After 23 sessions since October of 2009, we’re retooling the Refuge concept and putting it on ice for a while. Stay tuned to this site for information on the next Refuge incarnation.

Thanks to everyone who came through to have a drink with friends, spend some quality time with progressive music, and occasionally party like it was your job. Shouts out to all of our special guests: Brett from Boundless, Zo!, Tamara Wellons, Erik Rico, Nicholas Ryan Gant and Stef Renee. We also had evenings devoted to exclusive presentations of projects by Anthony Velez, Silhouette Brown, Sade and Sergio Mendes.

I can’t leave you without another round of Refuge highlights from my last set. These are dedicated to everyone who loves what they hear enough to come up to me and ask for track titles. I appreciate that more than you know.

Suntzu Sound presents 1Luv – “Black Daylight” (Blakai remix)

You might recognize the Slope remix as the anthem for our beloved Daylight DC. Shouts to the Suntzu Sound famalam out in Seattle. Blakai (one of the INNUMEROUS Bugz in the Attic permutations) first wowed me on “Afrospace”. I dig their bruk’ed take on this.

Oddisee – “Juba May”

This raw, jazzy instrumental workout is a cornerstone of Odd Spring, Oddisee’s final installment of his four EP seasonal series. Dude can really do no wrong in my eyes, on the boards or on the mic.

Ty – “Little Star” (feat. Wreh-asha)

Yes, I’m always talking about how dope Ty is. That’s because Ty is dope as hell. No, that isn’t circular reasoning. The progression from Awkward to Upwards to Closer and now Special Kind of Fool has been very rewarding to follow with ’nuff bangers along the way. Ty’s been a Refuge pick before but I really can rock every joint from the last album consistently in sets.

Till Brönner – “No Fusion Generation” (Mark de Clive-Lowe remix feat. Ovasoul7)

Well before the Serato era, I was obsessed with collecting everything that Mark de Clive-Lowe put out. I ordered a couple of cd’s from his native New Zealand because that was the only way to cop them. And when I tracked down a new copy of this 12-inch, I felt like I won a prize. This was a Vibe Conductor staple for a long time. This tune ended up on a compilation of MdCL collabs, remixes and loosies so it’s not as hard to find as it once was.

Told y’all not to miss AudioTRIP. Peep the flicks and the video.

After half a century of blessing the world with the sounds of Brazil, jazz treasure Sérgio Mendes is releasing his 37th studio album and we’ll have it in hand for a listening session.

Bom Tempo showcases songs from the crème de la crème of Brazilian songwriters (including Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Joao Donato, Carlinhos Brown, Jorge Benjor, Milton Nascimento and Moacir Santos) and a song from his old friend Stevie Wonder, written especially for Mendes in 1977, the simmering “The Real Thing” (first recorded on Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil ‘77 album). While many of Mendes’ friends and long time collaborators are present on the album (including drummers Mike Shapiro and Vinnie Colaiuta, bassists Nathan Watts and Alphonso Johnson, guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. and Kleber Jorge, percussionist Gibi, vocalist Gracinha Leporace—the bandleader’s wife—and songwriter-arranger-vocalist Carlinhos Brown, who was integral to the success of the Brasileiro album), newcomers are also in the mix.

Next we’ll be graced by some live vocals from dear friend, arts maven and all around fly girl Stef Renée. After serving as a pillar of the Philadelphia arts scene, she’s back in her native Washington and I’d like to welcome her home properly.

Wednesday, June 2
Sérgio Mendes listening session and Stef Renée feature
Tabaq Bistro (basement)
1336 U St NW, WDC
9pm – until
21+, no cover

So yeah, I kind of left you all hanging after Nicholas laced us last month. I only did that to give you more time to cop everything in the archives. (err… right.)

The brother brought a packed room full of admirers and sang his face off to tracks from Border Breaker, Hittin’ Switches and a few surprises.

And here are some highlights from my set.

Slakah The Beatchild – “The Answer” (Feat. Melanie Durrant)

The T-Dot beatmaker is already responsible for what has been a Refuge anthem since week 1. This samba is so sexy that I actually had to play it twice. Expect “The Answer” to become a staple.

A Tribe Called Quest – “Go Ahead In The Rain”

Shout-out to all the beckies who come up to the DJ booth asking if I’ll play some Tribe while I’m spinning something from People’s Instinctive Travels… This doesn’t happen at Refuge of course, but at other gigs.

Wednesday, May 5
Refuge featuring Nicholas Ryan Gant
Tabaq Bistro (basement)
1336 U St NW, WDC
9pm – until
21+, no cover

Erik Rico came through and did the damn thing last week armed with Ableton Live, a mean Moog plug-in, BHE’s MIDI controller and gang of new and old material.

[credit: Marq Few]

Of course there were a few warm up tunes before the live set.

Emmanuel – “Getaway” feat. Celetia Martin

SoulCulture hipped me and now I’m hipping you. I’m getting a faint but nice bit of Loose Ends vibes mixed with some Patrice Rushen on this tune. You know those are always good things in my world.

Johnny “Guitar” Watson – “In The World”

The bass line is EVERYTHING.

See you May 5? It’s like having your music collection come to life in your living room before having a house party. Next month we’ll have someone equally dope.

This year the family reunion vibe trumped the hustle, and I’ve come to appreciate that a lot more. I don’t know how much of it is the economy, a shift in the industry or a waning interest in WMC but attendance was noticeably lower. Last year I noted a recession effect and this year my mans John Crooms accurately quipped how South Beach was trying to get us all to pay for it. The gouging was ill this year.

[credit: John Crooms]

Even at a low point in the cycle, I was able to get great performances from the names I trust to always bring it, and also those moments of discovery when you get to experience artists and DJs you’ve heard about but never seen live before.

I didn’t make it to any Louis Vega associated parties or anything that had to do with South Africans. This was a huge FAIL on my part. Black Coffee and a bunch of his South African compatriots are making a big splash in the deep house world and they had some hot events at WMC this year. I’m really happy to see them blowing up. “Superman” is a big record now and we’ve been banging “Even Though” over here for the longest.

I’m pleased that Jahsonic and I were able to get our dynamic duo on and grateful to the folks who let us grace their sets. Afrique Electrique was a fun way to get the week started with a nice intimate room of appreciative dancers. Shouts to Salah Ananse and the whole ATL massive. Playing in memory of James Brown at Godfather IV was a deep honor. And our set at The G++dness was us showing everyone how we get down back home in DC. Much thanks to Daz-I-Kue for both of those.

[credit: Shelley Nicole]

Despite not hitting as many events as I usually would, here are a few highlights.

Favorite Party: The Do-Over

The perfect end to the week had me dancing on a backyard patio for 8 hours, eating burgers, drinking cold Mexican brews and experiencing some inspired, ridiculous displays of mixing records. Experiences like that will always allow me to be a fan, especially when you see how the big dogs in the game are all fans too. I love it. Still haven’t been to the Do-Over in L.A. but I now know what’s up.

Maceo of De La Soul was on when we arrived and I was a teen fanboy again. At first I was surprised by how he was as equally versed in broken beat, UK Funky and electro as he was with hip-hop, soul and funk. Then I remembered that he’s been doing this for 20-some years and rocking parties all over the world and I felt dumb. Jeremy Sole followed Mase, more on that later. Vikter Duplaix broke down to jazz after Jeremy and built back up through neo-soul, raw hip-hop and reggae before bringing the tempo up. Masterful. Rich Medina followed him with an all 45 set that made me feel like I knew nothing after collecting records for 20 years. Cosmo Baker was up next and he was one of the dudes I was most looking forward to hearing for the first time. After a whole day of monstrous sets, Cosmo stepped up and spanked it. Boogie, deep funk, disco, breaks, all handled with a party-rocker’s expertise. All on original vinyl. And his dashiki was cleeeeean.

The party was going into overtime with Daz-I-Kue, Jeremy Ellis and John Arnold among others next on deck. I could barely walk at that point and was obsessed with getting some delicious Tap Tap.

Runner-up: TRIBE Records with Peven Everett, Nathan Adams, Ian Friday & more

I caught the tail-end of the TRIBE jam since we were rocking at Godfather at the same time. When I got there, Peven Everett was in full holy ghost mode in the last couple of tunes of his show, working himself into a pentacostal trance. Ian Friday got on and damn near had folks coming out of their clothes out on the sand and under the palm trees. But that’s how he always do.

Favorite DJ set: Jeremy Sole at The Do-Over

I try to stay up on my research. I knew about Jeremy Sole’s Afro-Funké party in L.A. I knew about his band Musaics. What I didn’t know was that he was going to stomp a funkhole into the Do-Over amid a band of heavy hitters dropping bombs of their own.

Is that cumbia? Plena? Is that an original edit? What break is that? Jeremy’s set sparked tons of mental notes and even more furious dancing. It was a well paced, seamless, ridiculously funky tour through classic and modern beats of the latin diaspora. I still won’t rest until I get every record in his set list. It’s that serious.

Runner-up: Ezel at The G++dness

Young master Ezel put on a clinic on the 2nd floor of Jazid at The G++dness. I think he caught Shango. His house set was very aggressive but well paced. He reminded me of Karizma in that way. It’s scary to think about how much iller he’s going to be in years to come on the decks and behind the boards.

Records you should be checking for:
At least the ones that I can mention… my trainspotting had me blowing up records on Twitter that aren’t out yet!

Aloe Blacc – “I Need a Dollar”
Ezel feat. Tamara Wellons – “In My Lifetime”
The Goodness EP

Rico has continued to evolve as a producer and artist and now fuses elements of live music and electronic music into a style of music that can best be described as “electrosoul”. “I see our generation as the last ones to bridge the gap between the organic human feel of live musicians and the computer generation.” Rico’s philosophy is that having the best of both worlds to extract from makes it easy to truly explore all the limitless options that art has to offer.

Wednesday, April 7
Refuge featuring Erik Rico
Tabaq Bistro (basement)
1336 U St NW, WDC
9pm – until
21+, no cover

Scoot over to Lifenotes Music if you’re tardy on the releases. And if you’re broke, cop this free download of his album of classic covers.

Erik will be rocking the joints you know as well as exclusive joints, like these right ‘chere.

For real, you should come through.

With DJs Stylus, Meistro and Deep Sang.

Forecast for Saturday:
Abundant sunshine. 85 degrees (!)

Now that’s some Sol Power. Last month was crankin’ like a Lagos disco inferno.

Meistro, Stylus, and Deep Sang Live @ SOL POWER (3.2010) Part 1 by Meistro

Meistro, Deep Sang, and DJ Stylus SOL POWER (3.2010) Part 2 by Meistro

ALL beers are $4 (including Leffe & Redstripe)

Saturday, April 3
10pm
Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
21 and Over
NO COVER (that means FREE)

Also, it’s been a while since Refuge has hosted a special guest so Erik Rico will be coming through to hit you with all new material next week, April 7.

And finally, after the Erik Rico session, Refuge will no longer be weekly. Check for it on the first Wednesday of every month.

These highlights from last week’s set will freshen your library until we resume.

Al Green – “Love Ritual”

Reverend Al did afrobeat in 1975? Word? Now you know.

The Pharcyde – “Drop” (Da Beatminerz Remix)

This version always went hard. I’ve got a good amount of cue burn on my 12″ doubles.

Moodymann – “Black Mahogani”

I was getting in the proper focus for this week. Moodymann is a wild dude. You should explore more of his twisted genius in his RBMA lecture. ‘Sup, Detroit.

N’Dambi – “The World Is Beat” (Applejac’s Bruk-Up mix)

Applejac recently dropped this crucial EP so his presence at WMC would be felt although he won’t be able to make it this year. While others are on that Lalah Hathaway and that Reel People, my heater of choice is this gotdayum N’Dambi joint. Stank you very much for this project my ATLien friend.

See you next week.

Mark Ronson – “She’s Got Me” (feat. Daniel Merriweather)

The Mos Def, M.O.P. and Ghostface joints were always my sure-shots on Here Comes The Fuzz but I dug this one out and was reminded of how much I slept on it.

Mishal Moore – “Oh Lord” (Kenny Dope Remix)

I don’t know what happened to the album that Kenny was supposed to do with her but in the meantime you can watch a lot of fun videos on her YouTube channel. You can keep up with Mishal on Twitter too.

Shafiq Husayn – “Nirvana”

The drawback of dealing with a huge backlog of good music is that I often take a long time to get around to listening to some of the hottest shit. I picked up Shafiq’s solo project months after everyone had already been raving about it. Even if you followed all of Sa-Ra’s work closely, it would be hard to prepare for the experience of hearing Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka for the first time. It’s a cosmic afro-space sonic landscape.

RJD2 – “Games You Can Win” (Feat. Kenna)

See the Shafiq comments. I sat on RJD2’s latest for a long time too but great sounds don’t have expiration dates. The Colossus is a fascinating listen. This Kenna joint is dope but not even in my top three tracks on the album. You should check it out for yourselves.

Trus’me feat. Amp Fiddler – “Can We Pretend”

Great dancefloor flip of a Bill Withers classic from this Brit DJ/producer with a hot hand in the game right now. Catch him in DC on March 20 as part of the Forward Festival.

Reggie B & Miles Bonny – “Doin Our Thang”

I initially wasn’t sold on the vocals and writing but this joint has an irresistible bop to it. Sometimes the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. You agreed too, as many of you asked me about this tune.

Spring’s here. You should stop by.

Nona Hendryx – “Why Should I Cry?”

No, not Chaka or Vesta but one-third of LaBelle. Big shouts to ThePBG for getting it right, singing along AND doing her dance. This used to go hard. Word to Jellybean Johnson.

Sherrick – “Just Call”

I won with this one. Folks guessed Loose Ends and that actually makes sense stylistically. Sherrick only had one hit other than this one and sadly passed away in 1999. I’m bringing this tune back though.

Five Star – “Let Me Be The One”

Part of a double play, I dropped “All Fall Down” too. UK stand up. This was just for funsies. If folks didn’t know Five Star I would have had to put them on punishment.

I wasn’t in retro mode all night of course. Right now I’m stanning hard for the homie Ty’s new project, so expect a lot excitement generated about it in this space. Again, UK represent.

Ty – “Emotions”

Every week, your new favorite song. Come by and check us out.

It’s been out for a couple of weeks but good music isn’t held captive by 1st week sales or blizzards.

If this is all foreign to you, play catch up here. The brainchild of UK future soul producer Dego (2000 Black, 4hero), keyboardist Kaidi Tatham (DKD, Agent K), and vocalist/songwriter Bembe Segue (4hero, The Politik) Silhouette Brown’s 2005 debut was the sexy, jazzy flip-side to broken beat’s jump up riddims.

We have two copies of the new Silhouette Brown album to give away at Refuge tonight to go along with a set featuring cuts from both albums and an exploration of Dego, Kaidi and Bembe’s extensive catalog. The first two folks to email me at djstylus AT vibeconductor DOT com with the answers to these questions will snag a copy of Two. Google is your friend.

1. Name the featured vocalist on Silhouette Brown’s debut.
2. Name the featured vocalist on the new Silhouette Brown album.
3. What classic hip-hop figure cameos on the new album?
4. Name the first single from the new album.
5. Name one project, collaboration or crew that Dego, Kaidi or Bembe are associated with that I didn’t mention above.

Last week I was deep in Two bliss and my 2000 Black crates as well. There were a couple of amorous couples in the building getting re-acquainted on date night. I think they rather enjoyed this cut:

Silhouette Brown – “Check It (Calling You)”

You might find these bits interesting.

For the lovers…

I went digging in the crates and pulled out a classic soundtrack for seduction.

Projectvibe 2 – Foreplay
Download audio file (projectvibe2.mp3)
[download | tracklist]

For the skeptics…

We’ve put together an evening for those that generally consider Valentine’s Day a day of corniness, or even worse, a source of emotional distress. The happily coupled and the comfortably single are encouraged to attend, but we’ve got some special things in store for those looking for a little help in connecting with someone new.

Suite 202 Sessions: Valentine’s Jook Joint

For the heartbroken…

Because we’ve all been there, check out my Valentine’s playlist for dumpers and dumpees on The Root. Trouble don’t last always. Cry or shout it out as needed.

Love Songs for the Lovelorn: a DJ Stylus breakup playlist – TheRoot.com

They win.

Here’s an actual album cover:

And tracklisting:

And here’s a song with some R&B guy you may have heard before.

[POEM-CEES - "Honor" feat. Smokey Temptation]
Everything You’ve Always Wanted… 2010

Every component of our Sade listening party worked out perfectly. From the food to the Sade themed cocktail samples courtesy of Ciroc (thanks Karim!), the art (big up Charles Jean-Pierre), the eager crowd of music lovers and party people and the sponsorship support. I speak on behalf of LSP in thanking April at Sony for allowing Refuge to host the event and hooking up our guests with great prizes. Soldier of Love comes out February 9. I’ve got mine on pre-order.

[photos: Dana Kristina-Joi Morgan]

Check Gerald Watson’s spot for more photos.

Before we listened to the new album, I played an all Sade set. Didn’t rock any Sweetback though! Outside of that bit of fail, the evening was spiced with great remixes that I pulled from my stash. How is it that three of the best Sade remixes are for “By Your Side?” Tell me in the comments which one is the hottest.

Sade – “By Your Side” (the Neptunes Remix)

This is a great snapshot of the Neptunes sound that dominated the scene ten years ago and the ability for them to adapt their club banging style to a ballad. This one isn’t so rare and was actually released on a single so you should be able to dig it up.

Sade – “By Your Side” (Cottonbelly Remix)

For those just tuning in, Cottonbelly is Stuart Matthewman, founding member of Sade and Sweetback. This smoldering afrobeat ember can be found on a rare compilation of his and also on the Red Hot + Riot album, which everyone should own anyway. Neptunes, I’ma let you finish, but Cottonbelly had the best “By Your Side” remix of all times… OF ALL TIMES! *shrug*

Sade – “By Your Side” (Naked Music Mix)

Let me stop playing. Cottonbelly has seniority due to his role in the band but I can’t give him the title that quickly. So much of the Sade discography captures the essence of carnal pleasure but this remix is one of the sexiest Sade songs in existence. I waxed nostalgic about Naked Music after week 12, but for anyone not hip, this label built their whole catalog on music designed for getting someone pregnant.

One thing that can never be replaced about vinyl is the thrill of the hunt and the emotional relationship you develop with the treasures you find. When this white label dropped, I felt like I was walking around with something rare, magic and powerful whenever I had this in my dj bag. Records like these make you feel like you should be porting them around in a Haliburton cuffed to your wrist.

Sade – “Stronger Than Pride” (Karizma K2 Mix)

Here’s the portion of the talent contest where a feature performs while the judges deliberate, although I want your opinions about this one too. It was feeling so good to me that I had to play it twice in the same night. I know you all weren’t mad either. Opening with what sounds like a distorted tuba and accordion (?!?) the track builds hypnotically with vocal loops, percussion and synths for four minutes before you even get to the first verse. By then it’s a spiritual experience. You must rock the whole 10 minutes. EPIC.

Karizma is one of my top 5 favorite DJs. His sets are technical, soulful, funky and downright BRUTAL. It’s like musical masochism. Dude is a fucking monster on the decks. I’ve seen him make a roomful of the world’s best DJs draw inward and reflect on the meaning of their craft. His production work brings the same heat. Drawing from his background in Baltimore club, he blends sexy jazziness with jack-your-body beats.

He still releases his remixes on wax, which makes them that much more valuable. That was the only way you could get them until now. If you’re willing to suck up the import tax, you can own ALL OF THE K2 edits on CD. the $20 is worth it just for the Sade mix alone, not to mention the Faith Evans, Maxwell, Al B. Sure, Anita Baker…. just cop that joint and buy me a drink when you see me next as a show of gratitude.

So last week, Tami sang a few of her most popular songs to her five fans (not really) then Refuge turned into a juke joint. Here are a few cuts responsible for that.

Omar – “Feeling You” feat. Stevie Wonder

These two could really do a whole album together. Has Omar ever made a less than banging joint? That was a silly question.

Paulinho Da Costa – “Love Till The End Of Time”

The Grammys got me reminiscing on the Black Eyed Peas when they were still dope. And that got me reminiscing on one of my favorite jazz fusion joints ever by one of Brazil’s most esteemed exports.

Unlimited Touch – “I Hear Music In The Streets”

CHOOON!!

Nathan Adams & Zepherin Saint – “Holding On”

I’m glad that I can officially crown this a Refuge staple after giving “Circles” a well-deserved rest. Can these cats keep making anthems every time they drop a joint? Don’t want to put that much pressure on them but if they make a full album it could be a problem (in a good way). Zepherin Saint is on FB too. Go be his friend.

The Clonious – “One At A Time” feat. Musinah

Full disclosure, when this first came out, I kinda ignored it despite its release on one of my favorite labels. It was a collaboration between Muhsinah and another talented, up and coming RBMA attendee from Austria, and maybe I was hating a little inside because of all the times RBMA rejected me. DJ Stylus is human and has his faults. Thanks to DJ Brainchild, I got a second chance to fall into one of the most breathtaking tunes I’ve heard in recent memory.

This song sounds like what I imagine Na’vi sex feels like.

I love Muhsinah like cooked food and fancy beer. I won’t let my petty ego issues stand in the way of our love ever again. Much props to The Clonious too. I shook off the shame and bought both of his projects immediately.

Dianne Reeves & Grant Green – “Down Here On The Ground” (Ummah Remix)

The New Groove was several years ahead of the rush of legendary labels seeking to monetize their back catalogs through remix projects. I used to wear this cassette out.

Burnier & Cartier – “Mirandolina”

Que bonito!

Refuge makes me smile when someone is minding their business, I throw on a tune and they’re compelled to get out of their seat and groove in their own little world. Then they come to me and I can tell them the name of their new favorite song. I have to give props to DJ Day for getting me hip to this one.

Tam-Rock is re-launching her website and celebrating at Refuge this week. Join us this Wednesday! There will be girly stuff, like make-up giveaways and martinis and such. Considering my fanbase, this doesn’t bother me at all. She’s going to sing a few songs and give away some music too.

Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar is no longer a secret. Spot was full by 10pm. Jammed by 11pm with a line outside. I rocked them bammas, but I had to retool my approach to play peak time intensity at 11:30 rather than 1am. Mark the owner was looking at the room, then looking at me like “could you go ahead and crush these fools already?”

The chorus of supporters all say “why weren’t you recording?”

My recorder is kinda funny style these days. The cash register was working overtime last night so maybe I’ll go buy a new one. “Cha-ching!!”

In lieu of what would have been a dope podcast, here’s a setlist, if only for the folks who were asking me about tunes I couldn’t remember playing. Must have been “The Awesomeness” at work. I somehow ended up with more peach whiskey slurpees than I intended.

[setlist: DJ Stylus at Little Miss Whiskey's, 1/23/10]

Ty – “What You Want”

I push Ty the way that Jehovah’s Witnesses push salvation. If you dig progressive, soulful, smart hip-hop and you don’t have any Ty in rotation then I feel like it’s my duty to help you see the light. This is one of my favorite cuts from his superb Closer album. Taylor McFerrin on the beatbox.

Petalpusher – “Rely On Me”

Naked Music’s best years were just magic. The beautiful series of nudes on the album covers and the gems in the record sleeves that never left your crate after purchase. I can’t look at these records without being flooded with memories of rocking sets with or having dancefloor moments to these songs. 10 years ago the Vibe Conductor concept was just forming and these tracks helped shape that early identity.

Fertile Ground – “Take Me Higher” (Waiwan Remix)

Felt like ending the evening with drum & bass so I did. Must do that more often. Maybe tonight?

Think it could work?

Here are some of the joints I pulled out early in the night when I was in that mood.

Middlewood Sessions – “Fall Back”

Fitting that since I invoked Gilles Peterson above, this was released on his Brownswood label.

Lonnie Smith – “Apex”

Records like this are why I still buy vinyl.

Jukka Eskola – “1974″

What a gorgeous smoker of a tune from this young Finnish trumpeter. This is one of those songs that you wonder where it’s been all your life once you hear it. It’s a bit hard to find. First released as a b-side to the “Buttercup” 12-inch in the image above, it was also on his 2005 debut album as well as a Raw Fusion compilation. I must thank Tigallo for putting me up on this one. Homie’s got a jazz ear too.

Every Wednesday I’ve always got more treats to share.

Apparently this was all the New Year’s partying that some folks needed.

As these events were developing, I was playing out of my “make you shake your ass and sing along” repertoire. But before all that, we was chillin’ and this is how it went down. No categories on this post, just a few noteworthy joints.

Boogiemonsters – “Recognized Thresholds of Negative Stress” (Stressless Mix)

This has always been and will always be my jam. But being the contrarian that I am, I rocked the smoothed out remix last week. It definitely has its own charm.

The Sunburst Band – “Far Beyond”

This is an old staple of mine that I had to put on ice for a few years because I played it too much. Then when I bring it back out of retirement, it’s new to everyone! Another fantastic usage of Ahmad Jamal’s “Swahililand”.

Dorothy Ashby – “Cause I Need It”

Swingingest harpist I know of, and source material for some of Pete Rock’s best work.

As usual, your presence is requested.

SOL POWER
Afro.Latin.Brazilian.House.Disco.Funk.

DJ Stylus
Meistro
Deep Sang

This Saturday January 2nd and every 1st Saturday for 2010.
10 pm

Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
Washington, DC
21+
NO COVER

Vibe Conductor Pick:

Kidkanevil – “When I Dig” featuring Kissey Asplund, Blu

It almost feels premature to be rocking this now because it’s such a spring jam. Kissey Asplund does her cutesy space kitten thing and Blu’s Dana Dane impression takes me back to happier times. Who’s Kidkanevil? I’m just finding out myself over a year after everyone else did.

Peoples’ Pick:

Eric Roberson – “Wanna Believe It Again” feat. Wayna

I got Music Fan First right before the first Refuge and been banging this tune ever since. It’s almost cursory to highlight it at this point because its jam status was instantly evident. But I love it. The dancefloor loves it. Other DJs reading this, if you like women, you should be playing it.

Nostalgia Pick:

SWV – “Coming Home”

SWV had a lot of great tracks outside of their established hits. Many solid cuts fell through the cracks in that transitional period when new jack swing was waning and R&B had yet to merge DNA with hip-hop.

Digging In The Crates Pick:

Rahsaan Patterson – “It Ain’t Love”

It feels like folks should shed clothing and inhibitions when this song drops. I’ve never seen it happen but perhaps subconsciously I wish it would.

Join us for another session tonight?

The backstory on this cat is pretty deep. He was killing this style on a pair of these when I first met him on the U Street scene almost 15 years ago:

That was back in the Amphibians days. Then he moved on to this:

Eventually he was hauling a whole desktop around to gigs, rocking an array of virtual samplers and synth modules and a MIDI controller. That’s just how mad scientists do. I think he’s on Reason now. But anyway, you know this joint, right? Blackberry Jones + Asheru + Heron Gibran = Black Lincolns.

Blackberry Jones, previously known as Aychell made a bunch of amazing music with this guy that never came out.

They were called K.H.E.Mystery. They both rapped and did beats. Did you know that Slimkat78 (of The Els and Op Swamp 81, formerly known as Akuaman) used to rhyme? You should ask him about it. He was quite good. I have a lot of that stuff in the archives. And now you have some too, thanks to Rule4080.com.

To close, I’ll leave you with Blackberry’s classic Dilla tribute.

I think I’m going to have to do more posts like this. Joey and Shatungwa say so too. Folks talk about DMV hip-hop and have no concept of history.

None of these songs should be a surprise to anyone who heard me play this year, whether in the party or on the air. You loved them as much as I did, because when I felt like I’d have to give them a rest, you would keep asking me about them.

Now go spread the word to those who might have missed out, talking about “2009 was wack”.

Michael Jackson – “Never Can Say Goodbye” (Beatnick & K-Salaam Remix)

For some, the most defining musical event of 2009 was also traumatizing enough to write off the whole year. I can relate, but ultimately preferred to celebrate. It was either that, or fall into the abyss of despair. K-Salaam and Beatnick were on the same program with the best MJ remix since Tangoterje and Opolopo. Those three will have to battle it out for the top spot because the beefed up horns, club ready drum programming, funky synth bass and guitar interplay on this joint… I dare say that this version actually improves on the original. Blasphemy? Listen for yourselves.

Diamond District – “Streets Won’t Let Me Chill”

My favorite song on the best hip-hop album of 2009. There’s so much hip-hop that I can’t even be bothered to listen to, yet I know that none of it is fucking with Diamond District. The established brands are not fucking with Diamond District. Even the significant amount of hip-hop that I actually enjoyed this year isn’t seeing In The Ruff. I’m not saying that just because of my DC hometown zealotry. This is an end-to-end burner. There’s not a single bar of fast-forwardable material. The beats are cold concrete, the rhymes are hammers.

Reflection Eternal – “Back Again”

I’ve been so amped for the return of Reflection Eternal. Rarely is that type of anticipation rewarded with exactly what you hoped you’d get. I had no idea Hi-Tek would come with something like this though. An uptempo brazilian percussive groove with jazz guitar? More please. Kweli’s flow is in the cut and Res lays the sweetness on the hook.

“You can like rap again, you can say that again.”

Mos Def – “Casa Bey”

I was so moved by the grandeur of this song that I had to spin it into a full study of its origins. A song crafted in one context decades ago sounds like it was always supposed to be the way it turned out once Mos put words to it.

“Magnetic, the flows are athletic…” Flaco rocks so effortlessly over the 3-count phrases, not skipping a beat when it transitions to the more conventional 4/4. Rappers, STUDY THIS SHIT. This is superhero music.

“You can’t stop my GO!”

Jay Electronica – “Exhibit C”

“Eating wack rappers alive, shittin’ out chains.”

Emcees like to talk about ending the careers of adversaries, but really, these are verses that should influence hordes of rappers to put their mics to rest and start perusing want ads on Craigslist.

It’s nice to get an actual retail release from this enigmatic hot property. It snuck in under the wire for 2009 consideration. I didn’t believe the hype for a long time, just because I couldn’t get behind snippets on blogs and industry co-signs. I’ve since accumulated enough of his gray market material to see the light. “Exhibit A” should have been enough. Now would an album be too much to ask for or must there be a bidding war first?

Nathan Adams & Zepherin Saint – “Circles”

Everyone who heard Jamil and I play this year KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS. I couldn’t stop playing this song even when I knew I was wearing it out. You couldn’t stop dancing to it. You couldn’t stop SCREAMING to it. Easily a classic all-time house anthem. Forever and ever. Amen.

Georgia Anne Muldrow – “Run Away”

How much did this song warm the cockles of my shriveled, cynical heart? How many times did I have to physically restrain myself from pinching the cheeks of the little cartoon Georgia on my computer screen every time I hit ‘play’ on the video? This song is precious. I say that the way your grandma does before she hugs you. When Georgia first blew my mind with Worth Nothings, I had never heard her demos that were floating around. And now, Early captures those days of a teenage songwriter crafting music with the skill and emotional heft of an old soul. Wondrous.

PPP – “The Ghost of Aveiro”

As much as I loved the new wave, synth funk direction that PPP took on Abundance, this latin smoker was sitting on the album as if it were put there just for me. Coultrain CRUSHES the vocal. Waajeed sounds like he packed a whole salsa orchestra into his studio.

Joy Jones – “Over”

Joy Jones brings Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” (my second favorite sampled groove of all time) back into our consciousness in a way that makes me re-think my stance on Auto-Tune. Joy definitely doesn’t need it, but she takes a true artist’s tack on this song, employing a tool to a specific end. In this case that end is a haunting plea for an end to heartache. Everything about this song is perfect.

Anto Vitale feat. Tamara Wellons – “Broken Wings”

It was either this or “Out Of This World”. I damn near had to flip a coin. Smoldering sexual energy or soaring emotion? I had to go with the latter this time. It feels like Tami reached deep into her gut to nail this vocal. And I’m a sucker for a huge hook on a house tune. Vitale’s instrumentation fans the flame of the vocal on the chorus.

• Honorable Mentions
De La Soul – “La La La”
Joe D. feat. Cool Cee Brown – “Aaw Man, Homey”
Op Swamp 81 – “Another Day”
Matthias ‘Matty’ Heilbronn feat. Monique Bingham – “Go Getter” (Soulflower Mix)
Yameen – Light of Love feat. Lady Alma (Mark de Clive-Lowe Remix)

Diamond D – “The Hiatus”

Pulling this out last week was prescient since Refuge is taking a week off.

Kat is in the middle of her birthday week, is closing out Soul Overdose for 2009 and there was no way we could do the final one any other day than Wednesday. We’re suspending Refuge tomorrow and will resume on December 23. Of course, we’ve got a Grammy nominee to help you get over the hump and maybe a dual Soul Controller after party to boost the usual Jahsonic throwdown.

Soul Overdose with N’digo Rose, DJ Jahsonic and special guest Phonte

Wednesday, December 16
LIV
2001 11th St NW
doors: 9PM
tickets available at LilSoSo.com
door purchase availability NOT GUARANTEED.

Nuspirit Helsinki – “Silent Steps”

I can’t believe it’s going on eight years since I first got hip to the wave of future hybrid jazzy soul that was rolling out of Scandinavia. The Gothenburg scene was popping in Sweden. Copenhagen was kragenoff. Even Finland was getting it in. The first Nuspirit Helsinki album is so mandatory. It’s held up really well over time.

Mica Paris – “I Should’ve Known Better”

The B-side wins again, which is why I posted the 12-inch label instead of an album cover displaying this luscious singer. Remember when the flip side of every single contained an exciting new adventure? This tune dropped in 1990 but was never officially released on an album until 1998. By then it was a well-established classic. I feel like I can never be a big enough stan for black Brit soul. Did y’all know Mica dropped a new record this year? Honey had the scoop on that this summer.

J. Rawls – “Hebejeebees”

Sometimes I feel like the Liquid Crystal Project jazz albums by this Ohio producer best known for his hip-hop work with Lone Catalysts are some sort of well-guarded secret. If that’s the case, they’re a secret I’d rather share.

Antonio Adolfo – “Cascavel”

I would have missed out on this tasty slice of funky Brazilian fusion jazz if it weren’t for Gilles Peterson. Compilations are your friends.

Want more? Come hang.