…DJ C + Ripley + Kid Kameleon - Surya Dub in San Francisco - May 24, 2008…
DJ C performed an incredible set - full of treats and surprises - at Surya Dub, San Francisco’s BEST dubstep event. The monthly party, held at Club 6 in SF, is hosted by 2 of DJ C’s long-time pals (almost as far back as his Toneburst days in Boston!) - Ripley and Kid Kameleon. Most of the night, I was too busy dancing to remember my duties as a reporter. The string of Top Rankin Selectahs kept the energy high with a mix of dubstep, ragga, jungle and other bass-loaded sounds.
From Dubstep To Techstep To Steppers Dub - And Everything In Between!
Kid Kameleon and Ripley both played wicked sets that night (as they’ve done every time I’ve seen them). Ripley helped us limber up with tunes that sank deep into my muscles. Kid K got us bouncin on our toes (which I presume was his intention, judging from the shirt he was wearing). He wrapped up his set with one of DJ C and Zulu’s brand new tunes - from their Gods & Robots EP which had just dropped that week. I thought DJ C would play more of the same when he stepped up next, but instead, he played chune after BIG BIG chune juggling classic dancehall hits, roots riddims, steppers dub and all kinds of delicious sounds weaving it together! Each tune lifted my soul and my feet; many selections I hadn’t heard on a big sound in a long time, so I was pretty psyched. He bumped Beenie Man and Buju tunes at just the right moment, then slid Dawn Penn’s No No No in like an assassin. He played his classic Billie Jean refix then shortly after, he wound down the night with a tune I thought was going to be Tanya Stephens’ “Can’t Breathe”. But - instead of plunging into Matt Shadetek’s evil dubstep version, it became a heavy steppers dub, the likes of Jah Shaka or similar. What WAS that?! I should have asked DJ C when I had the chance coz it’s been haunting me since!!! The bass guitar had some serious pressure but the tune had me walking on air the whole way home… Drop me a line in the comments if you have any ideas or know of any tunes that sound like this (even if it’s not the tune I’m referring to, I’d still love to hear it).
Snapped a few pictures while catching my breath in between sets:
Click on photo to start the slideshow:
A Concrete Jungle Bunker Reinforced With Sonic Artillery That Felt Like Home
Club 6’s finest feature is its subterranean BASSment. Like a concrete bunker whose walls are reinforced with subwoofers pointed inward; speaker stacks in every direction (including UP) ensures a multitude of sweet spots throughout. It’s spacious enough that there’s always room on the dancefloor to let loose; and long enough that bass waves s-t-r-e-t-c-h o-u-t and keep on wobbling. The ceiling might be a bit low, but the air usually circulates pretty well thanks to a few powerful fans providing tropical breezes. Or, so it seems until you’ve been jooking and whining for a while!
It was such a treat to see DJ C in SF and I danced my sweet bumper off!
I’m always surprised how steamy it gets in the basement once the tunes get jumpin! Good thing the bassment has its own well-stocked bar with self-serve water stations on both ends…
An ideal place to experience dubstep, dub, dnb, and other BIG bassalicious sounds - but especially when Surya Dub is in the house. The organizers and patrons of the Bay Area’s best dubstep night create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that genuinely matches the irie spirit of the music. A rare and beautiful achievement in SF these days, don’t sleep! Strut yo stuff over to Surya Dub’s dancefloor this month!
DJ C + Ripley + Kid Kameleon = Whole Lotta Knowledge, Son
In between parties, work, school and all around awesomeness, these 3 musicians collectively blog about every facet of music culture on Riddim Method, along with Flack and Wayne & Wax. DJ C also runs Mashit Records and recently released an EP with Zulu called Gods & Robots.
DJ C Links
DJ C music space
Mashit Records
Riddim Method Blog
Gods & Robots EP on Mashit.com
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