Ron Trent
Saturday-Party 2
12:23
Ron Trent is authentic. His true self is on display. He is boldly honest and does not put on airs. Even for Hollywood. He remains loyal to his art and passions. Listen deeply to the percussion speak. Piano keys that uplift. Electronica bouncing underneath the 6th Street Bridge. This is music that heals. A sacred medicine draws those wearing t-shirts with random slogans and shoulders covered by jackets into the airy night. Sixty degrees feels comfortable, but the music is what heats the heart of a dancer. Dreamy chords and meditative melodies transform the open-air gathering into a communal dance. Although, Trent’s “I’m glad people actually showed up” crowd could have been more receptive. The lack of response is most disturbing when playing the anthem of the weekend-SoulFreakah’s Mix of “Cure Of A Heartache.” Cause when Brutha Ron drops the music for voices to sing “I’ve had my eyes on you for awhile…,” heard are crickets. Stunned silence. Welcome to L.A.
Terry Hunter
Friday-Party 1
21:30
GRAMMY weekend arrives with a shaky thud-the wheels of an airplane touching down on the airstrip- much like the heart-pouncing thumps that come across as tired from NYC’s selector Shaun Ross later that night. No tracks pop off. The multi-hyphenated Ross is preoccupied. Distracted. Perhaps because he has to pee. He texts DJ Terry Hunter. “Where are you?”
Outdoors the marquee should read: GRAMMY Weekend: Anané and Louie, Terry Hunter and Shaun Ross. But nope. Instead souls settle for a selfie at the iconic entrance at 4067 West Pico Street. Enter. Move through rooms, bodies and vibrations. Room B echos with vocal riffs and big beats. Room A is where a silhouette stands dwarfed front-and-center by an ambitious monitor that flickers Terry Hunter.
25:00
A music selector is much like the pilot landing the plane earlier that morning. You have to trust the unknown to get you safely to your destination. Also, trust the journey. Be mindful. One never knows where the frequencies will swing in a selector’s playlist. Even if every song doesn’t need to have a four-on-the-floor.
Take Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit.” Eye roll, another version? Kurt Cobain coos over a steady four-count until the “entertain us” hook drops as Afro drumming floods the field. On display are bodies bent over. One dancer howls at the disco ball.
The dance floor swells with every personality imaginable capturing Afro vibes from SoulFreakah’s interpretation of Moonchild’s “Cure,” to Black Motion’s “Joy Joy” featuring Brenden Praise. Angelenos are costumey. On Fela Kuti’s “Shakara” moves the raver with silver sparkles attached around her eyes to the guy sporting corn rolls and popping-and-locking to Black Motion’s “Moya wa Taola.” There is big hair, sparkling dresses to the more extravagant that makes no sense-thrift store ensembles. Everyday is Halloween in this city.
Thinking back to lugging luggage at the airport earlier that morning, a selector wears many hats. These days you have to be a content generator, a viral sensation, and be stream-worthy. At times, the music takes a back seat. Not so for Chicago’s Terry Hunter. The T-Box recording label head wins NAACP Image Awards, secures GRAMMY nominations for remixing Queen Bey, releases chart-topping dance singles and consistently tours-mainly stateside. Yet, many might be unfamiliar with Chicago’s best kept secret. The Windy City native does not often grant interviews. He is quiet. Even his online footprint is meh. The music is where he prefers to minister. That spiritual side of house music he sprinkles into his selections. Hunter’s classic, “Wonderful” is not quote gospel, however vocalist Terisa Griffin brings the church and playing the Lounge Lizards’ Bootleg Mix of Yolanda Adam’s “We Still Rize,” Karizma’s “Spirit,” and Hunter’s recently release with Adams singing “Church Doors” kicks ass.
Inhale deeply. There is no other place like being on the dance floor. The energy. The sweat. The community. And It’s been a long time. You realize. Dance floors give life. Tonight is all about celebrating life. Honoring the loved ones who have sojourned from this plain. Genesis. Frodo. Tammy. Suzanne. They dance with the ancestors. They are celebrated. Celebrated in movement. Celebrated in song. Celebrated in spirit. Tomorrow is not promised-neither is one’s health. There only exists one moment. The here. The now. Exhale.
And listen to the approaching yells and hand claps ushering into existence Hunter’s fellow Chicagoan, Stacy Kidd’s “Let It Blow.” The Afro Jazz Extended Mix ignites the event’s most rowdiest ruckus thus far. As Hunter goes out with a bang.
01:00
By the time Anané and Louie appear, Ross summons the witches of the East, and the witches of the West-The Ritual! Guys are shuffling and voguing in front of the Vegas playing onstage. On the floor, tweakers are stepping on feet. The vibe gets real messy. And the beats meander elsewhere.
Anané and Christian Mantini’s remix of “You’re So Sweet” keeps the laters on the floor at the herstoric Jewel’s Catch One. Recall the documentary? Born a girl, poor, and lesbian, Jewel Thais-Williams became the first Black woman to establish and operate a disco for the Black and LGBTQ community in Los Angeles. No easy task in the early 70’s. Thais-Williams’ revolutionary spirit gave perfect purpose to this event. Although, she dances amongst the ancestors. As you walk the stairs to the exit, Jewel still asks us, “Did you catch one?”
Saturday-Party 2
12:01
This is the moment that excites. Or should excite. When Ron Trent plays his remix of Soul II Soul’s “A Dream’s A Dream.” Feel the shakers and drumming empower vocalist Victoria Wilson James’ operatic “I can see right through you” right down to the spoken word from the voice of Soul II Soul, Jazzie B. Yet, the crowd stands silent.
Los Angeles is a bit of an anomaly. Of course you will meet the most courteous people on the floor. But, do the same people come out to party? Yes. However, the consistency lacks. One night, the attendees are competitive breakers and the next night, the attendees are the concert types standing everywhere waiting for something to pop off. L.A. crowds are like a box of chocolates, life would be much less fun without them.
24:30
Earlier, underneath colossal slabs of concrete, the 6th Street Viaduct, DaM-Funk rocked the stage with boogie and Auto-tune. The Pasadena native addressed his haters. The at capacity crowd cheered. But when Rochelle Jordan arrived wearing knee high boots and her trench blew in the air, those gathered further championed the vixen by singing “Ladida (A COLORS SHOW).” Ya’ll like that song.” The Cali resident boasted.
Before exiting stage-right, Jordan shouted, “Congratulations to Ron Trent for his GRAMMY nomination.” Albeit, the reason for everyone’s being in attendance, but somehow being amiss to “A Dream’s A Dream,” a song originally released in 1990. Perhaps Trent, playing the next songs will elevate the vibe.
Instead, there stands two blokes comparing vape pens. The nerve. Both are blocking valuable dance real estate. A big no-no as a dancer desires to acknowledge the Yoruba Mix of Tony Touch’s with Peven Everett singing “No Wonder.”
Finally! Freedom to move about as space clears on Moonchild’s “Cure” remixed by SoulFreakah. Clueless. Visages appear to decipher if they actually enjoy the sonic narrative instead of actually embracing the soul in house music.
These days in soulful house music the beats per minute have drastically slowed, the drums are more percussive and there lacks the traditional four-on-the-floor “oonze.” Sometimes the fun is amiss in the music altogether. However, there comes a moment when the music gets deep. Real deep. A journey told at 123 beats per minute of moans and bass and electronic jobs that induce hypnosis. Bodies fall prey, swaying like waves in the nearby Pacific. This is sacred medicine and Ron Trent has the prescription. “Sensual” is a charm.
Trent is no newbie when it comes to pulling out the zeitgeist in crowds. He has been in the game for decades. The second-wave house music ambassador hails from the Southside. He is an architect of the Chicago house sound popularized in the early 1990s. A pioneer who has changed the game in music. His efforts have opened doors for others to share their voice in electronic music all the while staying true to his roots. He honors. When opening with the artist and song that inspired him to make music, Fingers Inc’s “Mystery of Love” to his closer, “Strings of Life” from the Detroit Techo titan Derrick May. And now, Trent’s name is added to an exhaustive list of best remixers nominated for a GRAMMY. As the man of the next two hours stood in head-to-toe black onstage, he tipped his wide-brim and crown, and so eloquently explained, “This is a win for soulful house music.”
wrds: aj dance
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Tags: #dancefloormagic #housemusicexcellence, Anané, Catch One, dam funk, dance, deep house, DJ Terry Hunter, GRAMMY Weekend 2026, house music, Los Angeles, Louie Vega, Rochelle Jordan, Ron Trent, Shaun Ross