Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Public Space celebrates four years of innovation
Anniversary party reflects club’s resistance to sell-out
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Staff
Thumping beats morph from one rhythm into the next. Spinning
synthesized melodies play footsie with the room’s acoustics.
Though by today’s standards techno-fied music would appear a
mainstay in musical options, such has not always been the case.
"Now it seems typical to go see live electronic shows, but
really, four years ago, no one was doing that," claims Public Space
club promoter Lynn Hasty. "It was just hard for people to get a
grip on. Some people would come and want their money back, thinking
there would be dancing and DJs, but we were just putting out live
electronic performance."
Celebrating its four-year anniversary this Friday, the
electronic club Public Space has always showcased the talents of
turntable wizards. Run more like a sit-down concert than a dance
party, the irregularly scheduled evenings offer a different musical
experience from anything found on Sunset Strip. The all-ages event
this weekend runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at L.A.C.E., an art gallery
on Hollywood Blvd. that caters to artistic representations in all
forms.
"The weird thing about doing it all these years is that people
are used to going to live performances of more traditional pop rock
acts, with guitars and drums, whatever," Hasty explains. "Or,
they’re used to seeing DJs spinning records. So for some reason
it’s been a really hard thing to cultivate. It’s never been this
huge, popular thing."
Unlike the normative stage instruments, Public Space often
involves artists who play on computers and synthesizers. Hasty
considers the evening a success if 100 people fill up the s
capacity room. Often not even serving beer or wine, the events
attract a crowd of serious electronic music lovers.
"It’s not like a big scene about who’s wearing what," Hasty
beams. "It’s always fun because people are just really into that
artist and the vibe that we’re creating. We get a lot of bedroom
electronic musicians, the nerdy twenty-something crowd, typical
knob-twiddler Internet geeks, the curious rave kids, and then we
have people that are older that have always been into the
experimental performance art scene."
Some events have involved multi-media aspects, like performers
who decorate the space with their paintings prior to the show or
films that run alongside performances. Mostly, though, the shows
focus on the skills of one or two featured electronic musicians,
with a DJ spinning between sets as a kind of background music.
"It’s actually like electronic musician meets artist people,"
Hasty reflects. As for the music being played, "I used to call it
live ambient, but that’s kind of limiting. It’s live electronic,
sometimes minimal techno, and sometimes really abstract. It kind of
runs the gamut of experimental."
Maintaining this trend, the anniversary show this Friday night
will continue to share the skills of unusual, live electronic
artists. However, instead of the usual two acts, almost three times
that amount of musicians will be spotlighted in the six hour event.
Low Res, John Tejada, and Jose and Mannequin Lung will grace the
stage, to name just a few.
"We’ve also invited a lot of friends and supporters that have
been part of our Public Space from the beginning," an excited Hasty
bubbles. "It feels almost like a personal party, because it’s so
small and so close- knit."
Yet Hasty still hopes the event will draw a crowd. With just
enough money to run the club once every two weeks to once every two
months, the erratically performed events almost always lose money.
Advertising mostly through a mailing list and flyers, an evening
that breaks even is a successful night.
"If it’s only 100 bucks that I’m losing (per show), it’s not
killing me, now," Hasty shares. "Whereas in the old days, losing
like 30 bucks was huge, because I didn’t have 30 dollars to lose.
Now I have a little bit more leeway so that (profit) won’t be a
factor in whether I continue to run the club or not."
In a market where the performers, often flown in from places as
far away as Europe, require a paycheck, expenses exceed anything
covered by a small audience at 10 bucks a head. However, Hasty sees
no end in sight for the club. Even her partner and boyfriend,
musician John Tejada, predicts no end to the fun any time soon.
"We definitely don’t do them as much as we should," Tejada
admits. "Still, I don’t think we have any intention of quitting.
It’s more of a hobby. As long as everything works out, we enjoy
doing it."
While Hasty enjoys her job with the Green House Record Pool and
the Green Galactic label, Public Space has always been her baby.
For Tejada, his Detroit-style techno house-records (which find most
of their popularity in Europe) take front seat. So does his label,
Palate. Still, the two agree that their performance space remains
an important addition to the Los Angeles music world.
"I see myself continuing to do it for a long time, I enjoy doing
it so much," Hasty beams. "I don’t really know what the future
holds, but I see me running it really similarly, not really selling
out or whatever the word would be."
MUSIC: Public Space’s four-year anniversary party happens
Friday, May 1, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at L.A.C.E., 6522 Hollywood
Blvd. All ages, $10. Call (213) 486-4536