Published on 12/17/2007

Looking to slip out on a Monday night in Denver, CO? Check out Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge for a smooth experience of "Soul In The City".

It's a love/hate relationship sometimes,

It’s a love/hate relationship sometimes, living in the city. I just wrote a check for $240.00 to the city of Denver, Colorado, for various parking tickets. Doing things “my way”, such as, riding my mountain bike down the 16^th Street Mall, racked up another $60.00 in fines. Yes, I saw the posted signs every block. Guilty as charged. It was December 3^rd, a Monday night…cash depleted…and I asked myself, “What to do, what to do?” Should I have taken the forty-five minute drive up to Boulder to catch RZA? Nah, that would have taken cash flow, and, flow away, it just did. I could have, later that week, driven west for a few hours and caught Ludacris – oh no, not again, more flow, like a gazillion dollars “flo” I didn’t have, a few weeks before Christmas. Restless, I was back to square one.

I grabbed my coat, stood on the steps of my apartment, glanced over at my car in a legally parked space, and decided to walk a few blocks over to Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge, located on 930 Lincoln, just five blocks south of the state capital. I shelled out a mere 3 bucks for a cover charge, and hopped up on a barstool. The invitation of comfort beckoned me from the black and burgundy walls, while the silver and black stools and the funky gold light fixtures provided a jazzy-snazzy aura. Accompanied by a glass of cabernet, I graciously accepted the perceived invitation, and settled in for the evening.

Brady, the bartender, kept his patrons happy, and the bar neat. KDJ Above, the DJ, provided the velvety sounds of Anthony Hamilton, Erykah Badu, and D’Angelo. Brady introduced me to Patience, who, with her partner Anthony, runs Smoke Screen Promotions. Smoke Screen Promotions hosts, “Soul In The City”, on Mondays at Dazzle.

“We usually have a poet and musical acts, and we start about 10:30p.m. (This) Monday was experimental. We had a younger talent,” Patience said, referring to One Moment, the seventeen year-old singer/keyboard player, who sang a mix of originals and covers, including “Love” and “Dontchange” by Musiq (Soulchild). His controlled vocal range soared, while he worked the keys of his Roland X8. This was his first gig. He played his six songs successfully. Then, he vanished. The vibe was tight, and Monday evening started to feel like a secretive reserved eighth day of the week. My Mondays usually don’t go down like this.

On the horizon, Patience and Anthony intend to provide more events, like a “Ladies First” night, and exposure for more female singers and DJs. “We’re showing love and respect for the true identity of Hip Hop by staying true to the four elements,” Patience explained. Their idea is to get back to the purists by staying true to the four elements of hip-hop: DJs, emcees/rappers, Bboys and Bgirls, and graffiti artists.

Before that evening, I usually thought of DJs as the ones who provided the needed repetitious beats in a club, in order for the crowd to get to know each other by means of bumping bodily expression. By listening to, and totally feeling KDJ Above’s grooves, I had a unique DJ experience. I asked KDJ Above about his musical selection during his “Soul In The City” sessions. “I don’t want to limit myself. Dance club is not my vibe. I basically just get to do me. It’s what I listen to at home.”

He explained how technology has altered the DJ world, since he started as a DJ, back as a senior in high school, in 2001, as something to do after school. All of his songs are MP3s on his laptop. “I don’t have to carry crates any more, and I earned it”. Now, he can bring all the songs he has loaded on his laptop. KDJ Above commented on the Monday nights at Dazzle. “We have the best thing going on in Denver. You can eat, drink, and hear poetry.”

And, between the good food and music - I’ve eaten here and listened to jazz and blues here before, it’s definitely a weekday event that expresses the soul of a city. As KDJ Above put it, “People need options. It’s a great change of pace. It’s less aggressive, and it’s a good vibe.” He can DJ on Monday night and still show up to work the next day at 7 a.m. Unlike paying parking tickets, these are the joys of living in a city.