I don’t even know where to begin. All I can say is “Wow!” Yesterday, I experienced my first “House in the Park.” And for the life of me, I can’t begin to fathom how is it, that I’ve managed to miss 5 previous years of such musical magnification!
Now some of you might be wondering what’s “House in the Park” (HITP)?? According to their website, HITP is described as “…an annual music festival bringing together innovative musicians, DJs, and a diverse audience in a beautiful outdoor park.” House in the Park has been described “…as the “MUST-attend-event” for avid fans of deep house-music, Afrobeat and soul classics. And with that being said, let me attempt to describe all that I saw and learned and experienced yesterday.
From noon until 8pm, there had to be no less than 1500-2000 people who descended upon Atlanta’s Perkerson Park. Driving by the main entrance, I could already hear the beat and bass pumpin’ loudly from what felt like 12 dozen speakers. (That’s usually a VERY GOOD sign for an outdoor music setting/venue.)
Now, I’ve never lived in the north very long or experienced the cultural/music scene there but…from everyone I talked to, originating from cities like Chicago, Detroit and New York–I’ve been told that HITP was a pretty good representation of what it’s like livin’ “up-top” in the summertime.
Walking up the hill, as I was looking for the group of friends I was meeting, I saw a sea of people! 97% of them I’d never seen before yet they were all setting up their “home bases” of tents, blankets and lawn chairs. Everywhere I turned…everywhere I looked, there were folks smilin’ and vibin’. Truly there were happy feelings in the air.
After finding and greeting my friends, the music began to call my name. I tried to ignore it, as I was still being cordial and sociable. Hmmph! We know that lasted all of 30 seconds and I made my way over to the park’s pavilion to get a closer look at the action. As I approached, I saw the masses…gettin’ it in! Shedding the cares of the world and dancing like their lives depended on it. I heard whistles blowing. Saw arms swingin; fingers snapping; feet jumping; soul claps roaring; and even smelled aromas from “the grill that sparked up nostalgia.” And let’s not forget to shout-out the dee-jays! Dee-jays Salah Ananse, Ramon Rawsoul, Kai Alce and Kemit tag-teamed the ones and twos, filling the air with hypnotic house classics and clever r&b remixes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AewL6T4yBgE&NR=1]
Whew! After more than 4 hours of house music and being outdoors, I knew it was time for me to make my way back home to the eastside. I savored every ounce of the day and as I write this post–I’m reliving it all over again.
HITP has officially been added to my list of annual Atlanta festivities to attend. If you’ve never experienced it…next year–you should! It’s a must. I can now say…been there, done that and yes…I gladly bought the t-shirt! (Literally…my friend and I bought HITP t-shirts and have vowed to collect one for each year we attend.)
Until next time…
-T
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