The business of nightlife can be pretty cutthroat. This is capitalism, after all, and no matter how much fun your club night is, there's always competition. Which is why it's great to see four of Seattle's top electronic production crews—Fourthcity, Shameless, Sensory Effect, and Decibel—come together for the Friday, April 13, Broken Disco at Chop Suey. Not only does this united front represent an easing of the normal competition, it's also part of a promising trend in Seattle's electronic music scene. Frequently, electronic music and electronic nights are extremely genre specific, unfortunately isolating a lot of great music from larger audiences. But what we're seeing in Seattle, with the success of the Decibel Festival, and now with the monthly showcase of Broken Disco, is just how much the scene can accomplish through strategic alliances.
"I've been collaborating with Shameless and Fourthcity since the inaugural Decibel Festival in 2004," says Decibel founder Sean Horton. "So there's been a camaraderie there going on four years now. One of my favorite parties of last year was actually a Decibel/Shameless coproduction at the Re-bar (Modeselektor). As for Sensory Effect, I performed at one of the very first events Patrick [Haenelt] threw about three years ago at ToST, and we've been collaborating ever since on various Oscillate and Decibel events."
This well-laid groundwork allows Broken Disco to attempt some big-name bookings, such as their debut headliner, John Tejada, and next month's double bill of Knifehandchop and Passions. (For more about Tejada, check out this week's debut of Donte Parks's new column, Bug in the Bassbin, page 57.)
"I have complete confidence this night will go off," says Horton. "We're already booked through July and the talent we have lined up is pretty amazing."
Sensory Effect's Haenelt agrees. "The best thing that I have experienced with Broken Disco is the mix of ideas from everyone," he says. "We work on a consensus system, so everyone's ideas get discussed and decided upon by the group as a whole. It's been great because everyone involved is an experienced promoter and is always bringing great ideas to the table."
Part of what differentiates Broken Disco from other electronic monthlies will be the promoters' eclectic collective taste in music. The booking of the headlining act will rotate among the four production teams, allowing each to routinely showcase their own style—Fourthcity's glitch hop, Shameless's electro hedonism, Sensory Effect's minimal techno, and Decibel's discerning depth and professionalism.
"We all bring something unique to the table creatively," Horton says. "Which is really at the heart of what Broken Disco is trying to accomplish. Too many club nights get wrapped up in specific genres or a scene. Each month will vary in terms of music, visual art, and promotion, which will ultimately bring together audiences that don't typically get to connect."
Beyond the diverse booking, the Broken Disco team is also able to take some unusual risks for a club night—going 18+ with two 21+ bars, offering two rooms of music, and running after hours sans booze. It's an ambitious and uncommon plan to bring people of different ages and tastes together, and this crew has everything in place to pull it off.
