Skip to main contentHolocene's glaring white walls are getting a coat of touch-up paint, but it's not for an upcoming show. "We have a lot of wedding party requests this summer," says Scott McLean, stopping to pet his dog Franny. "I guess people like to dance here."
McLean is meeting booker Aaron Hall at the Southeast Portland club to finish a few tasks before Holocene, the music venue and bar he started after moving from San Francisco with his business partner, Jarkko Cain, celebrates its sixth anniversary this weekend. In the sunlight, Holocene is eerily empty, and it's easy to notice just how big the space is—the two-room venue looks a lot more like a warehouse when it's devoid of a vibrant, sweaty crowd.
On Friday night, acclaimed Norwegian DJ-producer Prins Thomas is set to spin records into the early morning to celebrate the birthday party. Thomas, who rarely makes it to the U.S., has just two other appearances planned stateside: one date in Chicago, and one in New York City. After years as an afterthought to the worldwide electronic music community, Portland is now on the scene's shortlist. Holocene has a lot to do with the change.
"It was Jarkko's idea to start a small club, centered [on] the minimal techno scene going on in Berlin that we had both become fans of," the 36-year-old McLean says. "But then we ended up finding this space, and the space dictated the larger venue."
McLean mentions they also lucked out by starting the club at a time when electronic music and European dance culture were starting to gain more traction and clout in the indie culture, with websites like Pitchfork embracing dance music and booking agents starting to bring more esoteric, minimalist music stateside: "When we first opened we were kind of ones-and-twos-ing it—OK, we'll fly you up here and we'll try to find you a show in San Francisco or Seattle. The thinking was, why not in Portland?"
In 2003, the Rose City's illustrious music scene was at something of a crossroads: One of the city's most influential production companies, Blackbird Presents, was on its way out; La Luna—the city's go-to all-ages club—had long since closed; and the stylish Doug Fir Lounge was still under construction. Portland was essentially an indie-rock town that lacked midsized venues, let alone clubs that welcomed touring electronic music.
Holocene's debut not only paved the way for more electronic music to visit the city, it also happened upon a subculture that was just starting to bubble up in the early aughts: diverse electronic and experimental-minded musicians and artists who lacked a place to call home.
DJ and musician Paul Dickow (who performs as Strategy) was at the center of that community. "Holocene raised the bar on several levels," says Dickow, who also runs the electronic-leaning local label Community Library. "They saw all this dispersed activity that was happening and recognized that club music and experimental music coexist quite well in the same venue."
Still, Holocene's early days were a struggle. "We were just scraping by," McLean says. McLean and Hall recall nights with only 30 patrons in the first year. None of them was dancing. Until about two years ago, the financial model was based on bringing in more mainstream touring acts, allowing the bookers to promote things that really mattered to them, like queer- and hip-hop-centered dance nights, performances from ambient noise artists White Rainbow and Grouper, or minimalist techno.
The club now has a steady draw, based on a mix of electronic and experimental music coupled with up-and-coming local bands (recent favorites from WW's Best New Band poll Explode Into Colors and Nurses, which played their first larger shows there, will perform at Saturday's free anniversary show). The creation of Holocene Music, a record-label offshoot started by McLean and friend Matt Wright, gave acts like the Shaky Hands, Alela Diane and Ethan Rose their first push. In doing so, Holocene proved that a midsize venue could thrive by supporting niche communities and not relying on an outside promoter to bring people through the door.
Holocene knows it has to adapt to stay relevant. Plans are in place to upgrade the club's main sound system and stage by the end of the year. As McLean and Hall reminisce about their favorite shows, Hall starts laughing. "Have you ever been here when there's people dancing on the DJ booth?" he asks. "Well, they also have a tendency to fall off into the deck." Six years on, they can finally fix that.
Holocene celebrates its sixth anniversary with free shows Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6. 9 pm. 21+. See Music Listings for details.
WWeek 2015