San Francisco Nightclub Event Fuses Classical with Techno

June 23, 2009

First it went to church, then to the symphony hall, and now the organ has demonstrated its flexibility by jamming in a San Francisco hotspot.

An estimated 500-plus people crowded the Mezzanine, a nightclub in the South of Market district, for the Mercury Soul show featuring club music and live classical performers in a genre-blending concert experience on May 28. As part of the ensemble, concert artist Isabelle Demers played a custom three-manual Masterpiece organ from John Jarvis of Jarvis Music Associates.

The show brought together the talents of classical musicians led by San Francisco Symphony Resident Conductor Benjamin Shwartz with thumping techno music mixes by Mason Bates, who composed the program and acted as DJ.

In an interview with 7x7 Magazine, Bates described Mercury Soul as "a night out with a SWAT team of orchestra members just parachuting in." Between DJ sets, classical performers played in small lighted clusters located around the room, surrounded by dancers, while the program notes were projected onto the club's industrial walls above neon and aluminum installation pieces by artist Anne Patterson.

The nightclub, with its metal and wood décor, video screens, dance floors and multiple bars, is a far cry from the typical concert venue. But for Bates' mash-up of modern and traditional performance, he wanted a setting that eliminated the normally clear line between stage and audience. Bates first presented "Mercury Soul" last year at the same club, drawing an audience of over 1,400. Additional information about Mercury Soul can be found at www.mercurysoul.org.

Rodgers is the world's largest builder of stereo imaged church organs and pipe/digital organs. Rodgers is a member of the Roland Group, headed by Roland Corporation, a world leader in electronic musical instrument technologies and electronic musical instrument sales and manufacturing.

Photos by Guru Khalsa