by Scott Albright
Daily Lobo
Every Wednesday night hip-hop heads spin, break dance, freestyle, beat-box, and perform the best of their underground skills at Burt's Tiki Lounge.
The scene has been popping for the last two years in the Downtown area. Local MCs get up and pour their souls upon the crowds that are willing to listen. Those who feel the rhythm let loose on the dance floor and move to the beat in a fantastical method that is unbelievable to the ordinary eye. Head spins, windmills and other break moves overload the senses as the people in the crowd bob their heads to the pulsating beats inside Burt's.
"Everything you ever wanted is right here," P.J. Sanchez-Torrez, aka Durt E. Spoons, said.
Sanchez-Torrez joined with Phillip Torres, aka Flux, shortly after Vinyl & Verses started at the Downtown club Sauce about 2 1/2 years ago.
"In the beginning, it was myself, Scientific and Eph Sharp from the 2Bers," Torres said. Vinyl & Verses has been at Burt's for almost two years.
Both Sanchez-Torrez and Torres spin in the early evening before the main performers appear on stage. Most MCs and DJs are local except for the rare occasion when an out-of-towner gets booked at Burt's.
Sanchez-Torrez and Torres are in a hip-hop group called Garbage Pail Kidz, who have opened for acts like the Shapeshifters. Torres said he has helped to put on shows at the Moonlight Lounge, Ralli's and the Launchpad.
Some of the DJs at Burt's can also be heard on KUNM's Street Beat, which comes on every Friday night between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The shows at Burt's are free and there is plenty of variety. Seven to eight DJs rotate throughout each month and everything from funk to rock is sampled and mixed.
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Torres said the best thing about performing is when an audience is captivated enough to move around and dance.
Sanchez-Torrez and Torres explained how hip-hop is different from mainstream rap because what's seen on MTV and heard on the radio isn't about the ordinary Joe.
"They just act it. We live it," Sanchez-Torrez said.
Sanchez-Torrez and Torres were both influenced by family members who exposed them to hip-hop at a young age. Other influences include Jimi Hendrix, Michael Winslow - the guy who makes funny noises in Police Academy movies - comedians and local rappers Check and Physics.
Torres said he will be throwing a showcase event on Oct. 14 which entails 10-plus acts performing one song each. He said they held a similar event in May that turned out well, so he's hoping that this one will be even better. He said regulars who appear at Burt's like Shorty and Versatile from the UHF B-Boy crew will probably be at the showcase event ready to break dance.
Sanchez-Torrez and Torres said they always welcome new skills to the mic.
"Hip-hop is like dirt - it's always there. No one can take it away," Sanchez-Torrez said.
