INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Discopolis 05/07/08
Oh snap, it’s time for more Indy dance music babble! I got lots of feedback about the new column after the first one last month. It seems I missed a lot of stuff going on — wouldn’t you know it? I only get so many words and there’s so much more going on in Indy than people give it credit for.
So let’s start out by getting the goss’ out of the way: The day the last column printed, Gelo closed its doors seemingly unexpectedly. It was a disappointment for promoter Muzique Boutique: Friday nights at the club had picked up some steam and everyone was loving the vibe. Though rumors spread that the closing had something to do with permits, the club posted on their MySpace that the lease on the property (which had also been called Vapour at one time) was up and the owners didn’t feel it “was in the general interest of all parties to renew.” Either way, the Boutique still has Sunday night’s Keepin’ It Deep going at Lulu’s on the Northside.
“Geek” of iQ Entertainment went into retirement mode, following a couple years of “Broke(n) Tuesdays” and “Fix(d) Wednesdays” at the Melody Inn and Therapy, respectively. Of course, nobody believes he’ll stay in retirement very long. Someone’s gotta keep bringing the big name drum and bass through Indianapolis, right?
And now, the places to get down this month.
Wicked
There’s a group of promoters here in Indy bringing everything new wave and punk, ’80s and electroclash, goth and industrial to this town: Mister E. DJ, DJ Coppertop, Sarah Vain, Chris Conner and DJs Nightmare and Daydream. One of the staples of Mister E’s efforts is this Saturday’s “Goth Prom” at Locals Only. The event features DJs Sarah Vain and Nightmare, a live performance by Danz Poeta and a special appearance by Vyxsin and Kynt from Amazing Race.
Between these promoters you can also catch ongoing events like Mutiny! Wednesdays at the Casba, featuring Sarah Vain and Dead Billy plus special guests; tonight is their one-year anniversary. And every second Sunday, Retroactiv! drops by the Melody Inn, with DJs Nightmare and Daydream playing all ’80s all night (“Let’s just pretend the last 18 years never happened,” goes the show’s rally cry).
Getting it with big city style
Local DJ and producer/remixer StarSteady sure knows how to do it big. At only 22 years old, he’s putting out his own productions, running his own label, Let’s Play House Recordings (which has released tracks by popular producers Verdugo Brothers), and bringing some of the biggest talent in electro house to Indianapolis. After successful (and pretty damn fun) events in March featuring DJ Dan and Starkillers, two of the biggest electro house names in the world, LPHR Sessions is back this month with Chicago floor movers JJ Flores and Steve Smooth. You might recognize their names from the back of Bad Boy Bill’s most recent mixes, “Behind the Decks” and “Behind the Decks Live.” JJ and Steve’s tracks make up a major part of those collections, including tracks like “Release,” “Get Naked” and “Deep Inside These Walls.” The event is held May 22 at Talbott Street (and you thought it was just for the gay?).
Speaking of big city
Wow, it seems like everyone is going to the Detroit Electronic Music Festival this year! I think I would need more than my own fingers and toes to count the number of Indy people making the trek for the annual techno festival held over Memorial Day weekend. Apparently the festival has already tripled their ticket sales from last year’s fest, which is great news if you ask me. This year’s lineup is pretty huge, too, including Moby, Mark Farina, Benny Benassi, Girl Talk, The Cool Kids, Tech Itch, Dieselboy, Josh Wink, Dubfire, Richie Hawtin, Justin Long and a whole lot more. That’s a very diverse lineup, though I’m most excited about Canadian producer-DJ Deadmau5, who just won in five categories of the Beatport Music Awards (including most influential person) after blowing up on the scene a little over a year ago.
Jack Shepler, aka Jackola, will spin at the JJ Flores & Steve Smooth event May 22 (also featuring StarSteady and Slater Hogan) as well as at Therapy Nightclub May 10 (with Topher Jones, Defi and Bryan Scott).