In the Mix

Rob Psychotrope delivers his first column for Good Citizen. Every issue Rob will delve deeper into Vermont’s club culture and he’ll spotlight the mixmasters you should know.

Radical costumes, state of the art lighting and sound, multiroom labryrinths of varied music and visual ambiance... no folks, not here... not now. I speak of some thing that is nonexistant in the city of Burlington. A void if you will within the dynamic of the cities nightlife.

There are those that would say our fine city does not have the population to support such a venue. I will disagree. WIth over 100,000 people in the work force, a population of students from all over the country and a good influx of tourism a nightclub with some pizzaz would do well.

Red Square will be my primary example here. Although on a different scale than the concept I speak of this stylish bar and live music venue has the right idea. Usually, with an early crowd (serving food helps draw the early birds), the Square is the only location in town that almost always has a nice draw if not a full house. Part of the concept for this business seems to be based on establishing regular clientele, which is partially accomplished by a steady performance schedule. I would say that the Square is a great success so far.

For all you skeptics out there, what about New York, New Hampshire, Maine and the rest of Vermont. We are surrounded by stretches of populated land that does not provide such a venue. Many people I know often travel to New York City, Boston or Montreal for a hip dance club. Why not provide one? It would be another great attraction to the city which would assist in increasing revenue. My psychic powers tell me that journeying into the next millennium we will see such a venue. Let us shift gears here a bit and talk about DJ culture, electronic based music and its happenings about town. We are graced with the presence of a rock steady crew of talented DJs, musicians and producers who have all made B-town their home base.

DJs Craig Mitchell and Little Martin pump up the best jams of house and techno with residencies at Metronome (Tuesdays) and 135 Pearl (Friday and Saturdays). Mr. Mitchell also hosts the Un Bar Disco every Sunday eve at the Red Square. The night is dubbed “an experimental night of turntablism and improvisational conversation.” Lounge style DJs and some fresh spoken word to fill your eardrums. Check it out. 

Out at the Higher Ground on the last Friday of every month is the event called Lifted. Resident DJs Cousin Dave and Zach Eberz start up the lineup to be followed by a turntablist from beyond the Vermont borders. Frankie Bones, John Gunshore and Pete Moss are only a few of the names the Lifted crew have landed in our backyard.

B-town also boasts the presence of the Flex crew. These guys are usually chillin’ at RJs and are otherwise all over town. DJs John Demus, Tim Diaz and Huli are always droppin’ the dancehall, hip hop, disco and funk flavas. Behind the scenes is Ice Man Prductions providing sound, fliers and whatever else is needed.

Extreme music, Extreme drink specials, Extreme dance floor... can you guess or should I keep you in suspense? Ray Savage and Eric Lang spin it up for ya weekly and both of these guys are smooth! For you dance floor freaks out there Extreme is one of two nightclubs that I have frequented locally that incorporate a dance floor oriented show.

The other venue I speak of utilizing dance floor lighting is the one and only 135 Pearl, the night club where you can let your hair down. With disco on Thursday, Mitchell on Friday and Martin on Saturday, this is a place to get down. Let us not forget the tents events like Pride, Studio 54 and much more.

Last but not least we have Club Toast and the Cosmic Lounge. Every Wednesday DJ Patti, Tricky Pat and guests kick it with the underground stylze. Drum and bass, trance, house and breaks rock the sound system weekly. Every Saturday features a local DJ event and Mondays look out for Trecherous Grooves, a fusion of live drum and bass and turntabllism. We also have to thank our friends at Club Toast for bringing us the likes of DJ Spooky, DJ Shadow, Transglobal Underground, Ben Neill and Mix Master Mike. These avts would not have passed through Burlington if it were not for the Toast crew.

So all of these DJs are out there spinnin all of this music that people that love to get down to. Where in Hades does the music come from. Studio magic is the answer and we have a few studio magicians right here in town.

At the forefront of this movement here in B-town is the Orange Factory. This collective of musicians, songwriters and producers include Craig Mitchell, Jeremy Skallar, RW Larowe, John Hill, DJ Frostee, JSK and Rebecca Simone. With diverse talent at their disposal the Orange Factory has been producing house, drum and bass, hip hop, break beat and R&B tracks. Keep on keepin on Orange Factory.
Next on the list of studio magicians is Third Eye Productions. Michael Michal and myself (Rob Psychtrope) spearhead this production team that has a current focus on the project Electromagnetic Field. We’re bringing it to ya with a fusion of ambient soundscapes, dance able rhythms and twist of world beat.

A few last words on our studio magicians and our mix masters here in town. Morgan Page a.k.a. Cylus has been pumpin out some house and jungle recently. This kid is definately on the right track. Also it is time to say goodbye to studio wizard and experimental performerLeif Hunneman and his cohort Pinky who are splittin for the other coast. These folks have brought us the likes of Hexdump, Da’ath and Burning Man Incenerator! Our other goodbye goes out to DJ Grasshopper who is also going west to join his family. May good fortrune smile upon you and your ancestors.

Don’t blink an eye folks, there is more to come. No names wiull be forthcoming in thsi column to protect the guiilty. B-town is gonna boom!

Peace and don’t ever cease to get your groove on.

Rob Psychtrope is a local DJ, producer and performer operating out of Max Mix Imports at 108 Church Street, Burlington, VT.