For 4 years, I DJ'd with Beatnok I&I Vibration) at Laszlo's Bar in the Mission District of SF playing reggae & hip-hop classics. I gotta give that guy hella props since he gave me a shot at a residency at a fairly popular spot in a great scene, the Mission. Since I live in Oakland, Beatnok was always encouraging me to start up at a club closer & he would support it. 
Taking his advice, I dropped my demo discs(funk, hip-hop) to spots all over Oakland, Berkeley & Emeryville. While hearing back from a couple of places, I got the best vibe from Sam at 2022. The fact that we have the same name alone says there's a certain connection. This is a nice downtown Oakland local hang out. In the heart of the uptown area, right in the middle across from the Sear's building. What attracted me most to this place was the mixture of contemporary cuisine, characteristic drinks and warm lounge atmosphere. 
Sam called me up, said he liked my style of music. We met to discuss which night would work best. Originally, we talked about creating some sort of weekly gig that featured a great Happy Hour with smooth tunes, we just didn't know which day would work. We quickly developed Funk Til Friday, a mid week event planned to stimulate the senses by carrying our guests right into Friday afternoon. With the right mixture of fresh & tasty grub, smooth libations from Devin the bartender & the best vinyl set in Oaktown by your truly, your work week will soar from Wednesday afternoon until Friday evening: right into the weekend. What better way to celebrate Hump Day than with some R & B, Funk, Soul & Pop tunes from the past 4 decades, tasty treats & satiating drinks.
We started Funk 'Til Friday just after the new year & have had a positive response from those hard working Oaklanders in need of a chill place to relax with friends & co-workers. I kept getting thumbs up & props from people who came up to my booth or caught a glimpse of me in action. In return, those who inquired deeper usually walked away with one of my mix CDs, not to mention good conversation or trivial knowledge of the song playing.
Week to week, I would go crate digging to Amoeba, Rasputin & others(I can't disclose due to "secret stash status") As my collection expands exponentially, so does the depth of range covered in my sets. For instance just three weeks ago, I was away in Hawaii. We stayed in a nice little town on Oahu called Kailua. There was a funky little place called The Hungry Ear where I copped some 45 GEMs!!!! These can now be heard during any given set I may play. As time went on and my ALL vinyl set grew, I realized that more than just tapping into an MP3 database via Serato, I was creating an every-evolving story of the search for correlations between songs, groups & genres. While I believe all DJ's strive for this, the direction I began exploring in became enthusiastically received by the listeners.
"Oh, remember this one?" "That's an all-time knocker!" "That's when music was good!"
These & other similar phrases were starting to be heard over the melodies, conversation, laughter, eating & cooking. I see groups from a nearby office, old school friends, couples tired after a long work day enjoying themselves in this intimate spot.
As weeks turned into months, Sam appreciated my dedication, willingness to work together as well as diligent promoting efforts. He need Thursday night covered as well. Not only was there a good Happy Hour crowd with great specials, but all night it was Sangria and Taco Thursday. Now I hold it down there 2 days a week & it really feels like I'm part of an Oakland family. The bartenders, cooks, wait staff and management all welcome my help, talents and effort to making my residencies the best they can be.
Happy Hour goes from 5-7:
$5 Small Plates
$5 Specialty Drinks
$3 Beers(ALL!)
2022 Yelp Review
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