The Michigan Daily = michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 3B
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 38
Confessions of a
ModClothaholic
MEDMA DJs see themselves as campus's electronic music ambassadors.
Electrifying electronica
Hi, my name is Sharon,
and I have a problem.
Growing up, I always
knew it was wrong; adults cau-
tioned me against it, and really, I
never foresaw
any future situ-
ation in which
I'd do it. It's a
nasty habit to e -w
fall into, and
expensive to
boot. But none-
theless, I just
can't kick it: ISHARON
am an online JACOBS
shopper.
As do all
addictions, my online shopping
started small, with a white sweat-
shirt I ordered on a department
store's website to tie-dye at home.
It wasn't exactly an online buy, I
reasoned, because I was going to
modify it myself, and besides -
plain white hoodies are tougher
to track down than one would
expect.
Soon, it spread to footwear.
How was I, a born-and-bred Cali-
fornian and a t"ar-less University
student, supposed to find win-
ter boots that had traction and
retained some degree of cuteness?
And while I'm already making a
purchase, might as well get some
flip-flops to cash in on free ship-
ping for orders over $50.
It was in this weakened state
that I met ModCloth - the web-
site that would become my pre-
ferred clothing dealer. For the
uninitiated, ModCloth is a Pitts-
burgh-based online retailer with a
focus on retro-inspired outfits and
indie designers.
I always held that every time
you buy a dress online, an inde-
pendent boutique dies, but the
muted design and spontaneous
mushroom logo of ModCloth's
website tricked me with an attrac-
tive anything-but-corporate vibe.
Its creations favor floral patterns,
vibrant colors and lots of lace;
dresses and tops are often pulled
in with belts and empire waists so
you don't look fat. With garment
titles adorably referential (the
"Slanted and Enchanted Dress")
and punny ("Sweater Late Than
Never") alike, ModCloth drew me
in, and I couldn't say no.
So here I am, beginning my
fifth semester of college and load-
ing up on ModCloth every day..
When I can't think of an essay
topic, I just take a quick look-see
and check what's on sale. Sleep-
less at 4 a.m., I scour the site for
new arrivals to examine. And so,
as I tune out the dresses, tops,
outerwear and intimates (yeah,
I went there once) and close the
ModCloth tab on my browser, I
vow to stop shopping online and
take a harsh look at the practice
instead.
The major point I've always
held against the purchasing of
clothing on the Internet is the
potential for overspending. on a
glowing computer screen, colors
and patterns burst and dollar
signs fade into the background -
on ModCloth, they're tiny, grey
and utterly unnoticeable. SoI base
my buys on the items of clothing
themselves and load them into my
Lately, I get
my fashion fix
on the Internet.
virtual shopping bag - lacking
the weight of each garment and its
very physical price tag to bring me
down to earth.
When I mosey toward the
"checkout" button, there are way
more zeros next to the total than
I would have expected. But what
can I leave out? I certainly can't
drop the stunningly accurate "My
Top Picks Dress." But the "Stay or
Go Jacket" definitely has to stay.
I've unwittingly overdosed on
ModCloth again, and there's noth-
ing to be done but break out the
credit card.
See MODCLOTH, Page 4B
MEDMA brings an
underappreciated
genre to the 'U'
By CASSIE BALFOUR
Daily Arts Writer
The events of the Michigan Elec-
tronic Dance Music Association
(MEDMA) aren't for the faint of
heart. The beat gets in your head -
so rhythmic that it almost seems to
match your own pulse. With a twist
of a knob, the DJ controls your
every move, as the crowd sways
in sync with the cadence. But this
song is probably something you've
never even heard before.
"We want to raise awareness of
electronic music on campus, just
to get people interested in this dif-
ferent genre that's not really publi-
cized too much on the radio," said
MEDMA president Sean Masters,
an LSA senior.
MEDMA was founded back in
2005 when a few friends decided
to spread their love of electronic
music across campus. Today, the
club has grown to over 70 mem-
bers who actively work to expose
students to a wider range of dance
music. And after procuring some
equipment of their own, MEDMA
DJs began spinning at countless
house parties and frats, introduc-
ing hundreds of students to sub-
genres of electronic music - an
introduction that is usually met
with gleeful surprise.
"Fraternity parties are fun
because you have a bunch of people
who maybe didn't come to listen to
electronic music. You have people
who just came to have a good time,"
Masters said. "We had a ton of peo-
ple come up to us to say, 'Aww man,
I love this. How come I didn't know
about you guys before?"'
Granted, obscure electronic
dance music isn't without its dis-
senters.
"Of course, you always have the
people coming up to us asking for
'Like a G6,' " Masters said, "but
they're still a blast."
MEDMA DJs put a lot of thought
into mixing music and crafting
beats that will stay with partiers
long after the lights have gone up.
"People listen to artists like
Ke$ha and they don't really think
about who's making the actual
beats," Masters said. "In the elec-
tronic music world, the person that
W is actually making the music is the
centerpiece."
Techno, and subsequently mod-
ern electronic music, was locally
grown in Detroit. According to
Masters, Detroit techno was origi-
nally meant to be very thought-
provoking. The scene was inspired
by the repetitive beat created by
the industrial machines found in
automobile factories, and soon
found its way from the Midwest
into clubs worldwide.
Impulse, MEDMA's main DJing
event, takes place on the second
Thursday of every month at Necto
nightclub. Though Necto is gener-
ally the place to go when a person
wants to dance to the dulcet tones
of Katy Perry, during Impulse,
MEDMA takes over Necto's Red
Room so its DJs can showcase their
talents and range of tastes in elec-
tronic music.
In addition to putting on events,
MEDMA cultivates fledgling DJs
and gives lessons to due-pay-
ing members. While some join
MEDMA with DJing experience,
many learn from veteran MEDMA
DJs. And after they practice spin-
ning at various house and frat
parties, they too are able to DJ at
MEDMA's premiere events.
"Its kind of a steep learning
curve, but once you get the hang of
it, it's not that bad," Masters said.
The first (and the most pivotal)
step when it comes to mixing elec-
tronic dance music is called "beat
matching." This is what keeps elec-
tronic dance mixes transitioning
smoothly so dancers reveling in the
music won't break their rhythm.
"If you imagine two cars on a
highway side-by-side, it's like get-
ting those cars lined up and going
the same speed," Masters said. "So
you're trying to line up the beats,
so when you move from one song
to another, you can't really tell that
you're transitioning."
LSA senior Alex DePorre was
one member who mastered DJing
during her time at MEDMA. While
a sophomore, she joined the group
despite being an electronic dance
music rookie and now DJs events
on a regular basis - including
MEDMA's monthly soirees.
"The first time I DJed Impulse,
I was so nervous," DePorre said. "I
practiced so much and memorized
everything I was supposed to do
and I was terrified, but it actually
went really well."
MEDMA DJs and other pur-
veyors of electronic music dance
mixes take affront to the idea that
they're just glorified iPods, as Mas-
ters explained, for good reason.
"The DJ is seen as someone
who has taken the time to go out
and find this music and blend it in
a way that kind of keeps a certain
vibe or a flow going, so it's not very
common to take requests," Masters
said.
But don't accuse MEDMA mem-
bers of music elitism, either -
they'll mix anything with a good
beat.
"If I think the song is appropri-
ate and I have it, by all means I'll
throw it in," Masters said. "We do
some top-40 remixes, even just
a remix of Ke$ha. I actually love
Ke$ha personally."
And MEDMA appreciates how
important star-studded electronic
music makers like deadmauS and
DJ Tiesto are to drawing new
members in and making electronic
music more accessible to the mass-
es.
"We consider artists like dead-
mau5 (to be) gateway electronic
music - like this is gonna be some
of the electronic music they'll first
listen too, and then they might
come to a MEDMA show," Masters
said.
The electronic dance music
genre isn't just for superstar DJs
or high profile producers, though.
Electronic music is a democratic
art form - anyone with talent and
the right software can produce the
sort of music MEDMA thrives on
and encourages other students to
listen to.
"Its up to these DJs to pick out
the best electronic music from tons
of music worldwide, as opposed to
hearing it on the radio and top 40,"
Masters said.
Masters went on to explain the
DJ's role as an ambassador and
tastemaker in the electronic dance
music world, exposing his or her
listeners to electronic music from.
across the globe. The large array of
electronic music made and posted
on the Internet by amateurs and
professionals alike has created an
unregulated market of electronic
music sharing that acts as a veri-
table buffet for hungry DJs eager
to share their findings.
DePorre agrees with this sen-
timent, adding that the variety
allows each DJ to find his or her
own niche in the electronic music
scene.
"There's so much out there that
it's really personal - most things
that you find, most people will have
never heard of," she said. "Right
now, I'm really into minimal,
which is kind of dark and scary."
"Minimal" is one of many sub-
genres in the vast electronic music
world. It has a sometimes eerie and
sparse sound that utilizes a lot of
repetition. But like a surprising
amount of electronic music, it still
sounds immensely soulful, using
only what is essential in order to
make people dance.
When MEDMA isn't busy on
campus advocating for electronic
dance music, its members are tak-
ing limos to electronic shows in
Canada and Detroit or observing
their favorite holiday - the Detroit
Electronic Music Festival. DEMF
is the latest incarnation of an elec-
tronic music festival that Detroit
has hosted for years. Every Memo-
rial Day weekend, scores of the
world's preeminent DJs and musi-
cians descend on Motor City, and
each year MEDMA members go
to bathe in the glow of these elec-
tronic demi-gods.
"My birthday is right next to
Christmas, but I like DEMF bet-
ter than birthday-Christmas,"
Masters said. "During DEMF, we
all get a few hotel rooms and it's a
blast."
Although MEDMA members
have spun at DEMF afterparties in
the past, they've recently turned
their focus back to Ann Arbor.
MEDMA has big plans on campus,
including bringing Detroit DJ Kris
Wadsworth to Necto in February
and continuing its monthly Necto
parties, like the "Class is Back in
Session" Impulse at 9 p.m. tonight.
But this doesn't mean MEDMA
members are bound to the Universi-
ty. Through their tireless campaign
to inject Ann Arbor and southeast
Michigan with danceable beats,
they've introduced townies and
students alike to scores of music
that goes untapped by the average
citizen. And their only objective is
to find the mix, beat and sound that
you can move to.
When Masters ventured out of
the world of low-lit basements and
See MEDMA, Page 4B
MEDMA started in 2005 and has been growing ever since.