URBAN GROOVE PREVIEW
REWIND
Featuring DJ Proph
Saturday, April 5
Sambuca Lounge
Drum ’n’ bass music has become the soundtrack for commercials selling cars, hair-care products and beer. It also remains one of the strongest forces in U.K. dance music. But for some reason it has yet to take root in Calgary’s nightlife. The million-dollar question is whether this is another wave the city will miss while freakin’ to retro ’80s hits.
If local jock DJ Proph has his way, Rewind, a monthly event he and his cohorts have launched at Sambuca Lounge, will help generate greater interest in the music he loves. While there are a few other events that cater to aficionados of the genre, drum ’n’ bass is usually used as filler for the dead spots in a venue’s calendar. What Proph is attempting to do is plant a stake into the heart of your Saturday night – at least on the first Saturday of each month.
"I thought we’d just do it so that it’s an event – once a month – not a commitment every week," says Proph.
With drum ’n’ bass tracks charting high in the U.K., it appears that the genre has potential as a form of pop music, but whether it will achieve the same popularity as house music remains to be seen. With Rewind, Proph hopes to give his audience an opportunity for familiarity to lead to popularity.
"People will know ‘that song,’" he says. "They might not be able to tell you who does it, but they might have heard it."
Above all Proph hopes to foster community, ideally by utilizing the abundant and highly talented local DJ pool instead of looking to headliners to fill the venue.
"We basically want to broaden the community and expand interest – it’s a vital music and it needs help and exposure and that’s what we’re trying to do: bring better exposure, show people it’s a main-room attraction. And that the main room can be handled by locals."
PROPH’S STRANGE NEIGHBOR
Drum ’n’ bass may be Proph’s first love, but that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to other kinds of music. As an added bonus, this month’s edition of Rewind will feature a new group on the Calgary scene – inspired by electro-ganic outfits like Peshay and 4Hero, Strange Neighbor is a jazz combo that takes its cue from the ever-strengthening nujazz movement overseas.
Although group member Matt Dauncey has played in jazz bands for many years (mostly those that provide music at corporate parties), he feels now is the time to broaden the horizons of dance music fans in this city.
The idea behind Strange Neighbor is simple – by adding live rhythm and horn sections and removing the generic looping of recorded time signatures, the band plays something resembling dancefloor jazz.
"It leaves room for greater improvisational capacity," says Dauncey. "We’re not just playing along with a DJ, we’re creating something that falls between acid jazz and drum ’n’ bass – but it remains groove-oriented." |
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