Over the past decade-plus that I've lived in the Pioneer Valley, I've seen many different incarnations of the DJ scene. I began my education during my college days when I got a job at a caf? next door to Amherst's The Growroom, an underground music store for DJs. I served coffee to many of the DJs that hung around or worked there, like DJ Hush, DJ Bons, Steve Porter, Chris Thorpe, DJ Chilean and John Hurt.
I first learned about the existence of DJ culture from rubbing elbows with these guys. The elbow rubbing led to a job at Atlantis, a short-lived restaurant-by-day, club-by-night establishment affiliated with the Growroom. Every weekend the hottest DJs in New England and their groupies congregated there, spinning, dancing, mingling.
The next part of my DJ education happened sometime in my junior year: I discovered raves—all-night, ecstasy-fueled parties where DJs spun high-energy dance music. People hold widely differing opinions on the viability of the DJ scene in the Pioneer Valley—some think it's whack, others find it something to be proud of. But it's undeniable that there are at least a healthy number of resident DJs who host various dance parties, open mics and theme nights almost every night of the week.
On Mondays, one of the hottest tickets on either side of the Connecticut River is all about girl power at Northampton's Bishop's Lounge. Four female DJs take turns holding down the third-floor joint: Rayla, Hortensia and Jenny O spin soul, funk and hip-hop in Miniskirt Mondays; the next week DJ Megha hosts Meghawatt Mondays, which feature a hip-hop open mic. Festivities for both nights kick off around 10 p.m. If Northampton's not your scene, head to Maximum Capacity (Max Cap) in Chicopee and strut your stuff on the dance floor as DJ Blazze spins Top 40 hits, dance tunes, rowdy rock 'n' roll and mash-up, starting at 11 p.m.
Grab your dancing shoes on Tuesdays and head to Northampton's Iron Horse. Starting at 10 p.m., DJ Joey Acevedo plays lively Latin music while the masses dance the bachata, rumba, salsa, cha cha, merengue, tango and more. Also in Noho on Tuesdays is Haven at Diva's. Hosted by Miss Penelope, Haven is New England's longest running dark alternative weekly club night and features resident DJ addambombb spinning old school goth, synth-pop, break beat, industrial music and more. Attendees are warned to dress creatively. Haven kicks off at 9 p.m.
Okay, it's Wednesday—hump day. Get thee to Westfield and rock out with DJ Earl at Westfield's hippest bar, Whip City Brew. DJ Earl lays down rock, pop and hip-hop tracks, and if you behave, he might even let you sing karaoke. Over in West Springfield, DJ KG throws down with Top Dog Wednesdays at Geraldine's, which boasts a private VIP room for the worthy.
On Thursday, two events happen within spitting distance of each other (if you could spit around corners, that is), both starting at 10 p.m. Fluid, a night of drum and bass DJ-ing and dancing, takes place at The Elevens in Northampton. The producer, 413dnb, a group of Valley drum and bass DJs, is known for bringing in the best national and international guest DJs. Around the corner at Bishop's Lounge, I-Ganic Sound System lays down dub, steppas and dancehall reggae. A little further afield in Brattleboro, Rafael Hume spins hip-hop, downtempo, Latin and dancehall from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at Brattleboro's number one music joint, the Weathervane Music Hall.
It's finally Friday night. But where, oh, where to go to kick the weekend off? Start with the brand new Fusion Fridays at Northampton's recently renovated Paradise City Tavern (formerly Del Raye). Produced by DJ Redshift, Fusion hosts resident and guest DJs spinning a sophisticated mix of house, techno and electro music. In Greenfield the new place to be is the Winterland Country Club (it goes by just Winterland). Every Friday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Mass Mobile DJs Geoff and Kyle spin danceable tunes to their hearts' content.
If you're not too wiped out from Friday night's shenanigans, head to Maximum Capacity in Chicopee on Saturday and get down to DJ Suspence spinning Top 40, dance, rock, mash-up and more. If that's not your cup of tea, check out DJ Con-struc spinning hip-hop, R&B, dancehall and more at the Monkey Bar in Amherst—a restaurant until the witching hour approaches, when it morphs into a bonafide club.
When you wake up Sunday morning, perhaps with either a killer hangover or a serious case of exhaustion, you'll probably be relieved when you realize there aren't too many hopping Sunday night DJs. So relax, put on the tea kettle or brew an extra strong pot of coffee and hit the couch for some well-deserved relaxation. Besides, it's Sunday—you should be praying, not partying, anyway."
