Had he lived to see the dawn of today, Prince Rogers Nelson would have turned 60 years young. Although the world lost his physical form in April 2016, his genius lives on in the music, mastery and memories that he left behind. Today, we celebrate Prince's 60th birthday with the help of one of our favorite DJs, DJ Stylus - The Vibe Conductor, in a musical tribute that blends the music of His Royal Highness with the raw rhythms of go-go music on the EP Purple Pockets.
Yes, Prince meets go-go, and it's as cranking as you'd imagine.
On Purple Pockets, DJ Stylus takes four Prince songs and mixes them with tracks from four of the DMV's most beloved go-go acts on a series of "Vibe Conductor Crank Jont" edits. Stylus gets the Purple Yoda in the mix with Junkyard Band for "Anotherloverholenyohead" then keeps the party going with his spin on "She's Always In My Hair" with Rare Essence spin-off group 911 Band. Stylus slows things down a taste with his blend of P with the Northeast Groovers on "Crazy You" before picking up the pace with the EP's final song, "Pop Life," combining Prince with Vybe Band. This unexpected yet welcome project is the perfect purple gift for any Prince fan, lover of go-go music and everyone in between.
We'll let DJ Stylus explain the inspiration behind Purple Pockets in his own words:
"I'm a D.C. native. I bleed mumbo sauce. And my heart is purple, as is the case with so many of us who are united by the funk. When Prince ascended to the ancestral plane, my friends from The Big Ugly Truck threw down outside at the corner of 14th & U NW to help all the purple acolytes get their healing. Two years later, they asked me to play the anniversary. I thought about how go-go lived and breathed on those blocks before gentrification, so I threw together some quick Prince go-go edits for the evening. These crank jonts have been sitting on my spirit since then, so I figured I'd finish them to celebrate Prince's birthday. Crank is life. Happy 60th to Prince Rogers Nelson."
Happy birthday indeed. Allow DJ Stylus - The Vibe Conductor to put you in the pocket with Prince with this exclusive SoulBounce world premiere and purchase Purple Pockets from Bandcamp.
