I remember Aberdeen Street fondly.

Back in the day the Jamaican community in Stamford was tightly knit. Everyone knew everyone, and if you were Jamaican in the 80’s and 90’s you stopped by Aberdeen Street at Winnifred  and Mackie’s house. It is there you can get a plate of hot food or a bowl of soup. Fish tea, goat head soup and chicken foot soup were in heavy rotation. A big pot of rice and peas was always ready to accompany curry goat, brown stew chicken or red snapper. Although there were many kids between the upstairs and downstairs apartments, that kitchen fed more than the immediate family. Large silver pots were constantly on, ready to feed whomever stopped by after a day of work.  Guinness, Heineken and Red Stripe were abundant as the stone love set played through club quality speakers.

The front porch is where all the action took place. It wasn’t uncommon to have Mickey in the driveway working on a car while men spoke excitedly about the goings on: politics, religion, music, love and sex were common topics of conversation. The love of their island nation glued all these characters together. But it was the music, ahhhh, the music that kept them moving.

I, of course took part in these impromptu parties. Front and center, there would be no surprise if you found me in the middle of a makeshift dance floor, twirling non existent hips, shuffling back and forth and proudly showing off the perfect split. The cheers and claps of the adults fed my rhythm as I felt the beat from the speakers reverberating through my chest.

It is here where I felt pure exhilaration-especially with childhood friends Sasha and Kadian dancing alongside me. Shy Natalie stayed to the side as we continued our show stopping dance moves. You couldn’t tell us anything. For that moment, with cheering adults sipping their beers and eating food we were the stars.

These memories come flooding back to me as I prepare to sit down and interview one of Connecticut’s most popular DJ’s. I’m curious to hear his story, what drives him and what his perspective is on the state of music today. Which DJ you ask? Well, you’ll have to just wait and see. Until next time, peace and blessings!