Tonight, May 1, celebrate James Brown’s 80th birthday at Tropicalia DC with the rare gift of an all-vinyl evening. DC DJ Underdog joins Damu the Fudgemonk and Sam “The Man” Burns at what’s been dubbed “The Big Playback.”
For the audiophile, this tribute will likely be a time capsule to the days of analog. In the 1960s, the golden age of vinyl took off with that mad trend we know as Beatlemania. Riding that same wave of through-the-roof vinyl sales, Brown’s Live at the Apollo album became a surprise hit. This validated the funk-tastic man from Barnwell, South Carolina as Soul Brother Number One.
This evening, the spirit of the emotive, foot-shuffling impresario sounds off through Underdog, Damu, and Sam “The Man”; all are tried and true fans of the late Godfather of Soul.
There is an ear-pleasing sense of poetry that belongs to Underdog. The DJ is known to sample the most unlikely everyday noises and make something symphonic of it. A likely student of James Brown’s pre-hip-hop declamation, Underdog come off as musical griot well-versed in funk.
For the last three decades, Sam “The Man” Burns has injected house music into DC nightlife. A favorite at the 18th Street Lounge, Burns weaves rhythmic layers of James Brown that will make you “go crazy.”
Damu the Fudgemonk is known for much in the local music scene, including being a founding member of Y Society. Damu infuses elements of ’90s-era true-school hip-hop into DJ sets and productions. Apparently, Damu cultivated a strong fan base via YouTube. This amazing library of the DJ’s works is an endless promotion of his energetic sampling style, along with a cool-calm-and-collected demeanor. Damu is also the co-founder and operator of Redefinition Records.
James Brown died on Christmas Day in 2006. He pretty much performed till the day he expired. Though we know so much about commercialized James Brown, it seems natural to look at how he came to be, retrospectively. As we celebrate the 80-year anniversary of his birth, Underdog, Damu, and Sam “The Man” will host one of the first major parties in town paying tribute to the ultimate “Sex Machine.”
Doors 9PM | $5 All Night | Drummers welcome
