THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Late night, the temperature reads a chilly 43-degrees, up in these streets, at the intersection of Ivan Allen Junior Blvd and Marietta. The soul awakens. From muffled thumps of bass heard in the distance. The hypnotic groove guides the body ever so closer to the pulsating nucleus. A black building. Covered windows. Littered with paper flyers. Destination affirmed. The pearly whites appear on the doorman’s smile. ID? Check. Ticket? Scanned. Proof of vax? Test? Or mask? Yeah. This is going to be one of those nights. Sweaty. Dirty. Nasty. Just #discoandhousemusicexcellence to purview.
A rainbow of balloons afloat on the chandeliers ceiling. Silver streamers outline the room that marks the passage into the main dance area. The scene is more of a birthday party than a night out at a club. Ten or more fans have gathered on the concrete surface. Dressed in various garb. From pro baseball jerseys to halter tops. Their feet ready to dance. Their bodies ready to party. Their smiles ready to celebrate. Hookahs in one hand. The other hand holding cups of liquid spirits to mouth. This is no ordinary party. Instead, behold an epic playoff. Amongst the who’s who of legendary music selectors. The ATL Allstars X a NYC Giant. This is the world series of music. A championship of sound. Let the dance begin.
Inning 1
2100-2308
“You’ve been gone so long,” sings N’Dea Davenport on Tortured Soul’s “I Might Do Something Wrong” (Ethan White Raindrops Mix). First up to bat, Ash Lauryn comes out swinging AF. When she plays her recent debut “Life is Back” (Kai Alcé Life is Sweet Interpretation), her Detroit roots hits the beat. The Atlanta Allstar is a formidable force. Don’t call her a rookie. Don’t let her young age fool you. You might get the side eye. The Underground and Black founder stays booked and busy. She tours the globe. Plays at legendary sites. Rubs shoulders with the industries’ celebrated. Oh, yes, she knows a song or two. She proves it behind the decks. Knowing when to drop Honey Dijon featuring Annette Bowen & Nikki O’s “Downtown” (Louie Vega Extended Raw Dub Mix) that sends the crowd into hysteria, jumping, dancing, and yelling. The most lit of the night thus far. Ash surprises! JT Donaldson featuring Liv.E’s “Stay Inside” (Extended Remix) makes best for speaker dancing. Playing groovy beats- DJ Kemit & Luke Austin presents The Lounge Lizards’ “Intro To Dance.” Adding vocals here and there – Mike Dunn’s “Natural High” (Mike Dunn Extended Black Glitter MixX). Her transitions between songs are seamless. She has studied her craft. Practiced her groove. And found her voice. The “Truth” EP artist keeps the dancers wanting more and more. Ash Lauryn is the night’s MVP. Score 4/5
Inning 2
2308-0100
Where Ash Lauryn brought out the wide-eyed millennials, there stands the graying gays waiting for Atlanta’s Godfather of House Music to assume batting duty. There stands his six-feet frame. His game face ready. His red tee “House Music Forever,” says it all. Immediately, Ron Pullman cranks up the volume far too loud. That overpowers the size of the room, and the twenty-five attendees present in the space. The ontz–ontz-ontz, hurts eardrums. Is anyone else listening? The soundtrack starts with beeps and blurps. Inaya Day singing “Feelin’ Feelin’.” The 12 Inch Extended Club Mix gives all the vibes. Sadly, thereafter, the music meanders neither here nor there. No one has a clue of what songs are playing. Or why? Ron’s mental state must be still vacationing in Europe. From where he recently sojourned. Certainly, this is not the expected strong playlist from a local legend. The fact is not that Ron Pullman is warming up, but rather the length of time it takes for him to warm up. Forty-five minutes? Is an eternity. “I want him to play the music he played at First Fridays at the former Eagle,” says one fan over Frankie Knuckles “Tears.” That sadly sounds meh. Pullman sounds at home when he dips into the Afro vibes that wakes legs to shuffle. Playing Luisito Quintero’s “Gbagda, Gbagda, Gbogdo, Gbogdo” (Main Long) is a thumbs up. Keeping that Afro/Latin vibe energizes the atmosphere. Thereafter, people are up dancing, bopping their heads and feeling the groove. Playing the UBQ Project featuring Kathy Summer’s “We Can Make It” stuns. The Aaron’s Big House Remix knocks it out the venue. Disco called and Quincy Jones featuring Patti Austin’s “Razzmatazz” is perfect for shimmy shakes and booty bumps. This is the Godfather playing his best. Dropping that house funk that even has FWM Entertainment’s Stephen Ringer dancing to his own track. This is the testament of the Godfather; he can make anyone dance. Score 3/5
Then a figure walks into the dimly lit room. Subtly dressed in a black leather jacket and black groovin’ tee. His bald head heated by a black skully. His facial features pronounced. His almost devilish eyes are searching. Aging has been graceful. Who else looks more regal in their twilight than in their prime than he? He who has inspired generations how to play the game behind the ones and twos. He is the icon whom the packed room came to praise. He is legend.
Half-Time
It’s the half-time show brought to you by the event’s following sponsor.
Where can you gather to brunch on Apache Seasonal Salad? Or drink a hand-crafted Premium Bob Marley? Dinner and a date at Erotic Soul? In the city’s tourist district sits the new home of Atlanta’s legendary music institution the Apache Café XLR. The venue hosts more than spoken word, but concerts and dancing into the late night with legendary DJs. Come and visit. Sip or dance. But whatever you do. Do it at the Apache Café XLR.
Inning 3
0100-0400
Meanwhile, the body loses control. Arms flailing every direction. Fists offensively tomahawk chop the air. The legs jog in place. Sneakers stomp the ground. Lips snarled. Face is contorted with crunched cheeks. The body spasms. Shouts are heard. Yep, it’s that guy. Feeling Thelma Houston’s “I’m Here Again.” (The Mr. K Edit AKA Danny Krivit)
Beast of Bedlam
Every song Danny Krivit starts playing throwbacks to his five decades in clubland. The disco he played at the Loft. Classic soul records he spun as a guest at the Paradise Garage. Mixes he played on NYC’s WBLS. He shares his weighty discography to those who were not present to those not birthed during those halcyon days. About 90 percent of the multi-hued faces in the venue fall into this category. Perhaps not the recent Georgian transplant from NYC dancing the farmer or the group of NYC circle dancers showing off their street moves from decades earlier to Inaya Day’s “Feelin’ Feelin’ played the second time during the party when suddenly.
Mr. Krivit scores! Peven Everett’s “Burning Hot” is what the people need to hear. The Timmy Regisford and Adam Rios mix is not only a fan favorite but has reached cult status. Play this song at your party and view bodies having orgasms on the dance floor. Corners of mouths salivating. Fangs protruding. Sneakers stomping the ground. Torsos bent over at the waist, fists pounding the baby powder on the floor. Bodies spasming in mid-air. The visages of virgins thinking WTH!!!??? Even Mr. Krivit rocks back and forth at a violent pace. Unleashed is the inner beast of bedlam. That can’t be stopped. Furthermore, adding fury to the fire is The Vision featuring Andreya Triana’s “Heaven.” The Danny Krivit Edit scores a double play. That is until Ten City’s “That’s the Way Love Is” drenches the flames. There go the veteran fans, their mouths singing. Their fists hammering. For the youngsters this marks a time out, a breather and a seat on the bench.
He is Legend
Born Danny Krivit who comes from music lineage, his mother a jazz singer and his father a former jazz manager was surrounded by music during his upbringing in Greenwich Village during the revolution of the 1960s. Throughout the glittering 70s, he crafted his DJ skills and became an in-demand turntablist. By the Reagan era, he honed his skills at the art of music production and continued to perform at legendary venues as an underground artist. In the final decade of the 20th century, he cofounded the Body & Soul movement that cemented its footprint into NYC house music’s golden era. Into the new millennium he carried the torch, establishing THE 718 SESSIONS party. Ever been to a SESSIONS boat party on the Hudson? Then you know what’s up. During the 2010s, he produced more edits, hosted club nights, and deejayed around the globe. Currently, the maestro who has amassed more vinyl than the city’s baseball champions have home runs, puts out his Mr. K Edits at a dizzying pace online. At age 64 the titan shows no signs of slowing down much like his fiery music set.
0300
“Watch out” and “ouch” one drunken Asian woman bumps into dancers as Sunshine Anderson’s “Force of Nature” (Blaze Roots Vocal Mix) scores another point. The Joe Claussell Re-Work Mix plays for several minutes with a Rhode organ building to a dizzying climax. Poor girl is so inebriated she might have to be carried off the floor.
At 3 am the sloppy comes out, so does the groove. The hour of the flow arrives. When movement syncs with music. Good vibes. Great times. Much like the party girls bopping from the bathroom. Their smiling from ear to ear is disrupted by choppy vocals of an edit on loop. Handclaps. Praise. Cheers. Ron Hall’s “Talk to God ‘Bout It” is a most daring pointer. Surprisingly, hearing The Dangerfeel Newbies “What Am I Here For?” (NDATL DISTINCTIVE Vocal Remix) (Mr. K Edit) gives goose bumps and sends chills up the spine. Next to Danny, there stands the track’s remixer Kai Alcé smiling from ear-to-ear. Mr. Krivit keeps the music in the ATL family. A respectful nod to the city’s soulful house glory. As Brooklyn’s Maxwell’s “Till the Cops Come Knockin’” (Timmy Regisford and Adam Rios Mix) of keys and instrumental affair is heartwarming, ending Krivit’s reign on a high note. Score 3.5/5
Inning 4
0400-0700
Whenever Danny Krivit plays in Atlanta, the color red magically appears. On Kai Alcé‘s signature frames to his vinyl jacket, red is the color of Team Atlanta as the NDATL star steps up to play.
By 4 am, the room is a haze. The smell of weed permeates rear room near the Yamaha subwoofer. A guy wearing a bucket hat with two girls stretched out on the bar’s countertop plays pass, pass, puff. The whiff of skunk causes one dancer, seated on the bench, to use his nose and mouth mask as a shield protection. The after-hours crowd, their young faces of belief pack the room. The beats hit hard. That jackin’ house post peak time experience. Where LEDs of neon green pulsate against the glass window. Playing a dazzling but dizzying light show to Cricco Castelli’s “Life Is Changing.” All becomes way too much to consume at this hour. The room starts spinning. As much as hearing the great Kai Alcé play live is on the list, the time has arrived to leave.
For those who stayed on listened to a bevy of classic house, early Detroit Techno, and deep beats. Perhaps Kai scored big playing Dezaray Dawn’s “The Real Deal,” his Bandcamp Friday exclusive KZR Remix of Monique Bingham’s “Don’t Stop,” or “Heaven” from his Luv Fantasy EP. Or he scored home runs playing his remixes of Demarkus Lewis’ “Mystic Vibes,” or Jimpsters’ “Inside the Loop.” Whatever genre, the mood was groovy, melodic, and full-on jazzy. Score: 😀
Thanks to the Atlantean and NDATL for a party that started at 2200 and ended at 0700. This was a marathon dance event. When the body went in for hours. After a week of intense training; cardio, stretching, and hydrating. After all, dancing is a sport. Even better, after dancing all night, is rolling over in a warm bed with a smile at 7 am.
wrds: aj dance
top grphc: aj art
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Tags: #dancefloormagic #housemusicexcellence, apachecafexlr, Ash Lauryn, Atlanta Georgia, dance music, dancing, Danny Krivit, disco music, DJ Ron Pullman, house music, house music dancing, Kai Alce, MrKedits, NDATL, pullman soul, Undergroudandblack