A Thursday night at the Dirty Knock night at Grasshopper Underground in Ferndale provides the perfect opportunity to sit at the bar and check out some names previously unfamiliar to us. City Slang has actually never been in this club before, a fact that clearly had to be remedied as the profile of this place has exploded over the past couple of years.
So we wander down the stairs, past the jovial security dude and guest list girl, and plant ourselves at the bar. The bartenders are all big smiles, and they’re helpful when it comes to info about the DJs. The room is obviously pretty small, but the owners have made it a very cool, warm and lively environment. Name DJs like John Acquaviva have told us how comfortable they are performing at Grasshopper. The taggy street art on the wall adds a feeling of the old school that is welcome.
DJ ZayeDJ Zaye (real name Jose Pacheco) is spinning when we arrive, a man who claims that, “I AM THE PARTY” on Soundcloud. 10 p.m. on a Thursday, he’s not really the party but he does play an eclectic set that at least preps the people as they enter for the night ahead. Plus, the guy really throws himself into his music, even when there are only a handful of people in the room. Admirable.
Troublemakr is a new name on us, but it’s one that we’ll remember. The guy just lifts the whole room and the vibe seems to change from one of “warming up” to a full on club night. That’s no slight on Zaye – he had the early timeslot. But Troublemakr just raises everything with a set of deep, dark and delicious house.
Troublemakr is also a resident DJ at Elektricity, so he’s busy. If you haven’t checked him out yet, do it.
Follow @City_Slang
