Tim Lawrence // Artist Lecture and Afterparty
April 19, 2017 5:00 PM–12:00 AM
// ARTIST LECTURE //
5:00 PM
Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
CFA 111, Carnegie Mellon University
// AFTERPARTY & RECORD POP-UP //
Starting at 8:00 PM
The Ace Hotel Pittsburgh
120 S Whitfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
These events are free and open to the public.
These events are made possible in part by the Center for the Arts in Society, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Carnegie Mellon University Department of English, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, VIA and Ace Hotel. Poster design by Evelyn Pandos.
// ARTIST LECTURE //
5:00 PM | STUDIO
What were the economic and social conditions that gave rise to NYC’s era of hybrid nightclub activity in the early 80s? How did changing circumstances augur its premature end?
Continuing his analysis of the New York City party scene, Tim Lawrence focuses on the early 1980s, a largely neglected period that was characterized by its creativity, intensity, and integration. He outlines how the period witnessed the discreet sounds of disco, punk, rock, rap and dub-reggae give way to an array of mutant combinations. He also explores how the city’s party venues became multi-sensory hubs that regularly combined DJing, live performance, performance art, art, video, film and immersive happenings. What were the economic and social conditions that gave rise to this era of hybrid activity and how did changing circumstances augur its premature end?
In this talk, Lawrence discusses how the period witnessed the discreet sounds of disco, punk, rock, rap and dub-reggae give way to an array of combinations. He also explores how the city’s party venues became multi-sensory hubs that regularly combined DJing, live performance, performance art, art, video, film and immersive happenings.
Tim Lawrence is the author of Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music 1970-79, Hold On to Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973-92, and Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980-83, all published with Duke University Press. He is a professor of Cultural Studies at the University of East London and a founding co-director of the Centre for Cultural Studies Research. He is also the co-founder of Lucky Cloud Sound System, which has been staging Loft parties in London since 2003.
// AFTERPARTY & RECORD POP-UP //
8:00 PM | Ace Hotel
Chill out and get down to selections from Tim and some of Pittsburgh’s most astute crate diggers’ collections. Grab a record on your way out and take home what you’re listening to.
TIM
Spinning records from his personal collection that embody the mutant, hybrid, democratic spirit of the early 1980s NYC dance floor.
KELLY CARTER (Milk Records)
A tribute to Anita Sarko and Mudd Club (which closed in 1983 and had gender-neutral bathrooms). i.e. new wave, spoken word, Sonny and Cher.
BUSCRATES’ (1/3 of ELQ – East Liberty Quarters)
Inspired by the 80s boogie and funk sounds. After a 4 year stint in Atlanta, GA, Boogie Bus is back on the scene doing gigs around town and nationwide, with a few releases in the works for late 2017.
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SELECTA (720 Records)
Bringing along his 45s. Multiple genres, including a few crates of Funk & Soul/Dance from le shop.
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