The Paradox was a South Baltimore dance club from 1991 to 2016. It was originally a home to house music, but later on got more of a hip hop feel.[1] The club was founded by Wayne Davis.
History
editThe Paradox was an important gathering place for Baltimore's DJs, producers, and dance music fans.[2] The sound system was developed, designed, and installed by Richard Long of Richard Long & Associates (RLA) and Dave Soto.[3][4] The club marked important events in the careers of many notable Djs and Promoters in the Baltimore Club Music scene such as K-Swift, Scott Henry, Leroy Burgess Jr., Scottie B and Charles Feelgood.
The Paradox closed its doors permanently in 2016, following a social media announcement[5] by club owner Wayne Davis in October 2015. This news came less than five years after a full renovation of the club,[6] which aimed to draw larger crowds. Despite its apparent success and popularity within the community, the Paradox struggled to make a profit in its later years, particularly due to the fact they did not sell alcohol.[7] The location which the Paradox occupied was initially to be taken over[8] by Hammerjack's, another long-standing hallmark of Baltimore's music scene—although notably less focused on the club music the city is known for. As of 2020, the new Hammerjacks incarnation has yet to open.[9]
References
edit- ^ Weigel, Brandon (13 October 2015). "Legendary Club Paradox Will Close Next Year". www.citypaper.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ Embert, Casey. "We Made All This Shit! The history of Unruly Records, which just celebrated 20 years, tells the history of Baltimore club music". citypaper.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Nightclubbing: Paradox". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ Paper, Baltimore City. "Man of the House: For four decades Wayne Davis has shown that to build a club you start with the music". citypaper.com. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ Entertainment, Paradox (2015-10-13). "Paradox Entertainment - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Paradox Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ Maza, Erik (2012-04-20). "Paradox still king: No other club holds a candle to this renovated South Baltimore institution, which has been around for 21 years". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ Embert, Casey (2016-06-22). "We Made All This Shit! The history of Unruly Records, which just celebrated 20 years, tells the history of Baltimore club music". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ Sisk, Josh (2013-09-13). "Best Long Goodbye: The Paradox". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ "On This Day (April 11)…Eight Miles Above Hammerjacks". Gotta Hear 'em All!. 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2021-01-09.