The Paradox

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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

The 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 dwindling alcohol sales. [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]

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References

  1. Weigel, Brandon (13 October 2015). "Legendary Club Paradox Will Close Next Year". www.citypaper.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. "Nightclubbing: Paradox". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  4. 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.
  5. Entertainment, Paradox (2015-10-13). "Paradox Entertainment - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Paradox Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  6. 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. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  7. 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.
  8. Sisk, Josh (2013-09-13). "Best Long Goodbye: The Paradox". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  9. "On This Day (April 11)…Eight Miles Above Hammerjacks". Gotta Hear 'em All!. 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2021-01-09.

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