• Jonathan Adams
• Matt Allen performs at Blend

Love it or hate it, you can't deny that Top 40 music runs Broad Ripple. Despite the best efforts of notable organizations and groups around town to infiltrate the drunken college kid harbor with something new and fresh, jukeboxes and run-of-the-mill DJ’s still provide the entertainment for a large percentage of the most happening bars in The Ripple. Why is that, you ask?

It’s because human beings are naturally drawn to familiarity. They subconsciously shy away from things that place them outside of their comfort zone; the soundtrack to their intoxicated Friday night shenanigans is no different.

While some argue that Top 40 receives too much radio play and thus decays the music’s appeal in a dance club, others agree that singling along with 30 other people at the same time makes for the best dance floor experience. I personally ride the fence on this debate; admittedly partaking in the guilty pleasure of Retro Rewind on occasion, yet ultimately a seeker of revolutionary, underground music.

Realizing the need for an event catered to the desires of other similar “fence-riders” like myself, Matt Allen of IndyMojo.com/G9 Collective recently launched a weekly event at Tru Nightclub called Blend. The cover-free Friday night dance party has been gaining momentum since its inception and quickly garnered a solid crew of regular attendees.

NUVO recently stole a few minutes with Matt to talk about the event’s success thus far, as well as to preview things to come.

NUVO: You define your style as "electro/mashup". More specifically, what does that mean? What type of music can one expect to hear when you're performing?
MA: I really enjoy the drive and energy electrohouse beats bring to a song and feel this type of music brings an energy to a dance room like no other genre. Having said that, I also realize that a lot of people really aren't interested in just listening to beats without the ability to sing along or recognize the song. In this effort, "elctro/mashup" brings the two together by putting driving basslines behind songs that are easily identifiable. The energy that comes from a driving bassline that people are singing/rapping along to is really what gets me and hopefully the crowd excited on Fridays. Blend also has guest DJs once a week to put their own spin on club music and resident Blend DJ, Jamestown, has his own sound of danceworthy mashup which is slightly different than mine.

NUVO: Blend has been in place since October 8th and has been gaining momentum ever since. No exaggeration- there's always a solid crowd. What ammenities is Blend offering to its patrons that are contributing to the event's success?
MA: Tru is a great venue for this type of event. It is a large room, provides many options in terms of special seating for events and just recently upgraded the sound and lighting. In addition to the physical attributes of the building, they also work hard to keep prices at the bar down as well as allow Blend to operate with no cover charge. They truly see Blend as an ongoing weekly event. I think once people come to Blend, a lot of previous misconceptions regarding the venue and previous ownership are eliminated. Musically, I take a lot of pride in knowing that what we are playing on Friday is not being played anywhere else in Broad Ripple and I believe the patrons of Blend recognize and appreciate that effort. It is becoming a place to inexpensively go on Fridays in Broad Ripple without sacrificing the elements of what a big room, Friday night dance club should be.

NUVO: The Black Friday edition of Blend is branching out and offering something a little different. Tell me about the additional entertainment you have planned for this Friday.
MA: We have a guest DJ each week. It's something I like to do to keep the event fresh and it gives local DJs an opportunity to play a room that might be a little bigger than they are used to and allows them exposure to a slightly different crowd. Sinclair Wheeler currently no longer lives here but has a lot of local support. Sinclair is a guitar player, singer, rapper, DJ, etc... Our format is top 40, dance,mashup which means we exhibit all forms of danceworthy music. He'll bring the type of energy Blend and its patrons expect. Additionally, DJ Wushu from Denver is a DJ who has played all across the country and can play virtually all club formats. I think the versatility of these two, as well as Caleb Lindemann who will be introduced, will provide Blend patrons a new musical experience not typical of most Friday nights in Broad Ripple.

NUVO: How did you and Sinclair get connected?
MA: Ben Action Jackson introduced me to him at OMG one night. Ben's event on Wednesday is one of my favorites and I don't think you need to look far to see the similarities between what I do on Friday and what he has been doing on Wednesdays. I really enjoyed the versatility Sinclair demonstrated that night musically and it didn't take much effort once Sinclair and I talked to realize that Blend and his talent would be a good fit.

NUVO: What else can we expect to see from Blend in the near future?
MA: We are already lined up with acts until the end of the year. I think that in itself is a testament to the support we have been receiving from patrons as well as the local music community. Our sponsors, Absolut Vodka and Indymojo, couldn't be more supportive and as mentioned, Tru Nightclub is fully on board. With all this in our corner, our expectation is to continue having fun and making Blend a place where patrons enjoy coming to dance and drink on Fridays in Broad Ripple.

We are also excited to announce that Blend will be featured at the "Absolut Mojo NYE" at Tru. Stayed tuned for more details on what is guaranteed to be the most affordable and uniquely fun NYE celebration in Indianapolis.

• Dean Fernando
• Live From The Shadowsphere

Park West is a deceiving venue situated at the far end of West Armitage, just minutes from Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Outside, large 80’s-style lettering with rounded corners that flow into each other identify the famous concert spot above a relatively small façade. Even the undersized, dedicated parking garage felt like a step back in time to a secretive, cagey place with three terrifying levels of ultra-tight ramps and embankments that signs claim are for two-way traffic, though I strongly beg to differ.

The ticket gate emptied into a cramped lobby that included one bar, merchandise tables, and lots of people. Inside the main concert room, more bars awaited amongst multi-level vantage points. A spacious carpeted section midway to the stage was equipped with ample booth space, although all the tables were reserved for VIP ticketholders. A smaller balcony section overlooked the massive concert space from both sides of the room, also equipped with not-so-private tables reflected to the floor via large, angled mirrors.

With years of experience behind him as a professional DJ, Shadow has teamed up with world-class multi-media specialist Ben Stokes for the “Live From The Shadowsphere” tour to develop a live experience that is equal parts audio and visual stimulation. A large, round sphere had been installed on the stage with an accompanying flat, rectangular screen behind it. Although we couldn’t see it, Shadow’s table was erected inside the globe on a platform that faced the audience.

From the second the show began, camera phones illuminated the crowd as fans attempted to capture the special effects unfolding in front of them. Almost as if he wanted to get it out of the way, Shadow’s opening montage included the addictive “Walki Talkie”, complimented by a series of abstract designs that continually morphed into new shapes and colors in sync with the music; imagine a real-life, futuristic version of Windows Media Player on LSD.

As Shadow reached the first break in song, his hand appeared atop the globe and he waved to his fans, causing them to brake out into boisterous applause. When the music began again, an old-fashioned TV screen appeared on the front of the sphere and the audience suddenly had a peek at what was going on inside; two different webcams attached to the DJ table let us indirectly watch Shadow work his magic.

A little later DJ Shadow reached for his encasement and gave it a push, rotating the globe 180 degrees to reveal the open back half of the contraption. He took a minute to chat with the crowd, telling us that he was happy to once again be performing at Park West. “We’re filming the show tonight because it’s one of the few indoor shows,” Shadow said about the third-to-last stop on the tour. He continued to tell us that the video they’re making is an attempt to document the belief that “DJ’ing is a real, progressive art form.” He finished by sharing that with a few small exceptions, all of the music played that night was his own original work. And then he yelled, “Like this!”

The lights dimmed and the sphere again rotated so that we could no longer see DJ Shadow. “Def Surrounds Us” (one of Shadow’s newest tracks, released earlier in 2010) began to play and videos were projected of humans doing everyday things such as walking down the street and riding an escalator while staring directly back at us, the audience. The images were intriguingly eerie because, although the humans’ faces were flesh-colored, they were shaped like alien heads (rounded, upside-down triangles) and had large, black, empty circles for eyes.

Later in the night we watched the Shadowsphere portray various sporting balls while the flat rectangular screen behind it displayed appropriate backgrounds (e.g. a stadium full of people and a blue sky with clouds behind a baseball), giving the effect of a three-dimensional first-person view of the inanimate objects flying through the air. Such attention was given to details that even the ball upon a pool table reflected picture frames hanging on the wall of a pub as it rolled across the green bed of billiard cloth.

DJ Shadow’s musical style is not easily categorized. Best left at “danceable, high energy, electronic music”, there are small noticeable bouts of hip hop, discernable integration of drum and bass breakbeats, and even a little bassey dubstep. There is something for everyone during a DJ Shadow show, with an infectious liveliness that defies genre boundaries.

When DJ Shadow reappeared for his encore (a DJ encore? Hell yes.) he demonstrated great humility as he walked to the front of the stage to shake the hands that were grabbing for him. Shadow slowly looked across the venue and studied the crowd with a humble and gratified look on his face. “You don’t really hear me on the radio or see me on TV, yet there are 1,000 people here tonight,” he said with genuine thankfulness to the sold-out crowd.

The encore began with a nostalgic 50’s sample that was both calm and comforting. One of the cameras attached to the DJ table was zoomed in on Shadow’s hands, letting us watch with amazing closeness as he tweaked the song with subtle effects. Soon the Shadowsphere morphed into a snow globe and the music faded into “High Noon” from 1998’s Preemptive Strike. A computer-generated hand appeared on the back video screen that picked up and carried the snowglobe through a series of scenes before bringing the show to a close and minutes of clapping and cheering ensued.

Last Friday I was privileged enough to see one of the most innovative and unique light shows I’ve ever seen in my life. That show, paired with DJ Shadow’s genius production and authentic meekness, easily puts to rest any dispute that a $30 ticket is too expensive “just to see a DJ”. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran to the EDM scene, a tree-hugging jam bander, or a casual fan of music in general- DJ Shadow presents his work with pride and in a format you won’t experience anywhere else. Do yourself a favor and put that one on your bucket list.

Twice.