Manny King John
Finessed at the door, a long line, I am dealing with the fine print of arriving after 12, the makings of a night out in Atlanta or so I thought. I can’t front, I was slightly perturbed but within the first 10 minutes. I knew I made the right decision to attend The Groove. I have been hearing for a whole year that the WERC Crew throw the best parties in Atlanta. WERC is a collective of DJs known for curating sounds and experiences in the city.
Socially, I tend to play the wall with a corona, light one up, hold meds, and catch a vibe, but this ain’t that. This is crowd karaoke. I’m talking me singing my 7th-grade heart out to Ja Rule, and I don’t care who’s mad about it this, but he’s Drake’s rap daddy. Everybody that I came with left hoarse…pinpointing exactly what song took their voice.
The air was laced with a familiar energy. Light flirting and heavy dancing had turned strangers into friends. The crowd was truly diverse; you can’t get these people to agree on twitter much less party. Seeing black “Animes” to the “Damn, AIN’T NO HOOKAH!” crowd. Partying in that bih was life. I’m talking arms swinging, people singing, body rolling and lovers macking. It was fucking everything. It felt like a Hillman homecoming.
To go from the ‘Sister, Sister’ theme song to Gnarls Barkley, the Werc Crew is on another level completely. Craig David, B2K, Rick James blended sounds like a sonic version of the cooking show “Chopped” and I mean that in the best way possible. I’m talking Saturday cleaning music masterfully mixed with the likes of Sza and Goldlink; dusty 45s were made to feel current and in the pulse. We often forget that old-school artists were our age when they were making these classics. It’s the same energy beaming in a different era.
WERC Crew doesn’t just throw parties, they create what feels like a personal playlist designed just for you. They intuitively play your favourite songs all night… Outside of El Bar, it feels like ATLiens only dance on YouTube. Every club is filled with people standing around on their phone rapping to all the lyrics. The Groove was simply blissful and what I hope my Summer in Atlanta will be like.
They just recently celebrated their second anniversary featuring Lil Mo last week. My advice to anyone attending next month is: Do yourself a favour and dress light *Erykah Badu voice* because it’s tight and lusty… The way God intended.
