Author Archives: Sutiweyu Sandoval
Take That! Tuesday Is Five Years Old
Take That! Tuesdays
Coaches Tavern
DJ Metrognome and Others
http://www.coachestavern.com/
Let me begin by saying that Tuesday nights at Coaches Tavern have been the most strangely awesome DJ residency for five years now.
Out of all the residencies that Metrognome has held, this was the one that I never expected to last. There’s no real dance floor, almost no formal promotion, and it’s a Hip-Hop night in a sports bar.
But here we are half a decade later and “Take That! Tuesdays” are still going strong.
This particular night was a pretty good example of why this jam has to be experienced at least once.
MetroGnome began the night with a recipe that keeps the regulars coming back: 1 part tasty breakbeats, 2 parts underground Hip-Hop joints, a dash of vintage soul, and a side of succulent slow jams.
Chicago DJ, RTC took over for him without sacrificing the funky tone that was in the air. His set was across the board but it focused on Hip-Hop. Somehow Red Hot Chili Peppers and Thievery Corporation made their way into his mix, but they impressively worked like a charm.
Around 11, the spot got dense with people. DJ Chase got on deck. He’s been one of my favorite funk/breaks DJs for a super long time. This was the first time I had heard him spin a straight-forward Hip-Hop set. It was more Boom-Bap (a sub-genre of NY Hip-Hop) than breaks so the crowd went goofy.
Here’s where I’m going to stop to explain an amusing phenomenon that only occurs around hardcore Hip-Hop heads and MCs: the concept of “Rap Hands”. It’s a way of gesturing to emphasize the lyrics you are reciting. Look up the “Hip-Hop Hooray” video if you’re not sure what I’m talking about. Sidenote: I made up the term so don’t look for it on urbandictionary.com.
“Rap Hands” are significant because they mainly grow in a soil that’s rich with underground, golden era, Hip-Hop classics. Seeing three or more cats throwing them up in the same location means that the DJ knows his stuff. This night was so full of “Rap Hands” that it looked like a debate in the House of Commons done in sign-language. That was a heavy seal of approval from the masses.
Back to reality. DJ Limelight hopped on after Chase finished his set. Limelight has amazing track selection, but he often spins only the first third of a song. I believe this is actually a tradition of sorts among Hip-Hop DJs. But, evidently, it didn’t matter because my peers and I proceeded to dance on the floor, regardless. This was instigated by local B-boy legend Ronin(aka Twosy) and the rest of us followed suit because the songs were just too nice to ignore.
Breakers, Poppers, and other styles of street dance are, actually, fairly common at “Take That! Tuesdays”. As I mentioned before, there’s no actual dance floor; so for us to form a circle means blocking off foot-traffic. The crowd was full of people who either knew us or thought it was funny. They would patiently wait for someone to finish their “run” before scooting by.
The rotation came full circle when MetroGnome came back on around midnight. He started his second set by doing something cool that virtually no other DJs in Nap do on a regular basis. What he likes to do is start with an original Funk/Soul/Jazz song, set it on a repeating loop, and then bring in the song that made that sample famous. In this case, the original was “I Just Can’t See Myself Without You” by Creative Source and the song that sampled it was “What We Do” by Freeway, Hov, and Beans.
I’ve heard of Topspeed doing a whole set with this technique but MetroGnome is the main cat I see doing it on a consistent basis. It’s basically like a lesson in music history without being preachy. Plus, it makes you way more excited when you hear the part of the original that you recognize and know he’s about to bring in one of your favorites. Powerful stuff.
The DJs continued rotating over the next three hours but hopefully, I’ve already made my point. If I’m not in bed on a Tuesday night, I probably came out here to hear funky songs, dance, and be around friendly faces.
Slothpop CD Release Show
Slothpop | Flotation Walls |The Bonesetters
Radio Radio
January 8, 2011
[All Photos By Jedediah Johnson]
Anticipation was high for this event. Slothpop has been local-media darlings before they had ever began playing live. You can thank the buzz from the amazing tracks they housed on their MySpace page. I was fortunate to catch them at their first performance and even now I looked forward to this album release.
I was aware that there had been some changes in the band’s line-up, and I wasn’t familiar with the opening acts … but I was still ready from something special.
Chill Downtempo and House ala St. Germain kept me and resident photographer Jedediah Johnson company until the band gathered. Around the same time the Bonesetters took the stage, I headed downstairs to meet the members of Slothpop in a quieter setting.
By the time we came back upstairs, The Bonesetters were already in full swing. The vocal presence of the song they were playing was reminiscent of Josh Homme and the rest of the song had a Cake flavor to it. The trumpet player was blowing the horn in his right hand and playing keys with his left. He did both really well as his double-handed playing was one of the high points of my evening.
The next song was “Trigger-Finger,” and it was kinda bouncy with a little Stellastar feel to it. The set ended with a nice little solo piece leaving just the lead singer and his acoustic guitar.
Flotation Walls from Columbus,OH came on at around 10:15. I’ll try to be brief because I could easily fill the whole review with accolades for this group. This six piece was insane.
Let me start by saying that the four men in the group were dressed in yellow outfits that looked like they were four crew members of a space ship from a1950′s sci-fi movie.
As far as the sound, if Queen and Andrew Lloyd Webber had come together to make Rock Operas for Broadway, it would have been a little like this. I wasn’t around for the heyday of progressive rock but if it was always this dramatic and exciting, I have no idea why it died out. There were touches of Opera, Irish Folk, and Breakbeats done with keys, trumpet, stand-up bass, and a gong…in addition to the standard drums, electric, and acoustic guitar.
One particular point of interest was how lethargic the crowd was. It was more apparent because of the band’s theatrical presentation and dynamic sound. On multiple occasions, the frontman would leap off the stage and go as far as to dance with and throw an arm around a member of the crowd. But all they got was polite clapping after every song.
This was a recurring theme throughout the night. Maybe everyone was saving their energy for a wild after-party that I wasn’t hip to… Anyways, Slothpop took the stage, not too long afterwards.
They opened with “Gilgamesh” and the first thing I noticed was how tenderly Kristin handled the mic. Not to invalidate the years of practice behind her skill, but there’s something special about seeing a performer approach their craft as if they were born specifically for that moment. The song came to a close with a style that felt perfect for a 1950′s sock-hop.
Hearing “Leaping Over Books” live was a spiritual experience. The interplay between the pizzicato violin, cello, and guitar had a slight Jon Brion feel that made the venue feel like a scene in a Michel Gondry film.
“Dan’s Song” arrived with a groove that was authoritative. Despite this song not being a part of the album… this was the one that felt like it announced their presence more solidly than the previous ones.
“Dots and Squares” followed with its playful piano melody that had a soft Rag-Time flavor to it. I remember thinking that this would have been a perfect opener for the set.
“Kokoro” arrived with the force of a hurricane. It even got the crowd moving and shaking which was a first for the night. It also marked Lauren Eison’s only solo vocal performance during the breakdown. She normally supplies the violin parts and sings back-up, but her voice — washed in delay — was gorgeous and ethereal. It was an excellent contrast with Kristin’s deeper tone.
“One” came in and soaked the place with sound. Something about the tone of this song made it feel like it would have been perfect for closing out the set but it turned out to be the 3rd to last. The final song was “A Perfect Love” which perfectly melded Romanian flavored violin playing with guitars that sounded like they were playing in the style of Spanish Classical but through a vintage Surf Rock amp.
The progression that this band has undergone since I first discovered them is fascinating in both changes in the line-up, as well as a shift in terms of creative responsibilities. What began primarily as a vehicle for the lead singer has developed into something different. The band told me that they now share compositional duties which explains a lot. The changes this has brought to the music have been subtle and yet dynamic. The core sound is still in place but the arrangements have expanded to not only give each instrumentalist room to explore but also for them to bring in elements from their diverse musical backgrounds. Another beneficial aspect is that Andrew Malott is their producer/engineer in addition to being the bassist. Having him in house seems to add to the cohesiveness of the record since his technical judgments are in-line with the band’s creative vision.
The chemistry this group shows both as a result of the studio and on stage is amazing. Maybe the most exciting aspect is that with a talent pool this creative, they have plenty of room to take future songs in nearly any direction.
Soul Sessions 5th Anniversary Party
Soul Sessions were a big deal. Wednesday showed me that they still are.
Old Soul has regularly (for the most part) thrown two main types of events. The first is the Soul Sessions. You’d have to go to one to really understand it, but they are essentially the dance party of choice for the intellectuals and creatives within the middle class. If you stopped and talked with all the beautiful people in nice suits, lovely dresses, earth-tone turtlenecks, and classy shoes, you’d discover the wildest selection of administrators, accountants, business owners, musicians, painters, photographers, graphic designers and published poets that you ever saw.
These folk will come out and boogie like you wouldn’t believe. Plus, the DJs always spin my favorite party songs there. The woman are lovely and social. Plus, the organizers have always been very welcoming to dancers. If there are dance parties in the after-life, I already know what they’ll be like.
The other side of the coin is The Roots Movements. These are traditionally live performances on the first Wednesday of every month. They are most often centered around music that’s at the core of the Old Soul experience: Funk, Soul, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. Poets and electronic musicians have also performed there. I have only been to one of these but it was a cozy affair with enjoyable music and a hip crowd. Definitely a sit-down type affair, though.
Both types of events have consistently been that rare combination of passion and tastefulness. I think that’s why they really fit well with the Jazz Kitchen as home base.
Now that we have a context, It will make sense when I say that this particular Soul Session had a Roots Movement at the beginning as a part of the 5th anniversary celebration. This was something special.
Photo by Andrew Severns (http://asdesign.co)
According to Doug Morris, the overall theme was Life and it was split into three acts. I don’t believe that the first two had titles but the third was announced as “Love and War”.
When Brandon Meeks came out and started playing the stand-up bass, I started smiling. It was just a light, jazzy bassline. Perfectly appropriate for spoken word… and spoken word ensued.
Along with Brandon’s ill bass, Saint Peace began his spoken word flow about a young girl in Appalachia being witness to the appalling violence inherent to the life of coal miners. It made me feel like industry is waging war on our own people, in our country, while focusing on the wars we wage elsewhere. I’m pretty dense so there might have been deeper symbolism. That’s what I took from it, though, and I thought both the content and delivery were moving.
The entirely instrumental song that followed was easily one of the highlights of the night, for me. Brandon Meeks stayed on bass but switched over to an electric. He was joined by Pancho Hedrik on guitar, Brandis Gossett on keys, Ed Lanier on auxiliary percussion, Stacia Murphy on trombone, and my boy Sleepy Floyd on drums. The song, itself, was a shock to my system. It was like a dark funk song that was as merciless as it was deep. Breathtaking!
Photo by Andrew Severns (http://asdesign.co)
Sleepy, Brandis, and Ed actually stayed through virtually every song despite there being rotation on most of the other musicians. For example, Bashiri Asad came up next and sang wonderfully over everyone except Stacia and Pancho who had headed back to the green room.
This was a treat. I had seen Bashiri on flyers but had never taken the time out of my schedule to see him live. I’ve been missing out. He has a refined style of soul which never quite jumps over into Neo-Soul territory. This works for me. I think of Neo-Soul as being half-way between radio R’n'B and classic Soul, both in terms of music and vocal style. That’s an oversimplification but, overall, it’s not my cup of tea.
Izzy Amor came up next and brought Pancho back with him. It was a pleasant song but closer to Neo-Soul and, therefore, harder for me to enjoy objectively. It was the beginning of a recurring theme where a poet or MC would deliver verses on the same song as a singer. This was done really tastefully, throughout the night, and this occurrence was no exception. The particular song was my first time hearing aLLEN iMAGERY. I have to say the that I, now, believe the hype. His delivery is masterful in terms of timing and vocal intonation. His words were incredibly powerful, as well. Possibly, finest Spoken Word Poet that I have heard in the city.
This was followed up by Alpha Live spitting verses about relationships. Alpha is a powerful MC and this particular song wasn’t one designed to test his full strength as a lyricist, but it still fit perfectly into Act 1′s overall theme of angst. The music and his flow did work, harmoniously, though. Very well done.
Mr. Kinetik brought up the next song. I believe the subject matter was about being real as opposed to being fake. I have to admit that my attention, throughout the night, was way more focused on musical details than lyrical content, regardless of who was on the mic. I did note that the original production from this song was present via Kinetik’s laptop. This wasn’t a big deal, but it prevented Ed, Sleepy, and Brandis from really contributing as much as they could. At the end of the song, Kinetik hopped on the keyboard and started playing out some pleasant chords. They were cool but I didn’t know what to make of them. When he started singing “Eleanor Rigby”(a Beatles classic), everything came together in my mind, and I really enjoyed it. Nice touch.
This was pretty much the end of the first act (according to my notes) and it was a really good representation of what followed over the course of the next two. As in the first, most of the hosting on the mic was done by aLLEN and Bashiri. Both have great stage presence and charming personalities which kept the the show moving in between songs.
Robert Hornberger leading the band in an instrumental jam, on his 5-string bass, was another highlight of the night. Brandon and Robert killed it on their solos but Brandis and Sleepy especially shined. I had never seen Sleepy attack the drum set like a pitbull before, and it got me and the whole crowd hype.
The Brazilian-flavored jazzy piece that Bashiri opened the third act with was priceless. It was heavily driven by a ridiculous bassline from Brandon Meeks and featured my favorite raps of the night by a one-time appearance of Pariah the Poetic. Even Tony Styxx hopped on stage to give a quick but tight spoken word performance, towards the end of the song.
Overall, this was an even more amazing night than I expected when I walked in. I got to hear an amazing cover of Hendrix’ “Hey Joe,” Alpha sang (and well, I might add), Rob L. made an appearance, and I saw Bashiri and wife literally pull people to the dance floor. All the music was done well and the craftsmanship of each musician was apparent on each song. The concept wasn’t executed perfectly, but it still added another level to the night.
This was possibly the most creatively ambitious thing that I have seen Old Soul attempt. The gamble payed off and it was definitely a night to remember.
Photography by Andrew Severns (http://asdesign.co)
Sutiweyu Sandoval Top 10 of 2010
Andrew asked me to do a top 10 list of events or albums. I didn’t know what to say. I’d been kind of a hermit and I don’t really pay a lot of attention to an album’s release date.
We found a compromise where I could do a hybrid of my top overall picks of 2010. Here’s my mixed bag of favorites, in no particular order:
1. Bonobo – Black Sands
This album is ridiculous. Normally, I’d condemn someone for making a more commercial sound but, normally, that transition decreases quality. I felt like this album was really about him maturing to a degree and making the jump from artist to designer. I don’t think that it’s a transition that all people should make but when I hear the degree of precision in each of these songs, it strikes me as being much more analytical than intuitive. This wouldn’t work for a lot of people but since Bonobo was never that raw to begin with … it feels like a natural progression.
Just as clean as I’ve come to expect from him but with an extra edge of sharpness.
My Favorite Songs: Kiara, El Toro, All in Forms, and Eyedown ft Andreya Triana
My Favorite Lyric: “Heavy, soothing… Like a gentle symphony.” from “Stay the Same” ft Andreya Triana
2. New Year’s at the Masquerade Ball
Technically, this one is kinda cheating because we got to the jam in 2009 and left in 2010. Anyways, Blue Ink Marketing throws a yearly Masquerade Ball at the hotel that used to be Union Station. Over the last 3 years, Breakers/Poppers/etc have been invited to perform at this event which is primarily a fundraiser to donate money to children on the wait list for organ transplants, if I remember properly.
Anyways, this year, we came with a pretty amazing array of dancers and had a decent time. Then, Monsta’s lady friends from Bloomington show up and we head to a hotel party in their room before finishing up at Steak n Shake (par for the course). Everybody headed home at like 8 a.m.
We brought in this year kinda hard. It was legendary.
Highlight of the Evening: Flirting with 2 sexy Korean girls simultaneously for an hour-and-a-half without creating static despite them sitting next to each other. I had to pat myself on the back the next day.
3. Javelin – No Mas
Surf-rock, soul, motown, chipmunk raps, upbeat new wave, electro, turntablism, instrumental hip-hop, and occasional breakbeats.
This album sounds like some 5-year olds took their favorite songs from the last 60 years and threw them into a blender. I mean that in the best way possible.
The consistent use of synth is about the only recurring theme and the album even gets strikingly mature, at times, in contrast to much of the tongue-in-cheek composition.
This album is neither consistent nor cohesive but I actually think that’s kinda cool. It forces you to keep an open mind as Javelin repeatedly flips the script in terms of style while maintaining quality.
My Favorite Songs: Mossy Woodland, Tell Me, What Will it Be?, Susie Cues, and Dep
My Favorite Lyric: “Girl, do that Monkey Foot. Let’s do the Monkey Foot.” from Oh! Centra
4. The Tribute to Fela Kuti at Urban Element
This was my first year going to Cultural Cannibal dance parties and I’ve probably been to 3/4′s of the ones that have happened this year.
Their events are addictive.
This one caught me a little off guard because they had thrown the last several parties at the Jazz Kitchen and had really good attendance at each one. I was concerned about how well they were gonna be able to fit their regular amount of attendees in a place as small as Urban Elements.
By midnight, my concerns were justified. It was dense in there.
The energy was super dynamic, though. Everybody was putting it down. Great music, lovely ladies, pleasant vibe. It had all the ingredients of a classic night.
Highlight of the Evening: As everyone left the building, one of the ladies in our group wrung out her top which was soaked.
She had been dancing so hard in that heavily packed room that when she twisted the fabric… it left a huge puddle of sweat on the concrete. Huge. Like I could have gone for a swim. It wasn’t even gross. Just awesome.
Awesome that she had been dancing super hard for like 4 hours in that club.
5. Grey Granite – Lust Poisons Pride
Granite and Brookinz put it down. For real. The partners in grime dropped a statement on our laps, this year. Maybe it was more like the question that Jim Brown asked Richard Pryor: “What you gon’ do?”
In Nap, I see so many talented people often held back by their concerns about whether or not they’ll still receive support if they make music that’s true to themselves.
Would the critics, the public, and more importantly, the homies understand what these guys were trying to do when they wandered off the beaten path?
Grey Granite and J. Brookinz made that leap of faith. 2 musicians that had been primarily associated with Hip-Hop dropped an album of electro-madness with almost entirely sung or spoken lyrics and nary a rap or funk sample in sight. The result was bold and dynamic. Easily the most colorful thing I heard, from Indianapolis, this year and I loved it even more because of how much courage it took them to release it in a market that justifies having a fear of taking risks.
My Favorite Songs: The Road, Date with the Future, and Off Safety
My favorite Lyric: “I’ll fill your room with magic dancing…” from 16078(Make Believe)
6. The Soul Session 5th Anniversary at the Jazz Kitchen
I’m not going to bore you by going into details with this one because I already wrote a pretty in-depth review of the event. It was musical chairs in more ways than one and allowed me to see some of the most talented musicians in the city collaborate with each other in every conceivable combination. Big ups to everyone involved and to those who attended, as well. This type of thing needs to happen way more often than it does.
Highlight of the Evening: Stacia Murphy. Her trombone playing took the first song from amazing to over the top. She was featured in fewer songs than any of the other musicians but she was shining brightly each time she came out. Ladies who play strings are twice as stunning as other women. Ladies who play horns are four times as lovely. It’s math, what can I say?
7. VA – The Dj Shadow Remix Project
Almost a decade and a half ago, Shadow dropped what may have been one of the 5 most important albums in the history of albums.
With Endtroducing, he showed that an album entirely composed of samples(it’s in the guinness book for being the first) could have the subtlety of classical and the dynamic range of jazz.
This year, instead of a greatest hits, he released an album full of other people’s remixes of his work. That’s pretty cool.
Shadow is sufficiently well respected and connected to literally have anyone remix his work. He did open submissions, instead. You are actually hearing the remixes he handpicked from the songs sent in by his fans. Maybe he did it to give shine to these producers, maybe he did it to keep down costs by hiring unknowns. Either way, it’s “Crowd-sourcing” at it’s best. I thought that the album was kinda lop-sided because it featured mainly Dubstep remixes but I’m still all about it.
My Favorite Songs: Midnight in a Perfect World(FUSO Mix), Missing on the Motorway(Tiger Mendoza Mix), and This Time(Suonho “Now is the Time” Mix).
My Favorite Lyric: “It’s my time to shine. Step back and enter the mind.” from Blood on the Motorway(Coalition of the Aware “SHDW” Mix)
8. The Steak ‘n’ Shake at Illinois and Maryland
This isn’t an event so much as the place where dancers go, after the club, if we were having fun downtown. This is me giving a shout-out to the $4 menu, the half-priced milkshakes at odd hours, the frisco melt, the rootbeer with vanilla syrup that I always order, Erica paying for me and like 12 other impoverished dancers, and last but not least: the servers.
Their jokes, friendliness, camaraderie, amazing service, discounts, and free cookies. The way they dance with us, flirt back, and tell us the funniest stories we’ve ever heard… just because we talk to them like humans and we’re being sincere when we ask how their night is going. Stay cool, guys.
Highlight of the Evening: Antoinette and Norman. These 2 are gems even when they don’t work together. Antoinette has a low-key way of telling hilarious stories and she’s super sweet. Norman is this clownin’ little guy who’s quick to say something witty and possibly sharp but charming enough to make you smile and probably laugh cause you knew it was funny even if it was aimed at you. These 2 are like Voltron cause when they combine, they do extra damage. They are server royalty, in my eyes.
9. ‘Verse – Tragic Space Dementia
Lauren Moore is very much a nerd. Sci-fi, roleplaying games, all that. She’s also an insane musical talent. Thankfully, she chose to combine those 2 aspects and do something really cool.
She wrote, composed, produced, and sang a short album themed around a show called Firefly. For those who don’t know, it was a sci-fi program about space smugglers/pirates that was produced by Joss Whedon(most famous for producing Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The cult following for this show was so deep that the hollywood feature film(Serenity) was released despite the the show being canceled before the first season was aired in it’s entirety. Fan support in the form of buying DVDs and throwing charity events made hollywood take notice.
Anyways, Lauren’s overdubs and tasteful vocal processing lead to polyharmonies that are just breathtaking. Her production is diverse but always appropriate for her vocals styling and very rooted in synthy ambient.
She just told me that it’s not officially released, yet… but it’s up for your listening pleasure at soundcloud.com/nopowerintheverse
The only thing that’s even better is that she lives here in Nap and likes to collaborate. Hooray!
My Favorite Songs: Everything I have is Right Here, The Wrong Ship, and Atmo ft Alpha Live(El Carnicero Remix)
My Favorite Lyric: “I won’t admit it, when you’re looking at me that way.” from When You Live with that Kind of Strength.
10. Knollfest at the Butler Knoll
I messed up. I told my editor and the event organizer that I would cover the event. Instead of taking notes and talking to bands like I should have, I hung out with my peoples and joined them in the dance performance. By the end of the day, I had nothing to really write about even though I had spent more than a few hours at an amazing event. The music had been great all day but instead of paying attention to it, I was drinking Wild Irish Rose, talking smack to other dancers, and trying to stay warm/dry.
I apologize to everyone for laming out on this one.
Highlight of the Evening: The dance performance, of course! Dj Dezzy Dezz killed it and me and the breakers had a playful battle with Incognito Crew. The crowd gave us almost no response but it was still super fun and worth being a part of. Come out to Knollfest, next year, and get a taste of what you’ve missed.
The MixDown – Slater Hogan
(Photo by Jedediah Johnson.)
Each month ZapTown highlights DJs from around Indiana to bring you not only exclusive mixes to showcase each DJ’s unique talent and identity, but to provide you with a proper resource and guide on each individual DJ. This month, we celebrate the work of DJ Slater Hogan. Hogan, aka Kid Delicious, is not just a celebrated Indianapolis DJ, but a world-renowned DJ who is constantly active and in tune with electronic culture to bring the city closer to the music and the world closer to Indianapolis. You can often see him in diverse musical manners, be it on stage at The Vogue, spinning and promoting shows at Blu Nightclub, working Bodywork — a growing event in the city — and the list goes on. He also co-runs two labels, is a producer and one of the hardest working individuals in this city. Your dance moves owe everything to this man.
The MixDown
All tracks on this mix represents either releases on Hogan and John Larner’s two labels, or their own production from other labels.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download (Duration: 1:10:56 — 162.4MB)
2. Slater Hogan and John Larner- “Music Box” (Muzique Boutique)
3. Tommy Largo-” Chacaron” (Herbal Essence)
4. John Larner and Slater Hogan-” Living Loosely” (Hu Hu Music)
5. John Larner and Slater Hogan- “Top of The World” (Lowdown Music)
6. John Larner and Slater Hogan- “Betrayed One” (Muzique Boutique)
7. Slater Hogan and John Larner- “Freak The Beat” (Herbal Essence)
8. John Larner and Slater Hogan- “Getting Ready” (Muzique Boutique)
9. John Larner and Slater Hogan- “A.D.D. Acid” (Mouthful)
10. Slater Hogan and John Larner- “Caught Out” (Hip Therapy)
11. Bonde Fumagante- “Bonde Fumagante” (John Larner remix) (Muzique Boutique)
12.John Larner and Slater Hogan- “Don’t Stop” (Hu Hu Music)
13. John Larner and Slater Hogan- “N.O.L.A. House” (Aroma)
14. JohnLarner and Slater Hogan- “Keep Steppin” (Dot Bleep)
15. Greenskeepers- “Pink” John Larner Remix” (Muzique Boutique)
16. Bernard Jones and Jon Milsom Feat. Aren B- “Thirst” (Muzique Boutique)
Songs are available on itunes, Beatport and stompy.com
Link: http://www.myspace.com/slaterhogan
As Kid Delicious, you have the freedom to get wilder with track and genre selection. Did you create an alter-ego for the satisfaction of playing your off-genre favorites, to open up even more bookings, or for another reason?
Kid Delicious came about for a variety of reasons. I love all style of music, and this alter ego allowed me to play a more “open” format. It also opened up more bookings. I can remember one particular tour in Belgium, where I would perform as myself, playing house music for a club, and then play the same club the following night as Kid Delicious. When Girl Talk was starting to come up, I really enjoyed listening to mash-ups, so Kid Delicious also became a mash-up producer. You can buy them at www.gigawax.com
In many places Trance, Techno, or Breaks have a strong presence. Does our proximity to Chicago have anything to do with House having a more solid foothold here than many other forms of EDM?
It really does, but Detroit is also very close, and is the home of techno. Being so close to the birthplace of house and techno, forced a lot of Indy DJ’s to be very versatile during the early party days. I think that most EDM fans that grew up in the midwest scene during the 90′s can appreciate both house and techno.
EDM’s commercial presence, here, is still small compared to mainstream music. Is that changing at all with the rise of Dubstep and Electro?
I don’t think that those genres are the reason you are seeing more EDM in the clubs. The pop music on the radio has a lot to do with it. With artists like Lady Gaga, Flo Rida, Usher, Kesha and Rihanna all releasing singles in the 125-130 BPM range, it allows the club DJ’s to drop more unknown House Music records. The record labels have started to hire artists like Deadmau5, Kaskade, Laidback Luke and Dilpo to remix Top 40 artists.
I would assume that actively playing multiple roles as DJ, Producer, Label Owner, and Promoter would create a nice synergy. Is that the case or is being so active even more complicated than it sounds?
It actually is very hectic. Sometimes I have to slow down in certain areas so that I can give my full attention to an important project. However, with so many different creative veins to pull from, I do not get bored.
I’m extremely fond of how different places around the world tend to create regional variations of music that was often pioneered here. Having traveled globally with your music, have you found any favorite sub-styles which are specific to a certain region?
One of my favorite off shoots of house music is Kwaito, from South Africa. It came about in the early 90′s in Johannesburg and uses many sounds that can found in early House Music tracks by artists such as Crystal Waters. If you want to check it out, I recommend listening to Brenda Fassie.
House dancing developed directly from the music and has grown into an internationally recognized style with competitions held as far away as France and Japan. Can you tell me about some of the dancing or dance-based events you’ve gotten to see throughout your career?
OMG! The Melbourne Shuffle!! When John and I first played in Australia, everyone was talking about this dance called The Melbourne Shuffle. We, of course had not heard of this, but could not wait to see what our show in Melbourne had in store. As it turns out, we did not see this dance at our event, because it is performed to a faster pace style of music like Trance or Breakbeat. It wasn’t until I played a New Years Day party with Carl Cox that I saw The Melbourne Shuffle in all it’s glory. It’s hard for me to explain, but you should definitely check it out on YouTube. I think they even have competitions for it.
Tell me a little about the current state of House in Indy and where you see it going over the next few years. Is it reflective of what’s going on globally?
House Music is doing okay right now. It’s not great, but it’s much better that it used to be. Blu Lounge has been great in letting us host a weekly Thursday night party where we get to bring in international talent such as Mark Farina and Derrick Carter. These events have been very successful and have caught the eye of other club owners in town. We were able to host The Jumpsmokers at Subterra on a Friday night, and we have a few events scheduled for Friday’s at The Vogue as well.
Anything amazing coming up that the readers should know about?
We have a lot of stuff coming up. John Larner and I have a new EP coming out on a Chicago label called Flapjack Recordings. We also have remixes coming out on Mimosa (Seattle), Sampled (Detroit) and a couple new releases for Muzique Boutique. You can grab most of this stuff on Beatport or iTunes. Here is a list of upcoming events we are excited about.
