Traditional Family Values: Mike Beyer (in hat) and Christopher “CJYetman
help carry on Baltimore’s rave scene.
http://www.citypaper.com/2001-02-14/nocover.html
Family Affair
Meet the Next Generation of Dance-Event Promoters
By Justin Hampton
It might seem like a distant memory, but there are plenty of people out
there who still remember when the Baltimore rave scene was strong.
Old-school stalwarts such as Ultraworld get a groove on just two or three
times a year nowadays, but many others are not content to wait so long to
experience the communion an all-night party can engender among its
participants. For those never-say-die dancers, the second-generation
promotion team Family Productions has risen to fill the void. Founded by
Christopher "CJ" Yetman and Mike Beyer (who also DJs under the alias
"Deviate"), Family Productions has slowly grown over the past five years
to emerge as the heir apparent to the most inspiring and positive elements
of Baltimore's rave legacy.
"We do this because we love what we do and we want our events to be the
best they possibly can be, and when it really comes down to it, that's the
bottom line. If you have the right intentions, you end up with something
positive," Yetman says. "I honestly believe that somehow it shines
through. I can't explain it, but the fact that we love it and that we want
it adds that extra touch that makes it a Family Production."
Yetman and Beyer met through friends at a rave in New Jersey in the
md-'90s. Beyer had already been bitten by the dance-music bug through
Ultraworld kingpin Lonnie Fisher's Raza parties in Baltimore County and
was throwing events with friends under the name "Family Productions."
Together the two started off small by booking the club night Delusions at
the small Federal Hill bar Copacabana in the spring of 1998. Yetman and
Beyer later moved the party to Club Midnite on North Howard Street and
retitled it Evolve. At the time, the city was cracking down on raves as
suspected havens for drug use; this created a vacuum in Baltimore's
nightlife culture--and created opportunities for Family.
"I think Evolve went well simply because there was nothing else going on,"
Beyer says. "This weekly [club night] started when all the heat was on
places like Fever, and it was right around the time that Lonnie was having
trouble with his boat party, Fathom. [There] was simply nothing else
happening at the time."
Over time, Family Productions took a number of local DJs under its wing,
along with local drum 'n' bass producer Terry Kilby. Eventually, Yetman
and Beyer moved into the business of throwing large one-off parties,
starting with the 1999-'00 New Year's Eve party Forward in a downtown
warehouse, co-produced with LG Concannon's Sonic Soul Productions. Since
then, Family has brought Josh Wink, Frankie Bones, and other national
names to the Baltimore-Washington area.
"We are more prone to the techno side of things," Beyer says of Family's
musical direction. "We grew up on people like Frankie Bones and Richie
Hawtin, and our events definitely reflect that. We always try to put some
sort of flow with our events as well. Like starting off with slower-paced
music and progressing throughout the night. I like to think of our events
as long musical journeys."
But Family Productions hardly limits itself to hard and steady beats all
night long. Beyer specializes in spinning a particularly aggressive and
syncopated brand of tribal house and is learning how to engineer his own
tracks. And after about a year of preparation, the duo is now set to throw
its most ambitious event yet: Love Bug on Feb. 17 at the Edge in
Washington. As a playful conceptual touch for this Valentine's Day-themed
party, Yetman and Beyer have planned for an all-male-DJ room--including
New York City techno pioneer Adam X and local hero Feelgood--alongside an
all-female drum 'n' bass room featuring U.K. junglist Dazee and San
Franciscan DJ Sage, with a coed-DJ chill-out room thrown in for good
measure.
"I think Love Bug very well may be the most solid party we have ever
done," Yetman says. "I think we have a very solid drum 'n' bass lineup
this time around. The whole girl-guy thing and a girl-guy tag team in the
third room may seem a bit goofy, but it should make things a bit more
interesting, like there's more going on then just a bunch of DJs playing."
Family Productions has yet to face the heat Ultraworld and other rave
promoters across the country have, but Yetman and Beyer are certainly
aware of the risks they take. (Authorities in both Orange County, Fla.,
and New Orleans are in the midst of cracking down on rave clubs and
events.) The promoters say they are cautious, willing to do what they must
to ensure the protection of their patrons; they voluntarily shut down last
year's Christmas party, Mistletoe, at 4 a.m.--an hour when most young
ravers are just getting started. "We did not want anyone to think we were
hiding something or doing something out of the ordinary," Beyer says.
"Family has and always will do everything in our power to make our events
legal and safe. It's not against the law to listen to techno, or any music
for that matter. It just has to be done in the right place, following the
right rules."
So far, Family Productions has done well at keeping everyone happy. The
team enjoys the support of the underground and even counts Ultraworld's
Fisher--ostensibly the competition--as an ally. (Yetman refers to the
longtime local rave promoter, who often DJs at Family parties, as "a
friend, an inspiration, a resource, a confidant, and, as far as the
dance-music scene goes, a peer.") And Yetman and Beyer say they are
prepared to take their vision as far as they can.
"We are definitely going to do our best to have a solid summer in the
Baltimore area," Beyer says confidently. "We have some things up our
sleeve, but I guess people are just gonna have to wait and see."
Family Productions' Love Bug is scheduled for Feb. 17 at the Edge in
Washington. For more information, call (410) 464-5401 or click on
www.familyproductions.net.