Baltimore Club

@ryerye

Excellent Rye Rye video where she speaks on her roots, her future, the spread of Bmore Club and its dance moves! Very informative.

Them Do It Horns by James Nasty

Ohhh that James Nasty! Karaoke superstar, freaktrain advocate, and lover of all things deep fried – the dude lives and breathes Baltimore club music. You’ve probably read his name somewhere in the City Paper or the Baltimore Sun – he’s all over this city. You can find him punishing some tacos at the local Mexican joint, daydrinking on his stoop, or playing maestro at his Friday night party, Physical Education. Hosted by The Ottobar every Friday night, Physical Education, or Phys Ed for short, is one of the most active parties in Baltimore right now. The fun thing about Phys Ed is that you never quite know what to expect week after week. It provides a different experience every single time. Sure – you can always count on James Nasty to play a full hour of Baltimore club at 1AM, but each week there’s a new guest DJ who can play anything from Top 40 to dubstep to moombahton. These different genres draw so many different types of party people to Phys Ed – from art school kids to ghetto mamis, cowboys to hipsters, nerds to bboys. You can literally assemble The Village People every week.

The myriad of people who roll through The Ottobar on Friday night contributes to a specific dynamic that is truly unique to Phys Ed. But one thing that everybody has in common is that they are all WYLIN’ OUT come 1AM. The moment James Nasty steps up to the decks and the Baltimore club starts pouring out the speakers and smackin’ you in the ass, everybody starts to lose their shit and it truly is a beautiful sight to see. I’ve seen girls movin’ their bodies in ways I didn’t even know was physically possible. I’ve seen people gettin’ freaky and eating cupcakes at the same time. I’ve seen a bride gettin’ down in her wedding gown. I once saw a dude stuntin’ in a red cape. But my absolute favorite sight I’ve seen at Phys Ed was four people gettin’ in on a freaktrain all while sharing McDonald’s burgers and fries. That’s love, people. Or maybe just vodka. But seriously, there’s always at least one point during Phys Ed where I rub my eyes and ask, “Is this real life?” Nope. This is Phys Ed. Every fuckin’ Friday.

But you might need a little something to get you through the week. James Nasty is always in the lab and regularly releases brand new tracks over on his SoundCloud, but if you don’t have The Truth About James Nasty, you need to download it immediately and add it to your mixtape collection. Released earlier this year, this mixtape is bound to make you involuntarily bop your head to the beat. You also might get the sudden urge to shake your ass on the next person that walks down the street. That’s just what Baltimore club music does to a person. Listen for favorites like, “Lemme C Wat U Got”, “Them Do It Horns” and especially “We No Speak Bmoreo”, which is consistently featured on Baltimore club hours on 92Q. While The Truth About James Nasty maintains a classic Baltimore club sound, it’s doing a lot to spearhead the newest transitional movement in Baltimore club music, which involves less sampling, more original vocals, and an overall cleaner, more polished feel to the productions.

But Baltimore club music can only be so polished. It’s supposed to have this grimey feel to it and James Nasty keeps it real. He thrives on gettin’ that bass knockin’, lettin’ them horns blow, and keepin’ it all sexual. Rockin’ his tracks will leave you feelin’ some sort of way and hopefully it involves impure thoughts. James Nasty is all about bringing out your inner freak so don’t fight it too much, ya heard?

Take some time to get to know the guy who’s providing the soundtrack to your Friday night:

Cool Breezy: When did you start DJing and producing and who are some of your influences?  Also, why Baltimore club?

James Nasty: I started producing in college in 2001 while still in school at UMBC.  I used to make beats and go to the recording studio on campus with my homies, get fucked up, and record them.  [I] started DJing in 2006 playing house parties in College Park.

Influences are alcohol, watching girls jiggle their asses and titties, The Neptunes, Armand Van Helden, 2 Live Crew, DJ Funk, and Rod Lee.

I can’t think of any other genre of music that has the energy that club music has.  Don’t get it twisted – [it’s] not the only genre I am into but at the end of the day, there really is nothing like it and I’m proud to be from the city [where] it comes from.  I don’t understand how some folks around here don’t feel that sense of pride and ownership of Baltimore club.

CB: What’s good with Physical Education?  How’d the party get started and what makes The Ottobar the place to be on Friday nights?

JN: The party started about two and a half years ago by a group of guys and was called Moustache back then. I was eventually brought in as a resident DJ.  Throughout the course of the two and half years, everyone, besides Ponyo and I, has moved on to other opportunities in other cities.

It’s the place to be because the party is just fun – simple as that.  [It’s] more fun than any other party in the city, I feel.  Diverse crowd [and] diverse music means [there’s] something for everyone.  I want to keep things simple. Come drink if you want to drink, dance if you want to dance and meet people to hook up with if you want to hook up.  What more do you really need from a night out on the town?  Plus, we happen to play some pretty awesome tunes throughout the night.

CB: I’ve seen you spin with so many different DJs at Phys Ed, from Reed Rothchild to DJ Sega.  Are there any other artists you’d really like to work with?

JN: [There are] so many people I’d love to work with.  I’ve been really feelin’ LMFAO recently and would love to produce a track for them.   And Rye Rye.  I have beats that I’ve made already that I can imagine them on, don’t think the time is right though.

As far as people I’d love to come play at PHYS ED – there’s a few DC homies that I know would murder the party:  Stereo Faith, Jerome Baker III, Trevor Martin, Will Eastman… Other than that, Oh Snap, Tim Dolla, DJ Tamiel, Roxy Cottontail, DJ Pierre, Murder Mark, Starks & Nacey, and somehow get Blaqstarr to come home and play a club set.  There’s so many more people.  I see a lot of people doin’ big things elsewhere.  I want them all to come play Phys Ed and get their life in my house.

CB: Earlier this year, you dropped The Truth About James Nasty.  What’d you want to accomplish with that mix and are you working on anything new?

JN: Most of all I wanted to just put out a mix.  I hadn’t put out a mix in a while.  I wanted to preview some previously unheard and unreleased tracks.  And I just wanted to show people my style and the diversity of the tracks I make and that I had that many good tunes.

I’m working on a longer, more official mixtape right now.  I’m working with a lot of difference MCs and vocalists on some tunes.  I want to get away from remixing and sampling so much and make songs with people while still making authentic club music.  I want this next mixtape to be the soundtrack to the best house party ever.  Some shit you could put on at home, invite some people over, start drinking and just get wild to.

CB: What do you think about the current state of Baltimore club music and how would you like to see it progress?

JN: It would be nice to see 92Q add more club music mixes to their programming schedule and hire more DJs (points at himself).  DJs in clubs around town need to start playing more new club tracks.  We need more new mixtapes.  Someone has to come with something that defines what is hot and current in club music like the Jump Off tapes.  Club producers need to start thinking bigger and making songs that can be copywritten and pushed as singles.  It’s no secret that a lot of major label producers have borrowed a lot of our style.  There’s no reason to complain about it or whine that ‘they stole our sound’ or ‘[they’re] making fake club.’  At this point we need to compete and give the listening public a polished but authentic product.  We have a special sound in this city.  Let’s remind the world again of how amazing it is.

CB: What’s your favorite Baltimore club track of all time?

JN: Really?  That’s impossible!

On January 28th Murder Mark and TT The Artist along with James Nasty and Dj Pierre brought the Bmore Club experience down to Artistika Night Club and Greensboro College. The day after their show they were invited to speak on Baltimore Club Music and future projects with Adam Katzman on WQFS. During this interview Murder Mark and crew speak on alot of controversial subjects such as the recent popularity of “bmore club” influenced billboard hits and the futrue of Baltimore Club Music. This video gives Guilford college and  people outside the streets of Baltimore a taste of what its really like!!!  www.ayomurdermark.com www.tttheartist.com

Make Sure Y’all Download That James Nasty Mixtape If You Haven’t Done So Already
The Truth About James Nasty (The Mixtape) by James Nasty

Download via mediafire

The Truth About James Nasty

How does one go from hating Baltimore club music to becoming the City Paper’s choice for Best Club Music Producer of 2010?  Just ask Murder Mark. As a hip-hopper from the jump, Murder Mark, aka Marquis Gasque, was more used to a certain type of flow and spoken word you normally hear in standard hip-hop.  Some of his favorites were Biggie, Lupe Fiasco, and Kanye West.  He appreciated their unique types of flow, whereas he thought the styling of Baltimore club was merely just noise.   Cut to a few years later when he took a challenge to produce Baltimore club and the rest was history.  Turns out he’s got a knack for creating something he never liked in the first place.   How ‘bout that?

But you can’t make great Baltimore club music without a vast understanding of it.  So after a doing ton of research ranging from just being in the scene, kickin’ it with true Baltimore club heads, and listening to an endless loop of 92Q Jams from DJs like K-Swift and K.W. Griff, Murder Mark turned his hatred into skill in no time.  Look at him now, ayy!
Tear Shit Up by AyoMurderMark1

He’s been praised for his old school-meets-new school mentality – more specifically, the way he uses a unique style of synths, almost like hyperactive techno at times, layered behind original, chopped and looped vocals, an old school element of Baltimore club that some producers have since replaced with Lil Jon loops. What inspired the City Paper to award Murder Mark the title of Best Producer of 2010 was his signature sound being “an absolutely horrifying buzz of synthesizers—like the sound of club’s youth scene attacked by bees—rubbing up against a surprisingly traditionalist sense of sample-chopping and looping.” Murder Mark knows what old school Baltimore club music should sound like, but this is 2011 and he also knows the movement needs to keep moving with the times.

His most notable release to date is his Party Starter EP, which features his original beats behind original vocals by Mike Mike and TT the Artist. Showcasing twelve songs of pure Baltimore club adrenaline, the Party Starter EP is just as it aspires to be – that one joint you play when you’re getting ready to go out, pre-gaming with your friends, or on your way to the club. With grimy, hyperactive tracks like “Cherry Hill and Down Ya Block” and“In My Hood”, it’s the perfect mix to play when you’re looking for the right energy to begin your night – an essential weekend jump-off.

In addition to creating club music on the regular, he’s also an innovator of Zoo On Mars Entertainment, or Z.O.M.E. for short, which is an artist’s collaboration between Murder Mark, TT the Artist, Mike-Mike, D.O.L.L.A.S., K.S., and Doug. Keep a look out for Z.O.M.E. as they’re promoting and booking various artists and gigs in the area. Also, Murder Mark is learning how to DJ so perhaps you’ll see him behind the decks a little sooner than you expected.

I had a chance to talk to Murder Mark recently. Here’s what he had to say about the state of Baltimore club, working with Mike Mike, and where you can find him when he’s not in the studio:

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King Tutt – Burnin Up by Unruly Records

Named Best Club Music Producer in 2007 by the City Paper’s annual Best of Baltimore competition, DJ King Tutt has been on the up and up ever since. Constantly pushing the boundaries of club music, electro-house music, and a fusion of the two, Tutt strives to never let his talents become stale.  A strong believer in quality of output, you can only expect the absolute best from his mixes and live performances.

If you’ve been into the Baltimore music scene for a while, you’ve at least gotta know Tutt for his tracks like “Shake My Ass”, “African Chant”, and “The Roof Is On Fire”.  Tutt’s been producing tracks since I was twelve years old and playin’ kickball at recess.  Okay, so I might be young, but he’s really been in the game so long that he’s become a respected Baltimore institution.  After “Shake My Ass” gained the approval of Baltimore club king Scottie B, Tutt became his go-to guy for productions.  Scottie B and Tutt quickly formed a dynamic duo and became an untouchable force as prominent DJs and producers for the events and releases of Unruly Records.

Tutt is all about testing his limits in the realm of music.  To hear a perfect example of his house/club music hybrid, check out his Evolution EP, released in 2008.  There are seven tracks on this EP, but two of them specifically stand out to me:  “The Future” and “Black Democrat”.  “The Future” touts this, well…, futuristic house music appeal while “Black Democrat” sounds like this epic, Baltimore club march.  Juxtaposing these two totally different vibes onEvolution says a lot about Tutt’s confidence in his skills as a DJ and producer.

Last month, he released his latest electro-house mix, Say Hello to the Bad Guy.  Nineteen tracks deep, Bad Guy quickly whisks you away to the sunniest of days with its upbeat melodies and steady grooves.  One listen to this mix and you’ll quickly find yourself in the right mindset for your evening outing or just coolin’ out at the crib.  Check my review of it here, but more importantly,download the mix and listen for yourself!  Trust me, you might need the energy for your weekend jumpoff.

If you wanna hear more of Tutt’s house mixes, why don’t you go catch him live and in action this weekend?  He’ll be playin’ some records at the Deep Sugarparty on Saturday at the Paradox in Baltimore.  Dude’s mad busy so don’t sleep on this chance to see him play!

But, I wanted to get to know Tutt a little better so I hit him up with a few questions for Cool Breezy.  I’m sharin’ the wealth!  Here he talks about Say Hello to the Bad Guy, the state of music in Baltimore, and what it takes to be a good producer.

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