Different strokes at Love & Liquor

Different Strokes at Love & Liquor just Launched on Thursday the 28th, and to someone who attended almost every week since the beginning when it started at Cherry Jam, its development is evident. Saying it’s my second home is no understatement – and if you spend one night there, you’ll see why.

Growing week by week with a roster of regulars and celebrities, the cosy venue is bursting to the brim with genuine music lovers. No frontin’ here. “People come just to hear the music and feel the vibe. It’s not the same old cliché bulls s**t” say Phat catz and Lonyo, the main DJs of the night, whom I had a chat with once the lights were on. “And the beautiful ladies,’ Lonyo hastens to add.

Started by Manny Norte, Lonyo, Warren and George (aka Phat Catz), Different Strokes prides itself on its eclectic array of music. Tunes range from the old skool in the form of ‘Baby Got Back’ and Usher’s ‘U Don’t Have To Call’ to tracks fresh out of the studio – tonight the crowd are wowed by the remix of Chris Browns Fine China’ which can’t be more than one week old.

And the crowd is one of the most responsive I’ve ever seen – screaming out and banging their approval onto the walls and ceilings. You look around to see an endless expanse of smiling faces, glistening from perspiration and excitement. And with equally as excited DJs behind the decks, the vibe is nothing short of pure bliss. With all this love for hip hop, I wonder if the DJs have favourite songs to play, and after what seems like a painful process, Lonyo manages to wrench an answer from within himself: 'Public Service Announcement', by Jay Z. Phat catz is more obvious: “Janelle's 'Round and Round' – you play it every week!’ Lonyo playfully answers for him.

With the unfortunate passing of a true hip hop legends – BIGGIE, 2PAC, NATE DOGG ETC...Different Strokes became a tribute to there lives and the legacies they left us hip hop lovers. “I wanted to be like Nate Dogg when I was growing up,” jokes Lonyo, “but I can’t sing or rap.” Phat catz continues: “It’s a pleasure to play his songs… it’s an even bigger pleasure when you get such a good response from the crowd like tonight.”

And what a response it is! After tracks like Pharaoh Monche's ‘Oh No,’ Kurupt's ‘Where I Wanna Be’, jucy, big poppa and Americas most wanted. the set culminates in ‘Area Codes’ by Ludacris, by which point impassioned voices have become the backing tracks to the songs we all know and love. “It’s getting emotional in here,” says Lonyo, stating the obvious.

My only criticism of Different Strokes? It closes at 2am. Lights on, music off. But people continue dancing along to nothing but the chorus of their own voices, singing Jodeci word for word, with beaming faces, eyes closed, heads to the sky. Eventually we're all ushered out, tumbling onto the street outside – still excited, still hyped, counting down the days to the next Thursday and reminded, once again, of why we love hip hop so frickin’ much.

Tickets are no longer available for this event