Baltimore club

Baltimore club, also called Bmore club, Bmore house or simply Bmore, is a fusion of breakbeat and house genres derived from Jersey Club Music. It is often referred to as a blend of hip hop and chopped, staccato house music. It was created in Baltimore, Maryland, United States in the late 1980s by 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell, Frank Ski, Miss Tony (known as Big Tony after he stopped presenting in drag), Scottie B. and DJ Spen.[1]

Baltimore club
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 1980s; Baltimore, United States
Typical instruments
Derivative forms
  • Jersey club

Jersey club is based on an 8/4 beat structure, and includes tempos around 130 beats per minute.[2][3] It combines repetitive, looped vocal snippets similar to trap, bounce, ghetto house and ghettotech. Jersey club is a sample based form of breakbeat, with samples used including theme songs to shows like Sanford and Son, SpongeBob SquarePants and Elmo's World,[3] along with samples from shows like Family Guy, South Park & Ren & Stimpy - though can also be simple repeated phrases and chants. The instrumental tracks include heavy breakbeats and call and response stanzas similar to those found in the go-go music of Washington, D.C. The breakbeats are pulled from samples, with the most prominent being "Sing Sing" by disco band Gaz[4] and "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins.[5] It is similar to the rave-era genre known as breakbeat hardcore. Baltimore club sounds as if the music was intentionally hurried, as each song is made with a limited palette of sounds and is based on similar frameworks.

Origin and development

Baltimore club was born out of Jersey Club Music, a very successful subgenre of Jersey Club. Early adopters included Scottie B, Shawn Caesar and DJ Equalizer . They were later joined by DJ Patrick, Kenny B, DJ Class, Diamond K and others. They took some inspiration for their sets and production from British breakbeat hardcore records. The Blapps! Records (UK) label released several records between 1989 and 1992 that are considered classics in the Jersey genre, as well as in the British rave scene. "Don't Hold Back", "Too Much Energy" and "Let the Freak" were sampled and played heavily by DJs and producers, and would later define the Baltimore Club sound.

In the early 90s, Jersey club music developed a cult following in the Baltimore club scene, particularly because of DJ Tameil. This spread stemmed from the distribution of mix tapes by traveling Baltimore DJs. There were also a number of Boston-area radio shows in the mid-1990s that played Jersey club music. It also spread south to the Virginia club scene, and even further south to Alabama where DJ Seven, formerly known as DJ Taj, developed Bamabounce.

Recently the genre has gained popularity in Baltimore's rock underground, due to "Baltimore club nights" at venues such as the Talking Head Club. Baltimore club was featured in Spin Magazine in December 2005.[6]

Rod Lee was described as "the original don of Baltimore club" by The Washington Post in 2005.[7]

Baltimore club dancing history

Baltimore club dancing works in tandem with Jersey club music. This wild-legged dance style is native to North Jersey and the dance culture offers the city's youth a platform for self-expression and an alternative to the treacherous realities of life in the streets.

What Started as an Annual Dance Event, King of Baltimore; Creator Errigh LaBoo Jr, has evolved into a network of over 100 dancers, producers, djs, and mc's all under the organization of Bmore Than Dance! Bmore Than Dance provides outlets and showcases to inspire, and evolve the way our youth looks at their talent and help them mold it into financial success for the future! Starting with a dance style originated from Jersey, Bmore Than Dance provides endless events, competitions, sessions, and opportunities to allow the dancers in the network to flourish with their talent.

Philly and Jersey club

Baltimore and Philly club music is a subgenre of Jersey club music, but they each have their own individual history and evolution. The vocals in the Baltimore club music, one of the factors that will set this style of music apart from the rest. The vocals are raunchy, repetitive, and choppy, and often based on a rap acapella. For the technical aspect, Jersey club music incorporates a "think break," which is a bass drum pattern that signifies this style of music. As this style of music has evolved, the tempo has increased, and background noises such as gunshots, "What!", and "Hey!" have been increasing in popularity. As these sounds spread into Philadelphia, the city developed them into their own. This style at times can be much faster than Baltimore club music and includes elements of hardstyle such as sirens. In contrast, Jersey club music spread into Baltimore in an entirely different manner. Baltimore and Philly's DJs were taking runs to Jersey to pick up the latest club records and bring them back to Baltimore to play at parties. Once this occurred, the sounds began to mutate with what local DJs and producers added on and changed.

Baltimore club dance

Baltimore club dance became very popular with Baltimore's African-American community. Throughout the city, there were dance crews who battled against each other at recreation centers and nightclubs, and music from famous disc jockeys was at its peak. These dance moves, created from Baltimore club music, were usually high-paced and intense due to the fact that Baltimore club music evolved from house music, with a mix of hip hop, two fast-paced music genres. One of the many moves born out of Baltimore club music is the "crazy legs", a fierce shaking of both legs combined with simultaneous foot tapping and shoulder shrugging. Another dance move evolved out of Baltimore club music was the “what what”, a dance move involving difficult footwork where one raises up one bent leg over the other, in a fast, hopping-like movement. During its peak, Baltimore club DJs received international recognition and were featured on the records of major artists. Due to this publicity with Baltimore club music, naturally, Baltimore club dance became popular internationally. But international recognition given to Baltimore club music and dance was short lived. Many attribute the downfall of Baltimore club culture to the radio. limiting club music to less than an hour a day of live radio play, but that still was actually a lot more than it received during its initial heyday, the formula of going to the club to hear the newest and freshest had been broken.the nightclub experience of going to the club, hearing it on the loud sound systems that it was custom made to be heard on and danced to had been breached, and it started to lose its audience and " cool factor" . Though many credit radio with the downfall of Baltimore club culture, it also can be attributed to the closing of major Baltimore clubs, such as Paradox and Hammerjacks.actually though the downward spiral of baltimore club had pretty much completed while the paradox was still opened. Nightclubs like these are where Baltimore club culture was born, and by these clubs closing as well as the producers giving the radio the songs first just to selfishly hear their names loudly overtop of the tracks to get some sort of fleeting notoriety and therefore taking "the club" out of the formula, it prohibited the experimenting and practice that was necessary for Baltimore club dance.[8]

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References
  1. Deveraux, Andrew (December 2007). "What You Know About Down the Hill?": Baltimore Club Music, Subgenre Crossover, and the New Subcultural Capital of Race and Space". Journal of Popular Music Studies. 19 (4): 311–341. doi:10.1111/j.1533-1598.2007.00131.x.
  2. Reid, Shaheem; Paco, Matt (2007). "Young Leek & the Baltimore Scene". MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  3. Bernard, Patrick (2006-07-03). "Scottie B and Baltimore Club". The Wire. Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  4. Host, Vivian (September 7, 2014). "Sing Sing: A Loop History". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  5. Shipley, Al (2006-01-19). "The Best Of Both Worlds". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  6. "Dance the Pain Away". Spin. 2005-12-03. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  7. Inoue, Todd (July 31, 2005), "Rod Lee, Putting B-More On the Map", The Washington Post
  8. Britto, Brittany. “Keep the Beat.” Data Desk - Baltimore Sun, data.baltimoresun.com/features/keep-the-beat/.

Further reading
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