Round Corner Cantina
August 29
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Round Corner Cantina is not just a fab spot to enjoy a taco and Michelada al aire libre, it’s also a great nightlife destination for discovering local and national DJ talent. The Lawrenceville favorite is debuting its Gold Series, running every Friday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring a curated lineup that highlights pioneering DJs and the golden age of hip hop.
Headlining on May 9th is Detroit-based DJ and producer Waajeed. Before becoming a fixture on the Motor City circuit, Waajeed was known for his photography and design work. Half of the hip hop and R&B duo Platinum Pied Pipers, Waajeed is also a founding member of the electronic music trio Tiny Hearts. In 2002, he founded the Bling47 record label, which has released projects by the late influential producer and rapper J Dilla.
Joining Waajeed is Pittsburgh Track Authority (PTA), a locally based music production and DJ outfit featuring Preslav Lefterov, Thomas Cox and Adam Ratana. Purveyors of authentic American-made dance music, PTA culls sonic influences from their Burgh HQ, along with other US music meccas such as Detroit, Chicago and NYC.
Gold Series continues May 16th with leading hip hop producer Large Professor. Née William Paul Mitchell in Harlem in 1973, Large Pro is perhaps best known as a co-founder of the pivotal underground hip hop group Main Source, and as mentor and collaborator of Nas. Large Pro can be heard on A Tribe Called Quest’s iconic 1993 album Midnight Marauders, and has worked with hip hop luminaries such as Big Daddy Kane, Busta Rhymes and Common. He released his fourth album, Professor @ Large, in 2012.
Friday, May 30th brings the diverse dance music of Philadelphia-based DJ Apt One to Cantina. A seasoned international DJ and disco edit-maker, Apt One is part of the nu-disco duo RCMP, founder of Young Robots Records, and has remixed for global stars as diverse as Wiz Khalifa and Teddy Pendergrass.
Gold Series features an impressive and varied lineup of artists for its June installment, including: Grammy award winning hip hop producer and MC, Diamond D, on June 6th, global stars Bobbito Garcia and Rich Medina on June 13th and international underground dance music mixer and producer, Brenmar, on June 27th.
One night not to miss is the rare chance to see modern music icon Grandmaster Flash on Friday, June 20th in the cozy confines of Round Corner Cantina.
Née Joseph Saddler in 1958, the pioneering hip hop legend is revered for his DJing, cutting and mixing skills, as well as his work with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Formed in the South Bronx in 1978, the highly influential American hip hop group also featured rappers Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, Cowboy, Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Rahiem, and their use of turntables, break-beat DJing, choreographed stage routines, acrobatic performances and clever lyricism was a significant force in the development of early hip hop. The group’s debut 1982 album, The Message, released by Sugar Hill Records, remains an unrivaled touchstone for generations of fans, musicians and producers. In 2007, the group become the first hip hop and rap artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Revolutionizing how DJs used the turntable as an actual instrument, Grandmaster Flash is credited with pioneering techniques such as the backspin (aka quick-mix theory) and punch phrasing (also called clock theory), and for perfecting the art of scratching. Together, these techniques and his personal vision helped to created Grandmaster Flash’s distinct performative DJ style of manipulating records to create new music, sounds and beats.
Raised in the Bronx after his family migrated to the US from Barbados, Grandmaster Flash was influenced at a young age by his father’s record collection, his electronics training at Samuel Gompers High School, his passion for the DJ styles of early groundbreaking figures such as Kool Herc, and his 1970s neighborhood block parties. His life and career are chronicled in the 2008 book, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash–My Life My Beats. Grandmaster Flash continues to perform worldwide at festivals, clubs and venues, and is currently working on a new album.
Ready to wrap up summer at Round Corner Cantina? On tap for the Gold Series in August are: resident DJ Bamboo (aka Vince Gancia) on August 1st, acclaimed New York City-based DJ and producer Stretch Armstrong on August 8th, Pittsburgh hip hop producer and DJ Big Phil on August 15th, Detroit act House Shoes on August 22nd and Grammy nominated artist Vikter Duplaix on August 29th.
