The Columbus electronic community is hurting right now. Connor Compassi died unexpectedly. Connor promoted, deejayed and just in general helped make things happen.
Worst importantly: Connor was beloved and a good friend to everyone he interacted with.
This is an informal writing.
A bulk of his friends went to Mississippi for Connor’s funeral so there will probably be something more written down the road.
However, I can say that Connor played a special role in our city.
Connor was amongst the Nightmode Squad.
He deejayed at bars, helping with equipment, and also being a trusted glue.
Connor promoted many events in DIY settings like garages, loft apartments and other non-bar spaces through his party Signal.
He clearly wasn’t in it for the money. The labor of love he put into things is the extra mile that invokes punk ethos of the past with an upper-echelon respect for the better electronic music of the next.
Conner’s events always combined taste with intimate, somewhat elusive but never elitist environments.
I didn’t hang out with Connor like many did.
But he was that dude who would walk up to you at the party and make small talk that implied a welcoming awareness that set the mood for his events.
I can only imagine how well he treated people who were close to him.
Connor will be missed.
On a much lighter note: I attended the Beat Street at Space Bar on Saturday.
Beat Street is a dance party that plays classic Hip Hop, soul, R & B and things of that nature. When I walked in Eazy-E’s , “Boyz N The Hood” was being spun by Michael Thompson aka Mikey Da Nose.
I had just failed at talking my way into the Richie Homie Quan show, so hearing the Compton Classic was a good consolation prize.
This song has one my favorite rap lyrics, “Don’t Quote Me Boy Cause I Ain’t Said Shit,”
Something you can quote me on: At some point in my life I was a backpack purist and hated the early 80s movie “Beat Street” because they used Hollywood set designers to paint graffiti.
Beat Street did have appearances by Afrika Bambatta, Jazzy Jay, Dougie Fresh, the NYC Breakers, Rock Steady and more.
So the movie has its place.
It’s just no “Wild Style,” A film from the same period that used actual graffiti writers to paint the subways. Heck, they even had graffiti writers acting in key roles.
With that said, the Beat Street party had a really great feel to it.
The crowd was a mixture of skateboarders, hardcore kids, young townies and old punk dudes.
So there was a feeling of drinking with friends while a deejay played songs you like.
It’s just part of the former graffiti writer handbook to complain about “Beat Street.”
The TV had “Blood In Blood Out” on the screen, which is a film about Mexican prison gangs. I honestly don’t know how many real criminals were used in the filming of “Blood In, Blood Out.”
So perhaps there is hypocrisy on my part.
I guess if I were to make a cultural observation about Beat Street: It was like if punk kids and skaters whose second love in music was rap music for the past 15 years decided to make a rap themed night.
It felt more authentic than the graffiti in “Beat Street,” and I did not feel like I was in prison.
OK rap dudes: let's see if you could pull off a punk night and not be embarrassing.
Maybe not.
