DJ SPRINKLES
Circling back to our reunion oriented announcements, IVX will celebrate with the return of friend and fabled performer, DJ Sprinkles.
Disputing the notion of dancefloor escapism, instead tending towards the determined encapsulation of life via groove, in his 2017 Inner Varnika offering DJ Sprinkles presented us with a tableau of her experiences, both light and dark. Gratification was not delayed, it was denied, and that is his discerning power as a performer. Music that builds and builds upon itself but never delivers the commonplace satisfactions of climax and release is the domain of the highly skilled and that of the person accustomed to critiquing the popular, where the popular also holds the power to exclude the unpopular.
House music is often sold as the anthem to euphoria. But euphoria is a state so ecstatic as to be a hair away from despair, and so too is the history of Deep House a tormented landscape, one DJ Sprinkles experienced first hand during its emergence as a subculture for New York’s queer, transgender and non-white communities without sanctuary. Take the cover of her acclaimed album Midtown 120 Blues and try to discern the expression. Behind the euphoria is a deep hurt, emotional,societal and structural, felt by those who nurtured this equally deep sound for themselves. Now, with a career in its fourth decade, DJ Sprinkles continues to expound upon these themes across a variety of activities, but most notably via the deeply felt House groove he is predominantly associated with.
There is likely an academic way to trace a line between the emergence of Deep House and the now multitudinous festivals that dot our summers. Inner Varnika was largely conceived in celebration of these early sounds, in their enjoyment. And while we do gather to celebrate, to dance and to connect with our peers at IV, we are mindfully humbled to host an artist who was not simply a witness to the inception of these sounds, but who also continues to draw attention to their history, both critically and joyfully. Admittedly, she is able to do this in a way that is irresistibly danceable, giving new meaning to the idea of being moved to tears. Welcome back, DJ Sprinkles.
Disputing the notion of dancefloor escapism, instead tending towards the determined encapsulation of life via groove, in his 2017 Inner Varnika offering DJ Sprinkles presented us with a tableau of her experiences, both light and dark. Gratification was not delayed, it was denied, and that is his discerning power as a performer. Music that builds and builds upon itself but never delivers the commonplace satisfactions of climax and release is the domain of the highly skilled and that of the person accustomed to critiquing the popular, where the popular also holds the power to exclude the unpopular.
House music is often sold as the anthem to euphoria. But euphoria is a state so ecstatic as to be a hair away from despair, and so too is the history of Deep House a tormented landscape, one DJ Sprinkles experienced first hand during its emergence as a subculture for New York’s queer, transgender and non-white communities without sanctuary. Take the cover of her acclaimed album Midtown 120 Blues and try to discern the expression. Behind the euphoria is a deep hurt, emotional,societal and structural, felt by those who nurtured this equally deep sound for themselves. Now, with a career in its fourth decade, DJ Sprinkles continues to expound upon these themes across a variety of activities, but most notably via the deeply felt House groove he is predominantly associated with.
There is likely an academic way to trace a line between the emergence of Deep House and the now multitudinous festivals that dot our summers. Inner Varnika was largely conceived in celebration of these early sounds, in their enjoyment. And while we do gather to celebrate, to dance and to connect with our peers at IV, we are mindfully humbled to host an artist who was not simply a witness to the inception of these sounds, but who also continues to draw attention to their history, both critically and joyfully. Admittedly, she is able to do this in a way that is irresistibly danceable, giving new meaning to the idea of being moved to tears. Welcome back, DJ Sprinkles.