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Arts Social Intercourse
By Beverly Ingle
Current Online
Also in attendance, and damn hard to miss, was DJ Eric Ross. In a conversation that careened through music, San Antonio's scene, art, religion and politics, Eric took me on a verbal ride that was part diatribe, part amusement-park fun. Apparently this Wall Street trader-turned DJ and producer has been flying under the radar for some time, steadily building a local following — and national sponsor support — of his unique blend of funk, house, and electronica. As Eric and I grumbled about the lack of dance radio and a true dance scene in San Antonio, I enthusiastically shared my experience at the NICE Collective trunk show-cum-rave at 20Six15, only to discover that Ross knows — and has played for — the store's owners, Steven Sanno and Michael Kelley. Natch. Speaking of Sanno and Kelley, they'll be opening up a new store, Space 13, in Austin?s warehouse district soon, no doubt to a very appreciative audience
http://sakinoclub.com/columns/story.asp?id=60533 |
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Taking stock
By Gilbert Garcia
Current Online
Eric Ross rarely stops to take a breath.
The 35-year-old producer/engineer, who settled in San Antonio three months ago by way of Miami, Chicago, Orlando, and New York, is an inveterate hustler. Nearly all of his stories involve him approaching some stranger who either went on to collaborate with him on a recording project or offered him a gig.
In a way, Ross' self-promotional aggressiveness feels out-of-sync with this laid-back city, but he can't help himself. Every greeting, every exchanged handshake is a networking possibility for him. He came to San Antonio in May to stay at his mom's house and do production work on his next album (he's not sure if the move is temporary or permanent), and he's already hooked up with a motley assortment of local talent, including rapper CSK, Gimme the Mike! competitor Caprice, and rock band the Teliskas.
http://www.sacurrent.com/news/story.asp?id=58760 |
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Nightlife -
Wax Wizards
Michelle Carney
We know how much we love going out to our favorite clubs, but where would we be without the music? Do we even realize the reasons we frequent Chicago hot spots are the DJs who play the dance tunes that get us moving? From mainstream dance, house, progressive, downtempo, tribal and hip hop to trance, techno, industrial and energy - the styles are endless. And DJs can't be painted into a corner - their approaches meld, blend and overlap genres. They're also transient, as those who keep track of DJs know, they move around from club to club and city to city. Ibiza may be the world's DJ mecca, but Chicago was where house music was born - a la Frankie Knuckles. And the good thing about Chicago, according to Arman Razavi of Music101 (a DJ promoter and label as well as DJ talent booking for Le Passage), even a mediocre DJ here would be great any place else - because Chicago remains a top spot for spinning and scratching.
From two local DJs, one from the mainstream and one from the underground, and a new local spinning showcase, comes word that Chicago is now on the worldwide music map. Chicago-Scene's and Transit's resident DJ, Jernell Geronimo, tends to lean toward the mainstream, (more dance, energy and hip hop and basically, much more recognizable music) especially when he's playing our parties at the Drake and Vivo. And while some DJs turn up their nose at the notion of taking a request, Jernell aims to please. "I play stuff people know and want to dance to. My style comes from the feeling I get from the crowd on the dance floor - lots of house, techno, progressive and trance," he says. "Sometimes I take a retro song, add a bit of hip hop and a harder bass line for a more dancey rhythm." If not at Transit, you've most likely heard his work at Funky Buddha Lounge, Circus, Rive Gouche, Zentra, Drink, Narcisse, Blu and Le Passage this boy gets around.
Ragnarok Entertainment's DJ Eric Ross, gets his white label and test records from London, and when you're listening to him, you're about a year ahead of everyone else. He sums up his style as "garage tribal, tribal house and a combination of house beats with trance breaks, and Latin drums thrown together with soulful lyrics." By switching sets out every two weeks and consistently adding on, you'll never hear the same set twice. "Anyone can mix beats," he says. "Being a DJ is knowing how to put a set together - dropping a certain track, bringing up other ones and working the energy in a room." DJ Eric Ross spins Saturdays at Butterfield 8 as well as Circuit and Vision monthly, cuz when he's not in town he's working at Roxy in Prague, Ministry of Sound in London, or Space in Ibiza. Visit djericross.com for more info.
A Spundae with a cherry on top
The most celebrated club event in the DJ nation, Spundae, has arrived on the Chicago club scene bringing its massive music and visual experience to local clubbers. With weekly events at Vision, the best international, national and local DJ talent will be showcased. DJs will be pounding the two main rooms complete with brand new state-of-the-art sound systems, light show and 2,000-capacity dance floor. The line-up of talent is fresh each week and promises a unique balance of trance, house, techno and hip-hop. "Spundae's mission from the beginning has been to create the ultimate interactive global dance music experience by staying true to underground roots and exposing DJ talent in the best visual and sound environment imaginable," says Brooks Pettus, Managing Partner, Spundae Worldwide. And local talent is the primary focus in each city. "Spundae seeks out and promotes the local talent as opening acts for the national and international headliners, maintaining the hometown vibe." Visit visionnightclub.com for dates and times.
This month at the new Vision don't miss Aphrodite aka Gavin King, the man behind the record label appearing on the 6th...be sure to catch Sander Kleinenberg aka "The Flying Dutchman" hailing from Holland on the 9th for a 4 hour set!...and the special event of the summer for The Airdrawdagger Tour, SASHA is performing one night only in Chicago at Vision Nightclub on Tuesday, August 20th to showcase his long anticipated debut album, "Airdrawndagger."
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