AJ Dance Legacy

Photography by Carlos Bell

~ONE~

It all started twelve months earlier at a tiny vegetarian organic soul food restaurant on the city’s east edge on a hot humid late August night.Those twenty-five or so in attenDance were the first to taste Tambor’s delight without speculation as to this would be “IT.”Those in attenDance were small in number that understood Tambor was destined to be just another local party thrown by local DJ’s that happened to be local party promoters.Tambor… Continue

ZEPHERIN SAINT

“BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!” blew the loud speakers that sent several people running to the back of the basement near the bar where the noise was less obnoxious.

This Friday night and all the rest started early, way before the first musical note licked any listener’s eardrum. The invisible time before the party that only a few chosen ever witness due to their expertise in audio management.… Continue

OSUNLADE & DAVID SABAT

At 10:30 pm a line stretched from the door all the way down to the next building. Thankfully the spring night air was warm, a tad too warm for mid-June. Anxious tribesters not accustomed to waiting in lines to enter clubs waited for the party to begin. Finally, the doors swung open and in walked everyone into the cool air conditioned ground level restaurant for drinks and mingling.… Continue

Photography by Luis V for DEG

RON TRENT/TRINIDADIAN DEEP/NAPPY G

After several long minutes the doors to the basement’s dance floor/lounge and bar opened. The long dark narrow stairway gave way to a dark overly frozen air conditioned basement which was needed because once the throngs of various tribesters arrived the room would become hot as hell’s kitchen. The soulful driven house grooves traversed through the air that greeted every tribester’s heart with love.… Continue

LOUIE VEGA & ANANE

It had been five whole years since Louie Vega played at the mega niteclub Compound. This moment had taken too long to come and this moment would not to be missed for anything in the world.

The room, quickly surveyed, revealed a pathetic abandoned emptiness. It reeked of a lonely silence except for the music played by Louie Vega.… Continue

SUPERMAN

Inside the club, a storefront pizzeria with a dance floor and DJ booth in the basement, located along the city’s Old Fourth Ward district, the music stopped. No one moved. No one breathed. No one dared make a sound.

“BOOM,” thundered an explosive sound of deep bass followed by a few electronic “clicks.” Then a second, “BOOM” followed by a third, “BOOM” blasted from the speaker in repeated cessions until a clear audible rhythm was realized.… Continue

LET LOOSE PARTY

Every eye stared upward towards the DJ booth. No one dared to move a muscle. No one dared to make a sound. A safety pin could be heard crashing on the baby powder dusted floor below throngs of dirty soles. All were consumed, busily frozen in their tracks as if this was judgment day. Obviously, not the latter all were eagerly anticipating Jellybean Benitez to take charge of the musical console.… Continue