{"id":2371,"date":"2013-05-19T18:20:22","date_gmt":"2013-05-19T18:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ajdancelegacy.com\/~ajdance\/?p=2371"},"modified":"2013-05-28T16:31:31","modified_gmt":"2013-05-28T16:31:31","slug":"osunlade-18-05-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ajdancelegacy.com\/~ajdance\/osunlade-18-05-13\/","title":{"rendered":"OSUNLADE 18.05.13"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

OSUNLADE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

00.00<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A brush of a shoulder here and a brush of a shoulder there detour not from the festivity at hand.\u00a0 A sea of brown and beige paints the room\u2019s canvas.\u00a0 The lovely soul children have arrived.\u00a0 The people pack the place.\u00a0 They come ready to be baptized into the waters of deep.\u00a0 Digital phones and tablets rush front and center stage with bright red buttons aglow that records movement.\u00a0 Onstage busy bodies migrate to and fro as they prepare for the third coming.\u00a0 The return of one of the most anticipated Ministers of Sound that has defined a musical movement for this generation\u2019s era.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTambor Party<\/a>.\u00a0 Let us welcome back for the third time, all the way from Greece, Mr\u2026\u2026\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Osunlade\u2019s Tambor debut<\/a>, three years earlier, saw the \u201cEnvision\u201d singer share the bill with a fellow DJ from Chicago.\u00a0 Talk about running upstairs and running downstairs to catch both DJs at work.\u00a0 In addition, the venue\u2019s shoebox shaped basement could not contain the crowd Osunlade commands.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One year later sees Osunlade-in support of his final house music offering \u2018Pyrography<\/a>\u2019 with organic illustrations from artist Scott Marr-headline Tambor\u2019s two-year anniversary soiree to a capacity crowd.\u00a0 Peculiarly, Tambor was pushed out of the venue\u2019s more spacious accommodation and into a smaller adjacent corner with no air-conditioning in mid-August heat.\u00a0 Epic FAIL.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This time around, team Tambor envisioned correctly and secured the event facility\u2019s main room, come hell or high water.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reinvention is essential.\u00a0 Not only has Osunlade\u2019s music manifesto evolved at each Tambor but so his appearance.\u00a0 Gone, the dreads traded for a military cut.\u00a0 Ever present: the ear gauges large enough to punch a fist through.\u00a0 Standing proud and appearing stunning in a golden tee, contrasted by a grey vest, the artist steps up to play.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The warm cheers subside.\u00a0 Quietly the people stand.\u00a0 A sense of anticipation shatters the atmosphere.\u00a0 An anticipation so delicate it borders on discretion.\u00a0 Suddenly, a shimmering vocal sounds.\u00a0 It softly dances on heads and drifts through the air.\u00a0 As so, eloquent discretion begets questions.\u00a0 Who is singing?\u00a0 What is the title of this track?\u00a0 Everyone\u2019s response: petrified silence.\u00a0 Perhaps this is no expected powerhouse anthem, but more of a soft opener wetting the people\u2019s appetite for more to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Punch the bass and hit throttle.\u00a0 The music kicks into high gear with Fleetwood Mac\u2019s \u201cDreams\u201d (Osunlade Mix).\u00a0 Stevie Nicks never sounded so distinguished than belting notes over a deep house treatment.\u00a0 The audience agrees.\u00a0 They sing along.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Questionable.\u00a0 Neophyte, Lana Del Rey\u2019s \u201cVideo Games\u201d (A Nooma Remix by Manoo) quiets the tone but keeps bodies in motion.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BOOM!!! Afefe Iku\u2019s \u201cMirror Dance<\/a>\u201d shatters the sound sphere.\u00a0 The song\u2019s vibrancy still has not lost its edge.\u00a0 The crowd jumps off.\u00a0 Their unbridled praise proves the Yoruba Soul Remix featuring Oveous Maximus is still relevant.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone for a slow dance?\u00a0 Jill Scott\u2019s \u201cMy Love\u201d plays filler duties.\u00a0 The Jason B Remix is a sleeping beauty that needs to stay asleep.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHEEEYY.\u201d Dave Ghan screams.\u00a0 The crowd awakes and stands attentive.\u00a0 Depache Mode\u2019s lead vocalist sings \u201cReach Out\u201d on MasterKev\/Tony Loreto and Polyrhythm\u2019s interpretation of \u201cPersonal Jesus\u201d against a stark beating percussion. \u201cReach Out And Touch Me\u201d is what the crowd tries to do.\u00a0 With arms stretched high and hands raised in the air a spiritual pilgrimage begins.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The spiritual apex ascends.\u00a0 This time Atlanta\u2019s Donnie sings \u201cOlmec Save Us<\/a>\u201d (Yoruba Soul Mix) produced by Atlantan Kai Alce, who is in the house<\/em>.\u00a0 People beg, \u201cWhat is the name of this track?\u00a0 \u201cWhere can I download it?\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jazzy Jeff featuring Erro’s \u201cRock With You\u201d (Yoruba Soul Dub Mix) oscillates right into the hands of yesteryear.\u00a0 Chicago\u2019s \u201cStreet Player\u2019s\u201d brass section dazzles dancers with dynamics, Lil Louis\u2019 & The World\u2019s \u201cI Called You (But You Weren\u2019t There) provides the wit with its tell-tale of love gone wrong, and later Candido\u2019s \u201cThousand Finger Man\u201d surprises and delights and refreshes seasoned ears.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

01:00<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The battle of the event occurs: Jack Son\u2019s \u201cThrill Her<\/a>\u201d versus Prince\u2019s \u201cControversy.\u201d\u00a0 The room explodes.\u00a0 People scream.\u00a0 People dance.\u00a0 People sweat.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As this is the party of sweat stains.\u00a0 Perspiration accents brows, drops from foreheads, runs down bare arms and decorates T-shirts.\u00a0 Be careful.\u00a0 Even the slippery floor sweats.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One word describes a world-renowned DJ\/producer\/songwriter\/singer that can slay a room with a belt-heavy of eclectic catalog hits, produced or remixed for the likes of mainstream artist Frank Ocean featuring Earl Sweatshirt\u2019s, \u201cSuper Rich Kid\u201d to indie repertoire Jazztronik\u2019s, \u201cDentro Mi Alma<\/a>.\u201d The word is pride.\u00a0 A pride that sings so loud and so clear that it demands attention.\u00a0 Live and in person, singer soulstress Nadirah Shakoor does so.\u00a0 She takes the stage to sing her female fueled power anthem, \u201cPride<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 Surprise!\u00a0 No one envisioned this moment where these two musical souls, the producer and the singer, would synergize together on Tambor\u2019s stage.\u00a0 The DJ steps back; the singer steps forward. \u00a0Osunlade digs out another cohort\/producer, Andy Catana\u2019s \u201cIronia<\/a>,\u201d a deep\/tech house four-to-the-floor treat from his 2010, \u201cOccult Symphonic<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 From the OS to Pyrography, \u201cEnvision<\/a>,\u201d (Ame Remix) plays but right at the break where sonic beeps collide with bombastic bass the song disappears.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBleep, Bop\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBleep, Bleep, Bop\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cErrrrr\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBleep, Bleep, Bop\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOoooo, Yeee, Ooooo\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBloop\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cErrrr\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBah, Bah, Bah, Bah\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With every \u201cBleep\u201d a Bozark knob turns clockwise.\u00a0 With perfect timing between intervals of FX, the sound is tweaked with skilled precision.\u00a0 The spectacle displays a master of music playing Space Invaders on an Atari gaming system.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A drum kicks.\u00a0 A four count rhythm startles.\u00a0 A climatic build of dizzying bleeps and bumps clash against stark fireworks.\u00a0\u00a0 Galactic shrills scream \u201cBang.\u201d\u00a0 This is the one minute opener to one of the most amazing pieces of music ever recorded.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFireworks\u201d\/ \u201cComputer Games\u201d is the song that might have made Kraftwerk uneasy.\u00a0 \u201cComputer Games\u201d inspired the hip hop and electronic\/electro age of music.\u00a0 Tokyo Japan\u2019s most successful outfit, Yellow Magic Orchestra\u2019s opus takes the dancers on a magic carpet ride to the Far East where sound imagery intersects Asian arts.\u00a0 The song-composed of strings, steel vibes, warm keys and fluttering flutes, all played on synthesizers-plays in its entire glory for seven minutes and twenty seconds. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The party becomes a performance.\u00a0 Osunlade transforms from DJ to entertainer.\u00a0 He dances.\u00a0 He frolics to every count, every intricate detail of rhythmic expression via instrument.\u00a0 At best, Osunlade is a showman.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t take no more.\u201d One dancer pants.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m about to pass out.\u201d\u00a0 Osunlade slays the room.\u00a0 Dancers hold one another up.\u00a0 Even Tambor\u2019s banner on stage lies on the floor.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next, the crowd journeys along the Nile to the Motherland.\u00a0 Pyramids raid the distance and camels travel on cruise control.\u00a0 Listen.\u00a0 The Jones Girls sings, \u201cNights Over Egypt.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

02:00<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Somewhere the music goes obscure between Latin rhythms of bossa nova and samba where African drums talk into the ancestral universe.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Osunlade returns the journey back to a safe destination, his Yoruba Soul catalog.\u00a0 Self- produced, \u201cCantos A Ochun Et Oya<\/a>\u201d and Erro\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Change<\/a>\u201d (Main Mix) segue into remixed classics for the likes of Tortured Soul with \u201cI Might Do Something Wrong<\/a>\u201d (Osunlade Lonely Remix) and the pimp-slap Vivian Green\u2019s \u201cEmotional Rollercoaster<\/a>,\u201d (Osunlade Late Night Mix) both nods to the early aughts.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A slight interruption by DJ Stanzeff can\u2019t stop the music.\u00a0 Osunlade is where?\u00a0 He is zoned in the mix and unable to stop playing music even if he wanted too.\u00a0 Sadly, Osunlade has no choice.\u00a0\u00a0 The room illuminates with fluorescents.\u00a0 Translation: Time To Go.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The event\u2019s closing number a padapella of Marvin Gaye\u2019s \u201cI Want You\u201d brings out the freaks.\u00a0 Several couples grind and grope one another as if this event is one large orgy. \u00a0Pheromones fill the air.\u00a0 Sex is in the future for some tonight. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tambor Party is known for many surprises.\u00a0 But this party turned performance was the surprise of all.\u00a0 From a live singer to a DJ playing three instruments called two Pioneer CD players and one Bozark.\u00a0 This Tambor felt authentic, not forced, organic, not processed, yet cohesive lacking definition.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The music fit no formula, format or flow.\u00a0 The mixing of songs seemed cold.\u00a0 At times, one song slammed into the next that forced the music into unexpected genres.\u00a0 Why was this so?\u00a0 How did this work?\u00a0 Better yet, it worked!\u00a0 If this had been another DJ the experience would have largely failed flat.\u00a0 Word to the wise: Osunlade is often imitated but never duplicated. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

03:00<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

DJ Stanzeff takes hold of the microphone to announce, \u201cTambor let\u2019s give a round of applause to our good friend<\/em> Mr\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m freaking family!\u201d\u00a0 Osunlade interrupts.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m freaking family!\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, Mr. Osunlade you are family.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

.\n\t\t