It seems that these days North Carolina is a hotbed of crossover contra series, as there appear to be not one but three groups (that I’m aware of -- there may be more!) having events on a fairly regular basis. One of these is Electric Camel Contra, where DJ Eileen Thorsos and her internationally-flavored “electrotrad” music are based.
Eileen herself describes her music as follows: “I focus my DJing on (awesome!) fusion music: traditional tunes played on bagpipes, fiddle, accordion, whistles, etc. and arranged with a lot of beat, electric instrumentation, and other excellent non-traditional arrangements. I've drawn most heavily on the Peatbog Faeries, Shooglenifty, and the Afro Celt Sound System, with important contributions by Martyn Bennett & Martin Low, Enter the Haggis, Urban Trad, Richard Wood, and others....I look for Celtic fusion music that I like (hopefully LOVE), that I want to dance to, and that is upbeat with a rich and interesting sound. I want the dance to be joyous. Many of the sets aren't precisely square the whole way through: They just have to have the potential to be square. I can cut, copy, and paste to make it work out.”
Eileen herself describes her music as follows: “I focus my DJing on (awesome!) fusion music: traditional tunes played on bagpipes, fiddle, accordion, whistles, etc. and arranged with a lot of beat, electric instrumentation, and other excellent non-traditional arrangements. I've drawn most heavily on the Peatbog Faeries, Shooglenifty, and the Afro Celt Sound System, with important contributions by Martyn Bennett & Martin Low, Enter the Haggis, Urban Trad, Richard Wood, and others....I look for Celtic fusion music that I like (hopefully LOVE), that I want to dance to, and that is upbeat with a rich and interesting sound. I want the dance to be joyous. Many of the sets aren't precisely square the whole way through: They just have to have the potential to be square. I can cut, copy, and paste to make it work out.”
“I particularly like hot bagpipes (e.g., Peatbog Faeries!), strong bass, and intriguing driving rhythm (e.g., the best of Afro Celt!). I prefer sets that have dynamic transitions within them, because I think those moments fuel the dance. I also try to mix a variety of sounds and tempos -- different lead instruments and different feels of the tracks -- so that the evening stays interesting.”
She continues, “As a practical matter, I look for tempos in the right range. My end range is about 112 to 130 bpm (upper limit can be lower depending on the crowd), with most of my sets from 115 to 123 bpm. There's only so far I can tweak tempo without the track ending up sounding strange, although some of that depends on the particular arrangement. A band called Sonic Impulse has a couple of awesome bagpipe tracks, but one of those sets is at 98 bpm, with fast drums that sound frantic sped up, and another is about 140 and sounds dreadfully ponderous slowed down; I haven't yet figured out how to make either track sound good in a danceable range.”
“So far my focus has been exclusively on Celtic fusion music. That's really the genre that I know and love, and I think my enthusiasm for the music -- and my seemingly accurate sense of music that other contra dancers get excited about -- has helped in the success of electrotrad contra. Also, I hope for my music to be accessible to all sorts of contra dancers, and I think keeping melodies and instrumentation that are familiar helps with that.” Also, “For dancing, the first techno contra I went to was rough for me both as a caller and a dancer -- particularly for phrasing reasons, but also because the music that DJ picked wasn't very interesting. I thought we all would have more fun with awesome fusion music like the music I had in my collection and that most contra dancers were unaware of. I had strong ideas about what makes good contra music, and I had a starting music collection. Seeing how that DJ transitioned from one track to the next helped me conceptualize how to edit the music together, which I did in Audacity, a free program I downloaded. Happily, since I didn't have any music editing experience, the very first set I worked with was very easy to fit together to sound good. I've substantially edited that track since then, but it was a relatively painless proof-of-concept that encouraged me to keep going. I tested that set at a local casual callers collective dance, and then in June 2010 we used six of my early sets for half of a crossover dance in Charlotte, NC. That night definitely shaped my ‘upbeat’ direction -- I cut at least one set because of it -- and strongly helped me refine my dance matching agenda.”
“I first encountered neo-traditional music in my public library 12 to 15 years ago when I was in high school -- I think mostly Ashley MacIsaac and the first Afro Celt Sound System album. I also acquired Sharon Shannon's ‘The Bag of Cats’ when I was in college. At the time, from Ashley MacIsaac I only really enjoyed ‘Sleepy Maggie,’ and although my tastes are broader now I have found that many of his sets don't have the upbeat feel I look for. Nearly 10 years ago, a friend of mine who now dances in DC...introduced me to the Peatbog Faeries, Shooglenifty, Salsa Celtica, and Martyn Bennett. They were welcome additions to my music collection, and now that I have a dancing purpose to it, I have greatly expanded my neotrad collection, primarily through iTunes and Pandora.”
I was particularly interested in the term “electrotrad,” which to my knowledge has been unique amongst the crossover contra crowd. Eileen responds, “‘Electrotrad’ is a term that Peter Clark with Electric Camel Contra coined, to match his ‘electroflow’ name for more mainstream club-type music. The Celtic fusion music I use is more broadly part of the neo-traditional genre, but ‘neotrad’ didn't sound very meaningful for the average contra dancer who isn't already familiar with that label. Many people still don't really recognize the ‘trad’ as short for ‘electro-traditional,‘ but I hope that the name conveys a bit of that traditional/modern fusion that I go for.”
Eileen is also very conscious of the copyright issues that go with mixing her music: “I...have reached out for permission to all of the artists/copyright holders, and part of my goal is to introduce contra dancers to fabulous bands that they may not be familiar with....I think it's very important to respect legality; intellectual property rights; and the time, creativity, and financial input of the artists. I know that most of them aren't particularly making it big, and so I also certainly hope that through my project these artists will get more business. I know that at least a few dancers have been thrilled with artists that I have introduced them to. I initially conceived of asking the artists directly for permission because (a) many of them aren't listed with ASCAP or BMI (or the specific sets aren't), (b) I know that very little income from ASCAP/BMI fees would make its way back to the artists who I care about, and (c) I'd rather have a relationship with the artists directly. I also got the caller's ASCAP/BMI license after Lisa Greenleaf directed me to CALLERLAB, a square dance organization that offers a license for an affordable rate. It is her impression that if a set is listed with ASCAP or BMI, direct copyright holder permission may not be sufficient to protect you from lawsuit. So, it seemed wisest to go that route. I was on the board of the Triangle Country Dancers when we had ASCAP approach us about licensing for our regular dances, so that was also an influence in my development here.”
Of course, as with many things in the contra dance community, teamwork has been involved in clearing the permissions needed: “Peter Clark with Electric Camel Contra has been a huge help for me on this front. He wanted to have dances with my music, so when he found out last year that I was feeling overwhelmed about how to get permission, he took on that task, and he has handled almost all of the contact with artists/copyright holders.”
She continues, “We've only had one negative response so far, from a copyright holder rather than an artist; the copyright holder was the fellow who owns a small label in Scotland, and he was most concerned about the editing. I would love to use multiple tracks from this group's work, and I am mostly disappointed that I can't introduce this group to contra dancers because they are super fun. Otherwise, groups seem to have been pleased to be asked and pleased that people are interested in their music. With the very first artist, I asked about licensing and fees and I ended up paying a fee; since then, we have asked for permission for folk dance use, and no one has asked for a fee. I think on that front it makes a difference that it's clear that we aren't a big-time operation. It may indeed also make a difference that many of these groups aren't mainstream. Right when we asked, the label for Enter the Haggis was looking for advertising for a gig in North Carolina shortly after one of our dances, and they were happy when we said that I announce each of the artists and would plug their concert. Several of the more mainstream groups (e.g., Afro Celt Sound System, Natalie MacMaster) simply have paperwork they would like us to fill out and an agreement about how we will introduce their music. But, we haven't asked for permission for anyone who is truly mainstream, so I don't know how that would go, and I am more inclined toward using an ASCAP/BMI license for very mainstream music: It seems to me that the licensing agencies are really geared toward artists who have made it big. I do have a caller's ASCAP/BMI license, and there are a few particular loose ends that I cover with that license, but my preference is to be in contact with the artist/copyright holder. The biggest way that [copyright issues have] been limiting is that I also feel uncomfortable posting video online without permission, and that has been harder to obtain.”
In doubling as both DJ and caller for her sets, Eileen faces a few additional challenges: “With the pre-recorded sets, it is up to me as the caller to balance the feel of the sets over the course of the evening and to match dances to the music. Working with a live band, my inclination is to hand them the dance card and let them sort out those details, so that was a new skill for me to learn about. Because my sets are pre-edited, they obviously have some pre-determined characteristics: For example, the duration of my sets isn't flexible to the crowd or the weather. I keep my sets on the short side (15 or 17 times through the dance, 7 to 9 minutes) because I would rather keep folks wanting more than have them bored in a contra line that doesn't have enough dancers. (Also, with tracks with fast tempos I'd rather they get a break.) I have also deliberately chosen tempos (and tempo changes within the set) in advance, but I have some options now for adjusting tempo during the dance if I want to.”
She continues: “Tempos for crossover dances tend to be a little faster than for regular contras, so this influences programming: Callers need to be mindful about what will still be fun to dance at high tempo, since rushing the whole time isn't what most of us strive for. Live bands and crowds can feed off of each other in building energy (which can feed the caller, too). As the DJ, then, I see it as my job to create music that stays awesome and keeps the crowd and me upbeat and excited.”
The atmosphere can also present its own challenges: “In a dark room, it can be challenging for the caller to see what is happening on the floor: Did people do that walk through correctly? Is the set breaking down? I've been on the dance floor when we needed to ask the caller to jump back in because we were losing track of the phrasing and he couldn't see what was going on. (He appreciated the request!) With mainstream music, there is the issue of distinguishing the caller's voice from any vocals in the music, but I haven't noticed it being a large problem.”
As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, there are other factors to consider in a techno contra that might not be as prevalent in a traditional one: “Since it's a new genre, it can also be challenging for sound technicians who are either new to contra or new to recorded (and thumping) music for contra: kinks can develop when people are unfamiliar with one end or the other, and so (a) working around those kinks gracefully is important and (b) kinks can unfortunately sometimes interfere with the quality of the night -- for the caller, at least, if not for the dancers. (Starting off the night with technical difficulties will frazzle a lot of us!) I've been fortunate to have a sound technician who lives locally, is very skilled, is experienced in a variety of music settings, owns his own sound system including a subwoofer, and is excited about the music I've edited. So, working with him has been fantastic, but we've had some troubleshooting at several dances he was not at.”
At the same time, there are still some similarities since no matter the source of the music, the task at hand is still to call a contra dance: “There's a lot of benefit, I think, of musicians and callers experiencing the dance from the dance floor and learning what works and what is challenging through their own dance experience. But, since the genre is new there aren't as many opportunities do so as with mainstream contra. My hunch is that it can be slower for DJs and callers to learn what works and what doesn't when they aren't also on the dance floor at crossover dances frequently. It's just harder to tell from the stage, in the dark, whether a tempo is too fast or if there is enough phrasing in a particular track, etc.”
Dances still need to be matched to tunes: “It has seemed to work out that my instinct about what original tracks fit together also brings together tunes that work for the same dance. I find that I have a fair bit of flexibility about matching dances to the sets. Shooglenifty has a set called ‘Rod's Doorway.’ I'd love to edit it into a contra set (haven't yet) and call to it the dance ‘Rod's Grits’ -- purely for the confluence of names, of course!”
Eileen mentions that she does have some sets in her repertoire that work particularly well with specific dances: “With fast sets, it's important to have relatively simple dances where you don't have to move too far; I have one set that so far I've played primarily with ‘You Can't Get There From Here’ (by Carol Ormand). I also have one set in particular that is extremely flowy and jazzy, and I particularly like to match it to ‘Al's Safeway Produce’ (by Robert Cromartie). However, I aim to change up my program for each evening so that even if dancers hear familiar music (after all the editing work, I certainly reuse the tracks!) the dance is fresh.”
Where, then, does all of this fit into the contra tradition? “I am firmly of the belief that crossover contras are part of the living folk tradition: mixing new and old, bringing together different kinds of creativity. One of the elements that I love about contra, in contrast to some other dance forms that I also love dearly, is that it is flexible. I think we benefited when contra dance choreographers fell in love with flow and when contra dance bands picked up tricks to add exciting transitions within their sets. I don't see recorded music replacing live bands anytime soon, which is good! But these explorations are clearly feeding a desire within (at least some of) the contra community, and I think building a response to that desire within the framework of contra is better for the long-term vibrancy of the contra community than for people to drift away instead. Having a variety of approaches to crossover contra helps as well: Just as we are enriched by dancing to different contra dance bands, having multiple DJs and callers exploring this sub-genre helps it be vibrant.”
Like many promoters of the crossover genre, Eileen mentions the community and the people as real strengths that she hopes will continue on: “The strongest future of crossover contra in my mind is in bands like Double Apex (who I haven't ever danced to!) who bring the presence of a live band to the stage and mix in beats, synth, and samples or otherwise draw in fusion influences. A lot of popular contra dance bands today (e.g., Perpetual e-Motion, Elixir, Contrazz, Giant Robot Dance) already are fusion bands; I think we'll see more and more such bands, also with heavier bass, electric instruments, and other electronic sounds. I may be biased in that direction (rather than toward techno or electroflow) because a lot of mainstream music doesn't connect with me as strongly as Celtic-style music does. I definitely prefer to call and dance to my electrotrad sets than to other crossover music I've danced to (although Lisa Greenleaf's mainstream sets are pretty fantastic). This may be partly due to technical choices I've made, but I think a lot of it is because I've used music that I love: I can listen to it on repeat forever, I get high from calling to it, and I love dancing to it. For people who also love mainstream music, electroflow-type dances may hold more future.”
Eileen Thorsos will be co-calling a gender-free Electric Camel Contra on September 3, 2011 billed as "contrakaleido," with a mix of live music, electroflow, and electrotrad. On September 4, she will be bringing electrotrad to Club Contras in Charlottesville, VA. On September 16, she will be calling in Carborro, NC, with The Donnybrook Lads; on September 20, she will bring electrotrad to Contra Sonic in Arlington, VA; and she will also be bringing electrotrad late-night on Friday, September 23 to Feet Retreat Dance Weekend. Many thanks to her for taking the time to share her thoughts!
She continues, “As a practical matter, I look for tempos in the right range. My end range is about 112 to 130 bpm (upper limit can be lower depending on the crowd), with most of my sets from 115 to 123 bpm. There's only so far I can tweak tempo without the track ending up sounding strange, although some of that depends on the particular arrangement. A band called Sonic Impulse has a couple of awesome bagpipe tracks, but one of those sets is at 98 bpm, with fast drums that sound frantic sped up, and another is about 140 and sounds dreadfully ponderous slowed down; I haven't yet figured out how to make either track sound good in a danceable range.”
“So far my focus has been exclusively on Celtic fusion music. That's really the genre that I know and love, and I think my enthusiasm for the music -- and my seemingly accurate sense of music that other contra dancers get excited about -- has helped in the success of electrotrad contra. Also, I hope for my music to be accessible to all sorts of contra dancers, and I think keeping melodies and instrumentation that are familiar helps with that.” Also, “For dancing, the first techno contra I went to was rough for me both as a caller and a dancer -- particularly for phrasing reasons, but also because the music that DJ picked wasn't very interesting. I thought we all would have more fun with awesome fusion music like the music I had in my collection and that most contra dancers were unaware of. I had strong ideas about what makes good contra music, and I had a starting music collection. Seeing how that DJ transitioned from one track to the next helped me conceptualize how to edit the music together, which I did in Audacity, a free program I downloaded. Happily, since I didn't have any music editing experience, the very first set I worked with was very easy to fit together to sound good. I've substantially edited that track since then, but it was a relatively painless proof-of-concept that encouraged me to keep going. I tested that set at a local casual callers collective dance, and then in June 2010 we used six of my early sets for half of a crossover dance in Charlotte, NC. That night definitely shaped my ‘upbeat’ direction -- I cut at least one set because of it -- and strongly helped me refine my dance matching agenda.”
“I first encountered neo-traditional music in my public library 12 to 15 years ago when I was in high school -- I think mostly Ashley MacIsaac and the first Afro Celt Sound System album. I also acquired Sharon Shannon's ‘The Bag of Cats’ when I was in college. At the time, from Ashley MacIsaac I only really enjoyed ‘Sleepy Maggie,’ and although my tastes are broader now I have found that many of his sets don't have the upbeat feel I look for. Nearly 10 years ago, a friend of mine who now dances in DC...introduced me to the Peatbog Faeries, Shooglenifty, Salsa Celtica, and Martyn Bennett. They were welcome additions to my music collection, and now that I have a dancing purpose to it, I have greatly expanded my neotrad collection, primarily through iTunes and Pandora.”
I was particularly interested in the term “electrotrad,” which to my knowledge has been unique amongst the crossover contra crowd. Eileen responds, “‘Electrotrad’ is a term that Peter Clark with Electric Camel Contra coined, to match his ‘electroflow’ name for more mainstream club-type music. The Celtic fusion music I use is more broadly part of the neo-traditional genre, but ‘neotrad’ didn't sound very meaningful for the average contra dancer who isn't already familiar with that label. Many people still don't really recognize the ‘trad’ as short for ‘electro-traditional,‘ but I hope that the name conveys a bit of that traditional/modern fusion that I go for.”
Eileen is also very conscious of the copyright issues that go with mixing her music: “I...have reached out for permission to all of the artists/copyright holders, and part of my goal is to introduce contra dancers to fabulous bands that they may not be familiar with....I think it's very important to respect legality; intellectual property rights; and the time, creativity, and financial input of the artists. I know that most of them aren't particularly making it big, and so I also certainly hope that through my project these artists will get more business. I know that at least a few dancers have been thrilled with artists that I have introduced them to. I initially conceived of asking the artists directly for permission because (a) many of them aren't listed with ASCAP or BMI (or the specific sets aren't), (b) I know that very little income from ASCAP/BMI fees would make its way back to the artists who I care about, and (c) I'd rather have a relationship with the artists directly. I also got the caller's ASCAP/BMI license after Lisa Greenleaf directed me to CALLERLAB, a square dance organization that offers a license for an affordable rate. It is her impression that if a set is listed with ASCAP or BMI, direct copyright holder permission may not be sufficient to protect you from lawsuit. So, it seemed wisest to go that route. I was on the board of the Triangle Country Dancers when we had ASCAP approach us about licensing for our regular dances, so that was also an influence in my development here.”
Of course, as with many things in the contra dance community, teamwork has been involved in clearing the permissions needed: “Peter Clark with Electric Camel Contra has been a huge help for me on this front. He wanted to have dances with my music, so when he found out last year that I was feeling overwhelmed about how to get permission, he took on that task, and he has handled almost all of the contact with artists/copyright holders.”
She continues, “We've only had one negative response so far, from a copyright holder rather than an artist; the copyright holder was the fellow who owns a small label in Scotland, and he was most concerned about the editing. I would love to use multiple tracks from this group's work, and I am mostly disappointed that I can't introduce this group to contra dancers because they are super fun. Otherwise, groups seem to have been pleased to be asked and pleased that people are interested in their music. With the very first artist, I asked about licensing and fees and I ended up paying a fee; since then, we have asked for permission for folk dance use, and no one has asked for a fee. I think on that front it makes a difference that it's clear that we aren't a big-time operation. It may indeed also make a difference that many of these groups aren't mainstream. Right when we asked, the label for Enter the Haggis was looking for advertising for a gig in North Carolina shortly after one of our dances, and they were happy when we said that I announce each of the artists and would plug their concert. Several of the more mainstream groups (e.g., Afro Celt Sound System, Natalie MacMaster) simply have paperwork they would like us to fill out and an agreement about how we will introduce their music. But, we haven't asked for permission for anyone who is truly mainstream, so I don't know how that would go, and I am more inclined toward using an ASCAP/BMI license for very mainstream music: It seems to me that the licensing agencies are really geared toward artists who have made it big. I do have a caller's ASCAP/BMI license, and there are a few particular loose ends that I cover with that license, but my preference is to be in contact with the artist/copyright holder. The biggest way that [copyright issues have] been limiting is that I also feel uncomfortable posting video online without permission, and that has been harder to obtain.”
In doubling as both DJ and caller for her sets, Eileen faces a few additional challenges: “With the pre-recorded sets, it is up to me as the caller to balance the feel of the sets over the course of the evening and to match dances to the music. Working with a live band, my inclination is to hand them the dance card and let them sort out those details, so that was a new skill for me to learn about. Because my sets are pre-edited, they obviously have some pre-determined characteristics: For example, the duration of my sets isn't flexible to the crowd or the weather. I keep my sets on the short side (15 or 17 times through the dance, 7 to 9 minutes) because I would rather keep folks wanting more than have them bored in a contra line that doesn't have enough dancers. (Also, with tracks with fast tempos I'd rather they get a break.) I have also deliberately chosen tempos (and tempo changes within the set) in advance, but I have some options now for adjusting tempo during the dance if I want to.”
She continues: “Tempos for crossover dances tend to be a little faster than for regular contras, so this influences programming: Callers need to be mindful about what will still be fun to dance at high tempo, since rushing the whole time isn't what most of us strive for. Live bands and crowds can feed off of each other in building energy (which can feed the caller, too). As the DJ, then, I see it as my job to create music that stays awesome and keeps the crowd and me upbeat and excited.”
The atmosphere can also present its own challenges: “In a dark room, it can be challenging for the caller to see what is happening on the floor: Did people do that walk through correctly? Is the set breaking down? I've been on the dance floor when we needed to ask the caller to jump back in because we were losing track of the phrasing and he couldn't see what was going on. (He appreciated the request!) With mainstream music, there is the issue of distinguishing the caller's voice from any vocals in the music, but I haven't noticed it being a large problem.”
As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, there are other factors to consider in a techno contra that might not be as prevalent in a traditional one: “Since it's a new genre, it can also be challenging for sound technicians who are either new to contra or new to recorded (and thumping) music for contra: kinks can develop when people are unfamiliar with one end or the other, and so (a) working around those kinks gracefully is important and (b) kinks can unfortunately sometimes interfere with the quality of the night -- for the caller, at least, if not for the dancers. (Starting off the night with technical difficulties will frazzle a lot of us!) I've been fortunate to have a sound technician who lives locally, is very skilled, is experienced in a variety of music settings, owns his own sound system including a subwoofer, and is excited about the music I've edited. So, working with him has been fantastic, but we've had some troubleshooting at several dances he was not at.”
At the same time, there are still some similarities since no matter the source of the music, the task at hand is still to call a contra dance: “There's a lot of benefit, I think, of musicians and callers experiencing the dance from the dance floor and learning what works and what is challenging through their own dance experience. But, since the genre is new there aren't as many opportunities do so as with mainstream contra. My hunch is that it can be slower for DJs and callers to learn what works and what doesn't when they aren't also on the dance floor at crossover dances frequently. It's just harder to tell from the stage, in the dark, whether a tempo is too fast or if there is enough phrasing in a particular track, etc.”
Dances still need to be matched to tunes: “It has seemed to work out that my instinct about what original tracks fit together also brings together tunes that work for the same dance. I find that I have a fair bit of flexibility about matching dances to the sets. Shooglenifty has a set called ‘Rod's Doorway.’ I'd love to edit it into a contra set (haven't yet) and call to it the dance ‘Rod's Grits’ -- purely for the confluence of names, of course!”
Eileen mentions that she does have some sets in her repertoire that work particularly well with specific dances: “With fast sets, it's important to have relatively simple dances where you don't have to move too far; I have one set that so far I've played primarily with ‘You Can't Get There From Here’ (by Carol Ormand). I also have one set in particular that is extremely flowy and jazzy, and I particularly like to match it to ‘Al's Safeway Produce’ (by Robert Cromartie). However, I aim to change up my program for each evening so that even if dancers hear familiar music (after all the editing work, I certainly reuse the tracks!) the dance is fresh.”
Where, then, does all of this fit into the contra tradition? “I am firmly of the belief that crossover contras are part of the living folk tradition: mixing new and old, bringing together different kinds of creativity. One of the elements that I love about contra, in contrast to some other dance forms that I also love dearly, is that it is flexible. I think we benefited when contra dance choreographers fell in love with flow and when contra dance bands picked up tricks to add exciting transitions within their sets. I don't see recorded music replacing live bands anytime soon, which is good! But these explorations are clearly feeding a desire within (at least some of) the contra community, and I think building a response to that desire within the framework of contra is better for the long-term vibrancy of the contra community than for people to drift away instead. Having a variety of approaches to crossover contra helps as well: Just as we are enriched by dancing to different contra dance bands, having multiple DJs and callers exploring this sub-genre helps it be vibrant.”
Like many promoters of the crossover genre, Eileen mentions the community and the people as real strengths that she hopes will continue on: “The strongest future of crossover contra in my mind is in bands like Double Apex (who I haven't ever danced to!) who bring the presence of a live band to the stage and mix in beats, synth, and samples or otherwise draw in fusion influences. A lot of popular contra dance bands today (e.g., Perpetual e-Motion, Elixir, Contrazz, Giant Robot Dance) already are fusion bands; I think we'll see more and more such bands, also with heavier bass, electric instruments, and other electronic sounds. I may be biased in that direction (rather than toward techno or electroflow) because a lot of mainstream music doesn't connect with me as strongly as Celtic-style music does. I definitely prefer to call and dance to my electrotrad sets than to other crossover music I've danced to (although Lisa Greenleaf's mainstream sets are pretty fantastic). This may be partly due to technical choices I've made, but I think a lot of it is because I've used music that I love: I can listen to it on repeat forever, I get high from calling to it, and I love dancing to it. For people who also love mainstream music, electroflow-type dances may hold more future.”
Eileen Thorsos will be co-calling a gender-free Electric Camel Contra on September 3, 2011 billed as "contrakaleido," with a mix of live music, electroflow, and electrotrad. On September 4, she will be bringing electrotrad to Club Contras in Charlottesville, VA. On September 16, she will be calling in Carborro, NC, with The Donnybrook Lads; on September 20, she will bring electrotrad to Contra Sonic in Arlington, VA; and she will also be bringing electrotrad late-night on Friday, September 23 to Feet Retreat Dance Weekend. Many thanks to her for taking the time to share her thoughts!
