Highlife

This is a pretty heavy weekend for all the party people. Some pretty huge events are taking place. Let me take a few minutes and give you the run down of some of the best bets.

One of the places you can find me deejaying at is this little downstairs lounge at a spanish restaurant called Xochitl (408 South Second St.). In a previous life, Xochitl was known as Filo's, which was one of Philly's favorite places to grab a drink and hear the best djs in the city. I've been playing records there every other weekend for the past 3 or 4 months. When I first started, there was a great crowd coming through that would drink, dance and just have a fun time. As it started to get deeper into the summer, the number of people showing up started to drop.

Austin, Texas resident DJ Chicken George stopped into Philadelphia this past Saturday to play alongside the Illvibe Collective crew at the Duplex party, which happens Saturday nights at the Arts Garage (1520 Parrish St.). Chicken George (who shares his name with a character from the movie Roots... and an 80s fast food chain) was in town promote his second vinyl release on Swedish Brandy records called Swed.u.s.h Connection Vol. 2. This four song compilation of music that fits into DJ Chicken George's own "jazztronica" dj style includes tracks by J. Boogie's Dubtronic Science, Adrian Quesada & Martin Perna (of Antibalas), Nick Nack, and Philly's own Illvibe Collective feat. Lady Alma. I decided to ask him a few questions about what he is up to.

DJ Nights 8-10-07

Here are a few options for your nights on the town this weekend:

I really think North Carolina's Little Brother has to be my favorite hiphop group right now. It's the fact that their songs aren't the same old bottle popping bling bling rap you hear everywhere these days. Anyone can relate to their music because it talks about everyman issues like paying bills, day jobs, and family life. Their first album "The Listening" was the one that did it for me. Not since I was buying music on cassette tape had there been an album that could be the background music to my everyday life. I swear... that cd would be in rotation every time I took a road trip for about two years straight. Since "The Listening", these guys have toured worldwide, released a second album called "The Minstral Show" on Atlantic Records, put out a bunch of mixtapes, and worked hard to give music lovers an alternative to radio rap.

At house parties back in the day, the dj would grab the mic at the height of the party and ask the crowd what's their zodiac sign. This was a clever way to get the crowd's attention with a really simple call and response technique. As the dj went down the list of astrological signs, the people in the crowd would scream as their sign was called. By the time he would finish, he would have total control of the crowd.

I'm a little overwelmed. There is way too much going down in Philly this Saturday (Expect a full list of my top choices tomorrow). I was really having a hard time deciding what to write about, so I decided to highlight two events with guest dj's who are rarely ever come to this town.

DJ Nights 8-17-07

Another week comes to an end and it's time to dance your cares away. Here are some best bets for places to hang out this weekend. There are a bunch of choices, so support as many events as you can!

Most Monday nights in Philly there usually isn't much happening. If you're lucky, maybe there is a bar with a nice little crowd to hang at or maybe the Balcony is playing something good for Movie Mondays. But every once in a while there something really big that is really worth the night out. Tonight is one of those nights!

I've had the guy all wrong. When I heard the name Doc Martin, usually start to think of "superstar djs" like Tietso, Paul Oakenfald, Sasha, and John Digweed. These are guys who graduated from the raves of the 90s to playing at mega-clubs, festivals, and sold out stadiums around the globe. These are the same guys who magazines give god-like status and call them things like "the greatest dj ever". That's cool and all, but I personally have had a problem with these guys, because as much praise as they get the music they play is usually pretty cheesy (well to me at least). I know my opinion doesn't mean much up against a stadium of screaming fans, but trace and hard house has never been my thing.

DJ Nights 8-24-07

With the dramatic change in weather this week, I found myself sick and sticking to a steady diet of Oscillococcinum (a homeopathic medicine that taste like Nerds candy) and Fisherman's Friend. Going out has been the last thing on my mind. Now that Friday is here and the city is starting to feel less like London, it may be time to cure some of this cabin fever.

Here is a list of some good places to check out over the weekend:

Tuesdays in Philly can be a lot like Mondays. There are not a lot of people out and most places are closed. If you are looking for a place to hear some good music and maybe get to do a little dancing, your choices are very slim. But one place that is a safe bet on Tuesdays is the Walnut Room(17th & Walnut St.), where you can find DJ Skeme Richards creating the perfect vibe.

Labor Day weekend is here and summer is just about done. Here are a few quick picks for the weekend.