Gang of Four. Joy Division. Wire. The Fall. These are all legendary names in the pantheon of post-punk that readers of The Vinyl District blog are hopefully well familiar with by now. But as many of us serious crate-diggers know, those artists are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding this vastly expansive era and the like-minded eras that followed.
The monthly post-punk dj party “We Fought the Big One” was established so DC music fans could have an evening where this extraordinary music is remembered and celebrated. But as much as we champion the widely recognized legends of post-punk, we revel equally if not more so in drawing attention to those brilliant artists that never got the recognition they deserved. Ever hear of The Mo-dettes? How about 48 Chairs? The Homosexuals? Each of those artists recorded material arguably as brilliant as the aforementioned, more recognizable names.)
It’s thanks to crate-digging and great blogs like The Vinyl District that music fans can be exposed to such wonderful, unearthed gems. And really, discovering such songs and being able to share them makes djing even more fun and fulfilling.
When you get a bunch of die-hard record collector geeks together and they start taking turns playing records, it more often than not turns into a game of one-ups-manship. But not only do I not mind when this happens, I love it. I might be a tad biased here, but I believe it’s really the best kind of one-ups-manship—the kind where not just one person wins, but everybody does.
Earlier this year, The Vinyl District’s own Jon Meyers was guest dj at “We Fought the Big One,” and his sets were simply incredible. Track after track, he played songs that I either didn’t know or hadn’t heard in a long time. In some cases, he played songs from bands I knew, but the song altered my perception/opinion of the artist in question. It was pretty revelatory and I know the crowd enjoyed his sets too.
Jon’s djing put even more pressure on myself and Brandon to match or try and better the standard he set. Easier said than done. But I have to say, we definitely fed off each other’s picks, which raised the bar for everyone involved. And ultimately, it’s the denizens of the Marx Cafe that won out—they got to hear the end result of us putting our best picks forward. Like I said, everybody wins.
I am especially excited about the Friday, May 7 “We Fought the Big One.” With two notable post-punk parties in DC, it was only a matter of time before the djs got together to square off. Velodrome djs Scott Bauer and Ed Dudes have incredible music collections and are two of the most genuine and nicest music guys in the city. It’ll be great to feel that pressure of having to equal their selections. So with that said, let the Belgian-beer fueled showdown begin! Hope you can join us!
—Rick Taylor
