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)
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.
Soul Controllers
Ill Vibe Collective
Joy Jones
IT’S OUR 18TH ANNIVERSARY!!
(whoa)
So let’s dance.
Price: $5 (Space is limited so early arrival is suggested)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 8:00pm
Tabaq Bistro & Lounge – Basement
1336 U Street, NW, WDC
LiL SoSo Productions and The Soul Controllers welcome DJ Toprock from the UK’s Uprock Recordings for a special edition of the Main Ingredient kicking off the 2009 Hip-Hop Theater Festival.
July 6, 2009
9 PM :: HHTF OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Marvin
2007 14th Street, NW WDC
no cover, 21+
Thank you DC.
Jamil and I were feverishly preparing for this non-stop from the time we got the heartbreaking news. In his words:
“Preparing for this gig was like getting ready to preach your daddy’s funeral.”
So many of you were looking for something that could help you manage the grief and we needed you there to help us manage ours. The turnout overpowered any possibility of ventilation but you all hung in there. The funk of 40,000 years for real!
Here’s our entire MJ memorial service that ran to almost 5 hours total.
part 1 [download]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
part 2 [download]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
part 3 [download]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
part 4 [download]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
part 5 [download]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Anyway, after the spring pledge drive, I did a bit of traveling so I haven’t been on the show for a while. Here’s where I make it up to everyone.
6/11/09 – WPFW 89.3 FM/Decipher
Jake One feat. Elzhi & Royce 5′9″ – Glow
Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)
Mos Def – Pretty Danger
Diamond District – I Mean Business
*break*
Fashawn – The Outer City
Theory Hazit – Time Turning
*break*
DJ Spinna – Summer Madness
Spec Boogie – Bed Stuy
Reflection Eternal – Back Again
*break*
Mos Def – Casa Bey
Diamond District – Make It Clear
M.O.P. – Blow The Horns
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Come visit the salon for live musical entertainment, art, poetry and more. Hosted by singer/songwriter Ne’a Posey, this event has something for everyone. Every third Sunday, the Sankofa patio will become part stage and part gathering ground for a family-friendly experience with some of the area’s most talented artists and artisans.
This month’s featured guests include:
Bassey Ikpi and Derrick Weston Brown with The Soul Controllers as your resident DJs.
Donations will be accepted.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
5 – 8pm
Sankofa
2714 Georgia Avenue, NW WDC
From the days of Champion sweatshirts, backpacks and ciphers that went for hours comes this blast from the past straight out of the WMUC archives of the Soul Controller wayback machine.
O.G. Soul Controller “The J” conducts this interview with a young, personable and eager to rhyme emerging emcee by the name of Mad Skillz. Super Friends associate Kalonji the Immortal gets a piece with his own super-scientifical flow.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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.
A.K.A. The Second-Best Way to Spend a Responsible Monday Night
We’re back from WMC and ready to rock. Did you miss us?
