S*** I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK: Starks and Nacey and DC EDM at Level Zero Edition.

Sometimes as a journalist you feel fantastically stupid. I’ll take the L here for proclaiming DC’s Nouveau Riche affiliated production duo Starks and Nacey as being the best thing since sliced bread before they even really got started. Same goes for Will Eastman, Gavin Holland, Chris Burns, and a plethora more. Great is a relative term. For a market where killing a party of 200 sweaty hipsters in the upstairs bar of DC9 was once considered a massive underground success, the Nouveau Riche guys were great. Throwing a small to mid-range sized dance party for ten years in a city whose nightlife proclivities change every two years and keeping it fresh and forward thinking? Will Eastman, certainly great. Chris Burns having the soul of Larry Levan captured in a stringy haired blond white non Italian not from New York City? Great. But amazingly great on a level comparable with other truly great things on different levels? Not so fast. Washington, DC is a small city with tons of well respected but since the days of punk and hardcore and Buzz at Nation not so world renowned indie cred.

DC having roughly 700,000 residents adds complexity to this issue as well. It’s a city that in being transient loses its ability to maintain significant fanbases for artists, or even fans who truly appreciate why something from a different generation was truly culturally significant. DC having U Street Music Hall is level zero for the recreation of DC’s underground as not a punk or hip hop happening, but a dance floor explosion of mega proportions. If I took a poll of 10 twenty-somethings walking DC’s streets, they wouldn’t be able to get the importance of Bad Brains. But, if I walked them down into U Hall and played Will Eastman and Micah Vellian’s “No Sleep,” they’d understand why it is truly a wonderful production. Great bands fade. Seeing HR at U Hall a month ago, he was still charismatic, but lacked the physical presence to convince anyone that this was once the voice of a generation. Great sounds amplified by world class systems last forever and provide permanence to this latest and possibly greatest DC underground revolution.

We’re at the beginning here. Everything that was created by those who are at the forefront of DC’s music underground and creative thrust toward mainstream credibility before U Hall and greater access to the top levels of underground dance music was practice for being great. DC now finally has a completely fresh generation of DJs who have access to superior sound, top flight producers and DJs who are still extremely relevant, and a growing national reputation for crowds that international top names yearn to play in front of. On a local level, the intellectual quotient of the average DC parter is slowly starting to grow. It’s like DC was being fed angus cheeseburgers for years, but now gets to dine on filet mignon. It’s a gradual evolution, but an evolution nonetheless.

Nacey and Steve Starks are two of the plethora of young producers and selectors being indoctrinated into this top flight EDM culture in the Capital city. From making funky house break inspired tracks in 2009 to their “Snow Beach” mix, there has been impressive evolution. The duo makes their third trip to NYC this year, with the last one involving an East Village Radio set, and this one involving playing Jess Jubilee, Nick Catchdubs and DJ Ayres’ “Flashing Lights” party. Starks and Nacey’s sound is evocative and deep, pulling forth the best elements of techno, deep house and the thumping percussion of Philly club music. As well, there’s hip hop swagger at play, as 808 kicks and a smoked out, reserved yet take no prisoners attitude that’s half inspired by Wiz Khalifa and the other half a hearty blend of Outkast and the Clipse. The combination of these elements creates a sound that as it evolves will not follow trend, and always remain complimentary to the mainstream notion, but entirely fresh.

Download their mix at the Flashing Lights blog, and be fully aware that the game has changed. DC, with limitless potential at every turn, is the Cinderella story of the dance music world. Respect is due.

THE DROP/Interview: DC’s DJ Steve Starks prepares to "git em" and up the ante on his DJ career!

Steve Starks has an approach to electronic dance music that we’ve seen before. His influences are obvious, Baltimore and Philly based Club music, and a love of off kilter hip hop producers like Timbaland and Pharrell and styles from Texas and Louisiana. His development as a producer of EDM has been gradual and promising, as from the first Starks and Nacey EP released in 2009 with his partner in crime and Nouveau Riche party cohort Nacey to now, subtle growth emanating from an understanding of how to best unleash his increased knowledge of drum loops, bass patterns and melody to apply them to his works. “Git Em,” the title track of his debut solo EP for Tittsworth and Ayres’ T & A imprint has universally grabbed the attention of tatemaking DJs and producers across the international underground with it’s thunderous bass and magnetic dance floor sensibility. I had the opportunity to get Steve to answer a few questions about his career to date, and how he views his rapid development and renown.

1. Since the release of the first Starks and Nacey EP, in what ways have you consciously attempted to grow as a producer?

I think I’m really embracing my natural style now. Also, playing on the awesome system at U-Hall has been super helpful. I’m so bass conscious!

2. Where did the idea for “Git Em” come from, and how do you feel about the overwhelming show of support nationally and internationally for the track?

I wanted to do some Plastikman – Spastik type percussion. I just sort of banged it out one night in the wee hours of the morning. Thing is, I hadn’t even played it myself when I first heard it in the club. Jesse Tittsworth was the first to give it a go. I’d been sending him demos and Git Em was one. He played it out and the reaction in the club was so strong I was like DAMN, guess that’s a wrap. Big up Tittsworth! As far as support goes, much love to everyone playing the record and big thanks to Dillon Francis, Zombies for Money, Munchi and DJ Ayres for the sick remixes!

3. Back to your roommate, oft contributor, collaborator and Nouveau Riche partner Nacey. How did you two meet, and what’s it like working with him as well? Where do you find similarities, and where do you differ?

Nacey and me went to High School together in Maryland. I think the obvious difference is that he’s more melodic and I’m more percussive, but we have a lot of the same sensibilities. I love working with him. He’s the most talented dude I know. We got some new collabos and remixes that’ll be out soon!

4. There’s a definite importance of dirty south hip hop in your creative process. When did you become a hip hop fan, and why, and how does your appreciation of those crunk sounds influence what you do as a producer?

I’ve been a hip hop fan since I can remember but when it really clicked for me, was when I first heard early Missy and Timbaland tracks. That’s when I decided I wanted to make music and create my own style. Also, Crunk/South music from like 2001-present really hits home with me. That shit just amps me up. Its that raw energy that I try to put in my tunes.

5. Many note the stylistic influence of and appreciation you have of DJs and producers like Green Velvet and Armand van Helden as being very important to your development. When did you come across Green Velvet and why are you a fan, what about Armand’s “Witch Doctor” makes it tremendous?

Outside of Baltimore Club I really didn’t know much about dance music till I was 18 or so. I was always looking for new tunes, so I asked this raver chick if she’d take me to a party. That shit blew my mind. I loved it! I started copping CD’s and mixes and Green Velvet’s tunes we’re just so banging and unique. The emotion that he gets across is crazy. Its just the sound of someone leading their own way. Same goes for Armand and what I love about him is he really has a hip hop approach that comes across in his tunes. I think that’s a great quality that US producers bring to the international dance world and something I have pride in pushing forward.

6. Ideally, what producers, instrumentalists and vocalists would you enjoy working with in the future?

I definitely wanna get Manulita on a track. She can wail man! That’s top on my list. I wanna work with some rappers too, but not on some ‘im rapping over dance music’. It have to be some genuine next shit. I got plans to get up with Tittsworth too.


As far as instrumentalist go, I wanna fly in the Royal Gamelan Orchestra from Bali and preform at the Kennedy Center with Cirque de Sole acrobats. What up DC gov?! Give your boy a grant!

Want to see Steve Starks live, check him at Nouveau Riche at U Street Music Hall on September 11th with Nacey and Gavin Holland, or visit his Twitter at (@stevestarks)!

EP REVIEW: Steve Starks – Git Em

Some album covers prove the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The cover art of the Git Em EP by DC DJ/producer extraordinaire Steve Starks is one such picture. Evocative of the blood-soaked cover of Andrew WK’s I Get Wet, the photo says more than any review ever could, but I’ll give it a try anyway.

http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Ft-and-a-rec%2Fsets%2Fsteve-starks-git-em-ep&secret_url=false Steve Starks – Git Em EP by T and A Records

Released today on T&A Records, Git Em is Steve Starks’ second effort for the label, following the TRO/Lydia EP with collaborator Nacey. It contains a couple originals and a host of remixes by like-minded knob twisters. We’ve written at length about the title track, but it bears repeating: this is a brutal track. Building from a nearly minimal beat into crashing waves of snares and bass, “Git Em” is a mutated ghettotech assault.

The remixes of “Git Em” provide new flavors while keeping the core of the original. Portuguese duo Zombies for Money give it a twisted tribal feel, as if the track came from the darkest depths of a tropical jungle. Dillon Francis adds a four on the floor electro beat, while Munchi dabbles in kuduro. Each remix is a strong tribute to the evolving sounds of EDM.

Starks’ “Witness” is a similar audio attack, flipping Eddie Amador’s “Rise” into a late night tech house banger. The airy synths and preacher vocals of the bridge give you a chance to catch your breath, but the track is soon back to obliterate your remaining senses. T&A label head DJ Ayres amps up the house influences on his spaced out remix of the track.

Steve Starks – and the rest of the Nouveau Riche crew – continues to push the DC music scene forward. On the Git Em EP, he provides another couple of anthems for the subterranean bassheads that reside at U Hall, while sharing the spotlight with similarly-minded producers on the rise.
Four out of five stars. Buy it today on Turntable Lab, Juno or Beatport.

THE DROP: DC’s Starks and Nacey carve a niche

“Crunk suburban kids with humble swag who are extra nice with the production.” – a recent description by the author of the article’s subjects. 

A generation of kids drove around the suburbs as teenagers in hand me down whips getting lifted and drinking heavily while listening to Three Six Mafia and other hop hip hop of that day, and obscure house music. It’s an undeniable fact. Well, those kids have heroes now in the production booth, 2/3 of the playing this Saturday night at U Street Music Hall for the Nouveau Riche monthly with Gavin Holland, Columbia, MD’s own Starks and Nacey. The rise of the duo over the past two years has been an incremental climb in lock step with the development of Washington, DC as an underground music hub. Their 2009 debut EP only scratched the surface leading into 2010’s well received TRO on T & A Records. It showed their love of grimy Southern hip hop, as it really isn’t a great Nacey production if there isn’t a sample somewhere of UGK, The Clipse or Outkast. As well, Steve Starks’ twin loves of the aggressive edge of club music and the deepest and funkiest of house scratched the surface. Nacey made a poppy banger out of flipping the breakdown of The Emotions’ “Lose Your Love,” but that’s clearly not the direction they’re headed in. For a better idea, do take the time to check out their 30 minute workout from last Friday’s Faders East Village Radio show “The Let Out” where the crew shows off exactly where they’re headed over the next few months. Plus Steve drops some EXCLUSIVE STEVE STARKS GIT EM EP ON T & A RECORDS news, as we hear from the duo that is quickly ascending to the top of the rising new crop of young producers and DJs internationally.

STREAM STARKS AND NACEY’s SET ON EAST VILLAGE RADIO!

It isn’t a far stretch to name Starks and Nacey, Dillon Francis, Munchi and Zombies for Money as being next in line on the underground. Fortunately for us, all of these names have already started working together, and the creations are superb, and better for us, forthcoming.

  Steve Starks – Git Em (Munchi Kuduro Rmx) by Munchi

Starks and Nacey productions evoke a particular mood. It’s like taking something very much out of the familiar and expected, say, the floating and intensely soulful sensation of an elevated mind state, the aggressive wanderings of tribal house or the euphoria of a particularly tight break beat in the club, and hearing it ever so slightly altered. Not so aggressively that it sounds like an intentional or ironic diversion, but just a quality interpretation, mirroring the work of those like Green Velvet, KW Griff, Blaqstarr and DJ Booman that the duo idolize in many ways. Always keep an eye and an ear out for Starks and Nacey, as this truly is only the beginning.

THE DROP: Real DC EDM talk on the dominance of Nouveau Riche and U Hall

Let it now be publicly stated prior to this review that without a shadow of a doubt the most defining story of 2010 in Washington, DC’s burgeoning underground is the rise of the U Street Music Hall. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with the lineups or the performances, but the music itself. Sound waves at underground dance parties were never meant to bend, shake, wobble and emote they way they do when handled properly at the Temple of Boom. Playing U Hall makes average selectors and producers good, great selectors and producers excellent, and legendary selectors and producers appear to be deities when manipulating the controls and spinning the hottest tunes in the history of the world. Hearing a great record spun correctly at a packed U Street Music Hall is an invitation to cry, jump, wail and scream in appreciation of the sound of music.

Most underground selectors have at most a minimal understanding of how to navigate and manipulate the acoustics and sonic barriers of both a venue and a sound system. It’s not so much that the idea of “working” a record is a lost art, as much as it is a talent that has never needed to be learned, as most rock venues, African restaurants and hipster living rooms aren’t equipped with 20,000 watts of bass. Playing bloghaus on Bose speakers for drunken, Adderall altered post-teens in dive bars is a fun way to spend a night, but playing fully developed monster jams on a major league sound system is a progression that few are truly lucky enough to make when given the bloated glut of lost children turned scensesters turned attention starved partiers turned “DJs.” Having risen through the muck of the DC underground, the fact that Gavin Holland, Nacey and Steve Starks, the mixmasters of the Nouveau Riche party, are certified blog stars, the recognized future of underground dance sounds, and the crew behind the most wild and ridiculous of all of the events at U Street Music Hall is a testament to the fact that if one takes their craft as art and their skill as a calling card above all else, that full success is not only a necessity, but an inevitability.

If you believe the clicking red hearts to claim love of a song is the new Billboard, then Nacey is currently the #1 producer on planet Earth. At this very moment on Hype Machine (hypem.com), the 2009 TGRI DMV Song of the Year, the La Roux/Major Lazer Lazerproof mixtape featured remix of La Roux’s “Bulletproof” is the #1 song in the digital universe. If you think, like most who are in the know do, that Portugal’s Zombies for Money are making some of the cleanest produced and most sonorous remixes in the world right now, then the fact that their BEST work is on the debuted live at U Hall on Saturday night remix of his Philly club leaning “Git Em” clearly shows Steve Starks to be one of the most important producers anywhere right now. Starks and Nacey as a tandem also have an EP released on T & A Records, as well as an army of remixes forthcoming. And if you live in Washington, DC and aren’t aware of the ubiquitous Gavin Holland, (who is on the rise as a producer as well, working closely with the masterful Chris Burns) who is perpetually spinning at the hottest, newest and freshest parties in town, you live under a rock.

When their party, Nouveau Riche, was announced as moving to U Hall, it was the move that literally changed everything in DC’s underground. The party, with Gavin’s promotional excellence and Starks and Nacey’s quiet ascent to the throne was easily dominant when at DC9. It was the destination point and hot spot of the underground scene. When you looked at U Hall opening and housing Will Eastman’s Bliss, residencies for Nadastrom and Tittsworth, the reincarnation of deep house party Red Fridays, a Trouble and Bass monthly, the Beautiful Swimmers’ disco monthly The Whale, it seemed possible for the underground at other local spots to survive as fertile ground for DJs spinning bloghaus, techno, minimal and club music. Without inclusion of any representatives of the current scene, U Hall appeared to be great, but lacking any immediate relevance. Adding Nouveau Riche to the schedule, well, that put the icing on the cake and turned the venue from being a musical oasis into being an underground musical paradise. On the flipside, it allowed for bars and clubs once filled with an even mix of underground kids and Chad and Becky to now become all Chad, all Becky, and for DJs looking to have a claim to fame playing the last thirty tracks that Sheena Beaston said were “beastly” for a cadre of model thin hotties with unique fashion sense and the dudes who love them, well, let’s just hope Sheena and the crew like Nelly’s “Ride Wit Me,” Usher’s “OMG” and Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag.”

To be frank, upon hearing just how absurdly great the sound was at U Hall, I wondered if the most junior members of the regular calendar would be able to step up and crank home runs to the same level that Will Eastman (whose Bliss has turned into Will making passionate love to a volcano of sound) and Tittsworth (who appears to revel in attempting to rupture the eardrums, deviate the septums, dislocate the testicles and fry, not melt the faces of club denizens) have. After last Saturday, I have seen the future top team of DC, and it’s Nouveau Riche. Steve Starks and Nacey dropping their new edits on the system and dancing like mirth filled schoolchildren in the booth while exalting like Benny Benassi at Red Rocks or David Guetta at Electric Zoo when seeing 300+ insane teens and post teens wilding out is a sight to behold. Their tracks have made the move from often great to consistently excellent, and it shows when they are pitted against U Hall’s epic soundscape. Gavin Holland as a selector and technical DJ has improved, and much in the same vein as Will Eastman, has stepped up his game to level up to bassquake and synth rodeo U Hall provides.

On the second Saturday of the month, U Hall turns into a rave the likes of which hasn’t been seen in DC proper in probably nearly a decade. It couldn’t happen to a crew of guys who deserve it more.

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.

SHIT I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK – DC Dance Edition

aka avant garde music water cooler discussion

1. Nouveau Riche’s Plant Music Mix

MIX AND TRACKLIST HERE

Year One of True Genius Requires Insanity was dominated locally by the rise to prominence of DJs Gavin Holland, Nacey and Steve Starks, the Nouveau Riche crew. Holland rose quickly as the hipster rave face of Washington, DC, the Nouveau Riche developer with a blend of shrewd marketing, relentless grind, and the best local ear for taking the dance sounds of 1992 back to the future. Blended with two Dirty South hip hop devotees with a love of deep house and Baltimore club, Nacey and Steve Starks, the trio worked with razor sharp precision and developed a noted consistency for throwing the kind of parties that you never expect but always remember.

2010 finds DC’s top trio now hosting their small mashing of genres at the Temple of Boom known as the U Street Music Hall, where for the first two events, the party has been a sell out. Now 18+, the minds of impressionable youth are now in the hands of three young men who have nothing but tomfooolery, chicanery and DOPE grooves at the ready. The mix for the label that releases U Street Music Hall owners Tittsworth and Will Eastman starts with legend and presiding force over the label Stretch Armstrong extolling the many virtues of the DJ crew, and navigates with excellence through some truly magnificent remixes and edits of note, from Trouble and Bass’ Portuguese goth club crunkers Zombies For Money, house crushers Boys Noize and Dj Chuckie, and SIX new tracks from Nacey, Starks and Holland.

Starks and Nacey’s “The Flip” may be the hottest track the duo has had out since their first EP, the rumbling house winner takes a sample regarding cocaine distribution out to the dance floor and gets it soaked in sweat. Deep, funky and fun, it has pace and style. No greater mind on the nature of club and dance music than Tittsworth (who released the Starks and Nacey Lydia/TRO EP on his T & A imprint with DJ Ayres) himself has proclaimed Steve Starks as being “up next,” and his “Git Em'” is ‘the one.’ Take a listen and you’ll immediately know why. Gavin Holland is represented here with his Technotronic “Pump Up the Jam” recalling remix of Ninjasonik’s “Pregnant,” which is entertaining and a mainstream dance floor winner. Track “Power” with disco and house magnate Chris Burns is more of well, Holland being Holland, as it’s Snap’s 1991 anthem gone ravey.

Do take a listen, and enjoy!

2. Dave Nada – Punk Rock Latino EP

Dave Nada – Punk Rock Latino EP by T and A Records

I have now seen a homeless woman, two businessmen, a gaggle of hipsters and people potentially high on a whole lot more than life dancing to “La Gata” and A-Mac’s “Long Train to Moombahton” on a DC sidewalk.

If you didn’t make it by DC’s Velvet Lounge last Wednesday night, you missed what has now become a rapid evolution of the shape of Dave Nada’s ode to Dutch house, reggaeton and cumbia, moombahton. Now appearing to be far less about screwing Afrojack remixes, with the aid of Nada’s explorations into his Latino heritage, as well as the work done by the likes of Dutch reggaeton turned house producer Munichi, the sound has had yet another quick evolution, and now has depth and scope and is a celebration of the deep reaching influences of pure Latin sounds.

Nada’s latest EP features the titular “Punk Rock Latino,” a polyrhythmic thunderclap on a summer evening that features a dub remix that gets filthy and deep almost immediately, the inclusion of cumbia concepts into the sound making themselves readily apparent. The real champion on the EP though has absolutely nothing to do with “Punk Rock Latino,” but is the full release to the public of Nada’s KRS-One “Step Into a World” as a piece of eclectic magic. Horn stabs make the track a hip hop classic, and it’s the horn stabs sampled here that do it too, alongside a sped up KRS-One vocal edit and an overall feat of excellent production by Nada. Also, do check

Nada’s set at Velvet Lounge included cumbia, reggaeton and moombahton. No electro, no house, no hip hop, but all were sampled and included in the tracks played, showing the unifying essence and fully global impact of quality sonic experimentation. Do keep an eye on the rise and development of this sound. Whether as a warmup, peak hour smasher or cooldown after intense raving, it’s a sound that serves all masters extraordinarily well.

3. Cam Jus gets experimental

DC, like most of the underground dance world of the US in 2010, has gone deep into the realm of house music for new inspiration. I look to the success of Nadastrom, and namely the introduction of Matt Nordstrom’s production quality and style into Dave Nada’s cataclysmic club concoctions as the culprit for DC. This development has now reached to the realm of DC’s most inquisitive and introspective DJ mind, Cam Jus, who has been making some quality edits as of late blending Carribean rhythms with house sounds with maximum impact.

  Hold Yuh (Cam Jus remix)(Blast4 Preview) – Gyptian by Cam Jus

Also, yet to be released is Cam’s take on Mos Def’s “The Panties.” Cam’s best work comes when his mind turns sensual and romantic, and this is no exception to the rule. It may be his best work to date, and with expansions planned into both dubstep and yes, moombahton as well, the selector should at any point now be breaking forth from his shell and becoming a top quality force in the DC DJ game. Do check http://www.camjus.com for more information!

REVIEW/CRITICISM: Tabi Bonney/Diamond District/KIDS DJs – U Street Music Hall – 4/29/10

 
U Street Music Hall for the third time welcomed hip hop into its Temple of Boom on Wednesday evening as local standouts Diamond District and Tabi Bonney performed for a crowd that while waning showed support for the city’s most major national success stories of 2010.

U Street Music Hall is the most atypical hip hop venue in the city. By relation to Asylum, the home of local promoter and emcee Tyrone Norris’ “Cake and Kisses” event, or bottle service clubs like Ibiza, home to DJ Quicksilva’s vaunted Friday night hip hop glamfest, putting hip hop in the U Hall is like playing the Super Bowl in Madison Square Garden. Sure people will come, and certainly people will appreciate what they’re seeing, but the venue just isn’t the proper fit for the event. U Hall was made for dancing. The posing, posturing, Hennesey sipping and head nodding crowd really is a waste of the venue. Cmonwealth’s event with Hip Hop Dan and Harry Hotter, or DJ Dredd’s old school hip hop explosion may be a better look for hip hop at the U Hall, as the nature of JUST having a DJ lends itself better to the notion of dancing than the idea of a full fledged hip hop concert. However, as the venue figures out it’s place in the spectrum of housing all forms of music, I’m certain this will be addressed.

The night’s biggest winners were the Diamond District crew of XO, YU and Oddisee. Having just had a successful tour of Europe, the trio returned to the US for their first official show in Washington, DC. True to form for the District of Columbia, it was a 1993 backpacker special, the type of show that could’ve been headlined by Freestyle Fellowship or the Souls of Mischief. DC’s major issue is that insofar as moving into a hip hop era defined more by flash and production than by nuts and bolts emceeing, the city refuses to embrace the notion. A well marketed, poised and polished emcee is a pariah in this city, as the denizens of the hip hop community here err towards skills over style. XO, YU and especially overseas superstar Oddisee certainly have developing skills, as their performance, honed over the northern European countryside would attest. Performing tracks from In the Ruff was a massive success. The dusty, RZA esque productions sounded phenomenal on the deep U Hall soundsystem, and the crew is more than comfortable with the material on their 2009 giant splash of a release. However, in the freestyle portion of their set is where the crew lacks. XO and YU sounded out of breath and like the novice emcees that they are not, whether a case of nerves, lights or something else, it was not the best of displays for their talents. However, Oddisee, the most seasoned touring professional of the trio shone brightly, standing and delivering a freestyle that wowed the crowd and earned deserved plaudits.

Tabi Bonney, the golden child of DC hip hop was up next, and delivered a performance that was fine on the surface, but to this journalist showed an artist possibly needing a new push or challenge on the lyrical side to reach another level of excellence. I’ve seen Tabi perform four times in the last eight months. His set is on point and moves crowds everywhere. People that didn’t know Tabi Bonney from A bottle of Tab or the Easter Bunny have become instantaneous fans because of his very ingratiating, laid back and mainstream friendly style. However, maybe it’s my familiarity with the material or maybe something deeper, but it felt like “just another performance.” “The Pocket,” “Syce It” and “Rich Kids” are all hit singles. Fun, easy listening, hooky and accessible. For any other artist this wouldn’t be a problem. But for Bonney, easily the most acclaimed underground video director in hip hop, as well as a budding fashionista, the drive to excellence seems to be an expectation that not just we, but he shares, which led to a performance that didn’t work as a headlining, “tear the show down” set, but rather another appreciated performance from a very appreciated emcee.

The KIDS DJs played as well as could be expected between sets. Maybe not the best booking for the crowd at the event, KIDS is a dance happy college frat night of hip hop celebration, not the home of real heads looking for “real sounds.” KIDS for the most part celebrates the MTV Party To Go generation with forays into gangsta and backpacker excellence. Most of the heads present on Thursday night appreciate Puffy’s contributions as a man, but as an emcee would hang him in joking effigy. For the nature of what was expected, it was a job well done, but not necessarily the most congruous fit. No disrespect to Nacey, Steve Starks, Lil Elle or Jackie O, but I would’ve loved to see consideration given to the rest of Diamond District DJ Quartermaine’s “Low Budget” crew, namely someone like a DJ Roddy Rod to give the event an even more authentic feel and to liven up the vibe even more. Familiarity in this case could have brought a few more heads through the door as well.

U Street Music Hall is a wonderful venue for music that has depth, scope, color, verve, excitement, emotion and range. The hip hop artists booked, while excellent, perform music that is wonderful in that it is basic, appreciable, and trending towards excellent, but from a production level has no move towards grandiose displays of emotion. On a performance level, the show was on point. DC hip hop is in safe and developing hands learning how to have long, sustainable and successful careers. However, on a level of vibe, the ambiance was flat and uninspired. U Hall, as well as DC hip hop, are works in progress. This is a venue for big bass, slap you in the mouth party rap, top 40 leaning, big sounding production values with depth and range. This is not the most ideal place to see lyricists. This is not the ideal place for “real hip hop.” U Hall is about a party. Last night was not a party, but a concert. Two VERY different things. Washington, DC is a fantastic study of a musical wunderkind of a city that is presently a work in progress. When all is said and done, three stars and two bars will be on top. Life is won by the marathon, not the sprint.

SEAL OF APPROVAL: (DC) Nouveau Riche – U Street Music Hall – 4/10/10

To quote The Clipse, tonight is “Kinda Like a Big Deal.” Gavin Holland, Nacey and Steve Starks are the three young lions of the east coast DJ game. If not the best, they are card carrying members of the group of most buzzed about DJs on the underground scene. This is their coming out party. And they’re not gonna cry. Even if they wanted to.

Starks and Nacey are absolutely on fire right now, their latest EP on the T & A imprint alongside numerous mixes circulating on the internet have everyone in the know on the underground calling them the next to follow in the line of dope tunesmiths that starts with Deep Dish and Dubfire, and expands into Tittsworth and Nadastrom, and now ends, as all important electronic dance music roads do in the city now, the U Street Dance Hall. Nacey, well, though it has little do do with his ability to smash a party into little tiny bits, had TGRI’s 2009 DC Song of the Year with his remix of La Roux’s “Bulletproof.” Need proof on Steve? Well, Dave Nada’s explosive Moombahton sound went NUCLEAR with his mix of Steve Starks’s “Lydia.” He and Steve are, bottom line, as legit as advertised.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZmcS7FO0Guw&hl=en_US&fs=1&

Gavin Holland has evolved into from an outlying oddity on DC’s party map into a galvanizing force, his unique brand of party promoting and production eschewing the finest in urban/suburban retro trending subculture. Gavin wants us to party like it’s 1989, or maybe even 1999, but not much further past that. The bon vivant and beatmaker has had a very positive year, highlighted by remixes of Amanda Blank, his Nouveau Riche crewmates Starks and Nacey, mastering the Philadelphyinz EP, and pretty much being a go to genre shifter on the national EDM scene. He’s also one of the “infamous” Party Bros…

http://www.youtube.com/v/QNo7c-0p5UA&hl=en_US&fs=1&

Nouveau Riche is the party that always makes you feel young and frivolous. They’re supported by DURKL, the DC clothing brand known as much for aping everyone from WWE’s 1993 Hulk Hogan designs as Ralph Lauren’s 1995 fashion line. As well, they’re known for a first hour where partygoers are plied with free SPARKS, the orange battery acid flavored energy ale. For Halloween 2009, they threw “Nouveau Rave,” a party that Liam Howlett of The Prodigy in strappy pants and bondage gear would’ve felt comfortable at in 1991. Holland also promotes a summer party called “SHORTS,” that encourages people to wear shorts for entry. Somehow, the concept of wearing shorts invites people not wearing shirts, and it turns into Beach Blanket Bingo meets Caligula. Needless to say, when you throw the name Nouveau Riche on a flyer, you’re asking for an epic party.

Giving the Nouveau Riche crew a night at the Temple of Boom and making it 18+ is a recipe for sonic insanity. We at TGRI have been supporters of the party since its days at DC9, and always wondered what the party would look like without limitations of size and scope. Those have now been removed. Like T Pain on a motherfucking boat, anything is possible. If there were a party, or people, that will likely be responsible for the indoctrination of the future of EDM in the DC Metropolitan area, I look no further than Gavin, Nacey and Steve. Tonight begins that quest in earnest.

MOOMBAHTON CONTINUES TO SLOW DOWN AND OBLITERATE YOUR LIFE…in other news water is wet…

Moombahton wins and knocks more people on their ass than Felix “Tito” Trinidad

Well, kudos to the rest of the media world for getting up on something we clearly said first. Dave Nada’s chopped and screwed Dutch house and electro alchemy is at this very moment the most accessible sound in the EDM universe. Want proof? Well, here goes the latest on the Moombahton front…

The most popular song of Winter Music Conference in all likelihood that wasn’t Dennis Ferrer’s “Hey Hey”? Sources would say it was likely Afrojack’s remix of Silvio Ecomo and Chuckie’s “Moombah.” You know that bassline when it lopes instead of thumps as the base element of the moombahton sound.

Diplo and Switch as Major Lazer drop Moombahton sounds five minutes into their live set, something half of the TGRIOnline “Hustlers of Culture” witnessed live in Baltimore on Wednesday night. And the crowd went wild.

Dave Nada dropped a FANTASTIC mix that serves as a primer to this warmest and sexiest of sounds for the good folks over at Fools Gold. It’s the first of many winners for the new sub-genre.

Our friend of the site Calgary’s DJ A-Mac has just dropped a remix of Mastiksoul’s “Baila Bonitao.” It may be the first authentically Latin track to get a dose of the potent electro warping, and is another bright and eminently danceable winner.

And the grand champion sound in all of this? The Nadastrom reworking of Steve Starks’ “Lydia.” Having heard Starks’ original track in various states over the last year, to hear a Moombahton edit of it really takes the track to a most amazing place. A Latin electro stomper, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think the track was a precursor to this Moombahton craze. But it isn’t. Nada and Nordstrom take the core elements of this VERY Latin orchestration to their logical ends, ends that didn’t even exist in EDM until, well, three months or so ago. Starks’ track, which I still remember as “Boricua Anthem,” is now a plus sized party giant with arms and legs that is aiming to destroy everything in its path. Starks and Nacey’s EP is solid, but Nadastrom elevates it to being the must cop smash of the moment, just to hear what else the Nouveau Riche homies can bring…