Destination: South Africa

326 SW Broadway,Portland OR 97205

05 November, 2022

Description

Line upDJ LagIn just over six years, DJ Lag has established himself as a world-class sonic innovator and taken one of the exciting electronic music movements of the 21st century from South Africa into the global spotlight. Remarkably, Lwazi Asanda Gwala has achieved this while not yet 27 and while remaining deeply connected to the source of his creativity – the township of Clermont in the coastal city of Durban. The movement that DJ Lag has pioneered is gqom, a Zulu word meaning drum or hit, which he began making – using little more than FruityLoops – and playing while still in high school. Propelled by DJ Lag’s prodigious musical gifts, this defiantly geographically specific sound has also found a devoted – and fast growing – international audience with DJ Mag anointing DJ Lag “the globe-conquering gqom king” in a September 2021 cover story. It was DJ Lag’s 2015 G-Star Raw x Boiler Room Sessions that signaled to the rest of South Africa and the world that his was no ordinary dance talent. In its review New York-based The Fader wrote, “DJ Lag stepped up to the decks to show exactly why everyone’s going crazy for Gqom.” A year later he released his self-titled EP through London label Goon Club Allstars and DJ Lag’s ascendency into the upper rank of the global music scene properly began. Through hypnotic original tracks like “Ice Drop” and “Umlilo”, the music that DJ Lag told DJ Mag was “made for clubs. Made for nightlife” also proved to be made for DJs and electronic music fans across Europe, Asia and the United States. Aged just 21, in the closing months of 2016 DJ Lag made his international live music debut and since then he has played an impressive number of international dates (RedBull SonarDome at Sonar Barcelona, MELT Festival in Germany, Afropunk Atlanta, London’s Jazz Café). Other highlights that showcase DJ Lag’s deep-seated creativity include the video for “Ice Drop” being shown alongside a range of electronic music icons in Electronic: From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers, a landmark exhibition being hosted by London Design Museum from mid-2020 to early 2021 Although rightfully known as “the king of gqom”, DJ Lag is a sonic explorer unafraid of moving across boundaries of sound and geography and easily capable of standing alongside the world’s biggest stars. The most high-profile of the latter was when he produced “My Power” for Beyoncé’s 2019 Grammy-nominated album The Lion King: The Gift (the companion album to the CGI remake of The Lion King). In a significant recognition of DJ Lag’s reach and musical innovation, “My Power” – which features Nija, Busiswa, Yemi Alade, Tierra Whack and Moonchild Sanelly – was also included on Beyoncé’s recently released, critically acclaimed Black Is King visual album and its trailer. Pitchfork described him as an “international ambassador for the nerve-shredding thrills of gqom.” Releasing on February 18th 2022, his debut full-length, Meeting with the King, is the sound of Gqom 2.0 that sees DJ Lag manifesting his recognition of gqom and Amapiano as sonic siblings, and drawing on Afro House and Afro Tech. On the back of a slate of superb singles, in the months leading to its release the album was being described as “nothing short of a grand entrance fit for royalty” (Crack Magazine) and as seeming “like it could be not only career defining but genre defining, as the gqom hero hooks up with collaborators across scenes and continents” (Resident Advisor). ACCESSIBILITY We have accessible and gender neutral restrooms.The venue is accessible via the main entry stairs or an elevator. Please contact us at 503-868-2588 to ask accessibility questions.SAFETY:There is zero tolerance for hate, harassment, or assault of any kind. To get help or to report an incident, please speak to a No Requests employee or text “help” to 503-868-2588. QUESTIONS? We value your feedback! Please reach out to us with questions or comments at [email protected] or 503-868-2588. About No RequestsIn 2021, a group of friends were out late one night in Portland, looking for a place to listen and dance to amazing house music artists and DJs.We weren’t just looking for any club. We were looking for a house music oasis. A place that consistently embodies the club culture we grew up with, where house and electronic music is enjoyed by everyone, without intolerance or judgement. But… we couldn’t find it in the way we wanted. We were an eclectic mix. Passionate house music DJs influenced by the European club culture, event curators and long time DJs from Portland, and transplants from all over the world who now call Portland home. One day, we came together to create a new concept based on our experiences and our love of house music. As an eclectic bunch of music lovers, we know that diversity has always been at the heart of club culture and house music. Celebrating and respecting everyone regardless of religion, race, physical ability, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity is the foundation of club culture. After months of creative planning, we decided to contribute to the house music scene in Portland in a very special way and open a club called No Requests. At No Requests, we follow a radically open dance floor and door policy. We ensure that all of our house music events embody the club culture that we love, believe in, and want to foster, while keeping our guests as safe as possible during this time of ambiguity. Our commitment is to consistently showcase the best Portland-based house music DJs as well as regional (Oregon), national, and international house music DJs, while celebrating diversity and equality, and constantly innovating the experiences and services at No Requests. And by doing so, Portland's club culture and house music scene will be globally recognized as one of the top destinations for house and electronic music.‍ No Requests, and no regrets. HISTORY OF HOUSE MUSIC: House Music Guide: A Brief History of House Music What Is House Music?A Brief History of House MusicCharacteristics of House MusicWHAT IS HOUSE MUSIC? House Music is a genre of electronic dance music which is characterized by a four to the floor beat. The beats per minute or BPM is around 120 to 130.​ House Music was created by house music djs and house music producers from the Chicago underground club culture in the early 1980s. It really started with disco where djs from the altered disco tracks to give them a more mechanical, richer and deeper basslines. A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOUSE MUSIC The genre was pioneered by DJs and producers mainly from Chicago and New York such as Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Chip E., Steve "Silk" Hurley, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Mr. Fingers, Marshall Jefferson, Phuture, and many others. Its origins derive from within the Black American LGBT communities but has since spread to the mainstream. From its beginnings in the Chicago club and local radio scene, the genre expanded internationally, then to other American cities and has become a worldwide phenomenon ever since. There are numerous subgenres, such as acid house, deep house, progressive house, tech house, electro house, hip house ghetto house, organize house music and many more. House music is characterized by repetitive 4/4 rhythms including bass drums, off-beat hi-hats, snare drums and/or claps at a tempo between 120 and 130 beats per minute (bpm), synthesizer riffs, deep basslines, and often, but not necessarily, sung, spoken or sampled vocals. In house music, the bass drum is sounded on beats one and three, and the snare drum, claps, or other higher-pitched percussion on beats two and four. The drum beats in house music are almost always provided by an electronic drum machine, often a Roland TR-808 or the TR-909. Claps, shakers, snare drum, or hi-hat sounds are used to add syncopation. One of signature rhythm riffs, especially in early house music, is built on the solid clave patterns. House music originated from a Chicago club called the Warehouse. Clubbers to the Warehouse were primarily black, who came to dance to music played by the club's resident DJ Frankie Knuckles, who fans refer to as the "godfather of house". CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSE MUSIC House Music has different sub genres but there are basic elements that stay the same regardless of the gengre: Steady, propulsive beats: House or House music is known for its 4/4 time and four-on-the-floor kick drum pulse. Off-beat hi-hat patterns and claps give the music a groovy edge.Dance tempos: Nearly all house music falls between 120 and 130 beats per minute, which makes it easy to dance to.Emphasis on early synthesizers: House artists and djs frequently compose their music with 1980s synthesizers such as the Roland TR-808, the Roland TR-909, the Korg Poly-61, and the Roland TB-303 Bass Line. Disco and soul influences: House music emerged from the soul and disco era, and while it does not use the live instruments of those genres, it often embraces their funky, soulful style.