Listen to Rub-A-Dub ft. HIGHLANDA SOUND, DJ Passport, and DJ Hourglass – 5.14.17 at Wildpitch in ATL, GA.

Rub-A-Dub ft. HIGHLANDA SOUND, DJ Passport, and DJ Hourglass

I pressed record after I had played the 1st song, “Heptones – Get In the Groove,” but essentially this recording begins just as the state-of-the-art WildPitch Music Hall sound system turned on.  What you will hear is my opening set in its entirety, but in addition to the cool, original song selection, you should pay attention to the “vibe” – the energy that travels from point zero all the way to a mid-tempo dancing situation almost 2 hours later.  It is not a frenzy because of the timing of the set and the theme of the night – RubADub.  This is a textbook early warm set where a few things happen:

1. Each patron who entered through the door stayed for a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed their experience.
2. Each party-goer felt sure that the I was purely focused on making a connection with them from the DJ booth, and personally encouraging them to have a good time while inviting them to free-up and dance.
3. Each performer that followed me encountered an audience that was, not burnt out, but already primed and poised to interact, exchange energy, and dance.  This meant the party’s energy flowed exceptionally well from start to finish regardless of multiple DJ rotations, and some technical difficulties (Serato software – DJ controller – laptop communication issues I suspect).

In today’s Atlanta reggae scene, the early part of dancehall events & concerts is being overlooked.

In my estimation, this costs the promoters more money because patrons have gradually been conditioned to intentionally arrive later and later.  This results in “Primetime” being pushed back to the early morning hours.  If your session is ram pack early in the evening with an ever-increasing vibration of energy, your door and bar sales can be maximized.  Currently, everyone is obsessed with “Star time” and many events lack the energy of entertainment and good value for money until it’s far too late.

I say it’s time to refocus on the early warm.

Staging quality DJs, Sound Systems, and opening performers who can entertain early arriving guests while prepping them to explode in a high-energy fashion at the appropriate time for the climax, later on, will help us all.

Shift the focus away from looking cute for pics and create a space where dance partners take the night and full-joy the moments they have together.  This is the way dancehall used to be back in the days when dance was nice.

I would love to hear your feedback about this topic.  What has been your experience with showing up early to events?  Were you happy with what you encountered?  What is the difference you feel with going out late?  Which do you prefer and why?

More ways to listen to Rub-A-Dub ATL live reggae music audio: