Memorial Day weekend means that everyone is in party mood, so whether you want to dance to ’80s hits, dancehall straight from Jamaica, beachy
summer tunes or classic house, there’s a place to get grooving. Before the weekend, though, there are plenty of bands worth your attention, a joint birthday party for Stevie Wonder and James Brown, a wonderfully funky brass band performing in the garden of the French Embassy, charity happy hours, and a chance to see the man whose records have topped both Billboard’s Latin Singles and Latin Album charts this month. Thursday, May 21 On May 13, Stevie Wonder celebrated his 59th year of being a beacon of happiness to mankind through song. James Brown’s birthday is 10 days before Stevland’s, and when you put these two together, their catalog unites the tastes, influences and memories of anyone who has ever loved the funk. Theirs is the music that grannies, toddlers and everyone in between can agree on. Eight DJs will be collaborating at tonight for the Soul Power party celebrating the combined works of Wonder and Brown. The lineup features DJ I-Wah, DJ 2-Tone Jones, Lance Reynolds, Adrian Loving, Damu the Fudgemunk, DJ Underdog, The Ankhitek and DJ Jahsonic. Friday’s forecast looks great (we say, knocking on wood) so what better to do after work than relax with a glass of white wine in the and dance to Tarace Boulba The 30-member brass band plays some of the most ecstatic, upbeat rhythms you’ll ever hear, something that sounds like the offspring of James Brown, Femi Kuti, Tito Puente and Illinois Jacquet. Try to listen to some MP3s without tapping your foot or shimmying in your chair. Admission is free, and drinks will cost you a couple bucks each. (You can’t bring your own food or drink to picnic.) Gates open at 6:30. Saturday, May 23 Earlier this month, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Tito El Bambino () hit the top of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart with his poppy new single “El Amor.” A few days later, the album “El Patrón” hit number one on the Top Latin Album chart. Perfect time, then, for him to visit D.C. — except he’s not going to be in the city, exactly. Instead, he’ll be performing at the Star Total Lounge and Ballroom in Annandale. (Where Exactly.) Forget about the venue for a minute, because “El Patrón,” which fuses reggaeton, radio-friendly ballads and a touch of hip-hop, marks Tito El Bambino as an artist to watch. Tickets are $30 from the Primo Productions Web Site, and we’d advise ordering them in advance — we have a feeling there will be lines. Attention drum ‘n’ bass heads: The we-wish-it-were-more-regular Konkrete Jungle night is back for a special Memorial Day Weekend throwdown at with DJs Headhunterz Inc, Mob Barley, Dan Amitai and the Blue Alchemist. It’s free, it starts at 10 and you’ll feel the bass in your stomach the next day, no joke. Sunday, May 24 Long weekend Love to dance You know DJ Dredd’s gonna be there for you. Tonight’s back-to-back-to-back battle of the songs of Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson at has the air of “hasn’t he done this before” but if you’ve seen Dredd, you know he’s not sleepwalking through these sets. Few turntablists in D.C. can rock a party as deftly, and when the record selection is as stocked with hits as a meeting of the Material Girl, the Gloved One and His Royal Badness, you know that the crowd will be singing along and getting down. Seriously, we’ve seen the walls sweat at Prince nights. As any good southern girl knows, you’re not supposed to wear white before Memorial Day. (Not like any of understand why, but we still know you’re not supposed to.) To mark the fashion shift into summer colors, Le Freak and local blog are offering two hours of free champagne to anyone who wears a white outfit to Metropolitain tonight. DJ Will Eastman spins house, disco and club music in the cozy Europhile lounge from 8 to 1, and the free drinks will be offered from 8 to 10. With that kind of deal — and free admission — the bar is likely to hit capacity earlier than usual, so look fashionable, but don’t be fashionably late.
After three years, is no longer merely an event, it’s an institution. The classic soul and house party is fueled by a cast of characters as integral to the brand as the playlist. There’s Nichelle who hooks up the free soul food buffet before taking spry turns on the dance floor. There’s Big Tone, the gregarious host who gathers everyone together to sing happy birthday to that week’s celebrants and makes sure any newbies make friends quickly. And it’s all tied together by the balance DJs Divine and Source strike between surprise bombs from the far reaches of their crates to the jams that everyone can sing along to. Daylight gets to stretch on holiday weekends, extending its usual 10 p.m. closing time to 2 a.m. DJ Baby, DJ Oji and DJ AJ of Grits & Gravy will be joining the Daylight residents to go the distance tonight at Liv.