Photos by Paul Galipeau
For six years, the legendary club night was merely disorganized—now it’s an utter frenzy.
Founded by Ottawa’s globetrotting DJ duo Jokers of the Scene (JOTS), the Disorganized dance party came to an official end on January 1 at Babylon, but the torch has been passed to a crew called Frenzy, an outfit that includes the StraightGoods DJ team, photographer Paul Galipeau, and rotating VJ collaborators.
Following a successful debut on February 5, Frenzy hits Babylon again this Friday, March 5. Iggy Smalls and DJ Drastik (aka, StraightGoods) are the new maestros, while long-time Disorganized VJ Ryan Stec is stepping aside to help marshal in some new blood on the visual end of things.
“I thought it was fitting to step back from my sole role as a VJ and open up the space to new experimentations,” said Stec. “That slot has become one of the only times in the city where the visuals play a central role in the night and I thought it would be great if I could share that with other VJs.”
Stec also recognized an opportunity to involve the art-and-technology incubator Artengine, where he serves as artistic director.
“It is our role to create space for artists to create in unique environments, so Artengine is there to provide the technical infrastructure and the VJs can just come and play,” added Stec. “We have some great artists coming up in the next few months, VJ DO, Eric Chan, including a rare visuals set by BearWitness and a 3D party."
Musically, the transition from JOTS to StraightGoods has been a smooth one. Almost two years ago, StraightGoods were introduced to the Disorganzied camp and soon became part of the family.
“JOTS garnered such great international attention that their touring became quite rigorous,” explained Iggy Smalls, “so the duo looked to Drastik and me to keep their party running on their behalf.”
“Our approach was very similar to Disorg's—open-format dance parties that showcased international talent we felt were on the comeup,” said Iggy Smalls.
With guest DJs often sitting in, the music is never mainstream and always fresh.
"It's the fine line between bringing a dose of Detroit ghettotech or Brazilian baile funk and simply playing a Lady Gaga remix," explained Iggy Smalls. "The party showcases a monthly rotation of artists from NYC, LA, or Chicago, to Italy and the UK. With them they bring the ahead-of-the-curve music from their specific regions."
Frenzy photographer Paul Galipeau with his themed “photobooth” is another key element during the evening.
“He works both to document the ephemeral qualities of the night out while also creating an atmosphere that pushes people into an active party mode,” Stec said of Galipeau.
“He brings people out of their shells with costumes and themes, but most importantly his own open vibe.”
“It's important to see the night as a collaboration between these different elements to create something greater in its whole,” said Stec. “It is rare that a club night gets manages to be a baggin' good time, but also allow for the creative people involved to experiment and push boundaries.”
Iggy Smalls added: “I think everyone was relieved to know we were continuing [or] restarting so that our crowd would not see a gap between the last of the old and the first of the new.”
“It would be a pity to take away such a fun anything-goes party from the people who have gotten used to going to Babylon for that first Friday of the month jam.”
DJ Drastik
Party-goers pose in Paul Galipeau's photobooth at the first Frenzy party on February 5 at Babylon.
Galipeau provided disposable cameras to the crowd during the final Disorganized party on January 1.
