year. Baltimore club tracks are now a staple of mainstream R & B and dance releases for the time being as well, as acts ranging from the expected Black Eyed Peas to the unexpected newcomer Miguel incorporating the sound. On one level, between that and internationally popular DJs like Trouble and Bass’ Drop the Lime and Zombies for Money, along with kuduro club smasher Munchi making waves in club music the dream has been realized. Club music is global, in a major way, and shows no apparent signs of slowing down. However, as rapper Redman once entitled an album, “Dare Iz a Darkside.”

 We No Speak Bmoreo by James Nasty

On the veteran front, Unruly’s Say Wut had another terrific year, releasing an album length mix, and with King Tutt promising a 2011 release that will venture deeper into the electro side of club music, Unruly has transferred quietly from being a leader in club music to being the genre’s most respected brand. Hearing Scottie B drop bombs at the Baltimore Bass Connection Xmas Party at Sonar wasn’t the life altering experience it normally is, instead it was met as the expectation of the DJ and the music he plays. In having harnessed the titanic strength of club music for so long, and being the brand that carried it into the mainstream, Unruly no longer needs to be a leader, but it rather can be the steward, the respected folks at the top of the game.

http://www.youtube.com/v/IK4BSndto8Y?fs=1&hl=en_US

It is important to also note that the Baltimore game has changed. When the city was widely regarded as the predominant world underground leader, club music was swept into that. Now, as Baltimore has faded back into being a weird, yet still vibrant musical enclave, still local Baltimore club needs to be, well, back in the clubs. The growth that occurred in the sound between “Watch Out for the Big Girl” and “I’m the Shit” needs to be replicated yet again. There needs to be an emphasis on not just producing, but the actual art of DJing the music. Mainstream success is always just around the corner for club music. It reflects popular culture and features intensely catchy dance breaks. Jonny Blaze is an urban legend and Benny Stixx may not be a household name, but they are DJs adept at  producing and spinning the sound and getting people moving. Philly’s DJ Sega is a prodigy and everyone is aware of that. KW Griff and DJ Booman are holding down breaking songs on the radio. Between those names and a plethora more, there needs to be work done amongst DJs who still want to advance club music. While names like Usher are toying with the sound, enormous mainstream exposure isn’t exactly possible. However, working hard in the lab and concocting where the sound can be headed in the shadows of these giants is of ultra importance.

In final, club music truly became pop music in 2010. Of course, as when anything underground goes pop, it immediately causes tension in the underground, a sea of angry emotions, hurt feelings and rash decisions borne of confusion. All of these things happened in club music this year. However, with a quick change of gears, club music can survive, and actually get stronger for the next major boom. As the King James Version states in Ecclesiastes 9:11, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Club Music, Evolution 3.0 started in DC this weekend. Tales of DJ Sega and James Nasty.

As far as Bmore staples are concerned, club music will dominate the charts

long before the Orioles will dominate the standings again.

Let’s state that the evolution of club music at this point had a definite beginning, and a definite next step. The beginning will encapsulate the early era, where Jimmy Jones'”Big Girl” and the adopted Chicago anthem of Cajmere’s “Percolator” were added  to the musical lexicon and fabric of international music. The second era encapsulates the build and development of club music, as it spread nationally and internationally, making cult heroes out of Unruly and Bmore Original Records affiliated spinners and making underground DJ sets on 92Q as important of cultural identifiers as the work of any deep house, trance, hip hop or techno legend behind the decks. That of course culminated with DJ Class’ “I’m The Shit” being blessed with the cosign of 31st century forebearer and kingpin of all music Kanye West. In my most recent interview with him, Unruly Records chief Shawn Caesar mentioned club music was “headed back underground for a bit.” If this is the case, then in the last week, we have found ALL of the component parts necessary for the next evolution of club music. While we are still yet unsure of who, what, or when the mainstream surface will be yet again pierced by the trademark bass loops, drum kicks and hot melodies, we know where it’s coming from.

  Cee-Lo x Emynd “Fuck You” (Baltimore Club Edit) by Emynd  

Foremost, let’s mention the steady, yet understated influence of Crossfaded Bacon’s Emynd, local Baltimore youngsters DJ Pierre and Murder Mark and Unruly’s next in charge, King Tutt. They all deserve mention because their tracks are the bread and butter of where things are headed. Emynd released a remix of Cee-Lo’s virally explosive “Fuck You” that was so great that Warner Media Group, the media group behind Cee Lo’s label is hurriedly attempting to shut down all download locations across the internet. Electro club maven Tutt has an EP forthcoming that given his own hype for the release portends big things. Before KW Griff and Porkchop decided to “Bring In the Cats,” Pierre’s “Uhh Break” was likely the hottest club track of the year. Murder Mark stays in the studio, attempting to start to set a standard as a producer that will ultimately make him far more valuable to club music than ever having to DJ a live set in his life.

But club music isn’t best experienced on iPODs and over Wi Fi on laptops. It’s experienced live, and this weekend, DC was treated to three incredible sets from the two fastest rising headlining club DJs in the game, Baltimore’s James Nasty and Philly’s DJ Sega. Due to unforeseen occurrences, James Nasty DJed a 90 minute club music set at U Street Music Hall as the headliner of TGRI’s own Michael Jackson Birthday/Motown Happy Hour on Friday night. Of course, our hope was in having Nasty play that this would eventually lead to hearing Scottie B’s “Motown Medley” or DJ Technics’ “Please Mr. Postman” alongside the standard versions of Motown hits, but when it became obvious that we were going MUCH longer than expected, Nasty, whose confidence as a top notch producer and live DJ professional has grown as a headliner of the Ottobar’s Moustache Party played a set that paid homage to nearly every major Motown or MJ sampling track in the  history of club music, and as expected, the revelers went wild. What started off as an austere and fun event became a mess of sweat and excitement with U Hall patrons applauding Nasty with each increasingly more classic or rare club remix. Alongside Dave Nada nearly causing massive amounts of cardiac arrhythmia on the dance floor with his classic club set at U Hall for Stereo Faith’s benefit, club music is clearly NOT DEAD, but alive and well as ever on the underground, preparing for the next mainstream invasion.

Usher is not the only one in the mainstream these days saying “oh oh ohoh, oh my god” to the sounds of club music these days. Anybody in the listening vicinity of DJ Sega’s East coast mini tour this weekend may be dead. Or, if not dead, completely flustered by the ferocity that the Philly Club King intends to bring to club music in the future. At first, Sega was merely a creative wizard. Taking songs we knew in the most non-club setting and riddling them with a hail of drum and bass patterns. However, something great has happened to Sega. He has developed his style yet further, and is applying his trademark intensity to dubstep, electro and pretty much anything in his path. Toddla T, Donaeo, Dr. Dre and Caspa have all recently been remixed by the boy turned man who dares to be king.

DC’s H Street “Atlas District” corridor may be the hottest party locale in the city. Capitol Hill kids looking for something new have flooded the streets of NE in high numbers. These aren’t underground kids or jiggy club heads either. These are fresh scrubbed and hard working sons and daughters of white collar parents who like their beer cold and music top 40 or classic rock, no exceptions. Well, hold up…maybe not. At the Distract party on Friday night at Rock and Roll Hotel, the kids danced to electro. Not surprising. Pop radio sounds like Ibiza in 2002 and Brooklyn in 2006 these days, so, we should not be surprised. What was surprising is DJ Sega altered nothing, and beat kids over the head with sledgehammer cut after sledgehammer cut, marauded, steroid ingested club break beats spilling out of the sound system upstairs at Rock and Roll Hotel until it died. Yes, DJ Sega played a set so hard on Friday night that is caused a surge that activated a circuit breaker. Rock and Roll’s upstairs has become a resurgent spot for quality dance nights in the city with DJ Doc Rok and his proteges our own DJ Cold Case and gaining in experience Ratt Moze at the helm. They have refurbished and entirely renovated the upstairs area due to dancing being on the rise with U Hall’s white hot start out the gates, but, clearly after this weekend’s assault by Nouveau Riche’s Gavin Holland (who set the table perfectly) and Sega on Friday night, sonic reinforcement is necessary.

Between ease, finesse and classic dance friendly style, and rave friendly asskicking, these are the two extremes of club music. From James Nasty to DJ Sega, and all of the ultra important new school stops in between, club music is in great hands for its development and future.

SEAL OF APPROVAL (DC/BMORE) – DJ SEGA’S EAST COAST MINI TOUR – 8/26-8/28/10

Let’s all remember that point when people in club music talked about DJ Sega the same way we now talk about Murder Mark and DJ Pierre. Let’s remember when Sega was the KING of the roller skating rinks and couldn’t be touched in that realm. Well, that kid is all grown up. As of recently, Sega has displayed a less inventive for the sake of invention and more deeply creative style. Influenced by a slew of recent remixes involving popular European bass and dubstep tracks alongside the same Top 40 material familiar to the work of many northern based club DJs, Sega has finally matured as a professional. He’s become a recognized name both nationally and internationally, and recently cemented himself as a headline talent with the most talked about DJ sets of the Mad Decent Block Parties in Philadelphia and New York City, and an Australian tour last year that is still widely discussed on the continent. In both the northern and southern hemisphere Sega has set a precedent for people demanding more.

On August 26-28, the East coast gets to see what the self proclaimed Philly Club King brings to the table on this tour that intends to set a standard for what to expect from him in the future. On the 26th in Baltimore, he goes nose to nose and toe to toe with Unruly’s King Tutt, who dropped “Takeover” last year to universal nods of respect from everyone in the club music game, and with his talk of DJs with “weak ass songs,” and his proclamations of “shutting shit down,” and putting people “in his crosshairs,” this friendly contest of kicking out the jams between Philly and Bmore promises to be one of the highlights of club music’s fall.

And clearly with DC being on the rise as a top underground locale, Sega brings his tour here for TWO nights, Friday at Rock and Roll Hotel for DJ Ratt Moze’s Distract where he headlines alongside Nouveau Riche’s Gavin Holland, Moze, DJ Recio and Mr. Bonkerzz in his debut. Saturday, he plays 2122, the renamed Club 24 in NE off of New York Avenue alongside US Royalty, the Nuh Uh DJs, and SimPLEX in Bmore’s Moustache Party founder Radell Kane using a muscled up version of Moustache’s eclectic theory as a guide for his  first booking for the new venue. Sega is on the move, ready and prepared for a future with no limitations and a guide for success.

For more information, visit DJ Sega’s new blog, or check him out on Facebook and Twitter.

SEAL OF APPROVAL: (DC) $WEAT$HOP ft. DJ Sega & DJ Lil’ Elle @ 9:30 CLUB BACKBAR – 7/23/10

It’s the fourth Friday of the month, which means one thing: it’s time for the ultimate late night party option, $weat$hop. Hosted by residents Trevor Martin and Jackie O, $weat$hop always promises top DJ talent in the subterranean, speakeasy-esque Back Bar.

Tonight is a prime example, as Trevor and Jackie are joined by DC tastemaker-in-chief Lil’ Elle and Philly’s #1 Brick Bandit, DJ Sega. Just when you think you’ve debauched enough, carefully make your way down the stairs at 815 V St NW with $5 and an appetite for boozy slushies and body shaking bangers.

Sega always brings it, like he did back in April at Sonar with Kid Sister, and catching one of his sets at a bar as tiny as this one is a treat. And we (hardly) ever miss an Ill Element or KIDS, where Lil’ Elle regularly gets crunk. Tonight should be no different.

The Mad Decent Block Party on July 31st is the end of the hipster movement.

The Crowd Surfing Michael Vick Dog and Booty Obsessed Elmo,
maybe the two biggest names announced for the Mad Decent Block Party

If Michael Wadleigh were directing this story, the 3rd Annual Mad Decent Block Party on July 31st, the hipster generation’s last stand, would end the way Woodstock did. However, instead of Jimi Hendrix playing the “Star Spangled Banner,” it would be the self proclaimed “Philly Club King” and likely the movement’s closest performer on a level comparable to Hendrix, DJ Sega crushing his own remix of the national anthem in the same manner Jimi did, however, this one would be done behind the turntables, head nodding in time to the beat, blunt hanging askew out of the corner of his mouth, with the song that defines the nature and purpose of our nation being taken into avenues and corridors it likely never expected to reach. 

http://www.youtube.com/v/KrUoy1OMSPU&hl=en_US&fs=1

The hipster movement is dead. Just like the hippies before it, the most mainstream accessible and luckiest acts in the movement made it big, cashed out, and became superstars everyone could enjoy. As well, there are perpetual favorites too, the acts that everyone hopes make superstardom one day, because they’re entirely responsible for some of the best songs and defining moments that allowed the movement’s development. On July 31st, on a few blocks in Philadelphia, let’s all take a serious look at ourselves and a serious look at these performers. Let’s all hug each other, let’s all remember the times we shared, the moments we enjoyed, and what brought us together. Because it’s gone. It’s on the soundtrack to Jersey Shore. It’s the background music in video games. It’s number one on the Billboard charts, and it’s #1 on the President of the United States’ iPOD. These days, it’s certainly no longer the domain of the hearts and minds of awkward, creative, technologically enhanced and socially wandering misfits, but it’s the music that informs the world.

http://www.youtube.com/v/_7bX0FevAm0&hl=en_US&fs=1

Let’s also give credit to Diplo. Much of what became the hipster movement we couldn’t have had without him. He co-opted, co-mingled, resurrected, invigorated, involved, mashed up and reheated many of the world’s most unique and disparate local trending melodies into international champion sounds. Bmore club, Baile funk, Dirty South crunk, Dubstep, and the list goes on and on. Smelly girls and boys with phenomenally terrible beards would never have a clue of who K.W. Griff, Scottie B, Blaqstarr, M.I.A., Rusko, the Paper Route Gangstaz, the entire Brick Bandits crew and so many more were without him and the Mad Decent imprint. From such humble beginnings with DJ Low Budget and the Hollertronix parties to the likelihood of rocking 20,000+ screaming EDM maniacs at the upcoming Electric Zoo Festival, the idea of seeing this man dropping legitimate sound bombs of musical delirium while hanging out on a South Philly street corner in front of a mausoleum was once expected, but is now incongruous with the level of the man’s fame and legend.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jqSwpNgOxlI&hl=en_US&fs=1

And ultimately, that is why this is the end. It is now time for the rest of the universe to become enraptured by what we held near and dear. This block party, complete with a relaxed social atmosphere, local families and bizarre interlopers mixing and sharing and being happy together without threat of crime, is an ideal universe. Hipsters, a culture of people largely defined by eschewing financial gain for personal satisfaction and a self-defined harmony, for a significant era lived and thrived in that ideal. However, the bottom fell out of the economy, mommy and daddy had to pull the purse strings, and in many cases, an entire generation remembered those college diplomas sitting on the wall collecting dust, and used them to *gasp* get jobs, be useful in a traditional sense, and hopefully use the ethos of their era to influence the direction of the next generation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Rye8SkRmce4&hl=en_US&fs=1

From Nadastrom to the Death Set, to the Brick Bandits to Paul Devro and Brendan Bring’em to those they directly influenced like Maluca, Po Po, Bosco Delray, and the mysterious Toadally Krossed Out, this is the end of yet another renaissance era. Let’s bask in it’s memory, and revel in its ultimate success.

JULY 31st. Philadelphia. 12th & Spring Garden. 2-8 PM.
FREE FOOD & DRINKS. ALL AGES FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

If this movement defined you, raised you, and allowed you to truly discover and enrich your life, come join me and let’s celebrate.

We Never Leave the Club! – TGRI’s Quarterly Club Music Update…

Is this really the new face of club music?

Noted music scribe Al Shipley of the Baltimore City Paper has recently announced his intention to write Tough Breaks: The Story of Baltimore Club Music. Intended to be a comprehensive look at the history and influence of the house and bass influenced regional sound, the book, when completed may indeed be the best way of writing the closing chapter to the first and second generations of this influential sound. If anything, from what we have seen in 2010, the subsequent generations of club music will be truly international in scope, and in providing challenged for purveyors of the sound in Baltimore and Philadelphia, it would appear as though comeptition is only going to get hotter from here.

I can say without holding my breath or with the slightest modicum of shock that some of the hottest club music released in 2010 has absolutely nothing to do with its founding locales. I attribute this to the fact that the influence of club music is far more accessible now than ever. Instead of having to venture out to Rod Lee’s record store or purchase one of the vaunted (lol) “Scottie B Hard Drives,” producers can flip on a radio and/or search online for an afternoon and if they’re of a level of truly professional musical acumen, production of a “club banger” isn’t a matter of if, but a question of when.

Need proof of my statement? Rye Rye’s “Witch Doctor,” which sounds like it comes from the mind of Blaqstarr? No, that’s Chicago’s Million Dollar Mano, DJ for Hollywood Holt. “Sex Sax,” a warm, horn friendly house banger that sounds like KW Griff? Nope, that’s Brooklyn and Trouble and Bass Crew’s Drop the Lime and appropriately named Dutch master Bart BMore. “Git Em,” which sounds like something that Philly’s Brick Bandit maestro Tim Dolla created? Nope, check for DC’s Steve Starks on that one. And the world’s hottest underground DJ tandem right now are Portuguese duo Zombies For Money, who, if you listen closely, use yes, club music as a backdrop for Bhangra and tribal themed sonic journeys.

This isn’t to say that Baltimore and Philly aren’t still hit making locales. It’s just that their scope is different. Being the epicenter of the sound, the ability of local DJs from these areas has completely switched in expectation. DJ Class is an international phenomenon now, taking “I’m the Shit’s” success into the big rooms and Vegas parties at Body English, as he has recently joined again with Jermaine Dupri on Sparks’ latest “Favorite DJ.” Class is a frequent collaborator now with the “Get Familiar” spouting DJ, having left Alameda and Coldspring behind for the comfort confines of comped suites at The Palms. Also making waves as well is DJ Sega who has become a superstar in 2010. His track “Get Naked” with yes, Lil Jon is everything you’d expect the man whose “What?!?!?!” sample is a key component of Philly’s club sound, to be. Hard breaking and frenetic, Sega, with Toddla T and Drake remixes as well that are phenomenal has truly evolved into not just the most inventive DJ, but possibly one of the top DJs of the sound. And as far as the future is concerned, if you’re not fully aware of the dominance of DJ Pierre, Murder Mark and TGRI’s own stamped artist James Nasty, you’re playing yourself.

As for the veterans, you can’t really go wrong when DJ Booman goes in on Lazerbitch’s “Twilight.” As well, Say Wut’s familiar “Go” just got the dubstep treatment from Foamo, and still as far as live performances go, My Crew Be Unruly 3 is scheduled for July 30th, and is expected to once again be the epic throwdown of club music we all expect.

Club music in 2010 is an extremely bizarre place. Rod Lee is doing remixes for Steve Aoki. Usher has taken a leap into the club sound. Portuguese post teens are probably gettin’ their car washed in the club, as per instructions of KW Griff’s “Chris Rock Joint.” The sound that never fails is winning more than ever. Bitter and angry that it’s someone else making the money instead of the originators? Well, as with all movements, it’s never the ones that open the door who reap the benefits, but the ones who walk through. Instead of being at the head of the line, Bmore and Philly are just as important now as pretty much everywhere else in the world. The competition is now fierce and wide. Expectations for a new collection of legendary club bangers for a new generation is high. We never leave the club. In fact, the club just went worldwide.

TaxLo feat. Kid Sister/DJ Sega/Nadastrom @ Sonar – 4/10/10 – REVIEWED

I’m takin’ the tours, I’m wreckin’ the land
I keep it hardcore because it’s dope man
– Run-DMC “Down With the King”

Apparently, we all want to be down with the king. The self proclaimed “Philly Club King” DJ Sega that is. Sega headlined an excellent TaxLo event last night in Baltimore that, though nearly plagued by a number of occurrences, was still a more than wonderful time had by all. Cullen Stalin, one half of the combination that runs the event with Simon Phoenix celebrated his birthday 21 days late with a dream bill for him as it is every year for his birthday event, this year’s a once again spectacular array of hype at the moment artists on the underground scene. Top locals hard electro and dubstep spinning DJ Lemz and hyperkinetic party divas the Get Em Mamis joined with the most influential DJs of 2010 worldwide, Nadastrom, the electro pop and juking funk of diva Kid Sister, and the browbeating bass (and with apologies to MFSB the new “Sound of Philadelphia”) of DJ Sega for an intense bill of dancing, dancing, dancing, and yes, more dancing.

If not already acutely aware, Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom’s Nadastrom tandem represents the finest DJ braintrust at present in the universe. From a technical and entertainment standpoint, the duo are literal light years ahead of not just where popular music culture is headed, but laying down the tracks for pop music’s constant evolution. Nadastrom’s remixes are perpetually on point, tightly wound, slowly unfurled gems of music magic, the most voluptuous of developed noise. The elegance of minimal techno and deep house the Matt Nordstrom possesses, mixed with the kill or be killed behind the musical 8-ball attitude Nada has towards producing peak hour bangers created Moombahton, the chopped and screwed Dutch electro sound, which Nada has apparently already bored with with his depth of musical intellect as he uncorked the newest and latest in that barrage, a Moombahton remix of KRS-One’s “Step Into a World.” Yes, the Blondie’s “Rapture” sampling hip hop smash took a tour from the South Bronx through a smoked out haze in the Netherlands, down into the Dutch Antillies, and back to Sonar. Speeding up The Teacher to meet Moombahton’s three quarter time melodic sway is a work of genius. Pure, unadulterated genius, or maybe two guys obsessed and motivated by crowds of people moving their asses in lockstep to the most enormous grooves. Even in the position as table setters instead of headliners, they were absolutely every bit as tasty as the Old Bay seasoning instead of delivering as the crab cake.

Chicago’s Kid Sister performed an abbreviated set last night due to travelling with the flu and a fever of 101 degrees. That being said, the Chicago mistress of motion boogied her way through a very professional set where she did battle with her failing voice, but, as was again the name of the evening, she did battle with the dance floor as well, her lithe physique swaddled in tight black lycra leggings and a loose cut sleeveless gray t-shirt emblazoned with religious affirmation “Too Blessed to be Stressed” not sick enough to be dissuaded from a dance floor workout. Her set, which only improves as she adds new jams to it that continue, as she does, to be a 21st century repository for the history of house music. The straight up Chicago juke of “Switch,” “Pro Nails (with a visit from Rusko’s dubstep remix at the tail end)”and her excellent take on the Jungle Brothers’ legendary “Girl I’ll House You” punctuated a very exciting set.

But the star of this night, as with most nights, were the Philly Club sounds of DJ Sega. Literally fresh off a bus from Philly after playing a set in Pittsburgh the night before, Sega merely arrived at Sonar smoking marijuana as he took to the stage, set up a laptop, got busy behind the wheels, and closed the party with an utterly dominant sonic display. I tend to think DJ Sega became Superman last night. He entered the venue as Robert Taylor, mild mannered and extremely humble Philadelphia native. With a few puffs of premium sticky icky and his fingers on turntables, a mixer, and some necessary staccato drum loops, Lil Jon samples, and a mountain of riotous noise, he became a club music superhero. Add to this the fact that Rye Rye AND her backup dancers performed during his set as well in a poorly kept “surprise,” breaking, popping, Spongebobbing, Wu-Tanging and performing gymnastic feats of skill to Sega’s productions, and you had a recipe for the tightest club music night out of many transcendent club music nights of the year.

Last night could’ve turned into a catastrophe. The main stage of Sonar in what is still an economically depressed era may not have been the best look for a show featuring so many artists that are big, but still at a niche status on a local, national and international level. As well, having the advertised draw suffering from illness isn’t exactly a positive as well. However, we once again learned the lesson last night that good music and a positive atmosphere can solve everything.

SEAL OF APPROVAL – (Bmore) TaxLo feat. Kid Sister/Nadastrom/DJ Sega – 4/10/10

All around good Baltimore homie and friend to the site Cullen Stalin alongside Simon Phoenix promotes the legendary TaxLo party at Sonar. TaxLo has hosted pretty much every major underground artist of note of the past five years, and broken quite a few as well. Cullen turned 21 again on April 3rd, and this Saturday night, he’s throwing one of the biggest parties of the year to celebrate. No, I know we say that often, but really, this is going to be so so so ridiculous.

Kid Sister is a beautiful, Chicago born maelstrom of positive dance energy. Her debut album, Ultraviolet is a personal fave, combining mainstream accessible hits like “Pro Nails,” with it’s A-Trak production and Kanye West’s sixteen bars, the Swedish House Mafia party smasher “Right Hand Hi” and current single “Daydreaming,” with Chicago house covers like “You Ain’t Really Down” for the album to get you through any Saturday night on the dance floor. And that’s where you’ll be if you’re at TaxLo as the TGRIOnline.com Hustlers of Culture fully intend to be. Stalin’s attempted to book the perpetually busy and very much in demand dance diva on three separate occasions in the last year and a half, so, this performance is likely to be huge.

But the party doesn’t stop there. Yep, the “El Jefe de la Moombahton” Dave Nada and the magnificent Matt Nordstrom, yes, Beatport perennial faves and most important DJs on the international underground Nadastrom will be there. Last time we saw Nadastrom in Baltimore was for Halloween, a set we described as “everything went from insane to armageddon and back again.”

We’ve also said the following about Nadastrom here on the site as of late as well:

– “They blend a potent mixture of so many musial styles that it’s hard to really categorize what they do, other than to say it’s a particularly excellent blend of electronic dance music.”

– “I’ve seen them open for Steve Aoki. They murked the Mad Decent Block Party in Philly. They’ve toured around the world twice in one year, have hit #1 on Beatport, and are a constant in the sets of literally every major and minor underground DJ on the globe.”
– “Clearly, the phrase that pays in 2010 is ‘Y’all ain’t Yeti.’

And you ALL know you forgot how dope this is:

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7786344&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Nadastrom – Save Us from Ben Solomon on Vimeo.

Philly club music is SO on point this year. The Brick Bandits are the most inventive group of producers anywhere in the universe. The world champion of club music right now, DJ Sega. Some people may say Tameil, some may say Tim Dolla, some would promote young lion Nadus as being worthwhile, but for me, it’s Sega. He’s taking Philly club on an INTERNATIONAL ride right now, as club music gets more electro, Sega is the one in demand as a remixer, working with tracks from the likes of everyone from Toddla T to Laidback Luke and Steve Angello b/w Drake, all with excellent results. For a guy who had 200+ tracks done by the age of 17, his work ethic is legendary and production is phenomenal.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7445693&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

Dj Sega from Ian Crawford on Vimeo.

As well, Cullen and Simon open, and they promise special guests doing things like this…

Yep. You read that right. Aww damn. Tickets $10. All ages. Again, this will be ridiculous.

WE NEVER LEAVE THE CLUB: A Quick Baltimore Club Music Update…

http://www.youtube.com/v/HucLax1op5k&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=sv_SE&feature=player_embedded&fs=1

The ever entertaining Jonny Blaze has dropped a cartoon themed video (available after the cut) for new single from his forthcoming album, “Here We Go.” The fanciful and fun attitude mirrors that of Blaze these days, as one of the most positive and God-fearing men in well, music anywhere continues along a more enlightened path.

Have a need for what Jonny refers to as his “sinful” tracks? Or just want some of his guaranteed to cause wildness club bangers? Visit his online store, and check that he’s got some UK 2-step/club heat that’s available for preview and purchase. Jonny is always a strong proponent of being two steps ahead of everyone for sure.

—–

One of the more entertaining young lions of Baltimore, and the young man responsible for our own #MOARCLUBMUSICS Vol. 1, DJ Pierre has dropped the eighth volume of his VERY entertaining mix series. If you’re looking for where the smooth, house music related influence of club music went, look no further than Pierre, who consistently impresses with a eminently danceable and very mainstream style. Check his latest “Watch How I Do It” another solid track that has Pierre on the vocals and features spaced synths and a deep house vibe.

—–

The house and electro influence in Philly club is stronger than ever. DJ Sega’s at the forefront of it, taking his manic and inventive style away from kiddie remixes and into a much more serious direction, as his remix of Toddla T and Herve’s “Shake It” proved. Well, now he’s taken the acapella of Drake and Weezy’s new Young Money label single “Over,” and taken it to a much more ravey yet club centric home, with the aid of NY’s DJ Esentrik. Philly’s really taken the bull by the horns as of late for having the best of all worlds when it comes to the necessary innovation of electro sounds blending with traditional club music.

—–

Educational content on this history of club music from the master, Unruly Records’ Scottie B, taped at the home of Cullen Stalin and Scottie’s Monday night throwdown, the NO RULE party, Baltimore’s Metro Gallery.

http://www.youtube.com/v/vx4yz8hnAY4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1

EP REVIEW: DJ SEGA – NEW JACK PHILLY

When he signed onto the Brick Bandits crew, Philly club maestro DJ Sega already had 200 tracks completed. At this point, he was only 17 years old. Sega is a club DJ defined not just by volumes of material, but his unquestioned and trademark style. Sega’s mastery of unique sampling over the hardest of breaks and creating deliriously fun tracks is what makes him one of the more inventive and most important disc jockeys on the planet. His intellectual quotient is far higher than you give a man credit for who took the time to sample Quagmire from Family Guy. Sega just wants people to dance, and imagines a universe and landscape where there’s nothing better or more pressing to just get down. On his initial Mad Decent Records full length compilation New Jack Philly, the 80s and 90s cultural explosion harnessed on record ensures that not only will you get down, but you’ll be so intrigued and amazed that you’ll stay down with Sega’s cause forever.

Motivated by noting a mainstream motion to ironically embrace the culture of the 1980s and 1990s, Sega attempts and succeeds in paying homage to the culture that brought this entire generation definition, depth, scope and joy. Sega, named for the 16-bit gaming system, kicks off the disc with a particularly deft homage to Mortal Kombat and Tetris, the 8-bit sounds of Tetris particlarly entertaining over a break, as Mortal Kombat’s very aggressively techno soundtrack obviously lends itself well to club (moreso the Mortal Kombat II Immortals “Mortal Kombat” remixed later), and while not surprising, is well constructed and delivered. Sega’s love of video games and 80s and 90s comic quirk open him to a certain segment of the population rather well, and have created a considerable charm and appeal to him for the hipster set. However, in diving into the meat of this record is where Sega’s true power lies.

And in final, there’s something so right about Sega taking the track “I’m Black” from early 90s comedy CB4 and making a club track sampling the chorus of “I’m black/I’m blacker than black/I’m black,” as well, New Jack Philly goes hard, but goes hard in a sense that his highly unique to the urban black experience. I mean, the “Mississippi Slide” is remixed on New Jack Philly! I feel like I’m listening to this and it’s an interpolation for Sega of a sunny North Philly Sunday afternoon barbecue, collard greens in juices seasoned with fatback, some R & B on the radio, an opened fire hydrant, family, love and relaxation. It’s the very picture of stereotypical black family comfort on this record, so, in that uniqueness it strikes a chord. Sega has searched into the depth of his reality to create what feels like an interpretation of his upbringing, sliced with kicks, snares and breaks.

Club music, when produced correctly, is so warm and inviting that it breathes life into memories and creates brand new ones for the listener. Sega succeeds in that aim.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS