Urban Groove Preview
DANNY HOWELLS
Sunday, November 18
Escape
Danny Howells is one of a select group of DJs to garner the accolades of DJ magazine, landing a spot in its Top Ten last year. A progressive house DJ who produces tracks for the Renaissance label, his latest disc also features the mixological work of Nick Warren.
Howells's gig at Escape will be the largest show this autumn for local promoter Defstar Productions. Given the not-so-lucrative events of this past year, it may signal a return to diverse form for Calgary nightlife.
"(T)his past summer separated the weak from the strong," says Defstar’s owner Keith Rubuliak. "Things just didn’t work out for larger events... and now we want to present our night again."
As evidence of the current conundrum affecting promotions companies, the past summer saw the pre-eminent Area One tour lose an enormous amount of money, despite assembling one of the most bountiful and diverse electronic lineups, from hip-hop to house. With this letdown in mind, it’s a safe bet to assume that if the mondo tour couldn’t tap into the collective unconscious of electronic fans, then local support for events of similar but smaller stature would be lacking as well. The malaise caused many, including Rubuliak, to step back and curtail the number of events offered to Calgary patrons. That’s about to change, as Defstar will once again launch its Friday night events in late December. Formerly at The Palace nightclub, Defstar will have a new venue but a similar approach – to bring dance music, and the DJs who mix it, to the masses.
"(Defstar’s) track record has been solid – events like Aphrodite, Paul Oakenfold... all took place on a Sunday, and we’ll offer these shows, like Danny Howells, when we get them." |
