Hawthorne Bingo

I had every intention of catching boogie connoisseur Dam-Funk's set at Love last night for my once-in-a-blue-moon non-APT excursion into NYC clubland. But damn if Dam didn't get going till way past my bedtime. (I stayed just long enough to hear him drop this over the spot's impeccably boomin' system before indulging in a Recession Special at Gray's Papaya and hightailing it through the raindrops home.)

What I did catch (after hearing James Pants and this gentleman's nephew expertly set it off) was Mayer Hawthorne on the mix. I know little of Mr. Hawthorne save for this justifiably ballyhooed tune. (Which, incidentally, I'm still hoping will arrive in the mail any day now from Stones Throw HQ; if I'd known the guy who made it was going hand-to-hand with 'em at the gig I'd have bought one, but a tall Australian made off with the last copy). I know he's from Detroit. I didn't know he DJ-ed (though nowadays everyone DJs). 

Guess what? He kilt it. Motown classics and cult classics, D-town soul obscurities, Manship Rarest of the Rares, some deep disco-boogie - all played party-rockin' style. Sure, Serato affords you the ability to do all sorts of ish you wouldn't dare try (or, if you're of the soul purist's mind, couldn't even imagine) in a pre-"microwave" world (like seamlessly doubling up on $$$$ OGs of this), but that's also sort of the point, right? It allows you to reinvent the rules specific to the situation. I mean, when it comes to soul 45s I'm usually a fan of just letting them play out sans the bells and whistles. Nonetheless there's a time and a place for everything and last night was the right time for how "Haircut" (as Mr. Funk called him) was putting it down. 

I was pretty pleased when he played this one - a Travis Biggs production which seems to enjoy universal love from Northern, modern, even deep funk crowds. Irrepressibly happy-go-lucky sounding despite the woe-is-me lyrics.

The Pages "Heartaches & Pain"