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Late on a Friday night I make my way down to the Zanzibar on the Waterfront. It's the first Friday of the month of December, so de Metro DC population dun know that it's Fresh Fete time!

Unfortunately I man fall asleep early and ent wake up until after midnight. Usually that is cool, but these days Fresh Fete picking up real early ... people catch on and want to get as much as they can is my guess.

TJJ massive and crew get hold up in all kinda mess, so it was an army of one to take on de fete. Parking is de norm. Dat waterfront on almost any night is a traffic jam. De options is either to wait it out in hope of an early party pooper to open up a spot or pay de $20 buck-a-roos for valet or a parking lot. I was lucky. Is 1AM and as ah roll through, despite a small walk... it was a decent park. It could have been the light drizzle, but I suspect it was just a sign of a good night to come.

So ah walk into a pack out jam. Respect goes out to de bouncers. Ah mean when people screwing dat they holding dem back in a line, ya have to remember that dey in dat cold de whole while. Den again they ent dress to go in de club? Regardless, TJJ get de love at the door and before ah know it ah get wake out if meh sleepy phase by Giselle The Wassi One. Ah call to wok up here, an jump and wave there, was all ah needed. Well dat and de riddims of Klimaxx and East Coast resident DJ Hazzard.

Ah jump into my routine right away. Always starting with several Guinness at the far end bar and den strolling around to get a feel for de state of de party. Upon initial survey I had to report that it was business as usual. Good Times. Several regulars, some not so regulars and odd few who just visiting for de weekend and couldn't be happier to locate de best Caribbean party in DC. Ah could usually tell those, cause dey does be wining on de dance floor early like is de first time dey wine since they leave de islands back in 1994. De veterans does usually be liming round de edges and dat night they didn't break de stereotypes. There was also another nice piece to de party that makes it a sweet mix of Soca and Reggae lovers. That is de percentage of folks dat come from H2O or de happy hour dat closing out upstairs.

So DJ Hazzard now done and de Party Rocker from NYC, Back to Basics (de man who doh stay home at all) jump on de set. Back to Basics change it up. He use up Hazzard whole soca hype and simmer it down with some classic disco and back in times... ah even hear Noel's "Silent Morning" drop. Of course you know it ent long before "Pressure Boom" drop and people going mad for some "Jumbie" and 2008 Soca releases (click here)...

I know my nights are good when it late and ah ent know where de time gone. Cause before ah know it, I seeing 3AM passing and I need to get into de bat mobile to head north. Yeah, next stop is Rango's Christmas Boatride in NYC. Special big op to all the African ladies that come out to Fresh Fete on a regular.

Dr. Ram Dass buss de tape hard at 3:05am

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