Defying all kinds of labels, VHS or Beta make their own brand of dance music
by Travis Gray
It's tricky trying to find a label for VHS or Beta. Not a record label (which we'll get to momentarily), but a classification that conforms to a section of a record store. Performing electronic house music with classic rock instruments: what kind of music is that?
"We definitely have a certain sound that is electronic, but we were looking at most of the record stores, and things like Chemical Brothers were in the rock section," says Craig Pfunder, the band's guitarist. "We were having that trouble on the road too—promoters don't exactly know yet how to put us, 'cause we are definitely in the middle of a lot of things."
After nearly running out of diesel on the way to a show in "fucking hot" Rhode Island, Pfunder spoke over his cell phone, with a lot of confidence and no hint of ego associated with a band that's doing something new and getting a lot of press for it.
"Well, I don't know if we think we're doing something brand new," Pfunder says.
A Knoxville record store shelved them (temporarily) in the jazz section. Puzzled a bit at the misclassification, Pfunder slightly stumbled when responding, "Well, we have it panned out to be put in rock. I can see being put in a few sections, but jazz is not one of them. A lot of the people who are going to dig us aren't going to be looking in the jazz section for our record."
The modern disco rhythms, effects pedals, and bumping bass sparked several comparisons in the music press to French danceclub geeks Daft Punk. The difference in the two is that VHS needs no DJ in order to electrify an audience. Hearing a prerecorded loop on a sound system compared to having one performed right in front of your face is most of the pleasure of live music and ultimately turns a "show" into an "event."
Because people are so baffled when trying to classify the group, it's not surprising that the band would start its own label to release its music. The band created ON! Records for the debut CD Le Funk. Pfunder talks about promoters, distributors, and buyers like a suit-and-tie A&R guy. Using the phrase, "The northwest markets," he imbues no sense of irony or embarrassment—distributing music is indeed a business and getting attention for their small niche is a tough task.
"It's hard," he says. "You have to be ready to dedicate a lot of your time to being on the phone and mailing things out and doing a lot of work that isn't very glamorous."
Song titles like "Disco Paradise" and "Solid Gold" are a strong clue as to what to expect of the CD. There are also two flawless live tracks, recorded in the band's hometown of Louisville, Ky., where the roar of the crowd confirms a band with a soul's sole purpose: the thrill of disco dancin', dancin', dancin', like a rave for liquored up doctoral students.
"If you see our crowds in Louisville, it's all different types of people and that's really our way of looking at it," Pfunder says. "Like the system got pushed aside and we made it work no matter what. People of all different kinds of natures come out to our shows and that's cool, definitely. It's tough when there aren't many people at the shows, but you gotta keep the level of excitement up. In Louisville, 1,000 people come to the shows."
San Francisco, L.A., and Austin are also great cities, according to Pfunder. But Knoxville?
One of the best parts of the upcoming VHS or Beta show might be watching the usually self-conscious Pilot Light audience consciously try not to dance. There have been a few occasions at shows where the Sauconys and New Balances have shuffled a bit, but to see them dance outright will be fabulous.
"What it takes is to get a few people to start, and you kind of gotta work 'em into it. Sometimes the room follows suit and sometimes they don't. We pull up into a city and the promoters will say, 'God, we've never seen this room dance.' And it's a great feeling..."
August 15, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 33
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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