The District is an anomaly. Its many threads intertwine to create a diverse and colorful tapestry which reflects the nation it represents in ways that both inspire and infuriate. Music has perpetuated the soul of D.C. for decades now, and gives a voice to those who otherwise would remain under the foot of the suits that make this the land of “Taxation without Representation.” Many artists call D.C. home, regardless of birthplace. Below are three musicians from distinct eras that have embodied their epochs with the sheer sonic strength and soul. Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, and Me’Shell Ndegeocello are a triad of D.C.’s finest children, born and/or bred. I continue this list in the vein of sounds native to the District. This particular one journeys across time to reflect the continuity of foundational sound and motive, but the evolution of the style as well. Hopefully something will strike a chord. For what it’s worth — enjoi.

Duke Ellington – Skin Deep
(Ellington Uptown/ 1953)
Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald – Mack the Knife
(Ella & Duke at The Côte D’Azur (Disc I)/ 1966)
Duke Ellington – Rhapsody in Blue
(Recollections of The Big Band Era/ 1976)
Marvin Gaye – Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)
(What’s Going On/ 1971)
Marvin Gaye – If I Should Die Tonight
(Let’s Get It On (Deluxe Edition)/ 1973)
Marvin Gaye – Trouble Man
(Gold/ 2005)
Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Soul Searchin’
(Higher Learning: Music From The Motion Picture/ 1994)
Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Fool of Me
(Bitter/ 1999)
Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Earth
(Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape/ 2002)

photo credit: Amber Wiley

And the sun is beyond set, far below the horizon; yet the lights are just hitting peak illumination. The second wind arrives in full force as the city comes alive. The sixtieth minute of bliss fades further into memory, time and space lose meaning. After happy hour ends the clock stops running and past nor future hold stock against the eternal present. Social lubrication eases the lingering loungers’ focus from bar to dj booth, they dance as if no one is watching. No drink seems like the last until you’re halfway between the dancefloor and a friendly stranger’s futon. The night is capped and all that awaits is morning. Now the city lights fade as the sun peeks its crest over the skyline and cycle begins again.

Ursula 1000 – Kinda’ Kinky
(Kinda’ Kinky/ 2002 )
Nickodemus – Desert Dancer
(Buddha-Bar, Vol. IV/ 2002)
Thievery Corporation -The Cosmic Game
(The Cosmic Game/ 2005)
Ursula 1000 – Nightcap
(Kinda’ Kinky/ 2002)
Federico Aubele – Esta Noche
(Gran Hotel Buenos Aires/ 2004)
Thievery Corporation – Until the Morning
(The Richest Man in Babylon/ 2002)

sidenote(s): Again, all ESL artists for this list. A bit all over the place; but after Happy Hour ends the ones who stay at the bar usually are too. So, a nightcap; the halfway point between “the dancefloor and the futon.” For what it’s worth — enjoi.

photo credit: Cishore

In a district that sleeps alone, save for your few back-pocket lobbyists sharing space under the covers, post-work social events are networking for some, but that seldom found chance to breathe for others. In a city bursting at its seams with political rhetoric and hot air, founded upon agendas far deeper than hidden, it is not every night that one is able to find an hour away from “D.C.” much less one which could be remotely defined as “happy.” What a joy then to stumble across a lounge whose happy hour not only raises one’s spirits, but soothes the soul. The Eighteenth Street Lounge is a three story bar/club/lounge with a playlist more exclusive than its guest list. The locale only plays its own artists, only those from the ESL record label. Not a gimmick, but rather a complete synthesis of the atmosphere. An hour at ESL is an indulgence of the senses; there is nary a bar — D.C. or anywhere — that can boast a panoramic deluge of taste, touch, sight, sound, and yes, smell reflecting their own distinctly unique vibe.
While I cannot provide social lubricant to wet the palate, I’ve opted instead to let your ears indulge in sonic delights. Each artist showcased below is from the Eighteenth Street Lounge label, the artists which make the hour ecstatic. Enjoi.

Joe Bataan – The Bottle
(Salsoul Classics, Vol. 1/ 1992)
Federico Aubele – El Amor de Este Pueblo
(Gran Hotel Buenos Aires/ 2004)
Karmisky Experience Inc. – Exploration
(The Power of Suggestion/ 2003)
Federico Aubele – Besos de Sal
(Gran Hotel Buenos Aires/ 2004)
Quantic & Nickodemus – Mi Swing Es Tropical
(Ritmo Tropical/ 2004)
Chris Joss – You’ve Been Spiked
(You’ve Been Spiked/ 2004)

photo credit: IntangibleArts

“It’s what you all been waitin’ for ain’t it? They can’t stand it, they want something new. So let’s get re-acquainted.”

~~ || ~~

Mid-Air Tape Loop Dance Party
(Tape Loop EP/ 2008)
Prefuse 73 Pagina Dos
(Prefuse 73 Reads the Books E.P./ 2005)
Mid-Air Complex Admittance
(Mid-Air/ 2007)
RJD2 Chicken-Bone Circuit
(Dead Ringer/ 2002)
Mid-Air Mirror Mirror
(Mid-Air/ 2007)
Daedelus Pursed Lips Reply
(Invention/ 2002)
Mid-Air A Thousand Atomic Fireballs
(Unreleased)

Note(s): So there’s been some feigning for new, fresh tracks. Jungle is a tough MdM beat to make work, but with enough tenacity the rewards outweigh the struggle. Mid-Air takes jungle back to the roots and doesn’t let the “electronic” aspect of the genre overshadow the organic foundational focus of the sub-genre. Chris Harbach’s contribution to the greater jungle is a product that finds its roots in an urban experimental sound, works its way up through a solid trunk of jazz/hip-hop/funk, and branches off touching upon ambient, acid, trip-hop, and “electronica”, the fruits of which are best savored chilled and — even in the midst of the gritty and grainy samples — fresh. Essentially, as one put it, Mid-Air is “Too fast, too slow, too noisy, too melodic, too old skool, and way too ahead of his time,” (in all the right ways); that, as always, is for you to decide. So, intertwined with the linchpin artist’s works are a few third-party complementary sounds to guide you through the sonic landscape. Enjoi.

Photo Credit: Eugenio Recuenco
Mid-Air: MySpace, Official Site

More Jungle. The genre, like the forest, is dense, diverse, and full of juxtapositions: the flora and fauna, the calm day and the live night. This list is a bit more of the same, and a bit of something new. To ease into the genre there’s not too much of the heavy or dark — yet. This is a compilation of some unknown independent DJs and well-known classics, fast-paced uptempo traditional and mellow “intelligence/atmospheric” jungle. Delve a bit deeper into the wild and enjoi.

Deejay v@s Jungle Line
(ACIDplanet/ 2007)
DJ Apex Mud Cake
(ACIDplanet/ 2006)
LTJ Bukem Atlantis
(Goodlooking Experience/ 2005)
Total Science Burning
(Sky Stalker/Burning 12″/ 2002)
Calibre Second Sun
(Second Sun/ 2005)
Roni Size/Reprazent Down
(New Forms/ 1997)
BorisR Acid Rain
(ACIDplanet/ 2005)

see also: Welcome to the Jungle …
image: dandy fsj