maybe the two biggest names announced for the Mad Decent Block Party
FREE FOOD & DRINKS. ALL AGES FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.
Welcome to the first of many quarterly club music updates. Read, click links, but do enjoy the vast diversity that is Baltimore Club music.
The first quarter of 2010 has proven already to be very active in the club music world.
The Philly and Jersey based Brick Bandits crew have in the mind of this journalist produced the most intriguing and voluminous body of work this quarter. DJ’s Tameil (check the No Floors and Left Field mixes for some mind bending club excitement), Tim Dolla, Sega, and newcomer Nadus have spread the interests of the harder than hard bass loving crew to the absurdist limits of club music. Lady Gaga, Major Lazer, Toddla T, the Beastie Boys, and so on, and so forth, and the music just keeps on coming. Yes, they’re favoring an electro and house bent as well as of late, but to be a fan of club music in 2010 is like going back to the early days of Baltimore as well, where the vibrant house scene spawned so many legends who extended the sound in so many intriguing directions. The sheer volume of the work coming from this posse is quite outstanding and deserves commendation.
Hot off of the success of producing the remixes of Beyonce’s “Video Phone,” Unruly Records has laid forth their aggressive new plan to truly expand past having an influence just in the sphere of club music. King Tutt’s “Takeover,” which samples The Doors’ “Five to One” sample used in Jay-Z’s The Blueprint’s massive battle track against Nas has the bass that typifies club music, but as is the feel now for most of the city, warping electro trending synths dominate the landscape upon which the track is made. The involvement of electro in club music is certainly a nod to the dominance of the David Guetta and Dr. Luke productions dominating the pop charts, as club producers attempt to cash in on the mainstream’s turn to the underground for support.
Unruly’s DJ Class may be one of the more interesting cases as of late, as the “I’m the Shit” and “Dance Like a Freak” producer still with an unreleased Alameda and Coldspring album is favored by the likes of bottle service destroyer Clinton Sparks and having those sort of Vegas aspirations seemed to lend themselves to his refix of ODB’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” one of the few Bmore club influenced tracks with elements of electro, dub and numerous disparate influences. Moreso than electro, the hard bass and massive sounds of that rising genre being indoctrinated into club music really makes for an interesting take on the sound.
Scottie B is busy too, but in a most interesting way, having opened a Facebook Fan Page and having not one, but two old school Bmore club mixes available for download. The legend and cornerstone figure of the genre spins weekly at the party he curates with TaxLo DJ Cullen Stalin, and while he rarely errs to the club side, his opening of the party house mixes at the party are truly worth a weekly visit to the free event.
The most important party in the city at the moment may be the hipster dominated, Radell Kane organized, young Moustache Crew DJed Moustache Party. The key to this party is that outside of the young spinners, it is the weekly residency of the classic club, no frills, low electro influence James Nasty, the most hyped DJ in club’s underground. He has an EP forthcoming, but with tracks featuring Ninjasonik, Maggie Horn, Menya and DC’s Roll Wit Us All-Stars and possibilities of some grand slam names from club music lore forthcoming, he may be the retro link to the early days of club music’s rediscovery by the underground. The maintenance of that link is firmly in his hands every Friday night at the Ottobar’s upstairs, and in viewing the party, you see that he sees it as a positive advancement of his career, sharpening his skills as a live DJ buoyed by his excellent productions.
Classic party starter Jonny Blaze is back, too, now claiming a religious overtone to his club productions after some unusual life occurrences. His new track “Here We Go” features Blaze on the mic and has a Charleston bounce and religious themes. The invocation of religion and club music is a positive move, and outside of his own creations, possibly grabbing some Mary Mary acapellas could lead to some really fantastic tracks, as they, alongside Kirk Franklin in the genre are the most musically forward thinking to benefit from the club treatment. Blaze has an EP dropping soon as well, and fully expect an interview with the legend to drop here soon at TGRIOnline.com
Youth has been served as well, as DJ Pierre and Murder Mark both have done mixes as of late for this site, and continue to hold down the 18+ scene. Mark, along with his “Yo Boyz” cronies have an album dropping later this year with Aaron Lacrate’s Mikcrate Records which is vital sounding and entertaining at first listen and puts the young producer in a good situation for career growth. He’s also decided to possibly release a new track a day for the month of March. If any of them are as hot as “Cherry Hill and Down Ya Block,” the buzz will be high. As well, he’s recorded with TT the Artist, who, if you like Rye Rye (who’s back in the studio by the way) is absolutely one to watch as TT has recorded with DC’s Will Eastman amongst many others. Pierre is in the lab as well working on the eighth volume of his mix series as well as new tracks, his rapidly developing smooth as silk mixing style blends well with his minimalist, groove centered productions.
DJ Excel’s Bmore Original label, home to Benny Stixx and DJ Booman amongst others still stays adamant along the Top 40 path, Excel’s refix of Ludacris’ “How Low” another in a long line of top 40 edits some that hit, and hit hard, others that sound like ClearChannel radio aimed remixes. Neither is a bad look, as from “That’s What A Pimp Does” to Benny Stixx’s refix of Twista’s “Wetter,” there are giant jams that the style can produce.
If you have tracks or events that you would like to see profiled on the Quarterly Bmore Club Update, email dowling.marcus.k AT gmail.com for more information.