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Pkat (Co-Founder)
Reading material and such?
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Hartford Advocate (CT)
March 31, 2005
Section: Music
Get Out Your Glow Sticks
The golden days of underground raves may be over, but Hartford's Muni still spins exciting dance music
Dan Barry
The days of big raves have come and gone. It sucks to admit it. I never got the chance to go to one when they were in their heyday. I still fantasize about meeting shady characters in fast-food parking lots who, after confirming that I am not a cop, direct me to some secret warehouse in the backwoods of Connecticut where -- surprise! -- all-star DJs like Roni Size and Dieselboy are spinning fiery sets for a crowd of rapturous partygoers.
And then I wake up.
Until I find that warehouse in the woods, the next best thing is the Municipal Café in Hartford. The space is a bit of an oddity, but it's got a hell of a history behind it. With more than two decades of dance music under its belt, the Muni has held a quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) niche in Hartford's underground nightlife. The folks there have been hosting dance music since the '80s, and they've had a history of bringing cutting-edge rock and electronic acts into town before they blow up. They even hosted a benefit for the children of late Local Motion reporter and Advocate photographer India Blue.
The Muni itself is a bar/restaurant by day. The basement of the building is a large dance area. And the next-door neighbor is Spiritual Emporium, an underground record store. At night, the Spiritual Emporium crew joins the three areas together, and separate DJs spin simultaneously in each room. The whole place transforms into a giant dance complex. But clubbers, don't bother; this ain't your usual multi-level meat market. I got the most thorough pat-down of my life at the front door -- more thorough than post-9/11 airport security. And a good portion of the crowd is all about the pacifiers, glow sticks, and fluorescent jewelry.
If you can dig that, then you can catch some seriously good dance music. The highlight of the night was a set by P-Kat in the upstairs club area. The beats were amazing. They built up to huge, throw-your-hands-in-the-air climaxes. Every now and then a jungle beat would creep in to keep things spicy. P-Kat was also good at giving his crowd enough downtime to recover before launching his next dance assault -- and then he'd do the whole thing over again, whipping the crowd into another frenzy with a new record.
The downstairs area was a bit more chilled. DJs spun hard house and other slower-tempo music for a less-energetic crowd. The massive size of the downstairs space, the cool air, and the couches that lined the walls were all welcome after P-Kat's set. The steady drone of the music became a little too relaxing. Still, it was a good way to end the night.
The Municipal Café is located at 485 Main St. in Hartford. Spiritual Emporium Records is right next door at 493 Main.
Happy 2B Hartford 3 is coming up on Friday, April 15th, featuring P-Kat, Candykid, Brak, and 12 other DJs. It's 18+ to enter, 21+ to drink. Bound, the Webster Underground's goth/fetish night, is having an anime theme party on April 2nd. The Afro-Semitic Experience plays Middletown's Buttonwood Tree on April 4th.
localmotionCT@gmail.com
Copyright 2005, 2007, New Mass Media. All Rights Reserved.
B.B. (Co-Founder, Manager, Vocalist, Artist)
(soon)
Mike D
(Crew Artist)
Spinning records since he was 14, now 19 year old Mike D is one of the youngest up and coming DJs making a name for himself both in the Northeast rave scene and beyond, rocking crowds from NYC to Colorado, Canada and Burning Man. Mike D’s massive track selection spans the genres of UK Hard House, Groovy Techno, House, Breaks and Psytrance and the diversity of his ear-catching sets is invigorating. He is also pursuing his passion for music by studying production and audio engineering in college. Mike D is truly a rising star as he continues to fine tune his skills and push the boundaries of electronic dance music.
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