"This is the bomb," senior business major Pat Callocchia said as he gazed in awe at turntablist DJ Anubus tearing through his ever-expanding Dank Funk routine.
"Every time out is a completely new experience," Callocchia said. He religiously attends the events of local DJ production crew Dank Funk in Buffalo, as well as local hip-hop show Baby Steps every Thursday night at Broadway Joe's with DJ LoPro, Ketchup Samurai and MC Sick.
Friday night's show at Broadway Joe's featured a mixture of Dank Funk productions as well as a little taste into the world of Baby Steps, with MC Sick and co-partner 3rd Son blazing through positive hip-hop while Buffalo's top gun turntablist LoPro tore up the vinyl.
Other acts on the diversified bill included UB's own DJ Anubus, DJ Biz-E and top Buffalo funked-out jam band, Myoclonic Jerk.
To commence the evening, DJ Biz-E took over the tables to a steadily increasing crowd and showcased his talents for a solid two hours. Incorporating elements of hip-hop, funk, drum and bass, and various break beats, Biz-E commanded the turntables, playing for the crowd while mixing in timely cuts and quick breaks in style.
DJ Anubus, whose real name is Brad Piersons, a junior art major at UB, continued to expand his live repertoire, sending the local crowd to frenzy. Through his extensive use of turntable techniques like beat juggling, beat matching, drumming (the use drum samples to make a beat) and mixing unique musical combinations, such as James Brown's vocals with heavy break beats, Anubus glided through his set with relative ease and panache.
"I try to make every transition interesting, instead of just blending songs," Anubus said.
Anubus also spoke of Dank Funk and their increasing role in the diverse Buffalo music scene.
"Dank Funk is about merging the styles of turntable music and the jam band scene," said Anubus. "We focus mainly on hip-hop and live bands but also include small doses of drum and bass and break beats."
According to Anubus, the goal of the scene "is to expose turntablism, hip-hop and all its components to the public. We want to show Buffalo that there is true talent in this city."
Anubus' set had the crowd at Broadway Joe's alive and the enthusiasm was raised even further when underground local celebrities, MC Sick, 3rd Son and DJ LoPro hit the stage with pure, unadulterated hip-hop.
Clearly, this was no amateur act. Anyone that has ever witnessed the spectacle that is Baby Steps knows that these guys are the real deal.
LoPro quickly took control of the crowd, throwing down constantly strong beats while assimilating various scratch techniques to the highly animated crowd of onlookers. MC Sick's vocal flow was always on point, with 3rd Son adding timely verses to the tight compositions.
Though relatively short, their set was high in vitality, and got the crowd at Broadway Joe's more than ready for the closing act, Myoclonic Jerk.
The Jerk give it their all in their performance. Anubus stepped back up on stage to start the set, contributing quality turntable flavor to the sweet-sounding funk.
Despite the late hour, people were dancing and having a good time throughout the entire show, as a way of coping with the return of Buffalo's winter weather.
"It's the end of the school year, and everyone's been getting really down," said Mike Peller, a junior English and media studies major who attended the show. "So, some friends and I decided to come out and check out what Buffalo has going on, and I'd have to say I'm pleasantly surprised."
He stood listening as the Jerk tore through a tight interpretation of Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean." Peller then headed to the dance floor with the others in attendance.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
