|
Volume 2, Issue 22
October 12 - October 25, 2000 |
| Concert Listings |
Pureform Atmospheres, the production company behind the overwhelming success of this year's Elements series, definitely takes my vote for production company of the year. Hands down.
In an underground rave scene where loyalty to a certain promoter (especially a newcomer) is a rare commodity indeed, Pureform Atmospheres has earned it. Ever since their first element (" Wind" at the Aztlan Theatre in January), respect for the quality of their events has grown exponentially. "Water" (quest 2a), held at the Colorado Springs Youth Outreach Center in May, proved to nearly 3,500 mesogroovic partygoers that Pureform Atmospheres is here to stay. The most recent elemental installment, "Earth" (held under a circus tent in a paintball park in Littleton), further confirmed that staying power.
What is it exactly that makes Pureform the best? Several things. First of all, their organizational skills are solid. There's a good reason why they've only thrown three parties this year: planning and executing a successful event takes time. Second, the Pureform e-fx shop rocks. After all, who wants to go to a massive unless, of course, there is going to be a giant glowing lotus flower with dreamlike dancing stamens? Third, costumed go-go dancers courtesy of Xorussi Designs provide even more additional eye candy stimuli. With characters like the Velvet Giraffe, Snake Doctor, DJ Mermaid, and, appropriately enough, Mother Earth herself, you can't go wrong. And last but not least, widely appealing party themes are key. No one can deny the appeal of our natural elements. We're made out of water, we breathe in the wind, we live on the earth, and we cook with its fire. Which is exactly why I say: "Pureform Atmospheres, give me fire!"
The following is an interview with Chris Lasoya of Pureform Atmospheres:
Go-Go: When did you go to your first rave, and what was it called?
Lasoya: 1989. "Garden of Love" in Florida.
Go-Go: Why did you decide to start your own production company?
Lasoya: Alan [Endorfun] and I never really wanted to start our own production company. We mostly wanted to remember how much fun it used to be to attend music events. It is impossible to throw an "illegal" rave anymore, so we chose to become a legal music promotion company.
Go-Go: When was Pureform Atmospheres founded?
Lasoya: November 1999. It was mostly informal at first. I wasn't even sure if we would go through with it. Alan had great ideas and he wouldn't let me say no, so we went with it.
Go-Go: What is the worst thing that has happened to you as a promoter?
Lasoya: The worst thing that can happen to any promoter is losing their venue the day before the show. So many people are counting on you, and letting them down makes you sick. We only produce about four concerts a year because we want to make sure that all of our time and effort is put into one show at a time.
Go-Go: What is the best thing that has happened to you?
Lasoya: Getting on stage, looking into the crowd, and seeing how great of a time everyone is having. Making people happy has got to be the best part of being a promoter. The people who come to our shows have so much good energy that you can't help but enjoy yourself.
Go-Go: What sets your parties apart from the rest?
Lasoya: I don't believe that we are any better than anyone else, by any means. We love to let the people who support us have more say in what happens at our events. I don't see our events as "raves" at all. We are more of a combination of a music festival and an art gallery. The props that Alan spends months building, the LB-1 Imagination lighting show by Sven of Tracks 2000, and the costumed go-go dancers courtesy of Xorussi Designs are all breathtaking. But in all honesty, the ones who make the shows great are the people who attend, not us.
Go-Go: What is your opinion of current anti-rave legislation?
Lasyoa: If you break the law, you can't expect to just get away with it. The rave scene has been frowned on for years. Electronic music is becoming so mainstream that we can now have legal con-cert events. Our company pulls permits and gets legal counsel from Chris Campbell of Hansen and Campbell to make sure all of the legalities are met, so we can have a successful show. Even then we still run into problems.
Go-Go: Is there anything else you want to say?
Lasoya: The overwhelming support we have received blows me away. We would like to let everyone know that without them, we could not have such great events. All of the people that work for us make everything possible. Jessica and Shannon É we love you very much. Without you, we would probably lose our minds and everything not attached to our body.
--orange peel moses
For more information on Pureform Atmospheres, check out www.pure-form.com.
DJ Miss Audry is quietly revolutionizing the dance scene Just when the boys thought they could safely kick a good party into gear all by themselves, the ladies step in to show them how it's done. One of Denver's up and coming DJs is DJ Miss Audry, a 24 year-old Denverite who went to a party at around 17 and fell in love with the groove.
Seemingly shy at first, but extremely friendly with a warm smile and ready to laugh, Miss Audry kicks the stereotype of DJ to the curb. Although immersed in what was thought to be a man's profession, she maintains her femininity with a air of dignity, pride and strength. In the early days of the Denver party scene, a person could only listen to the latest and greatest techno if they purchased the songs on vinyl. So, in order to enjoy the music that pounded through her soul, Miss Audry would buy all the vinyl she could. At 19, Miss Audry's pal Greg Eversoul sold her the first set of turntables she'd ever owned and, with the help of her friend DJ Fury, she learned how to mix with two jungle records. "I grew up listening to disco and funk, so I think that the most logical step was that I would turn to house," she said.
Armed with her collection of records and skill, she took her first steps to becoming one of Denver's first female DJs. "In the beginning it was tough. There were few girl DJs, but there were only a handful of guys doing it, too. It was challenging because there were no role models for me. And the guys would say, 'You're okay ... for a girl, '" she said about first breaking onto the scene. "I think because I had friends who were DJs it was a lot easier." "There's a lot more support now and not only for girls, but for all DJs," she said. "They're getting a lot more attention from all over."
That support has helped the local party scene in various ways. Not only are there more DJs, but also many of them are women.
"I think it would be really cool to think that I would be a role model, but I've never really thought of that," Miss Audry said. "It would be cool to inspire girls to become DJs or really anything. It's definitely a novelty because it's kind of rare (to be a woman DJ), so it's exciting."
Miss Audry frequently haunts La Rumba and Sacre Bleu and plays for MileHighHouse and Together, mostly for parties.
She said that "if it's a good crowd, with a good vibe" she loves to play, and it doesn't really matter the location. "There just has to be a crowd of people who want to get down and get funky and listen to your music," she said. "It doesn't matter if it's big or small."
Her goals for the next two years will put her up for a challenge, but hard
work and her strong dedication should accomplish them. She wants to DJ often enough
so that she can travel overseas to Spain, London and Asia (mostly Tokyo), and
she would like to have her own album out, too.
"Realistically, it will probably be two years before I'll accomplish the
goals that I want, but then after that there'll be new ones."
--Kendra Nachtrieb
To hear Miss Audry, you can peruse
www.milehighhouse.com for her party appearances or visit Sacre Bleu every Friday night.
Brian Setzer continues his quest to blend snarling rock guitars with
big band horns, with the typically mixed results. When Setzer decides to
show his teeth and grind out some dirty rockabilly
noise, as on "Drive Like Lightning (Crash
Like Thunder)," it works, but when he
poses and preens like some retirement
home lounge singer (" Mack the Knife"),
things get ugly. Setzer's continued reluctance
to embrace his guitar hero status in
favor of horn charts so cloying they make
your teeth hurt make Vavoom! a ride that
doesn't fire on all cylinders. C-
--
Andrew Gilstrap
Normally, Deanna Varagona lends her voice to bands like Neutral Milk
Hotel, Yo La Tengo and her home base, Lambchop. On Tangled Messages,
she takes center stage to pitch eight spare
songs of introspective aching. She boasts
a killer voice that's somewhere between
Emmylou Harris and Fiona Apple, and
her economic country charm is pretty
damn engaging, too. Acoustic and laid
back like fresh lemonade, the songs lazily
drift by-- which kinda makes the
album forgettable at the same time. Still,
it's a pleasant side project that demands
more than one spin.
B
--John Davidson
I had never heard of this quartet until this CD fell into my hands. Gee, people think that I just like the hardcore stuff or eclectic booger-flicking tunes. The harder tunes I listen to are to get out the many problems my therapist tells me I need to purge from my system and the booger-flicking is just to keep my cat from scratching the drapes. He just hates being nailed by the long stringy ones but decides to play with them anyway.
The Good Vibes Quartet is a jazz outfit that plays in and around Colorado with a very well-deserved fan base. The songs on this CD are vibraphone-driven with tight bass and percussion backing up every move and intonation of the songs. I really dig the guitar work in here as well. It is like this guitarist just waits for his turn to show the other guys, "Hey, I can rip it up too, man-- this IS a quartet you know."
Those who love jazz and the mood it can put you in will absolutely lose themselves in this disc. It has very good energy without sounding like a fusion project, and it's void of the high school jazz band teen spirit. I suspect there are no choreographed moves and twirling horns with this group. This is one CD that I think one could down a fifth of gin, hold the tonic and keep the limes coming over and over again.
Get the CD, see them live, sit back and
have a great time with the color schemes
in your head. Good jazz just cannot be
explained more than that. This is not your
smoky jazz mind you-- it has the clean
edge of a brand new razor blade to get as
close to you as it can without a knick.
A
--Tenswing
