DJ Dancehalls

[Drunk Monk]

Then at the dancehall, 2 local DJs said ‘hi’ and chatted me up, including Robert Rankin, who I’ve listened to for decades. We’ve hung out a little but I didn’t think he’d remember me. 

With all the bullshit going on right now, I’m grateful that I’m living in the time of amplified bass at least. 

Outernational
EMCH + Selecta 7
subatomic soundsystem
woodhouse brewery

The dancehall scene inna Cruz is bubblin. I’ve attended dancehalls in my hood for years, since before the pandemic but now feel the urge to document them here. Last night was the 2nd Outernational. It was total bashment. Reggae, dub, dubstep, jungle, Afrobeats and outdoors on a deliciously warm night. 

My usual accomplice is still ill so I went stag. Ran into a gaggle of friends, 4 DJs, a JNK member, and an old fellow das from Tara’s elementary school. He was dancing epileptically by himself and it took us some time to recognize each other. He’s now divorced and living in his car (he was always on the spectrum) still touring his brain experiments with some new age machine that he tried to market here like a decade ago. It was good to reconnect and he’s crazier than ever. 

it was a great night. DM must confess that he loves that bass, a dedicated bass worshipper, and it’s the more fun - the most irie - when there’s a swirl of reggae fans skanking and shuffling along. Dm was surrounded by a bevy of joyful queens slow grinding all night. Twas ultrasonic bashment.

Logged 5 miles yesterday and maybe a half mile of that was daily walking about so I’m calling it 4.5 miles of skankn. 

Such fun. Im going to all of these when I can but the next one is in the middle of Cali Roots, so I’ll skip that.

[Drunk Monk]

@ Shanty Shack
Thot this was a DJ show but Dozey Dubs just closed a nice little set (lots of Pink Floyd covers) and now another is staging. 
Got the oatmeal stout. It’s chewy. Satisfying.

[Drunk Monk]

Dub Souljah was ok. More Cali reggae which I’ve had my fill off this week. I enjoy it for what it is but it isnt my sound really. 
I treated myself to a deliciouso coctel de camaron from the taco truck. 

Im so stuffed. I ate too much today. Between this and the feasting at the vegfest, I need to digest more before crashing.

[Drunk Monk]

@Shanty Shack

Mi ol fren DJ Speece, then Ancestree. 

Had a golden saison (nothing darker available and the tender recommended it). It was ok but only 8 oz.

Spleece spun for an hour, classics, a simple set but satisfying. 

Befriended Randall & Nicole giving away supplements & herbs. I got 4 products: some liver restorative tincture, maitaki pills, another supplement, and some hippie deodorant - I know I know - that’s an oxymoron - it’s some kinda salve. Everything was sealed & new, the pills are from a common otc brand I’ve seen before: 

Some dude named Nate talked to me about sound systems.

Hardest thing about local reggae at breweries is that Rasta Cruz drinks but not nearly as much as other music genres. We have alternatives on board. Sometimes we’ll eat a lot but the food truck here has nothing for me but $7 mediocre looking fries…

Ancestree - man, I can’t even remember the last time I saw them. Ok sax player. Typical local reggae. Clusters of skanking queens. I spent most of my time catching up with Spleece. We missed each other at Cali Roots. He followed Buju to Vegas which he said was one of the best shows he’s ever seen. He’s got a new gig that takes him to Hawaii to spin for a club. He looked good, healthy, adjusting to his new bachelor lifestyle. It was good to reconnect - that’s been long overdue. 

Started at 6 and ended at &:30. Some chanter with knee level dreads Took over and he was awful, so I left. Spleece said he was a major grower, one of the peeps behind Lemon Tree, which was a popular strain a few years ago - they had some amusing logos and merch, which is why I remember. 

A very pleasant evening.

[Drunk Monk]

Outernational
DJ Selecta 7 with guest DJ Drez plus an earlier yoga class from Marti Nikko (which I did not attend because I didn’t care to drop $10 on Rasta yoga at a brewery) but she sang at the close, leading us all in ‘No woman no cry’ which was irie

Everything is gonna be alright.

Had their stout. It reminded me a lot of Guinness but that was fine. Talked to DJ Aye Que Linda - she’s promoting a new reggae artist, part of the Leslie Kong bloodline somehow, who just put out an album in Cantonese. She says she’ll send me tracks. 

Drez plays old school reggae and R&B to reggae riddems. He has that hat trick where he works into some pop vintage track into heavy dub step shaking everyone’s bottom, then pulls back with a classic fav like Marley. Works for me. 

I was trippin on this gal who looked like a former jnk friend but I don’t think it was her. We made eye contact and she turned away.

My ankle was good. I wrapped it well. My left knee jabbed at me a few times. And walking from the car to  our bungalow made my left hop complain. Well se how I feel in the morning. I have yoga - I think our instructor is back from Paris.

On the way out, DJ Robert Rankin pulled me aside to say he was at Cali Roots for Buju, took a hit that made him literally weak in the knees. A JAH med caught him, got him a chair and water, and hung out nearby until he felt better. He was so grateful. That was so sweet - gratifying - I wonder who it was.

It was DJ Tiffany’s birthday. I saw her come in but lost track of her and didn’t connect. We aren’t that close really. 

Anothe irie night at the Woodhouse. 7 will be their indoors for 4th of July (country line dancing outdoors) but I’ll be talking down my dog.