No Requests presents: Debonair

Over the last decade DEBONAIR has carved out a reputation as one of London’s most essential DJs.

Few enjoy such a cherished, credible and powerfully engaging position as DEBONAIR. The DJ and radio host is regarded as one of the hardest digging selectors in the underground with a formidable knowledge of post punk, new wave, body music, proto techno, the avant-garde and off-kilter house and she delivers these exquisitely during her incendiary DJ sets, which take place everywhere from subterranean sex clubs to post modern art spaces. Whether it’s Unsound Festival or Circo Loco, Seoul's Cakeshop or New York's Nowadays, Panorama Bar or Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, DEBONAIR’s selections always captivate the dance.

DEBONAIR also has one of the most treasured shows on everyone’s favourite online radio station, NTS. You’re always in for an unpredictable ride as she connects the dots between seemingly disparate genres and atmospheres with deep understanding and charisma. Having been part of the platform since its inception in 2011, DEBONAIR played a major role in building the station in the early years through her role as Programme Director and has also hosted interviews with legendary cultural figures such as Mark Leckey, Lil Louis, Victoria Sin and Holly Herndon.

Critically acclaimed mixes, on point press features and exhilarating live streams for Blowing Up The Workshop, The Guardian, FACT, Boiler Room, Mixmag, Resident Advisor, and Groove Mag spotlight her far reaching record collection and inimitable style. Let DEBONAIR’s unique vision guide you through the static.

Among your favorite DJ’s favorite DJs, long time servant & celebrator of dance musics Lincoln Up dwells in Portland, OR. Disk Jockeying, programming, & producing parties since 2000, L^ sits in & meditates on the origin & diaspora of Disk Jockey culture, in the present & going forward, steadily seeking sublime musics across times & styles, in the spirit of modern DJ guiding lights Francis Grasso & The Electrifying Mojo.

This beatific, inclusive sensibility leads L^’s DJ sets, sounding out outstanding tracks from the up front revelries of today & mixing them into the dance canon for novel reveries with crucial hits & cuts from yesterday & back when. Sporting a deeply funky, all the way in the pocket approach to mixing, mostly vinyl, L^ pays homage to the hallowed DJ disciplines of selecting, blending, cutting & pasting, & fx/dubbing. Possessed with a preternatural knack for cueing sprawling sets of well paced & placed musics, & packing a penchant for creating extended oddballer eternal shining moments in the mix, L^ has set off many, many dances in Portland & Seattle (where L^ lived ‘97-‘06) & gone far afield to do the same in places such as Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Honolulu, São Paulo, & Sayulita, & plays like Decibel Fest (4x), XXXbórnival, What The Fest, Phoenix Fest, & DAT Fest (2x). For reference, please do bang any & all of L^’s mixes on Mixcloud, link below.

Along with handfuls of lauded party series, L^ conceived of & co-founded the seminal DJ/Event outfit Bubblin (2010-2015), which was praised as “reshaping Portland’s dance [music] culture” by Willamette Week. L^ has DJ’d and programmed bills with constellations of stars, such as DJ Pierre, Peanut Butter Wolf, Derrick Carter, Kyle Hall, Derrick May, Claude Young, DJ Deeon, RP Boo, DJ Technics, Todd Edwards, Octo Octa, Ikonika, Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Mount Kimbie, Avalon Emerson, MikeQ, Cakes Da Killa, Digital Mystikz (Mala & Coki), The Bug, Kahn, Martyn, MJ Cole, Zed Bias, Leon Vynehall, Flava D, DJ Krush, Roska, Jubilee, Bok Bok, J-Sweet, Doormouse, Kode 9, DJ Godfather, Dre Skull, Mike Huckaby (RIP), Jeff Samuel, and many, many other stellar luminaries, to give a small idea of direct influences.

L^ firmly believes some of life’s most important moments & finest pleasures are to be had moving on & around inclusive & equitable dance floors to great Disk Jockeys revering DJ culture, at the controls of two turntables, a mixer, and a beautiful sound system.

"Lincoln Up is one of those DJs who excel at several styles while possessing vast knowledge of both old and new releases. A serious student of electronic music who can throw down sets encompassing house, techno, garage, and many branches of bass music with enviable technical dexterity." “Lincoln Up has a PhD in Funknology.” - Dave Segal, The Stranger (Seattle)

In 2021, a group of friends were out late one night in Portland, looking for a place to listen and dance to amazing house music artists and DJs.We weren’t just looking for any club. We were looking for a house music oasis. A place that consistently embodies the club culture we grew up with, where house and electronic music is enjoyed by everyone, without intolerance or judgement. But… we couldn’t find it in the way we wanted.

We were an eclectic mix. Passionate house music DJs influenced by the European club culture, event curators and long time DJs from Portland, and transplants from all over the world who now call Portland home.

One day, we came together to create a new concept based on our experiences and our love of house music. As an eclectic bunch of music lovers, we know that diversity has always been at the heart of club culture and house music. Celebrating and respecting everyone regardless of religion, race, physical ability, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity is the foundation of club culture.

After months of creative planning, we decided to contribute to the house music scene in Portland in a very special way and open a club called No Requests. At No Requests, we follow a radically open dance floor and door policy. We ensure that all of our house music events embody the club culture that we love, believe in, and want to foster, while keeping our guests as safe as possible during this time of ambiguity.

Our commitment is to consistently showcase the best Portland-based house music DJs as well as regional (Oregon), national, and international house music DJs, while celebrating diversity and equality, and constantly innovating the experiences and services at No Requests.

And by doing so, Portland's club culture and house music scene will be globally recognized as one of the top destinations for house and electronic music.‍

No Requests, and no regrets.

There is zero tolerance for hate, harassment, or assault of any kind. To get help or to report an incident, please speak to a No Requests employee or text “help” to 503-868-2588.

We value your feedback! Please reach out to us with questions or comments at [email protected] or 503-868-2588.

HISTORY OF HOUSE MUSIC: House Music Guide: A Brief History of House Music

• What Is House Music?
• A Brief History of House Music
• Characteristics of House Music

WHAT IS HOUSE MUSIC?

House Music is a genre of electronic dance music which is characterized by a four to the floor beat. The beats per minute or BPM is around 120 to 130.​ House Music was created by house music djs and house music producers from the Chicago underground club culture in the early 1980s. It really started with disco where djs from the altered disco tracks to give them a more mechanical, richer and deeper basslines.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOUSE MUSIC

The genre was pioneered by DJs and producers mainly from Chicago and New York such as Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, Ron Hardy, Jesse Saunders, Chip E., Steve "Silk" Hurley, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Mr. Fingers, Marshall Jefferson, Phuture, and many others. Its origins derive from within the Black American LGBT communities but has since spread to the mainstream. From its beginnings in the Chicago club and local radio scene, the genre expanded internationally, then to other American cities and has become a worldwide phenomenon ever since. There are numerous subgenres, such as acid house, deep house, progressive house, tech house, electro house, hip house ghetto house, organize house music and many more.

House music is characterized by repetitive 4/4 rhythms including bass drums, off-beat hi-hats, snare drums and/or claps at a tempo between 120 and 130 beats per minute (bpm), synthesizer riffs, deep basslines, and often, but not necessarily, sung, spoken or sampled vocals. In house music, the bass drum is sounded on beats one and three, and the snare drum, claps, or other higher-pitched percussion on beats two and four. The drum beats in house music are almost always provided by an electronic drum machine, often a Roland TR-808 or the TR-909. Claps, shakers, snare drum, or hi-hat sounds are used to add syncopation. One of signature rhythm riffs, especially in early house music, is built on the solid clave patterns.

House music originated from a Chicago club called the Warehouse. Clubbers to the Warehouse were primarily black, who came to dance to music played by the club's resident DJ Frankie Knuckles, who fans refer to as the "godfather of house".

CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSE MUSIC

House Music has different sub genres but there are basic elements that stay the same regardless of the gengre:

• Steady, propulsive beats: House or House music is known for its 4/4 time and four-on-the-floor kick drum pulse. Off-beat hi-hat patterns and claps give the music a groovy edge.
• Dance tempos: Nearly all house music falls between 120 and 130 beats per minute, which makes it easy to dance to.
• Emphasis on early synthesizers: House artists and djs frequently compose their music with 1980s synthesizers such as the Roland TR-808, the Roland TR-909, the Korg Poly-61, and the Roland TB-303 Bass Line.
• Disco and soul influences: House music emerged from the soul and disco era, and while it does not use the live instruments of those genres, it often embraces their funky, soulful style.

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