by Brent Crampton
I skipped my column last week, as I was in a nine-person gig van with Satchel Grande on my way to Austin for SXSW. I'm about to get into a break down of last week's festival. I've read a number of reviews in previous years in The Reader, but I'll be giving this one from the vantage point of a DJ, rather than a rock-music devotee …
//// SXSW Review ////
Initial tasting notes: With well over 2,500 bands and performers of various types, this bag of tricks is a whole different bone compared to Miami for WMC. It was my first time with SXSW and my first time in Austin, and I must say — I'm impressed. While the majority of what you hear is two or three variations on mediocre rock, if you dig deep enough and do your research, you'll find hundreds of acts all over the city that will completely blow you away. And Austin as a city is a wonderful host, with beautiful weather, hundreds of varying venues, affordable food and drink coupled with thousands of freaks from all over the world.
The only thing — getting your ass a ride home at two in the morning can prove next to impossible. Ways I got around that were having Neal Duffy aka W.E.R.D. act a fool in the middle of the street and catch the attention of some random guy driving a Jaguar who then offered us a ride. And then later I found out that if you walk over to the W Hotel, your chances increase tenfold in getting a cab.
Check out the highlights I witnessed from the week below, and all the pics here:
Best New Discovery:
De Juepuchas / Colombia
I walked into a Colombian expo at Speakeasy at 9:30 pm, expecting to see a sparse crowd with warm-up type songs. But instead it was a full-on dance explosion. Confetti showers were flying from every corner, half a dozen banana costumed people were dancing on stage, cameras were flashing every which way — and then suddenly one of the guys would scream into the mic, "Colombia!!!!! …." and the crowd would go ape shit as I suddenly realized I was surrounded by South Americans.
The duo known as De Juepuchas did a live PA with midi, Ableton and a gang of beat busting boards. The sound was definitely cumbia and Latin-influenced at a mid-tempo. But I wouldn't call it tropical bass-esque or moombahton. It was as if Girl Talk was from South America and didn't sample as many pop songs. The songs on their SoundCloud don't seem as exciting or interesting as what I heard live, so I'll be keeping an eye out for new releases.
Favorite Performance:
Quadron / Denmark
Thanks to the digital era, like most people these days, I rarely get down with full albums. But Quadron's self-titled release is off the charts. I consider her Denmark's contemporary answer to Sade. The duo's songs connected to many non-dancefloor moments in my life last year, so to hear them live was a subtle, slow and croon-filled powerful experience. As the room filled up, there was a feeling of excitement among many, feeling as if we were all witnessing something new, creatively brilliant. And the front singer was astonished at the response and mouthing of her lyrics. One stranger in front of me texted someone, "She killing it." It was a good place to be.
Download a few Quadron songs …
Buster Keaton
Average Fruit (10.4 Rog's Gradeschool Crush Version)
Biggest & Best Blowout:
Red Bull Thre3style
I'll let the lineup do the talking: Mick Boogie, Switch, Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip, Q-Bert, DE LA SOUL (live!!). Yeah, it was dope way to spend a Saturday and final night. While more than 1,000 were inside the parking lot venue, there must have been about 200 that gathered up just outside on the sidewalk that got on shoulders and cars to rock out. And thanks to some smart maneuvering, I was able to get on stage during De La Soul's set.
Below is video of De La Soul doing a Dilla Tribute, followed by Z-Trip doing a Nate Dog tribute.
Most Random Moment:
Bun B Birthday After-hours Bus
After a night of moombahton at the XLR8'er showcase, I walk out of Franks at 2 a.m. to see a giant Red Bull bus in front of me. I start sending some texts out to see who bites, and sure enough a few minutes later I jump inside. Therein lays 20 boxes of friend chicken wings, fried mushrooms & waffle fries followed by champagne & vodka. A few minutes later, Bun B & an entourage join to roll around downtown in honor of his birthday. I definitely crashed the party, but it was worth every moment.
Most Talked-About Show:
Death From Above 1979
Sorry Kanye West fans, while his free w/RSVP show did have hip-hop all stars inside an old power plant, it was the media proclaimed "riot" that broke out at the DFA reunion show that will go down in the history books. While I wasn't there, I do have to mention this amazing moment. Why DFA chose the 200-person venue of Beauty Bar's Backyard venue for their secret show I'll never know. But the fact that the outside audience tore down the fence multiple times and caused the horse-riding police to mace and pepper spray the crowd makes this show pure rock 'n' roll. Omahan's Dustin Treinen & Zach Schmeider were front & center at the show. Be sure to get a first-hand story from them.
Satchel Grande @ Karma Lounge – Tight set from this hometown hero and an impressive turnout considering their opening slot at an off-the-beaten-path venue.
Keys N Krates @ Beauty Bar Backyard – This Toronto trio was skilled! Scratch master DJ who also triggered midi samples, a trap-set drum player who kept perfectly in time with the quantized beats, and a futuristic key player who brought everything to the next level. This group represented the best of anyone who ever had the idea of combining live music with a DJ.
Hottub @ Beauty Bar Backyard – Right after a brilliant party-poppin' set from Keys N Krates, this Oakland, Cali ensemble seemed like a sloppy buffet of M.I.A. aesthetic & dusty Williamsburg meth over electro booty raps. With two males laying down beats in the back, the three vulgar and sexually charged female rappers threw out more antics than a coherent Wesley Willis performance.
These included, but not limited to: spitting drinks in each others faces, dry humping audience members, fainting akin to James Brown and then crawling through the crowd and then finally inviting everyone on stage for a frantic and carefree dance party. But my favorite was when the Roseanne-hipster looking one climbed on the speakers and then proceeded to get on the shoulders of an audience member, then fall straight to the ground mid song. I'll summarize by saying that musically, it was just alright, but the entertainment factor was through the roof.
//// Upcoming Weekend Events of Note ////
Tranceformers: Nerdtron vs Re:Animated @ Sokol Underground / Friday, March 25
Looks like two rooms of all kinds of mad-men DJs. Last Nerdtron was their biggest turnout. Expect mayhem.
Tropical Bass @ French Underground / Friday, March 25
I'll be DJing with El Blue Agave (resident DJ at Marz Bar) for a night of tropical bass sounds.
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.