Out of a Trance

Scene, heard
While we heartily applaud Last Beat Records' Shaun Edwardes' attempt to develop a scene (his words, not ours) built upon techno and electronica and hip-hop, we offer these words of caution: Don't name it Future Beatz (sounds like a 1984 Greenville Avenue disco/strip club), and don't solicit tapes from bands wanting to be part of the scene (they will all suck). Yeah, we know: "A thriving scene...is only just emerging through the quagmire of discarded and disbanded rock bands," reads the press release announcing the first Future Beatz night (man, I hate having to write that name) on July 17 at the Curtain Club. But you have to be subtle about it; if you force something that ain't there, you'll have ADance Regina! playing Deep Ellum every weekend. That said, the July 17 bill is a durned respectable one: Aside from the obvious Terror Couple (whom Edwardes manages), there's the top-notch talents of Shabazz 3 (underappreciated local heroes of hip-hop) and Sub Oslo (rub-a-dub dub), topped off with the between-band DJ spinning of Jeff "cottonmouth, texas" Liles. I recommend the bill, commend the spirit, and demand the name be changed immediately.

Send Street Beatz e-mail to rwilonsky@dallasobserver.com