Getting the band back together! After a few shows in lockdown, Ramirez is back in the basement with Andy Grant & Katrina Mir for another edition of the DC House Grooves Show on Underground Quality Radio at our regular time slot 10pm ET on Saturday May 16. Regular listeners will know the drill, 2+ hours of the very best underground house, disco, techno and everything in between from three of Washington DC’s finest selectors. We’ll be hanging out in a new Messenger room, join at https://msngr.com/THW4xtIp5DEqLVnr
Well this sucks. No clubs, no dancing, no DJing, no fun 🙁 To stop ourselves from going completely mad, we’re gonna be playing records from time to time and streaming it to the Interwebs. Bookmark this page, and check back everyday… we’ll likely be going live around 7pm.
Tommy Cornelis is a member of the DJ collective and party The NeedlExchange, and DC House Grooves has invited him to give you an unofficial and underground guide to DC Pride 2015!
It’s easy to assume everyone in our underground community knows that we owe a great deal to our “dancestors”, particularly LGBTQIA people of color, when we step on the dance floor. But then you hear Ten Walls (aka Mario Basanov) spew some truly vile shit that would make Rick Santorum blush, and you’re left scratching your head.
And while it’s great to see gay rights progress incredible fast, it’s sad to see gay audiences completely unaware of our roots. I meet gay people all the time who have never heard the names of Larry Levan or Frankie Knuckles, but know every word to [insert name of generic, straight pop star].
Far too often lines are drawn on both sides, albeit unintentional, where gay people might be really into a DJ, but the harsh reality is that they may not attend the event because they don’t want to be the only gay person there, coupled with the concern “is this truly a safe space?”. Conversely, some straight people won’t go to a queer event out of fear of invading their space, or maybe they too feel like the “odd one(s) out”.
As we embark on our annual DC Pride celebration, active discussions on diversity in dance culture and the commercialization of Pride are taking place. While these (and many other) conversations are crucial to our identities, and should be evolving beyond the scope of one week in June, I say we stop taking sides and strive to create inviting spaces that would make our dance forefathers and mothers proud. We are a resilient, diverse community, bound by our love for the dance floor and expression of self.
If you want to take me up on that challenge, here are some pride events from DC’s emerging, queer underground for you to sweat to this week!
Wednesday Picks
Market Crash – Pride 2015 Special Edition at The Big Board It’s really cool seeing gays throwing weekday parties AND branching out of NW, and Market Crash just celebrated one year of doing just that with their monthly party on H Street at The Big Board. For Pride they’re bringing in guest DJ Tommy Cornelis and drag queen Heidi Glüm. Heidi hosts a drag night at Black Cat called Gay Bash, where you’re more likely to see a Marilyn Manson performance than Britney Spears.
Schadenfreude Neubauten w/ DJ Laura Palmer at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar DJs Wolfblister (Kwasi) and Dianamatic were DJing a party called Kitty Twister together at Dodge City when they started Schadenfreudu Neubauten as an outlet to play coldwave, post punk, minimal synth, goth and near goth stuff. And they do this all at Dr. Clock’s, which has served as an incubator of sorts for off-the-wall ideas. Find out who killed guest DJ Laura Palmer this Thursday.
Shirtless at Green Lantern No one goes here for the music, but “Shirtless” at “The Latrine” is a proud DC tradition. The deal is you drink for free from 10-11PM if you take your shirt off. It creates a dance floor full of shirtless, sweaty dudes, which sometimes hits the spot.. especially during Pride. Shirtless is also a stop on the Leather Barcrawl, which has a free bus to the not-so-convenient new location of the DC Eagle, so it’s a good opportunity to drink cheap, check out the Eagle, and get your leather on!
Pornstache at Satellite Room Satellite Room is hosting several pride-related events this year, including this party from the team behind Market Crash.DJ Kevo and DJ Melo will be playing electro music all night, and there will be performances by drag queens Heidi Glüm and Salvadora Dali.
Booty Rex at Black Cat Top pick for Friday night is definitely the now annual and quite legendary Booty Rex party, combining the Anthology of Booty collective and the (now defunct) She.Rex party. There aren’t a ton of lesbian parties in DC, but when there are- people show up in full force ready to get down. There’s something to be said about this model in a city where we so often have to pick and choose from several great events each night. Booty Rex takes over both floors of The Cat w/ DJs Natty Boom, Alex DB, DJ RAt, and Junebullet, to name a few.
Otter Crossing feat. CTRL at Green Lantern Otter Crossing is one of the few gay parties in DC that has achieved a cult-like following that doesn’t compromise on music selection. For Pride, Otter Crossing is hosting the boys of CTRL, who promise to transport us to a 70s bathhouse and play some disco!
Paradise Mirage feat. Kim Ann Foxman at U Street Music Hall I’m obviously biased but top pick for the entire weekend is Paradise Mirage, where U Street Music Hall and TNX (Bil Todd, Baronhawk & Tommy Cornelis) aim to resurrect Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage through Keith Haring-inspired artwork, Paradise Garage-inspired visuals, and music from the Butch Queen DJs, TNX, DJ Lisa Frank, and Kim Ann Foxman. The theme for Pride this year is Flashback, so it’s great to see a party connecting with the origins of the queer and modern dance floor, and that uhall is again supporting this vision with an amazing booking. Kim rose to notoriety through Hercules and Love Affair, but has been holding it down as a DJ and producer and at the helm of Firehouse Recordings. This event is also part of The DC Three present: LOVE TRIANGLE Fundraiser and a portion of proceeds will go towards helping one of our own to say #FCancer!
Here are some preview mixes from Lisa Frank and TNX to put you in the spirit.
Babe Rainbow at Black Cat For the 2nd year, the Black Cat is giving over both floors to local DJs who represent a diverse collection of underground nights in DC. Keenan Orr, Dean Sullivan, Alex DB, Abichula, Tom from Prague, Bryan Smith, and Candice Jones will give you a great mix of sounds, and a portion of proceeds go towards The DC Center. Definitely include this as a stop while you’re party hopping and expect amazing artwork from the hands of Linas Garsys. Black Cat is at the forefront of supporting queer weirdos and their out-of-the-mainstream parties, something, sadly, not many gay bars in this city are willing to do. They’re really stepping up by giving over both floors to pride events on Friday and Saturday.
Here’s a preview mix from Dean
Supergay Saturday! at Embassy Row Hotel If you’re looking for a destination before, after or even during the parade, One Love Massive is hosting a pool party at the Embassy Row Hotel with DJs Outputmessage, Tommy Cornelis & Illexxandra from 12-7pm. If you haven’t yet, check out Outputmessage’s entirely original and seriously good productions. Bernard is a great DJ too, so expect perfect poolside vibes from these 3 in a beautiful setting that’s waving distance from the parade. It’s supposed to be a hot one on Saturday, so a no cover event with free access to a pool is greatly appreciated.
A proper, queer afterhours party in DC is finally happening.. and it features San Francisco’s Honey Soundsystem no less! Following Flash’s party with Vicenzo, Honey is sending over Jackie House and Jason Kendig, and they’re letting you scramble on that windowless dance floor from 4am til noon. Honey Soundsystem absolutely destroyed TNX’s pride party at uhall last year alongside Honey Dijon and Nancy Whang, so it’s going to be really nice to see them play an extended set for pride this year. We’re really hoping DC can hang with them for this one. Pro-tip: tickets from Vicenzo are honored for this event, and stamps from Paradise Mirage and Babe Rainbow earn you a $5 discount.
Double Feature at Satellite Room Satellite Room has been showing two movies on Sundays, and for Pride they are showing Hairspray and Paris is Burning!
Well Sunday Funday was amazing, wasn’t it? A great way to kick off rooftop party season, with three great parties just a few shorts steps away from each other. Sunglass Sundays at Public Bar kicked off the season with a bang, with a great lineup and an enthusiastic crowd! It was great to catch up with people we haven’t seen since last summer, and we can’t wait to see what this season brings. Over at ESL, Sundays Rooftop got their season off to an incredible start, with a superstar lineup the likes of which we don’t often see. Over the street on the Dirty Bar rooftop, Coconut Milk Sundays kicked off the first in their season of parties, and based on what we saw its worth checking out. They’re putting together solid lineups including all our favorite locals this season, so definitely worth a look. With all three parties spitting distance from each other, you can easily bounce between around and enjoy the best of them all.
Before we get on with this week’s picks, huge news! The lineup for FORWARD Festival 2015 has been announced, and its incredible. We have included the full festival flyer below. There’s so much on there that you’ll need to enlarge it to read it all, and even then, you’ll need a magnifying glass! We’re happy to see a couple of our favorite house DJ’s, Aybee and the legendary Gene Hunt playing a big role in this year’s festival, and we’re excited to be partnering with FORWARD for the Saturday night party Forever Endless. Go check out the official FORWARD Festival 2015: Infinity event page for full festival details, and if you haven’t done so already, pick up your FORWARD Pass, which gets you access to all FORWARD Preview and Festival events. When you see the full lineup, you’ll realize what a great deal the FORWARD pass is!
There’s a lot to cover this week, so you’ll need a sound track. This week, we’ve got a slow jams / nu disco / laid back house mix from Andy Grant, the opening hour or so of Andy’s 6+ hour set at Body Werk in the Flash Bar on April 10. Nice, easy, sometime cheesy grooves to help you plan your weekend attack on the dance floors of DC. Unfortunately SoundCloud’s copyright filters bumped this one due to a track from a major label, so we’ve had to make do with MixCloud.
Right, I think we’re ready to dive into this week’s picks. As always, we’ve had to make some tough choices, so don’t be mad if your event isn’t included. We try and spread the love around as much as possible, but if you feel we’ve not been giving something the attention it deserves, why not reach out to us and let us know? As always, if you plan on attending an event, please click through to the event page and click Join.
Thursday Picks
Culoe De Song, Sam “the Man” Burns & Vanniety Kills at Flash, with DJ Soul & DJ Oso Fresh in the Flash Bar
Our top pick for Thursday is South Africa’s Culoe De Song at Flash. It’ll be quality house music with african flavor all night, with local support from Cadence‘s Vanniety Kills and local legend Sam “The Man” Burns. Down in the Flash Bar, DJ Soul is joined by another of DC’s longest serving DJs Oso Fresh for an evening of fresh and classic beats. Advanced tickets are $10 from Ticketfly, more on the door. 21+
Madya: Murlo & EshOne at Tropicalia ***Official Forward Preview Party***
Our pick for fans of dance floor ready bass music on Thursday is Madya: Murlo & EshOne with local support from Tsurigi and Panch B2B Ey3witness at Tropicalia. When the Forward crew get busy with the bass, you know the heads will be out in force, and you can be sure of a good time. Pre-sale tickets are $7 from Brown Paper Tickets, $10 on the door. 21+.
WTF?! with Corduroy Mavericks, Kochi and DJ Ramirez on Sugar Shack Recordings
Start your Friday evening off right with the WTF?! show with Corduroy Mavericks, Kochi and Ramirez on Sugar Shack Recordings. We suggest this every week, but have you tuned in yet? Maybe its time you started. Quality house music from Kochi and local guests each and every week from 5pm to 7pm on Friday.
The Juan Maclean (Live) with The Black Madonna and Tommy Cornelis at U Street Music Hall
Wow! Now there’s a lineup. Our top pick for Friday night is The Juan Maclean (Live) with The Black Madonna and local support from Tommy Cornelis. An amazing lineup of great artists for a Friday night, and you’ll want to be on that dance floor when New York, Chicago and DC meet to deliver a fine blend of house, nu disco, techno and everything in between. Advanced tickets are $10 from Ticketfly, and it’ll be $10 on the door. 18+, 18 to 20 by advanced ticket only. Get there early to catch local Tommy Cornelis‘ opening set. This is one you’ll want to be at from beginning to end.
Petworth Funk with DJ Nav, Joe L & Boss Ross at Zeba BAr
Meanwhile, up in Columbia Heights at Zeba Bar, its Trev-ski‘s Petworth Funk party with a killer lineup of local selectors including DJ Nav, Joe L and Boss Ross. Take it from us, these guys know their shit. Real music form real heads. No cover, 21+.
Uneasy Hiding Places with Ron Jackson at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar
For quality house and techno in Adams Morgan, check out Uneasy Hiding Spaces at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar, where Ron Jackson will be at the controls of the ones and twos for an open to close set. Always nice to hear a DJ take you on a long journey, so well worth checking out if you’re in the neighborhood. No cover, 21+.
Not only does Saturday bring our founder Andy Grant‘s 34th birthday, it’s also The Funk Parade 2015! From 12pm through into the night there’s a day fair, a parade, and all manner of musical events around the U Street corridor. We simply don’t have time to cover them all here, so check out the Facebook event page, then check our listings for all the individual events (at least the ones we know about!). The Tapwagon Sound System and TNX are a couple on our list to check out, but just show up on U Street on Saturday and you’ll figure things out.
Ovum: Josh Wink, Pete Moss, Chadwick at Flash, with Feel the Funk Parade with Champion Sound & Philco in the Flash Bar
Our top pick for Saturday isthe Ovum Records takeover of Flash, with Josh Wink and Pete Moss from Ovum headlining the main room with local support from Flash resident Chadwick. We’ve been buying Ovum records since the 90s, and we’re excited to see such a great lineup at Flash, and local support from Chadwick is just the icing on the cake. Down in the Flash Bar its Feel the Funk Parade, DC as Funk Edition with Champion Sound & Philco. Advanced tickets are $15 from Ticketfly, more on the door. 21+.
ESL Saturdays with Kenny Summit, Kochi, Thomas Blondet, DJ Remote Ctrl, James Dellastatious & Trev-ski at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Looks like a great night at Eighteenth Street Lounge, with Kenny Summit in the Gold Room with support from Kochi, DJ Remote Ctrl & James Dellastatious in the Main Room, Thomas Blondet open to close on the patio and Trev-ski upstairs. We suggest catching Kochi‘s set, maybe head upstairs for a bit of Trev-ski, then see out the night on the patio with Thomas Blondet. 21+.
A Musical Obsession pt 5: Fight to Dance with DJ Earnest Fountain & Unifyingvibes at Zeba Bar
For quality soulful and classic house vibes on Saturday, head up to Zeba Bar for A Musical Obsession pt 5: Fight to Dance with DJ Earnest Fountain & special guest Unifyingvibes. Real house music delivered with feeling from DJs that know. 21+
VINE: Dance Loft Grand Opening Party at The Dance Loft
Last but not least for Saturday night is VINE: Dance Loft Grand Opening Party at The Dance Loft, which offers a huge line up of local DJs across four rooms of music and arts. The lineup includes All Good Funk Alliance, Sam “The Man” Burns, Juan Zapata, Meegs, Synz, Philco and a whole lot more. We’d list them all, but we’d be here all night. This one will go until dawn, so wherever you start your night, plan on ending up here for afters. Advanced tickets are still available for $15, more on the door. 21+.
Sunglass Sundays Official Soft Opening with Team Zapata, Steve Kirn, Leonardo Lee, Rosenberg & DJ Lisa Frank at Public Bar
Top pick for Sunday is part 2 of Sunglass Sundays season opening ceremonies on the Public Bar rooftop, with a killer local lineup of all our favorites, centered around a 4 hour set from Body Werk alumni and Team Zapata. Joining Juan and Hugo behind the decks are Steve Kirn, Leonardo Lee, Rosenberg and DJ Lisa Frank, for what’s sure to be an epic Sunday on the dance floor. After bearing witness to last week’s mayhem, we’re sure this one will make for one crazy Sunday! Free before 4pm, $10 after. No dress code, no drama. 21+.
The Brown Elvis Presents’s Blond:ish with Yaco, DJ Kryogen & Heather Femia on the patio at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Next up for Sunday is The Brown Elvis Presents Blond:ish playing a four hour set on the Eighteenth Street Lounge Patio, with local support from Yaco, DJ Kryogen and Heather Femia. Looks like a great line up for sun drenched rooftop vibes, and the covered ESL patio offers the perfect venue to dance as the sun goes down. Advanced tickets are $10 from Wantickets, $15 on the door. 21+.
Coconut Milk Sundays with Sarah Myers, Playin’Fields & Brad Piff at Dirty Bar
Another pick for Sunday is Coconut Milk Sundays at Dirty Bar with and all local line up featuring Sarah Myers, Playin’Fields & Brad Piff. We love the Dirty Bar rooftop, with good memories of last year’s Sunday’s Rooftop and The House that U Built parties last year, and we’re happy to see another regular party there this year. We stopped by Coconut Milk Sundays last Sunday, and we think it has potential, offering a great alternative to the parties across the street. This Sunday, we recommend getting there early to catch Sarah Myers‘ set. You might just find yourself sticking around. Best of all, there’s no cover, and a whole list of drinks specials all night. Check it out.. with no cover, you’ve got nothing to lose!
DAY TRIPPIN’ — Love in the House at The Red Maple, Baltimore
If you’re up in Baltimore during the day on Sunday, our top pick for Sunday is Day Trippin’ at The Red Maple. The curfew in effect right for the past week has been hurting the owners and staff of the Red Maple, and this day party is a chance for the underground community to help the owners and staff recoup their financial losses. LoveGrove has assembled a stellar lineup of Baltimore based DJs, including Shawn Q, LoveGrove himself, Lisa Moody, Chris Brooks, Lexus King & Guillermo Giraldo for a curfew-proof day party. With no cover and a whole range of food and drinks specials, this is a great chance to party and do your bit to help out a venue that has supported the underground so well for over 10 years. The event is family friendly, so bring the kids!
That’s it for this week’s picks; our work here is done for another week . We’re taking a break from the dance floor this weekend, so you won’t see us out and about, but I’m sure we’ll catch up with you all the following weekend. Don’t forget to check out the full listings below, and get a dance in for us this weekend. As always, we’ll be back next week with full coverage of all the best underground house and electronic music events in our fine city.
Thursday April 30
Culoe De Song, Sam “the Man” Burns & Vanniety Kills at Flash, with DJ Soul & DJ Oso Fresh in the Flash Bar
