- With the booking of the Dirtybird crew at Beta came curiosity and anticipation: My knowledge of the label was scant, only that they are a seasoned, solid West Coast staple with a reputation for quality. Descriptions to friends prior to the show were short on words, but optimistic. (That said, even if they weren't to my liking, there was a solid dubstep show in the Beatport lounge and, at the very least, Beta was playing the host for the evening anyway.)
Crossing Blake Street en route to the club, someone yelled from a noisy street front patio something about a chicken running around in front of Beta. Sure enough, meandering through a healthy line out front was the Dirtybird mascot in full gear. Straight away, smiles were evident as people patiently waited for the door. That tone was then cemented as soon as you passed through that door: Worthy had the floor shaking as one; perfect tempo, room to dance, a very relaxed vibe…this was going to be fun.
Photo credit: Chad Fahnestock
Worthy proved…er…worthy of his namesake and kept a smooth, chugging layer of tech house wrapped around everyone in the place, visibly enjoying each track he played. The praise and appreciation from the clubbers for his effort was apparent, and set Justin Martin up on a positive note to begin his take on things.
J. Martin threw props to his friend for his work and proceeded to set the place alive with groove. He took it a bit deeper than Worthy, but kept the same throughout his set, obviously enjoying himself as well. If you were not sure who was playing, the crowd (ladies) were emphatically screaming his name throughout, as he is one of the household names of the Db crew. Fittingly, he ended his set with Afefe Iku's "Mirror Dance," as the bouncing, smiling crowd was a reflection of what was coming from the stage in front of them.
Photo credit: Chad Fahnestock
Claude VonStroke quickly congratulated J. Martin on his job well done and set out to put it down, keeping the same tech house tone with a touch of electro. The label head was set in prime position to do whatever he wanted, and by 1:10 he was wondering who in the house was afraid of Detroit and got his answer with hands raised. The set never let down and never boiled over, always balanced and consistent with the now established word of the night: Fun.
Dirtybird are professional fun makers. Their enthusiasm, energy and realness was contagious as it spread through each person in the room, from the back to front. Musically, they all painted the same picture: Unique lens. Same focus. They were some of the most down to earth, approachable people, which made accessing their sound that much easier. "Everything we look to achieve in a Dirtybird party was in place tonight," said Christian Martin, who went on to slam the same positive vibe into the early morning with his brother at an afterhours.
The night seemed so easy, fun and surprisingly rare. Great music. Great club. Proper sound. Real people getting down to who artists who really care. No drama, consistent smiles and hundreds of happy feet.