EDM showcase Electrovember to nurture local dance music's next generation

Photo by Kate Engelmann Photography

Check out Minneapolis DJ duo Fembot at Electrovember.

The Pourhouse will be home to what is essentially a small-scale electronic festival this Wednesday, as Electrovember brings an all-local EDM showcase with over 20 acts to three distinct stages. Igloo Studios and NiteOwl have joined forces with a number of artists, collaborators and designers to put together an ambitious event that serves as a crash course for the growing EDM scene in Minneapolis.

"There's so much talent around town, and that's what we're trying to do here: To expose that talent and to bring some light to those DJs who are so passionate about this kind of music," says organizer Lidia Chesnokova. "I don't think there's anything anyone has done around town that has included so many acts in one place at one time, all local, all here to support each other." In addition to some impressive-sounding light and laser displays, video DJing, and specially constructed backdrop pieces, the DJs will be displaying their talent and their community at the same time.

"We want Minneapolis to thrive and be known for supporting local DJs. One thing I realized as a DJ is the best DJs and producers, once they're good enough and the nation knows about them, they leave. I want to try to keep these DJs here," says DJ Josh McClure of NiteOwl. "There's been an electronic scene in Minneapolis for years, but it's been really underground. The legends are Woody McBride, Jack Trash, the Bassgasm guys... We're trying to nurture the next generation."

Local interest in EDM is on the rise lately, thanks in no small part to groups like Sound In Motion or TC Dubstep bringing in national acts on a regular basis, but local artists remain somewhat under-represented. A wide range of genres will filter through the Pourhouse's top-notch sound system throughout the night, including house, dubstep, electro, trance, techno, trap, and many more. Some of those spinning will be the 4 contest winners, who sent in their own mixes to potentially be chosen for the opportunity to get opening slots. The EDM umbrella encompasses a number of styles, and Electrovember is attempting to put forth just how strong our scene is in many different aspects.

The three stages - Wicked Mountain, Basscave, and Intergalactic Planetary, each with specially crafted set design and light show to give the names meaning - will divide these styles into like-minded rooms, so concert-goers may weave between dance areas depending on their mood. "You just feel energy around you, and you feed off of it," says Josh.

The crew even put together a party bus to bring fans from Duluth down to the show, with plenty of booze provided to riders along the trip. The out-of-towners get the opportunity to get rides to and from their city, which will certainly help considering how sauced they'll be by the end of the night. This, in conjunction with the rather low door price of $10 for 21+ or $12 for 18+, seems constructed to bring together a sizable room of like-minded EDM fans of all types.

"That's the whole entire theme of EDM, community and bringing people together, and I think anybody that listens to EDM truly believes that. That's the point of this thing," says Megan Hamilton of Fembot, who are excited to play alongside the rest of their scene. "Everyone's so motivated here, and they're motivated for everyone else.The community's been so hospitable and helpful and generous with everything they've done, and it's completely epitomized the basis of EDM in general."

Thanks to the help of a strong and tightly-knit community of people, Electrovember came together in just over a month. There's real passion in the voices of the organizers, and that same passion is sure to come out in tenfold in the show itself. Electrovember is not just a gathering of the existing community but an outreach to anyone interested in getting a glimpse of the strong scene that's been bubbling up.