Keep Up With Body High With Their THUMP Tour Diary

Samo Sound Boy and Jerome LOL of tastemaking L.A. house label Body High are out on the road right now DJing with some of the classic house and techno DJs that have inspired them: Juan Atkins, Anthony "Shake" Shakir, and DJ Pierre. They've sent us some letters from the road, and you can download a free compilation here to get yourself in the mood. 

Our story begins in Miami, Florida: the land of beaches, Cuban food, and house music. After being picked up at the airport by Tony, our foul-mouthed but endearing ex-New Yorker driver, we checked in at the Double Tree on the Bay. Staying in hotels is usually nothing more than a place to shower and sleep, but this spot was a step above. There was a huge outdoor pool on the 10th floor and views of the water from everywhere, including our room. While we were settling in, we even heard some dolphins calling to one another down below in the harbor. Very majestic.

After unpacking a bit, we walked down Biscayne to Latin Cafe, where we indulged in a huge Cuban feast and then headed over to Grand Central to begin the night. While setting things up, we put on Jerome's new EP on Friends of Friends and listened to it front to back, because he had just gotten the masters back and wanted to hear them on a club system. The tracks sounded great and the crew who was there early got a special listening session of the record. The rest of the night was really cool, and it was great to see our Miami/Florida friends. Special shout out to the two blonde girls who literally danced up front for five hours straight.

Around 4AM, when Juan finished playing, we went with some people to a bar called The Corner to unwind, grab a grilled cheese, and chill with some friends. When we woke up, we hit the pool for a nice morning swim, then walked over to Enriqueta's Café. The double espresso really got our day going and the sandwiches were heavenly. We then linked back with Tony, who drove us to the airport and complained about "fucking Miami drivers" the entire time.

We landed in Chicago late Friday afternoon and checked in at the Hard Rock hotel, which is in the heart of downtown on Michigan Avenue. It's a really nice hotel except for the fact that it has the wackest art and memorabilia everywhere. There was a huge photo of a tied-up Sting hanging in Sam's room and he had to take it down from the wall. You can't can't sleep in a room where Sting is staring at you with ducktape over his mouth… So creepy.

Jerome did some research and found out that Giordano's deep dish pizza was really close so we went over there for dinner. People in Chicago have a lot of different opinions about where the good deep dish is at, but honestly the place was incredible to us. Later we headed to SpyBar where we were playing that night. The staff at SpyBar were extremely gracious and hospitable and the system sounded amazing as soon as we stepped inside. We've been taking turns opening up, so here Sam started things off and then Jerome stepped up and smashed it before Juan came on around 1:30 and did his thing for the rest of the night. It was a great vibe throughout and we left Chicago really happy.

We got into DC the next day and headed to Nando's—a cult South African chicken place—for dinner. Nando's is big in the UK but there are only a few in the States, and they're all in Washington DC. Jerome had never been before and ended up really loving it. "Five stars on Yelp, if I had a Yelp account," were his exact words.

After eating, we went over to U Hall, where things were already starting to vibe. A local DJ named Charles Martin was playing a really sick all-vinyl set which could not have set the vibe off any better. Big shout out man—you are a great DJ! Jerome took over around 11 and played a really vibey set. Someone called him "Lil jazz-boy Obama," which was kind of perfect. Samo stepped up around midnight and really went in. The crowd was just so cool and ready to go deep with all of us. Also, unlike so many clubs right now, people actually dance with each other at the U Hall instead of just staring at the DJ the whole time. The vibe was so strong, it took us aback. DC really came out and showed love. We cannot wait to be back to U Hall and do that again. Huge shout out to Will Eastman, the owner. We wish we could have played until 9 in the morning.

Everything after the great night at the U Hall was pretty anticlimactic, but we'll mention it just so you get the full picture. In the morning, we went back to Nando's and then walked really far to go to Nike Town. Then our journey back to Los Angeles began. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and it was an honor to play alongside the legend Juan Atkins. See you soon!

First Weekend – Juan Atkins

10/3 – Miami – Grand Central Upstairs

10/4 – Chicago – Spybar

10/5 – Washington – U Street

Second Weekend – DJ Pierre

10/10 – Brooklyn – 285 Kent

10/11 – Montreal – Velvet

10/12 – Toronto – Wrongbar

Third Weekend – Anthony Shakir

10/17 – Los Angeles – Sound

10/18 – San Francisco – 105 Folsom

10/19 – San Diego – Bang Bang