JOSE MARQUEZ
A sports fanatic dream is when salty snacks, fiery hot wings and cold brews-that makes guts proudly flop over waistlines-are cast in pretentious hierarchical displays in every supermarket grocery store. These are the flatulence, oops, festivities leading up to the big game. The super of all bowls. The daddy of all daddies. The well…one gets the ruckus that captures the world’s short attention span and limited IQ every February. Hey look. Even, Tambor joins in on the action.
Tambor’s 2013 season is set to kick-off with a big bang of athletic proportions. The stage is set. Ready. Go. The playing field’s turf is polished smooth. Ready for the throngs of dancing feet to run, tackle and crush rhythmic grooves. The LED Pro performs laser light theatrics worthy of a celebrity wardrobe-malfunction half-time exposure. The sub woofers so bombastic could host a bowl game.
It’s game time. The players are onstage. The starting lineup….
DJ BE #2 Center
DJ BE wins the coin toss. He plays first. Jersey number two kicks off the music into the playing field. No one catches it. So the center drives the music hard up fifty yards on first down. Tambor secures home field advantage. The hype builds. Only the stadium is completely empty. Hush. The silence is deafening.
Tambor’s season opener is off to a slow start-a very slow start. The first and second downs appear as stop and go, slow-motion resolutions. Slowly souls trickle into the stadium. It’s early in the game. There is no need to sweat bullets-yet. Back to the action.
The offensive lineman works hard. He travels four yards deep to the twenty-five yard line. First down-and-ten. He assumes eye formation. Thirty….Thirty-five….Forty. It’s fifteen yards on the first down. The number two jersey works Arnaud D featuring Heidi Vogel’s “Green & Yellow” into the mix. There are eight dancers in the box. Will he gain more? He turns sharp and makes a rough transition. He drives the music into harder territory, increasing the beats per minute with pulsating thumps, but is tackled at thirty yards. Man, this crowd is tough.
[And now a word from our sponsor. The first quarter was bought to you by Bozak.]
Tambor’s season ticket holders arrive. Some dance. Others stand on the sidelines. Some sway from side to side. Others converse.
On field, team Tambor appears disjointed. The players opt to wear various primary hue Tambor tees instead of sporting their unified manly blue Tambor jerseys. Talk about confusing.
Pre-midnight, DJ BE leaves the game and is replaced by…
Jose Marquez Guest Headliner Halfback
Jose Marques arrives in the stadium with playbook in hand (CD holders) and is pumped to score touchdowns. The halfback’s adrenaline pulsates at full-throttle. A bead of sweat sacks his forehead. He is all testosterone. The runner segues into a boisterous consumption of deepness. Followed by, African drums bum rushing from the sound system and onto the playing field to work a snap. The drums transform the game. Jose runs a punt. The music goes deeper and deeper into the trenches of the field.
Yes! Team Tambor hosts the debut performance of southern California’s, Jose Marquez. The rookie sensation is no stranger to athletic competitions, having three solid years of playing experience, he has performed around the globe at notable events as Djoon (Paris) and Miami (WMC). The headliner sports a black Kazukuta Recordings tee and blue denim that stands out amongst his teammates. All eyes and ears are tuned to the player, determining his next move. What will he play? Where shall he take the music? Will he score?
First Down. Second and ten. Jose gives eye formation. He runs the music to the seventeen yard line. The music fumbles. Jose continues to play hard. Afro house treads into progressive deep house. It’s another fumble. Fumble after fumble fails to win over the crowd. But Jose uses no time-outs. The crowd responds defensively. It’s the first-and-ten. The music goes out of bounds. It falls on deaf ears. Feet stop dancing. The dancers cut the field. Somehow they seem let down. Conventional wisdom tells the sports minded when the fans disappear trouble is a strategizing. The referee calls…
“INTERCEPTION.” (The music turns over.)
DJ Stanzeff #1 Quarterback
Wait one minute. Sounds like a bootleg, but it’s not. It’s Elements of Life featuring Josh Milan’s “Children of The World!” There is play action at 124 beats per minute in F minor. Eye formation looks to the left and then right. The QB, DJ Stanzeff, knows the game is in trouble. So the team leader brings pressure up the middle. There is tight coverage on every side. It’s a twenty-nine yard punt. Wait another minute! What a hit! DJ Stanzeff breaks free at the forty yard line. Jersey number one is in the zone!!! “That guy just dropped a load of bass.” Zone coverage is deep with beats. This is a COMEBACK! The game is saved. Nice job on execution.
The dance floor sees the most action of the night thus far. The dancers are back in the game. They frolic at full force.
Team Tambor runs the play. Yes, Tambor “goes for it.” DJ Stanzeff steps up on the line of scrimmage and makes the play! The dancers scream. It’s a first down. Twenty…Twenty-five…Thirty…Thirty-five…Forty!!! The music sweeps up the south side. First down-and-ten. Play action. Snap. Spot. It’s a throw. DJ Stanzeff catches it! TOUCHDOWN!!! Kem featuring Chrisette Michelle’s “If Its Love” (Frankie Estavez Fusion Club Thumpin Remix) nails the coffin shut!!! The referee confirms. The dancers go mad displaying acrobatic stunts. There are handstands in crop circles, speaker whores kicking a foot to the speaker, and bodies rolling around on the floor in sweeping motions. This is the game’s money shot.
Stanzeff continues with another bootleg this time from Jill Scott. There’s a yard to the twenty-one. Could this be red zone play? Stanzeff is given a thirty yard try. Unfortunately, there is no score. The quarterback continues the momentum moving into afro beat territory. The beats per minute increase to 126 with The Muthafunkaz,“Oh I (Miss You)” the Atjazz Love Soul Mix that runs out of steam at the thirty yard line. The D major song couldn’t quite make it to the red zone.
[And now a word from our sponsor: Fusicology.]
It’s the fourth down. What will Team Tambor do next? They have two options. Team lead Stanzeff makes a split decision. Jose Marquez is back in the game on the line of scrimmage. Jose comes back strong-perhaps with a bit of vengeance. Jose kicks a field goal playing Floetry’s “I Want You” (Osunlade Remix). For the first time, the crowd responds with vocal praise.
Two downs later the music is turned back over to Stanzeff who resumes play mode with Japanese producer Namy’s “From Now On” with Josh Milan on vocals. The crowd plays ballet and keeps two feet on the field. Then there is the repeat play of Arnaud D featuring Heidi Vogel “Green & Yellow.” The vibe ebbs. The remainder of the game is quiet, if uneventful.
What a tough game for team Tambor and guest. Jose Marquez seemed unable to make the cut. The southern Californian failed to make one touchdown to win over the crowd. Game stats reveal Jose received little playtime. Perhaps, had the halfback secured additional play time, he might have won over tough critics. Here is to hoping, next time, team Tambor fans will show up in droves, won’t railbird, but join in the festivities with unbridled fanaticism.
Back in the rear corner of the arena, the air feels lonely. In the funk of left-over hazy oxidations, a shadow is made out of the blue. There stands the game’s would be hero texting. Hopefully the message is of better news.
Words and photography by AJ Dance
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Tags: Atlanta Georgia, deep house music, DJ BE, DJ Stanzeff, house music, Jose Marquez, Tambor