My Saturday night

OK...followed by a great Friday night filled with soulful, funky house music it was time to switch gears for Saturday. My friend Dan Tres hosted a Hip-Hop Showcase and BBoy battle in the downtown Norfolk area. Dayum I wish I'd taken a camera and camcorder! We (Roz and I) arrived at around 11:00, and were both immediately drawn into the action.

The BBoy (breakdancing in laymen's terms) battles were already in full swing, and I really have no words to describe it. It was just great to see everyone enjoying themselves, and the battlers were battling hard - moves that I couldn't even dream of attempting done so effortlessly...

Dan, you need to do another of those events SOON!! Respect

Friday night at Element

I would never have believed it. A house night in Richmond, Virginia - not only a house night, but a PACKED house night! HandzOnRadio's DJ Chuck and Omar did us proud on Friday night at Element, a nice venue in downtown Richmond. Amazingly, this was the first exclusively house night I have ever attend in Virginia (and I've been here for twelve years).

So once again, the wheels are turning. If this went over so well in Richmond (and Friday was their FIRST time), surely a following exists here in Hampton Roads. Hmmmm...to be continued -

Planning in progress...

...so I have began planning our event for the 2006 Miami WMC - so far everything seems to be going smoothly. With the help of a great partner (thank you Kelli), we've already secured a great venue and have sponsorships pending. What's more, we even beat out Subliminal Records for the venue! So...fingers crossed folks - we are in need of sponsors, and are awaiting answers from Red Bull and Bacardi. If all goes well the venue will have adequate net access for us to stream the party live on Cyberjamz Radio (thanks Sammy).

The details I can confirm:

Usual Suspects & B.A.E. present "Global Groove"
Saturday, March 25, 2006 3pm-9pm (may go later though)
Location: the Indian Creek Hotel (poolside party)
DJs: Timmy Vegas (Soul Central, UK), Greg Gray (Chicago, USA), Vjuan Allure (Naples, Italy), DJ 'Elegance' (Netherlands)

Stay tuned for more info - and wish us luck.

Various photos of House in action...

Just thought I'd do a photos-only post - these are of various house events we've attended. Enjoy.

Halloween House style "Suspects" in Brighton, UK - DJ Tula below
Ministry of Sound, UK




"Suspects" in NYC and Sullivan Room - Brian Cheetham presiding








Barbara Tucker @ Defected ITH Miami

Latrice Barnett and your's truly

Reel People (and your's truly)Among friends (Greg (of Hardsoul) on left)Tortured Soul (Miami)JJK (John Julius Knight)

DJ Roog (Hardsoul) - Miami

...to be continued...

*sigh...more Miami memories...

I continue to get myself excited about the Miami Conference in March. I truly need some sunshine and warmth...and a VACATION! Anyhow, here is a clip from the first Miami party I hit last year - "Soul on the Beach". Naturally emphasis is put on the dancers (I believe that dancers make the party...if no one's dancing, there IS no party). There is also an example in this footage of how age makes NO difference when it comes to true dance enthusiasts - you'll see who I'm talking about. Enjoy.

One of my favorite events of 2005...

The Collective Minds Picnic...a yearly event held in Baltimore, MD that helps showcase the endless varieties of house music. A bonus with this event is that you can bring your entire family, and I saw PLENTY of families there. Good music, good food, good dancing, and a great vibe made for a beautiful day spent with friends, family, and NEW friends...all gathered in Druid Hill Park for the love of HOUSE. THIS is the type of event I would love to see in the Hampton Roads, VA area...stay tuned...

(The video below also contains some admittedly embarrassing footage of your's truly and a friend clowning around, but at that point we were so exhausted from dancing we didn't care.)

Tortured Soul

No, not my tortured soul but the band Tortured Soul. I was first introduced to their music through a mix I obtained from a friend. It contained a track of their's called "Fall in Love"; a very smooth track. At the time I had no idea what the name of the group was...all I knew was that this particular track was in heavy rotation in the car.

Fast forward a few months to the 2005 Miami WMC...where a group called Tortured Soul is playing live at the Club Shelter 14th anniversary party. As always my camera and camcorder were on hand to capture the festivities, and I must say that I am GLAD I had them. It was among the best live performances that I had ever witnessed!! All live - John-Christian Urich on drums AND lead vocals, Ethan White on keys, and JKriv (Jason Kriveloff) on bass - and get this - they are a live HOUSE band!!!

I was made a believer by the beginning of their second song, and ended up filming the entire performance. They are known for playing non-stop (John-Christian must have a LOT of energy, because he goes off on the drums while still hitting those notes). I had the pleasure of briefly chatting with John-Christian and Ethan after the performance...REALLY down-to-earth guys. I bumped into John-Christian later in the week enjoying another party (Defected Records party, I believe)...and found myself checking out another of their performances toward the end of the conference.

For those not familiar with Tortured Soul, they are definitely worth a listen. You can hear clips from their album and learn more about them at www.torturedsoulmusic.com. If you see any dates in your area, I highly recommend checking them out. You will NOT regret it.

Finally, I'd like to thank you guys again for inviting me out to your DC performance to film. It was a blast, and I hope to see you again in Miami in March.

We need a revolution...

...in the Hampton Roads, VA area, that is. I keep trying to come up with ideas of how to bring some of my beloved house culture to this area. For all who are not familiar with the area, it is military-dominated - largest Naval base in the world, a Naval air station, Army bases, an Air Force base - a LOT of military peeps. Then there are the colleges...MANY of them in the area as well.

So I'm thinking...as many parts of the country (and in some cases, the world) as the inhabitants of Hampton Roads hail from, there have GOT to be people like me...who are just WAITING for a house scene to develop. Not knocking hip-hop, for I am fond of it as well, but the clubs here just do not play what I consider to be hip-hop. Rap, maybe - but not hiphop. Dan Tres gets much respect from me for representing (and promoting) true hip-hop culture in the area. What he is doing for hip-hop is exactly what I would like to do for house. So the question remains...how do I go about this?

Well, I guess the brainstorming continues. Most obvious answers; find a venue and test the waters or get a license for a park event - so far club owners have cringed at the idea of house music being played in their beloved venues (*sigh...why couldn't we be more musically diverse a la Miami, where I've put on a couple of parties already) . The park idea is still to be acted upon, and will most likely be attempted sometime in the summer. I guess a sponsor or two couldn't hurt.

Until then, I guess I will continue to travel in order to get my fix. The parties we throw in miami have helped prepare me for the day when I am finally able to do it here. Fortunately, I do not have to worry about DJs...they are just as anxious as I am to bring this phenomena we call House to the area, so all we need is a home and a "family" to share it with. Stay tuned...

Just HAD to post this...BBoying at it's finest...

These are clips of BBoy Junior (of France)


Outstanding!!

Miami WMC...a houselover's paradise

"The real deal" - a pretty accurate description of the annual Miami WMC (Winter Music Conference). Ever since I first attended in 2003 I have made it a priority to get there every year. As a lover of the house genre, I can honestly say that I have never seen a better showcase of all the different styles of this music (in the States at least). Tens of thousands of people converge on Miami from every country imaginable for the conference, and theere is never anything but love and high spirits in the air. The entire atmosphere is one of bliss...everywhere you look, no matter where you are...on the street, in a club, at the beach, in one of their cyber cafes...you can feel the excitement in the air. During that one week (or weekend, depending on the days the dates fall on), hostility is next to nonexistent. All are concerned with having a good time while meeting new friends and forging new relationships (business or otherwise).

I also look forward to expanding my own global family of househeads (The Usual Suspects...linked on this page). The networking aspect of the conference is DEFINITELY a bonus. Everyone is so accessible, there is no need to try and wade through entourages or try to get access via special passes. You can speak to any number of DJs/artists/promoters easily by simply walking up to them and opening your mouth. All egos are left at the door. DJs such as Jazzy Jeff, Tony Humphreys, Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, Louie Vega, Sandy Rivera, and basically any others you could name - all available and more than happy to speak. You see, TRUE househeads are not preoccupied with materialism and popularity (both of which tend to push egos into overdrive). All we are concerned with is having a good time and showing love to our brothers and sisters; where ever they may be from.

So I invite anyone who may have the means and the time to try and make it to at LEAST one Miami WMC. I guarantee that it will be one of the best times of your life. Even if you are not a househead, I am willing to bet that you will leave Miami with a new appreciation of the house genre. With so many different sounds you are bound to hear something that you like. I shall add some more of my photos from last year's WMC...enjoy. (More info on the conference can be found at www.wmcon.com)

...just a few of my 200+ photos...I'd be happy to share the rest with those who would like to see them all.

In lighter news...all hail the queen...

Queen Latifah, that is - the first hip-hop artist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "I think the reason I am here is to inspire African-American women who are rappers, full-figured women to know that they can do it, too," Latifah stated at the unveiling of her star.

Queen Latifah was (and still is) one of the hip-hoppers I looked up to coming up. She has always promomted positivity in her lyrics as well as her lifestyle, and as a young man it was refreshing to see a woman on the hip-hop scene who did not feel the need to fall into the "norm" (i.e. raunchy lyrics, revealing attire, shock value, etc.). Equally impressive was her meteoric rise from hip-hopper to television actress to movie star...all without compromising her identity. I look forward to MUCH more from the Queen...

ALL Hail...

In the news...

"Robertson suggests God smote Sharon - evangelist links Israeli leader's stroke to 'dividing God's land'"

Ok...first a disclaimer - although my blog's title suggests that it will be ALL about music (I promise that the majority of the topics will have SOMETHING to do with music), there are other topics that will spark my interest and compell me to share my thoughts...

That having been said, where do we draw the line between religion and fanaticism? In light of several comments made recently by Robertson, I would venture to place him in the category of fanaticism (at the risk of incurring the wrath of Pat Robertson followers - then again...why follow Pat? He is not God). When will he be held accountable? What scares me most is the fact that as large as his following is, about 99.9% of his supporters hang on his every word...pretty darn close to a cult following if you ask me. As a "Christian" person - no..."Christian" so-called LEADER...what he SHOULD be doing is praying for Sharon (and asking his people to do the same). The same goes for the Katrina victims and those in the midwest affected by the flooding.

Finally, what religious leader in their right mind would suggest the assassination of Hugo Chavez? What exactly has Mr. Chavez done to him (or the US in general)? I believe that Mr. Robertson's health (mental) should be evaluated.

*Rant off*

First, a little about me...

"Music lover extraordinaire" would most likely best describe me. From hiphop to rock, jazz to classical, and of course my favorite...house music. I am one who believes that music is the answer...it is an extremely powerful tool (which unfortunately is too often used for the wrong reasons). Music, no matter what genre, has the ability to bring people together regardless of race, religion, nationality, sexual preference, etc. - and in my experience this has been best shown in house music events.

Unfortunately, not many are familiar with this particular genre...hopefully this will soon change...