The University of Oregon’s ban on amplified music before 6 p.m. sheared four hours, three bands and a cake catapult contest off the UO Campus Oktoberfest’s docket. But this didn’t stop a small throng of revelers to journey out to the South Lawn on a foggy night to enjoy the festival’s selection of DJs, all of them local and many of them UO students.
The first two acts, Chris Long and KittyTrap, devoted half their sets to trap and the other half to Disclosure-indebted deep house. While Long seemed to mostly throw in trap as an afterthought after starting with engaging 125-BPM material, KittyTrap was equally serious about both. Its trap beats were often astoundingly creative, and while its house remixes didn’t always work (A$AP Ferg’s “Shabba” with the cantina music from Star Wars?) they nonetheless approached them with an admirable enthusiasm.
This cast an interesting light on the state of EDM. Dubstep was out of the picture, trap was a familiar guest, and deep house was a dark horse on the rise. Later, Sokko & Lyons brought our omnipresent friend electro house to the party. I haven’t been to any EDM events since last year, and it was interesting to see how the dance music landscape had changed over the summer.
The only DJ to break from the EDM zeitgeist was Ricardo Acosta, whose meditative, slow-burning techno culled the crowd to a small but fervent group of followers and at least one angry partier clamoring for a bass drop. Those who remained seem to deeply vibe with Acosta’s music, and at least one partier took advantage of the spaces between crowd members to swing a pair of poi.
His set may have gone better if it had been scheduled either earlier or later — he was originally scheduled to perform immediately before Sokko & Lyons. Perhaps the lead Cal was making on the Ducks at that point in the night’s game, which was screened onstage next to the performers, also soured some attitudes. I applaud Acosta for staying true to his admittedly formidable style; however, he deserves a larger and more devoted audience.
The event never grew huge, but there was a certain intimacy to seeing these acts on a crisp fall night in an obscure corner of campus. The music had more space to fill, as did the dancers, and it was easier for crowdgoers to move from booth to booth. I had a good time, but those disappointed by the lack of bands and bass drops need not worry: the team behind UO Campus Oktoberfest are currently planning the next installment of Campus Block Party, and I suspect it’s going to be a rager.