Friday, November 10th was a special night, and I’m still on high from Hanna’s performance. I was a little late getting hip to this talented man, but became instantly hooked once I got a taste. Like many other Black, Midwestern artist’s, Hanna brings sounds, soul, and feelings to life in a manner that can’t be duplicated. As I stood there in amazement watching him perform, I felt a sense of astonishment, happiness, and achievement. My vision of this night was playing out right before my very eyes, and I couldn’t have been more proud.
As of late, I’ve been becoming a fan of parties with smaller line-ups. Unless at a private venue, clubs in Atlanta close at 3am, and get started around 10 or 11pm. If you think about it, that’s really not that long of a time, and it takes some of us more than an hour of playing time to truly get into the zone. Putting that factor into account, the two person line-up works great between Stefan and I. I do also realize the importance of showcasing other artists, which is why we’ve been exploring the idea of booking other talent to play with us. I don’t quite recall how the idea came about, but I do remember brainstorming and Hanna almost immediately coming to mind.
If you don’t already know, Hanna’s a pretty low key guy. There isn’t too much press about him, and he’s merely impossible to find on social media outlets. As I searched through Facebook with little success, I came across a “Hanna aka Warren Harris” fan account page. I figured I’d try my luck and inquire about his booking information via the group. After a few hick-ups, someone finally responded with a legitimate email, and from there everything began. Karl, owner of The Sound Table teamed up with us on this booking, and was just as eager as I was to get things confirmed. After a couple weeks of negotiations everything was finally in place, and it was now merely a waiting game.
As the night approached I was very curious to see how a live set would go over at The Sound Table, being that its such a DJ oriented venue. Stefan and I played our usual b2b sets, and by midnight the energy in the room was pretty intense. The music was poppin, the crowd was energetic, and there were plenty of folks on the dance floor. As the energy rose and the BPM’s increased, I started to wonder if were going to a bit “too hard” in preparation for Hanna’s live set. I was again anxious about the crowd response, but it was now showtime. Hanna was set to play at 1AM, so around 12:45 I approached him like “you ready”? And he replied: “of course I’m ready”,( in the most reassuring voice ever). I escorted him to his table, got him a fresh “dark and stormy” (his drink of choice), and from there the magic began. I was able to give him a nice introduction, which was cool, being that doesn’t typically happen at the events I go to, or am booked for. I’ve always had a thing for public speaking and love an opportunity to get on the mic. Hanna also got on the mic after his performance, shouted out Stefan and I, and stressed the fact that he doesn’t agree to just any gig, and was honored to be in Atlanta. It felt damn good.
After the performance, it was back to the DJ’s sets, and I couldn’t wait to drop a few Hanna tracks in his honor. He very responsive when I did, and it was such an epic moment to have Hanna dapping me up about my set. It was one of my best sets to date, and my confidence was through the roof. The dynamic between Stefan and I can be pretty competitive at times, which sometimes makes it all the more fun. As a woman, I’m always here to show and prove that we are capable playing with the best of male talent. After experiences like playing after Omar S. Movement weekend in Detroit there’s not too much I feel like I can’t achieve with a little determination. If you don’t already know, I’ve been a student of this music for nearly half my life. I didn’t just wake up and decide to be a Techno DJ, I spent years of my life studying and being passionate about this music…the DJ thing simply felt like evolving.
Due to some personal issues, going into this installment of Expressions I had planned on it being the last one. I mean, why continue working with someone who you often cannot see eye to eye with? Stefan and I have been in each others lives for some years now, and as with many relationships, have our ups and downs. Trust me, its no surprise for us to be arguing back and forth over the stupidest shit behind the DJ booth, all the while still having to DJ together for the remainder of the night. lol. These things typically blow over, yet show the short comings that may arise when having to work with friends, (or people in general for that matter.) As the night came to a close we decided that Expressions is far too special of an event to cancel. I also realized that we should consider the people, the movement, and not merely ourselves. Expressions has built a nice following over the past few months, and isn’t quite like any other event that takes place in Atlanta; its young, its fresh, and the music without question, comes correct. With that being said, Expressions returns January 6th, 2018 and I can’t wait to keep rocking with all of the supporters! Thank you again for helping make this night so special.
Cheers.
-ASH
Underground & Black 