AJ Dance Legacy

LEGO

Bright sunrays bounced off high-definition glass windows that sprinkled beams of translucent light to the lobby’s 16^th floor. From the hotel’s lift and making a quick left in front of RELAX; the spa lies the entrance to the air conditioned almost too cold SPLASHBAR. “Welcome,” stated the statuesque burly caramel complexion gatekeeper with a friendly face full of intelligence that checked I.D.’s… Continue

Photography by Carlos Bell

GOTSOUL?!?

“Can You Dance To My Beat?”

Gotsoul? Does it have soul? Do you got soul? Really! Is that a necessary question? Nope, not when you’re JoJo Flores.

Perhaps, Montreal’s JoJo Flores must be one of the best dressed DJs on the international circuit. The guy with the school boy physique looked sharp. Neatly working a black short sleeve button down, with a tucked in black tee that would later reveal the Gotsoul logo-think Clark Kent with the S on his chest-and slim leg black denim all topped off with a brown fedora and you’ve got one of the best dressed music purveyors in the place.… Continue

HOT & LOUD

Turn up the volume and let the bass drop. That’s what Baltimore’s legendary DJ Spen, decked out in a black ensemble of a basement ball cap and MF (Muthafunkaz) tee delivered to Tambor. The venue’s walls contracted and the floor vibrated as four count beats gave birth to dancing feet, snapping fingers and raised arms. Not only did the thumping beats pronounce their arrival but so too the room’s temperature.… Continue

Ten Tips for a Successful House Music Party Thrown at an Outdoor Public Space

Please do not have a wedding in one of the city’s largest PUBLIC parks on a Sunday afternoon across the pathway from a music event playing loud music.

Please do not tell park officials/park security to have the music event to turn off their music so that a wedding can proceed as scheduled.… Continue

JOE CLAUSSELL

“He’s warming up. Now, he’s starting to play,” yelled Mrs. Thang

What is a musical maestro called when he/she plays on a stubborn acting sound system? A PISSED off DJ.

This Tambor might have gone down in history as one giant, “technical difficult.” The culprit mainly attributed to the bass heavy sounding sound systems refusal to adhere to quality sound control standards.… Continue

CHEZ DAMIER

The storm promised to dampen the night’s festivities. Outdoors in the windy air lightning flashed and thunder boomed as a deluge fell from the sky. In the distance, several tornado sirens marked by repeated calls for shelter sounded throughout the metropolitan area. This deadly weather was highly unusual for a night out on the town. Or was it? After all, it was the month of April.… Continue

FABIO GENITO VERSION II

The Party

This spring night belonged to the dancers.

Much can be said about Italy’s Fabio Genito’s spirited set that delivered robust afro-beat/latin/90’s house/current deep-house/funk/soul and disco flavors of heated beats marinated on a fruit-based laptop connected to a smoking mixing deck. After a rousing opener by Tambor’s founder and resident, Stan Zeff, the packed room of bodies was ripe with anticipation for some Italian delight.… Continue

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Love it or hate it. It can’t be denied the Europeans have their own style and definition of DeeJaying. Actually, it’s this distinct flair of recognizing overseas talent that Tambor needs to embrace its burgeoning global presence. Also, worth noting, the beat of the drum travels not only domestically but globally. It is this rhythmic journey that treks across all lands, seas, cultures and villages delivering the language of music.… Continue