A Moment in Time W/My Brother
It's the summer of 1987 or 88 and the family is adjusting to Netcong, New Jersey. Feeling a little slighted that I'm not getting that "big city" experience that was so present in my head (from tv.) Lordy, of course the big move to the city would land the Brantley family in a town more country than the one we just left in SC!
On this rainy day, (as I type this I just realized this is the second story I've told that started with the family car) we are on our way to Newark, Hot 97 is playing. Me and Wardell at the windows, Tyra in the middle. We all boppin. Several songs play, then a New Edition song, not sure which, maybe "Not My Kind". But baby, let me tell you at the end of that song the music flowed into the next song with such ease if you weren't paying attention you would miss the fact that another song was playing. The term "Mixing" had just made it's introduction.
It was that moment when the mix hit our ears Wardell and I looked at each other and our eyes said, "Did you hear that shit"!
Wardell spent the rest of the year collecting all equipment needed to produce that sound. Let's see, we met a group of cousins, Keemie, Shanda, Tiff, Mike, Butch, and Carol (Keemie's mom and the aunt of the rest) who loved music (amongst others) as much as we did. Mike and Keemie had turntables and some albums. Then after moving to Parsippany, one skip up from Netcong he met Lamar who introduced him to Leon Love and Kevin O. These dudes were dj's. Which meant we had somewhere to go for free all the time. It was house parties, backyard parties, and club time all the time.
Grab a crate or some piece of equipment and immediately you're "with" the dj. Life was good.
My first day back in South Kakalack (the rest of the family had previously relocated back down south). I walk into the living room and Wardell has this HUGE speaker he has built himself in the middle of the room. This thing is blasting, the house is lit, and there are friends from Bucksport hanging around.
Didn't say anything, the music was too loud for one, but at that moment our eyes met and his said, "yeah, I did that". I smiled and knew at that moment DJ Showz and Sho Sound Entertainment was born.
Today Wardell is a husband, and father of six. He is not djing anymore but operating a few self made businesses. This was a moment in time with my little brother.
