For the last few months, Oscillate has been in turmoil. After
the second set of promoters decided to call it quits, the
techno/electro/IDM weekly laid dormant for a brief period. At the start
of October, original promoter Patrick Hanaelt was ready to hand over
the reins to Bryan Newman so he could keep the night going. At
this point, despite Newman’s clear vision for the night, outside
factors could once again combine to spell its demise.
Newman has been an advocate for Oscillate since its beginnings at
See Sound Lounge. Back then, the night was even more diehard-centric,
its programming firmly planted in the headier side of electronic music.
Fitting the lounge atmosphere, it was a chance for people to hang
out and hear locals do their thing. That changed a bit after the
move to the Baltic Room—the night pulled more touring acts, with
the attendant cover charges. Another change in promoters saw Oscillate
moving back to its more local-centric origins in recent months before
the announcement of Oscillate’s termination, prompting Newman to step
in.
“I saw [Oscillate] getting back to its roots, and then Greg
[Skidmore, former Oscillate promoter] was going to end it,” Newman
says. “I really liked the direction that it was going. I remember
reading Greg’s e-mail and thinking if it is to be, it’s up to
me.”
The story would happily end there if it weren’t for the talk about
the Baltic Room’s impending sale. The venue’s management has no
official comment, leaving Newman optimistic but unsure about Oscillate,
which he’s willing to move to another space if the need arises.
“It’s hard to make any definite statements about anything,” he says.
“But after the dust settles, I’m definitely looking to do an Oscillate
v3.0 release party to kick off the new season.”
Oscillate occurs Thursdays at the Baltic Room, 9 pm–2 am,
free, 21+.
In other attention-worthy events, Friday, October 19, sees the first
Seattle appearances of London dubstep DJ/producers Benga &
Hatcha at Contour. Inspiring a huge case of Afro envy, Benga
creates moving tracks that require more than arms-crossed posturing.
Hatcha mixed the first edition of the Dubstep Allstars series, so
there’s no doubt that he knows what’s hot and what’s not.
Also Friday, the Broken Disco–headlining return appearance of
Modeselektor at Chop Suey is sure to be an all-out party. Their
last show at Rebar was just short of legendary, and their latest album,
Happy Birthday!, is good enough to convert the uninitiated into
their rabid fold.
On Saturday, October 20, don’t miss Matthew Dear’s Big Hands at the Crocodile. Featuring a full band, Matthew Dear is fully
embracing the techno pop with which he’s previously flirted, moving
from behind the decks to behind the mic in support of this year’s
excellent Asa Breed. Reviews have been mixed on the live
performance, but it’ll be worth it to see an established
electronic-music producer try to make a dent in the world of indie
rock.
If that’s not enough, in case you haven’t had your fill of fuzzed-up
nu-electro, you’ll want to be sure to check out Digitalism at
Chop Suey on Monday, October 22. Another descendant in the school of
Daft Punk, the German duo feature more vocals than their sample-heavy
peers, so you can sing along as well as rock out. 