The hottest Saturday night dance spot is just minutes away from campus. No, it’s not your bro’s bachelor pad.
Local DJs Matt McCoy and Casey Dewey (Dewtron) are the hosts for Club Congress’ weekly Saturday night dance party appropriately called Bang! Bang! Since the weekly party series began in late January, Congress has seen hundreds flock downtown each weekend for the event.
Instead of just the bass-thumping electronic sounds most people associate with dance music, McCoy and Dewtron spin a wide selection of current music from genres like indie rock, hip hop and dance-punk. The DJ’s are also known to throw in some ’80s music to get Tucson on the dance floor.
“”It’s almost like a house party,”” said McCoy. “”We play the good stuff we’re really into.””
McCoy is arguably Tucson’s hippest and ubiquitous DJ. In addition to Saturday nights at Congress, he also is resident DJ for Black Mondays at The Surly Wench. McCoy has even been invited to open up for several live concerts in recent months including Of Montreal at The Rialto Theatre and Ghostland Observatory at Solar Culture.
David Slutes, entertainment director at Hotel Congress, said he had wanted to go back to a really great dance night at the downtown institution. After several one-off appearances at Congress’ Optimist Club and a 2006 Halloween event, McCoy was recruited to become a resident DJ at Bang! Bang!
“”We had him do a couple Optimist Clubs and it was really great,”” said Slutes. “”He’s got a special touch.””
While Bang! Bang! certainly draws in Tucson’s hipsters and scenesters, McCoy said that the crowd is a mix of different types of people as compared to other clubs.
“”It’s a pretty good mix of people,”” said McCoy. “”Even older people (show up).””
While it may seem that a DJ simply plays music, McCoy believes there is much more to it. He said it takes a lot of knowledge about the music so that transitions work well. He also does some programming work to ensure a smooth DJ set.
“”You have to know what’s happening in the song so it works with the next thing you’re going to play,”” said McCoy. “”A lot of the iPod DJ’s kill that for people who actually know what they’re doing.””
A usual Bang! Bang! night consists of new music, dancing and, of course, alcohol. McCoy usually plays several new songs and remixes he collects each week, but sometimes only after the crowd is a bit liquored up.
“”When people are really drunk you can get away with anything,”” said McCoy. “”The people in the crowd are usually happy drunks.””
Some of the new music McCoy plans on playing this Saturday night includes Modest Mouse, Matt and Kim, LCD Soundsystem and Klaxons.
Club Congress hosts Bang! Bang! featuring DJ’s Matt McCoy and Dewtron every Saturday night. This weekend’s event features guest DJ Barry Weaver of San Diego. The cover charge is $5 for the 21+ dance party between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
