by Brent Crampton
I learned last weekend that 1/Fourth has split up. Or, as founding member, Terrance Pree, describes it: "I think I was the first to say, 'Oh, fuck it,' Seth and Derrick became Enso, and CP kept the sound and disappeared."
One of the founding group members, Chris "CP" Pangkerego, stored all the group's equipment at his place. And when he suddenly didn't return any phone calls, deleted his Facebook page but was seen driving around Omaha on occasion, it proved difficult to carry the group on.
"It was a disappointment because it seemed like it worked and had potential," Dorion says. "1/Fourth was a group effort and it didn't seem right to carry on."
1/Fourth was a collective consisting of CP, Pree, Calloway, Seth 'Serka' Warrick, Nayef Aljuraid and a host of contributing members. Birthed in the summer of 2008, their Vampire Masquerade launch party that October made an impressive and unforgettable mark on the scene. The venue itself was mouth-droppingly absurd — the Joslyn Castle. I'm still in awe of how Pree was able to talk the Joslyn Castle into allowing an open-bar dance party at a nationally renowned historic mansion. To say the least, the party was fantastically insane and the deposit on the venue was never returned.
Since that time, a handful of tasteful, creative and fresh one-off events panned out. They were responsible for turning the French Underground into a venue (mostly) friendly to EDM DJs. The group was part of a new generation of DJs and dancers that re-ignited Omaha's electronic dance music scene. Musically, it all started out as a young and fun fusion of indie rock culture fused with up-tempo dance music. Eventually, however, that format created a dance-floor creativity stalemate featuring so-called electro bangers.
"It just became one-dimensional, all about bangers, bangers, bangers," Pree says. "Our fan base was so much about electro bangers, for me as an artist I wanted to get away from that."
So did Serka and Dorion, who started a side project called Enso where they explored DJing and producing a big-room flavor of progressive house with hints of electro and even trance. The two gained some recognition by entering remix competitions, even winning one with the Sleigh Bells' "Run the Heart." With plans to move to L.A. and a fantastic looking website, the future looked bright for the two budding producers. But life circumstances changed for Serka, and now Dorion is taking the project solo, moving out to L.A. later this summer by himself.
I'll definitely miss the energy that 1/Fourth brought to Omaha.
On the same weekend I learned the above info, I also found out, while inviting someone to come see me DJ this weekend in Lincoln, at District (formerly Bricktop) — the venue was officially closed. I went to the correspondences I had with the venue promoter, Jay Svoboda, through the Facebook page for District, and saw that the page had been deleted. Even the phone number was disconnected.
I won't get into detail on the matter, as I'm hoping Spence Munson (HearNebraska's Lincoln EDM contributor) will cover this in detail. But considering the history District's predecessor had with DJs (Bricktop), it's certainly sad to see it go.
Upcoming Events
Jurassic Gunk | May 12 | Waiting Room
Gunk is back with guests Mello Mic and Kethro alongside Kobrakyle and Spence. I have a feeling this theme is going to prove for a nutty night.
Sessions | May 12 | Side Door Lounge
Take the concept of open jam session and pair it with DJs and producers. Should be interesting!
Lovefest in the Midwest | May 12-15 | Bellevue Berry Farm
It's the second year for this fest. While the weather put a damper on it last year, momentum is high and so are the RSVPs.
Nerdtron & F.O.J. Present Hearts for Japan | May 14 | The Diamond
Nerdtron's response to the Japan crisis … They teamed up with UNO's Friends of Japan organization (smart move) and have put together an all-ages, all-day event with a whole spectrum of music, art and even a bake sale.
Mayday Birthday Fiasco | May 21 | O Dining
Chris Massara (aka Masaris) and Anthony Mazzara (aka Cicio) are throwing a duo birthday celebration at the newly club-refurbished O Dining.
Bella Domenica | May 22 | Heartland of America Park
Annual, free, all-ages, outdoor event with bands, MCs and DJs. Doing it for the love.
DJ Diatribes & Dandies is a weekly column written by Omaha promoter and DJ Brent Crampton exploring the electronic dance music and DJ-related culture in his city. Contact him at brentcrampton@gmail.com.