NY Press article on the outdoor dance music parties in NYC...

[RAS]

Includes the Jamboree, Boardwalk, Fort Greene and Von King. check out this link:

http://www.nypress.com/20/36/news&columns/feature4.cfm

interesting.:coffeetime:

[The Buddy Love Show]

FANTASTIC!


Its great to see positive press coverage

PROPS to all the parties and dj's who were mentioned ( and those behind the scenes as well)

[Jamie 3:26]

That's good shit there.Congrats to everyone and their hard work paying off.

[djmarbll]

Great article. I see you guys have been doing this for a minute Ras. Keep up the good work.

[JMJ]

:thumbsup:.....JMJ

[liL Ray]

FANTASTIC!


Its great to see positive press coverage

PROPS to all the parties and dj's who were mentioned ( and those behind the scenes as well)

and the writer was mad cool and from Chicago...I hope to meet him on sunday.

[Fletch]

Props, people!

[RAS]

and the writer was mad cool and from Chicago...I hope to meet him on sunday.


I'm surprised that his article got in that quickly!

[Myron]

It's nice to read the NY Press for something besides movie reviews (so I like Armond White so what) and Amy Goodman.

Myron

[RAS]

It's nice to read the NY Press for something besides movie reviews (so I like Armond White so what) and Amy Goodman.

Myron

lol

[DaveR]

Much :respent:

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

Hmm..So it was Cameron and Ruben who started the beach? :conf06::conf44:

[RAS]

Hmm..So it was Cameron and Ruben who started the beach? :conf06::conf44:


Derrick explained to me that they misquoted/re-edited him on a few things. I wasn't to crazy about the 'In "do-or Die" Bed-Stuy, the party has a rougher Urban experience.' He says that he did not mean for that to go in.

[RAS]

Feel the beat at Brooklyn's outdoor house parties
By Derrick S. Edwards

The screams from the Cyclone rollercoaster and gleeful “whees” of spinning children on the Tilt-a-Whirl and Coney Island’s other oscillating rides fill the air. But it’s no match for the steady, rhythmic pulse of bass, accompanied by sultry vocals. The beat draws me through the throng of people dancing on the boardwalk: Sun-glistened bodies—brown, yellow, tan and white—jut, wiggle, prance and strut in the afternoon sun. The sweet smell of fried funnel cakes and grilled corn mix with the bikini-clad women, and I find myself dancing next to an awestruck tourist from Iowa and a kid who was begging for cotton candy.

Though the carefree days of laying poolside at the beach are nearly at end, a group of DJs continue with their series of free, outdoor house music parties that attract thousands. The parties radiate a genuine tranquil and sanguine vibe that would remind me of some blessed-out hippie scene, except for the fiery mix of high energy, soulful house music that uses samples, festive vocals and dance tracks to create a wildly encompassing party mix.

It all started back in 1993, when DJs Lil’ Ray and Curtis “Dirty Curt” Minter “wanted to bring the club scene from the indoor to the outdoor” and threw the first Clubhouse Jamboree in Prospect Park. The party quickly grew in size and eventually inspired other similarly themed parties. The scene exploded in 2002 when the Soul Summit DJs—Saadiq Bellamy, Jeffrey Mendoza and DJ Tabu (with help from DJ Ras)—decided to put together a party in Brooklyn’s Cumberland Park.
Using their combined years of expertise as club DJs, the group wanted to help establish a collective experience that people of many ages and backgrounds could enjoy. It managed to become popular so quickly that it even took the organizers by surprise.

“Who would’ve thought that by the second event date we would’ve outgrew it,” DJ Saadiq says proudly. “The park was too small. Hundreds, thousands of people showed up by the second event.”

The party then moved to a larger locale in Ft. Green Park. Three years ago Cameron da DJ and DJ Ruben Toros started a similar party on the Coney Island Boardwalk and DJ Ras and DJ Gene Allen did the same thing in Von King Park last year. As the size of the gatherings expanded, so has the range of people—from the soulful African-American house music crowd to encompass anyone looking for a place to dance without inhibitions.

Each party scene reflects the best aspects of the culture and environment of their respective neighborhoods. The Fort Greene Park party draws nearly 2,000 people by nightfall, mixing family, fun and good-natured zaniness. One moment, I see an 8-month-old baby in a pouch strapped to her mother like some strange sort of dancing marsupial duo. A 60-year-old lady keeps two-steps with the music and enjoys the party scene as a crowd circles the top dancers as they square off in dueling dance-offs, ranging from Brazilian capoeira to classic break dancing.

In “Do-or Die” Bed-Stuy, the party has a rougher urban experience. The sound of house music from an old-school sound system battles with the family reunion fish fry. I pass African stilt walkers and their drummers on the way to the party. After finishing a game of pickup basketball, a few guys meander by the party and nod their heads to the music, sit chill and vibe. The scent of Egyptian musk incense burns nearby to ward off insects. Little girls jump double dutch to the music’s beat, while other kids leave their swing set to marvel at the complex handstands, spins and splits the freestylers pull off. Before long, the rowdy kids jump on the amphitheater’s stage and dance right alongside these same people, shaking their booties to the beat.

The parties continue every Saturday through September 29 in Von King Park and the Coney Island boardwalk (2-10 p.m.). The 14th annual Clubhouse Jamboree takes place at the Music Pagoda at Prospect Park, Sunday, Sept. 9 (noon-6 p.m.). For more information, visit www.visitbrooklyn.org or www.soulsummitmusic.com.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

Derrick explained to me that they misquoted/re-edited him on a few things. I wasn't to crazy about the 'In "do-or Die" Bed-Stuy, the party has a rougher Urban experience.' He says that he did not mean for that to go in.

Come on. You know where I was going with that and it ain't no misquote :rofl5:

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

By the way. When were the Grant's Tomb parties? Tabu & Pernell were doing that before anything else they did, I believe.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

For the official record. Pernell Morrison started the Coney Island parties over 10 years ago. The first ones being one the sand actually. The boardwalk parties began in 1997. I was with them from then thru the summer of 1998. These parties were hugely successful.

Here is a clip from 1998.. DJ Paradise on the mic. TOT on tt's...http://www.deephousepage.com/media/richard2.ram

[Duron Tarik]

FANTASTIC!


Its great to see positive press coverage

PROPS to all the parties and dj's who were mentioned ( and those behind the scenes as well)

big ups

[RAS]

Here's Derek's email to me earlier:
My thoughts. They left Parnell aka Black Underground out for the original Coney Island party. I put that info in on 2 separate drafts. For space purposes I can tell they gave Lil' Ray credit and said others came behind with similiar themed parties. Parnell would fit under that without specifically naming him. Later in 2002 when the scene picked up more they talked about Soul Summit and gave Cameron and Ruben Torres credit for re-starting that party in 2004. I don't agree with that editorial decision by I understand why they did it. It seems they stuck with the names that are still doing events. With them wanting a 1st person narrative to describe the scene it fit their profile. Again I don't agree but that is what editors due.


The next thing that really bothered me is the story on you guys. Its very subtle too. The "Do or Die" I put in an earlier draft and dropped it. I wanted to talk about Bed-Stuy as just another neighborhood. I can live with Do or die I don't like the rougher urban experience. Nothing I personally experienced gave me a "rough" experience that day. The neighborhhood has a gritty surrounding but the Park is beautiful. They were no "rowdy" kids. They were very well behaved. No more or less rowdy than Ft. Greene or Coney Island. I actually commented on that in my last e-mail with my final draft. I didn't like the connotations of that. Its funny how black areas are rougher and the kids rowdy. Yet everything else was very tranquil that I wrote on the scene. Most folks won't catch that but I know you and I will.
They also left out the party name hotter than July. I gave cross streets for the park, they left that out. Also I had hotterthanjulybk@yahoo.com for more info they left that out too. When I gave soul summit's site I put they're season is over for next year's party visit the site. They probably cut that down for space purposes too.

All in all I hope the story conveyed the good natured fun and great vibe that all of your parties exude. I commend all of your efforts on this and will be attending more parties.

[Duron Tarik]

Welcome to the wonderful world of "PRESS" fellas, you will never get it 100% accurate, But u can use it to grow & learn.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

Here's Derek's email to me earlier:
My thoughts. They left Parnell aka Black Underground out for the original Coney Island party. I put that info in on 2 separate drafts. For space purposes I can tell they gave Lil' Ray credit and said others came behind with similiar themed parties. Parnell would fit under that without specifically naming him. Later in 2002 when the scene picked up more they talked about Soul Summit and gave Cameron and Ruben Torres credit for re-starting that party in 2004. I don't agree with that editorial decision by I understand why they did it. It seems they stuck with the names that are still doing events. With them wanting a 1st person narrative to describe the scene it fit their profile. Again I don't agree but that is what editors due.


The next thing that really bothered me is the story on you guys. Its very subtle too. The "Do or Die" I put in an earlier draft and dropped it. I wanted to talk about Bed-Stuy as just another neighborhood. I can live with Do or die I don't like the rougher urban experience. Nothing I personally experienced gave me a "rough" experience that day. The neighborhhood has a gritty surrounding but the Park is beautiful. They were no "rowdy" kids. They were very well behaved. No more or less rowdy than Ft. Greene or Coney Island. I actually commented on that in my last e-mail with my final draft. I didn't like the connotations of that. Its funny how black areas are rougher and the kids rowdy. Yet everything else was very tranquil that I wrote on the scene. Most folks won't catch that but I know you and I will.
They also left out the party name hotter than July. I gave cross streets for the park, they left that out. Also I had hotterthanjulybk@yahoo.com for more info they left that out too. When I gave soul summit's site I put they're season is over for next year's party visit the site. They probably cut that down for space purposes too.

All in all I hope the story conveyed the good natured fun and great vibe that all of your parties exude. I commend all of your efforts on this and will be attending more parties.


And that's how history gets skewed. I mean how can you leave out the guy who opened the door for everyone else who is doing CI parties now. Beacuse of space? Cameron doesn't play out there now either.

[RAS]

Welcome to the wonderful world of "PRESS" fellas, you will never get it 100% accurate, But u can use it to grow & learn.


True, bruh, very true. I know that I was a little annoyed a few years ago with an article in NRG concerning my involvement with Soul Summit. I was also annoyed with a misquote in the New York Metro about me on the Boston Redsox.

[RAS]

Cameron doesn't play out there now either.

I reaaallly scratched my head on that one.:conf06:
No offense, Cameron.

[liL Ray]

Hmm..So it was Cameron and Ruben who started the beach? :conf06::conf44:
hahahahaha...

I told him about Black Colony and Pernell...I told him alot of things that didn't get in there, but, it's a positive article, but it seems like he had a very limited amount of space....

[Free Russell]

Good to see though inexusably incorrect & incomplete, leaving out the godfather central park celebrating 30 years outdoors thanks to Leroy, Wayne and others.

[Duron Tarik]

there goes the trying to get Press for your event.

NEXT!!!

[liL Ray]

I am ok with the article....

[RAS]

FANTASTIC!


Its great to see positive press coverage

PROPS to all the parties and dj's who were mentioned ( and those behind the scenes as well)


Fo' sho'. Thanks.

[BrazenMuse]

Most excellent indeed!!!


despite the kinda sketchy editorial decisions...

[RAS]

Most excellent indeed!!!


despite the kinda sketchy editorial decisions...


Hey, it's a start...

[Beattyful]

great article!!!! great work, ya'll.

hopefully, this article will help put to rest the threads "is house really dead?" :)

how did ya'll hook up with the writer? is he a journalist or freelancer that is part of the scene?

[liL Ray]

how did ya'll hook up with the writer? is he a journalist or freelancer that is part of the scene?
well, I got an email from the writer and Ras also sent me a PM that the writer was looking for me....I think he came across the music in his travels and just decided he wanted to investigate and write about it...yes, actually journalism at it's best.

I think he did a great job...even with the one or two inaccuracies....I spent about one hour on the phone with him and got one line in the article, and I was happy with the overall reporting.