Huge thanks to everyone who came out and danced with us on Sunday at Beats Maneuver at 12|30. We hope you had an amazing time! Major thanks to Jephté Guillaume for delivering an amazing set on the upper level, to Ramirez for pulling this one together, to Drew Hogans and UDP Music for all the hard work and help give the sound an extra boost, to our local support KayLaSoul and Baronhawk Poitier for bringing the heat on the lower level, to Kochi & Katrina Mir for keeping it real on the door all night long, and to all the bar and security staff at 12|30 for helping everything go smoothly. I especially enjoyed going back to back with Baronhawk Poitier on the lower level. Always great to vibe off super talented DJ! I hope we can do it again soon. With another great celebration of house music at Beats Maneuver behind us, we’re heads down planning our next moves, so watch this space for more Beats Maneuver news coming soon!
In case you missed it, here’s last Saturday’s DC House Grooves Show on Underground Quality Radio with me, Katrina Mir and Ramirez. 2.5 hours of quality underground tunes. Really feeling the vibe of this one, going some really interesting places. We’ve got things sounding real nice down the studio now, which helps keep things on point!
Another amazing line up of events this weekend, Thursday through Sunday. Check the Top Picks links below for the full list for each day. Just click the link to see the event list over on Facebook. For those of you interested in production and sampling, take a look at Sonia Maria‘s Sampling Workshop at Rhizome on Saturday afternoon. Looks like a super interesting exploration of sampling culture from hip-hop through electronic dance music. If you’ve got some free time on Saturday afternoon and want to learn more, the workshop is free with RSVP, although a donation of $10 is recommended.
Highlights for the weekend include Uncle Benny’s with Grant, Joe L & Benoit and Late Night Mischief with Fred Everything, Team Zapata and Philco on Friday.
On Saturday LoSoul with Navbox at Flash will be quality, as will Deep Sugar with Wayne Davis open to close at Club 1722 in Baltimore.
On Sunday, I recommend The House that U Built with Vanniety Kills, The Elders and Raptorstein at El Techo followed by Sam Burns and Hold Tight: Better Listen 12 Release Party at Eighteenth Street Lounge. All quality options!
Here’s are the Top Pick links for the weekend, Thursday through Sunday. Plenty to keep you busy!
Sincere thanks to my friends who came out to support me at my birthday celebrations at Body Werk Summer Sessions and Flash last weekend. I realize you have so many great choices here in DC, so it really meant a lot to me that you made the effort to come out. If you couldn’t make it to Flash on Saturday, you can stream or download my set here:
All in all, it was an amazing, but exhausting, birthday weekend, which took us from the Rock’n’Roll Hotel to Flash to The Paradox. I regret not making it to the Soundwaves Boat Party, Sunglass Sundays or Groovetop, but this old man could only handle so much fun in one weekend!
FORWARD Festival 2016 Preview
Right… lots to cover this weekend, and as usual I don’t have much time. Currently bashing this out while attending a conference in Las Vegas, so need to keep it quick. Before I get into the weekend’s activities, I wanted to give you all a heads up about FORWARD 2016, DC’s annual 5 day festival celebrating electronic creative culture. The ninth annual festival starts on Wednesday May 11, and runs until Sunday May 15, and this year the theme of the festival is duality. Check the flyer below for details of all the events, then check the day by day preview below. Some great events in this year’s festival, including FORWARDand DC House Grooves presents Disco Knights with Anthony Mansfield, Team Zapata and Body Werk on Saturday May 14, and of course the free FORWARD on the National Mall parties on Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. For the best deal, pick up a FORWARD Pass for only $40, or you can buy tickets for individual events by visiting the individual event page, which I’ve listed in the preview below. A FORWARD Pass gets you entry to every event, plus a limited edition FORWARD 2016 t-shit and a FREE cup of coffee from Bump’n’Grind.
FORWARD 2016 T-Shirt
Not a bad deal! If you are feeling generous and want to donate to the festival, you can do so by sending a PayPal payment to david@eightyeightdc.com. Please contribute whatever you can afford if you value this annual celebration of electronic music and culture.
Back to this weekend, which brings us all the usual amazing events, along with the annual Funk Parade on U Street, along with all the associated events and after parties. I’ve included a special section for Funk Parade Picks below, and a special Funk Parade section in the listings featuring all the events on my radar. See below for all this week’s picks, then check the full listings below. Many many great events this weekend, but if you want my advice, check out the Pre-Prescription Funk Parade Day Party, then head over to the Prescription with Fred Everything. Saturday grooves sorted!
*** Thursday Picks ***
Preview with Paul Geddes at Flash
Playlist with Jubilee, Ramirez & Kochi at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Official Movement Pre-Party: Âme (DJ set) & Solar at U Street Music Hall
The Acid House at The Bourbon Room, Fredericksburg
*** Friday Picks ***
WTF?! radio show with Kochi, Corduroy Mavericks and Ramirez on Sugar Shack Recordings
Radio Slave, Dekmantel Soundsystem, Joe L at Flash, with Dance Party Chronicles featuring Martín Miguel, Remote Ctrl and Heights in the Flash Bar
Baltotroit with Boss Ross, Steve Kirn and Itzjack at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar
Strictly 4 the Dance Floor with Ernest Fountain at Zeba Bar
LENG Presents WOLF DEM, Alex Gardel, & Tsurugi at Backbar
Vague Output & 4 Hours of Funk present Teddy Douglas, Graham & Fleg and Ben Jenkins at Club 1722
*** Funk Parade Picks ***
Tapwagon Soundsystem Biergarden Rewind with Aaron Sparks, Brothers Brau, DJ LoveGrove, Jacob Jay, Kochi, Tim Jackson & Will Eastman
Pre-PRESCRIPTION : Funk Parade Day Party with Jus Nowhere, DJ Nav, DJ Reets, Martín Miguel and HOT COFFEE
Funky For U: Volume Two (Funk Parade Day Party) at The Velvet Lounge
Funk Love Massive at Industrial Bank
Heavy Rotation: Funk Parade Afterparty Edition at Black Cat Backstage
Sao Funky Afterparty with Fort Knox Five & Qdup at Tropicalia
*** Saturday Picks ***
Prescription with Fred Everything, Team Zapata, Hot Coffee & Markinthedark at 300 Morse Street
Romanian UVAR Meets Muted Noise: Nu Zau, Sepp and Halo Varga at Flash, with Foot Therapy ft. M//R and Ben Jenkins in the Flash Bar
ESL Saturday with Greg Wilson, DJ Provoke, Philip Goyette and Chris Brooks at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Natural Resources with Pacific Fur Company at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar
***Sunday Picks ***
ESL Sunday with Sam The Man Burns, Mr Bonkerz and Sunday’s Rooftop with Anthony Collins, Edo, Benoit at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Those are my picks for this weekend. Here’s the full listings. Make it count!
Andy Grant here… dropping the royal DC House Grooves “we” this week to check in with a half-assed round up of the best underground house and electronic music events in and around DC this weekend . Between work, sickness and family stuff, I’ve just had too much going on to pull together the usual comprehensive listings, so this week you’ll all have to make do with an abbreviated edition. There’s a lot more going on in and around DC, but the selection below represents the best of the bunch, in my opinion at least. Check the events below, and keep your eyes and ears open for other stuff that might be going on.
So how about last weekend then? Too many good times to mention over the holiday weekend, but the high points for me were opening the main room at Flash for Kai Alce and Chez Damier on Friday night (huge thanks to the Flash crew for booking me for that slot. Love you guys!), getting down on the Flash Rooftop celebrating Lisa Frank‘s birthday on July 4, then going back to back with DJ Nav at Tropicalia on Sunday night at Milk Chocolate City presents The Return of Mr V on Sunday. An epic weekend all round… the only question is, can we top it this weekend? Well here are my suggestions for you best bets from Thursday to Sunday:
On Thursday, I suggest checking out the Milk Chocolate City happy hour at Dunya, then head over to catch special guest Meegs at The Business End at Velvet.
On Friday, I’d say your best bet is my old mate from back in Scotland Funk D’Void, who will be headlining the main room at Flash with support from Lake People and Feroun, while I’ll be on duty down in the bar with Charles Martin. Trev-ski and Chemical Ali will be at the controls up on the rooftop. Also worth a look is Don’t Call it a Come Back at Napoleon, with a great lineup including Sergio Santos, Navbox, Jubilee, and Benoit Benoit. Getting the band back together, just like old times! Last, but not least, Back in the Day at U Street Music Hall promises a quality night of old school vibes for the heads. If you were there back in the day, this is the one for you.
On Saturday, take your pick between Body Werk at DC9, showcasing the Milk Chocolate City DJs, or Lee Burridge, Navbox and Brian Monaco at U Street Music Hall, before heading up to Baltimore for Arapu at the Dark Room, or Deep Sugar at the Paradox for afters. Make sure you grab your advanced tix for U Hall if you plan on going… it will sell out!
Finally, on Sunday, grab one of the last few tix for the Soundwaves Boat Party with Hector, then head up to the ESL / Public / Dirty Bar triangle for Navbox & Friends Navbox & Philip Goyette‘s birthday parties at ESL, Sunglass Sundays with Super Flu at Public and Groovetop with The Scumfrog at Dirty Bar. Plenty there to keep you grooving into Monday Morning.
OK then… before we get to this week’s picks, here’s this week’s mix. It’s one of mine from the amazing Midnight Project party with Fred P back in January, which has recently seen a surge in interest. Very pleased with how this came out.. definitely worth a listen if you like the deep shit and haven’t take it for a spin yet.
Right… that’s it for this week. I’ll be heading off on vacation the next couple of weeks, so likely to be sticking to this half-assed format through July. Hopefully you’ll still find it useful. See you on the dance floor!
Funk D’Void (Barcelona) and Lake People (Germany) with Feroun at Flash, with Andy Grant & Charles Martin in the Flash Bar, and Chemical Ali & Trev-ski on the Flash Rooftop
Woohoo! We’re over the hump, and it’s time to start thinking about the weekend again. Yet again, there’s a huge range of choices for dance floor action this weekend, so whatever you’re in the mood for, we’re sure there’s something there for you. We’re super excited for another edition of our monthly Body Werk party at DC 9 Nightclub, which this time around features the world exclusive debut of DJ duo Gamble & Puff. More on that later! Let’s just say you won’t want to miss this one 🙂
Before we get into things, if you don’t want to miss any future updates from DC House Grooves, use our handy subscribe by email feature. Just enter your email address into the Subscribe By Email box on panel to the right of your screen and hit subscribe. You’ll then receive a verification email, just to make sure it’s your email address. Click the link in the email, and you’ll be subscribed. Every time we publish a new post, you’ll receive it by email. Never miss an update again!
Now where were we? Oh yeah… as is tradition (well at least as of the last few weeks), we’ve got a couple of mixes for you before we dive into the picks. First up, we’ve got the latest edition of the DC House Grooves Meet the Locals Podcast, our semi-regular showcase of exclusive mixes from local underground DJs. We’d like to say our weekly showcase, but it ain’t easy persuading these cats to press the record button! We just post ’em up when we get ’em, and with so many great DJs in this town, we’re hoping to keep it as regular thing. Episode #12 is from relative DC newcomer to the DC scene Brian Monaco, who was recently to be found gracing the decks with Chris Nitti at our favorite Thursday night party Lost on Thursdays. He may be new to our local scene, but Brian has been throwing parties while over in London for many years, and he’s a great addition to our local roster of DJs. There’s a great vibe to his mix, with tracks from Missing Linkx, Red Rack’em, Greenville Massive, Acid Pauli and DJ Koze, to name but a few. Unfortunately we had to post this one up on Mixcloud, since SoundCloud were being dicks about it with their Copyright filters, but don’t let that put you off. It’s a good one!
Our other mix this week is the latest edition of the FORWARD Festival 2015 Infinity Mix Series from Meistro of the Sol Power All Stars, which provides a delightful blend of old and new tunes to get you grooving. Every mix in this series has defied expectations, each one showcasing different style of electronic music. We strongly recommend you give this one a listen, as it will take you places you don’t expect, all the while maintaining a great vibe.
Don’t forget to pick up your pass for FORWARD Festival 2015 while the tier one pricing is still available. May is fast approaching, and the prices will go up soon! Your Forward Pass gets you access to all preview and festival events, and you also get the much sought after FORWARD Swag Bag. Don’t miss out!
Right… s’pose we better get on with our picks for the coming weekend. Not much time to get through everything this week, so forgive any brevity. We try and pick out three or four events each night of the weekend, as we just don’t have time to cover everything we want to. If your awesome underground event isn’t covered this week, we’ll get round to it next time. And don’t forget, we include everything in the listings below. As you’re picking out what you plan to do this weekend, don’t forget to click through to the event pages of anything you plan on attending and clicking Join. This helps spread the word about the event (you want a crowd there, right?) and also helps let promoters know who’s coming. Damn.. went off on one again. Forgot to take the ADD meds again. Where were we? Oh yeah, this week’s picks. Squirrel!
Thursday Picks
Lost on Thursdays Superlost feat. Pirupa (Snatch!/Napoli) / Sophia Saze (Dusk & Haze/Brooklyn) at Lost Society
Top pick for Thursday night is Superlost at Lost Society featuring Pirupa (Snatch! / Napoli), making his DC debit along with Sophia Saze (Dusk & Haze / Brooklyn). While we’re all about supporting local DJs, this is a great chance to catch two great DJs with no cover. That’s right! As always, there’s no over for Lost on Thursdays. We’re listening to a Pirupa mix right now, and it’s quality stuff. Nice, deep, chugging, heady tunes without a hint of cheese in sight. We’re not familiar with Sophia Saze, but by the looks of her RA Chart, you’re in good hands. We predict a great vibe on the Lost rooftop tomorrow night, and if the weather holds up, you’re in for a treat. No cover, 21+.
Transmission 4|4 w/ RNS (DC) and Philip Goyette (DC) at Velvet Lounge
Further along U Street at Velvet Lounge, our next pick is Philip Goyette‘s monthly Transmission 4|4 party. This month, Philip’s guests are local DJ / producer duo RNS, so you can expect quality deep house vibes all night in the downstairs bar at Velvet. No cover, 21+, and there’s a $7 Nattybo / Jameson combo 11pm-close. Sounds like fun to us!
If tomorrow’s date night and you’re wanting something classy, check out Gryphon After Dark. Jazz singer meets piano bar meets cabaret, meets DC 2014 from the team at One Love Massive. No cover, 21+.
The UKG Social @ Spirit with Isaac G, DJ TE & Jett Chandon at The Get Down, Baltimore
Our Thursday pick if you’re in Baltimore or you’re a UK garage head is The UKG Social at The Get Down, with DJs Isaac G, TE, Omnibud and Jett Chandon. Thursday night sees their 3rd annual Shuffling Contest, so get there early to show off your moves. $5 for 18+, no cover 21+.
WTF?! Radio Show w/ Corduroy Mavericks, Kochi and Andy Grant on sugarshackrecordings.com
Friday kicks off with DJ Kochi‘s WTF?! Radio Show on Sugarshackrecordings.com. Kochi’s guest this week is none other than our own Andy Grant, who will be bringing the heat to the WTF?! studio. We’ve got it on good authority that Andy and Kochi are packing some smokin’ hot new tunes, so tune in at 5pm on Friday for some serious fire.
Spring To Life – Lisa Frank, Marko Peli, Twin Kllls & meegs – Cherry Snatch Edition at Zeba Bar
Our top pick for Friday night is a real treat: a solid (almost) all-local line up on our favorite neighborhood dance floor. Spring to Life at Zeba Bar features the killer line up of local superstar Lisa Frank, Marko Peli, Meegs and Twin KIlls (PA, NYC, Bubbles & Bass), with awesome visuals by [capsaicin]. This has all the ingredients for a fantastic party, and we reckon its where all the heads will be on Friday night. So, come out of hibernation, skip the crowded U Street dance floors, and get down with friends and family at Zeba Bar! No cover, 21+.
Trus’me, Wbeeza (LiVE), DJ Nav at Flash, with Foot Therapy in the Flash Bar
Down at Flash, there’s a solid lineup with Trus’me, Wbeeza (performing Live) and DJ Nav on the main floor, with the Foot Therapy crew down in the Flash Bar, with a line up including DJ Zach F, Max Berry, Ben Jenkins & Rosemary Arp. We’re really digging the latest release from Wbeeza, so we’re planning on stopping by to check it out, and the Foot Therapy crew always bring the underground heat. Recommended plan of attack: get there early, get some Foot Therapy in the Flash Bar, then head upstairs for DJ Nav and Wbeeza. Advanced tickets are $8 from Ticketfly, more on the door. 21+.
BaltoTroit v4 with Boss Ross & Steve Kirn at Dr. Clock’s Nowhere Bar
The sounds of Baltimore and Detroit collide, as two great local DJs, Boss Ross & Steve Kirn, bring you the best techno, minimal, deep, house, tech and everything in between in the wonderful surroundings of Doctor Clock’s Nowhere Bar. Proper music for the heads. No cover, 21+.
BODY WERK with Gamble & Puff (Chadwick & Meegs) and Vanniety Kills & Seany Ranks at DC9 Nightclub
Our top pick for Saturday night is Body Werk at DC9 Nightclub, featuring the exclusive worldwide debut of DJ duo Gamble & Puff (Chadwick and meegs) on the main floor, with DJ Vanniety Kills & Seany Ranks bringing it on the rooftop. Yeah, ok, this is our event and we’re obviously going to recommend it, but with this line up, it’s going to be more than a little bit special. The sound system at DC9 Nightclub is great, and with two great DJ duos across two rooms, you’re guaranteed quality grooves all night long. We can’t wait to hear what Chadwick & Meegs have got lined up for us. Individually, they do some amazing things pushing DJ technology to the limit, and we’re bringing them together for the first time at Body Werk. And if that isn’t special enough, we’ve Cadence supremos Vanniety Kills and Seany Ranks spinning a rare house set up on the rooftop. Doors open at 9pm, so if you’re heading elsewhere, stop by and pre-game with us. $2 before midnight, $5 after. 21+.
Till Von Sein, Philip Goyette, Throe at Flash with Wizdom Entertainment in the Flash Bar
Over at Flash, Saturday night brings Till Von Sein, with support from Philip Goyette & Throe, while down in the bar Wizdom Entertainment presents Marko Geatti, Daryl Northrop & Alonzo Wainwright. We’re huge fans of Till Von Sein‘s sets, which always take you on a journey, from quality vocal house, to proper messed up wonky shit. We’ve got fond memories of last summer’s Sundays Rooftop party with Till Von Sein, and you can expect the man to deliver the goods again on the amazing Flash sound system. Advanced tickets are $10 from Ticketfly, more on the door. 21+.
ESL Saturdays with Meistro, Joe L, Farid, DJ Nav, Juan Zapata, Mr Bonkerz & DJ Remote Ctrl at Eighteenth Street Lounge
For another great all local line up that just drips quality house music, check out Eighteenth Street Lounge , with Meistro and Joe L on the patio, Farid and DJ Nav in the gold room, Juan Zapata and Mr Bonkerz in the main room, and DJ Remote Ctrl up in the jazz room. That’s like DC house royalty right there, all under one roof. 21+.
4U: Odyssey of House with DJ Mate Masie (4U) and DJ Ramirez at Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club
Odyssey of House at Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club with locals DJ Mate Masie (4U) and DJ Ramirez is a great option for deep and soulful house away from the big room crowds on Saturday night. We love Jimmy V’s, as its location almost guarantees that everyone there is meant to be there, so you there’ll be no walk ins from the street requesting Beyoncé all night long; just solid, soulful, underground grooves. No cover, 21+.
All Around Soundclash-Deinfamous / Malleus / LUSH & more at Zeba Bar
Eclectic soundclash business for the heads at Zeba Bar. A quality lineup of seasoned selectors and up and coming talent delivering something a little different. Expect the unexpected! No cover, 21+.
ESL Sundays with Sam Burns’ Underground Soul Solution and The Metaphysical at Eighteenth Street Lounge
Top pick for Sunday is Sam Burns’ Underground Soul Solution at Eighteenth Street Lounge, where Sam takes the regular crowd of devoted house heads on a spiritual journey of quality house and classics in the gold room, while The Metaphysical throws down in main room. A quality musical experience all round, and a great way to wrap up your weekend.
That wraps it up for this week’s picks. See below for full listings of all the best underground house and electronic music events this coming weekend. Don’t forget to click through to any events you plan on attending and click Join. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s edition. Don’t forget to check back next week for everything you need to plan your weekend on the dance floor.
Thursday April 2
Lost on Thursdays Superlost feat. Pirupa (Snatch!/Napoli) / Sophia Saze (Dusk & Haze/Brooklyn) at Lost Society
