Marcus Lalario
Lalario is the promoter of Sugarshack Unlimited, the Tuesday drum and bass night at the Baltic Room.
When did you get involved with drum and bass? What was the impetus for starting Tuesdays at the Baltic Room? "I started getting into drum and bass about five years ago. I did a night at Vinylized with 360 BPM on Wednesdays. Then I started doing the Baltic Room to supply the 21-and-older crowd with a solid drum and bass night. That was three years ago. Since then we've had everybody through there from JJ Frost to Ed Rush and Optical to Andy C, on the three-year anniversary. I think that night really pushed drum and bass to the forefront in Seattle. I have top-quality U.K. artists at least three, if not four, times a week. That made the night, and drum and bass, a staple in Seattle. Seattle Weekly voted it 'Best Dance Night of the Year,' which is rare for a Tuesday to win."
There have been a number of other drum and bass nights in Seattle over the years. How do you feel that your night has brought the genre to the forefront in the music community? "I feel this way because I bring the best DJs and producers in the world on a consistent basis, and have for three years."
Flying DJs in from the U.K. and elsewhere all the time must be a logistical and financial stress factory--do you have help, or do you do it all yourself? "I have been doing everything myself until recently, when I have gotten some help on promoting and hosting the DJs."
What's the greatest obstacle you've had to overcome to make this night a success? "To convince the public of what me and my crew already knew about drum and bass."
Since you concurrently promote hiphop and drum and bass shows, do you witness much crossover between the audiences? "A little bit, but the more we promote one to the other, we should see more of [a crossover]."
