In preparation for Curtiss King’s anticipated album debut Atychiphobia (The Fear Of Failure) on November 27th , the producer/rapper hosted a listening party in Downtown Pomona’s Machine Pomona (museum/gallery), this past Saturday.
The setting was very intimate, aside from the loud & trendy pieces of clothing and artwork that decorated the walls. The crowd consisted primarily of Curtiss King’s close friends, family, fellow artists and producers, including Glasses Malone, Stevie Crooks, JBizness,A3, Noa James, along with the rest of the Black Cloud crew, and a few Kings + Queens (fans).
At arrival, people were given the chance to just interact with one another as music played in the background, of course music by the Black Cloud Music team. At around 9pm, Curtiss King called for the attention of everyone in attendance as he took a few moments to explain the journey towards the making of Atychiphobia and the significance of the project to his career and to him as a person.
Curtiss King sat at the front of the room next to a home-audio- system where Black Cloud’s CEO Jynxx sat at opposite side playing “DJ” through his iPhone, as he cued each track. Curtiss King touched base on each and every track throughout the listening, explaining the significance of the songs, along with experiences of the making.
The crowd seemed to really be enjoying themselves, between refreshments and minimal conversations they all paid close attention to what was coming out the speakers. Some stood, some sat upon the seating available, most nodding heads in approval to the sounds from time to time and some simply lost in the focus of listening.
As we got closer to the end of the listening Curtiss asked for opinions and questions regarding what was heard so far and took the time to answer. But probably one of the most significant moments of the night was at the last track listening “Ratchets Still Jockin’ (Remix)” when he asked for Glasses Malone to step in from outside of the venue where he was posted, vibing to the sound and conversating with friends. Curtiss went on to thank Glasses Malone and expressing the significance he has had to his career as a producer and an artist, thanking him for the opportunity to produce for him allowing him to expose himself.
Curtiss King’s listening party for Atychiphobia (The Fear Of Failure) was a success; it brought out people who appreciate this man’s craft and allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the album.
ILLSociety enjoyed being in attendance, and we wish Black Cloud Music and Curtiss King nothing but success on his debut.
You can purchase the album here.
-Stace Fresh
All photos by Cali Grindz
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