August 1, 2009 (Issue #1) – Words by Joey Santos
A distance of some forty miles separates the cities of El Paso and Las Cruces, and while many Las Crucens often head south to boogie in the borderland, El Pasoans have very few reasons to party in LC lately. It hasn’t always been this way though. Some will remember the especially memorable Blue Moon raves, Sandra Ware’s “SPIN” weekly, Niko’s “Concrete Collective” and the sorely missed legendary “Foundation” monthly. All of the organizers of these events sought to shine the spotlight on the city’s local deck technicians but always included EP DJs, whom in turn, hosted LC DJs at their nights.
The electronic dance music scene in the city of LC is cyclical, experiencing periods of activity only to become dormant for a while. There are a couple of reasons why this small city just can’t seem to keep something going for long. One would be the lack of decent venues. With no proper clubs, the only choices are a couple of small bars and house parties. These bars are the platforms of the area’s local bands. LC loves its bands, and it is difficult to convince their management to give up any nights for EDM. They simply don’t see EDM as capable of getting heads through the door and making them enough money through alcohol sales. Since the demise of the beloved Foundation at The Club, electronic dance music hasn’t really had a home in LC. Another reason is quite simply the crowd itself. One would think that in a college town such as Las Cruces, with its constant influx of young people from different parts of the country and abroad, it wouldn’t be too hard to establish and maintain a decent following, but what comes in must also go out. The heads that once filled the floor have graduated, left the state, gotten jobs, and started families. The majority of people in LC just aren’t into it. Lastly, the laws in New Mexico prohibit those under 21 to enter establishments that sell alcohol and in a small city such as LC, the law hears all; therefore it’s hard to have the old school rave. No one really wants to risk it.
There was a glimmer of hope recently. A local DJ by the name of DJ Hosie started a night, FUSE, at a bar called Hurricane Alley that showed some promise. It ran for about three months but due to poor promotion and/or lack of public interest, as well as the management complaining that the same music was being played every week, it didn’t survive.
Therefore, in the meantime, the locals are content with making the short trip to EP quietly hoping for a night closer to home. They’ll just have to wait for the stars to align again. Go Back…
