By Gabriel Rodriguez

If I was given only one word to describe the events that went down at Blu Lounge on November 13th, 2015 at 240 S. Meridian Street in Indianapolis, it was bouncy. But before we get to the essence of what transpired that chilly Thursday night, let me tell you, how it got there.

Slater Hogan, resident KID DJ, delivered a brilliant warmup-set of house music for Indianapolis. Just an hour shy of midnight Indy’s locals and house-heads were carving up the dance floor with classic house shuffle and footwork. Twenty minutes before the clock strikes midnight, the floor is filing up and the dancing begins to tighten up and condense. Gerald Collins tags in and takes control of the decks wasting no time demonstrating there was plenty of headroom left in the venue’s sound system, pushing the volume on the main mixer, he delivers a solid mix of house music, techno, and tech-house. The stage is set, the floor is packed, and Blu Lounge Indianapolis is pumping that deep 4 by 4 beat from sidewalk of the Nightclub’s gallery and a short line is at the door.

By midnight, Jessica Phillippe or better known as J. Phlip quietly moves onto the dance floor, studying the crowd and the energy of the room. It’s at this time when several Dirtybird stenciled egg logos appears to pass between the hands of dedicated fans of the label. Taking about fifteen minutes to pose with fans for photos, Jessica Phillippe makes her way to the DJ booth ready to bring her signature music vibe to Indianapolis.

Without missing a beat, and thanks to well executed drum loop sample between resident DJ and the Champagne, Illinois artist, J. Phlip is now at the helm of the controls. J.Phlip takes immediately to distinguishing her unique style into tech-house music and minimal. Her transitions and breakdowns give dancers just a momentary lapse to catch a short breath of air and refills at the bar. At one point I had to check the chronometer, and did some quick mental math, the clock read 132 bpm. Confirming my suspicions that J. Phlip wasted no time in raising the tempo and bring up the heat in the Indianapolis club’s dance floor. Throughout her set she freely mixed between breaks styled beats, minimal techno music, what felt like to me some Miami-inspired booty bass.

Regardless of the style or signature sounds there was one simple thing everyone who witnessed the event knew. This place was bouncing. The room was full and the energy made one forget what awaited the walk home from the night, a blast of cold Midwestern air.

Photo by Jeremiah Williams