This Friday, August 2, U Street Music Hall hosts a stage of some of the finest DJs in town at Merriweather Post Pavilion’s Mad Decent Block Party. Be sure to stop by the U Hall BBQ Stage at the 9:32 Bar for local Moombahton, Trap, Bass and, of course, delicious BBQ! Lineup includes BILLY THE GENT of Gent & Jawns, NACEY of Misun, STEVE STARKS, OBEYAH, HYX & HOUSTON, RANSOM, WEII, LEMZ, REZ, NATURE RAGE and JON KWEST. Get to know the artists and check out a few of their mini-mixes below!
NACEY (Misun)Â
https://soundcloud.com/
Baltimore native Nacey began writing and producing music as a teenager, eventually relocating to Washington, DC where he co-founded Nouveau Riche – one of the longest running and most successful dance nights in the nation’s capital. In 2008, the party was awarded Best Dance Night in the Washington City Paper’s ‘Best of DC’ issue. In 2010, he signed with Tittsworth and DJ Ayres’ label T&A Records. Having produced club music for over a decade, Nacey has been described by The Washington Post as “one of the District’s more prolific DJs.” Performing annually at WMC, SXSW and CMJ showcases and holding a residency at the legendary U Street Music Hall, Nacey has shared stages with Digitalism, Matt & Kim, Sinden, Araabmuzik, DJ Craze and Blaqstarr to name a few.
Nacey is constantly evolving as a producer but remains a natural when expressing himself as a DJ. From studying classical piano as a child, to playing guitar in numerous bands as a teen, Nacey’s musical palette is diverse to say the least. His influences range from Skip James to Style of Eye to Mazzy Star to Three 6 Mafia.
OBEYAH
https://soundcloud.com/
With DJ residencies in Panama, Boston and DC as well as debuting some of the newest club nights in Atlanta, Obeyah has been roaring through dance floors with highly diverse shows leaving speakers buzzing and crowds chanting for more. Whether it’s playing well-received sets at Moombahton Massive or being featured in the Advent tent at ID Fest, Obeyah has gained a reputation for breaking new tracks to packed dance floors, leaving people cheering for more. As a producer, Obeyah’s work has been featured on MTV Iggy, Mad Decent, Mixmag, Turntablelab & Mixpak, also making appearances on mixtapes by Brodinski and Nadastrom, as well as Diplo’s DJ sets on BBC Radio1. His tracks and remixes have been released through Sabo’s Moombahton Massive EPs, Rot10 Musik, Top Billin with additional support from RL Grime, Tittsworth, Jillionaire, GTA, Torro Torro, ETC!ETC! and many others.
HYX & HOU5TON (Sex Cult/Ultra Records)
https://soundcloud.com/
HYX & H0U5T0N are Washington, DC’s original bass cadets, specializing in Dubstep, Drumstep and DnB. Previously known for their work with DC’s Telemetrik (Alvin Risk) and, with releases on Black Sun Empire Recordings, Rob Hicks and Christopher Houston decided to collaborate as HYX & H0U5T0N. In 2010 H&H gained interest with over 1,000 downloads after the first week of uploading their remix of Designer Drugs’ “Drop Down.” H&H followed up with a remix for Designer Drugs’ label Sex Cult. The artists’ Digital Drugs remix for Sex Cult artist PLS DNT STP received a chart topping debut on Beatport . H&H went on to complete their second remix for PLS DNT STP on Trillbass recordings, followed by a remix for Trillbass’s Dirty South. Along with the Brazilian band CSS, H&H’s Drumstep remix will be featured on Designer Drugs’ forthcoming single “Crazy For You” on Ministry of Sound and is currently featured on H&H’s 5th studio mix, entitled A Lavish Array of Sound and Color. The duo’s next release is forthcoming on Britain’s LU10 records which has gained attention for releases by Calvetron, Figure and B. Rich. Currently, H&H are working on new material for Sex Cult Recordings including original Dubstep and remixes. With creative backgrounds in sound and interactive design, H&H’s themed studio mixes and promotional materials have always been favorites among their fans. H&H is currently receiving support from Alvin Risk, Designer Drugs, Codes, 12th Planet, Figure, Tittsworth, Mayhem, Terravita and PLS DNT STP, and the pair continues to tour and play alongside some of the biggest names in electronic music today.
RANSOMÂ
https://soundcloud.com/
Washington, DC based producer Harry Ransom stumbled upon Goldie’s “Timeless” album and the ‘Counterforce” DJ mix compilation in the summer of 1995, discovering the sound of drum’n’bass, developing a rabid appetite for new underground electronic music. By winter of 1995, he began attending various club nights and raves in DC and Baltimore, and making weekly vinyl shopping trips, picking up DJing as a hobby. By 1998, Ransom had a weekly college radio show, as well as consistent bookings at clubs and events in Washington, DC and Baltimore, branching out to national events in 1999.
In 2001, Ransom began working on music production, working on drum’n’bass as a solo artist, as well as collaborating with other local producers, including Matt Nordstrom (of Nadastrom), Rob F & Impulse (of Sinthetix), and Alvin Risk (then of Corrupt Souls, later as Telemetrik).
In the early ’00s Harry Ransom played throughout the U.S., from San Franscisco and Los Angeles, to Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. As of late, his focus is more on production, although he plays the occasional DJ gig for U Street Music Hall, or at their sister venue, 930 Club’s Backbar. Since U Hall’s opening in 2011, Harry has opened and/or closed (yes, double duty some nights, showing his versatility in the DJ booth) for headliners such as: Amon Tobin, Four Tet, Falty DL, Bok Bok, Sinden, Switch, Jacques Greene, Designer Drugs and S.P.Y. Harry has also played events for promoters such as Eighty Eight Music, Steez Promotions, 3D, and more.
Currently he works under the names Harry Ransom and R4NS0M, depending on the style of music produced.
LEMZ
https://soundcloud.com/
As a producer, Lemz slides between a myriad of genres with a grace enviable by many. His original productions pull from Electro, Progressive House, Baltimore Club, Techno, Industrial, Minimal, Deep House, and straight up pop music – sometimes all on a single tune. At the tender age of 13, when most of us were preoccupied about sitting at the “cool table†in the cafeteria, Lemz was teaching himself to DJ. The California native was playing shows he couldn’t even attend as a mere audience member. Lemz was playing in clubs when you were still in your backyard clubhouses.
NATURE RAGE
https://soundcloud.com/
JON KWEST
https://soundcloud.com/
BILLY THE GENT (Gent & Jawns)
https://soundcloud.com/
WEII
https://soundcloud.com/
STEVE STARKSÂ
https://soundcloud.com/
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/7924885″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]