AJ Dance Legacy

OVEOUS

So what does an OVEOUS playlist sound like?  The music that Osunlade plays.  Percolating percussions.  Meditative melodies.  Ancestreal chants.  A major difference being OVEOUS spits verses, live.  Holding in hand a microphone he raps, “Find your friends on the dance floor. Or make new friends on the dance floor.”  Osunlade and OVEOUS are arguably interchangeable.  The latter having been mentored by the Yoruba priest, is a member of the Yoruba Recordings family.  Debuted as OVEOUS MAXIMUS, he first released, “I Apologize” (The Remixes) over a decade earlier.  The Ezel Remix brings back fond memories when the music selector sings, “I’m so sorry. (3X) I apologize.”  That has you mouthing along in harmony.

(more…)

Collective Minds

Twelve hours and a near two hour flight later, you stare in the face of adversity.  The soles of your Balenciaga sneakers treading on gravel makes that crunching sound.  While walking?  Yes, walking.  And walking a fair distance too.  That’s sad.  Today’s soulful house music’s target audience is age fifty plus.  People would be upset seeing their mother or grandmother footing several kilometers to a music festival.  Shuttle vans should transport the elders to and fro in AC.  Instead their hands pull coolers.  Their arms cradle shopping bags.  And their backs tote luggage for close to a mile.   

(more…)

PARTY I

THE TOURISTS

0100

“LOUIE VEGA COME ON!” Yells an overzealous Vega fan holding a vinyl record.
“LOUIE. I WANNA HEAR SOME OF THAT HAL-LE-LUJIAH!” He sings.
“LOUIE PLAY THAT BLACK MUSIC.” He continues. “Then watch all these kids leave the room.” (more…)

Party II

THE PURISTS
0235

“COMING THROUGH. DJ COMING THROUGH.” Security courteously yelled. There is no shock that LV has an entourage of eight that trekked through the thick mass of privilege minutes earlier. After all, Louie is the host with the most. His charm oozing through the soundtrack he curates. His ability to make any cast of characters feel inclusive. The music he plays is diverse. Journey through disco, house, gospel, classic house, deep, dark, Afro/Latin, to ancestral. All the while, his playlists embody warmth. Never cold or distant. Calculated on the fly. Ethereal in essence. Spiritual to the core. (more…)

There It Blows.

Overboard! A forceful gust of wind blows a fedora off a head. A giant plastic A-frame sign collapses. The cool draft blows against the perspiration on the lower back as the body jumps and spins 180 degrees. Sneakers effortlessly slide across the smooth cobblestone dotted red and brown. Breathe deeply. The cool crisp air filling the lungs feels not only refreshing but excites the savory glands. Hungry? Dance with friends nearby the vendor selling plant-based bites. Thirsty? Dance your way to the vendor selling liquid spirits? Anyone, for an orange sweatshirt to keep warm? Dance toward the rear entrance canopy where branded apparel is sold cash free. But be cautious dancing in front of giant sub woofers. That emits booms and bass loud enough for big-field festivals.

(more…)

OSUNLADE

2300

Twenty-five dollars cash to park! GTFOH. Betta forget about street parking too. Onward the parking quest continues. When music spills over brick edges onto black asphalt. Where groups of melanin hourglasses wearing lemonade braids with sneakers tread. Along the historic of avenues – Auburn.

This is just another hot boy summer Saturday night in these streets. Or is it? As twenty minutes later, the parking conundrum is solved. However, the question remains. Next trip drive solo, again? Or pay $90 round-trip to be chauffeured in a rideshare? Things that make you go “Hmmm.”

(more…)

Lend me your ear. To be told of what makes legends. Organic rhythm meets ancestral royalty. Playing for the divinities.

(more…)

BLACK COFFEE

“What’s Happening to Orlando?”

2335

Already a random guy wearing black shades, his armed pinned behind lower back is being escorted by security from the premises. That’s sad. Cause the Enoo Napa Remix of Matto Cole’s “Nabay” that is playing is fire!  WTTW, if you decide to be kicked out of a club, choose to leave on one of the plethora of horrible tracks played. Otherwise, welcome to the Celine.

(more…)

The Gathering’s 15 Year Anniversary Celebration

The “D”

2400

The highs sound before the bass kicks. Spaced out whumps wobble from the soundscape. Jazzy synth chords play before being hushed. The heart beat of the pulse-the drums-pound at 124 beats per minute. The track plays like a walk through a park on a breezy day. “Play dat shit! Kai.” The accolades continue. “Work it. Work it. Work it.” (more…)

John Ciafone

2240

Over looking the sparkling lights sweeping upward Juarez Mountain, Mexico from the Durango Street overpass vicinal the ballpark stadium, the ear catches pulsating thumps from the distance. In Las Plazaz, the Union Plaza district of downtown, sneakers trek along the community painted mural sidewalk. Ah, within sight, sits the destination, a brick and mortar painted with neon pink letters that reads, Club Here I Love You <3. (more…)