Join us this Saturday for more Afro.Latin.Brazilian.House.Disco.Funk.

With your favorite Sol Power All-stars:

Stylus and Meistro.

SPECIAL GUESTS:
Jahsonic (WPFW / SoulControllers)
DJ Ausar (ATL)
Tom P. on percussion

ALL beers are $4 (including Leffe & Redstripe)

Saturday, July 3
10pm
Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
21 and Over
Free before 11 pm, $5 after (get your ass there early!)

With your favorite Sol Power All-stars:

Stylus, Meistro
& the one Hermon Farahi on percussion.

SPECIAL GUEST: Jahsonic (WPFW / SoulControllers)

Samba whistles, shekeres and cowbells welcome. Sweat to the rhythms of Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico & West Africa.

Saturday, June 5
10pm
Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
21 and Over
Free before 11 pm, $5 after
ALL beers are $4 (including Leffe & Redstripe)

Meistro, Deep Sang, and DJ Stylus SOL POWER (3.2010) Part 3 by Meistro

Thursday, February 25, 2010
9pm
Marvin
2007 14th St., NW WDC

The all-star DJ lineup:
RBI | Stylus | Book | JahSonic | 2-Tone Jones | Roddy Rod | J-Laine
& Special Guests

$5 Donation (Proceeds to benefit The JDILLA Foundation)

-Complimentary Desserts
-Drink specials
-Get to Know You Scavenger Hunt (win deeper drink discounts that night or come back to Tabaq for brunch and get a discount)

Featuring:

Basement: “90 Below”: DJ Stylus makes it sexy with a “slow drag” set featuring music that’s no faster than 90bpms (beats per minute). DJ Phaze will guest with a special lover’s rock reggae set.

Art Room: “Suite Spot”: DJ Jahsonic makes it funky for the people who prefer a faster pace. Funk, disco, house, soul and everything else that gets the party going, with DJ Phaze sitting in.

RSVPs will be required for entry. No Cover.

Saturday, February 13
10pm
Tabaq Bistro
1336 U Street, NW WDC

Once again celebrating Fela Anikulapo Kuti, this time with special emphasis on the First Ladies of Afrobeat. Dedicated, loyal and innovative, these women often relegated to the sidelines, were at the center of Fela’s movement, sound and presentation.

Complimentary buffet (while it lasts):
Jollof rice, Plantain & Chicken

FREE HEINEKEN (while supplies last)

Live Music:
Union Street Band w/special guests Tosin Aribisala and Tokunbo Aderele

DJ Sets in Two Rooms!

THE CHAMBER
DJ Shoboy
DJ Don-X
i:Wah The Beat Priest

THE SHRINE
DJ Jahsonic (Soul Controllers)
DJ Stylus – The Vibe Conductor (Soul Controllers)
DJ Sabine (Oyasound/Brooklyn Mecca/Rhythm&Roots)
w/Jabari Exum on Djembe

Live Art by Aniekan Udofia

411 New York Ave NE (3rd floor)
Washington, DC 20002
entrance is from parking lot at crossing of Penn & 4th. (map)

Saturday, October 17
9pm – ?
$15 advance / $20 door
RSVP at beyou@lilsoso.com and reserve the advanced sale price ($15). RSVPs will be honored until 11PM.

For everyone who didn’t follow my Twitter feed or check out Fusicology’s breakdown, here’s a much delayed final word on that one thing that happens after SXSW.

This was definitely the recession WMC, but the actual effect was less severe than I anticipated. Attendance was lower all around but the folks that did come were there to hustle hard and have fun. Lots of connections were made and parties got smashed off properly. It was kind of bugged out to see places like The Marlin and Specs Music shuttered that were the sites of landmark memories of WMC’s past (Jump-N-Funk and the debut performance of Elements of Life respectively) but SoBe isn’t immune to the downturn.

This was also the year where I actually had a couple of high(er) profile gigs. I’m still trying to graduate out of 12th grade but the Vibe Conductor brand isn’t yet a household name. The grind continues.

The first jam I played was one for the record books. Daz-I-Kue’s 3rd annual James Brown tribute had a power packed lineup of everybody who is somebody and many of whom made me want to be the somebody I’m still trying to be. Jahsonic and I knocked out a quick and energetic set of fast rap with all James Brown samples. Then everyone else continued to merk it, building up the energy level until Spinna, DJ Cash Money, 3D and Scratch executed a four-man weave on the decks. Jeremy Ellis had already stunned the crowd with his unbelievable James Brown routine and came back out to spark a little freestyle cipher. I happened to grab some footage.

The other gig I had was with an old friend who recently got nominated for a Grammy, but met up with some hard times on her way out of Texas. We worked it out though. Keep pushing, Wayna!

After sets from young B-more club sensation Rye Rye, Canadian chanteuse Anjulie and future funk diva Joy Jones I finally got a live dose of the much talked about K’Naan. I’m definitely glad I stuck around until the end.

So outside of handling that bidness, it’s always good to hear my favorite jocks kill it, and hear cats for the first time that I’ve only heard of before. In that first group, there was the beat down that Benji B delivered at the Delano. Starting out with progressive hip-hop and nu soul bits, Benji worked it up through some latin funk into house into a roaring 2-step garage finish. Ian Friday levitated the situation at the Brooklyn Mecca/Libation jam with deep spiritual afro-house goodness. Karizma assaulted the Objektivity party with big-room bombs. There was literally no space to move in there, much less breathe.

In the group of folks I got to hear for the first time, Sabine impressed with her trance inducing, deeply black and raw set preceding Ian Friday. Young Miami local Mr. Brown is one of those crate digging cats who have actually combined their obsession with rare records with the ability to rock the spot. Every time I saw him he was playing out of massive soft-sided bag full of originals that have never passed through my hands. ‘Nuff respect to him and partners DJ Wasabi and DJ Le Spam for the fly balcony afro roots session they set off. Mad Mats has a huge rep and I’ve long been an admirer of what him and his crew have done with Raw Fusion. His turntable game is no joke. Quick, nimble and funky cuts combined with a buoyant, soulful selection is how he gets down. “Mad” mental notes taken of course.

Speaking of Raw Fusion, it was bananas like it is every year. And truthfully, the slightly lower turnout made it better, because there was actually room to dance. Big ups to OP!, Karl Injex, Phil Asher, Rich Medina, Freddie Cruger (Red Astaire), Simbad and of course Daz-I-Kue. If you can’t get across the water to Sweden, it’s definitely worth visiting the offshoot in NYC.

The main takeaway point from this week of sun, dancing and furious hustling is that we’re all fortunate to be sharing this time as peers, artists and fans invested in the music we love. This blog could run multiple pages if I bigged everyone up but I’m more motivated than ever to build the connections to you all this year.

Records to watch out for:

- Cecilia Stalin – Afro Blue
- Nathan Adams & Zepherin Saint – Circles
- Joy Jones – Supanova
- Salah Ananse feat. Zynzelay – Wonder
- Flood of hot joints pumping out of Exchange Bureau Music right now

Record that I desperately need a track ID for:

- Whatever it is that uses the Future Rage drums with those mental reversed synth stabs over the top. I think Simbad dropped it at Jazzanova vs. Bugz, and I heard it a few other places too. I NEED THIS SONG.

We’re back from WMC and ready to rock. Did you miss us?

Finally liberated an important SD card from Jamil’s clutches. Now we can reminisce on the first minutes of 2009.

Part 1

The warm-up.

Download audio file (soulceezNYE2008_pt1.mp3)
[download]

Part 2

The clock striking midnight with maximum room capacity then busting the lightweights upside the head for about an hour.

Download audio file (soulceezNYE2008_pt2.mp3)
[download]

Part 3

Going deep and hitting a few peaks.

Download audio file (soulceezNYE2008_pt3.mp3)
[download]

Part 4

A little more head crack and then dénouement.

Download audio file (soulceezNYE2008_pt4.mp3)
[download]

The Chocolate City Cultural Alliance (CCCA) is proud to present a soulcialist inauguration event. Come and celebrate the 44th president and his Platform for the Arts.

Featuring Music By:

DJs JahSonic and Stylus (The Soul Controllers WPFW 89.3 FM)

Daz-I-Kue (Bugz In the Attic, UK)

Live PAs from:

Ne’a Posey
Taylor McFerrin
Head-Roc, “The Mayor of DC Hip-Hop”
Bassey Ikpi

Art Installation By:

Aniekan Udofia

First drink and light breakfast buffet included!

$25 presale tickets:
http://cccainaugural.eventbrite.com/

Friday, January 16, 2009
10:00pm
903 U St. NW
Washington, DC

Me and Jahsonic back at it again, FOR DE FREE!

No dress code
No cover charge
No bullshit music

Soul Controllers New Year’s Eve 2008

Marvin
2007 14th St NW, WDC
9′ish until they kick us out

Stylus, Jahsonic & Cuzzin B on 3 Floors

National Black MBA Association, Inc., Washington, D.C. Chapter – Pre-Conference Jam

Ultrabar
911 F St NW WDC

Open Buffet on the 1st Floor from 9PM to 11PM
Bacardi Open Bar from 9PM to 11PM in the Bacardi Loft
Bacardi Drink Specials All Night Long
NBMBAA Member Price: $20
Non-member: $25
Tickets will be $30 at the door

Your holiday weekend jump-off right here.

DJ Stylus
DJ Jahsonic
Harry Hotter
Adrian Loving
DJ Roddy Rod
Quartermaine
DJ Double o7
DJ Sonny

rocking everything that’s funky, soulful, deep and REAL.
from 75bpm to 130.
from b-boy beats to broken beats.

9pm – 5am
Sunday August 31 (yes, there is a typo in the flyer)
That Warehouse Spot
411 NY Ave NE, WDC
$15

And my debut at the famous Eighteenth Street Lounge.

Let’s get it in!

Monday, August 11

DJ Jahsonic & DJ Stylus @ Marvin
2007 14th St NW, WDC
9:30pm until…
cover: free

Tuesday, August 12

Neil Payne & DJ Stylus @ Eighteenth Street Lounge
1212 18th ST NW WDC
9:30pm until…
no cover
dress code: fresh