As promised ĀGARD returns with his second snippet from an exclusive live set in Brooklyn, New York. The last set was a “warm up” set. This set starts out with a power packed Electronic Dance Music (EDM) set and moves into some Nu Disco. Feel free to play, download, leave comments, and/or share. Enjoy!
Stacked @ Stay Ultra Lounge
After the N.E.R.D. concert at Brooklyn Bowl on Wednesday my associate Jay White and I decided to go into Manhattan to check out DJ Jon Oliver & Mr. Vega at Stay on East Houston. It was my first time in the lounge, and I was impressed. It was a great atmosphere, but nothing beat the music. When we walked in some old school Hip Hop was being played. The mixing was flawless. Before I even knew it we were into a totally different genre, but it was seem-less. I especially liked the remixes of vocals from various genres to a funky upbeat dance-style of rhythm. I know that description may seem vague, but that is the only way I can describe it. Music nowadays is very eclectic, but I digress. DJ Jon Oliver gave us a tour of the lounge and downstairs, where there is a secret lounge (shhh…don’t say I told you). Overall Stay is definitely a good place to take someone to relax and maybe bust a move or two.
After Stay we went around the corner to Ella on Avenue A. I was very impressed by the decor inside of Ella. I couldn’t get pictures, but please visit the site to see exactly how it looks. Let me talk to the fellas for a minutes. Gentlemen, this is the type of spot that you take a female that you’re trying to impress. The flip side of that is, drums please, there are already beautiful people hanging out. So you can decide whether or not you want to “bring sand to the beach”. We made our way downstairs where the real party was jumping off. The music was great. It was electronic mixed in with a little funk. I was going once the DJ got into his Michael Jackson set! Two thumbs up from me.
The next, and final, spot for the night was Apotheke. What can I say about this establishment? It is an aesthetically pleasing place to be. You can go to their site and see for yourself what Apotheke is about; I do not want to do it any injustice. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to partake in adult beverages from time to time. Apotheke is more than a bar. It is a place where the bartenders are mixologists. That title is not a joke. I have gone there many times and it has never disappointed. If you want to drink, you can drink. If you want to dance, you can dance. However, this spot is, by all accounts, exclusive. So do not be surprised if you finally figure out exactly where this spot is and you get to the door and they tell you that it doesn’t exist. If I were to say that this spot was for NYC’s elite, I would be saying too much. However, I would suggest that you look at the site, see if its for you, and make a valiant effort to go. Real talk!
We still got in.
Being that I am an aspiring music producer, I jumped at an opportunity to see N.E.R.D. perform at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg last night. It was an RSVP only event sponsored by Walmart and Axe Body Spray. This was the first event of four for my Wednesday night. The event was sold out and the RSVP list was closed. So naturally Jay White and I decided to go anyway. Long story short, Jay is always on the list, which is why I will be posting a blog entry about him in the near future. I have to admit, although I purchased their first two albums, and will purchase the fourth, I am a N.E.R.D. rookie. I didn’t know the lyrics to any songs (real talk). However, all of that didn’t matter. When the band was performing a brief tune up before the show kicked off I heard it. I heard a perfectly round, clear, and distinct low end. For those who aren’t into music the low end is the bass. But this was not your average kicker type bass, it was undistorted. Once I heard this I knew that the system was perfectly tuned. And it was, perfectly tuned indeed. Whether it was vocals, drums, or guitar, everything was clear. I have to admit that I was impressed by the way Pharell controlled his vocals. By no means is he a virtuoso, but he uses his voice in the best way possible.
Before Pharell came out, the lead guitarist led the crowd in an amazing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”, a la Jimi Hendrix, minus the acid. As soon as Pharell came on stage it was pandemonium. He started with some new tracks from the soon to be released album “Nothing”. Then the group went into some old favorites such as “Lap Dance” and “Beautiful”. As I said earlier, I am an N.E.R.D. rookie, so don’t ask me for a playlist of the songs that were played…lol. In all seriousness, I moved my body from start to end. To everyone’s surprise Lupe Fiasco joined the group on stage and periodically emptied bottles of water onto the crowd. He must have done it at least four times. The las t time he used two bottles, but the crowd was into it. The entire crowd was captivated by the group. I was especially impressed by the dual drummers in the background. There was a particular part of the show where the drummers got to share a solo and started a very fast paced call and answer with each other. After the hour long set I felt that my free entry was worth it. Seriously though, I would have paid $40 or more if I knew this show would be so well put together. I would definitely recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to see N.E.R.D. should take it! This was only the first of four different venues we went to on Wednesday night. Stay tuned for the follow up to the night. I will let you know about the rest of the night. One event down, three to go. Check out the video and second video via the link at the bottom of the article. I apologize for the quality, we are working on purchasing something other than a Blackberry to take videos. Until next time.
– Your Man on the Streets
Here is another video from the show: Click.
Highlanda Sound 