Ottawa: Freekenfusion Tuesdays @ Mavericks

[dancingfool]

This may seem a little outside the usual realm of the music talked about here, but hey, I’m here, and BradM told me I should talk about it, and it’s Mavericks, so...

I’m starting to really like Mavericks, despite not having been there even ten times overall. Good space, good dance floor, good management who encourages local scenes. Case in point:

After checking out the small local psychedelic/trance/goa music DJ scene on New Year’s Eve at a small club way down Elgin, I learned they had regular gigs each Tuesday night starting at 9:30pm or so at Mavericks. So I’ve checked them out a few times. They’re called, sadly, Freekenfusion Tuesdays, despite not being freaky or fusiony; just your good psytrance-techno stuff.

A good crowd of regulars who know each other filter in through the evening, even arriving after midnight, with a few to several people checking things out rounding out the crowd. It’s still sparse, at most 30 people or so at one time, but the mood is pretty good. The music is non-stop, of course, with several DJs relaying through the evening (I’m starting to have a few favourites who keep throwing curveballs), with the great advantage of psy and trance that means rhythms and moods will change in and between tracks, so it's not the unrelenting monotony of some techno styles; it ebbs and flows, and has musical hooks on enough levels to get the dozen to a dozen and a half people dancing. And they all dance in whatever personal manner they want, just like me.

Yes, a club full of dancingfools. Any wonder I like it?

Though I still seem to stand out somewhat, due to age and height. And slightly more crazy style of dancing. When nigh-everyone is out on a smokebreak and the floor is just about empty, I cut loose a little...

The lighting is low, the lasers out in full force as are the portable spotlights, and of course the UV lights shining on the UV-paint-enhanced works arranged all around the club. It really helps the atmosphere. The dry ice starts getting to be a mite thick at times, but the two big fans help keep the air circulating at least. But hey, I’m an old fart, I won’t complain, the kids like it.

Though they’re not all kids; the core are 19-25, but many others are in 30s and a few above that. It’s all pretty laid back and accepting. It’s a nice way for me to relax and dance freestyle to a form of music I like but seldom get to hear. It might be worth a peek by a few skancs, who knows. At least you know where it is.

So points to Mavericks for hosting them, despite them not exactly showering them with bar sales. In fact, the NYE party was closed down by the Elgin club at 1am because they were making almost no sales whatsoever, and they had to cut their losses for the night; the Mavericks bartender is fine with the relaxed serving pace, it seems. I make sure to get one or two drinks when I get there, to support the bar too.

[bouche]

Maverick's is doing some wonderful things for music fans in Ottawa. They do everything that they can to cater to the acts and the crowd.

[dancingfool]

Yeah. Tonight was actually a little more packed, they hung some of the UV paintings right behind the DJ so the lasers weren't in people's eyes, and they didn't use any dry ice. It was great!