Preview
C’EST DANGEREUX
Wednesdays
The Hifi Club
Indie music fans aren’t exactly known for their killer dance moves. But, if DJ Noah York and MC Reno Muenz have anything to do with it, you might just have to throw your hipster inhibitions to the wind during their ’80s-inspired electroclash set.
Known simply as C’est Dangereux, Muenz and York mix the old with the new, spinning everything from Tiffany and New Order to modern dance party favourites like Louis XIV and !!!.
"I get excited when I hear something that I know not a lot of people are playing and then everyone digs it," York says. "I find it helps to know a lot about music so you know exactly how far to stretch the boundaries."
York is no stranger to the indie-rock scene and spent his formative years playing in bands and hanging out in rock clubs. It was a trip to last year’s Coachella Valley Music Festival in the California desert that changed his mind about the parameters of dance music. After watching bands like The Rapture seamlessly fuse electro beats and indie rock together, he became inspired to bring that kind of music back home to Calgary clubs.
"I was thinking to myself that this is really good," he says. "A year ago there wasn’t that many people playing that kind of music in the city. We started with the idea of playing that genre. We were playing off of one turntable (and) a CD player with a blowout mixer. We had a lot of CDs and, once our vinyl collection started growing, we began to listen to more electronically driven sounds."
Because of York’s ties to the city’s independent music scene, he tries to include tracks by local artists during his set. He sees the recent rock resurgence as being positive for both the DJ and indie-rock communities.
"I like to play a lot of rock music (during my set). I get to plug bands like Whitey Houston and other local independent Alberta artists because they’re starting to press vinyl (that) people are spinning at indie-rock clubs. DJs are playing this because (indie bands) are making music that’s more danceable, so it helps both scenes," he says.
C’est Dangereux are regulars at The Hifi Club and York admits that he is sometimes in awe of the DJ talent in Calgary.
"I feel like a rookie on an all-star team right now because the lineup at The Hifi is the best the city has to offer. DJ Pump, Rob Faust, Sideshow Sid, Mike Grimes, DJ Rice – those people have such a reputation in the city and we have to earn our position as peers. But I finally feel that that’s starting to happen."
Contrary to popular belief, York says that Calgary has fun-loving, open-minded and enthusiastic audiences who are more than happy to hit the dance floor. He adds that the city’s DJ scene is very inclusive and supportive of new talent and this sort of encouragement provides fertile ground for innovation.
"The more you get into (the scene), the more you get opened up to other things," he says. "When you hear about someone making a change or a remix to a song, and you get interested in what they’re doing, it just keeps opening doors."
CELEB TOP FIVE
C’est Dangereux’s Top Five summertime nighttime tracks
1. "Night on Fire" by VHS or BETA
2. "Me and Guiliani Down By the Schoolyard (A True Story)" by !!!
3. "Drop the Pressure" by Mylo
4. "Blue Monday" by New Order
5. "Looks Just Like the Sun" by Broken Social Scene |
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