Countdown to Funk Parade
Fort Knox Five, Qdup, EU, and Nappy Riddem
Live at U Street Music Hall
The excitement is building for DC’s first ever Funk Parade on Saturday May 3rd, 2014. The entire day is full of great performances, events and activities up and down the U Street neighborhood.
Fort Knox Recordings and U Street Music Hall are hosting a special Funk Parade Showcase from 7-10p with some killer bands and djs. The event is Free and open to the public 18 and over.
DC go-go legends E.U. (Experience Unlimited) featuring Sugar Bear will headline the event, ensuring that DC moves forward with an eye and ear for its past glory. Rising reggae band Nappy Riddem will also perform, bringing their unique brand of Dancehall Funk to bear.
Fort Knox Five and Qdup will provide DJ sets before and between the bands. The event will showcase fresh local sounds of Funk, Go-Go, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Soul and more. Truly something for everybody, all ages and experiences.
Experience Unlimited
EU (Experience Unlimited) is one of the original Washington DC Go-Go bands. Fronted by founding member Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott, the original members all attended Ballou High School (currently the subject of a critically acclaimed documentary). The band chose the name Experience due to their respect for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Unlimited because they did not want to limit the range of their music. Their early regional hits included EU Freeze, Lock Your Butt, and Knock ‘Em Out Sugar Ray. Although they are best known for their Grammy nominated, massive worldwide hit Da-Butt from Spike Lee’s “School Daze” soundtrack, EU scored hits with Salt & Papa (Shake Your Thang), with rap innovator Kurtis Blow (Party Time), and on their own with Buck Wild and Taste of Your Love. Da Butt won Soul Train’s best R&B/Soul Single, Group in 1989.
EU has performed with Teena Marie, Morris Day and The Time, Mint Condition, Cameo, and countless others. They performed on a show with Bob Dylan in 1989, one of Sugar Bear’s career highlights. EU released the hit Umm Bop Bop in 2000. They dropped the single Bounce in 2001, garnering extensive airplay. EU appeared in the tribute DVD to Chuck Brown, Put Your Hands Up in 2002 (called quite possibly the best live concert DVD ever made by Murder Dog Magazine) with a brilliant set of live music, featuring a percussion showdown between Ju Ju House and Mighty Mo Hagans, along with blistering renditions of EU Freeze. Dog Star, Da Butt and much more. In 2003, EU performed to a national audience on the televised NAACP Awards’ Tribute to Spike Lee. Sugar Bear received the Legend Award at the second annual WKYS Go-Go Awards in 2007. He appears in a local TV commercial for an insurance company, and teaches special education at TC Williams.
Nappy Riddem
Since releasing their debut album on Fort Knox Recordings in 2011, NAPPY RIDDEM has been busy touring nationwide and releasing a string of remixes, transforming itself into an uplifting and conscious reggae band that is funky enough to pack the dancefloor. Started by Mustafa Akbar and Rex Riddem, NAPPY RIDDEM is now joined in the studio and on stage by drummer Jon Modell as part of a 6 piece live band. Other players inlcude Charles Flye (keys), Gordon Sterling (guitar / vocals) and Michael Calve (bass).The Rock Steady EP contains four upbeat reggae tracks that represent NAPPY RIDDEM’s fresh new sound! The EP starts off strong with a track that shows the group is serious about the healing of the nation. “I Wish” is a deep and meaningful track that reaches the soulful depth of Mustafa Akbar’s vocals. The title track, “Rock Steady” oozes positivity with a groovy, rocksteady vibe, and features Rex Riddem on Ukulele and lead vocals. Keeping the dance vibe going is “Rastaman”, rudeboy defiance on top of an irresistible stepping beat results in pure fire! Closing out the EP is “Red Blood”, featuring Brittany Tanner on additional vocals, a emotional ballad for the people, it is sweet and full of soul.
The Nappy Riddem sound has developed into its own brand of “Dancehall Funk” that moves bodies, hearts, and minds. The Rock Steady EP represents a new beginning for this exciting band from Washington, DC. Reggae for the dancefloor, messages for the people, and fresh beats for the heads. Check out live sets and dj mixes to get to know them better at www.soundcloud.com/nappyriddem.
Fort Knox Five
They have performed on 5 continents, and in over 30 different countries, playing some of the largest festivals and club nights around the globe. The Fort Knox Five have toured and performed alongside major artists like The Beastie Boys, Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, James Brown, Jurassic 5, Z Trip, Diplo, A Trak, Craze, A Skillz, Krafty Kuts, Stanton Warriors, Bassnectar, Skrillex, and London Electricity to name a few. Forget about tempos and genres – let the Fort Knox Five take you back to the roots and unite all music from the funk, soul, jazz, dub, hip hop, reggae, and electronic generations.
The FORT KNOX FIVE consists of Steve Raskin, Rob Myers, Jon Horvath, and Sid Barcelona. They established Fort Knox Recordings in 2003 to release party-rocking music that crosses tempos and defies genres. Their world renowned ‘Fort Knox Sound’ has overtaken dance-floors with its distinct interweaving of live instrumentation with funky electronic breakbeats.
FK5’s talent for organic hooks has made them highly sought after producer/remixers, and landed them in the prestigious URB “Next 100” list.Their songs have consistently broken the Itunes & Beatport Top 10 Charts in multiple genres, Including reaching #1 positions in Breaks, Reggae, and Chillout on Beatport.
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Qdup
Having remixed the likes of Fort Knox Five, DJ Love, Thunderball, Basement Freaks, All Good Funk Alliance and Ursula1000 to name a few, Qdup has garnered a spot as one of the most in demand artists for remixing friends of funk and breaks. Also known for his party mashing exclusive edits and re-rubs, he has gained a following via some of the webs hottest blogs, dropping secret weapon DJ tunes.
As an established tastemaker, Qdup has been a contributor to the UK based Ghetto Funk blog since it’s inception and has produced several tracks on their Icons series remix albums. 2013 saw Qdup break out on the summer festival scene in North America including Shambhala (Salmo, BC), BassCoast (Merritt, BC), Firefly Fest (DE, USA), Art Outside (TX, USA) and P.E.X. (MD, USA). With additional releases upcoming on Fort Knox Recordings, new collaborations, remixes, free downloads and DJ mixes in the works, 2014 is lining up to be a busy year for Qdup.