|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UltraMusique delivering progressive music, art, fashion, film. |
|
Feb.2003 | The UNO Gateway
(see article)
by Danelle Petersen
September 06, 2005
UltraMusique owner, Ethan Bondelid, hosts a variety of events in Omaha.
"This makes all the hair on my body stand on end. For me it lasts for about 15 minutes before something comes up. But it makes everything worth it," Ethan Bondelid said, describing the outcome of a job well done.
"In every event there's a brief moment between stressing about the crowd, and all the details put into the event, dealing with the occasional 'disrespectful types' that drank too much, and trying to greet as many people that you can," Bondelid says. "When everything slows way down and you get a scene of the positive energy in the room that occurs when everyone truly comes together."
Bringing people together is what Bonedelid does. As owner of a progressive event and promotions company, UltraMusique, he has learned the business of partying.
Bondelid moved to Omaha in 1998 to attend graphics arts college, The Creative Center. "I worked up a pretty good freelance client list while in school, which kept me out of the corporate ring for several years after graduating," he says. "I got into developing flyers for some raves and from there got into developing some raves."
He and his partner at the time, Terrance Pree, moved from the rave circuit into the club scene, "which was greeted with plenty of negativity then and is now the norm in almost every city in the country," Bondelid admitted. "Back then we had to plea and pay a hefty fee to get the venues to let us use their facilities. Things have changed quite a bit since then.
"After loosing a lot of money on big Club events, I shifted the focus to developing a solid foundation of a DJ scene. That was the beginning of UltraMusique."
Starting your own business is not easy, and trying to create a strong scene of support added to the challenge he had ahead of him. "After a slow event I will hear people say something to the effect of, 'this is Omaha-you need penny pitchers, chicken wings, top 40 if you want a crowd'" he says.
"To a degree I see some validation in this, but I've taken it more as I'm not doing my job as a promoter to get the message out to the people interested in a progressive city. I know there are plenty of them here-but reaching them without media that solely supports the creative community, like a progressive radio show, makes my job that much harder."
A little later Bondelid decided to slowly shift his events to smaller martini-style lounges and began weekly music and theme parties, instead of pushing the larger events that could sometimes be unpredictable, or finical booby traps. He also mixed it up by hitting the water.
"Boat parties have been a propelling force to our accreditation," he admits. UltraMusique has thrown electronic music parties on the River City Star, a river cruise boat on the Missouri River. The parties, hosted every Memorial and Labor Day for the past few years, have all sold out.
"It's just one of those things you'd have to experience to understand," Bondelid explains. "It's like a vacation with all of your friends and friends to be."
UltraMusique also revamped its website to focus on a community "which is still, as always, an ongoing progression," as Bondelid calls it. Since the changes, UltraMusique has found itself in a much more comfortable setting. The music is more appreciated by people who are new to it, and his team of local DJs is as strong as ever.
The UltraMusique roster of DJs includes Brent Crampton (also writer of the Gateway's "On The Beat" column), Aaron Lee, myth, PM Project and Daniel LaRusso.
Their styles vary from deep and progressive house to electro, trance, darker hard trance and even nu-skool breaks. UltraMusique also has resident live-set DJs Spin Division and Amadeus. They all come together with a common goal: "To push the development and create exposure for the progressive side of all of us," as Bondelid says.
You can experience UltraMusique's progressive style at Club Nico on "Substance Thursdays" and at other events around the community. To join the scene, check their upcoming events calendar online at UltraMusique.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
