Thursday evening’s after party to-do list held a nice mix of celebrity, showmanship and par-for-the-course cocktail revelry.
First up was general mayhem with DJ accompaniment at O-Ku, followed by Night Vizzion and The Music Farm’s "Not Just another 80's Party", featuring The Diabolical DJ Biz Markie.
Yep! It was that Biz Markie.
Sensing the need for a few Asian inspired cocktails before even thinking about busting 1980’s hip hop moves, we popped into O-ku. The sushi bar and restaurant was packed, and by just 10:30, the crowd was in rare form. It seemed as if literally everyone from the shows was in attendance, dressed in their finest late night attire. Lindsay Carter of Troubadour, Charleston Magazine Publisher Jed Drew, ILWYW’s Olivia Gossett with Electric Friend’s Matthew Bowers…you get the point.
Slightly annoyed diners glanced on (alright, sometimes in amusement) as the crowd grew increasingly bubbly. While DJ Danny Seltzer didn’t exactly recreate the turn table wheel so to speak, that didn’t stop the CFW crowd from breaking it down in several front lounge areas. As the hours ticked by, the crowd amped up, spilling onto the sidewalk for more dancing room, kicking off heels in favor of bare feet and generally having a pretty good time.
After drinking our fill of that exuberant scene, we were off to explore the much anticipated performance of The Diabolical DJ Biz Markie at The Music Farm.
While he didn’t come on until just before midnight, attendees didn’t seem to be waiting around to have a good time. Jaunting over to the main dance floor, we were smacked by a huge crowd of people encircling dancers engaged in a- well, a dance off. Local artist Ishmael set up shop in the back corner, diligently painting graphic designs on attendees faces. Wares were for sale, patrons were dancing from the balcony VIP section and good times were being had by all.
When the Biz finally did take to the tables, street dancers took to the stage, battling off to his backbeats. He did a nice job of keeping the crowd moving, interspersing a few of his own singles into the mix for good measure. We all did want to hear that song after all.
The crowd was refreshingly varied. CFW peeps Ayoka Lucas, Michael Knight, Ashley Brook Perryman and others jammed right alongside hipsters more frequently seen at The Upper Deck, some of Charleston’s up-and-coming art crowd and seasoned hip-hop fans. Spotted in the crowd was Alex Rosen, half of the multi-media turn table crew, Spaced Invaders. Catching us taking notes on the show, he confessed that he had been taking notes on his own, mostly about the Markie’s DJ’s skills.
While we’re bummed that Tivoli’s official after party seems to have dropped off the CFW radar (Charleston Magazine has updated their site to list Barsa’s “The Bigger Mix” instead) we will be stopping by to check it and Halls Chophouse out for the evening.
Cheers!