Audio By Carbonatix
Dirtybird BBQ
With Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, and the rest of the crew
Villa 221, Miami
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Better Than: Any other company barbecue in existence.
Everyone knows a cheeseburger and French fries are perfect together. But the Dirtybird crew says, “Screw that noise. You don’t need those carbs. What your burger needs is a side of bass.”
We were greeted at Villa 22 by the smell of grilled meat and the sound of Catz and Dogs laying down some chill, laidback vibes. The weather was just too gorgeous and everyone was lounging about on the astro turf in bathing suits, shorts, and tanks, getting
mad loose. The only thing that would have made the picture more perfect was a
pool.
There was an old-school block party vibe to this party. The Dirtybird crew walked around the venue exactly like everyone else, mingling and sipping back booze as if it were just another summer day in the neighborhood and all the fans were simply part of the extended fam.
From noon to 9 p.m., the vibe continued to build as each member took the stage. J. Phlip, the resident Dirtybird boss bitch, started off real soulful and upbeat, working in
more spacey tunes as her set progressed. Not once did she stop bouncing up and
down.
In fact, the whole flock don’t stop moving back there. Leroy Peppers (AKA Christian Martin) bobbed
his head like some kind of gangster funky chicken. He also took
the energy up a couple of notches, cranking the bang level from about 6 to 8. He kept the beats bumpin’ and worked in a lot of hip-hop, like a shout out to local boss
Ricky Ross with “Hustlin.”
Label head Claude VonStroke took things into even more abstract directions, breaking out tracks with all kinds of different textures and weird noises. Yet even when working
with odd rhythms and tones, VonStroke stays smooth and sexy, which is why he’s
the big man. Well, that and he’s very tall.
The biggest cheer of
the night came when Claude dropped his classic “Who’s Afraid Of Detroit.” Although, the place definitely went bananas when Phife Dawg hit the stage. He
performed a slew of classics by his group A Tribe Called Quest, including “Can
I Kick It?,” “Scenario,” and “Check the Rhime.” It was an interesting
break in the day’s non-stop dance music.
Justin Martin closed the
evening outside with more deep and dark grooves. The sun was disappearing into
the horizon. Ravers started to break out the poi. And soon, it was time to wash
up before the afterparty. It had been a chill time And the best part: Everyone’s bellies were full.
Except the vegetarians. They were probably screwed.
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: Walking up to the party and seeing Tribe’s Phife Dawg
on the set schedule was one of the most random and best surprises ever.
The Crowd: Scenesters, industry folk, and banging beach bods in
their mid-20s or older.
Best Auxiliary Characters: A deer-like creature and a bird-headed dude were
dancing together. And that was pretty weird.
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