{image1} "We don't want people coming just to hear their favorite song. We want people coming down to have a good time. That's why it's called No Request Fridays," says DJ Kid Cut Up.
Friday nights at the bSide are marked by DJs Why B (Chris Gerard) and Kid Cut Up's (Tim Zick) innovative mix of "dance-floor friendly hip-hop."
This is not your usual radio formatted hip-hop night: "I have no problem playing commercial music," says Cut Up, but both DJs adhere to the idea that hip-hop is "more about how you play than what you play."
"We play commercial, indie and old school joints, as well as bits of funk, soul, rock, reggae and more," Why B says. They blend it all together, sometimes doing live remixes that combine the vocal from one song with the beat from another, allowing them to play Atmosphere and Jay Z, not just next to each other, but on top of each other, creating a new song.
Cut Up began DJing in high school, eventually hooking up with regional DMC champion John Swan to form the Fader Grimmlins, a four-person crew based on turntablist innovators The Invisibl Skratch Piklz. The group's live performances featured sampler battles, scratch routines and the occasional freestyle.
Cut Up was developing a reputation on his own, DJing house parties and putting out mixtapes. "I came to hip-hop late," Cut Up explains. "I really felt the need to start back at the beginning and study my way all the way up."
Why B and Cut Up got together at Thai Joes when Why B started booking the Fader Grimmlins for his Wheeled events. He started booking Cut Up for solo appearances at Wheeled, and they soon realized they were "DJ brothers from different mothers."
"I've been playing hip-hop since my DJ beginnings," says Why B, who is also known for his downtempo and dub sets. Why B got into hip-hop when he was 10, "I've been listening to hip-hop since my aunt gave me a tape of a hip-hop show on WNOV."
Influenced by DJs like the Beat Junkies, Why B began putting out mixtapes including his debut, "Collect Callin' & Small Ballin'" and eventually "Jiggy Jamz Live" Vol. 1 & 2 with DJ Geoff K which mixed commercial and underground joints into a party-friendly mix.
Cut Up and Why B started No Request Fridays in March of this year after a bad experience at Da Jungle reinforced the need for a spot where the music could breathe and the drinkers and dancers could too.
bSide, upstairs from Barossa, is conducive to both drinking and dancing. Booths line the walls, and there is a good-sized dance floor. There's no cover charge before 11 p.m. and only $5 after that. There's no dress code, no pat down and people come dressed up as well as casual.
They mix things up with a variety of weekly guests: reggae DJs like Prince Ruff, out-of-towners like Minnesota's Steven Marks, and Aaron Wade and Bobby Brew from WMSE's Late Night Hype Show. Def Harmonic and the Rusty P's have performed live, and members of the TLChicken staff do live artwork.
"No Requests: Volume 1" was released recently, allowing the party to be brought home and played in the car. They've been performing the CD live on four turntables throughout the Midwest.
Cut Up has been releasing free, full-length mixes on his Web site and Why B runs Selective Hearing Committee, a label he started to put out work by local artists like Minus After.
Check these releases out because the appeal of No Request Fridays goes beyond single songs, as Why B says, "It's not about one particular artist or style. It's about the overall vibe and playing songs in context."
You couldn't ask for more.
Free full-length mixes are available at kidcutup.com. For information on Selective Hearing Committee events and releases, selectivehearing.biz.
bSide is above Barossa on 235 S. 2ndSt. No Request Fridays are every Friday from 10 p.m. - close. $5 cover after 11 p.m. For more information call bSide at (414) 272-8466. This month's guests are Big Hit Unit: Jason Todd & Friends (Nov. 12), Kerse One (Nov. 19) and Rusty Ps (Nov. 26).
