Trance Tuesday is every Tuesday at Midway on High.
Credit: Courtesy of Mike Salone
Headlining electronic dance music shows are typical Friday and over the weekend, but those looking to attend one Monday through Thursday options in Columbus.
Jonathan Workman, better known as DJ Trauma Kidd, is a supervisor and resident DJ at Scarlet and Grey Cafe. He’s also the promoter and coordinator of a new recurring show, Melted Mondays, which aims to showcase EDM and multimedia artists on a weekly basis.
He explained DJs have complete freedom to play whatever they want, so long as the mood of the night is concurrent.
“It’s all electronic music, all different kinds of EDM,” Workman said. “The artists have complete freedom when they come in here, both through visual art and DJs. Personally, I don’t believe in genres in my set, so you’ll probably hear six to 10 different genres within an hour. If your confining yourself, it limits your creativity.”
He also said the art aspect of the show is something new and unheard of in Columbus.
“My thing is it’s about getting people who want to play music and love and have a passion for that, to give them another opportunity during the week to do that,” Workman said. “Adding the elements of the live art is a whole other feature that gives the artist the ability to also sell their art as well. It’s mainly about taking every aspect of art, because music shouldn’t be limited to music.”
Mike Salone is the founder and resident DJ of Trance Tuesday, which takes place every Tuesday at off-campus bar Midway on High. The focus of this show is to allow DJs to play interesting artists and genres which people might not know about, as well as traditional trance, a genre of EDM which is more repetitive and hypnotic in musical form.
“We would love to play exclusively trance. However, Columbus does not necessarily work that way,” Salone said. “We’re still DJs, you gotta play to a crowd, but Trance Tuesday is our night to kind of not take requests and educate, not entertain the crowd.”
Bryan Keller, half of the DJ duo ProjectCar, is a resident at Thump Wednesdays, which takes place every Wednesday night at Woodlands Tavern.
Thump is known for bringing beat and bass-heavy music.
“It’s a cool party in that there is a big diversity of the DJs that play there. If someone’s new, and they’re trying to break out and they want it to work, we’re really great about keeping that early slot open to help people break out,” said Keller. “When Project Car started out, the promoters at Thump were kind enough to give us a chance to play, and it really bloomed our career”
Basilio Santiago is the promoter and a DJ at Freq, which takes place every Thursday at The Shrunken Head, located at 251 W. 5th Ave.
Freq focuses solely on the DJs, and Santiago doesn’t worry about a huge crowd or themed nights. Freq’s main focus is DJ freedom — allowing good artists to play a variety of genres.
“We try to mix it up every week, so it’s not the same sounds you’re used to hearing. If you come, you’re gonna hear everything from electro house to underground techno and drum and bass,” Santiago said. “I just want a place where the DJs I feel are very good, and I wanted to give them a sanctuary, if you will.”
He also explained that though there might not be much dancing, Freq focuses on quality sub genres and talented musicians.
“It’s a night where I feel like there’s nothing but quality music. If you’re tired of the same-old same-old EDM, come check us out, we have a good time. It’s mostly people coming to listen to music, not necessarily dancing. If you’re a music lover, you’ll have a good time no matter what genre you listen to,” Santiago said. “I feel like we have something different to bring to the table with the variety.”
