Electronic drum circle

First Midwest Electrionic Music Showcase
Rhino’s, Bloomington
Saturday, May 21

Last Saturday afternoon, six DJs sat huddled over a table like CEOs at an executive luncheon. But they weren’t doing a business lunch. Instead, the table was piled with a feast of keyboards, programmers, sequencers and laptops.

Pushing buttons and dials, they programmed far-out sounds over a steady beat. More DJs slowly filed in to Rhino’s, unloading laptops and keyboards for what was becoming a massive “electronic drum circle.”

This random collaboration was part of the first Midwest Electronic Music Summit at Rhino’s Nightclub in Bloomington. Besides being free, all-ages and 12 hours long, the showcase featured some classic independent films and some good locally made ones as well.

“There are no rules,” said founder Scott Kellogg as he watched the “DJ drum circle.” “It’s a really beautiful thing.”

Kellogg, a Bloomington-based DJ, said he met local DJ and record store manager Ryan Faubion at an online forum of “LivePA.org,” where they began collaborating for a unique event.

“There’s lots of guys from the Midwest that are doing electronic music,” Kellogg said, “but there weren’t very many venues around for those shows, so we put this on. Some people were really negative and said it couldn’t happen, but it was easy. This is exactly what I envisioned: strangers coming together and making music with machines.”

But the organizers were intent on keeping things flexible and free of financial entanglements.

“Neither one of us had done this before,” said co-founder Faubion of IndyCD &Vinyl. “We’re already thinking how to make the next one better. The idea was to keep it small and evolve, grow and not be Indiana-specific — or even the Midwest for that matter. I wouldn’t have a problem if some guy from Albuquerque wanted to do it. We’re not in it for the money, we just want to keep it free and all-ages.”

Kellogg agreed. “I want MEMS to always be a free show — unless it’s a benefit, and even then on a volunteer basis. The spirit of the event is about sharing knowledge and awareness of electronic music.”

Things got a little heated after 5 p.m., when DJ Decrepitude went wild on a keyboard and a laptop. The macabre animated French classic Fantastic Planet/Le Planete Sauvage played on screen and the fast-paced music matched it perfectly. He even sang and looped his harmonica and voice into one song.

Other electronic musicians improvised along to films like The Brothers Quay, and a surreal Czech montage including walking dolls and moths flying through filing cabinets.

“People who just come to enjoy something need a fun visual element instead of just a guy pushing buttons,” Faubion said.

One locally produced film featured scenes of the downtown skyline in a montage of fighter jets, protests, Chomsky and cheerleaders. The team of DJ Glaive (Kellogg) and saxophonist Joe Donnelly played along to the film on their laptop with looped keyboard solos — and an electric clarinet.

DJ Actuel (Faubion) and his team of musicians played ambient instrumentals more towards the vein of hip-hop. They layered spoken word samples from local poets.

“People travel this far for free to do what they love to do,” said saxophonist Joe Donelly as he tore down the stage. “It’s really pretty amazing.”