If you’ve been a fan of this site then you know that we’ve stanned for DC’s Cam Jus for years now. No seriously, check the cam_jus tag. The DC producer has been stepping his game up massively in the past year, with his Moombahton releases. His Night Vision EP is the latest foray into this genre, with Cam addung a dose of Moombahsoul, remixing Earth Wind & Fire’s ‘Keep Your Head to the Sky,’ and Lisa Fischer’s “How Can I Ease The Pain.” Check it.

NightVision by Cam Jus

Pictured above is David Heartbreak. A former NYC rapper turned producer, he’s one of the most prolific and internationally acclaimed producers of the Dutch house meets reggaeton tropical bass explosion known as moombahton. Washington, DC’s Dave Nada invented the rapidly circulating in underground circles genre as a stopgap measure when confronted by a house party of Latino teens unwilling to get down to 130 BPM house melodies, but definitely willing to get into bubblin’ melodies around 108 BPM. However, as with most things in this most technologically advanced era, moombahton’s gotten out of control really fast, and led to some amazing permutations. The most noteworthy of these mutations is Heartbreak’s invention and addition to moombahton, moombahsoul.

Dance music has always had a rich R & B tradition. Long before disco was associated with synthesized rhythms and monotonous percussion, the genre started as party throwers like David Mancuso threw loft parties that broke unique R & B tracks like Manu Dibango’s “Soul Makossa,” War’s “City Country City” and the Four Tops “Are You Man Enough?,” and the Philly soul concoctions of the entire collective at Philadelphia International Records blended soul and dance with effortless grace. House music has always been a hotbed for the most soulful of vocals, as artists as diverse as Martha Wash and Loleatta Holloway to more modern voices like Deborah Cox and Kelly Rowland have used the genre to breathe life into their stalled careers. And of course, what would hip hop be without hip house, the sub genre that from the Jungle Brothers’ famous “Girl I’ll House You” to Chubb Rock’s “Treat Em Right” has been built on breaks that come straight from the sweaty dance floors to the realm of the boom bap.

David Heartbreak is an anomaly to dance music. By his own admission he’s growing in his knowledge of pure dance music, and is “trying to do something different, to not be just another dude making moombahton.” His co-conspirator, Dutch heavy bass wunderkind Munchi agrees, and in summer of 2010, really set upon a journey to expand moombahton. Their first directive was to involve R & B. The first of these tracks, Heartbreak’s edit of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love,” “Shy Day,” took what was basically a deep house oriented genre in a very sensuous direction, and moombahton producers haven’t looked back since. Munchi’s Montell Jordan “Get It On Tonight” edit “Esta Noche” is tremendous as well, and is a staple in the live mixes of moombahton creator Nada and a plethora of others.

Many producers and dance fanatics alike are skeptical and derisive about moombahton, noting the lack of talent required to pitch down Dutch house and make edits. However, in moombahsoul, you find some of the early signs of true musicianship and creativity in the moombahton genre. Names unfamiliar to most music fans like Philadelphia’s Jon Kwest, Arizona’s DJ Melo and Pickster One, DCs Cam Jus and a number of others have excelled in this format and are leading arbiters of this new sonic craze.

Brent Tactic – CouchSessions.com Moombahsoul Mix by brent tactic

As an adjoiner to this post, Kansas City’s own Brent Tactic mixes 30 minutes of moombahsoul, guaranteed to invite even the most hardened anti-moombahton fanatic to groove. Tracks from artists as diverse as Curtis Mayfield, Troop, Chris Brown, Aretha Franklin, and the Notorious BIG have been re-imagined with a tropical sway, and provide intriguing listens. As a DJ, Tactic’s weekly Sunday parties at Kansas City’s Californos bar/club follow the standard of moombahton’s spread, functions that blend the best parts of LA’s Do Over with the best impulses of classic era DC punk Food for Thought Sunday matinees.

Enjoy!

Dale Moombahton!

Tracklist

1.Wiz & Snoop – That Good (Theory’s Moombahstoned Remix)
2.Heartbreak – Shy Day
3.DJ Teenage Wolf – Think Of You
4.Cam Jus – Deuces (Moombahton Ish)
5.Jon Kwest – Angie’s Song
6.Pickster & Melo – Fat Booty
7.Heartbreak – Grown Man Shi
8.Munchi – Me & My Bitch
9.Melo – Es Deficil
10. Munchi – Hope
11. Roska ft. Jamie George – Wonderful Day (Dave Nada Moombahton Edit)
12. Heartbreak – Dance If You Like
13. Jacques Greene – Tell (Kingdom Edit Brent Tactic Moombahton Flip)

Moombahton’s most significant growth occurred in a hole in the wall bar in Washington, DC known as the Velvet Lounge. Nondescipt, the space has served as a home to regular DJ gigs and a small upstairs performance space that has been graced by a plethora of now top name indie rock and dance acts. It’s closest kin would be something close to legendary NYC punk venue CBGBs, small but significant. In July, Dave Nada started “Moombahton Mondays” at the venue, and spun epic five hour sets for ten sweltering weeks that touched upon the latest moombahton edits, but also showed the sound’s myriad of influences, including but not limited to Bollywood bhangra, hip hop, cumbia, merengue, bachata and funky, soulful house. The parties made household names of a brand new set of DJs, and was ultimately the vehicle that opened the door to the new era of international underground EDM. After ten weeks of parties, there were stars that emerged.

Moombahton Mondays Mix – Summer of 2010 by davenada

Heads Will Roll (A-Mac Moombahton Edit) by DJ A-Mac

Calgary’s DJ A-Mac had the first and most pop trending hit of the genre with his edit of DJ A-Mac’s remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll.” It’s the poppiest moombahton hit to date, as in appropriating a very pop trending remix and blending Karen Y’s yearning with the already present synths, the familiar loping bassline and bright reggaeton percussion, it’s a pop winner.

Munchi – Metele Bellaco (Moombahton) by Munchi

Chhavi (Moombhangra) by David Heartbreak

Charlotte, NC’s David Heartbreak was a NYC emcee now involved with DJing who was working with a reggaeton devouring beat machine named Munchi from the Netherlands. Upon discovering moombahton, their shared love of hip hop took over, and the duo took moombahton into the crunk of the club. However, Munchi, also obsessed with African kuduro sounds and heavy percussive melodies in general took things a step further. He’s akin to what self professed “Philly Club King” DJ Sega is to club music for moombahton, the genre’s biggest risk taker who perpetually finds rewards. His tracks have come to push other producers in the genre to new heights, his unrestrained focus and perpetual great track making (yes, he’s been making beats since age 11, is now 21 and submitted 175 tracks to DJ Ayres of T & A Records to make a six track EP) a mind boggling statement of dominance. If anyone outside of the leading forefathers of the sound is set to become a major player in EDM off the back of the moombahton movement, the wild haired mellow Dutchman with a penchant for loin splattering bass will be the one.

Munchi – Pun Aint Dead by Munchi

The track making bug has also assaulted DC as well. If at all familiar with The Couch Sessions, then you know Couch Sessions favorite Cam Jus. His productions and edits have always been one of the great joys of his “Blast” mix series, but the DJ has always been a fan of Latin sounds, and I can personally attest to being awoken at various times of the night by the DJ himself being out and about in Latin clubs and speakeasies in the Maryland suburbs where he would go on and on for ages about the new sound pouring from the speakers, Latin house and Latin infused hip hop edits, and how the slow pace of the music kept the party going longer with heightened intensity. Moombahton has inspired Cam, and due to what he refers to as the “viscosity” of the sound, Cam’s edits, which started off with MIA’s “Boyz” have now dipped into sensually charged bangers that inspire wholesale moves to dance floor explosions. Alongside the more house trending sound of local partner in crime Obeyah, Dave Nada is the padrino of the movement, but not the only local heavy hitter.

no booty (keep rockin) by Cam Jus

The two most key element we will handle in the next and final installment is unity involved within the movement amongst DJs and how the sound makes you feel. The brotherhood in the sound is inspiring. Sonically, moombahton clocking in at about 108 BPMs, allows for the body to step into an alternative universe where the sound waves bounce off of bodies hypnotized by the seductive Latin rhythm and cause gyrations that are lock step dance at a 2/4 pace in a four on the floor dance universe. The next evolution in dance has arrived.

Cam jus – 007s by Cam Jus

Cam Jus is a DJ and producer from DC who likes drinking Orange Juice, Vodka and 7-Up every day. He also has his debut EP, The Rookie Card dropping soon. Introspective and thoughtful, he cites Mos Def as a creative inspiration. Dude is also a beast.
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Let’s be real here for a second. DJ Cam Jus will be the next rising top underground DJ and producer from Washington, DC. He’s made notable leaps and jumps in 2010 as instead of going out to music and hopping on trends and getting active as a remixer, music came to him. As we’ve said here before, Cam Jus was all about what moombahton has become before moombahton even existed. Cam as a live DJ has also been all about celebrating the hood underbelly of hip hop long before everybody else rediscovered it and started screaming about being Big Meech, Larry Hoover, MC Hammer and “going hard in the paint.”? Cam’s a musical outlier. He likes what he likes, because he likes it. He doesn’t hop on trends because everyone else is, or because he thinks it will make him cool. Let’s extend it and say that also, Cam’s not cool. He’s hip, and he definitely knows what’s up, but he’s not cool. Never has been, probably never will be. But he’s eminently talented and far better than anybody realizes.

DC’s all about getting on in the urban underground because of the cliquish nature of hipster DJs. The inter-connectivity of DJs influenced by the Hollerboard and partying in the same groupings for years still hasn’t broken. As well, DJs who can promote their OWN parties get on a lot quicker than those who don’t, as having the ability to promote yourself in a 1-to-1 way with a fellow DJ is a LOT easier than being reliant upon an intermediary manager or outside promoter.

Cam’s gonna break that trend. The first of many in a generation of young underground DJs from explicitly outside of the initial community, his skills and talents with moombahton have been noted as excellent and devloping by the likes of Dave Nada, Munchi, David Heartbreak and DJ Sabo, and as a live DJ, his game has picked up locally, as he’s spun the Rock Creek Social Club’s party at Recess, Lamine Ndour’s The Talented event with Kokayi and the Diamond District amongst his regular gigs as well. Developing a style as well that’s heavy on soul, R & B, club, international bass heavy melodies and the ever present urban trending hip hop sounds. His productions have improved immensely, and he’s presently in school getting educated further on production to make his chops legitimate and untouchable.

His “007″ mix includes amongst many melodic goodies, moombahton (check his latest, “The Booty,” a sex charged dance floor romp), the trending dub of Katy B’s “On a Mission,” Munchi’s incredible kuduro remix of DC homie Steve Starks’ “Get Em,” as well as yes, the winter champion of hip hop stoner crunk, Waka, Roscoe and Wale’s stip club anthem “No Hands.”

BLAST3 – STREAM VERSION by Cam Jus

Most of y’all know that DC’s DJ Cam Jus is killing the game. His Blast 2 mix that was posted at this very site last year got rave reviews from all over the world. It’s been a minute, but ladies and gentleman, I present to you: The BLAST 3.

The third edition of The BLAST series sees my homie Cam in rare form. He drops splendid remixes of Raheem Devaughn’s “Bulletproof,” and Maluca’s El Tigeraso, as well as originals such as “Damn Woman,” and “Lemon-Lime.”

Check the tracklist, this mix is quite possibly, the best thing you’ll hear this year. Check the Dam Funk drop!!

You can check Cam in DC at Jimmy Valentine’s this Friday Feb. 19th.  Also, he will be mixing live every Sunday at 10pm live on CrateApes Radio.

Maluca – El Tigeraso (Cam Jus Remix)

Most of y’all know that I’m a huge fan of Washington DC-based DJ Cam Jus. Cam straightup destroyed his opening set at the first All Killer, No Filler, and his Blast mixtapes and remixes have been getting good buzz from Couch Sessions readers over the year. I’m glad to say that Cam is back, dropping his long awaited Blast 3 mixtape soon, as well as spinning this Friday night at Lil Miss Whiskey’s on H Street NE in the District.

The Blast series combines the best of urban and pop music with Cam’s knack for outside the box thinking. Previous entries saw Cam blending Busta’s “Arab Money,” with Peter Bjorn and John for starters, then switch to crunk and then to go-go. If you’re a fan of the previous entries, you should definitely be down for his latest outing.

Photos by Sexy Fitsum/iLLIMETER and Lady Glock/Lady Glock Photography. Please Support.

Words by Chris Kelly of True Genius Requires Insanity

When I first moved to Washington, I heard plenty about “the two DCs:” two disparate cultures, ostensibly with transient denizens of the Capitol Hill-K Street-Georgetown axis on one hand and native Washingtonians on the other. The separation was cultural and economic, with racial undertones. The reality, as with all generalizations, is much more complicated.

DC is a creative class city. Even the Wall Street Journal knows that. With residents of every national and international origin, DC has developed a multitude of cultures. As a whole, the District rejects homogeneity and is all the better for it (the same can’t be said for some of its parts, i.e. the aforementioned Capitol Hill-K Street-Georgetown axis, but I digress). And while this fragmentation has let scenes develop for every individual taste, pigeonholing not seen since high school lunch tables keeps apart people who should be socializing, communicating, and most importantly, partying.

It may be ambitious, but the new monthly getdown All Killer No Filler aims to end this, at least partially, by bridging the gap between the urban and alternative dance scenes, whose aesthetic and musical tastes have more in common than not.

Joint Chiefs, the cultural Voltron of Winston Ford of The Couch Sessions, Sonya Collins of The Glass House and Marcus Dowling of True Genius Requires Insanity, three of DC’s leading tastemakers and trend-spotters, planned, executed and hosted the inaugural All Killer No Filler on Thursday, October 1 at Liv Nightclub (2001 11^th Street NW).

The evening began with two of DCs finest DJs on the turntables, spinning tunes guaranteed to get the crowd of early-adopters ready for an exciting night. First up was DJ Cam Jus, whose inventive mixes and eclectic musical tastes make him a perfect fit for everyone in this crowd. This is a selector on the rise: check out his excellent edits of Nike Boots and Bang for a taste of his style. Next up, the ever-present DC DJ Trevor Martin (Sneakers in the Club /$weat$hop), spinning hip-hop hits from ’89 to ’09. These tunes are tried and true – who doesn’t sing along when “Juicy” comes on?

Just as Liv’s bar and dance floor started to fill up, it was time for the night’s featured performer: up-and-comer RAtheMC (Strange Music). Here’s an artist who truly embodies All Killer No Filler’s ideals: a rapper-slash-singer whose skills on the mic are undeniable, who still tries to push things forward with fashion and style. Ra, backed by live drums and keys, wasted no time, rapping over “Uptown” and “D.O.A” before performing her own songs.

Any female musician who brings a combination of rapping and singing will be unfairly compared to Lauryn Hill (see: Estelle, every article about). Luckily, this doesn’t discourage Ra, whose re-working of Ms. Hill’s “Lost Ones” is a highlight of her set. Ra definitely takes the MC part of moniker seriously, engaging the crowd every second she’s on stage. And as someone who had braces, I can’t imagine rapping with that much metal in your mouth (okay, so it’s no “Through the Wire” accomplishment, but nothing to sneer at). Her new mixtape, the Twitter-inspired “Trending Topics,” drops on October 6 and features production by Mick Boogie and DC’s own Judah (on the beat).

Accompanying Ra was frequent collaborator Mz. Mimz, whose mixtape “Thoughts While Getting Dressed” introduced DC to its newest soul chanteuse. Her sound reminds me of another DC R&B singer, Wayna. Hopefully, All Killer introduced the audience to another Next Big Thing.

Closing out the night were two of DC’s most in-demand DJs, Steve Starks and Nacey, who wasted no time in dropping the hottest in club/electro/dance bangers guaranteed to keep the crowd’s energy up. From their own songs (“Lose Your Love”) to brand new tracks (Duck Sauce’s “aNYway”) to the classics (Ghost City DJs’ “My Boo”), these are songs that if you’re not dancing, you may be broken.

Anyone who’s spent some time in the District knows there are more than just “two DCs:” there are countless subcultures and scenes, with something for everyone. But between the promotion the Joint Chiefs are known for, and the word-of-mouth growth similar events have garnered, All Killer No Filler is sure to change that, for the better.

Upset you missed one hell of a party? See you on November 5 for an All Killer No Filler guaranteed to push the limits of what a DC party can be.

Flyer Design by Brian Akpa of Citizen Design. Big up for the 24 Hour Turnaround as well!

If you’ve been following @couchsessions @theglasshousedc or @marcuskdowling (aka the Joint Chiefs) on Twitter, then you already know that ALL KILLER, NO FILLER will be taking over Liv Nightclub this Thursday, October 1st!! ALL KLLER is a monthly event curated for the purpose of uniting the urban and alternative dance and social communities, bringing musical talent from all over the city together in the same room, to celebrate the musical diversity within this city.

Join us, on Thursday, October 1st, for the kickoff for this 18+ Montly Event.

RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Special Headlining Performer: RA The MC (with Live Band!)

DJ Sets By:

Cam Jus

Trevor Martin

Starks and Nacey

PRIMO PRIMO PRIMO!!

I’m going to be knocking that word against your heads for the next two weeks.

DC’s newest party PRIMO is dropping on May 23rd, Memorial Day Weekend at Selam in DC. DJ Cam Jus will be rocking the 1s and 2s throwing down hip-hop R&B, g0-go, house and anything in between.

If youre tired of the same ol thang and you want to avoid those crowds at the other spots, join us for the hottest collection of music that The District has to offer, along with DCs most prolific DJ.

THIS WILL BE THE HOTTEST PARTY IN DC. FREE ENTRY BEFORE 11:30 with FLYER. $4 BEERS. $4 SHOTS!!

THIS IS A COUCH SESSIONS APPROVED EVENT!

Primo
Selam
1524 U Street, NW
Washington, DC
Metro: Green/Yellow Lines

Cam Jus – The Blast 2 Mixtape

Cam Jus is a brilliant man. 

His first Blast Mixtapes have beecome a staple on my iPod, and the sequel, the aptly titled Blast 2, goes in even further. Cam is one of the few cats in the local DC scene that drops blends and mashups on the dancefloor (his decision to play Mick Boogies Jay + Oasis blend killed during Inauguration weekend), and his love for bringing different while still making the dancefloor move makes him stand out in the crowd. The Blast 2 mixes Arab Money with Peter Bjorn and John (that song was screaming for a remix), and even drops some DJ Sega in for good measure. And yes, this mix contains the Cam Jus Remix of Wale’s Nike Boots (+ Rockwell!!) that I had the courtesy of previewing a few weeks ago.