Beat Breakdown

Exploring Austin's under- and above-ground dance music scenes

By William Bass

Published February 2, 2011

When the crunch of the guitar fails to satisfy, more music fans in Austin are turning their ears to something else. A musical experience that will unfold their disdainful, crossed arms while uniting their gyrating bodies with a larger sense of self and community. Many people are finding just this in Austin's electronic dance music scene. From the funk of disco to the soul crushing bass of dubstep, Austin is starting to dance to a different beat.

Dubstep

Even if you don't know the name, you've probably heard it in passing: the music is characterized by jerky rhythms, fast tempos, and the ubiquitous wobble bass.

Probably more popular than any other EDM (electronic dance music) genre at the moment, the monolithic tide of dubstep has produced a spate of producers, DJs, and venues that feature this visceral brand of electronica all around Austin. Local producer Larkside (Daniel Larkin) breaks the elements of dubstep down to the basic ingredients.

"Dubstep is heavily influenced, originally, by 2-step (jerky rhythms), Drum and Bass, and Breakbeat music. Incorporating the broken breaks into a 2-step rhythm makes the classic dubstep drums."

"Then, the most noticeable aspect of dubstep, the massive and sometimes extremely intricate basslines. It is bass music, creating several layers of basslines into one heavy, and an often wild bass 'drop'."

Moreover, dubstep shows seem to approach EDM in a much more visceral way. The syncopated rhythms and steam roller bass seem to make for an extreme listening experience, especially in a live setting -- making the music out to resemble a robotic sister of heavy metal.

"The live shows are extremely energetic and I think people get a thrill, and even an emotional response to bass in general. It's something you can feel in your chest when it hits you; it's primal," states Larkin.

But while the detractors note the overindulgence of the "electronic fart machine" bass wobble and the staleness rampant in the genre, it seems that dubstep in its many permutations, is here to wobble for a while longer.

Check out Atxbeat.com for more information regarding dubstep and other bass music shows.

Disco

Even though disco was highly panned by critics at the height of its popularity for its staleness, the genre was originally a political act. Disco was a platform under which minorities and other disenfranchised people could find a common ground against the oppression of predominantly white rock music.

While disco might have lost its political appeal, a spate of underground DJs and producers have been keeping it on life support. Ben Zink and Dan Gentile at Flying Turns are doing their best to resuscitate this undead genre in Austin.

But why disco? Zink seems to be beguiled by its appeal to a new generation, but notes the infectious elements that comprise it.

"It's pretty difficult to make a claim as to why it appeals to this generation, but the combination of a few elements make it fun and accessible," Zink states. "We have a very danceable 4/4 beat, usually involving vocals that people can relate to another genre, and then there are other melodic elements that get thrown in the mix like funky bass lines and percussion."

Moreover, while many EDM genres can appear a little to synthetic, disco serves as the crusty, old, and organic godfather that started it all: disco weaves guitar, cowbells, and vocals into the mix, providing some much needed soul in a stale arena. "The appeal of the genre is that it offers a poppier retreat from the colder sides of electronic dance music," says Flying Turns founder Dan Gentile.

Accordingly, as genres bleed into one another and fade away, disco somehow manages to remain, refusing to bow to trends. Maybe it is the universal rhythms, the cowbells, or maybe just its ability to be self aware, Gentile agrees.

"Disco is not afraid to be cheesy as fuck. And sometimes that allows it to be really really cool."

Check out the Flying Turns Facebook page for more information regarding upcoming shows.

House

Not dissimilar to disco, house music originally germinated around minority and gay subcultures in the '80s who felt no connection to the prevailing music paradigms of the day.

"It humbly originated as an electronic deviant child of R&B, soul, and disco in an 'underground' warehouse club in late '70s Chicago," states local house music producer Boris Jonica. "Back then, it was made by individuals in their homes using anything they had."

But what characterizes this electronic dance music? Easy.

"Does the bass line stand out? Does it put you in a groove? If the answer to all three questions is 'yes,' then you're probably listening to house music," quips Jonica.

With the success of such artists as Pantha Du Prince and Deadmau5, house music seems to be stepping back in the spotlight, especially in Austin.

"The scene for house was pretty much dead in Austin three or four years ago. Since then it has grown each year faster than the last. House, it seems, is finally again gaining mainstream attention on this side of the Atlantic, and I don't see that changing anytime soon."

Nevertheless, beyond the veneer of the throbbing music, Jonica sees house music as a post-modern cultural force -- breaking down cultural and racial barriers like blues, R&B, and jazz had previously done in the twentieth century.

"There is nothing stereotypical about your average house fanv-- they are people of all genders, races, economic statuses, belief systems, even ages, dancing together and connecting through a single rhythm," adds Jonica. "With your bones shaking at over 120 beats per minute and your body moving like a ragdoll in stormy waters, there is little alternative but to let your inhibitions succumb and take part in the ceremony."

Whatever that ceremony is, one can only speculate. All in all, Jonica tries to distill it down to the raison d'etre for behind this unifying, and no doubt, global genre.

"It is tribal music for the post-industrial community."

http://uweeklyaustin.com/article/beat-breakdown-80/

(Credit: Julie Patterson)

Ring of fire

The Texas Rollergirls re-define full-contact sports

By William Bass

Published April 13, 2011

Save for the mosh pit at Red 7 on a ladies night, there is only one place in town where you can find intimidating women moving dangerously around in a circle with the secret intention of taking each other out: the roller derby at the Austin convention center.

To the naked eye, Roller Derby can seem like a mass of whirling chaos. However, the sport is a complicated dance that involves offensive/defensive strategies, athleticism, and old-fashioned brute force. In the modern day incarnation of the sport, players skate around a flat track while designated scorers, called “jammers,” attempt to lap opposing team members in order to score points.

The Texas Rollergirls pioneered the D.I.Y. flat track roller derby approach in 2003. As of today, there are over 300 flat track leagues around the world, and this is no backyard wrestling league, as roller derby has a strict set of rules, divisions, and an overall governing body.

Unlike the more campy and staged antics of roller derbies that were popular during its heyday in the 70’s, the modern incarnation of the sport is all too real, and often busted lips, severed friendships, and broken dreams are just part of a day’s work.

“It’s a full-contact sport, there aren’t many of those sports out there for women,” said roller girl and Chief Communications Officer Jule Regretit. “You get to skate fast, hit hard, and be involved in an all women run business with some amazing people.”

Likewise, as impact sports seem to be the arena of testosterone-crazed males, roller derby offers a refreshing sight of gender role reversal as women get to have the full-contact fun that men have done their best to keep them away from for so long. “I was bored with my exercise routine and was looking for a change.The full-contact aspect is what drew me in and it has been an amazing experience,” said Regretit. “There’s nothing like coming to practice after a bad day at work or school and being able to take that frustration out legally and positively on my league mates.”

For most roller girls, roller derby isn’t just an excuse to kick ass and take names, though it certainly includes that. The sport is a mental, physical, and social outlet. “Roller derby offers a whole package of things that appeal to me: it’s a serious athletic endeavor; it’s an intellectual challenge (playing offense and defense simultaneously requires mental overdrive sometimes); it’s a community full of dedicated and talented women; it’s DIY,” said roller girl and UT grad student Beck Wise.

One of the most unique aspects of modern roller derby culture is the grassroots fashion in which the operation runs. Unlike most sports, which are dominated by hierarchical bureaucracies and crafted into the image of the sponsors, roller derby is about the derby, fans, and the community, all dictated by the skaters themselves. “This is an athletic culture that was built from the ground up by the people playing, in which all the work is done by the players,” notes Wise.

“That level of control, agency, and autonomy is something that isn’t present in most traditional sports. Governing bodies are often removed from day-to-day play and experiences of the sport.”

At the same time, roller derby’s bottom-up approach to their organization makes it possible for anyone to get involved, whether they’ve skated an inch or have gotten in trouble for “jamming” in elementary school.

“Derby also allows women of all backgrounds and physical characteristics a place in the game,” said roller girl Summer Smith.

“Some sports cater mostly to one type of woman, while derby has a spot for everyone. You can be successful no matter your previous experience.”

“It is a welcoming sport where even women who have never played sports can come and be a part of a team. The Texas Rollergirls are made up of scientists, CEOs, teachers, engineers, bartenders, hair stylists, and many other professionals.”

Nevertheless, while some locals have still yet to come out and witness the carnage of Austin’s thriving and homegrown sport of flat track roller derby, they are surely missing out on the most intimate, crazy, and bone-crushing action in Austin this side of Red River.

“Sports spectators and the general public should come see flat track roller derby because it’s not like any other sport they’ve ever seen,” said Regretit.

“The action is fast, the hits are hard, it’s a genuine athletic competition, and it’s the most fun you can have in fishnets and spandex.”

--

Getting Involved:

Tired of watching all the action from the sidelines? The Texas Rollergirls offer a recreational league that gives women from all athletic backgrounds the opportunity to participate in this full-contact and high-energy endeavor. Whether your feet have never seen the smelly inside of a roller skate or you’re a natural bruiser that is almost ready for the big leagues, the Texas Rollergirls recreational league has an infinite number of ways for amateurs to get their skates on the track and their elbows in someone’s face.

The next derby is on April 17 a the Austin convention center. More information regarding the roller girls, the recreational league, and tickets to the derbys can be found at www.texasrollergirls.org

http://uweeklyaustin.com/article/ring-of-fire-1146/

(Credit: Julie Patterson)

Looping it all together

North Loop offers renters and consumers a taste of something different

By William Bass

Published March 30, 2011

Everyone always talks about the good old days, those times where everything was golden: rent was cheap, people were friendly, and the only goal was getting caffeinated, boozed up, and laid, all in that order. While local curmudgeons will always be living in their fantasies of some mythic Austin, this Shangri-la of slackerdom still thrives just a couple of blocks from the intramural fields: North Loop.

For those unfamiliar with the North Loop neighborhood, it is an eclectic mix of college kids, families, and Austin eccentrics. At the same time, its businesses seem to reflect its colorful demographic with an all-night coffee shop, punk-rock pizzeria, and tons of vintage stores, just to name a few.

Student Housing

As the east side is reaching its saturation point, more students looking for housing options are exploring the possibilities of North Loop. For North Loop resident and Biology Senior Emily Royal, the quaintness of the neighborhood is one of the biggest draws.

“It’s not crawling with uber-trendies, and houses a number of gentle authentic dork types,” said Royal, “like 50-year-old men who play trivial pursuit on their front lawns, or these three dudes in monochromatic spandex uniforms that walk their dogs around.”

For Royal and others, North Loop seems to be the Goldilocks’ porridge of interesting neighborhoods.

“I actually really love it here, because it’s a little less hip than the east side, less rich than the west side, less hippy than the south, but still very cultured, relaxed and strange.”

Nevertheless, one of the main draws of the area for students isn’t necessarily the atmosphere, but rather the cheap rent and closeness to campus.

“We originally started renting in North Loop because of its cheap rent and general proximity to campus,” said UT Computer Science Alum Rob Rumble. “But when we got here, we really fell in love with the peculiarity of it.”

Indeed, the area has its own charismatic flavor to it, serving as one of the last bastions for Austin residents to let it all hang out.

“The neighborhood has a muted weirdness vibe: a giant cemetery with almost no headstones, giant impaled teddy bear heads, guinea fowl, and wild parrots,” said Rumble. “There are just strange objects scattered about your average residential landscape.”

Getting Busy

For non-residents, North Loop is one of Austin’s premier, yet overlooked, hang outs. Under age kids can get rowdy with bands at the punked-out rock club/pizza joint The Parlor, study freaks can burn the midnight oil at the 24/7 coffee-shop Epoch, or one can just throw back some handcrafted cocktails at the intimate bar The Tigress.

The North Loop strip also has no shortage of local shopping options that help you keep it weird.

“I think one of the great things about the strip is that there is literally something for everyone. We have vintage, boutiques, sex shops, coffee, bars, food (one of the top restaurants in the city right now, Foreign and Domestic), music venues, shops, and a [grocery] store,” said Lori Goodpasture of Room Service Vintage. “In addition, because of our location, our price points are lower than stores that are located near or in downtown Austin.”

North Loop is a kind of Mecca for Austin’s vintage shoppers. The area boasts more than four vintage stores, all within a stone’s throw of each other. For those on a budget, vintage stores are the way to still look stylish while keeping your wallet intact.

“As far as vintage shopping goes, because of the recession, people who used to shop for new items are now discovering the value in shopping vintage and people who have always shopped vintage keep coming back to North Loop,” said Goodpasture.

Another asset of North Loop shops is its accessibility. Not having to pull your hair out trying to park downtown, the easy-going vibe is most certainly welcoming.

“One of the great things about the North Loop strip is that it doesn’t have the congestion and parking problems that many shopping areas are plagued with,” said Susan Davis of vegan food trailer Counter Culture.

Straying a little off the beaten path is the elusive Dart Bowl. For those looking to live out their Lebowski fantasies, there is no better place to yell “Over the line!” at your friends than at Dart Bowl.

“I love the place, because it is incredibly authentic. You have waitresses who have been there from the 70s, with massive southern accents and big Bouffant hair, and it just smells of bowling history,” said Royal.

Strange happenings

Exquisite Corpse offers a gen(der)re-bending night like no other

By William Bass

Published April 6, 2011

A normal Thursday might be spent preparing for the weekend. Often we fall into a routine. Endless amounts of light beer, staying out until 3:00 am, and watching more bands than you can shake a guitar pick at. The typical weekend can become pretty banal pretty fast, leaving us hungry for something genuine, something exquisite. Organized and founded by Angeliska Polachek, Exquisite Corpse is a monthly parlor, ball, and un-qualifiable dance party where all of one’s repressed weirdness and creativity is encouraged to flaunt itself.

“Exquisite Corpse is a night for modern surrealists and old-school goths to dance, to socialize, and explore in an elegant temporary autonomous zone where ideas and situationist performance have fertile ground to blossom,” said Polachek.

Held in the Swan Dive, Exquisite Corpse transforms the venue into a platform for the other-worldly. The combination of thumping music, costumed attendees, and audience engagement reflects the sort of reality-bending scenario usually only found in cult movies.

“We try and change the space to offer a different experience to be had – decking the venue out with smoke machines, video projections, and dark-wave music definitely helps accomplish that,” says resident Video Jockey Laurel Barickman.

At the same time, Exquisite Corpse isn’t some party for a secret fraternal order or elitist hipster event. On the contrary, anyone and everyone who likes to dawn a Gothic costume and share a little bit of themselves to the event is encouraged to show up.

“I think one of the great things about the event is its accessibility: anyone who wants to peek into this sort of under-world, or have a weird and fun experience that they wouldn’t normally, can,” notes Laurel Barickman.

Being oriented towards audience participation, Exquisite Corpse seems to peel off everyone’s wallflower veneer.

“I just really enjoy the mentality that Exquisite Corpse creates; there are no spectators, everyone is a participator,” exclaims Exquisite Corpse regular David Salazar. “When you go to event like Exquisite Corpse, it is kind of hard to not want to participate.”

Likewise, even those who might be a little reluctant to reveal too much of themselves, a strange and fun night is still possible.

“Even a voyeur could really enjoy and appreciate the scene,” says Barickman. Inspired by the early twentieth-century Dada and Surrealist balls, many of the themes and ideas behind Exquisite Corpse were birthed and incubated in an earlier event of Angeliska’s called Cabaret Revoltaire.

“Cabaret Revoltaire was an experimental surrealist extravaganza, a combination art opening and intentionally chaotic salon featuring visual and performance art, experimental music and installation, pranks, invisible theater, inexplicable fashion, participatory painting, and interactive hi-jinks of all sorts,” states Angeliska. In classic Gothic fashion, Exquisite Corpse revives the dead idea of the participatory party in which the guests reverse the mirror of performance and expectations of being entertained onto themselves. Moreover, in a time when apathy is the rule number one in the Code of Cool, Exquisite Corpse’s cocktails, parlor games, performance, and dance mingle together into a spirit as intoxicating and refreshing as absinthe.

“There’s no announcer, no stage, no audience. It’s more of a happening. I love the idea of a salon (not the getting your hair-did kind), but as a place to exchange ideas, and even to workshop your creative process,” proclaims Angeliska. “I love performance when it just happens unexpectedly – this is definitely the kind of space where anything might happen.”

The next Exquisite Corpse goes down this Thursday, April 7. Future Exquisite Corpses will take place on the first Thursday of every month. The price is three dollars if you “dress to transgress” and five dollars for a “sad trombone.”

http://uweeklyaustin.com/article/strange-happenings-916/

(Credit: Jessica Alpern)

Infinite Exploration

Fusebox Festival pushes towards new ground in performance, creativity, and entertainment

By William Bass

Published April 20, 2011

They lure us in with the promise of an infinite party. While festivals often make good on that promise, occasionally they can seem like a drag, as attendees are crushed by the sheer number of bodies, lack of space, and high food and drink prices.

For those looking for a little introspection with their entertainment, the Fusebox Festival, April 20–May 1, offers attendees a chance to experience and interact with some of the greatest minds in theater, comedy, dance, cooking, and art installation.

The festival-going experience goes beyond the passivity of other notable events in Austin, serving as an idea engine powered by both artist and attendees. “At its heart, it’s about conversation and ideas. A place to talk about being alive in the world today,” states Fusebox artistic director Ron Berry. “The artists at Fusebox are challenging us, pushing us forward, entertaining us, and helping us reimagine what’s possible.”

While the festival’s programming might seem a little intimidating, all of the performances retain a “now” vitality that everyone can relate to. “I like the idea that kids and dogs can like a lot of the work at Fusebox,” adds Berry, “and even though we’re pushing form and often challenging things, the intention behind it is to get at something that is more relevant.”

I’ve Never Been So Happy

If anything, the goal of Fusebox seems to be pushing the boundaries of different performance media while keeping the pulse of the entertainment value rapid, and no other show encapsulates that better than the Rude Mechanical’s I’ve Never Been So Happy.

“I’ve Never Been So Happy is a western musical that tracks the adventures of our heroine, Annabellee, as she plots to escape the tyranny of tradition, falls unexpectedly in love, and bridges the gap between the old and new West; and a young man, Jeremy, whose mother tied him to the last mountain lion in Texas to teach him how to be a man,” explains one of the Rudes, Lana Lesley.

That description is just a fleck of snow on the iceberg, as the piece is a madcap musical that features talking dachshunds, a feminist commune squaring off against a real estate developer, puppets, and a mountain lion with a penchant for death metal. “The show fluxuates freely between high art and Hee-Haw, treating both with respect. The music by Peter Stopschinski pits a Grand Ole Opry-style West against an El Topo-style West. The writing by Kirk Lynn butts lyric poetry up against bar jokes with finesse,” states the Rude’s press release.

As if the show itself wasn’t inspiring enough, the Mechs spill this “trans-media” experience outside and onto the street after the show, where the audience members get the chance to participate in activities of which one’s Southern grandpa would surely approve. Want to learn how to make a rope, prank call a Yankee, or sing a country ballad? The bizarre carnival after the show is worth the price of the ticket itself — how often does one get to learn the art of rope making?

“Honestly, we are just trying to have a good time with this show, and to continue doing things we’ve never done before,” says Lesley. “We named it I’ve Never Been So Happy to remind ourselves that we agreed that if ever for one second it became a drag to make this piece, we would stop immediately.”

Biography of a Physical Sensation

Based on the diaries of one woman, Jamie Damon, Biography of a Physical Sensation recreates the experiences of Damon’s life in the audience members themselves. “We touch the audience, blindfold them, put things in their mouths, ask them to perform physical feats, and on and on,” says Josh Meyer, a member of Rubber Reperatory and one of the show’s creators. “There are both painful and pleasurable sensations, violent and sexual sensations, and things far more mundane.”

To assuage the fears of the more apprehensive, the show is to look as if Goldilocks walked into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, with chairs of varying sizes — the size of the chair determining the intensity of the experience — arranged in a circle for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

Tired of the antiquated ways that performance approached biography, Meyers decided to skip the foreplay of traditional storytelling, letting the audiences’ senses narrate and figure out the story for themselves.

“We wanted to approach the genre of ‘biography’ in an alternative way,” states Meyers. “So we decided to throw out narrative and dialogue, and any sense of context, and present one actual person’s life entirely through sensory elements – tastes, touches, smells, and sounds that are performed on the audience.”

Indeed, Rubber Repertory seems to be reanimating the rotting cadaver of theater, refreshingly carving out its own strange life between theater and performance art. Likewise, Biography of a Physical Sensation gives attendees a few things that they are most likely starved for.

“Our performances are oriented towards creating community in the audience, giving each spectator an experience that’s unique from the rest of the group, and touching people in ways that radically violate the decorum of theatre.”

The Bench

Dissolving distinction between art and life seems a perennial dream. Many of the installations at Fusebox are making this dream a reality, from Play Me I’m Yours — playable pianos scattered around Austin public spaces — to the groundbreaking The Bench: a 45-minute “experience” designed for two people in which the participants receive instructions through headphones which tell you what to say and what to do: Each participant hears different synchronised tracks — and through following the instructions and responding to them, dialogue and small actions easily effortlessly occur.

“To begin with, the piece plays upon the very real tensions you can expect, sit next to someone who you don’t know, but apparently ‘should’,” states Ant Hampton, one of The Bench’s creators. “Expectations and guesswork about the other person are scrutinized, unpicked. If this is an experience everyone has had before, the piece allows for it to happen again but this time in a way which allows each element to be looked at more carefully.”

One might question the artistic value of having two strangers meet. For Hampton, the project seems to function like a booby trap of creativity — as the work sets the tripwire for strange, novel, and creative experiences between two people.

“Deliberately bringing two people together can be thought of as a creative act; like an artist, the ‘Connector’ [the person who created the installation] keeps an eye on her work, following its progress as it leaves her hands and slips into the world, hopeful for it to cause further ripples.”

All in all, the experience offers a fresh way to engage with a stranger, as participants can taste the awkwardness, magic, and fun of a first encounter without the stress of having to think of what to actually say.

One of the main draws for the festival is its length and diversity. Clocking in at over ten days, with forward thinking music, dance, comedy, and gastronomy, the festival offers an extended arts-buffet where everyone can find something known, and strange, that they can fill up on.

For tickets, performances, and information regarding Fusebox Festival, visitwww.fuseboxfestival.com

For information about participating in the The Bench, go towww.anthampton.com/benchstrangerfb.html