PROVO, UT - February 17, 2009 –Illuminating the room sporadically, neon lights pulse to the rhythm of NAWM’s latest mixes. The hardcore fans are crammed up against the disc jockey table and the speakers; the remaining party-goers are spread out at a distance just under comfortable. Nobody cares. They are here to dance.
Nam Nguyen, alias NAWM, and the rest of the Electric Dance Party (EDP) team–Ryan D, Red Spectral, Danger Stranger and kiDD wiDD–came together early in the Fall 2008 semester to diversify the local party scene. “Everything was hip-hop or top 40,” Nguyen said, “And that’s not all there is when it comes to dance music.” Nguyen is from Rancho Cucamonga, CA and currently a Junior at Brigham Young University majoring in economics.
While at home for the Summer 2007 term, Nguyen wasa regular club and music festival attendee fueling his desire to write electro house music. “Memorial Day weekend, I decided that the money I’d saved for a new MacBook Pro would go to professional DJ equipment,” Nguyen said. “At that point none of my friends knew I wanted to DJ. I was too embarrassed about it.”
Nguyen quickly overcame his embarrassment upon returning to Provo, Utah. He messaged a couple known electro DJs, asking their opinions on planning a dance party with primarily techno sounds. “We had similar tastes in music and we started sharing songs and mixes,” Scott Teran said. ”When Nam had the idea for EDP, I told him I was in.” Teran goes by the DJ alias Danger Stranger and cites The Chemical Brothers’ “Surrender” and Daft Punk’s “Discovery” as inspirations for his unique sound.
Buzz about this new sound reached the ears of BYU student Ryan Denny who, at that time, mixed primarily hip-hop under the alias DJ RyRy. He found Nguyen on Facebook and expressed an interest in DJing with the group. “I was really hesitant at first because I knew he was a hip-hop and top 40 DJ,” Nguyen said. “But, I gave him a chance to spin for the second EDP at Alpine Village.”
“My style consists of juicy electro beats mixed with familiar rap and hip-hop lyrics,” Denny said. “It’s a combo that’s danceable and a good transition for those who may be new to the electro scene.”
“I was impressed when I heard him spin because he’d actually done his research,” Nguyen said. “He got the crowd going and he brought something new to EDP.” That something new also included a loyal fan base that overwhelmed the group. EDP has hosted five events since September, each doubling in size. The rapid growth is good, Nguyen says, but it is clear that the group struggles with finding venues large enough to host their monthly events.
Nguyen approached Pennyroyal Cafe owner Nathan Robbins in January about hosting an EDP event on February 20. According to Nguyen, Robbins’ reaction was priceless: “Hold on. As in Electric Dance Party? The EDP? I’ve heard of you guys!”
“Pennyroyal has put in a lot of work cooperating with us and getting everything ready for Friday,” Denny said. “We are all excited to put on a great show for Provo.”
Press Contact:
Vanessa Oler
EDP Public Relations
media [at] electricdanceparty [dot] com
