Of course, my parents and other authority figures warned me about raves. They figured nothing good could come from young people choosing for themselves which drugs they took. Instead they told us to take Prozac and Ritalin and go to school and be good kids, rather than unifying our minds with the universal consciousness through dance, whether or not we were on drugs. They didn’t know dance and rapture are effective forms of therapy.

As with most generations, we did not really listen to our parents. We threw our raves, grew our own drugs, made our own music and music production equipment, and our music evolved so fast it became difficult to track the genres as they continually evolved. While parents and others stressed the dangers of being drugged, or losing one’s mind or becoming lost in the forest, my experience of raves was the opposite. When people would get too out of it, others would notice, give them some water, encourage them to rest, and care for them.

I know this sounds just like something a crotchety old hipster would say, but honestly you sort of had to be there. I’ve very rarely experienced that kind euphoric unification with fellow human beings and the universe itself. There was a certain feeling at those early raves that I continually look for, and occasionally find. Last night was one of those nights where I found it.

Mission: Beat is in its fourth year. The event is organized by Ben Mealhow, also known as bTsunami, an erstwhile Iowa City DJ now residing in Denver, my hometown.

The night began with Lazarus, who is from Cedar Rapids. He played a really vibey set. Still definitely dance music, it had a feeling of cool all over it. People familiar with Larry Heard know what I am talking about. There is this magic about being up tempo and simultaneously cool that Lazarus flawlessly displayed. I was very pleased with his set. But I don’t want to sell him short, either. He definitely played some bangers.

How to change from one DJ to the next is always an interesting question at shows like these, because you want to keep the vibe going but recognize the differences between the DJs and their styles as well. However, the transitions were quite smooth. They let the audience know when one performer was finished so they could be appropriately cheered, but they never let the beat die down.

After Lazarus went on, Iowa City’s own Attentat performed. I must admit I don’t quite know what genre to place him in, but I would call it straight up techno with occasional elements of house. His set was incredible. It was lit, bangin. By the time he finished, Yacht Club was filling up, and love permeated the air.

The first two DJs did their spinning electronically. But when Alala.one came on, she changed things up. Alala.one has been spinning techno for nearly 20 years, all on vinyl records. As a vinyl DJ myself, I was taken away by her ability to flawlessly mix track after track. I was also struck by the way she utilized effects, and the quirky half-smile she would sport right before dropping the hottest beat you’ve heard. After initially blending in with the style of Attentat’s set, Alala.one shook things up by hitting us with some uptempo breakbeats (to much applause).

By the end of her set, she took it back to hard-hitting techno, which paved the way for bTsunami. I have been to several parties planned by bTsunami, and they rank among the best parties I have ever attended. This is as much because of the music as it is because of the people and the vibe. It can be really awkward at dance parties. Sometimes there are creepers. Sometimes there isn’t enough room to dance. Although the ceiling at Yacht Club are too low to really allow for hoop dancing, there was always plenty of room for regular dancing, and everyone seemed to be having as good a time as I was (or better).

bTsunami’s set was killer techno with the occasional foray into deep house. The techno he plays has more of a groove to it than the usually repetitive forms of techno. By this time Yacht Club was absolutely raging. I spoke briefly with one of the best dancers of the evening, and he told me that he had not danced for years. If sets like this can make a person who has not danced for years begin to dance and shine like that, you know the DJs have done their job. In addition, someone who had been a wallflower all night finally got up and got down, and we all cheered her on.

As the set went on, the house lights slowly went up, and I kept thinking that at any time it would all be over, but it still kept going for several minutes. Once bTsunami was done, he encouraged the crowd to clear out, at which point I ghosted out of that piece.

All in all, Mission:Beat felt a great deal like those very early raves. The night was full of mutual recognition, appreciation, and acceptance. I ran into several close friends, and made several new ones. If your mind is in the right place, a party like this can be the highlight of your year. I was very happy that I happened to be in the right place in the right time in the right mindset.

The post Mission Creek: Mission: Beat @ Yacht Club 04/07/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

When Sam arrived in Iowa City, there was a punk music scene circulating through the house shows. These intimate concerts included more music scenes than the ones closest to his heart, like the EDM and jam bands. This collective house show scene existed but it had room to expand in physical size, frequency, and the diversity of bands and participants.

This launched the following question for Sam: “Is it diverse?”

Looking from the outside in, it may look like not. Without any insight into the lives of those involved with this scene, it might seem like a sea of people in jackets, of the leather or denim fabric, that devote their lives to the underground music scene. However, this community, and those of other music scenes and venues, contain different individuals with separate personalities that also happen to spend an inordinate amount of time in basements.

As Sam details in our interview, the audience varies. Though relatively similar groups are spotted at multiple venues of different music scenes, they still vary. There are those involved in the EDM/Techno/trip-wave scenes, simply outside of the mainstream music. There are English nerds and majors, maybe the two are synonymous. This includes art nerds, townies, students, and other eccentric categories. This spectrum of diversity is a product of Iowa City and it being college town.

However, these characteristics do not label any attendees, just as their attendance at house shows does not either. The persona of a specific music scene might not even carry outside of these intimate houses. There are people in the communities that only emerge for these shows and never return home listening to these bands that they’ve just seen.

How is this diversity cultivated?

It is usually based on the host or organizer. For Sam specifically, it isn’t a conscious effort to include certain groups. He sees it as unnecessary to go out of the way for the attendance of a specific group because the invitation of friends is more authentic.

“It’s a complicated thing. I don’t think about it. I just invited people that I think will like it…people that I know and that I like,” Sam comments.

It is then usually a constant that these attendees will be sociable and amicable people, which is extremely important when in the private space of someone else’s home. However, this implies that induction creates the necessity of already knowing someone in the scene.

Similar to the audience, the hosts vary in personality and style as well. At the same time, this translates onto the venue. Every show and every house is different in atmosphere and this depends on the host’s preferences and their friend base. Though a large majority of the house shows that I attend are for punk music, the crowd is typically different.

This does not change the quality of the experience; it’s simply different.

The following installment of Home is Where the Art is will explore this idea in an example situated in a separate venue than Governor’s Mansion.

Also, Sam hosts his own radio show for KRUI on Sunday nights/Monday mornings at 12 AM until 2 AM. It’s called Codependent Music and he plays punk music, talks about punk music, and usually makes fun of his co-star throughout the entire night.

You want to see more of Home is Where the Art is?! Feel free to go here and check out the most recent article, in case you missed it.

The feature photo is from Sam Meyer’s Facebook and the photographer is Antonio Rodriguez.

The post Home is Where the Art is: Iowa City’s House Show Scene appeared first on KRUI Radio.