This past Thursday night, WHRW 90.5 FM held its annual electronic music event at Cafe Oasis, the popular hookah bar in Downtown Binghamton. “Cafe O’Spacis” featured performances by WHRW DJs as well as other local electronic DJs.
The focus of the event was space music, which is usually associated with a calmer, lounge-style vibe and is categorized for its ability to promote a feeling of spaciousness and thoughtfulness. For Cafe O’Spacis, this genre was combined with harder electronic beats to create unique sounds from each performer. Despite the overall theme of the night’s music, each of the six acts brought their own style. Some had heavy synth beats, while others had a more alternative sound. The rest were remix heavy, bringing in many popular songs and familiar tunes throughout the night to the crowd’s enjoyment. The event, which started at 8:30 p.m., lasted into the early morning hours.
Paola Bear, the stage name of Paola Diaz — WHRW’s space director and a senior majoring in psychology — played a few remixes during her set. “ Hideaway” by Kiesza, which was a crowd pleaser, was one of them; she adapted the hook of the song into her track and added a more intense dance vibe to it. “Out of Space” by The Prodigy was next on her list. Although the song is already rave-heavy, the remix Diaz included in it transformed the track into a dubstep jam. The space theme of the night was definitely present during her performance. Dark beats surrounded the room while students were boogie-ing.
AJ Vizoskie, a senior majoring in English, performed as well. When asked about his influence in his set, Vizoskie, who goes by Dizzy Dizzy, stated that he was inspired by “a lot of underground U.K. music, a lot of grime, some dub, a lot of dark club music.” This was his first time performing at O’Spacis, but he has been to the event before.
“It’s definitely a tradition for WHRW,” Vizoskie said.
The venue gave a great atmosphere, and a lot of this was due to the decorations. With ornamental graves hung on the walls and Christmas lights strung throughout, the holiday vibe was definitely in the air. Disco ball lights made up for the lack of brightness in the bar, though the lighting was appropriate for the intimate setting the music produced. Cafe Oasis was packed, as students were on top of each other for sometime, with a few even having to go outside to get some air. Still, the music could be heard from outside where people were still listening and entertained by the performers.
Chris Liantonio, a senior majoring in environmental studies, said he dug the space theme. When asked about Cafe Oasis, Chris said he wished there were more room in Cafe Oasis so that he could “boogie down.” The area definitely felt a little too cozy at times, but that didn’t stop attendees from enjoying the music and space vibe.