HOUSE OF SHADE Hysteric Xtra-Organza Mix

"Sheer Organza" off the Statement EP featured on this lovely mix by Jan from House Of Shade:

mixed by Jan Kedves for HOUSE OF SHADE in Berlin – vinyl only – thank you for listening

1. Sade – Couldn't Love You More (Vin Sol & Matrixxman Mix) (White Label)
2. Farley Funkin Keith – Pump-N The Bass (House Records)
3. Ron Jason & Kim Ann Foxman – The Dream Project (Love Fever Records)
4. EZLV – Ordinary Thing (House Of Silk)
5. Ejeca – Together (Terrence Parker's Motor City Soul Mix) (Needwant)
6. Size Queen – Walk! (Paul's Groove) (Tribal)
7. Rick Wilhite – Drum Patterns & Memories (Moodymann Mix 2) (Rush Hour)
8. Julio Bashmore & Kowton – Mirror Song (Broadwalk Records)
9. CVNT – Sheer Organza (Body Work)
10. Hysterics – Code Switch (Club Mix) (Night Slugs)
11. Jam City – 500 Years (Night Slugs)
12. The Ride Committee feat. Roxy – Get Huh! (The New Mix) (E Legal)
13. Point G – Druker (Point G)
14. Whatever, Girl – Activator (You Need Some) (Dark & Lovely Mix) (Yoshitoshi)
15. DJ Cease – Super Crash (Tribute To Lil' Louis Rework) (Rush Hour)
16. Jamie Principle – Bad Boy (Unreleased Mix) (Trax)

My first vogue piece for MENERGY blog, Nov 2010

Three years old! But who's counting?

This is one of my first ever pieces of writing on voguing and ballroom, which was written in preperation for the Menergy Fierce Ruling Divas Ball in Glasgow in 2010. It also acts as a summary of the different types of vogue styles, and, of course, a look at the legendary House Of Ninja:

Probably the most famous voguing house in the world is the House of Ninja, formed by the legendary Willi Ninja back (I'm guessing here) in the early 80's or late 70s. Even though drag balls already existed, as did the dance, Willi Ninja is regarded as the godfather of voguing, and is featured heavily in both the Paris Is Burning film and the "Deep In Vogue" video by Malcolm McLaren. In anticipation of our own Fierce Ruling Divas Ball on Saturday, here's a selection of some of the best moves by the house, that can also serve as a kind of introduction to how voguing (and "houses") work.

First here's "Overall Mother" Willi Ninja in Paris Is Burning. This is the perfect introduction to this dance style:



And here is the "Deep In Vogue" video, though I have to say, the quality of this upload sucks, and the extended 9 minute mix is much better (with more dancing in the video). Still, it's worth a watch as it's some of the best voguing on film, IMO:



Here's another clip of Willi doing his thing in a club, and the catwalk/fashion connections are more clear here (as are the clubby origins of the dance):



Unfortunately Willi died in 2006. Thankfully, the house is still going strong - here they are in a group performance, and this clip also gives some insight into the voguing scene and its participants.



There are three main types of voguing, "new way", "old way" and "femme". Here is Aus Ninja demonstrating old way vogue, the classic style as seen in the late 80's videos:



In a nutshell, new way is more athletic and faster, and came to prominence after 1990. Here is rising star Javier Ninja showing some new way moves:



The third type of voguing is "femme" and has to do with extreme posing (in a very feminine style), coupled with some more acrobatic moves. Here is a clip of Danielle Ninja at the House of Mizrahi's 2006 Willi Ninja-tribute Latex Ball. (Note the signature vogue "dip" move where the dancer falls on to her back but with her leg tucked up under her bum):



Voguing is also closely related to "waacking", in which hand and arm movements are the focus. Here is Javier Ninja again with an amazing performance from the same House of Mizrahi's Latex Ball. Note how the MC Selvin Mizrahi is left speechless - THAT is how you dig status:



Perhaps the most famous current memnber of the House of Ninja is Benny Ninja, after his appearnace on America's Next Top Model teaching the contestants how to pose. This clip makes explicit the links between voguing and modelling, and the dance and fashion scenes. Benny appears around three and a half minutes in (so skip to that if you're not interested in some serious mega-bitchery).



Benny was given the title of Father of the House of Ninja by Willi himself before he died. And as the saying goes, "boys learn, men teach". Here's Benny giving a demo at a workshop in Paris:



And here's one of my favourite clips of all - House of Ninja performing at a party thrown by the SoBe drinks company, with Aus Ninja (I think) dressed in a giant lizard outfit (after the company's logo). With him are Javier and Benny, and they work to Madonna's "Vogue". What starts off looking like just some people messing around soon turns into an incredible routine:



So, hopefully this will teach all you budding children what you need to know for Saturday - doors open at 9pm (fashion show at 10pm) and the voguing/drag ball takes place at midnight. So come down, look fierce, throw shade and BRING IT!

CVNT ballroom/house Top Ten for Generation Bass

Thanks to the awesome folks at Generation Bass, here's a top ten chart of what's rocking my world right now. I'm just gonna paste the whole thing here (but without the audio clips - if you want to hear these tracks, check out the original article) because this features a lot of stuff I have been meaning to post here on CVNTY. This way I can kill all 10 birds with 1 stone!

Rising Ballroom/Garage/House producer “Cvnt” gives us his current Top 10 in the Ballroom/House genre.

CUNT: (adj) a term used in gay slang to describe someone who is impressive, original or fantastic in regards to style or demeanour.

1. Vjuan Allure “Bandit” EP [Hot Moms USA]
When it comes to ballroom and vogue house, Vjuan is basically God, and it helps that he’s a really top bloke too. The lead track on this (“Natives R Restless”) I heard tearing the roof off Stereo in Glasgow in May and I have been waiting for it ever since. It could actually cross over, it really is that big! Though I am biased cos his sound and dj sets are everything for me. But I have yet to meet a dance music fan who doesn’t love Vjuan’s style, regardless of race or age or orientation or ballroom status – he’s just that good!

2. Rushmore “HOT002″ EP [House Of Trax]
My homie! House Of Trax are one of the only crews in the UK doing similar stuff to CVNT and repping ballroom/vogue, and they’ve been supportive of me since the start. They even put the debut London CVNT set! Rushmore is one of the residents, and this EP is heavy and minimal dancefloor darkness. It’s under lock and key til the official release, so here’s an older Rushmore track:

3. BEEK Telekuntx [Knightwerk Records]
More from Knightwerk. Beek is one of the most exciting artists coming up in ballroom right now. He has a style all his own, even if it’s influenced by some of the big hitters like Mike Q and Divoli S’Vere, but he manages to put his own twist on things to make it heavy, fresh and SICKENING. We’re due to collab on something pretty soon and, like me, she also loves queen bitch JA’MIE KING!!!

4. Tony Playboi ‘The Nasty One” EP [Knightwerk Records]

Another one of the upcoming children, Tony\’s been producing for a wee while and it’s great to hear his style coming on, somewhere in the middle between ballroom and Baltimore, but with the overdrive turned right up for maximum crunchiness. This three track EP is a free download on the new Cali label Knightwerk, who are doing some very exciting things right now.

5. Get Em & Sugur Shane “Move To The Light”
Also taking its cue from classic 90s Tribal, and backed with a whole load of remixes, is the latest release from Sugur Shane & DJ Get Em, upcoming scene children from Philly. Shane’s a wicked vocalist I have worked with on my “Death Drops” EP, and she is NOT scared of speaking her opinions!! Best remixes on this for me are from Serving Ovahness and Chad Jack.

6. Roxy & Ride Committee “Synthetic (CVNT Remixes)” [Unreleased]

The perfect cross over between old way house and nu skool ballroom, it’s been an honour for me to remix these guys! RC & Roxy were faves of mine in the late 90s, their awesome deep Tribal sounds and Roxy’s outrageously camp bitchery are a big influence on CVNT’s aesthetic. Not sure when these remixes will see the light of day, but you will hear them in my sets for sure!
This one is not online yet but you can hear it in this mix:
TRACKLISTING
The Fog – Been A Long Time (CVNT TR4XXX Mix)
Craig ft Dajae – Mary Mary (Bok Bok Vocal Reconstruction)
Kelela – Guns & Synths
Rushmore – Bitch Please
Get Em & Sugar Shane – Move To The Light (Acapella)
Zanojin – Passenger Side
Auntie Flo – Zulu Death March (Weep Weep(
Trumpet & Badman – Go!
Roxy & Ride Committee Get Huh (Kutz Mix)
DJ Haus & Dedboi – Slip’n'Slide
Vjuan Allure – The Urge
Get Em & Sugar Shane – Move To The Light (Serving Ovahness Remix)
Lil Mo Ying Yang – Reach (Erick Morillo Remix)
Roxy & Ride Committee – Synthetic (CVNT TR4XXX Catwalk Mix)
Rokk Feat Dean Atta – Young Black Gay (Digs BloodSugar Remix)
The Joy Boyz – Pass It On
Harddrive – No Cure



7. Trumpet & Badman “Love Keeps Changing” EP [Hot Haus Records]
Trumpet & Badman is a collab between DJ Q & DJ Haus, and this EP is a throwback to the classic Jersey house style of the mid 90s, which is a major part of the roots of the ballroom/vogue sound. I play a lot of those old tunes in my sets anyway, so this EP fits right in there. Also, cos each of the 4 tracks is a banger, it’s always in my box.

8. Josh Caffe & David Newtron “Let Love Ruin” [Batty Bass Records]

Some straight up four to the floor business, and more towards the slick end of modern house this time, but the vibe is just right! A spoken word delivery over a spiky house rhythm goes on to blossom into a full,  sung melody, with lovely chords. Another class release on Batty Bass, from one of the residents of London’s Banjee Boy Realness night. WERK!

9. Kelela “Cut 4 Me” LP {Fade To Mind]
This is also not exactly ballroom, even though there’s some ghostly “ha’s” floating around in the mix. Kelela is a singer with a gorgeous voice and a great neo-soul delivery, and this is her first album. I really dig the Fade To Mind/Night Slugs broken/synth/funk sound, which sometimes crosses over into the more forward end of ballroom, so to hear it as the bedrock of a vocal album is a treat.

10. Zebra Kats “DRKLNG” LP [Zebra Trackz]

ZK had a bit of a break-out hit a few years ago with “Ima Read”, and unlike some other “hip” ballroom-associated rappers I could mention, spent the following 2 years honing and refining his sound as opposed to serving Twitter shade. This ain’t ballroom, but it’s definitely inspired by it in a way – it’s heavy and minimal and electronic, and ZK really stands out from the current wave of gay MCs.



Check out Cvnt’s latest release, which we covered back HERE:

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CVNT in FACT Mag

CVNT introduces four tracks via Body Work.

Hailing from Glasgow and now based in Manchester, CVNT might not seem like a natural-born producer of ballroom house, the underground New York LGBT culture that gave us vogueing, but on his new EP for the Body Work label he’s forged his own transatlantic take on the style, melding hints of garage, grime and rushing acid with all-out, heavy-duty house music.

 Read more here. 

MIKE Q mix for AIAIAI Headphones

It's a great week for ballroom/vogue mixes! Here's a mix by MIKE Q exclusively for AIAIAI headphones, and he says:

'The mix is an exciting Vogue-Beatz mix of what's current in the ballroom sound, starting off with a few of my latest remixes that are out and then certainly dipping into a lil bit of unreleased goodies you wont find anywhere online and then some.'

AIAIAI MIx 001 by Aiaiaicph on Mixcloud

VJUAN ALLURE Milfcast012 Mix for Hot Moms USA

Vjuan with Michael Oladele at Hosue Of Trax last month

 Ahead of his awesome Bandit EP for Hot Moms USA (featuring one of my tracks of the year "Natives R Restless") Vjuan drops this exclusive mix for the label packed full of nuff exclusives:


1. Vjuan Allure - I'm Booked
2. Ruined Cunt ft. Azealia Banks
3. Icona Pop - I Don't Care (The Elite Love It Remix) Vjuan Allure
4. Vjuan Allure - Bandit (Distal's Bounce Mix) // Hot Mom USA
5. Vjuan Allure - Eating It From The East ft. Koppi Mizrahi
6. Vjuan Allure - Kill, Killed, Killeded
7. Vjuan Allure - T2O Many
8. Vjuan Allure - The Rippperr // Hot Mom USA
9. Gangsta Boo - Yeah Hoe (The Elite Powder Slapp Remix) Vjuan Allure
10. James Nasty - Favorite Bitch (The Elite Puta Mix) Vjuan Allure
11. Vjuan Allure - Ectopus // Hot Mom USA
12. Vjuan Allure - Wonder Who ft. Norman Mizrahi
13. Vjuan Allure - Would You Like

CVNT exclusive mix for Dalston Superstore

Wee bit of promo for my set at Body Talk on Sat October 19th. Tribal Diva Ckunt:


The Fog - Been A Long Time (CVNT TR4XXX Mix)
Craig ft Dajae - Mary Mary (Bok Bok Vocal Reconstruction)
Kelela - Guns & Synths
Rushmore - Bitch Please
Get Em & Sugar Shane - Move To The Light (Acapella)
Zanojin - Passenger Side
Auntie Flo - Zulu Death March (Weep Weep)
Trumpet & Badman - Go!
Roxy & Ride Committee Get Huh (Kutz Mix)
DJ Haus & Dedboi - Slip'n'Slide
Vjuan Allure - The Urge
Get Em & Sugar Shane - Move To The Light (Serving Ovahness Remix)
Lil Mo Ying Yang - Reach (Erick Morillo Remix)
Roxy & Ride Committee - Synthetic (CVNT TR4XXX Catwalk Mix)
Rokk Feat Dean Atta - Young Black Gay (Digs BloodSugar Remix)
The Joy Boyz - Pass It On
Harddrive - No Cure

ANGEL HAZE Echelon (It's My Way) video

Bit of a late contender for video of the year here. It's pretty much everything, with Brooke Candy on top. Plus, Dog The Bounty Hunter in his pink pants gets me hard, I'm not gonna lie:

CHERIE LILY + VJUAN ALLURE Body (video)

Two of my favourties team up for this awesome video - Cherie keeping it stripped back here, but with some excellent dancing and THOSE WEAVE HATS!! I want one...

KEVIN AVIANCE IS BACK!!

The ORIGINAL Queen of Cunt, and CVNTY Icon KEVIN AVIANCE returns!!

 

Some pics from Kevin's Facebook page - I'm currently working on getting an interview with this ICON.

It's almost time for Zombie Pride again!

 

HOUSE OF SHOQLAT

These bitches SERVED at Suarez Ball and gave us LIFE!!

This is their incredible XXXcorsist routine that won them the group choreography category:



And this girl gave us E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! She was ROBBED in the solo category:


House of ShoQlat will be back in the UK soon, and you can follow them on Facebook.

CVNT at House Of Suarez Ball, Liverpool

House of Suarez Ball WENT OFF! Big up to Darren S, Darren Pritchard, Paul Ferns, Rikki Beadle-Blair and of course special guest Aviance Milan (who will be featured on this site soon). Shouts to all the houses who competed, especially my two faves - Liverpool's own House Of Cards, and House of ShoQlat from Holland.

Next February this ball is coming to Manchester in a stripped back format, but I can guarantee that will go off too. Here's a clip of my and host Rikki getting the crowd hyped up at the start of the night:

STATEMENT EP out now!!

IT"S HERE BITCHES. THIS IS MY STATEMENT.

There comes a point in the life of all ballroom children where, if they want to become legendary on the voguing scene, they must make their statement. To make the progression from being a star, or a face at vogue balls, to being someone who is recognised for their talent. To build a reputation, to stake a claim on eventually becoming an icon, every child must make their statement. This is mine. 

I don't walk balls, I make music for other people to walk balls to. So my statement is not a look, it is not face, or a body or a dance or a dip or vogue femme: my category is music. My statement is right here in these tracks.

I'm not looking to simply ape the sounds of the New York legends - to be a true statement, I have to stay true to who I am and where I come from. That's why I seek to fuse elements of British grime and garage to the New York ballroom template. In the end they are all forms of the genre we call House, and House music is what unites all the children, no matter what their category. With my statement I hope I am showing respect for the original legends of house and vogue, while staking my own claim by pushing things forward. 

CVNT on Generation Bass website

Awesome! Big up to Generation Bass for this feature on me:

CVNT: (adj) a term used in gay slang to describe someone who is impressive, original or fantastic in regards to style or demeanour.

Awesome new Ballroom EP just dropped from this British dude, which is mega as it fuses Ballroom with Grime and Garage a la UK Stylee.

You need to have it.

Stream the EP here and also download a free track and watch out for more from this dude. 

Read more here.

"Ding" free download from DJ MAG

Woop in DJ Mag again! *happy*

Mancunian DJ and producer CVNT makes what he calls ‘VOGUE GRYME FUTUR HOUZE’, which for the uninitiated is a mixture of New York ballroom, US house music and various strains of UK bass. 

If that hasn’t made things clearer then fret not as you can download his track ‘Ding’ below, a slice of mutant 808 trap that samples The Chakachas’ ‘Yo Soy Cubano’, most famously used in The Mighty Dub Katz’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride’. 

'Ding' is taken from CVNT's ‘Statement EP’, a recent DJ Mag Killer. Released by the excellent and varied Body Work label (check their Facebook here), you can pre-order the vinyl here and stream the other four tracks from the EP below too, our pick of which is the speed garage infused 'Feminine Destruction'. To find out more about CVNT and vogue ballroom visit his blog here.

CVNT @ Body Talk, Dalston Superstore, Oct 19th

Next London gig, playing at the awesome Dalston Superstore for BODY TALK:

Mark Moore played the last one, so I am PSYCHED! 

House Of Suarez Ball this Saturday

DJing at this on Saturday - Liverpool u betta WERK

CVNT "Midnight Function" video

Taken from the upcoming Statement EP, I put together a lil video for "Midnight Function", featuring some of my favourite recently-discovered voguing footage:

MVSCHI En Vogue w/ Vjuan Allure

Pic of me handing over to Vjuan Allure at MVSCHI En Vogue in Berlin earlier this year, taken by Mike Q.