Know your DJs Reboot: International Edition

It's no secret that Santa Fe is all about DJs. Serio. And so what better way is there to properly pay homage to the artists who scoff at instruments (I know some of you play instruments) than to reboot everybody's favorite local DJ column? That's right, dance-nerds—Know Your DJs is back!

It's good timing, too, as Skylight, along with local promoter Amanda Morris and electronic music artist Mayrant, plan on opening up the club's mainstage room on Saturday, March 7 for legendary UK dance music producer and performer, DJ Dave Seaman. To be fair, I'd never heard of the guy until a couple weeks ago, but a few questions asked to the right people has taught me that he's a big-ass deal. As a titan within the medium since the '90s and a producer who's worked with the likes of New Order, Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys, you've probably already heard Seaman whether you know it or not. And what's more amazing is that he's coming here when he's the type of musician who tours internationally and in much larger venues. The Sheffield native has well over 20 records and plenty more compilation appearances under his belt; he's inspired entire generations of like-minded artists and, perhaps most importantly, he's British—and those guys wrote the book on this whole EDM thing.

"I've been doing this for over 25 years now, so I've had time to connect with lots of people," Seaman says. "During the '90s and the noughties, some of the mix compilation albums I did for [labels] Global Underground and Renaissance did really well right across the world and, happily, that seems to still be having repercussions now."

Times may have changed for Seaman, as he says he's transitioned from utilizing vinyl to CDs and now USB drives, but the core values of DJing and music production remain fundamentally the same.

"I always say it's what comes out of the speakers that counts, not how you make that happen," he says. "I think you have to live and breathe the music, which I do, [because] it's constantly evolving and there are thousands of new tracks coming out every week so it never gets boring."

But how do we classify a DJ? How do we describe their sound? Sure, it's easy enough for those who love and steep themselves in the stuff, but what about the rest of us?

"The way I look at DJing and electronic music is that it's really more about controlling the energy of a room than putting tracks together," opener Mayrant says. "You can break it down to deep house, tech house, techno, electronica, but nowadays a lot of the production being done takes from all of these; the type of electronic music we want to bring has character, but isn't so esoteric that people can't relate to it."

A seven-year fixture of the local electronic music scene, Mayrant hosts twice-monthly events Dance Machine and We <3 Tech at Skylight. He says that his set for March 7 features a strong tech influence and builds upon the overall vibe of the night. Mayrant adds that he never plays the same set twice and prefers to delve into noncommercial areas of the various electronic music sub-genres when creating his playlist.

"I disagree with the idea that just because something is popular it is good," he says. "I've never been too big into pop music, especially after I found out that a lot of it is just about the money."

So there you have it, Santa Fe dance fans. DJ Seaman and Mayrant—not too shabby. It looks like Skylight has stayed true to their promise to keep bringing bigger and better acts and the whole techno/house set about town ought to find a lot to love here. And as for the rest of you weirdos who would dare to prefer music played with instruments? Maybe it's time to let that go a little. I know I'm trying. At the very least, we could all listen to promoter Amanda Morris when she says that, "Dave Seaman is a true artist and anyone willing to step up and take a musical ride with him will not be disappointed."

DJ Dave Seaman
9 pm Saturday, March 7. $10-$15
Skylight,
139 W San Francisco St.,
982-0775

Santa Fe Reporter