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Music

Disco jack-off

RHYTHM BOX featuring DIDI-7 and PRINCE JIFFAR at Club 56 (56 Kensington), Friday (March 5). $3 after 11:30 pm, free before. Rating: NNNNN


I used to see Luis Jacob (aka Didi-7) at almost every party, usually dancing until the bitter end. Over the past five years, however, he and many of the other art fags who used to frequent underground house and techno parties have drifted away from that scene as it became increasingly conservative.

A little under two years ago, Jacob and That Robotic Kid (currently on tour with the Hidden Cameras) started up a little night to quench their thirst for that good old acid flavour.

“There’s a particular kind of feeling in music that I really pine for but rarely get, because no one I know plays it,” Jacob explains in a Parkdale roti joint. “It’s more like jacking music – spazzy, twitchy disco. Jack isn’t about loud pounding, it’s more about syncopated, odd rhythms that make you work to dance.”

Prince Jiffar (aka Jif) was added to the team about a year ago after numerous guest appearances, and the night picked up steam, attracting an eclectic mix of partiers. Promotion has been subtle, a few flyers and posters here and there, but over time word spread through their networks of friends, and it’s now pretty consistent.

“I don’t want to be a promoter. I just want to have a fun party. Now it’s a bunch of art world people, the whole peroxide queer group, some old house heads, even a bunch of indie kids. One thing I really like is that people come to dance. There’s not a lot of watching going on.”

“Actually, we do have groupies who hang out near the booth and watch us, but at least they’re dancing at the same time,” Jif interrupts.

Many of the night’s characteristics – the genre- and decade-sprawling music, mixed crowd (gay/straight, dance/indie rock, older/young), lack of focus on DJ technique (you’ll rarely hear them mix two records), low cover charge and absence of international guests – are typical of the upstart nights that are flourishing around the city, in particular at that charmingly dingy dive of a basement, Club 56.

“The owner has been talking about closing 56 or moving location, which is too bad, because it’s perfect in so many ways,” laments Jacob.

“There’s always something wrong with it, and people say they feel claustrophobic, but the fact that it’s in the Market, that it’s a basement, that things do go wrong adds to the feel of it. It’s like a reverse charm.”

Then again, the possibility of being forced to move out of the smoky basement could also have its advantages for the frugal Rhythm Boxers.

“It was really important for me to keep it free,” says Jacob, “but eventually we had to start renting equipment because the gear at 56 is so shitty. We now charge $3 after 11:30 pm to cover the costs, which is still practically nothing.” benjaminb@nowtoronto.com

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