BADASSSSS MIX | vol 1 & 2
WBL's own d.painter brings us 2-hours of BADASSSSS music, mashing up 1970s soul and house music; 2 passions of the late Sam Burns.
This past weekend the DMV area celebrated the life of Sam "The Man" Burns, a music legend who passed away in 2020 at the age of 62. His contribution to the DC music scene as the dominant house music selector at every legendary house club in the District since the '80s was commemorated on his Birthday, Friday, May 31st as a block of 18th St. NW was named Sam "The Man' Burns Way. This section of the street is important because it is the block where the former Eighteenth Street Lounge (aka ESL) was located, an iconic and internationally revered venue worthy of a street naming of its own. The venue was made famous by DJ/recording artists, Thievery Corporation, and Sam's house night on Sundays became a staple for dancers and music lovers for years until his passing, literally days before the pandemic lockdown. Luckily, his extended family across the DMV were able to congregate there one last time in his memory for some cathartic dancing, story sharing, and much-needed hugs before everyone was forced to isolate at home.
The birthday festivities started early this year with a concert the previous weekend featuring headliner and house vocal legend Crystal Waters ("100%" "Gypsy Lady"). On his birthday WPFW 89.3 FM (a Pacifica Radio station and home of WBL's Something To Say show) paused all regularly scheduled programming for a DJ takeover which included archive mixes of Sam himself.
Amidst the house sets, d.painter was featured for 2-hours with the special assignment of highlighting Sam's love of 70's era Blaxploitation movies like Three The Hardway, Foxy Brown, and Shaft which are revered as a period in pop culture when African American actors and actresses became the leads as superhero-like figures taking on the system. These stories were heightened by soundtracks by the greatest stars of soul music including Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch, and even Marvin Gaye who were offered a unique chance to experiment with instrumental soundscapes backed by full orchestras.
Named after Sam's Facebook group, Badasssss Cinema, and the movie credited with starting the film genre, Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song (1971), d.painter's BADASSSSS mixes blend some of the best music from those film's soundtracks, remixes of some of those themes and house music that samples disco and soul music, crossing generations without losing site of the Blaxploitation groove and aesthetic.
