More from Nilina Mason-Campbell on the Vancouver, BC scene: 1/2ALIVE is the night of nights, the party of parties when it comes to Vancouver B.C. Every Friday, a core of three DJs, two VJs, a photographer and flamboyant MC congregate at Richard’s on Richards to put on the best weekly party in the city. Sometimes local and international live acts ranging from Dandi Wind to MSTRKRFT to Thunderheist join in the fun and of course there’s the punters! The party is packed! Even with a $10 cover, it’s the destination regardless of who’s on for the night which proves Vancouver’s dedication to parties. The soundtrack? The hottest electro, club bangers, homegrown re-edits, mash-ups, remixes and a sprinkling of retro.
Many other seminal club-nights shutter their doors (as LA’s Check Yo Ponytail and NYC’s Misshapes have recently) or retire their names (like Juicy becoming More Better in Portland) in order to start anew and achieve a boost. However, 1/2ALIVE’s achieves new vibes by way of venue moves. The of venues it has called it’s temporary home is endless and at the end of the month Richard’s on Richards will be left behind in the dust as the club night hops on over to Pub 340. 1/2ALIVE’s debut at Pub 340 takes place on Friday June 13th. Will this one be permanent or will the date curse them to move again? Time will tell… The move also signals a big shift in 1/2ALIVE’s calendar share as the night will be going bi-weekly.
Now, let’s meet the team by going back in time. I was first introduced to 1/2ALIVE through the blog Smashed Robot. The blogger behind it happened to be Tyler Fedchuk who continues to hold it down every Friday as one third of the 1/2ALIVE DJs though he long ago abandoned the blog. Smashed Robot ceased new posts all the way back in late 2005, but not before introducing me to the love of my musical life aka Metronomy. Tyler’s posts also brought my attention to my favorite French label Kitsune and other acts like Fox n’ Wolf, Soldout, and the Presets. You know how people talk about gateway drugs? Yeah, it terms of blogs, Smashed Robot was definitely my gateway into an electro addiction. He now continues to blog at RadioZero, producing must-have mixes that showcase his taste for acts like Cut Copy, Lykke Li, M83, Midnight Juggernauts and then the slightly more obscure like 50hertz and Cloetta Paris.
Also on the blogging train are his 1/2ALIVE DJ comrades TonyX who blogs it up for 1/2ALIVE’s official site and My!Gay!Husband! who graces the pages of hipster hype blog IHEARTCOMIX.
Curtis Santiago is 1/2ALIVE’s hostest with the mostest. In addition to rocking the mic and singing over songs as way of introductions and hype building while in the 1/2ALIVE house, he is also pursuing a solo, genre-blending musical career of his own that’s fairly pop oriented and definitely different.
Marek Bula and Kellen Powell take turns programming the night’s video visuals that often include clips from the Breakfast Club. Meg Bourne rounds out the team by taking photos, a practice she also does for national Canadian periodical Exclaim!
Quad City/MSTRKRFT – Get On The Rave (Tyler Fedchuks 1/2Alive Remix)
Dangerous Dan vs Van She (1/2Alive Mash Up Remix)
I’m still bummed that they didn’t come to Portland, but I guess that they would have been EXTREMELY disappointed.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:24 pm