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. This was sound check. The time not for the technically challenged but for the more technically inclined sound technicians that understood power converters plugged into walled outlets that checked wired cable chords to ensure proper installation and usage.
U.K.’s Tribe Records founder and label president, Zepherin Saint didn’t even blink an eye at the explosive sound as he continued testing the volume in the DJ booth that sat high above the floor in a glassless window booth lined with silver plated wires and chrome polished hardware that resembled an android beast straight from a sci-fi flick. This was all apart of the preshow to make the Tambor experience a continued success.
This being Zepherin Saint’s second time playing at Tambor knew how to work the tribesters musically into a fit of rage. Eight months earlier the music producer/songwriter ripped the roof off club Filter and positioned the city as a global House Music Mecca.
As the party started it took little time for Zepherin to get in the groove and drop the bomb on the place. What started out as smooth jazz played over a mellow house beat steadily transformed into a dirty bomb exploding with unbridled passion as people experienced out of body transcendence of being swept into heaven.
When the Tribe leader dropped Frank Roger’s “Me, Myself & I” (The Distant Music Mix) it was over. WOW, the surprise track of the night hadn’t been heard of in years and conjured questions of how such a stand out could have been so easily forgotten. Other notable standouts included the upcoming release by one of the hottest male house vocalist ever, Peven Everett with “I Need You.” Next up followed, DJ Le Roi featuring Roland Clark with, “I Get Deep” that came equipped with floating keys weaving a harmonic tapestry across the underground track. This never before heard version titillated the tips of every tongue in the room. Unbeknownst at that moment the keyboard was actually played live by a fellow tribester that sat hidden in the DJ booth. Shortly thereafter, a local songstress jumped into the booth and provided live spoken word over a track aptly titled “Slave Song.” Musically, this Tambor experience could get no better with its live vocals and instruments.
Suddenly, Zepherin launched into a hypnotic deep afro track that caused the crowd to move about as though they danced around flames of fire. What was this sound that brought out the tribal beast in everyone? Looking the room over, a spectacular visual of motion-fueled bodies filled the basement. There were ritual dance circles inhabited by free-stylers and fancy footers showcasing dance moves not found on the latest reality dance competition television shows but on the streets. The several onlookers pinned to the walls marveled with goggle eyes at the majestic sight. It was though all were one in a cosmic dance. Actually, the congregation already damp with sweat could take no more. Or so they thought until Zepherin dug deeper into his crates and produced a scorcher; a scorcher that would set the roof on fire.
Being it was summer and a HOT summer at that a major heat wave had stricken much of the nation. How appropriate to play the summer’s anthem, “BURNING HOT” by soul crooner Peven Everett. Not only was this track so unexpected but it was an exclusive organic remix of the certified HIT unavailable anywhere else. As soon as the crowd got hold of the song’s chorus, people fell to the floor, yelled, threw fists in the air and stomped their feet as if to summon the spirit of dance. The people erupted in sheer pandemonium that struck the room as fast as lightning strikes a tree. For six unadulterated minutes, nothing else warranted or unwarranted mattered. No one or nothing could penetrate the soul oozing from the speakers. This was the MOTHER of all MOTHERS. The fat lady had sung!
Not too long thereafter, the house lights brightened in the narrow shoebox and the music faded into eternal rest. It was 3 AM and all had to cease. Please, could someone end the city’s unorthodox ordinance of closing bar/club times? Suddenly, burley security pushed people out the way, shined flashlights in patron’s eyes and shouted, “GET OUT! GET OUT!” Wait a minute this was too much and unnecessary. The crowd of house music lovers was not the typical thugged out, hoochie humping, hip hop parties Merlotte usually hosted. Maybe the bouncers and wait staff were eager to get home. Whatever the reasons for the ostentatious attempt to evacuate the premises was not enough to dampen the mood of a “Burning Hot” night.
Photography by Luis V for DEG
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Tags: Atlanta Georgia, DJ BE, DJ Stanzeff, house music, Tambor, Tribe Records UK, Zepherin Saint