We bring you The Penthouse dance parties every last Friday of the month at Empire, Portland, ME
"...a focus on house and techno stuff that doesn't require some type of hook or drop every 30 seconds..."
--The Portland Phoenix, 10/25/13
djs:
Marcus Caine
Ed Garrison
Chris Gauthier
Ian Hammond
and the occasional guest…
ED GARRISON
https://soundcloud.com/edgarrison
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Growing up in New Je
rsey it was easy access for Ed to all the best house music that New York has to offer. Inspired by djs like Junior Vasquez, Danny Tenaglia, Françoise K, Joe Clausell, he is well versed in the NY house sound. After a 4yr hiatus from music and a move to Maine he picked up where he left off and began djing around Portland, ME in early 2012. In just over a year he has had gigs at Flask Lounge, The Red Door, and started his own party "Balance" at Asylum in the basement. These days he concentrates a lot on remixing and producing songs he can slide into his sets of Deep House and Nu-Disco. He plays an eclectic mix and chugging bass lines and sexy vocals while always adding some classic NY house flavor. MARCUS CAINE
https://soundcloud.com/marcus-caine
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A UK native, Marcus discovered a passion for dance music in London’s underground Northern Soul scene in the 1980s. Moving from the UK to the US, he was a first-hand witness to several waves of club culture, from the early days of house and rave in the UK to the beatdown sounds of Detroit, where he had the good and bad fortune to live in the mid-90s. In 2000, a move to Maine brought a reduction in nightlife options. At that point, Marcus was inspired to get behind the decks to share his love and knowledge. Today, he plays a unique mix of deep house, soul, funk, jazz, and the unexpected. CHRIS GAUTHIER
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Vinyl is what most people think when they see Chris' name on a flyer, and while to some that may mean old skool tracks, Chris has been focusing on the steady stream of underground music that is being released as vinyl-only these days. "It's not because it is a niche play (I do play CDs as well), but I just love the physicality and sound quality of vinyl, plus nowadays there are so many fantastic artists/tracks being released exclusively in that format. The vinyl-only release harkens back to that old school experience - where to hear a track at its finest, you need to come to the club." Another trademark of Chris' is that he is very focused on the crowd - something he learned early on, while playing Montreal back in '87. "The most important tool I possess is not the gear or track, but my eyes. To me the energy of the crowd is everything and training yourself to always be observing the crowd is the key to a good night. Honestly I also just love to watch the dancers and soak up their energy - it is very fulfilling to work together with the crowd to create that special experience. If I can get people smiling with their eyes closed and hands in the air, then we all get to share that moment together - and that is where the magic lives." IAN HAMMOND
https://soundcloud.com/djianhammond
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Inspired by the sounds he was hearing in the 90s warehouse parties, Ian began djing with radio shows on WRUV-Burlington (Univ of Vermont radio), and WMEB (Univ of Maine radio). He went on to develop and hone his dj skills and sound at the legendary beach raves and club parties of Nantucket Island. They were epic, and Ian had a chance to play alongside djs from around the country and world, as well as the truly top-notch local talent. Ian has held residencies in New York City, Boston, and Nantucket, and has dj'd parties, clubs and bars in New York, Lithuania, Boston, Portland (SPACE, Flask, Asylum, The State Theatre, Port City Music Hall, Una, and numerous underground parties), Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe, Oregon, Montana, and all over New England.
