JIM KEMPKES

Clubbers, party goers and good-time seekers in general never seem to get enough retro in their dance floor diets. On Thanksgiving weekend — a time for “spirited” reunions and family-induced decompression sessions — this fact should hold especially true. The Beatclan regularly rocks eclectic party jams from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s for their crowds […]

DJ Flex’ breakbeat-oriented La selva night will return to Tilt nightclub this Thanksgiving weekend for the fourth annual After Gobble Party. You won’t find a better place to work off those extra holiday calories than Tilt’s epic dance floor. This installment will feature an enhanced sound system for a world-class sonic experience. The bass bins will surely rattle when headliner, DJ Spinz of Toronto, properly rinses the place out. La selva […]

DJ Bittle has been a familiar face in Rochester’s EDM scene for a few years: his bone-shaking sonic blend of all things bass-centric makes him a crowd favorite. Shawn Drogan, drummer of local live electronic duo The Manhattan Project, is a veteran of laying down thick hypnotic-dance grooves. It’s not hard to imagine the chemistry between these two when they debut their […]

It boggles my mind that jungle — and drum and bass for slightly more civilized folks — is twenty years old. The uniquely British hybrid of hardcore techno’s speed and aggression, steely break beats and Jamaican sound system traditions has always sounded to me like a glimpse into an exotic sci-fi future. Two crews, Sidewalk Events and Riled […]

Genesis P-Orridge of the proto-industrial group Psychic TV once made the controversial statement that “all music is innately psychedelic.” Whether you agree with him or not, it can certainly be said that some types of music are just more focused on consciousness expansion than others. Rochester’s Neuroceptor creates unabashedly psychedelic music utilizing both electronic tools, as […]

Like many of his hip-hop contemporaries, Rochester’s own Anthony Hayward (MC Tugboat) tells hard-luck tales delivered with poise and ferocity. His solidly constructed rhymes lock together like Lego bricks. But, what truly distinguishes Tugboat is an open-hearted accessibility and an underdog spirit that you can’t help but root for. After toiling away in the dark recesses […]

Known for its upfront melodies, accelerated tempos, and lustrous sound palette, trance music has been a mainstay of big rooms and giant festivals since the rave’s heyday. Trance can be at once deeply emotional, euphoric, energetic, and epic, reflecting the communal journey taken by those on the dancefloor. Trance producers tell stories with the tracks […]

Since the mid-90’s, drum and bass has enjoyed a particularly devoted following within Rochester’s electronic dance music scene. Some credit for this can surely be pinned on the local Jungle Bums crew, whose legendary Thursday nights (which ran from 2002 to 2006, a respectable run for a club night anywhere in the world) and provided […]

The content of violence in hip-hop music has always been controversial. Violins in hip-hop is another story. Having gained attention from his appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” Bulgarian-born musician-violinist-rapper Svet Radoslavof will be celebrating his birthday in Rochester, where he currently resides. Svet graduated from the Eastman School of Music and has made quite […]