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Brent Crampton sound offers Lincoln new beat |
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Jan.30.2004 | Daily Nebraskan
(see article)
by Jeremy Buckley
Coffee house music and house techno music don't often go
together; unless you go by the moniker DJ Crampton.
Crampton is on tap to spin today at the Bricktop, 1427 O St.,
from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
A sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the 19-year-old
Brent Crampton has taken a roundabout route in accessing the
club dates that DJs in the area so desire.
"I found it hard to get performances in the electronic
community,' Crampton said. "So, I took a different route
to get noticed and to express myself."
With a style he dubbed "deep coffee house," he began to
tour coffee shops in the Omaha area with an impressive
amount of success.
"Before, it was always acoustic and rock bands, but
now people would walk into coffee shops and see this
kid DJing," Crampton said.
Crampton's ingenuity earned him the ears of an upstart
production company, Musique, and he was asked to be on
its DJ roster for gigs at two Omaha venues: Club 415
and the Velvet Lounge.
Ethan Bondelid, owner and founder of
Musique Productions, said Crampton's mature sound was
one of the reasons Bondelid was interested from
day one.
"His sound is a mix of a cultural world sound with
a bit of merlot," he said.
Bondelid was impressed Crampton didn't give up when
his initial impressions on the Omaha music scene didn't
garner him local club performances.
"Music was always in my blood," Crampton said. "I would
listen to a song right before school so it would be
stuck in my head for the entire day."
Crampton's DJing journey began in 2000. He went to
underground parties when the Omaha rave era was still
in full swing.
One event stands out to Crampton in his search for
musical salvation. He went to an event in Kansas City
called "Where the Wild Things Are," where he realized
DJing was the route he wanted to take.
"The True House Coalition was performing and I just
caught the house bug and knew I wanted to DJ,"
Crampton said.
From there the successes piled up:
-- A slot in last September's Music Meltdown in front
of an estimated 4,000 people.
-- The incorporation of live instruments such as
African drums, saxophone and flute into some of
his sets.
-- Outings in an eclectic array of atmospheres
including the aforementioned coffee houses, art
galleries, schools, warehouses, churches and
clothing stores.
The deep house sound Crampton embraces with his
turntables is a bit different from the usual Bricktop
fare, but Crampton said the crowd has embraced him
when he's spun there in the past.
"The people at Bricktop like things hard,"
Crampton said.
"If I came in playing deep house it would clear
the floor. The avenue I take when I'm there is quirky,
techy, funky and of course, jazzy."
Garrick Michael, local DJ in charge of booking musicians
for the Bricktop, said Crampton's previous appearances
have been successful.
"People here take to his music and they like it,'
Michael said. "His style makes for an interesting change
of pace."
Crampton's union with Musique has presented him with more
than just an opportunity to play the occasional set at
local clubs.
Musique has put together a series of CDs promoting its
DJs. Crampton's offering is third in the series.
"(Crampton's) music is something you can listen to in
your car, on the dance floor or while you're hanging out
on the beach with someone," said Joe Iaccheri,
Musique's DJ booker and fellow performer.
Such an explanation is about all that's needed to describe
the sound of the CD. Some percussion, but laid back so
you could listen to it before heading to the club and
after returning home, ready to chill for the duration.
Tonight's performance at the Bricktop is an unofficial
pre-release event for the CD. Crampton will be selling
promotional copies of the CD for $5. Ryan McGinty will
perform from 9-11 p.m.
The release party for "Musique: Mix Series Volume 3" is
on February 14 at Club 415, 415 S. 13th St., in Omaha.
For more information on Crampton, check online at
djcrampton.technomaha.com.
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