This Saturday’s dance party Solid Gold VI at Berbati’s will be the last to feature a live band. But don’t worry… the night isn’t going away, the format is just changing.
But before it changes, Solid Gold brings Portland one last night of electro-dance with the Italo-disco synth dramatics of Soft Metals (who sat down with OMN last week) as well as DJs Nathan Detroit and Maxx Bass.
Party creator and house DJ Nathan Detroit says, “We’ve decided to go the way of all DJs simply on the fact that there are only so many ‘dance’ bands in this town worthy of headlining the night, and constructive criticism dictates that the bands have disrupted the flow of the night in the past. We basically don’t want to lose the dance party once we get it started.”
The monthly, free DJ/electro dance night has featured live performances Very International Love, Pegasus Dream, Jeffrey Jerusalem, Wampire, and Chrome Wings alongside a rotating cast of DJs since it’s inception in early November 2009.
This weekend’s party starts at 10 PM on Saturday, April 10th. 21+
Two DJs met at a gig. One a vinyl addict and the other an analog enthusiast, both wanted to make music more than just spin it but neither had yet found the right person to make music with.
In April 2009, the two DJs started to “mess around” (in the musical sense) for fun, jamming together on vintage synths, tapping on drum machines, and fiddling with analog gear. Soon they realized the other was musical counterpart they had been searching for… and maybe something more.
Patricia started writing lyrics, giving Ian a focal point for his synthesized jams but unbeknownst to Ian, Patricia was in full swoon–all her musings were love songs about him. And how could he resist when both of their interests included Pro One, Juno 60, Juno 106, JX-3P, Korg Polysix, TR-808, and TR-707?
The retro-electro-house-disco duo became a couple and started to share their art with Portland, starting at house shows and following with a few gigs at Holocene. A bevy of vintage synthesizers came along with them–Ian’s collection contains eleven or so synths, six or seven drum machines, and a pile of miscellaneous sequencers and effects boxes. He is a vintage electronics fiend.
Their late ’70s, early ’80s-influenced dance-y drama was tested live and refined in Ian’s bedroom studio. With Patricia’s airy, phantom vocals whispering between Ian’s laser zaps and pulsating synth resonance, Soft Metals are gaining confidence and acclaim–becoming strong. They are “really flattered” that so many of their Portland peers regard them so highly and were recently featured on the hip indie blog Gorilla vs. Bear.
“It’s cool to get validation for it,” says Ian Hixx. Making music can be a very personal and exposing endeavor filled with self-doubt and nerves, but the recent outpouring of praise and exposure has encouraged and inspired Soft Metals to push forward.
“I feel like we have a world audience rather than just [local] friends,” says Patricia, and that “makes us feel really good.”
Together, their dark, Italo-disco surge is romantic, percussion-based dance music best played throughout sweaty clubs and warehouses during Portland’s wet winter. Playing a handful of shows since last summer, Soft Metals only have a few polished recordings but plenty of material to toil over. With Ian’s emphasis on playing all the analog gear live, Soft Metals use their “live show as a testing ground. It gives us a chance to hone our music,” says Ian.
The major focus right now is recording an EP and creating something “physical–that won’t disappear,” says Patricia. “Something people can keep in their collections.” The format will likely be a split-vinyl release with eclectic-electro act and friend Arohan. With four or five songs that are “pretty much there,” keep checking their SoundCloud for new digital releases.
Once they have a product to share, Soft Metals are contemplating the logistics of a summer tour with Arohan that will hopefully cover the West Coast and beyond… if Ian can get his paws on a Toyota Hex van.
“No rush, there’s so much work to be done here,” says Patricia.
Until then, Soft Metals are concerning themselves with recording and creating an interesting live performance, possibly fashioning video art and ambient lighting. Plus, Patricia is trying to add a bit more emotive theatrics into her presentation, but “not at the expense of my vocal performance.” We can only hope that means futuristically sexy costumes.
Undulating below the surface of Soft Metals is a fresh semi-permanence that is growing and changing throughout the minutes of each extended track, flaunting a steady serenity that beats beneath the sparkling and throbbing synths–then it’s recalibrated and flourishes again as the band discovers their sound.
“Metals are strong and in a way represent permanence,” says Patricia. “It is difficult to shape them to our purposes, but it can be done.”
It goes a little something like this : “4 Duos, 8 DJs, Battling it out with 30 minute consecutive sets all night long, climbing to bring the biggest party they can possibly achieve. 8 of the best DJ’s in Portland bringing the ruckus to Rotture for 1 NIGHT ONLY! You don’t even have to pay for the seat (it’s FREE!) but you’ll still only need the edge!”
Yes kiddos. It’s free. That means more booze money. Come see Rude Dudes, Holla ‘N Oates, Club Crooks, and Matt Nelkin + Dundiggy in this battle royale.
So come out and play. Plus you getta drink mimosas in the next morning. Followed by Bloody Marys. If you plan ahead that is.
Very International Love will bring down the roof with sexy, electro-rhythms.
Berbati’s Pan kicks off their first Solid Gold night on Saturday, November 7th at 9 PM with DJs Nathan Detroit and Freaky Outty and PDX electro-studs Very International Love. The event will pair house DJ Nathan Detroit with a new electro act on the first Saturday of every month. Did I mention it’s FREE?!?!?
Very International Love is touted as: “Cool pink mist as if a flamingo had just burst into pink lemonade wafts through the air.”
If you can navigate through that one then you’ll have no problem with their Q/A below, especially while bobbing to “Fire.”
What is the essence of VIL? Where did the band come from?
Very International Love is Connor Dudley and Joe Turner. We combine electronic music with live instrumentation. We started about a year and a half ago as a side project off of a band that we were in called New Agency. We were looking for a new outlet. We liked the idea of a two piece band utilizing electronic backing tracks. It seemed more manageable and fun. We were impressed by the sound that was being generated by two-piece bands like Ghostland Observatory and The Presets. We started writing and eventually it became our main focus.
Why do you make music?
We make music because we are addicted to it. We consume it in large doses and thrive off performing what we have created. We hope to make it our life.
Who are your influences?
We are influenced by a number of acts, and whatever we are in to at the time seems to seep into the music that we’re creating. Currently we have been listening to Cut Copy, Strength, The Presets, Sebastian Tellier, Empire of the Sun, Junior Boys, Hot Chip… We like the idea of creating a performance that couples the large, rich, sonic elements of electronica, with the peaks, valleys and textures of a rock show.
How would you describe your live show?
Our live show is intended to get people moving. We bring a lot of energy.
What is your set up?
Our set up is pretty expansive for two people. We use an 88 key Korg Triton, MIDI controller, laptop and interface, two guitar amps, bass amp, and vocal effects.
Do you use any visuals or multimedia with your set?
We are interested in bringing a visual element to our set. With only two people on stage, we feel like a visual element that people can focus on while dancing would help create the environment we envision. We have thought about lighting or working with a visual artist to create a video that syncs with our set.
VIL is our debut EP+. We started working on it last year and released it mid-October. It’s 5 songs with 3 remixes of “Fire,” the first track. We released it on Palatial Crest a label run by Aaron Dishner and Sean Christensen. We played a show with Aaron as Gejius last winter and subsequently asked him to do a remix for us, which is on the album. After working with us and hearing our music, he asked us to be on his newly formed label.
Are the Dutch and the Parisians getting into VIL?
We have been blogged about by the Dutch and have been getting some attention from the French and Australia. No invites from Justice to open for them quite yet though… : ) Also Aaron lives in Japan now, so we have some representation across the pond. We have always thought that our music would be received well by the Europeans and Aussies. We’re hoping to start getting our name out there at home and abroad.
Are you involved in other projects?
We recently did a remix for Logan Lynn that was released in a compilation. Currently we’re working on a remix for Gejius and talking with some local electronic acts about trading some tracks for remix fun. It’s always fun to work on these projects. It’s great to hear what other artists do with our tracks and equally as fun to put our spin on theirs.
Do you have any other musical gigs? A day job?
Currently VIL is the only project. We both have jobs working in the restaurant/bar world of Portland.
Do take yourself seriously? Or is this just for fun?
We put a lot of time and energy in to our music and performance, but we also feel like artists can’t take themselves too seriously. We would love to make music for a living, but we also know it’s going to take hard work and dedication with a good balance of humility and rock star…
Where have you been, and where are you going?
Currently we have only played in the Portland area. We still have a few venues that we’d like to check off our list in town, but we intend on touring in the next few months. We are looking to start a West Coast tour hopefully in conjunction with SXSW, if we’re selected.
Where can we see you?
We will be playing at the Roseland with Toronto’s Parallels on November 18th which should be fun.
Check out the mean-disco-danciness on “88.” Try to stay in your seat while you catch up with Nathan Detroit below.
Break down your science of DJing. What’s going on in your head as your spinning?
DJing feels like much more of an art form to me, something much more organic. I’m sharing music I have enthusiasm and passion for with other people.
What does it take for you to get into a set? Do you feed off the crowd?
Undoubtedly so! To really start moving the crowd, and jackin’ my body behind the decks, I need to get some feedback from the people I’m playing for. It helps to know when I’m doing something right–smiles, handclaps, whoopin’ and hollerin’, general freak outs, and random fits of hysteria. I hunger for it.
How do you control the crowd?
Controlling the crowd is the penultimate challenge when playing, and I’m constantly observing the dance floor for signs of what I’m doing right and what I’m doing wrong. Yes, I’ll have a slight internal freak-out when I see people leaving the dance floor, taking a seat or taking a break to get a drink, but people need to take breaks if they’re going to roll all night with you. You can’t please everyone who walks into the club, but to keep the majority of them for the remainder of the night–dancing, enjoying themselves–is a win in my book.
Do you take requests?
If it’s logical and appropriate to fit into the set I’m playing, then yes. But if not, get out of my face. I still find it rude and annoying to have people barking at me when I’m in the middle of playing. I’m not your personal jukebox, so if you’d like to program everything YOU want to hear all night I suggest you go elsewhere.
Tell me about the SubSensory label and what’s happening there.
SubSensory was hatched in 2007 by my good friend Jack Coleman with the purpose of exposing NW producers, DJs and electronic artists on a broader, more inclusive scale. At first the label was an outlet for Jack’s own production work and remixes as well as DJ mixes from the label roster available for download. These days, the label is hosted on beatport.com, junodownload.com, and trackitdown.com and is up to its 21st release! Most of the label roster is putting in production work, and several tracks are being remixed by some of the bigger names in the techno/house game such as Alland Byallo, Style of Eye and Gabriel Ben.
How has the internet changed you how you think about creating and releasing music?
Personally, I feel that the internet is to be blamed for the current musical zeitgeist that I, as a DJ, am currently experiencing. The internet has become a vehicle connecting DJs and producers from all over the world who would otherwise struggle to share their ideas or music and allowed them to collaborate on projects with ease. Also, coupled with the latest technological developments in production and DJ software available today–at an increasingly cost-effective price–the price of entry into DJ culture is fairly affordable by anyone, thus, anyone can be a producer or DJ. Essentially the internet has become a free market for musicians and DJs alike, driving the speed at which they can provide music–free or for charge–to the increasingly hungry market that has been bred for instant gratification.
However, the downside I’ve experienced in the world of blogs and digital DJing is that with an ever-expansive and increasingly saturated music market, there is a positive correlation to the amount of derivative, uninspired music and bastardized sub-genres that the internet helped spawn. End rant.
What’s your day job?
At the moment, I hold down a day job with the State of Oregon, as well as working door for Holocene during the evenings. I grind pretty hard during the work week, so gigs are always something I look forward to as both fun and therapeutic–both for myself and the crowd. I consider my DJing a side project rather than a full-fledged career.
What are you listening to?
The band of the moment for me is Very International Love, who I just happen to be sharing the stage with at Berbati’s this Saturday. Their sound is danceable, fun and youthful but also very cleanly produced. Those boys have a lot going for them and I hope to see them get more exposure in and outside of Portland.
My music consistently reflects my mood/emotions, my life experiences and my day-to-day grind. Thus, my DJ sets are perpetually in motion and constantly in flux.
Where can we find you?
You can find me first Tuesdays each month at Tube for TUBESDAY alongside DJ Freaky Outty as HOLLA ‘N OATES. We do 80’s and 90’s party jams, club bangers, house music, mash-ups, bounce and anything else fit to rock a party. It’s a really, really fun time.
On fourth Fridays, I co-host FUBAR with my good friend Eric Leisy (aka Pipedream) at Branx. We really go all out to provide people with a really fun techno/house/electro dance party–both visually and musically.
Let’s hear about Solid Gold.
It’s a monthly show every first Saturday with me as resident DJ and a rotating guest band. Coming up we’ve got :
Nothing über-flashy… this is a dance party, not movie night kids. Oh, and lasers… lots and lots of lasers. With a little touch of smoke from the fog machine. Does the trick every time!
This Saturday’s dance party Solid Gold VI at Berbati’s will be the last to feature a live band. But don’t worry… the night isn’t going away, the format is just changing.
The retro-electro-house-disco duo became a couple and started to share their art with Portland, starting at house shows and following with a few gigs at Holocene. A bevy of vintage synthesizers came along with them–Ian’s collection contains eleven or so synths, six or seven drum machines, and a pile of miscellaneous sequencers and effects boxes. He is a vintage electronics fiend.
Together, their dark, Italo-disco surge is romantic, percussion-based dance music best played throughout sweaty clubs and warehouses during Portland’s wet winter. Playing a handful of shows since last summer, Soft Metals only have a few polished recordings but plenty of material to toil over. With Ian’s emphasis on playing all the analog gear live, Soft Metals use their “live show as a testing ground. It gives us a chance to hone our music,” says Ian.
Tell us about your latest release 
How has the internet changed you how you think about creating and releasing music? 
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