“If you missed Friday night for this or that reason(s), then great. There was more dance space for me.”
White garments, fard faces, pinned-up hairdos, curly wigs, long legs, suede dress shoes and pumped stilettos stood orderly and fashionably in a wrapped around, roped off line-many of whom were unhappy and not accustomed to such trivial display-that ended at a burley black bouncer checking IDs. The mature motley having gray highlights, shiny bald domes, budging bellies and infinite 1980’s acumen were not about S&M-standing and modeling-as more as dance floor ready. A distant voice whispered, “This is the house music crowd and they come to get down.” In line the city of Chicago was the buzzword. Lips praised Chicago. “In Chicago we do this. In Chicago we do that. South Side Chicago….. Remember when in Chicago…..” Surely 98% of those in line had once carried Midwestern demonyms.
The club nestled in the city’s red light district cradled pleasantly amongst the hustle and bustle flow of urban activity. The night’s air freshly ripe with summer taste made standing outside humorously tolerable. A few valet attendants provided points of entertainment by scurrying back and forth, maneuvering luxury vehicles through a green shrubbery covered entrance to park the vehicles in an adjacent lot. However, the house music that escaped the club’s opened and closed door was the real entertainment that grabbed the people’s attention. When the Director’s Cut of Ron Carroll’s, “Back Together” welcomes you into an establishment, it’s going to be a GREAT night!
Once passed the pyknic dressed in all black examining IDs sleuth like and passed the willowy figure collecting door fees glibly a single brown wooden framed door opened and revealed the architectural framework for a night club. Yes, an authentic night club, not a shoebox restaurant, indolent lounge or dilapidated cavernous space, but a working club with an actual bar, a circular dance floor in the center of the room equipped with a fog machine and dancing strobe lights, a roped off wooden floor VIP area (that would later become a public dance floor), overhead speakers, black lounge furniture and a true-to-built DJ booth in the room’s front. Yes! The city does have real night clubs!
On this night the club would not host pretentious airs but “The Blue Lights In The Basement” tenor. Two party starters; a tony dressed in all white and a Tom Joyner look alike pranced around the dance floor with humorous glee. Former Chicagoan turned High Point, North Carolina resident Gary “Jackmaster” Wallace played opening ceremony. The Jackmaster’s highly appreciated playlist nodded to a who’s who in Chicago house music. The set of volcanic vocals comprised of; M.I.A. Chosen Few DJ, Terry Hunter’s featuring Terisa Griffin, “Wonderful”, Lil Louis’, “Fable (Denise)” (Director’s Cut Signature Mix)-which brought people to the floor-Peven Everett’s, “Inspiration” (Timmy Regisford & Adam Rios) –which cleared people off the floor-and Wayne Williams’, “You The Feeling.” None Chicagoans, East Coast’s Elements of Life’s featuring Lisa Fischer and Cindy Mizelle, “Into My Life (You Brought The Sunshine)” and Atlanta’s Ann Nesby’s, “Shelter” dropped burning molten lava into hot ears.
Horns blared, “Ba-Da-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Baaah, Ba-Da-Ba-Ba-Ba.” “Bom-Bom,” thumped the bass. People ran to the dance floor. It was Chicago’s Andre Hatchett opening with the late Teddy Pendergrass,’ “You Can’t Hide From Yourself.” The disco favorite catapulted the crowd into hyper drive of reckless screams, disco dancing and careless waving of the arms. The scene seemed bedlam. Staying in tribute mode, the late great Whitney Houston’s, “Million Dollar Bill” (Frankie Knuckles Director’s Cut Signature Club) moved with disco filters and a compressed guitar effect. The people accompanied the angelic voice singing, “Oh Oh/Oh Oh (2X).” More musical empyrean followed with a heavy dosage of drums ripping tribal beats. Screams crunched the air as bodies danced mid squat as if in circles around fires in ancestral celebration. Techno-soul sister Detroit showed up with “Think Twice” remixed by Henrik Schwarz, produced by The Detroit Experiment. “19, Hey! The Motor City Is Burning, Ya’llll” sung jazz-neo Gregory Porter off his hit, “1960 What?” (Opolopo Kick & Bass Rerub). Another Teddy Pendergrass classic, “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration” uplifted the congregants into heaven and concluded the soul satisfying set.
Up next, DJ Wayne Williams of Robert Kelly fame surprised with an opening selection from Farley Jackmaster Funk’s featuring Billy Monroe, “I’m A House Head” (Mike Dunn Blackball Soul Mix). “Remember The Rivera, The Power Plant and The Music Box?” reminiscent the vocals of Williams over Chicago’s Aid To The Soulless AKA Julius The Mad Thinker’s, “One Night”’ (Osunlade Instrumental) that had the elders yelling “YEAH” as if they were transplanted back to house music’s golden years. Can you “Tell Me About It?” crooned the soulful moaner Natalie Cole to a quiet-shy type over a White Label Mix that kept the floor hype for….Regina Belle’s, “Baby Come To Me” that kicked sitting butts off hard-wood support and sent dancing onto the cement and wooden dance floors. Someone had gone NYC Club Shelter on the crowd as Regina Belle’s soprano soared across the room over foot stomps and swirling synths. Talk about peek time music. From there the crowd mellowed to Chicago’s urban son, R. Kelly’s, “Share My Love.” What an exclusive house goodie as Mr. Kelly rarely releases commercial house remixes. Lil Louis cult classic, “French Kiss” plastered sweat on the walls for what seemed a short second before a sliced transition threw the electronic art piece into the next song. And what happened to cause the music’s abrupt silence for approximately 30 seconds before the music recued and restarted? Guess this is the stuff manual DJs are made of versus mp3 DJs using computer software driven music sets. Having a blond-ambition play sound engineer beside Williams in the booth should have eliminated such mishaps but not. Oops, guess the DJ got a little too excited. However, Diana Ross’, Love Hangover” the discotheque jam rescued the scene and drove the crowd into a hazy daze of yesteryear. All was well and all was right.
DJ Wayne Williams juggled two hats playing DJ and Masters of Ceremony. Having announced shout-outs to Tambor, Stacy Kidd, Jamie 3:26, The Indegenous House Party, House In The Park, Chicago, Atlanta and everyone in between here and there the verbose seemed a tad incessant especially when talking over someone’s favorite song.
The party’s fourth and final DJ installment turned out to be a sore disappointment. Alan King the salt and pepper haired music’s selection seemed a bit lost in Plexiglas shapes of unrelated sounds. By 2:15 AM the club became a virtual no man’s land waste dump. Not even a Patrice Rushen skewed soul classic turned tribal shocker, “Haven’t You Heard” of big room build-ups and swift-drops to the South African house ballad, “Superman” by Black Coffee with songstress Bucie possessed enough power to save this music set. It was too little too late.
Chicago’s Chosen Few DJs pulled off one GREAT event. Just to bring this event to the city was a rare treat in and of itself. The crowd comprised of mainly Chicago’s seasoned vets that no longer club-hop danced and sweated the night away. The many empty pockets of dance space seen on the floor and throughout the night did nothing to thwart the people’s efforts to have a GREAT time. Yes, the true soulful house heads and disco lovers represented. For those that missed it, maybe next time, if there is one. See you in Chicago!
Photography by John Crooms
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Tags: Atlanta, DJ Andre Hunter, DJ Gary Jackmaster Wallace, DJ Wayne Williams, GA, house music