DJ Stylus – The Vibe Conductor

Please get acquainted with our special guest for this Saturday. He’s an old friend, great selector and resident at Philly’s Basement Soul, which is a cousin to Sol Power.

Listen to Lil’ Dave at work!

Live at Basement Soul by lildave

His first solo release also makes babies do a combination of rumba and samba. I think this dance is called ’sumba’, which should be the name of his second solo release.

Afro.Latin.Brazilian.House.Disco.Funk
With your favorite Sol Power All-stars:
Stylus, Meistro, Deep Sang and special guest:

…Philly’s Lil’ Dave (illVibe Collective)

Come sweat to the rhythms of Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico & West Africa.
…Samba Whistles, Shekeres & Cowbells welcome!

Free before 11, just $5 after, and all beers are just $4 all night.

Saturday, Sept. 4
10 pm – 3 am
Dahlak
1771 U Street NW
Washington, DC

A bourgie around-the-way girl intellectual friend who retains a taste for the ‘hood and overthinks music as much as I do passed on an essay deconstructing the popularity of Rick Ross’ “B.M.F. (Blowing Money Fast)” among those who should know better. “But it’s just good, ignorant Negroidian fun,” my friend countered. I can relate, as I’m prone to enjoy a brilliant robbery anthem from time to time, even though I’m no fan of actual robberies. Then I came across an amusing B.M.F. YouTube spoof.

The only thing the original and the parody have in common is they underscored how puzzled I am about the song’s huge appeal.

Yes, I know that you know that I’m no Rozay fan. But in order to slow my descent into fogey-dom, I did give Teflon Don a thorough listen after patently ignoring Rawse’s entire ascent to the top of the rap game. And you know what? There are actually some certified joints. B.M.F. just isn’t one of them.

“Super High” is textbook drop-top music that sounds like DJ Quik at the top of his powers with Dr. Dre’s Chronic era session personnel. “No. 1″ is what club bangers used to be before the term was rendered toothless by snap music’s anemic spawn. “Maybach Music 3″ is sweepingly cinematic and “Free Mason” displays some conceptual flair. There is occasional decent rapping to be found in all of these songs.

But B.M.F? A tedious dirge at best. The cheesy orchestral synth patch and 808 combo is little more than a tortured droning, but the trend shows no sign of stopping. The verses bore after one rotation. And frankly, after 20 years of rappers adopting the names of every gangster and despot from Pablo Escobar to The Taliban and even Al Qaeda, I think the super criminal nickname swag can be laid to rest.

And the tempo? Can hip-hop get any slower in the 21st century? We’ll have to start measuring it not in BPM’s (beats per minute) but in SPB’s (syllables per bar). I think B.M.F. may average a good 12 SPB at most. Bamma might as well just be doing spoken word. More importantly, how the fuck do you dance to this shit? Would dougie-ing be appropriate?

Maybe I’m just old and don’t understand modern conspicuous consumption, fantasy rap. The simplest explanation is usually the most likely, even though I still love me some conspicuous consumption, fantasy rap.

Because it was that dope.

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

Long a favorite around these parts and identified early as someone to watch, Nicholas Ryan Gant and his soaring tenor are popping up on many more intriguing bits of nu-soul, from these shores all the way to Japan. Catch him delivering an exclusive intimate set at Refuge backed by Slimkat 78.

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

We’ve got some multimedia mastery in the crew. Check the footage from the March session and let your peoples know what they’ve been missing.

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

With DJs Stylus, Meistro and Deep Sang and Hermon on percussion.

ALL beers are $4 (including Leffe & Redstripe)

Saturday, May 1
10pm
Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
21 and Over
NO COVER (that means FREE)

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

aka THE BIG ONE…
aka DJ Stylus and the Temple of BOOM

What is U Street Music Hall?

It has the most ridiculous sound system in the city. The kind where you’re submerged in the bass without feeling assaulted by it. It is the anti-club (no dress codes, table service, velvet ropes, not even photography). It’s all about DJs and dancers. It has a cork cushioned hardwood dancefloor. It’s owned and managed by DJs and while they do bring in the big names, they give locals prime bookings.

I’m pretty amped about this.

What are Red Fridays?

In 2005, Red closed after nine years of operation. This place was little more than a small basement with giant speakers crammed into it. Awesome things happened there. It was the gravitational center of the city for people who loved their house music deep, banging and transcendent. Sam “The Man” Burns tended his flock there, as well as a fraternity of cats I learned from like Doug “95 North” Smith and Oji. The folks behind U-Hall are programming each night of the week around a theme, and Fridays are the deep house night.

So if want to lose yourself in soulful house, latin house, deep house dubs, disco classics, boogie, broken beat and various hues of uncompromising blacktronica, please join me this Friday. It will mean a lot to play to folks who will really go THERE with me in the only space in the city designed for it.

DJ Stylus at Red Fridays
Friday, April 9
10pm
FREE before 11:30pm, $10 after
U Street Music Hall
1115A U Street NW, Washington DC

The Smithsonian Francophonie festival is turning the National Postal Museum into a dance party. I’ll be opening for Make The Girl Dance. They do an electro-house-rock thing. Obviously, they’re French. I wonder if they’re bringing the jawns from the video.

Don’t know what I’ll do yet. Probably a Sol Power type set mixed with deep big room stuff. Won’t really know until I get there. Should be interesting and there will be quite a contrast. Not my target audience but I like to branch out.

There is an open bar too. And they sold out 800 tickets last year before the doors even opened.

Discothèque
Stylus: 9 – 11pm
Make The Girl Dance: 11pm – 1am
Metro: Union Station
Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave NE
Tickets: $30 instantseats.com or residentassociates.org

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

With DJs Stylus, Meistro, Deep Sang and Hermon on live percussion.

Snowpocalypse knocked us off track last month but the forecast for Saturday:
Abundant sunshine. Highs in the low 50s.

January the floor was filled all night grooving to afro beat, salsa, samba and more.

ALL beers are $4 (including Leffe & Redstripe)

Saturday, March 6
Dahlak
1771 U St, NW (18th & U)
21 and Over
NO COVER

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

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[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

It’s almost cursory to mention it at this point because everyone already knows but we’ll be playing the new Sade album in its entirety tomorrow, after a special video message from the golden lady herself. I hope you’re on the list because we’re near capacity. There will be libations, hors d’oeuvres and chances to win prizes. We won’t be in the basement this week so check for us on the main level.

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.