Februrary 4: Body Heat #4 featuring Safeword
Like a tiny Seattle snowball rolled down Denny, the Classcadia momentum just keeps on going. We’ve gone into each show with modest expectations, but each time we’ve been blown away by the support of the crowd and the vibe of the room. At the end of the night we come home with our tired dance-floor feet, amazed by what just happened. Thank you for all the love so far! We’re giving it back to you with our fifth show at Seattle’s most vibey club, The Electric Tea Garden. RSVP and invite your friends on the Facebook page.
This time we’ve recruited beats from the likes of…
(Poker Flat, Dessous, SF)
Safeword is the result of a decade-long friendship and a mutual love for music between San Francisco’s Clint Stewart and Marc Smith. Both Stewart and Smith bring an individual perspective to the studio, which creates an incredibly diverse dynamic ranging from deep lush house to the heavier side of techno and all things in between. With their foundation laid in thick, heavy drums, lush melodies and hypnotic atmospherics, Safeword’s every cut is a pulsating, cerebral campaign, track-by-track leaving indelible marks on its listeners. It’s their delicate interplay of pleasurable highs and dynamic lows that set this twosome into their own realm of creation.
With their debut EP, “Gaze,” on Paso Music getting high praises, an EP a and single on both Berlin giants Dessous and Poker Flat, as well as an EP on Alland Byallo’s forthcoming Bad Animal label, the duo are primed to start their assault on dance floors worldwide. Don’t forget the Safeword.
(Crosstown Rebels, Rebellion, 8bit, Freefrange, Seattle)
To all but the most literate of electronic music buffs, Seattle’s Dave Pezzner may seem like a relative newcomer to the house and techno community. His debut Pezzner album, the much heralded ‘The Tracks Are Alive’ dropped on Freerange in 2010, following a spate of releases on the label since 2008. Subsequent releases on Om Records and Urbantorque, as well as remixes for American staple labels Mothership and Ghostly International have projected Pezzner once again on to the worldwide stage.
However those that have been watching and listening long enough have probably already discovered his work as one half of West Coast house duo Jacob London, noted for releases going back ten years on the likes of Doubledown and Classic Records. For 16 years he cut his chops with partner Bob Hansen, creating eccentric house and breakbeat rhythms.
Pezzner’s own work could be said to be more serious, with an abstract artistic sensibility, lofty percussive themes and intentions to create hypnotic soundscapes for the body as well as the brain. ‘The Tracks Are Alive’ is a 13-track walk-through of his organic-sounding style, in full dance-floor mode traversing with ease between disco, house and techno.
Featuring heaps of brand new productions, remixes and originals, his live set continues to take him to the far reaches of the dance music globe, on stages including Mutek festival, Cielo in New York, Smartbar in Chicago, The End Up in San Francisco, Trouw in Amsterdam, Space in Ibiza and Seth Troxler’s DEMF party. The recent completions of hugely successful European and Australian tours signal the launch of his critical assault on the wider global circuit.
(Innerflight, Seattle)
J-Sun (Jason Zucker) is one of the ringleaders of the Seattle electronic scene and has been involved in creating music as well as the community here for almost fifteen years. He is the founder of record label/DJ crew/party-makers Innerflight Music and as such has been responsible for the production of a ridiculous number of electronic events and the many smiles that accompany them.
As a DJ, J-Sun has accumulated a loyal following enamored with his exuberant energy, deep crates, and heady get-down style. His potent programming and lucid mixology never fail to gather the rabble-rousers together to dance to his psychedelic underground house and techno sounds. Whether you find him spinning at a laser-drenched club in the city or outside in the forests of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, J-Sun is a bright-shining fixture on the region’s electronic music scene.
(Click, Peloton, Seattle)
Michelle is a dear friend of Classcadia and probably one of Seattle’s most underrated DJs. She’s been hiding in her studio for a couple of years, but is coming out of semi-retirement tonight to share what she’s been working on all this time.
Obsessed with melody for as long as she can remember, Misha selects tracks with a strong lead, moving bassline, and a techno edge. She’s been known to experiment with tech house, techno, electro, and everything in between; often playing the dub version of a track instead of the more recognizable vocal. Since the late 90s, she’s been performing her dubby-melodic style in clubs around Seattle and across the country. Not content to simply DJ, Misha also produces, performs live, and has released music on the Peloton Musique label.
(Classcadia, Basic Sounds, Traxpad, Seattle)
An innovator in his own right, Joel blends sexy deep sounds with a tribal bent spanning the genres of house and techno. A DJ for over a decade, Joel had a breakout set this year at Photosynthesis when he rocked the Sweatbox cabin with a three-hour set that kept the room moving while playing almost exclusively brand new, cutting edge house and techno. Joel also has the claim to fame of being the inventor of Traxpad – a professional DJ application for the iPad which has created a uniquely fluid and modern way of mixing without losing the tactile qualities of turntables and a mixer. With his deadly accurate mixing and careful track selection, Joel Rocks every party he plays.
© Classcadia
