INTERVIEWS/PROFILES
Welcome to the DJ Booth with DC This Week
Going Deep with DURKL
“The Young and the Guestlist 2009: Change in Style (photo feature)”, Washington Life, 3/11/2009
“Vinyl: The Final Track; Does Digital Music Mean the End for Old-School Albums?” ABC Nightline, 3/4/2009
“Expectations Run High for ‘09,” Washington Post Weekend Section, Nightlife Special by Fritz Hahn, 1/23/2009
Promoter Robbi’s Top 20 House DJs of 2008, BounceFM.com, 1/9/2009
“BEATS WORKING: Local DJs on why D.C.’s dance scene flourished in 2008,” Washington City Paper Cover Story, by Cole Goins, 12/22/2008
“Nightlife Agenda Best Bets of 2008: Ongoing DJ Nights (Disco City),” Washington Post, 10/27/2008
“Tale of Two Cities: Washington’s Inability to Sustain DIY Culture Highlights Baltimore’s Greatest Strength,” Baltimore City Paper (Big Music Issue), July 16, 2008, by Raven Baker
“Deepest House DJ: Chris Burns at Rock N Roll Hotel,” Washington City Paper Best of 2008 issue, by Aaron Leitko
“Dance Dance Evolution: Disco Never Died; It Just Went Back Underground. Now, a New Generation of Music Lovers Embraces the Beat.” Washington Post Sunday Source, by Dan Zak, /12/16/2007
“Selam is Getting into the Groove, ”Washington Post Weekend Section, by Fritz Hahn 5/11/2007
“Cricket Beat: Local DJ picks up disco fever on the subcontinent,” Washington City Paper, by Matthew Borlik, 10/13/2006
EVENT WRITE-UPS
Washington Post, “Nightlife: Hitting the Clubs Midweek,” Friday, September 18th, 2009
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda July 28th, 2009
For the past year, Chris Burns’ string of events at the Trinidad & Tobago Association have lined up house music’s biggest names to beat the block with tunes until the wee hours. It’s fitting that for the last party before the series takes a break, T&T will host Afterhours featuring Quentin Harris (listen), a product of New York’s Shelter who has a hot hand for remixes. He’s also the producer responsible for some of the biggest anthems of the past seven years; his 11-minute rework of Donnie’s “Cloud 9″ remains epic. Burns and Harris helm the main room, while Will Eastman, Nacey, Harry Hotter and James Nasty join forces to bump the basement.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda July 18th, 2009
After beating a crater into the Trinidad & Tobago club house with a string of huge underground dance parties — literally, dancers have broken the tiles on the floor — Chris Burns is wrapping it up for the summer. Tonight he brings yet another guest of world renown that will likely have you greeting the Georgia Avenue sun on Sunday morning drenched in sweat. Ron Trent (listen) knows what many of the heralded vets know — that D.C. dancers give great vibe and energy — so he keeps coming back. Whether it’s deep afro-house, soulful techno or Chicago style disco classics, Trent works records in ways that make you hear them again for the first time.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda May 13th, 2009
Partyhouse at Eyebar is exactly what it promises: DJ Chris Burns spins house, disco and uptempo grooves that will have patrons at the downtown lounge fighting for a chance to dance on the leather couches, while Jesse Bishop of local band Exactly plays MC, adding vocoder, synths and other “embellishments” over the beats. Fritz went to the last one, and it was pretty nuts. Check it out for yourself tonight for free — just RSVP.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda March 7, 2009
The Hometown Heroes welcomes guests from Our Neighbor to the North this month, as DJs Pope and Oji headline the late-night throwdown at the Trinidad and Tobago Association Clubhouse on Georgia Avenue. The duo — know to their moms at Oji Morris and Brian Pope — really are heroes to Baltimore’s deep and soulful house scenes, and have been since the early ’90s. They hosted a weekly dance music show on Morgan State’s WEAA for more than a decade, they run the Poji record label, which features some of the city’s top talents, and they’ve DJed countless parties throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. They’re joined in the main room by fellow Charm City veteran Lovegrove, who runs the late-night Sonic Soul parties at 1722 and other venues. Downstairs, there’s a heavy change of pace, as Version Sound and King Selassie I provide dub and dancehall pressure. The 18-and-over party is one of the longest in D.C.; it runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Admission is $10 before 1 a.m. and $15 after.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Valentines Day 2009
If, like one of us, you celebrated a birthday over inauguration weekend, your special day probably got swept aside in a tidal wave of Obama parties, black-tie affairs and late-night drinking. But fear not: Adrian Loving feels your pain. His birthday was January 18, and so he understands if you didn’t get the spotlight you deserved. Get noticed tonight at the Belated Capricorn Birthday Bash at Lounge 201. DJ Chris Burns will join Loving on the decks for house, Afrobeat, Brazilian tunes, disco and “Valentine’s Day classics.” There’s no cover, and drink specials will be available all night.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Feb. 7 2009
Ever since the days when modern dance music emerged from early marriages of disco, new wave and jazz fusion, Timmy Regisford (listen) has had a steady guiding hand on its evolution. The “soulful” sound that marries jazzy song structure and Afro-Latin rhythms to the house pulse is one of many developments bearing Regisford’s influence. And the biggest brand associated with Regisford is New York’s Shelter nightclub, where marathon sets start in the evening and carry over to the next afternoon, fueled by an awe-inspiring sound system. For 18 years, the Shelter has been a pilgrimage site for serious devotees to immerse themselves in a night with “The Maestro.” Outside of anniversary parties in Miami for Winter Music Conference, the Shelter experience is generally limited to New York, so tonight’s special appearance by Regisford at the Trinidad and Tobago Association will be a milestone night in D.C. Chris Burns and the Everybody Loves Music crew are going big, following on the success of the Hometown Heroes series, and they also aim to bring different scenes together. The rare vinyl and deep funk Fatback crew will be holding down the basement.
Washington City Paper Black Plastic Bag, February 6 2009
Then make sure your legs are ready for Saturday night when veteran house DJ Timothy Regisford, from New York’s legendary The Shelter joins Chris Burns at the Trinidad & Tobago Association for a late-night dance till you drop event. Regisford will reportedly be spinning five hours worth of his favorites—so expect gospel-rooted vocals, pounding disco beats, and lots of jazzy and Latin accents.
Washington Post Going Out Gurus Inauguration Weekend Guide January 16-20, 2008
Friday 1/16/09
Last month at the 9:30 club, Nadastrom (listen) had the misfortune of being sandwiched between Blaqstarr, the Diplo-anointed master of Baltimore Club, and Tittsworth, D.C.’s own globetrotting, remixing party DJ. And you know what Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom did? They wrecked the place. Juggling on four turntables, they blended electro beats, Soul II Soul vocal snatches, rave-worthy drum buildups and banging keyboards, all punctuated by air-horn blasts. The packed crowd loved — and danced to — every minute. The duo is headlining the latest edition of Hometown Heroes at the Trinidad and Tobago Association tonight, along with Chicago-born Terry Thompson (of the UK’s hot Code Red label), who will be dropping deep underground house. Tickets are $10 and the party goes late.
Saturday 1/17/09
Like our own Sam Burns and Mandrill, Danny Krivit has been spinning records longer than most DJs in this area have been alive. And all of us who have ever searched for a perfect disco break or blended a four-to-the-floor beat on two decks have a connection to his work. Venerable names from New York’s club scene like the Roxy, Danceteria and Studio 54 have a Danny Krivit imprint in their historical records. And since 1996, Krivit has been a part of the Body & Soul team who brought soulful dance music to a new generation of fans. For Shift tonight at the Loft, Krivit teams up with Ron Trent (listen), a titan of Chicago’s house and techno scenes. Local stars Chris Burns and Double o7 will also be running with the big boys tonight. Admission is $15 before midnight and $20 after.
Monday 1/19
We’re adopting the title of the Second Second City this week, with all the Chicago artists coming to D.C. to celebrate the election of the junior senator from Illinois. Dance fans know that Chicago is the city that gave us house music, and tonight’s Househeads for Obama at Bourbon takes it back to where it all began: DJs Wayne Williams and Alan King of the Chosen Few, who were spinning disco and what became house at clubs like the Loft back in the late ’70s and early ’80s. These two are known for spinning before thousands at outdoor shows in the Windy City, so to see them go back to back in the intimate confines of Bourbon — and for just $10 — is too good to pass up. Doors open at 9 and the music goes “until.”
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of October 24, 2008
We like to think of Baltimore’s DJ Spen (listen) as a guy who’s been on the grind since the early ’90s, becoming a major player in the house scene as a part of the Basement Boys with Teddy Douglas, lending his sweet, soulful sound to remixes of Diana Ross, Everything But the Girl and dozens of other artists, putting out his mix CDs on labels like the hot underground imprint Defected, and touring the world for some of the biggest house clubs from England to Australia. And then we also feel compelled to mention that his early career included being in a hip-hop group called Numarx, which penned a dance tuned called “Girl You Know It’s True,” which another group eventually took to the top of the charts. We wouldn’t request that one tonight at the Trinidad and Tobago Association, where the latest installment of Hometown Heroes features Spen, the All Good Funk Alliance, Joe L. and Dimitri Max of the local Everybody Loves Music collective, DJ Stereofaith, and host Chris Burns of Disco City over two floors — basically more house, disco, funk and electro than you’ll know what to do with. The $10 cover gets you in all night, with free mix CDs for those who ask.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of October 7, 2008
So as Eyebar gets into gear, there’s another “Grand Reopening” tonight dubbed Party House with Chris Burns of Disco City and other assorted house nights and co-host “Female Shaq.” There’s no open bar, but since it’s a Friday night party instead of Wednesday, we figure this is when people are really going to want to check out a new venue. Get on the guest list by e-mailing info@eyebardc.com.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of August 15th, 2008
Beyond the stereotypical bell bottoms, afros and roller skates that are the talismans of cheesy disco nostalgia lovers, there’s a whole bigger world of records that rocked dance floors in the ’70s. These are not the songs that you’ll find on any standard compilation nor would they have been played at Polly Esther’s. They haven’t been recycled ad nauseum in television ads or featured in a flashback episode of a sitcom. These are the dollar-bin jewels that get passed over because the names aren’t familiar. These are the plates DJ Chris Burns uses to arm his crates. Get some obscure boogie-inducing trippiness with Burns and Ed Dudes tonight at Saint-Ex for This Ain’t No Disco.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of August 15th 2008
Rhome and Fritz are still missing Red, the old south-of-Dupont dance club with a come-as-you-are attitude, great vibes and two of the city’s finest soulful house DJs, Sam “The Man” Burns and Doug “95 North” Smith. When one of them was on the decks, the atmosphere in the candlelit room changed: everyone relaxed, everyone got funky and you never knew what kind of journey you’d be taken on. No wonder the regulars compared it to “going to church.” Since Red closed, to be replaced by Fly, it’s been hard to find a venue that could recapture the old Red spirit, a place for laidback, friendly folks who didn’t want to deal with dress codes or bottle service. Well, Chris Burns and the Everybody Loves Music promoters think they’ve found the perfect spot — the Trinidad and Tobago Association Hall in Petworth, ordinarily used for reggae and soca nights — and they’re kicking off a series of events with the appropriately titled Hometown Heroes. Sam the Man and 95 North are in the DJ booth for the night, ably supported by Rusty B of the All Good Funk Alliance and Chris Burns of Disco City, so expect to start dancing at 10 p.m. and go until, well, your legs fall off. The cover charge for this 18-and-over is $10, and it includes free Flying Dog beer until midnight.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of June 17th, 2008
Unless you’re a New York electro aficionado, the name Pat Mahoney atop a flyer probably doesn’t mean much to you. But Mahoney is the man charged with laying down funky beats for LCD Soundsystem, and he just compiled a mix CD for the much-vaunted Fabric DJ series with LCD vocalist James Murphy. Mahoney brings his mix of disco, funk, disco funk, rare grooves and electro to the 9:30 club tonight, where he’s joined by Will Eastman (Bliss), Chris Burns (Disco City) and local pop-rock band the Dance Party (listen). Drink a few Red Bulls before you go out: The party goes until 3:30 a.m.
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of March 9, 2007
Friday, March 9: It’s tough for new underground DJs and promoters to scratch out some space to grow in this town, since Washington has far more talented DJs than there are places for them to play. So when something does open up, the average party seeker benefits because a lot of folks rush in to get their events off the ground. Selam is turning into a hotbed of non-mainstream dance parties and the Keep It Deep crew [Chris Burns and friends] is bringing out heavy artillery to prime their new disco and soulful house every week. Sam Burns will be the guest tonight, summoning the faithful with a combination of the newest inspirational house plates and classics that keep old heads beaming with nostalgia.
- Fritz Hahn, Rhome Anderson and David Malitz
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of May 31, 2007
Friday, March 2 Disco City ’s premier at the Rock and Roll Hotel last month was a crowded, sweaty affair, so we’re more than happy to send everyone back again for more of the same. DJ Chris Burns rocked the second floor lounge with a mix of Paradise Garage-style grooves, liquid funk and disco — plenty of Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries and Larry Levan remixes for everyone. The bass will have your head nodding and your butt on the dance floor in no time. Disco City’s free and starts at 10; get there early if you want a seat or a place to stash ya coat.
-Fritz Hahn and David Mallitz
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of May 11 2007
Friday, May 11: “Party Bros” sounds like a bad “Saturday Night Live” sketch or the latest sex-and-gross-out film from the National Lampoon franchise, but it’s a new collaborative DJ night from two guys we’ve written about in this column in the past. Chris Burns spins soulful disco, smooth funk and deep house at the Rock and Roll Hotel and Metropolitain, he recently appeared at Daylight and he’s on the schedule for Mirrors’s back-in-the-day Rebirth party. Gavin Holland, meanwhile, primarily spins electro at DC9’s Nouveau Riche and on his XM radio show. They’re bringing their disparate record collections together for a new monthly collaboration at Selam, which Burns says will be nothing like their nights: “Lots of loud rock, Southern hip-hop bangers, probably a disco set somewhere in there. Not going to put a whole lot of emphasis on the DJing, more on partying.” It starts at 10, and as always, there’s never a cover charge.
- Fritz Hahn, Rhome Anderson and David Malitz
Washington Post Nightlife Agenda Pick, Weekend of May 31, 2007
“At Chris Burns’ monthly Disco City parties, he generally sticks to the proto-house stylings of the Paradise Garage and Chicago pioneers like Mr. Fingers to fill the dance floor. For tonight’s debut of Discotique at Metropolitain, though, Burns and Will Eastman (of the Black Cat’s Bliss night) are expanding their definition of disco to include popular bands (ABBA, Shalamar) and relatively new blood like Sophie Ellis-Bextor (of “Murder on the Dancefloor” fame) and even Daft Punk. There’s no cover, and you can warm up for dancing with some of the lounge’s fantastic champagne cocktails.”
-Fritz Hahn, Rhome Anderson, David Malitz.