Photo by Cameron Neimand
The Terrapin Beats Society put on a show deep into the night Friday at the NextNOW Fest as student DJs had the audience dancing for three hours straight.
And it was all free. I want a refund on my Coachella ticket.
The University of Maryland’s student-run DJ group set The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s makeshift nightclub ablaze during its performance at the second annual fesitval. Lofty expectations for the event were set upon entrance, as The Clarice had transformed suddently into a Tomorrowland-esque venue, complete with intricate balloon structures stylized by balloon artist Addi Somekh and graphic visuals projecting on the walls a la Kanye West’s “New Slaves” premiere. Before Terrapin Beats Society took the stage, George Kaplan, the club’s president, let me know exactly what was in store.
“You’re gonna have a hella great time,” said Kaplan, a senior physical sciences major. “That’s all you need to know.”
Slightly delayed because of the sold-out Reggie Watts performance running late, the show began at about 10:30 p.m. and was opened by Paul Garvey, a junior computer science major who goes by the DJ moniker Garves. Capturing the crowd, Garves’ set started with the perfect appetizer: a house music remix of “Circle of Life” from The Lion King. The set was beautiful madness, including Garves’ take on Bruno Mars’ hit “Uptown Funk,” which created a dance circle and prompted the first visible make-out session from an all-too comfortable couple in the audience.
In fact, the audience’s level of comfort and willingness to act as fools on the dance floor is what made the night so special. No one held back as sweat poured off the perspiring faces of college kids making up for another week spent cooped in cramped classrooms. A favorite audience member of mine was a kid who rave danced while reading a novel, making all other cases of multitasking pale in comparison. Booming bass and blaring volumes seemed to be a relaxation method for the crowd.
“Honestly, the music really just blows through me,” junior finance major Cody Brightbill said. “The pure emotion I get is incomparable to anything else I feel on a daily basis.”
Junior computer science major Aidan McCarthy, a Terrapin Beats Society DJ who performed live for the first time on Friday after DJing for a little less than a year, recognized the powerful connection between the audience and performers.
“The feedback between us and the crowd was really intense,” McCarthy said over the overwhelming noise.
A highlight of the night was when junior psychology major Meredith Pecukonis, a multi-instrumentalist, complemented Garves’ set with her saxophone playing. By this point in the night, I had spotted at least two other couples making out on the dance floor, along with countless incredibly entertaining amateur dance moves.
Shawn Verma, a freshman who was perennially in the center of the night’s dance circles, described the Terrapin Beats Society performance as “one of the top” events he has attended while at this university.
“It’s poetic because we are having a huge rager in the middle of CSPAC, which makes it ironic,” said Verma.
Notable performances included Terrapin Beats Society DJs Kasper Nilsson, a senior computer science and mathematics major, and Cadeem Franklin, a junior mechanical engineering major, whose bass-laced songs physically shook the entire venue accompanied by warped vocals from artists such as Drake and Kreayshawn. Nilsson perhaps best illustrated what it means to be part of Terrapin Beats Society.
“We are a close-knit group of friends who is also a club,” Nilsson said.
Even when the music briefly stopped during Terrapin Beats Society DJ and senior computer science major Ed Zhou’s set at about 12:22 a.m., audience members remained supportive and were quick to get back to dancing as soon as speakers blasted again. From about 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Terrapin Beats Society turned this university into an EDM artist showcase, complete with air-conditioning and happy wallets.
