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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2000)
Ravers project high-energy fun at Cloud City ■The Cultural Forum retries their hand in hosting an alcohol and drug-free rave on campus By Monica Hande Oregon Daily Emerald Techno music and breakbeats, countless sweaty bodies and enough energy to last through the night: This is the basic recipe for a rave. And although drugs and alcohol are often included in the mix, they’re definitely not required. In fact, they’re not even allowed at Cloud City on Saturday, a rave host ed by the University Cultural Fo rum, in association with Ground Zero Productions. The event will be held in the EMU Ballroom from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. While various drugs have been associated with raves in the past, more people are now trying to maintain a drug-free environment, said Steven Sawada, the Cultural Forum’s regional mu sic coordinator. “We can do our best to promote something that we want to be alco hol-and drug-free,” said Sawada, who is in charge of planning and coordinating Cloud City. Sawada said he knows several rave-goers and DJs who have never used drugs, himself included. “You have a connection with your body and your ears, and that’s it,” he said. “I don’t thrive off of [drugs]. I thrive off of music.” And music will surely be plenti ful at Cloud City. DJs from across the West Coast will be spinning a variety of beats. Jason Blakemore from Los Angeles, who has been part of the underground scene for nearly eight years, will headline the rave. Cloud City will also feature Forest Greenand RyLee from San Francisco, NAHA from Seattle and Eugene’s own Dan Craig and Sawa da. To top that off, Cloud City will feature the brand new Stylus Soundsystem, a product of Servo Drive technology. Jason Kamrass, owner of the system and of Stylus Grooves records, said the system is one of the only Servo Drive systems on the West Coast. Servo Drive systems are unique, Kamrass said, because they’re de signed from scratch rather than modeled after existing speakers. They project sound differently than a typical speaker does, he said, as a single signal rather than separate signals. A Servo Drive system was last featured in Eugene at a U2 con cert at Autzen Stadium in 1997. Cloud City is a follow-up to the Cultural Forum’s first rave, Local Elements, in January. Sawada said he was happy with the last rave’s turnout, but he and DJ Craig, Cloud City coordinator for Ground Zero Productions, both said they hope for bigger crowds this time, encom passing all types of people. Sid Phillips, a community mem ber and frequent rave-goer, said he was pleased with Local Elements but would have liked to see more people. He said the campus rave was rather typical of most raves he has attended despite a few distinc tions, such as widespread security, which Sawada said will be just as substantial at Cloud City. The time element is another ex ample of how a rave on campus dif fers from a traditional rave. Most raves start late and don’t end until early morning. Because the event is on campus, it must end earlier. He was, however, able to get an extension until 2 a.m. for Cloud City. He said wrapping up so late should serve as an alternative to visiting the bars afterward, which usually close by that time. Tickets for Cloud City are on sale at the EMU Ticket Office and at Sty lus Grooves. The cost is $11 for stu dents and $13 for non-students. Tickets will be on sale through the night of the rave. All ages are wel come. Sawada said he wants to keep the decorations a surprise. He did say, however, the light setup will be similar to what it was at the last rave, and decorations will follow the cloud theme. “Basically, we’re going all out to give people a cool experience,” he said. Get yourfixfrom a host of local music scene picks i ERIC PFIEFFER Eugene is in itself a small utopia: Beautiful land scapes, grass-roots politics and lush organics. Howev er, the music scene, much like a lot of the city’s stagnant culture, is trapped somewhere between a mediocre and sustainable exis tence. Although you won’t find a scene at the level of any major metropolis, or even Portland, there are places to get your fix when it comes rhyth mic kicks and break-beat tricks. Eugene’s most valuable offering is music performed by people who are there simply for the sake of per forming music. Whether it’s at the Hult Center or at the Saturday Mar ket, you will almost certainly find entertaining and occasionally en riching performances. Of course, that all depends on what you’re looking for. I couldn’t write an article about the Eugene music scene without mention of the WOW Hall. The WOW Hall is a non-profit venue that hosts an eclectic variety of per formances from several different genres of the arts. It is also pretty much the only all-ages concert ven ue in town that also hosts a bar. And of course there’s Magical Thursdays. It’s Eugene’s own small er, weekly version of a rave. If you’re unable to experience one at a larger venue, then this is your best bet in town. I recommend calling for a schedule or picking up a copy of WOW Hall Notes. With the vari ety of shows, the inclusion of a bar at an all-ages venue plus a great amount of community involve ment, the WOW Hall is my favorite place in town to catch live music. John Henry’s, the Wild Duck and a long list of other venues also host musical acts year-round. Go to the EMU scheduling office to find out what bands are coming to Eugene in the near future. If you’re on campus and looking for live music, you can always stop by the Buzz Coffeehouse to see what’s on tap. The Buzz features live acoustic music from a wide va riety of performers. It regularly gives slots to student performers, which means you may find your self listening to the next Woody Guthrie, or just another freshman with a head full of Nirvana riffs. The odds on this bet are 60-40 in fa vor of teen spirit. When it comes to buying music, I recommend starting with the House of Records. It’s located on 13th Avenue, about a mile from campus. I’ve found that this store tends to have the most diverse cata log of underground and alternative music in town. And although it doesn’t always have what I’m li ek ing for in-house, the staff is usp illy very good about ordering titles for you. House of Records also buys and sells used music, which tends to be the life-blood of any record store found in a college town, j For more commercial mc^ic, there’s always Face the Music, [iso located on 13th. Here you can ind the latest offerings from MTV *nd top-40 radio. It also carries a decent selection of used titles and less commercial offerings. The Record X-Change is my overall choice for your music Tu rn to Music scene, page 10B “Lowest Prices, Guaranteed” Any Questions Just Call 343-SAVE (7283) •dVV: irele// Unlimited 166 W. 6th St. (across from the Wild Duck) AT&T Onlf.
