From DenverSolution.com: To get ready for the 4th Anniversary of the Solution on Friday, Feb. 4th, we’re checking in with some of our favorite regulars and people around Denver to hear what their top moments from the party have been.  First up, we have R&B/soul music guru Brittney the Square, the youngest DJ in charge aka DJ Dozen, and Basementalism alums Miss Rachel (founder of PopularLemonade.com) and infamous beatmaker Kid Hum (of Fossil Fuel & Offshore Drilling fame); stay tuned for more classic memories leading up to the party on 2/4.

Brittney The Square’s Top 3 Solution Moments:
1. The 2010 (4th Annual) Solution J Dilla Tribute w/ Slum Village at Bar Standard:  SV is the first hip hop group that really got me listening to hip hop back in 2002.  So, to meet them and see them perform at The Solution was amazing.  Although I spent most of the night in the back corner away from the party soliciting donations for the J Dilla Foundation, the night still managed to make my top 3 list for a few reasons:  1. meeting SV and seeing them perform some of my favorite tracks 2. eating all the damn donuts (powdered and chocolate were the preference) 3. hearing tracks that I had no idea Dilla produced and buggin’ out about it and of course, 4. supporting a good cause.

2.  Meeting my boyfriend at the Solution at the Funky Buddha:  It was either my first or second night ever at The Solution and I was helping out with usual stuff when Low Key introduced me to, who would later be, my future boyfriend.  When we met, we immediately got on the subject of, of course, music and our music preferences.  We talked about not only hip hop, but soul/r&b, which is my favorite.  I was impressed that he knew all of my favorite artists and I think he was impressed that I was so into and passionate about the same music as he was.  It took me awhile to really come around, but eventually I did.  Hate to admit it, but you can find love at the “club”.

3.  My third favorite Solution moment doesn’t have a name.  It’s just those random nights dancing and vibing to good ass music with your favorite people.  That’s what it’s all about, right?

DJ Dozen’s (yes, that’s him rocking the Thugnificent look for Halloween) Top 3 Solution Moments:
1.  The first annual Solution J Dilla tribute at Milk:  I hit up the party with Dealz, Mike Lee, and Gully Gabby; it was my first time seeing midwest music embraced in CO. At the ripe age of 18, I stepped out to see what this good music was all about. I still remember sittin wit Dealz and every so often yelling “Dilla Made This Too?!?” It was def a good experience.

2.  Exile, DJ Day, Tanya Morgan and Che Grand at the Solution at the Funky Buddha:  After a long day setting up and facilitating there is nothing better that to get an unexpected crazy live show.  Coming in, I knew that DJ Day and Exile were set to perform but at no point was I ready for the Micheal Jackson Tribute or for Donwill, Von Pea and Che Grand to rip freestyles over their beats mid party!!! Crazy night but super fun!

3.  Solution moments come in a blur for some of us who attend on a regular basis, not at all because they are the same, it’s more like having extra fun. Like I go out normally but the atmosphere aint like this; in the club jammin all night, with ya hands in the air, not worrying about any problems.  Of course there’s drinks too, but just an overall good feeling vibe going through everybody in the building.

Miss Rachel’s Top 3 Solution Moments:

1.  Exile & DJ Day at the Solution at the Funky Buddha:  The Solution has been home to countless nights of incredible music, good friends, and dancing bodies  – but one memory distinctly stands out as being so far past excellent in the category of evenings out on the town.

In 2009, two of my favorite producers / djs made their way to Colorado for a Red Bull Music Academy event – Dj Day and Exile.  I had been a pretty big fan girl of both of them and was extremely geeked to share the same room.  I had been listening to mixtapes and beat tapes by both of these gentlemen for the longest time and had always wanted to check them out live.  At this time, no one in Colorado was being proactive about bringing out upcoming artists for the most part.  Sure, you could catch a mainstream artist at a concert venue or your favorite local indie artist in a hole in the wall bar, but what about the artists caught somewhere in between the two?  The idea of bringing talent that was mostly new to Colorado was completely foreign to most promoters and venue owners.

I’ve always believed that it is the dj’s responsibility to bring good, solid, and well-produced music to his or her public.  This has been true since the beginning of hip hop and further illustrated by the efforts of innovators such as Kool Herc, who lead early hip hop culture in the South Bronx. In essence, Herc delivered what people wanted to hear to their ears.

Denver has truly been blessed with Dj Low Key and Sounds Supreme and their efforts to open our ears to innovation and all around solid music.  I had been talking about seeing Dj Day and Exile for a solid month straight and knew that if anything, The Solution would offer me the freshest of the fresh as it had always.

When I arrived at the Funky Buddha that evening, I was prepared for killer dj sets and a lot of dancing, but nothing that I could have imagined actually translated into the reality of the evening.  In true Solution fashion, I walked in, greeted friends, grabbed a drink, and perched myself above the dj booth, trying to hold in excitement and play it cool.  All ego aside, I’d compare it to a 13-year old girl who has a chance to be within 5- feet of Justin Bieber.  I wanted their autographs.

And then, something caught my eye.  Was that a MPC?  Was someone going to rock my face off?  Surely, Dj Day and Exile managed to do exactly that.  I’ve seen MPC set after MPC set, however the dual effort and coordination between these two was unparallel to anything I had seen before.  My jaw remained dropped for a solid fifteen minutes while I watched these two musical masterminds at work.   Have you ever been to a concert or musical performance where you felt different leaving from when you arrived?  It was exactly like that.  I had never seen anyone (more of less two people) rock a live production set in that manner, with such respect for music and attention to detail.

2.  Miss Rachel & Little Wing’s Birthday Party at the Solution at the Funky Buddha:  In 2008, my good friend Xencs L. Wing and I celebrated our birthday at The Solution when it was still held on Thursdays at the Funky Buddha.  Along with a massive carrot cake from my dear friend Vell, the evening was also celebrated with a bottle of Patron from our good friend Buddy.  Cake, good music, and tequila can equal some of the best nights of your life.  At some point, Radio Bum and KS-107.5 legend Dj Chonz joined Sounds Supreme and Low Key behind the decks. At some point, ya girl fell of the dance box and flat on her ass.  You know, there’s always a touch of humility in celebration and I was lucky to be surrounded by the people that mean the most in my life.

3.  DJ Lazy Eyez’s Solution Debut at 3014:  My third favorite memory of The Solution is more recent — actually, just a few weeks ago.  Dj Lazy Eyez has been absolutely instrumental in my growth both professionally and personally.  On December 17th 2010, The Solution welcomed Lazy with a packed dance floor and the party vibe that The Solution is known so well for.  It’s only natural the solution must evolve and grow.  Sounds Supreme, another cherished friend, will be missed by many, including myself — but his shoes have been filled and filled well.

Kid Hum’s Top 3 Solution Moments:

1. Boonie Mayfield’s Producer Showcase (aka Boonie’s Solution) at The Rex:  Being invited to do the producer showcase at The Solution, during its short stint at The Rex Lounge. The Rex Lounge is always my favorite bar, and we got it in as usual, with a musical backdrop including Xperiment, Boonie Mayfield, Es Nine, DealzMakesBeatz & others. The perfect end to the night is when I ended my set with the strongest beat I felt I had made in awhile, and DJ Low Key standing right next me to nodded in earnest approval, while letting me know that it was indeed one hell of a production.

2. The First Annual Solution J Dilla Tribute at Milk:  When The Solution made one of many stops on its journey, in the basement of the Jonas Furs building on Broadway (at the time called Milk), DJ Low Key threw one of the first tributes to the recently deceased J Dilla. I believe it was sponsored by Stones Throw, and even mentioned on Stones Throw’s website as an official Stones Throw event to attend. I showed up, not recognizing many people, as is usually the case because DJ Low Key has done such an impeccable job of building his own, dedicated and loyal fan base over the years. I did not do much socializing that night, but what I did get to do was eat over a half a dozen Donuts that DJ Low Key was giving away at the DJ booth, all while listening to a great mix of what in retrospect were actual very obscure Dilla productions.

3. The Solution is way more than DJs throwing a party at a bar to me. What DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme &, more recently, DJ Lazy Eyez have done over the last handful of years is an inspiration, and quite frankly, to people such as myself it is a miracle. We all want to make the music we love, sell thousands of copies, and have it heard on the scale of the  music that we don’t really like so much. What the Solution did was affirm their faith in their own obscure taste in what they perceived to be good music, over the course of a long period of time. By reassuring themselves that if they promoted the party hard enough, they could gain a loyal following of people just like themselves, to party with them, they built a legacy according to their own rules. All over the world DJ’s sell out their own taste own taste in music, to bring people to their party who have a different taste in music, in order to get paid and be a success. The Solution took a risk, because wouldn’t you rather party with people who listen to the music you like? Here is to many more.