{image1} There was an invasion of pods Wednesday night at the Hi-Hat Garage, iPods that is. Wednesday marked the launch of the Garage's newest regular night -- the Pod Squad -- and is hoping to build on the success of nights in Chicago and New York where patrons armed with iPods become the DJs.
The invasion has been spreading, starting in the UK at a night called noWax and at a New York City nightclub APT that features Pod DJing every night of the week. According to a recent article in the New York Times Technology section a number of bars in Chicago now feature the phenomenon, too.
The iParties are more about hanging out and enjoying your music collection or a friend's playlist, than dancing. The combination of DJs is likely to produce a disjointed mix and there are technical limitations.
While iPods are tremendous little devices -- and the machines many devotees use can be spotted everywhere by the white wires issuing from their ears -- it is simply not made for DJing. There is no pitch control on an iPod so songs can't be blended.
And while people have been pushing the limits -- apparently you can scratch by tapping the center button quickly creating a sound like a CD skipping (a sort of postmodern twist) -- the musical possibilities run a very distant second to playing your favorite tunes at loud volumes for friends and strangers.
These limitations weren't holding back the small but enthusiastic crowd at the Garage on Wednesday. People were pumped about playing their songs out and excited about the possibilities of mixing their styles with the other DJs.
Unlike APT in New York City where patrons can only DJ off of the bar's two iPods, people attending the Garage's night are encouraged to bring their own. Not just iPods either, any plastic box with a line out that emits sound -- from other mp3 players to laptops -- is allowed.
Although the night was sparsely attended people were still excited about the idea. Chiko was enjoying his chance to add his taste to the mix. Although he'd never DJed before -- iPod or otherwise -- he was having no problem figuring it out.
Despite the lack of other DJs to blend styles with and create a more responsive environment, Chiko was happy to be hearing Japanese and American hip-hop that he likes at a bar.
When the night takes off -- and it seems likely it will -- the DJs will be playing back to back, responding to the other DJs' selections. In this "deli-style" format DJs will be given a number and will then wait until their number is called. At that point they step up to the stage, plug in, and play DJ.
DJ J-Money (Justin Engel), the man the who brought the idea to the Hi Hat and to Milwaukee, will be on hand to help out and DJing CDs to round out the mix.
Mark Waldoch, who works at Atomic Records, was excited about the capabilities of the iPod to allow users to bring down their entire music collections. Dori Wenzel, who DJs on WMSE on Thursday afternoons, was also enthused, feeling "totally inspired to go buy an iPod and put my CDs on it."
The Pod Squad is poised for success -- iPods are everywhere and many people download music allowing them to have larger and more eclectic music collections. The novelty of being able to pick the songs yourself is likely to have great appeal, and there may even be a few DJs out there who are pleased that people will now be bugging their own friends for requests.
Selections from the Pod Squad:
The Dandy Warhols -- "I Love You"
Ohio Players -- "Fire"
Beck -- "Hollywood Freaks"
A Tribe Called Quest -- "Bonita Applebaum"
The Pod Squad is every Wednesday at the Hi-Hat Garage. For more info call (414) 220-8090.
