B-More Electro Is Bringin' It!

Drew Pompa (Blank Artists-Detroit)
More or Less Monthly Techno Party at the Hexagon

I've been living in MD for 7 years now after leaving Michigan like a guy making a jail break. I've been mostly satisfied with my new are and have been able to call Baltimore home for the last 2 of these years. I think I'm going to stay. I like it here.

But one thing that has been hard for me to find out here is quality techno on a semi-reoccuring basis. Coming from MI and spending my college days in undisclosed warehouses in Detroit and Lansing I've been finding it difficult to find similar events in this area.

That's why I've been delighted to find the B-More Electro crew throwing monthly More or Less (M/L) parties in the area.

Now don't get me wrong. Baltimore has a rich electronic music scene (It's no Berlin or Detroit but it's home now) and I could find DJ's spinning every night of the week if I wanted (thank you Shorty's http://www.shortysbaltimore.com/home.html). But like all other music categories "techno" is but one of many genres in the electronic family. And techno is what I am looking for.

Enter B-More Electro (http://www.bmore-electro.com/) These cats have been throwing relatively small monthly events in Baltimore for over a year now and they're growing. They started in the Depot in Station North, had a travelling road show for a few gigs in DC and Talking Head and have found a new home at the Hexagon (http://www.myspace.com/lofisocialclub) which has proved to be the best place yet. The space is just the right size for smaller shows (50-150 people) which is perfect for this event. And it's a BYO! Which means that 6 pack of Natty Boh that you got at home is all you need for the night. Save your loot and bring it with you. This also invokes the spirit of sharing as many bring a few extras for new friends made along the way. Instant kharma

I really enjoy these events for two reasons:

1. The crowd is made up of a loose alliance of local techno Dj's, producers, afficianados and just about anyone who hears the thump pourng out of the Hexagon. The audience is not restricted to those in the know but at it's base is a collection of people who love good techno music. Nothing fancy, no glowsticks, relatively little name dropping, big smiles and people dancing. People are dancing again. And being on the Station North circuit I get a chance to see waves of people come and go throughout the night. Many are impressed with the waves of sound pounding them. Many are dancing, yet some are confused. Yes, this is techno and it's happening here. The crowds are not massive, they're not even at capacity but what the crowd IS is a ground up approach to a real techno music scene on the horizon. If I know Baltimore bandwagons then this may be one on the way. But weather it takes over Artscape or not is not the point. It's techno music at a quality level. That's what I love. It hasn't attracted everyone but what it has done is contact many people who have been hiding in the city and brought them back out into the light. I'm sure they've been here all along but as an outsider to this city it sure has been hard to find them. (Big shouts here to the number of folks I've met who are bringing the sound. You have my support.)

2. The crowd makes a DJ want to come back and play again. Case in point: At the most recent MoL event Drew Pompa returned to Baltimore for a second MoL event and came ready to party. The house was not as packed as the first time he came out but that did nothing to diminish his spirit and enthusiasm. The man came to party and party he did. Fun to watch, great to hear and he kept the energy up all night with a very dense batch of records. Yes! Vinyl. I've seen many DJ's just show up, grab their paycheck and play some half-assed set and leave. But a punk like that would get called out for that in this setting. We know what we want and know when we're not getting it. Bring it!

So Bmore-Electro has another event at the Hexagon on 10/24/08. If you miss it you can probably catch a rewview from Alex over at Auralstates (http://auralstates.com/). You can catch up on older events here as well.

OK, I thnk I've done enough name dropping here. I'm gonna go call famous Dj's now and text other famous people on my blackberry. Catch y'all later.