Sunday, September 9, 2012

Skeetones / September 8, 2012 / The Union


By: Kyle Rutherford, Staff Writer
Photos By: Kyle Rutherford

The Union was straight up funky Saturday night with a night of bumping music. There were saxophones playing, DJs DJing and the floor quaked from the amount of dancing.

The night started out with a set by DJ More. The OU sophomore kept it down tempo, mixing through a variety of hip hop, bass music and trap. The empty dance floor was a downer, but More still played through a great set.

Next out was DJ Pro Bono, keeping it funky with a variety of genres. He started his set with a bit of classic Top 40, throwing in some Michael Jackson and other funky stuff. As his set moved along, Pro Bono spun some harder electro house, making the venue’s floor vibrate. This vibration was only a test for what was to come. Pro Bono also played a heavy bass and house set during the later set change.

Skeetones, the night’s headliner, were an interesting Cincinnati five-piece. They had the style of a jam band with very minimal vocals, but with a very heavy electronic influence (four of the five band members had laptops in front of them). Much of the music was upbeat to ambient dance music, with songs that typically ranged from 7-10 minutes long. The band’s drummer had an energetic style, playing from simple backing to beats to a near drum 'n bass style.

Last out was Sassafraz from Athens. The six-piece group played the funkiest set of the night, with a sound that mixes funk, hip hop and just a bit of jazz. The heavy bass parts, inclusion of saxophone and trumpet and rapped vocals gave the band the feel of Flobots and even Elemental Groove Theory. Emerson, the band’s lead vocalist, led a well-orchestrated set, able to go from soft, jazzy vocals to up-tempo rapping. The dance floor was shaking through the whole set, definitely making The Union the funkiest place to be in Athens.

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