JAMIE 3:26
With that said, the people would have loved MORE Jamie 3:26. Here is to next time and hopes of more Jamie. –AJ Dance
In Space2 sharp sounds from synthesizers slice the air over a choppy drum beat that renders the crowd, “Mercyless.” Already a sizeable mount of foot soldiers conquer ground. The soldiers dance hard, almost too hard. Fists pump the air, legs wobble around in semi-circles and feet stampede the concrete. The scene resembles a pre-HITP fundraising party and not an HITP 8 after party. Earlier that day at the park, had the people not filled their bellies with enough sweet house music treats and much dance? The culprit, Salah Ananse feeds the crowd leftover goodies, songs not played earlier at HITP 8. It’s after midnight. The crowd turned monsters, munch on everything in sight from refrigerated potato salad-by the way, left out all day in the hot sun-to meatless rib tips. Just joking. Actually, the charismatic crowd rollicks as they munch on a cornucopia of soul music with joviality. From Fred Everything to Atjazz, soul music emanates inside the environment. With attempts to rekindle the anthem spirit from earlier in the day, the one song repeated at the party from the park, MJ’s, “Thriller” (Black Motion Mortarfied Mix) plays for eight minutes, that drags on far too long as the night’s guest headliner tweaks wires, sets up hardware and cues music before he opens with……
Brother Johnson’s, “Stomp.” The song is played like it has never been played before. Drop the EQs. Punch the bass line. Pitch the highs and let the mids ride. Stand by the speaker to hear secret rhythms and unheard melodies escape that leaves the listener entranced with an ear-struck experience. The song is deconstructed to its fabric core to reveal hidden elements that creates a 3D soundscape. Drums talk. Horns blow before eyes. Guitar strings pluck fingers. A symphonic vision emerges and comes to life right in front of the eyes. The high definition sounds play with the outer ear. The middle ear vibrates with repercussions of joyful noises. Utterly, the experience leaves the listener breathless.
Atlanta’s house and disco heads wishes came true. Two days prior the 1st Annual ATLANTA WEEKENDer’s start, e-vites announced the return of Jamie 3:26 to close out the four day festivities. At the same venue, three months earlier, Jamie put a chokehold on the city’s house and disco community. The people wanted more, so much more that the size of the WEEKENDer’s closeout attendance proved so.
How does Jamie do it? Do what? Know when and what songs to play at the right time. The party’s surprise, perhaps the best song played, arrives like a New Establishment. The 1985 sing-along classic from the British New Wave Band Tears for Fears with “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (Timmy Regisford & Adam Rios Mix) oozes with enough R&B soul to rule urban radio. Sleeping feet awake to life, “hoots” and “hollers” shrieks the atmosphere like the first of morning yawns as arms grasps the air and the balls of the heels playfully bounce up and down as if stretching after a full’s night rest. The feel good house treatment, even more shakes off the slumber when a rousing keyboard solo electrifies the song’s ending.
Out comes the baby powder. Enter the hardcore house dancers into the room. Immediately they stake dance floor real estate. A dance circle forms. Here comes their fan club ready to marvel at choppy arm punches, sporadic hip thrusts and staccato foot stomps. The talented two-some dance harder than anyone else. These cats don’t play.
Four-count thumps pump harder as a haunting voice appears out of thin air. The voice croons of sleepless nights and the hearing of voices calling her name. Thiwe’s vocals on Black Coffee’s, “Crazy” (Manoo & Francois A. Deep Journey Mix) meanders over the thumps until a keyboard riffs escalates the copyright into euphoric heights.
WEEKENDer EPILOGUE
The music continues as the night’s hours march off into the aphotic. Honestly, not much is recalled from the party. The reason being is not from mild-altering substances but from the six hour dance marathon that you took part in earlier that day. Your feet are tired. You are so exhausted that you want to fall asleep. You wish that you could stay longer. However, you have a twelve pm flight back to the UAE. Unfortunately, your time in Atlanta is drawing to an end. A sudden smile crosses your face. What a weekender. There was so much deep, soulful and meaningful house music crammed into three days that has left you with an overwhelming natural high. As you say goodbye to Space2, the place where your adventure began, you come to the realization, Atlanta is on to something and this is the start of something huge.
Photography by AJ Dance
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Tags: Atlanta, ATLANTA WEEKENDer, deep house music, house music, Jamie 3:26