Jam’n'Beats – Community & Music
A few months ago I went to a new and really cool music and community event.
I’m attending the second Jam’n'Beats in a few weeks.
Jam’n'Beats, a “new cultural and artistic hub is being born” at Greenslopes Bowls Club. It attempts to fuse music, art, markets and local community into one unique experience. What is unique with Jam’n'Beats is that, it also wants the participants to become part of the experience. As Laurie Tardent describes it, it will “smack you in the face,” like most new and exciting experiences should do.
Arriving at four o’clock in the evening on a Friday‚Äî my glass is always half-full ‚Äîwas a bit of a shocker. Seeing only a very few that had arrived. And not many stalls for the outdoor market were open. Inside they were getting the stage ready, while in the pub area a DJ were mixing a good variety of beats. Maybe it is time for me to learn that it’s okay, here in Australia, to be a bit late.
I’m not going to lie to you, but the market was unfortunately very modest. In one corner you had a group of performers showing off their fire-dancing skills. A bit further up from them was a graffiti artist creating artwork on the spot, on his own canvasses — one being a surfboard. In the opposite corner were three stalls, one selling personally designed clothes and ties, the second selling clothes and other apparel made from hemp and a third selling very interesting pieces of art. To be honest, I had hoped for more stalls and art in the market area.
Right after five o’clock it was announced that the first band, Luna Junction, were ready to kick it off. They referred to themselves as a, “gypsy folk band.” Playing everything from jazz to Irish folk music. A very nice and relaxing start. They were followed by Matt Godbold playing classical guitar. And then a very experienced didgeridoo player, Brook Turner-mann, a ranger at Fraser Island.
Then it was time for Thatchwork City to take the stage, and up the tempo a bit with their slightly more energetic style of music. A good mix of funk, grunge, pop and folk, to mention a few. A band I hope to hear again. Later on, The Fun Team reminded me that punk is still alive and kicking hard. An energetic explosion of ska punk!
The next performance was something out of the ordinary. It was time for some good old tap dancing by Red Hot Rhythm. Their skills were amazing. I’ve only seen tap dancing on TV, so seeing it live was truly spectacular. After that amazing showmanship, Lanita Tuuga took to the stage to perform three songs. Taking inspirations from r’n'b, pop and reggae. A short, but very enjoyable performance.
When DJ Brento filled the room with funky house beats, he was joined by three drummers at the start. His choice of music got more people to take to the dance floor. And it reminded me of when I grew up in Norway during the mid ’90s’ rave explosion. Energetic beats that makes you want to dance all night.
To liven it up a bit, Kate Stephens performed a very mesmerizing dance with a lit-up hula hoop. Watching the hula hoop going round and round while her body flowing gracefully with the music. It was almost as if she was one with the hula hoop.
I had never heard about Triptaphene, but judging by their get-up and instrument set-up— decks, drums, didge —assumed they would play something similar to Linkin Park or Rage Against The Machine. But I was absolutely wrong. It was an impressive mix of dubstep, trance and metal. Kind of the style you would expect if Krillex, Shpongle and Tool decided to make music together. A mix of styles that had perfectly been fused together. Yet another band I hope to hear again.
The last performance was a DJ session called Lets Get Minimal. Starting with a mix of ’80s electro and house feel to it. An old-school funky vibe. As it got later it slowly switched to Detroit techno. Truly living up the their name, showing minimal techno makes people want to dance, by still keeping the party going till noon.
This was the first Jam’n'Beats event. Personally I feel it’s unfair to judge the whole event on the size of the crowd. Yes, there were a lot of room to spare on the dance floor and another ten stalls in the market area would easily fit — maybe next time? Based on what I saw, heard and experienced. Jam’n'Beats has a lot of potential. I’m not saying this to be nice, because I could be harsh and say that Jam’n'Beats was an absolute disaster. But as I see it, that’s unfair. We just need to be patient and let it grow. Before we decide it’s a weed and remove it. I honestly can’t wait to see and hear who will play at the next Jam’n'Beats.
Next Jam’n'Beats will be in four months, visit their page for more info:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130514513692127
The Vast majority of produers really don’t know where to start when they start off creating beats. The cold hard simple fact is that a greater part of the producers use overpriced music development software to create their beats and newbies have difficult picking up on the actual knowledge neccesary to master how to produce music. It shouldn’t be that challenging tho. Regardless of whether an individual is attemping to make rap beats, hip hop, or make dubstep beats, I believe that it simply normally requires time as well as practice and endurance. Working at it helps make you a far better producer.