Mary Susan Littlepage

During a car trip, I tried to school a sixtysomething, church-organ-playing, non-club-going friend about dance music I like, and I tried to convert her to liking drum 'n' bass, techno and house. I started out playing an old but good Ciro/Brandon S mix tape, and I could almost swear I saw a light turn on inside her head. "So," she said, "are we listening to bass and drums?" "Um, yeah," I said. "You mean drum 'n' bass." She said she thought the music was okay, but she didn't like a part on the tape where she thought she heard a bad word. I tried to assure her that the vocal was just saying, "Shift, baby," but she wasn't buying that. So, it was on to techno. Unfortunately she didn't share my enthusiasm for hard techno tracks by The Advent, and she liked a Dan Bell mixed CD of more downtempo techno only slightly better. I felt like I was losing the battle. Then I popped in a Mazi promo mixed CD from DJ magazine, and she said, "Oh! Now, I can get into this." Yay! Church lady and I found common ground. She said she likes Mazi's selections because the music feels full of soul, and the beats and rhythms move at a more gentle pace than the other music I tried to get her to like. I agreed. Plus, it's still easy and fun to dance to.

Come feel the soul for yourself when Mazi spins. DJ RY-N, who also spins, knows how to keep a party rocking, too, with uplifting, smooth and pretty kinds of drum 'n' bass.

Mazi and RY-N spin January 7 at Smart Bar, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203. Mazi also headlines Godskitchen January 8 at Vision, 640 North Dearborn, (312)266-1948.

(2005-01-04)

Also by Mary Susan Littlepage

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