The term ‘underground’ was bandied about like a fluffy ball of string by pre-internet era music scene cats – but is it still relevant today? This particular topic is something you could write a short thesis about; that is, if your university is a smoky room full of lasers and teenage alcoholics. Well, as a graduate of that particular educational institution, Nightclub University (or NCU as my homemade sweater attests), I can provide you with a few words of wisdom as I puff intelligently on my corncob pipe.
In this day and age we are all so connected that in order for something to be considered ‘underground’, it would literally have to be buried under several feet of earth, and even then with today’s advancements in ground-penetrating radar, it wouldn’t be long before your left-field idea is unearthed, wiped clean and thrown onto the mainstream heap.
One event that has managed to avoid the radio waves pulsing through the subsurface of the music scene is The Underground Project, which is so buried in secrecy that the event organisers are not even disclosing the location until 24 hours before the event. This massive semi-festival showcases much of Canberra’s top local DJ talent including Ashley Feraude, Offtapia, Cheese, Bobby Rush, B-Tham, Peekz, Tori Mac, Tim Galvin, Kimosabi, Team Wing and many, many more. Tickets are a paltry $25 from Moshtix, so get back into rave mode and support something completely unique in our city. I’ve managed to track down the elusive promoters for this event and will have some more information in the next edition of the ‘Drop.
Trinity Bar keep directing punches at my liver like a rabid heavyweight boxer, with an endless array of amazing parties in June. The biggest event of the month kicks off on Friday June 22 with tiny Frenchman Surkin making his long-awaited Canberra debut.
Remember ‘fidget’? I don’t mean that twitchy guy in your math class whose parents owned a coffee shop. I’m of course referring to the ball-tearing electro-house sub-genre, which dominated club land in the late naughties. The king and co-creator of the genre, Switch, is returning to the main room at Academy on Friday June 15 alongside local ‘next big thing’ Peking Duk. Three words: Do. Not. Miss.
I have a huge soft spot for the Effigy lads and it’s very sad news to hear that the brand is about to enter a hiatus for the foreseeable future. To say goodbye, the team have organised a monster party at The Clubhouse on Friday June 15. It’s no surprise that the headliner is Bedrock superstar Guy J (Israel), as he perfectly sums up the Effigy mantra: emotional, unique and timeless. All the best guys, it’s been a great ride!
TIM GALVIN
tim.galvin@live.com.au
