Scene Report: Live in the Depths 85

LIVE IN THE DEPTHS 85: Official Website

I feel like the phrase “the calm before the storm” is cliche, but really it’s the only way to describe April in Portland, Oregon. A lot of people hibernate like fucking bears here and for good reason – the winter is cold, long and dark. I think most of us enjoy the solitude and darkness. But when Spring comes, Portlanders aren’t looking for fish to sink their teeth into (well, they kind of are); they’re really looking to lodge their fangs into fresh experiences and the community at large. However, real ones know that these things are happening all over Portland, all year long – rain or shine, volcano eruption or crow invasion. One constant is happening every first Thursday of the month at the Atlantis Lounge – it’s Live in the Depths.

Live in the Depths is an evening of live experimental electronic music performances. A monthly ritual, ancient by modern standards, that unfolds on Mississippi Ave like a séance with circuit boards. This is where the blood pumps thick – at the center of this swirling, noise-soaked fever dream is Dhug – the kind of man who hugs like he’s known you since the womb and smiles like he’s trying to melt steel with goodwill. With a grin that defies entropy and a passion so pure it could light a match underwater, he brings together the misfits of dark IDM, the experimental weirdos and the beat-scramblers who speak in squelch and static and pure chaotic waveform.

This night started with Togusa. Normally, when one saddles up for a scene report like this, your first instinct might be to ease in slow – take the pulse of the room, possibly sip something suspicious or get a greasy slice of pizza next door; maybe lurk in the shadows like a voyeur. But not this time. The second Togusa fired up their set, all pretense went out the window. The beats hit just right – hard, fast, and unrelenting. If Togusa’s playing anywhere within three zip codes of your hideout, go see them.

Do you like Acid music? You’ll like Hedley Bizarre – not to be confused with some old white man in Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Blazing Saddles. They started their set by telling everyone, “Tonight we’re going to figure out how much acid we could jam into one club.” And honestly, we found out that we can jam a lot of acid into one club. This was a satisfying addition to the show.

Also, I gotta pay respect to the opening shot fired: Meta.Phunk, the DJ who kicked off the whole chaotic night. Shoutout to Meta.Phunk. And then there’s Cyclop Toad. He seems very surreal when you meet him – but I assure you – his very real, and his visuals are the stuff of retinal warfare. The visuals that night were especially fried. Colors bleeding into each other like they were trying to escape the screen.

Confession time—yeah, I slipped outside for a breather right as D A Terence was kicking things off. Needed air, maybe a moment to reassemble my nervous system – overstimulation is a bitch. But sometime later I stumbled back in and I was kind of blown away. Had to listen to their set again on SPAZ Radio’s archives to make sure I didn’t miss anything – but honestly this is just my speed. Dub techno (I’m pretty sure) in its finest form. Subtle, deep, hypnotic. A great set – they know exactly where to push and where to leave space.

The end of Live in the Depths always hits a little weird – it’s a tight four’ish hour show. It’s that loose, semi-lucid phase of the night where everyone’s a little melted, a little sideways, and nobody’s really sure if it’s the end of the night or just the beginning. I like to call it “lived in” – like your brain’s been sleeping in the same clothes for three days and somehow feels better for it.

Spliffworks was the perfect end to the night. Their music was a nice contrast to what we were listening to before, but still complimented all of the other acts. Technically sharp, too – pretty sharp – but still weird enough to keep you guessing. Ran their set back later on SPAZ Radio, and I was right. Clean, deep and a little ghostly. If you haven’t seen them yet, fix that. You’re missing out.

Do yourself a favor – seriously. If you live in Portland and your brain leans even slightly toward weird electronic noise, make your way to Mississippi Ave. First Thursday of every month. No excuses. Get some culture.