Playlist Party phones it in

In April 2014, for the first time, a majority of U.S. mobile subscribers in all age groups, including 55 and older, were found to use smartphones. That same month, Erosol opened up inside the two-story Brown-Hayes Department Store building at 467 Edgewood Ave. Soon after, videographer J. Wise and music journalist and event host Maurice Garland stopped in for a few beers when the club’s owner, Luis Carrera, asked for some advice. Mondays hadn’t taken off. What could Carrera do to drum up business?

Garland had an idea. The premise of was simple: Whoever buys a drink can walk up to the DJ booth, plug in their phone, and bump a song of their choice. Playlist Party was born offering a wholly different take on using cell phones to keep the party going, meaning that the typical rules of phone etiquette don’t apply. “There are still some great DJs who you would pay to see, but a lot of times the nightlife experience involves staring at people: the DJ and everybody on their phone,” says Decatur native and Creative Loafing contributor Garland. “Why not have a party where you’re using that damn phone?”

Less than a year later, Playlist Party regularly draws 100 to 200 people to Erosol every Monday night. It has become an integral part of Edgewood’s booming yet still affordable nightlife scene, and it’s all an unusual testament to how smartphones have revolutionized American culture among all age groups.

The party’s first guest was a Washington, D.C. traveler who came straight from the airport after seeing the flier on Facebook. Since then, local artists, friends, and colleagues of J. Wise and Garland have appeared as guest DJs. Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Mr. DJ, of first generation Atlanta rap collective Dungeon Family, hosted Playlist Party to celebrate OutKast’s homecoming reunion shows in September. V-103 (WVEE-FM) host DJ Greg Street shared a previously unreleased Andre 3000 verse during his guest set. Rapper Scotty ATL hosted the listening session for his latest mixtape, Spaghetti Junction, at Playlist Party. In December, an unidentified aspiring young rap group blasted one of its songs to film an impromptu music video.

Playlist Party has just one rule: “You can’t play all Dungeon Family, all night,” Garland says.

That’s what happened when Killer Mike brought DJ Trackstar out for a guest spot. But to be fair, the music played every Monday night tends to range from Jeezy to Michael Jackson, Maroon 5 to A Tribe Called Quest.

But despite the concept and venue, Playlist Party’s founders are most inspired by a time when the city’s biggest annual party was free — Freaknik. J. Wise even suspects that’s why Garland’s idea for Playlist Party actually caught on.

“Freaknik was free,” J. Wise says. “When people first moved to Atlanta, everything was free. It was an affordable place. Everything has gotten Hollywood. With Playlist Party we’re providing something free for the people.”

People already have phones in their pockets, loaded up with their favorite songs. All they have to do now is buy a drink — the party has already started.