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10-12-2001 |  |
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"Wax and Wires" brings big beats to campus
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by christian bell
News Editor
On Monday night, three DJs turned the Fish House from a coffee shop into a dance club. Everyone who passed through Johnny's or the Fish House on Monday night heard something they probably weren't accustomed to: the fast and big beats that characterize electronic music.
``Wax and Wires'' was a tremendous three-hour set filled with everything from pure house to experimental mixes, and billed as ``a night of DJ antics and aural maneuvers.''
``I thought the show went off quite well,'' said senior James Yeo, a.k.a. King James, who organized the event. ``It was good to see everyone come and hang out and just listen to music. I wasn't sure if too many people would get it, but that's the whole point of this show: expose the people to something they normally wouldn't hear on a regular basis.''
Contrary to Yeo's fears, the crowd became addicted to the beats and grew larger as the night went on. Although there was no dancing, due largely to space constraints in the Fish House, it was clear that people were picking up the beats and getting into the music.
Yeo opened up the evening with an hour-long set of house music spun across two vinyl turntables. ``Rabbits'' was up next, bringing an experimental style of creating live techno music by alterting and morphing sounds using a sequencer and a computer. The last set was John Pape, who brought 2-step and UK garage music to the show.
Mixing music on turntables is far more difficult than most listeners realize. It is more than simply putting records on and cueing up the music. To keep a track of music going continuously, DJs must successfully match songs beat-for-beat with each other and blend them in such a way that the transitions are seemless.
Yeo's purpose in bringing the shows to Calvin is to expose Calvin students to a large but specialized area of music that many of them may be unfamiliar with.
Electronic music has been popular in Europe for over a decade, but has only seen major inroads in the United States in the last five years. While it remains largely ``underground'' in clubs and weekend dance parties known as raves, it has begun to reach mainstream music channels through artists such as Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers, and Crystal Method.
``Wax and Wires'' continued a monthly tradition by King James of bringing experimental music to campus. The tradition began last year with a rave held in the Commons annex that featured himself and Detroit club DJ Prime Minister spinning a tremendous multi-hour set. The monthly Fish House show kicked off last January with ``Spin to Win,'' and increased in popularity, eventually including four more shows.
The reaction last year was very positive, and the shows increased in diversity and content. Different styles of music and a blending of pre-recorded and live talent were just some of the highlights. Yeo hopes to continue this and show students the wide bredth of possibilities in this style of music.
``I would like to see more people come out each time,'' Yeo added. ``It was good to see a good number of non-Calvin people too, showing their support and being impressed with the space, atmosphere, and the Calvin kids. I'm happy to hear the kind compliments from a handful of people during and after the show. The credit goes to the DJs with the good taste and abilities to play and connect. All of them come out for free, every show.''
``It's all about enjoying music and wanting to share that with your immediate surroundings,'' Yeo said. ``I think more of us need to cultivate a disciplined and organized sense of urgency when it comes to music. That way we have a focus and then we go for it.''