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deep house
Deep Sugar: Where House Music Lives In Baltimore
Normally, I blog about an event the day after, but I partied last weekend at Deep Sugar till 5 in the morning; slept most of the day and Monday was an exceptionally lazy day. By no means am I a slacker, but as a freelance writer/artist, I make my own schedule. So you know what that means? I can live it up on the weekends (and weekdays if I want) with no regret, but I must say, there is nothing like a night/morning at Deep Sugar.
I hadn’t been to Deep Sugar in quite some time, considering I had moved to Los Angeles, and prior to my move, I was living all the way in Germantown (crazy far from Baltimore.) But I knew that since I had moved back to Maryland and had already had my night of dancing at U Street Music Hall’s Red Fridays, I would have to venture to downtown Baltimore and get in my monthly fix of Deep Sugar. And boy, did I ever!
Bringing my mom with me for the first time (we had never been out dancing together, it was a new experience) we made the 15 minute drive to the Paradox. My mom, being cautious of finding parking, decided we should get there right at 11pm. And…we did. Normally I don’t go early unless I have to, but it was nice seeing Lisa Moody already getting warmed up. Shortly after some great funky tracks, the room began to slowly fill as people from all different backgrounds, ages, sizes, and even fashion choices made their way onto the dance floor.
Let me tell you, Deep Sugar is truly an experience! You can try to be a wallflower and bop your head to the music, but trust me, you’re gonna wanna dance. Sweat, sweat, sweat! I can’t even tell you how soaked my shirt was. It was so wet, I had to take it off and wear my tank while jumping up and down, smiling, and getting lost in the infectious house.
From classics to tribal to soulful to deep to tech to gospel, Lisa and Nate played all types of house!
If you’re looking for some pure house and you happen to be in the vicinity of the DMV (DC.MD.VA,) then you need to check out Deep Sugar. Held at Baltimore’s legendary nightclub The Paradox on the second Saturdays of every month, Deep Sugar is a fabulous event hosted by the Deep Sugar Family. It’s a big family, but the lovely Girl Squad Ultra Nate and Lisa Moody hold it down in the main room.
Not only did I have such an amazing time (as usual,) but I met some cool people (lots of dancers) and passionate house junkies. Everyone comes with a vibe that is just all about the music. Every now and then you might sense an attitude, but once a certain track comes on, someone’s frown is turn upside down into a joyous smile. It’s hard to be upset when you get lost in the spirit of house. My mom and I even shed a few tears while dancing and getting lost in the spirit of some of our favorite gospel house tracks.
Hey, they say house is a spirit thing, a body thing, a soul thing, and I know from years of falling in love with this music and experiencing it, that house truly is like no other genre!
So, with all that being said (sorry for the lengthiness,) I must say that if you want to experience house music on the East Coast and don’t want to make a trek to New York, then check out Deep Sugar @ The Paradox. From 11pm to 6am the morning, come early and till dawn (like I did,) or come whenever you want and still dance till dawn. Haha, you can’t resist the enigmatic atmosphere of the dancefloor chanting your name. 
Hope to see you next month at Deep Sugar. Save the date: Saturday, May 11th, 2013 with OSUNLADE. Yes, Osunlade. I can’t wait!
LIKE DEEP SUGAR MUSIC ON FACEBOOK
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Certified Awesome | George Fitzgerald’s Massive Remix of Close ft Scuba – ‘Beam Me Up’
I’ve expressed it several times on this blog, but I must say it again. George Fitzgerald is the next big-deal producer! Seriously, I’ve got my eye on this guy. Remember his Essential Mix for BBC Radio? Hello, can you say epic! And how about “Child” and those deep throbbing bass lines…amazing!
So let’s go back to his Essential Mix he released earlier this year. You might recall a certified awesome track that shifted the mix from deep house grooves to raw, dirty, insatiable bass. Well that track is called “Beam Me Up” and the version that blew my mind is George Fitzgerald’s mix of the already snazzy track by Close featuring Scuba.
And guess what?! Now you can listen to the track over and over again! George Fitzgerald uploaded it to his soundcloud and you can expect to get your hands on it when Will Saul aka Close’s EP drops on his forthcoming new album. But for now, just play the hell out of this massive remix. Trust me, it’s certified awesome, certified massive, and a bangin track that is a floorfiller!
There’s No Right or Wrong Way To House…It’s a Feeling
In 2002 I fell in love with the sounds of house, which stimulated my infatuation with house dancing. I grew up in a household in which boogaloo, popping, breaking, and hip-hop were being practiced by my brother and of course my mother, who is an old school popper. Dance was a key part of my cultural development and falling in love with the house culture introduced me to house dancing…my favorite abstract expression.
As a child taking ballet, modern, lyrical, and variants of jazz, I had always had a passion for dancing. While my brother, choreographer Jamile McGee, took dance serious and made it his career, I on the other hand didn’t pursue it as a career. But my lifestyle of house music led me to discovering a unique freedom and abstract expression within the atmospheric beats of house. House dancing is one of my favorite styles of dance and I do refer to myself as a house dancer.
Now, within house dancing you’ve got legends like Brian “Footwork” Green, Ejoe Wilson, Tony McGregor, Marjory Smarth, Caleaf Sellers and “Brooklyn” Terry Wright that are professional house dancers, but I think anyone and everyone who lets house move them is a house dancer. Yes, there are technical moves in the foundations of house, which including footwork, jacking, and lofting, but aside from having the skills down, house is truly a feeling; there is no right or wrong way to house.
You see, the beauty of house is the unlimited potential to express yourself. Whatever the beat compels your soul to feel, your body knows how to naturally respond. Even if you do have some 8 counts prepared, you still get lost in the music and the spirit of house moves your body.
This fluid expression in house dance results in so many different styles of house dancing. You can spend hours on YouTube (like I do) and see so many different house dancers with their own style. While one might be more driven to do footwork, another dancer might be more soulful and loose with big expressions via the arms and torso. It all really depends on how the track moves you at the moment.
With the freedom of mind, body, and soul being priority, that doesn’t mean house dance is obsolete from competition; the vibe of competing is less aggressive and more in the spirit of happiness. Events such as House Dance International and House Dance Forever bring house dancers, spectators, novices, and house aficionados from around the world together to compete, share music, and keep the culture thriving.Competition can be fierce, but there is still a level of joy and spiritual freedom in the competitors that you might not see in a hip-hop battle.
House dance is all about letting the music take control and losing all inhibitions; nothing is off limits, no style or movement is considered “wrong.” You could be jacking one moment, then throwing in a hint of vogue followed by some african movement. Now, there are battles and styles such as vogue and wacking that are often in their own categories at events, but freestyle and experimental rounds allow for anything and everything…in the spirit of house.
So, as you can see, I can keep going on a long-winded explanation of house dance and the art of it. But I’d rather let the videos do the rest of the talking. So I leave you with this. You know how you walk into an art gallery and you see that insane abstract piece that makes no sense, yet it speaks to you? Well, that’s the spirit of house. House is that weird abstract painting that inspires you to stare, speak, or even pick up a brush and let the innate emotion move your limbs…jack your body.
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All About House | Get Lost in the Sounds of Indecent Exposure
Before taking a trip to Los Angeles and living there for the past five months, I was living in the DMV and falling in love with the underground house scene that thrives in Washington, D.C. In the midst of my exploration of house, I met some great people that host underground events, and I was introduced to an amazing house production duo, Indecent Exposure.
Indecent Exposure is a house production duo consisting of Karim Ragab & Yacine A. While they spin in D.C. and have created quite the following, they are actually from abroad…which explains the strong cultural exploration within their music. Karim is from Cairo, Egypt and Yacine is from Algiers, Algeria, and together, they seamlessly blend soulful house, tech house, and deep house with beautiful vocals and middle eastern vibes.
They’ve done quite a bit since I’ve last seen them spin live in late summer of 2012 and they’ve just signed a beautiful new track on Mexa Records, a mighty label based in Mexico. The track they’ve signed is called “Tryin” and it features the vocals of Ashibah. Give it a listen below and watch for it on Mexa’s sampler next month.
Indecent Exposure has a lot of goodies on their soundcloud, so while you are their check it out! Trust me, I know you’re going to love their song. If you’re a fan of deep house, soulful house, tech house, and beautiful summery vibes, then get lost in the sounds of Indecent Exposure.
Certified Awesome | Moda Black Vol. II (mixed by Jaymo & Andy George) [Pre-Order Now!]
A majority of the music I’ve added to my iTunes library in the past few months consist of free mixes and downloads from soundcloud.com. It’s not that I don’t bother purchasing music (or illegally downloading it,) but there hasn’t been any EP’s that are an absolute must-purchase in my eyes. Well, except for Moda Black Vol 1. (mixed by Jaymo & Andy George.)
Feature some insane massive tracks from Hot Since 82, Celsius, Eats Everything, and many more deep house producers, Moda Black Vol 1. was an EP that I had to purchase. Without any doubt in my mind, I knew from the moment I watched the teaser video that i was going to be an epic collection of house; I was right.
I loved the first volume, so upon hearing the news, watching the teaser, and previewing the tracks on Moda Black’s soundcloud, I’m ecstatic for this release. Moda Black Vol. II (mixed by Jaymo & Andy George) is a massive deep house and electronic collection of music from a great lineup of producers. Hot Since 82, Celsius, Eats Everything, and a few others from the first volume also appear on this EP.
Watch the teaser video below, listen to some of the tracks, and pre-order today! This bangin’ release will officially be released on April 15th, 2013.
Sleazy Deep | Casual Affair – ‘Casual Affairs’ [Balcazar & Sordo and Raffa FL Remix]
My heart screams for that soulful and deep house, but I’m in the mood for some nu-disco “Casual Affairs.” Yes, that’s right, I’m “cheating” on my beloved soulful house with some funky nu-disco from Casual Affair. It feels so wrong, but feels so right! 
This bangin’ latest release by Casual Affair has been served up with a sexy nu-disco Balcazar & Sordo and Raffa FL Remix, and it’s bound to tease you with moments of eargasmic pleasures…
Give it a listen below!
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♥ Compuphonic – ‘Sunset’ feat. Marques Toliver [Official Video]
Belgian producer Compuphonic captured my heart quite some time ago with his track “Sunset” featuring Marques Toliver.
The track has a beautiful deep house vibe infused with hints of whimsical romanticism (that’s how I feel when listening to it,) and now the track has a music video to match.
The animated video for “Sunset” was created in studios in Lisbon and Vienna and it’s the great companion for the vibes of each rhythm.
The sheer simplicity is honestly what makes this video one of my favorites. There could have been a video featuring a beach and some hotties or a sexy lounge scene, but this quirky animation is the exemplification of “Sunset.”
Watch the video below! I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it.
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