By Chris Nafekh, Staff Writer

Published in print Sept. 3, 2014

At The Crown downtown above the Carolina Theater, The Agency Collective held their third monthly “Dance From Above” on Thursday, August 28.

Walking down Greene Street, the music could be heard from outside.  An old couple on the sidewalk sold fresh BBQ.  Though they were unassociated with Agency Collective, it was a nice touch.  Walking through a light cloud of smoke to the entrance, a live DJ played outside.  All was dark – besides colorful, active neon lighting.

Walking up the stairs to the third floor, the music grew louder.  And on the third floor, folks flocked towards the show in a large, dark room decorated with paintings and other forms of visual art.  The DJ’s started with some funky mixed soul-pop, which progressed into forward-thinking electronic and hip-hop. 

This brand of music has been dubbed intelligent dance music, and contains nothing within the Top 40 charts.  All music played at this event was underground dance music.

Behind the DJ’s stood a giant screen, depicting trippy, vibrant visuals and multicolor patterns.  Into the night, the visuals took form of morphing, color-changing clips of geometric artwork, vintage films and cartoons.

This live video mixing was headed by Adam Getz, a visual computer artist.  Getz, a self-titled video jockey, or VJ, has been working with computer art since 2007.  Beginning in Chapel Hill, his performance has been seen at The Cat’s Cradle, King’s Barcade and The Local 506.

“Basically, I find cool stuff on YouTube or other online sources, cut it, mash it and put it together to live music,” Getz explained

Along with Getz, several artists stood and created for the audience’s observation.  Graphic Designer Evan Weinstein stood drawing sketches and doodles for keen observers, and Courtney Cormier painted an impressionist take on the Nathaniel Greene statue, located in central Greensboro.

These live paintings, and others donated by artists, were put up for grabs through an Instagram contest.  Freelance photographer Caleb Smallwood gathered local artists in support of the Agency and DFA.

Around this live visual art, people gathered and talked ambivalently about the music to come.

Local musicians included Alvin Shavers and Darklove, both of whom are from Greensboro.  Headliners included Marley Carroll from Asheville, the youngest DJ to win the N.C. “Spinning Contest,” and J-Rocc, an experienced DJ and longtime member of Stones Throw Records.

Stones Throw Records is an independent record label founded by Chris Manak, AKA Peanut Butter Wolf. 

“I love working with Peanut Butter Wolf,” said J-Rocc in an interview.  “He’s the nicest guy.”  J-Rocc has been with the label since the beginning.

He began turning tables in his youth, inspired by others from Orange County, CA. 

“At the time, I wanted to work in music.  Becoming a DJ was the easiest and best way to do that,” Manak explained.  He started his career in California with a group called PSK.  “PSK was like child’s play, sort of.”  The group helped send him off on his profession.  “Beat Junkies is my main crew.”

Beat Junkies, a group of DJ’s including J-Rocc, DJ Babu and DJ Rhettmatic have been around since 1992.  They’ve produced many albums and won multiple awards in DJ battles. 

“DJ Battles,” said J-Rocc, “are more of a spectacle.  You might sit through amateurs, up and coming artists, but it’s worthwhile and fun to see.”

J-Rocc is currently on tour, about to hit spots in England and Germany. 

“The independent music scene is much more prominent there,” he said. “They don’t play any Jay-Z or anything.  The crowds always really into it.”

This music scene used to be very prominent in Greensboro.  Jack Bonney, a member of The Agency Collective, remembers that time. 

“There used to be a huge rave culture in Greensboro,” Bonney said. “There was a club called Babylon and two record stores which only sold dance music.  Then the owner of Spins record store was killed, and the scene disappeared.”  With this tragedy, the Greensboro community began to forget underground dance music.

“I think people are craving that again,” Bonney said.

All these people from across North Carolina and the United States came in support of The Agency Collectives keystone event, the third installment of DFA.

TAC is a newly formed group of event planners, headed by Max MacClennen and Danny Olson.  “It’s a grassroots democratic workplace,” said MacClennan, “with offices on Elm Street.”

Several of its event planners, such as Bonney, Olson and MacClennan, used to book events separately – until recently. 

“Let’s come together,” said MacClennan, “to collaborate to have a collective, competitive edge.”  With more people working harder towards events, the turnout, content and experience should improve vastly. “It’s my baby” he said. “I’ve been planning a long time.  We’re trying to make downtown work for the community.”

The ideals of Dance From Above were inspired by festivals such as Moogfest.

“We were really inspired by Moogfest,” said Bonney. “People of all races, creeds and colors… put aside the negativity and dance.”

With more acts lined up for each month, The Agency Collective is in the process of turning DFA into a monthly showcase.  Bands from Brainfeeder and Warp Records are lined up into February, and next month, Starfoxxx headlines.

Although the “Dance” part of Dance From Above could have been more prominent, all the artwork was overwhelming. 

People from all over Greensboro came out to hear awesome music, and possibly win a painting or two.  DFA will be held every month at The Crown, and The Agency Collective is certainly doing a good job.