Allan C. Ester Jr. - House Heads UNITED!!!!!!!!

      >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Please be advised, this may be a VERY long Blog<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

First off,  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLAN C. ESTER JR - Many great things happened on this day! But they fail in comparison to the day you were born. -Love ya PJ
 
As many of you know Al's birthday party is what I call, "The House Head New Year". I say this because people in this set look forward to this yearly event just as much as they do NYE. This year was NOOOO different, (well...kinda it was).

I have been to at least 5 of Al's birthday parties and in my opinion THIS was the BEST to date. The set up was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL- Angela Patillo-Burns did a MAGNIFICENT job on transforming TV, it was tastefully done with no "over kill"on the decorations -with plenty of snacks to satisfy. Wonderful sweet treats from Ashley Elmo- her Red Velvet cupcakes will make you hurt somebody. The sound system provided by Al M Bogl Jr. ( and Michael) ensured whatever was being played that night BEAT our hearts out- and it did! Angela Slate.....DIVA!!!! ( I don't think I have ever called her anything other than that) your tireless effort and promotion of this event did not go unnoticed you did ya THANG Diva! ya did ya thang! IMO this was the BEST birthday party of his to date(did I say that already?) - BTW you looked stunning!

The DJ lineup was.. simply put, INSANE! You had the House Gallery Cats. Adam Francesconi, Jason Garcia, and Jay Ramsey.  The man flew in from Cali touched down and, along with Adam and Jason.. burned the Blue room UP! It's always a pleasure to hear anyone of the House Gallery Cats spin. ( Jay...don't, DO NOT put Adam in the dryer again!... ok hun) They have a soulful oneness with House Music, and if you have never heard these House Cats you need to put it on your, "to do" list. In the Red Room we had the NKOTB ( new kid on the block) a House Cat from Boston..Chris Habibian, Ive re-named him, The Boston BANGER! He lives up to that name. A recent add to the Detroit House scene and one that is already leaving his mark in this community.- (Yall.. he gone lose his mind in The Chi this summer at the Chosen Few picnic!) **giggle**. That man played a vinyl set, NO hiccups.. and while there were only a few people there..(others were filtering in) the dance floor was full of House Heads that picked up what he was puttin down- This dude is a keeper-Boston's loss our WIN! A humble soul, a good ass DJ, and a wonderfully beautiful human being. Just like all the other DJs he has a FABULOUS smile. Bruce Bailey came in and played a set that had the floor pounding and the walls shaking. Then...the man of the hour, Mr. Allan C. Ester Jr.

Member, on the Blog about EMixxin, I told you all how Al and Earl use to sneak Earl's momma's car out of the driveway and go hang out at the House spot(s). Well, the story goes.. Earl would put his moms car in neutral and cost out of the driveway. Al would sneak his lil narrow tail out of the house and wait for Earl to get him. Once out, they would go to the pay phone stand real close to each other, Al would call over to Earl's house and ask to speak to Earl  since Earl was right there with Al... his momma assumed he(Earl) was at home,  he(Earl) would say something like, " I got it momma" and the reverse would be done with Mrs. Ester. So my guess is, this is when the two of them started a journey of greatness!

<<<<<BUT THIS AIN'T ABOUT YOU EARL<<<<<

Its about a man that becomes one with the music, when you SEE Al play and how he understands the beat and the sound, he...he just goes to that place... where DJs go, and he takes us on the ride of a lifetime.  Al Ester has been on this scene for many years, The Parabox, Billiard Room, Mars Bar, TV, Lola's, L!V! The Miller Genuine Draft print add campaign with his likeness on it. Al Ester makes your soul happy. I have seen this man put people into another stratosphere.. House on the River, DEMF, Shelly's Place.. you name it this man has been a part of it.

<<<ok I would the following please report to the DJ booth, Al Ester, Terrence Parker, Norm Talley,  Rick Wilhite & Vernon English, my dream birthday line up!(no offense to my female DJs..I just want the mens to put in work for me this year)- lol THAT'S A HINT GENTLEMEN!!!! April 13th 2013 ( party will be April 12th) -HEY!!! I CAN DREAM & I am going to keep hope alive!>>>

Oh..oh damn! Back to, NOT about me!

Anywho, by the time Al got on to play, the Red room was full of party goers, Chris and Bruce had started beating our heads in..now it was time for Al to beat it to the white meat. I saw everyone that is HOUSE... black, white, Asian, Hispanic, old, young, fat, skinny, gay, straight... ALL BEAUTIFUL! Now its NO secret that some if not most of us are in our mid to late 40's some in their 50's and beyond.. you had some young Heads there, and Im willing to BET at least ONE (ok both of em) of my kids that NONE of them or US can move like Allan C. Ester Jr. all while playing the music and going to that place...where DJs go!


It was Al's birthday but WE received the gift! It was an unselfish gift. Al gave of himself, he gave all that he knows to give, and he enjoys it SO very much.

Listen, When Al played that night with the sound system that they had. I stood right in the middle of the speakers, opened my ears and let the music take me to that place...where DJs go! For the 1st time I heard the music the way the DJ hears the music. That is a WONDERFUL feeling. You let go of everything that is weighing you down. You think about nothing else but.... the quality of the sound. The elements that make up the song. The mix, how you are going to blend it. What you are going to blend it with, how long you are going to let one song ride before you bring in the next one. You go to a place that is FAR beyond what is in front, above, around, or in back of you. You are elevated to another level..a utopia of sorts. THAT is, that place...where DJs go. I understand why Al dances, throws his head back, smiles, looks serious, holla's, gets his head so close to the controls that he and the heat that is generated are one, comes out of a mix and jumps around like a lil Mexican jumping bean. Al does not have to watch his crowd... Al IS his crowd!  Go back and look at the video of the The Meet party, when Al turns the tables over to Mike Dunn, go back and WATCH Al. (hold up.. cigarette break! I'll be RIGHT back) -ok Im back. Tension was released that night.

Al learned from some of Detroit's legends I think it was Ken Collier- please correct me if I am wrong. I had the pleasure of talking to Al Heath that night ( boy did I get an education from him)-smile.  He told me he gave Al (Ester) his 1st gig I think we all owe you a big THANKS for that one. Al Ester has stood the test of time and from the outside looking in has smiled his way through it. One of the best smiles in the game I might add.

The special guest for the night in the Blue Room was Mr. Alton Miller, that was my 1st time hearing this House Cat (umm, yeah...we need to bring him back with the quickness) Once he took over from Al, he hit us with, I Love Music by the O'Jays. Jessica Laus and I just happened to be dancing next to each other. Now, for those of you who know Jessica, you know that child comes in, takes off her coat, says her, "hello's", gets next to the speaker, and does NOT stop dancing until the party is over! Well.. that night I saw something I never thought I would see. Jessica STOPPED dancing and cradled the speaker like she gave birth to it. All I could do was just release myself to the music some more. Hell, Al had already beat us to the white meat showed and now Alton Miller came along and finished what was left ( and there was plenty) This Cat is smoove wit it too..  I mean, how can you play like that and make it look like its nothing. By the time I realized what was up, I too was cradling the speaker like I had given birth to it. They ALL beat the brakes off us that night! I shed a tear.. REAL TALK!!!

The Blue Room rocked just as tough! Like I said earlier, the House Gallery folks had that side OFF THE METER! Then... in walks... Kenny Dixon Jr. aka... MoodyMan ( oooh WEE that man is just the epitome of "COOL", )- again my 1st time hearing Kenny, the man banged out the Blue room in some dark ass sunglasses. So that can only mean one thing.. either, A. He knows what the hell he is doing. or B. He has some good ass eyesight. I believe its a combo of both. I had to take my Bene alums hand ( and an OUTSTANDING DJ himself) some call him Big Sexy, I just call him Rick Wilhite. He and I danced to MoodyMan like we were back at Benedictine, and y'all Rick don't dance THAT much. So I considered myself lucky that night. Plus had he NOT danced with me, I would have just given him hell the next time I saw him. ( I LOVE to debate/argue with Rick, he is such an easy target). When Kenny broke with, Last Night a DJ Saved my Life, ya girl was tickled pink.. here I was running from room to room listening to some of the BEST DJs Detroit and Chicago have to offer, dancing with an international and extraordinary DJ (The Godson) yup...I was in fan Heaven.

That night showed how House Heads can really be united, it showed love across, race, sexual orientation, different styles of House, a blend of talent that you just don't get at every party.

Yes, I do consider Al's birthday the New Year for House Heads. Because it allows us to see old faces,  friendships are formed, connections are made, deals, plans,we share laughs, love, and all other things positive. Its a time of renewal.

I am hoping the spirit of Saturday night will stand all year round. Because that is the beauty of House, Love, togetherness, oneness, united in beats, formed in the elements of life! Bounded by the DJs that take us on a journey, and IF you are lucky, you too can to go to that place...where DJs go. I highly recommend it. Step out of the fan roll and become a DJ even if its only through the foot stomps and fist pumps( ok I PROMISE  I was not trying to rhyme) yeah...last night a DJ saved my life in more ways than one, but that's a story for another time.

Let the Music Play

P~