All For Swinging You Around

Theoretically, I should have been sitting in the corner in child’s pose for most of today’s DDPP or weeping exhaustedly in my car. I came to it straight from a 2 day, all day, full body stretch-an-strengthen-a-thon and every fiber in my being was screamin for a break. I was doubtful that there was an ounce of energy left to wring out of my sapped, sorry ass. But DJ Ann Atomic’s tapped into some hidden cache of energy I had no idea even existed and proceeded to yank, pull, cajole, and ssssuck every last iota of movement out of me. Yup. There was nothing left for me to do but DANCE! I got canned heat in my heels tonight (babaaay).

And so did a dozen other Sunday shakers this afternoon! There was some serious dancemanship on Belle Plaine avenue folks. Spontaneous clapping broke out on multiple occasions, pained/writhing air guitar solos ensued on the floor, shadow puppets bopped in the light of the lava projector, tour-jetes and other french-sounding ballet moves were performed with grace and funk and yes – there even was hold-on-for-your-life, full-on spinning, too! (Sorry about my sweaty paws – they’re not great for that particular move). But yes! That was a cooker! Nice work wife of Detholz (aka Ann Atomic aka Jenn Schwarz!) on this mix of mixes that’s left me breathless and now speechless.

In the immortal words of Mel Brooks…May the Schwarz be with you.

Mamma Said TKO

DJ Michelle Leslie Brown threw down hard last night with a mix that left us all better people. It was eclectic, it spanned decades and even continents! And man oh man – do I LOVE that Liz Mason’s lava projector! It provided shadow boxing ring and aggression release chamber for Mamma Said Knock You Out. Although Jenn Martin apparently didn’t get enough aggression out during class – so she decided to smash a potted plant on the ground at the end – just for kicks. Ha! Butreallyfolks – it was an accident. But maybe we can all bring a plant some class and smash them outside sometime? Ok – maybe fake plants. I don’t want to commit herbicide.

And lest I forget to mention – ANY mix that includes any tracks off of Daft Punk’s live in Chicago music is after my heart. Great work Leslie Brown! Your college self would be proud!

It’s the end of the world as we know it: and I feel sweaty

DJ Ruthliss lived up to her moniker tonight. She assembled a hard-hitting mix that left little time for water breaks and catching the breath. In short: that’s just how we like it. An hour and a half later and BAM! We accidentally got an amazing workout without even realizing it.

The classics kept up our energy up so we could sing and clap along and RuthLiss threw out some new zingers to check out. After tonight’s session – I’m feeling that special kind of wiped out where I could fall asleep standing up and still manage beautiful dreams. Nighty night you lovelies – nice work tonight.

Hey Peeps: No DDPP Easter Sunday

Yerp. We’re taking Easter Sunday – March 23rd off. Not because we want to, mind you – but because the easter bunny has threatened to leave a heap of special brown pebbles on our doorsteps if we don’t hang out with our families that day. Pass the word to your ladies if they don’t know! We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming after Sunday.   

Can’t Get Enough Krack

One of the greatest aspects of DDPP is that no two are ever alike. Not only are the vibrational frequencies of the room different and the ladies different, but each playlist has its own personality. Sure we might hear Gnarls Barkley or Kool and the Gang or Madonna every few mixes – but by and large no two mixes are alike. And every once in a while…we get a real all-star DJ who likes a challenge…

Today – DJ Krack joined the DJ Hall of Fame (established with DJ Import’s entirely non-USA mix) with her 100% never-been-heard-before-in-DDPP-studio raucous rocking mix of rockingness. Yep – she created a spreadsheet and HAND ENTERED EVERY SONG we’ve ever played to ensure her list was nothing but newness! Over 1,000 songs lovingly typed in spreadsheet form! Incredible! The dedication to originality and the mix – stupendous!

A dozen lovelies came out and braved the frigid March afternoon to clap their hands and say hell yeah to the termination of winter. Well – I guess not yet – but yes to the ever brightening evenings! Unless you’re Jenn Martin and you’re fasting until sundown… in that case. Well – that’s another story.

Thanks to DJ Krack for the rock and roll and roll and rock! Amazing job!

Dancin’ our faces off with the Dynamic Duo

DJ Tricky Nicky & DJ Ni K K created an unforgettable ladies night that was certainly toxic to our limbs. It was if their songs & their titles described everything we are/do/and love. Check it out: Low, Shake that, bust a move, shake your groove thing. We did all of these liberating moves. If anyone saw us, they’d be thinking….Don’t stop the music & Ooh la la. The beauty of DDPP however, is that no one was watching, there are no Mr. Big Stuff’s to impress, no Barbie girls, and it’s not a scene for making out. For us, we can safely say, “let’s dance because..I think we’re alone now”. What did this mean for us and DJ Tricky Nicky & DJ Ni K K? They got to tell us, “Relax, take it easy. If you don’t know by now….You should be dancing. Let that Party in your head out and let’s make some Abracadabra on the dance floor tonight. The way you move needs to shine on the dance floor, not back in your head”. Normally, it’s tricky to let it all out. At DDPP however, that has never been the case. Our incredible DJ’s tonight knew that Girls just want to have fun & they created a mix that left us Adrift on Memory Bliss. Kudos to you ladies for letting us get our moves out of our head, down through our limbs, and onto the dance floor.

Say Na Say Na turned into Say Ya Say Ya

Wow..to start a mix with a heavy hitter such as canned heat says it all. DJ ann atomic took us on a ride around the world about xxxxxtimes, where a roller coaster of emotions escaped our bodies. Along the way we got some Bonafide Lovin’ by bringing the “good” boys home. Our Belleville Rendez Vous displayed a whipping of our bodies and a unified gyrating motion as we learned how to beat it. Love soon tore us a apart though once we learned we were a chain of fools. It was on to a Wild Wild Life after that. We caught the last train to Mars just in time to reach NO MAN’S LAND, where we expressed ourselves freely. It was here when we finally let go of everything we had bee holding onto, that we found peace, exhilaration, and total bliss. We all let it out in a place called Xanadu, where movin’ on up and movin’ on down is a way of life on the dance floor. DJ Ann Atomic…I’m ready for my next trip around the world. Got my ticket, my bags are packed, just waiting for my feet to move.

Passport to Schvitzing

Tonight’s music was amazing! Or in other words…

heute abend war Musik erstaunlich

vanavond was de muziek verbazend

απόψε η μουσική ήταν καταπληκτική

今夜音楽はすばらしかった

오늘 밤 음악은 굉장했다

今晚音乐是令人惊讶的

He

DJ Import wasn’t prepared to just throw down any old mix – she painstakingly collected it from around the globe and shipped it in bubble wrap with plenty of postage! Not a single song from American soil – and all of it booty-busting, post-language dance bliss material! This is a feat worth commendation of the highest order! I haven’t figured out what that means quite yet – but maybe a cupcake or a crown or at the very least a supremely thunderous high five.  I’m happy to report none of us were mugged, had gastrointestinal issues or contracted avian flu (knock on wood).  That mix tired me out so thoroughly I think I gotta leave it at that and hit the hay. Amazing job on the tunage and assemblage DJ Import! I’ll be your backpacking buddy anytime!

   

Holy Christ(Church)! Kiwis Gone Wild!

So it’s pretty incredible that the island nation of New Zealand is soon to have 2 DDPPs going strong! What’s even more incredible is that the South Island chapter in Christchurch will be run by two of my favorite people in the world – Charlotte and Fiona! Had I not fallen seriously ill in their lovely nation back in 2002 – I would have never been taken in and cared for by Fiona’s family and met these amazing ladies who will soon run the greatest DDPP the southern hemisphere has ever seen! I think this makes it official that New Zealand has the highest coolness per capita of any nation on earth.
If you happen to know any ladies in Christchurch – do pass along the good news! I might have to take a little “business trip” there and check it out!

<3 JB

Too hot to handle: gimme some candy for this one

It was a hot day for Chicago -weather wise & dancin’ wise. With a name like DJ candypants there are always enough good n’ plenty’s to go around..and I’m not talking about candy..I”m talking about songs. DJ candypants had a mix that kept going, one heavy beat after another. It was sweet, sour, tart, and overwhelmingly addictive (did I mention I’m addicted to candy). Did I also mention that DJ candy pants was the only one with pants on tonight. Ok, the last comment is false, but were sure dancing hard enough to be dancing right out of our pantalones. If that wasn’t enough, there was even a song woven in her mix that made reference to a candy girl. Could they be one in the same? Twenty six women dancing their hearts out = a certain kind of steamy sweetness. DJ candypants also brought her own trivia quiz to the mix tonight. If someone could guess the city that six of the groups on her mix were from, they would win a day of dancin’ at DDPP on her! That sounds like a noble prize to me, if not an incentive to multi-task racking my brain as I danced into an oblivion. Without further ado, hats off to you, DJ Candypants. You truly sold me & my sweet tooth with your stellar mix.