‘Shhhneak Attack!’ on Florence

by Ann Harkey Student Writer

“Shhhneak Attack!” is coming Sept. 24 to the Smokehouse, after UNA’s homecoming game. This party will bring to Florence, for the first time, White Noise, a dubstep DJ.

The party starts at 9 p.m., and partygoers can expect to pay $10 at the door.

Nate Slaughter, a UNA alum with a degree in Entertainment Industry Management, is the event organizer. As part of his band, The Grownfolks, he has opened for White Noise. He hopes to diversify Florence’s musical taste.

“I’ve been promoting my band, and hoped to bring in dubstep (to Florence),” he said. “People spend so much money going to places like Nashville to see bands. Why not bring it here?”

Slaughter has promoted other events for Florence, including the after party for Big Boi when he performed at UNA.

Other acts include VIO, an electro DJ, and Alan “Monstah” AG, a hip-hop act. According to Slaughter, partygoers can expect fire dancers and live painting.

UNA students are excited about the upcoming event.

“Dubstep would be a refreshing change of pace,” said Brent Barnes, UNA commercial music major and member of the orchestra band. “Anyone who is curious about the enigma that is dubstep should be there.”

Dubstep can be a stand-alone type of dance music, or it can be incorporated throughout other types of music to give it a different sound.

“Dubstep is a marriage between techno and hip-hop,” Barnes said. “You can tell it’s dubstep when it has that characteristic bass called ‘wobble bass’. (The artists) run a flat bass tone through a low frequency oscillator (LFO), which makes it have an unique sound and rhythm. The beauty of dubstep is anyone who knows the sound can make it.”

Grant Willis, the lone artist that is White Noise, started getting shows about three years ago. He started off playing drums when he got into electronic music. He then started playing house parties and hosting shows in Tuscumbia to get the word out about dubstep.

To make his music, Willis uses a computer program called Ableton Live, which allows him to build songs from scratch. It also allows him to mix up music as it plays live.

“Where some DJs would use a turntable, I would use a computer and controller to make music,” Willis said.

White Noise doesn’t want to borrow from other dubstep DJs and groups.

“A lot of different bands influenced me, but I like to stand out by myself,” Willis said.