Well, all right, then. Saturday night – you down for some EDM? There’s this crazy good show set to go down at Cafe 611 and it’s called Atmosphere. Among the artists performing will be Secret Panda Society, Throdown and Plaeground. We recently caught up with the show’s producer, Josh Noble, to talk about how the lineup came together, the state of the local music scene, and what it’s like to be a fire dancer. The fun starts at 8 p.m. Saturday. Is there a better way to celebrate mid-December? We think not.
How did the idea for this show come about? At what point did you decide you wanted to throw something like this and what were some of the first steps you took toward making it a reality?
The idea for the show came about when I was trying to think of a theme. One of my promoters thought of the name Atmosphere. I liked it and we decided to do an electronic dance music event with an outer-space theme. Not long after that, a good friend and promoter, Mike Lone, was murdered and I decided to dedicate the event to him. We are taking donations at the door and one of our vendors is giving half their profits to Mike’s family.
Along those same lines, how did the lineup come together?
As for the lineup, I decided to focus on local “outside-of-the-box” artists who incorporate live instruments and performances into the show. One of the goals of my company is to give electronica lovers a place to enjoy what they love without having to drive to Baltimore or D.C.
Were there artists you tried to get that you couldn’t? If there you had a wish list, past or present, is there one act you would love to book?
I actually got everyone I wanted. It’s a lineup from heaven.
Your Facebook profile says you are a fire dancer. Can you tell us a little about that? How did you get into something like that in the first place?
I’m the owner of 5th Street Elements as well. I also DJ/produce as Statik Skye. I got into flow arts as a child and after attending several festivals as an adult, I decided to upgrade to fire spinning. I have 20-plus years of experience with devil sticks and one year of experience with rope dart.
What’s your impression of the Maryland music scene? Do you see how it could get better or do you think it’s pretty far along as it is and why?
The Maryland music scene is hotter than ever. Lots of talent here. Baltimore is where most people in the EDM scene go to party. My company has been trying to build the scene in Frederick and the surrounding area since 2014 and we have come a long way. For our latest show this past summer, we brought S3RL to Frederick and it was the biggest EDM show anyone has seen around here.
Can you give us names of some artists we need to check out that we maybe haven’t seen yet? Who are you listening to the most these days?
In addition to this show’s lineup, other great artists are Soohan, Choppy Oppy and Bunk Buddha.
What does 2017 look like for you and 5th Street Productions?
In 2017 we will be throwing a lot more events in Frederick and the surrounding areas. We have also recently started a Wednesday Weekly event at Suite 710 in Hagerstown.
What do you think is the most perfect song ever written and why?
I could never pick out just one song.
And finally, what can we expect from the show at Cafe 611?
Expect the biggest and baddest EDM event event to hit Frederick since our last one. It will be fully decked out with outer space deco, lights, sound, and lasers that will take you out of this world. Plus, there will be two stages – the Galaxy Stage and the Nebula Stage.
