Electronic dance music on Long Island
DJ Frank Clementi, of Mastic Beach, pictured at "Gee Day," a hardcore techno party at The Warsaw in Brooklyn. June 2011. Credit: Sam Froond. Credit: Handout
EDM -- it's the hottest acronym in the nightlife industry these days. Short for electronic dance music, EDM is a broad genre of club music that's entirely digital, void of band instruments. DJs use computers to cut and mix beats -- think heavy bass, chaotic pitches, atypical patterns -- into dance music that's played at a powerful volume.
"I love all types of music, but this stuff gets you moving," says Kathryn Korcz, a 22-year-old waitress from Nesconset who was part of the crowd at an EDM night at Broadway Bar in Amityville last March.
"There's always an ebb and flow with any kind of flow, whether it's hip-hop or alternative music. Right now, electronic music is on top," said Frank Clementi, a DJ from Mastic who's played the local club circuit for 20 years.
'UNDERGROUND SCENE'
Mainstream dance club music involves DJs spinning mixed -- but still recognizable -- versions of hit pop songs. For many, the appeal of EDM lies in hearing music that's original, unpredictable.
"There's always something new," Korcz says. "And the scene's not so played out."
Not that there hasn't been serious buzz. The uninitiated got a taste of EDM during the Grammys in February, when DJs David Guetta and Deadmau5 (remember the giant LED mouse head?) performed with Chris Brown, the Foo Fighters and Lil Wayne. Marquee EDM events in Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles have drawn tens of thousands of clubgoers.
Closer to home, the EDM scene on Long Island is still burgeoning. Small-scale events have been held in recent months at D19 in Ronkonkoma and the Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre, besides Broadway Bar. Patrons tend to be college-age and older 20-somethings who hear about such gatherings by word-of-mouth or via Facebook and Twitter. "I like that it brings a variety of people," says Jason Breslow, general manager of Broadway Bar. "They're lively, want to dance and feel the music."
Chris Townsend, a graphic designer from Bay Shore who DJs as Subrox, says he's drawn to the EDM scene because the focus is on the music -- not what people are wearing or drinking. "It's so underground that just being there and enjoying the music is enough," he says.
--Lauren R. Harrison contributed to this story.
