S*** I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK: Superior Sounds Edition

1. U Street Music Hall and DC blowing away the East coast

It’s really starting to get real down at U Street Music Hall, folks. Between Cosmo Baker (all vinyl set), Sam Burns and Treasure Fingers in one weekend rocking a crowd to their core, alongside the sonic slam dance that was the benefit for DJ Stereo Faith (headed into brain tumor surgery Friday, send strong vibes), the buzz on the underground venue is only getting hotter and higher. Willy Joy returns to keep his DC lovefest going on Thursday, Jellybean Benitez swings through on Friday, and with Paul Johnson, Thommy Davis, Timmy Regisford, Tony Humphries, King Britt, Francois K, Annie Mac, Craze, Klever, Mowgli, Sonic C and so many more coming to the venue alongside a growing in strength crop of local talent, this journalist fully expects U Street Music Hall to be the top underground dance music venue on the East coast by the end of the year. Mixing rabid crowds with top sounds and DJs uplifted to playing high quality sets, few spaces in the country can compare to the Temple of Boom. On a site note, we’re hosting a Michael Jackson Birthday/Motown Happy Hour at the venue on September 25, almost solely based around the idea of hearing what James Jamerson’s bass guitar will sound like in the venue. DC is an absolute treat of a city these days for sure.

2. Say it after me…tribal guarachero.

Anybody who knows me REALLY well will know that my favorite mix of the last few years has been Paul Devro’s Invasion of the Loop Zombies from Mexico. It held a mystical magic to me hearkening back to how I received it, as Taxlo co-chief Cullen Stalin slipped it into my hands at 5 AM on a sweaty Sunday morning at SXSW ’09 after an epic tribal gathering/dirty hipster mess/rave of a Mad Decent party at an abandoned Salvation Army store in a strip mall outside of Austin, TX. Upon listening, the blend of techno with traditional Mexican folk music was a dizzying mess, like being dipped in a full body bath of LSD, and being asked what it sounded like once your head was dipped under.

PAUL DEVRO’S INVASION OF THE LOOP ZOMBIES FROM MEXICO MIX

3 BALL MTY CREW’s MIX FOR FADER

3 BALL MTY’s FREE EP

Fast forward to 2010 and Toy Selectah dropping knowledge on me in our interview that tribal guarachero was coming. In mentioning the members of the 3Ball MTY (think “Tribal”) Crew by names (Erick Rincon, Sheeqo Beat and DJ Otto) and reputation, we should’ve seen what was coming. Well, on Monday, the crew dropped a free EP and mix that has stunned ears nationally and worldwide. Hot on the heels of Dave Nada’s Moombahton, the Mexican response is to take the traditional sounds completely underground and adrenalize them with techno. If you thought this Latin revolution was happening in 2/4 time at 108 BPM, stop EVERYTHING you’re doing and take a listen. The Latin sound now has depth and scope, and the rest of 2010 appears to be quite entertaining to say the least.

Jesse Saunders and Sam "The Man" Burns Invigorate Red Fridays @ U Street Music Hall – 4/16/10

Washington, DC is once again rather rapidly becoming a must stop location on the international EDM radar. Venues like Fur and Ibiza hold down the big room international scene with the likes of Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, etc., but on the local to national, now even international front, the development has always been constant, but never had a showpiece for its grandiose history quite like the brand spanking new U Street Music Hall. What began in essence as the 88DC crew presenting the 25th Anniversary of House Music Tour with Chicago house music innovator and legend Jesse Saunders as the headliner, and Joe L. ad Sam Burns supporting, instead became not just a celebration of house music, but an appreciation of  its legacy, its perpetuation, its importance to the DC musical tradition, and the importance of local stalwart Sam “The Man” Burns to those ends.

Sam Burns has been spinning records for over thirty years in the Washington, DC area. He in fact pre-dates house music, but has gained his most ardent following locally and nationally as a house DJ, spinning at many locations, but his Sunday night weekly at the Eighteenth Street Lounge being one of the funkiest, sweatiest and most body jacking nights on the local calendar. He played a magnificent set of thumping house grooves, nothing crazy, special, unique or especially out of the ordinary, just another set on another night illustrating the excellence in craftsmanship of Burns as a DJ. He’s actually far more than a DJ, he’s a bit of everything, from a griot of the sound, to a master crowd reader, spirit guider through rhythm, and warden of dance music as yes, he explained in a hilarious manner that if people didn’t want to dance, and wanted to “look pretty,” to “get the fuck off my floor.” He’s a DC institution, with roots and ties of six degrees of separation to pretty much every name, major and minor in the area, and playing his second night so far out of the four Red Fridays, it’s quite obvious that the night, as well as in many ways, the venue, would not exist without his skill and renown.

That legacy was rewarded just prior to Jesse Saunders’ set, as he awarded Sam a “Pioneer of House Music” award from him, as a part of the tour stop through DC. There was a palpable sense of respect between the two legends, as, in many cases, you can’t see the forest in spite of the trees, and you lose focus of the far reaching effects of someone you see as an amazing local treasure on a national and international front. Saunders spun a set that was excellent as well, but not in the same manner as Burns’ which was a forward progressing journey through the new legacies that house music can create. Saunders instead played a multitude of classic soul and disco house re-edits, from The O’Jays’ “I Love Music,” Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “The Love I Lost,” William DeVaughn’s “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got,” and Zhane’s 1993 classic “Hey Mr. DJ” getting a particularly entertaining reworking, as in ten minutes he ran through the original, 12′ inch mix, and rap remix. Yes, Saunders did play his legendary house track “On and On,” which was actually met by a round of cheers as he asked the faithful if they were fans of Chicago house, and if they even knew what the track was? DC was hip to history on Friday night, and was more than accepting of the past, present and future of house they were treated to. The laid back soul grooves created not so much a deep atmosphere, but a fun party vibe, more laid back than wild, but clear entertainment for everyone.

The legacy of house music has been set for quite some time. However, it’s the remembrance of its roots and having people still around who have first hand knowledge and ability of harnessing and releasing them in streams of brilliant noise that often matters. To listen to Sam Burns and Jesse Saunders in the same venue on the same night was, when leaving, like having your ears leave the venue with a Ph.D. in the importance and sheer magnificence of the sound.

PERMANENT SEAL OF APPROVAL: U STREET MUSIC HALL, WASHINGTON, DC

Well, let’s hope that this isn’t the last time we have to do this.

TGRIOnline.com is giving the U Street Music Hall a permanent Seal of Approval. In the first two weeks of the venue’s existence, an unbelievable energy has permeated the city’s EDM culture. No, it’s not the 20,000 watts of sub-atomic bass that Jesse Tittsworth turned on a slightly thinner than expected but ultra appreciative crowd at last night’s Plant Music showcase like a bunch of kids on a hot summer’s day on a street corner. No, it’s not the fact that Tittsworth gave us a preview of Nadastrom’s “Punk Rock Latino” and a bunch of other forthcoming Nada and Nordstrom goodies that will be the soundtrack to what promises to be an EXTREMELY rowdy summer. Nor will we claim that it was NYC legend Stretch Armstrong spinning an incredibly solid set of hip-house, body jacking, classic Chicago reminiscing set of house music.

No, we won’t point to Will Eastman and his now ubiquitous Giorgio Moroder moustache smiling mirthfully as his ten years of dedication to Blisspop turned into a sonic cold rush of blood to the head at the venue last Saturday night. It wouldn’t be watching ex-Glitch Mob member Kraddy work himself into a frenzied state of hysteria building his set of hip hop inspired dubstep to a crescendo. No, I won’t even point to the soft opening week with Tittsworth, Nadastrom and Dubfire sets. Or to Harry Hotter lifting his stock as a DJ in the city for those who just weren’t aware with kingpin selections on two separate occasions in a 72 hour period. And, we won’t point to the venue resurrecting Red, which may be one of the most personally gratifying occurrences of the year so far.

Happy Birthday, Scottie B!

I’ll point to the seeming perpetual standard the venue sets for excellence on a nightly basis. Tonight, for instance, it’s probably the best DJ in Washington, DC, Sam “The Man” Burns at Red Fridays. Tomorrow, Unruly Records kingpin, Bmore legend and godfather of club and house music Scottie B has a birthday party with confirmed spinners listed as his NO RULE cohort Cullen Stalin and the “U Hall Crew.” What exactly is a U Hall Crew, and, just how many local DJs claim Scottie B as inspiration and teacher and will spin as well? I think a blind, dumb and deaf man knows how we feel about #MOARCLUBMUSICS on this site, so, on that system, this is a necessary event for sure.

NYC’s Flashing Lights Crew of DJ Ayres, Nick Catchdubs and Jess Jubilee are in town next week, and, well, they’re all just superior talents bringing one of the universe’s best known affairs to DC. DJ Stylus spins Red Fridays, and, well, Gavin Holland, Nacey and Steve Starks, the young guns of DC EDM now get to throw Nouveau Riche as an 18+ event. This is the same Nouveau Riche that involved people swinging like orangutans from the rafter beams at DC9 and parties based around 1991 rave culture, and ass well was founded by Gavin Holland, the guy who throws parties where people are forced to wear shorts and can play in ball pits. There’s already a ridiculously high juvenile quotient to Nouveau Riche which is going to skyrocket in a wonderful way.

U Street Music Hall is the touchstone point for DC’s arrival as an international powerhouse. Have you ever complained that DC isn’t this or isn’t that or can never be what you want it to be? Definitely stop by 1115 U Street sometime. It’s proof that DC, at least for dance music, is exactly where you want to be. It demands and deserves a permanent seal of approval.