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New Podcast Available:
Sean Alvarez Live @ ILE' 718 Sessions 
Friday January 6, 2012


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Event Reviews: Black Coffee, Chosen Few, City Beat Loft Sessions

Over the last few weeks I’ve been out mainly because there have been a few things of significant interest that lured me toward being in attendance.

Black Coffee at The Shrine

South African House Music Producer and DJ Black Coffee invaded The Shrine for Bang Sundays with Resident DJ Terry Hunter.  With a packed house I surprisingly did not have a great time.

Reason being is I ended up not getting to the event until midnight, which was around the time when I thought Coffee’s set would start.  Instead when I arrive he’s already been into his set for a little more than an hour.  Upon arrival a few friends tell me he’s been killing it and is about to get off.  Immediately I’m salty.  Then during the next 30 minutes he played people decided to bring their own instruments to accompany him musically.  Most of the time this is somewhat tolerable, but since I was already irritated and the “crowd instruments” did not go with his sound, my frustration grew even more.

So 30 minutes passes and Terry Hunter get’s on.  Over the years I have considered Terry Hunter to be one of my favorite DJs.  However, this time I was disappointed more so with his selections. DJ skills very much intact, I just wasn’t feeling the selections. 

After Black Coffee had the crowd grooving, and primed for some more really dope music, Terry began playing crowd favorites.  Now I realize that the crowd at this particular event is not accustomed to hearing anything outside of what is familiar to them, but when they are responding to dope music they may not have ever heard, the next DJ in line should seize the opportunity to enlighten them and BEAT! That is a perfect excuse for a DJ to play all the cuts they’ve wanted to play, but can’t for fear that it may be beyond the crowd’s musical sensibilities. Coffee had already proven that the crowd would groove to music they don’t know.  It would’ve been ideal for Terry to step right in and make the transition seamless and keep the momentum going as he has done so many times over the years.  Another thing that is disappointing is the mind state of the current “househead”. These are the same people who were once thirsty for music that was fresh, new, and avant-garde to them back in the day and now only want to hear the same old songs.  Attention Old School House Head Robots: There is a whole world out there that exists beyond 1988. Open your mind and experience modern day goodness!

Nevertheless, there were certain parts of the night where I was entertained.  One of my friends who is not thoroughly into underground music and actually admits having Mike Jones, T- Pain, and Lil Wayne on his Ipod was pissed when crowd favorites were being played after Black Coffee was done.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of my friends who delve into mainstream music on a regular basis dance so hard on the dance floor and then get so pissed when the music changed. During most experiences people who aren’t familiar with newer House music would want to hear the old school club favorites but Coffee was beating so hard it makes even the simplest music mind progress and evolve to a higher level.  My favorite quote from him for the night was, “Dog, what happened? Why the f#*k am I listening to Teddy Pendergrass right now? Why isn’t this n—ga beating? WTF”!
#Classic

The Chosen Few Picnic

This is the type of event to go hang out with friends and the expectations for listening to new music was not very high on my radar. Not to say the music was bad, because it wasn't.  It was just alot of songs that I've heard all too frequently over the last 30 years and was nothing to really look forward to. After all, this has been subtitled as "the old school house picnic" so its only fitting to play mostly old school house music. Some new joints would've been nice but oh well.  The music went pretty much as calculated and from what I could hear during a brief moment, Frankie Knuckles played a good set. I couldn't really tell what he was playing but the momentum and vibe of his set stood out enough to lead me to believe he was beating.
Nevertheless, my mission on this day wasn't as much about the music as it was about me getting my "stroll on" in a non-beligerent mild mannered drunken buzzed kinda way.  Many moments this afternoon were filled with drinking, eating, and mingling.  This event reminded me of Freaknic in the early 90s except for the fact that there was all house music, plenty of food (free food from tent hopping), and I’m now older and much better behaved.  The drank was one of the constants that did not change, just my quality of drank. 

It was also dope that I could bike there since it’s near the crib and didn’t have to worry about parking.  Overall I had a great time and it was really fun spending time with and bumping into friends I hadn’t seen in ages as well as friends I see on a regular basis.  Although, a few of my friends frown upon this event because of the lack of cutting edge music and the large crowds, I always look forward to it every year and always have a great time.
Can't wait til next year.

“Gathering Of Tribes” City Beat Loft Session #1

After The Chosen Few Picnic, I headed north to play at “Gathering Of Tribes” City Beat Loft Session #1 featuring DJs Ron Trent, Jevon Jackson, Specter, and yours truly.  After being at the picnic in intervals of 1pm-4pm running out of drank, going home and getting more drank and arriving back at 5pm-8pm, I was pooped.  Not to mention there was a real need to allow water to be my friend from 7-8pm.  By the time I headed out again for a night that would prompt me being awake until 7am, I had sobered up but was now dealing with an early evening hangover.  So I get to the party not functioning at 100% and am having to play through pain like Derrick Rose in the playoffs. After more water, some soothing soulful sounds, and a chair massage after my set it’s now 2am and my headache has finally subsided.  I am now ready to thoroughly enjoy myself.

Here’s details about my enjoyment process…

First we’ll start with the crowd.  Great turnout as the crowd was very multi-cultural with people from Chicago as well as other cities and countries who were visiting for the weekend and eager for musical nourishment. There were plenty of beautiful people in the building especially the ladies. There was also a fair share of dancers getting their groove on.

The Sound System and Sounds were also great as all of the DJs played good sets.  After the first hour of Ron Trent’s closing set my feet were too tired for me to even think about continuing to dance so I just sat back and listened. 

Once again, ALL of the DJ sets were dope, but I haven’t heard Ron beat a set like that in a minute. Having the opportunity to hear him consistently he definitely does his thing regularly, but this set was something special. The feeling reminded me of many of the real dope underground warehouse parties I frequented in the late 90’s and early part of this century while I was living in Atlanta experiencing legendary sets from Kai Alce, DJ Kemit, and Ron Trent when he would visit the ATL. His set completely characterized that vibe and the movement of that era and brought it to fruition present day.

Although, the music was the cornerstone for my thoughts regarding this event, there were so many other factors about the night that helped make this such a memorable and unique night.

In summing things up, if you missed this party you missed an all around banger!

Stay tuned for more City Beat Sessions and City Beat Loft Sessions in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Peace and Blessings,

Sean 

If you don’t know you betta ask somebody!...JLC

 

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Event Review: "Deep" Reunion at MJQ in Atlanta

So its Thursday in Chicago and I'm headed out with DJ Kwest_On to hang out at Red Kiva.  I mention to him that I'm going to Atlanta next week and am trying to figure out a way to stay longer than origninally planned.  Within minutes I get a call from Kai Alce.  While chopping it up and talking about what's going on in Chicago I ask "So what's crackin in the ATL? I'll be there on Monday".  Kai replies, "We're doin an MJQ reunion on Sunday". At that point I'm geeked and once I get off the phone I change my itinerary and make plans to arrive Sunday instead of Monday.  This could not have come at a better time.

This particular event was known as "Adult Skate" which could also be known as the "Deep" reuinion.  "Deep" was a 9 year weekly residency that took place every Saturday night in Atlanta at MJQ.

I vividly recall my first time attending.  One of my friends called me early afternoon on a Saturday to say, "Hey MJQ has a House night and was thinking about checking it out tonight".  Ok, I'm game.  Not doing anything worthwhile that night anyway. I had been to MJQ on a Hip Hop and Jungle/Drum n Bass night and stayed for 45 minutes.  The Hip Hop set was dope (DJ Boom Bip) but the Jungle/Drum n Bass did not necessarily connect with my soul. There weren't many people in attendance but like I said the Hip Hop set was really dope and made that experience worth it.

My expectations for Saturday were kinda low because when people say House music I don't always identify with their brand of House music.  Plus I didn't know who the DJs were.  We arrive at MJQ and as we enter begin to walk down a slight decline of an approximate length of 40 feet as we enter the actual club area.  MJQ was an underground parking garage with a more than adequate sound system.  It had really been a minute since I experienced something this underground and unique.  I soon embraced my surroundings and began to vibe with the music.  After grabbing a drink we all hit the dance floor and danced virtually all night.  Before the night ended I heard Lil Louis' song 6am.  I pretty much did not look into the DJ booth all night because the club was very dark and the lighting on the dance floor did not really allow you to focus your vision on who was DJing until you were right near the booth.  After 6am was done I went to the booth to give the DJ props and realized it was none other than Kai Alce.

From that point on for the next few years MJQ was my weekly opportunity to release all my stress from the work week.  This was also an opportunity to become cultivated with what had become the new sound of House music with Deep Soulful baselines, grooves, and live instrumentation as if it were almost new school version Disco and Soul Classics.  Little did I know these series of events would change my life and inspire me to fall in love with House Music again become involved with DJing again after experiencing a 5 year hiatus, something I never thought I would do.

Now that the "Deep" weekly residency with Kai, Kemit, and Cullen has ended, once or twice a year they  have a reunion to re-live the vibe we experienced on many a Saturday Night. Prior to it ending I would occasionally fly to Atlanta from Chicago from 2002 til 2004 with a few premises in mind.  To visit friends and family, and the Saturday Night Experience of "Deep" at MJQ.

The reunion was off the hook! We arrived around 10:30pm and there were a few people in attendance.  We went across the street to grab a bite to eat (I needed to get something in my stomach before partaking in my favorite vodka beverage for that evening) and when we returned at 11pm the place was steadily getting packed.

This event was dope on several levels.
The crowd was dope. A good mix of Black, some White and some Asian.
The event took place in the cafe of MJQ which has hardwood floors, is a tad bit more intimate, and still has a really good sound system.  After getting my groove on with something chocolate, sexy, and of the female persuasion I noticed they were opening up a dance cypher (dance circle).  Usually the dancers that really held it down were Twa and Soul.  Both are dope and have been featured in music videos as well as other projects. On this night they would continue to show and prove that they still have can do their thing on the floor. Errol did his thing too, as well as a young lady's name who escapes me.  I was really glad they opened up the cypher because that does not happen much in Chicago and I really only get a chance to experience this brand of dancing when I go to ATL, NY, Miami for the WMC, and occasionally in LA.
Every once in a while if I feel the spirit I join in and vibe with the energy.  Although, I was mostly a spectator, I did manage to briefly join in the cypher, celebrate, and absorb the energy that was resonating on that portion of the dancefloor.

The rest of the dancefloor was "crunk" for lack of a better ATL term.  Everybody in the spot was dancing whether it be in the cypher, coupled up, or individually in their own world.  All of the DJs did a good job of mixing a variety of rare and standard Disco classics, House music new and old school and a few mid tempo classics toward the end.

Before we know it the 3am hour was approaching and many people were wanting more even though their musical thirst had been quenched.  This evening provoked many memories of good times, the cultivating of many friendships, embarking on a brand of music that is not pretentious and soothes the soul, a musical era that would serve as inspiration, fulfillment, and celebration to many who had a chance to be there and live the experience. Hopefully we won't have to wait a long time before the next one.
May the legacy continue.

To find out more about Kai, Kemit, and Cullen please click the respected name below.

Kai
Kemit
Cullen

Thanks for reading!
Peace and Blessings,
Sean


If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC

Event Review: We Love Soul featuring Coultrain

After much anticipation for the future, the We Love Soul event is now in the present tense. Coultrain fresh in from 2 shows in Detroit was finally here in Chicago. Starting out the night musically were myself and Duane Powell on the 1's and 2's. Duane was playing a really dope Soul set as people began to filter in around 7:30pm. As a promoter I always never become comfortable until the masses begin to show up which I seem to always forget is generally 2 hours after an event starts. Once people began to filter in by the 2's like they were boarding Noah's ark I began to feel more at ease and could enjoy myself.

The show was very intimate as there were many couples looking fly as well as plenty of single good looking women and men.
As showtime approached the room became more warm and vibrant as people are grooving to the music, doing a little bit of innocent flirting and socializing amongst one another, and checking out the vendors.

The show starts and there was something I forgot again...
I forgot how bangin Coultrain's music sounds and how a good sound tech can make Darkroom sound really good. The backup band Verzatile was doing their thing with Coultrain as they were vibing really well together on stage. Combining jazz sounds, soulful grooves and baselines with his vocals was tha bizness. His sound was perfect for a show at an intimate venue. It was a great balance between, love, and sheer raw dopeness for music heads in the building. The show lasted around 1hour as he and the band received a great reception from the Darkroom crowd.
He rocked about 15 songs and gave the crowd more than their money's worth.

It was fun and interesting to witness a performance of an artist who had never been to Chicago solo and be able to help expose his music to fans that follow him and fans who were looking to for something new. We were also pleased and thankful that people trusted our taste as DJs and promoters to point them in the direction toward something different musically and not the same ole thing with the same ole artists. Not that there is anything wrong with those artists and those shows, but there is a whole other world out there if you dare to explore. We appreciate those who support the We Love Soul brand and trust us to introduce and expose more artists we believe in to you.

Thank you for your support and stay tuned for what's new with We Love Soul by visiting our website at
www.welovesoul.net

Peace and Blessings,
Sean

If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC

Food and Drink Review: Tiny Lounge 4352 N. Leavitt

Recently on a Sunday I had a chance to visit Tiny Lounge at the 3 way intersection of Lincoln, Leavitt, and Montrose. The reason for the visit was to play some tunes for DJ Leann's birthday party. After visiting Tiny a few weeks ago and sampling their cusine I was pretty geeked to be visiting again. This time instead of going with the outstanding truffle fries and pizzaetta with fontina chesse, shitake mushrooms and white truffle oil I decided to see what's next on the menu. Ahi tuna tacos with avacado, wasabi, shredded zucchini, and red pepper, and the grilled chicken empanadas with fresh oregano and chimicurri sauce. Both selections were mind blowing and the presentation was fly as well.

On this evening I started out drinking red wine but made an illegal switch to liquor when a quote from Fred Sanford popped into my head... "Wine is fine but liquor is quicker". Plus I changed up when I saw what the bartender was doing. There I saw her specially hand crafting one of the drinks from their fall drink menu. After perusing the drink menu and being indecisive on what I wanted she choose for me the "Root Down" fully equipted with gin, orange zest and few other interesting ingredients I couldn't remember. The aroma from the orange zest sold me as soon as it was put in front of me plus the presentation was solid. The special touch of the presentation and aroma made me realize this is not your typical bar and that they take food and drink very serious. Some of the other items on the on the drink menu were hot or cold cider with fresh apple cider and pumpkin pie with crushed gingerbread cookies.

If you plan to visit Tiny Lounge I would suggest going on Sundays for a great music selection of Soul and Rare Grooves courtesy of
DJ Leeann and friends.

To learn more and have your pallette pampered please visit
www.tinylounge.com
4352 N. Leavitt
(773) 463-0396

If you don't know you betta ask somebody...JLC