AJ Dance Legacy

PASSION PARTY

Party streamers with red metallic hearts attached on ends shimmered in the soft glow of the club’s neon blue, red and white strobe lights. The ceiling, cluttered with every red, pink and white balloon possibly imagined dazzled in the company of several sparkling disco balls. Enter the VIP room, already drenched in blood red, lay ready for any foreplay or other voyeuristic acts that were sure to occur.

In the packed room the momentum steadily culminated like boiling water ready to blow the lid off a steel pot. People stood shoulder to shoulder like atoms in a crystalline solid with barely enough room to move. The level of anticipation exploded as Danny Krivit AKA Mr. Re-edit, appeared in the DJ booth to take control of the culinary delight. Danny was armed and dangerous with a musical dish so spicy it was sure to send the palette to the drinking well. Every mouth in the room salivated with fixation for the bountiful spread. Many stood still, unable to dance waiting for the first note to drop. What would it be? What would it taste like?

Then it happened. The first note dropped like desert rain upon the hungry mass. Danny played the classic disco floor burner, “Movin” by Construction Brass, the primarily instrumental marked with occasional chants of, “Gotta get myself together/Yeah/Gonna Go Higher/I’m Movin On,” with its live funky horns and talking guitars reminders of times when real instruments were recorded in real music studios and not artificially manufactured on computer software in mom and pop’s bedrooms. The year was 1976 when this funk driven disco tune reached the top of the R’n’B charts and number 14 on the Pop charts. Okay, a song of this caliber might be too old to play in current clubscape but the crowd filled with many over the hills went bedlam. Really, these people went crazy. As if they hadn’t heard the song since Saturday morning cartoons were all the rage. Then again, maybe they hadn’t. After all the song was so old dust had to be wiped off the recording. Anyways, that did nothing to stop the loud roar that surged through the air like thunder before a coming storm. Into the air, arms flew up and fists violently pumped as smiling house heads jumped up and down throughout the packed abode. People everywhere lost their freaking minds. Evidently, disco was the dish of the night.

Wait a minute. What was this? A straight up four-count thumping house beat with hissing hi-hats that protruded from the speakers like soft rose pedals of love. The fluttering sounds of xylophone keys culminating with fluffy keyboard chords met the crescendo of a straight up hand clappin’, foot stompin’ church organ leftover from last Sunday morning’s service. This tune was on point, a rather bouncy feel good that made the heart do summersaults in circles around the room. The instrumental jam had a hypnotic melody that stalked the mind for months to come and beckoned this question to be answered. What’s the name of that song? The answer: Peven Everett’s, “Church” (The Sting International Mix)! Fiyah!!!

Later that night, another stellar stand out once again came from Chicago’s soul crooner, Peven Everett. This time delivered in the form of what seemed like a 12 minute plus re-edit of the singer’s unreleased promo, “Burning Hot.” Peven’s signature voice flawlessly fluttered over Timmy Regisford’s and Adam Rios’ remixed interpretation with perfectly executed distinction, style and grace. The song that seemed to never end was of no major complaint as the crowd danced as if this were a soul parade. However, even this catchy tune seemed a first-rate cousin of disco with its four-count drum beat, uplifting orchestra strings and a jabbing rhythmic guitar which made for an easy transition out of the previous disco song played.

By the time the last song played, the room looked mildly disheveled. Gone were the balloons that once hung from the ceiling and the pretty little red hearts lay trampled everywhere on the floor. Sorrow was felt for the individual(s) that had to clean up the mess. The room looked like a lover gone mad.

After the passage of yet another “Tamborific” journey, Danny stayed around for a quick interview and posed for several photos in front of the black banner with light blue letters boldly proclaiming, “TAMBOR.” Soon after others content with music filled bellies gathered in the photo to close out a night filled with passion.

Photography by Carlos J. Bell