A NEWTYPE OF EVENT JOINS INDY’S ROBUST NIGHTLIFE

A Newtype of Night I had the pleasure of sitting down last week with Joshua Matlock (SHIBASCREAM), to talk with
him about “Newtype”, a new monthly multi-genre EDM event, sponsored by Apostle DripCo. Josh is joined by Rusty T. (Neon Church Music) and Jesse Barnes (High Rise Hooligan) to form the braintrust for X-Potion Productions.

I asked Josh what the vision for this monthly event was, and what would set this event apart in Indy’s ever-growing nightlife. “So growing up as an old school party kid like yourself, I started thinking about rave culture and how different it is from club culture, in regards to musical variety and inclusion. Like, you could go to a party back in the day, and hear breaks, trance, jungle, house, techno, and drum n’ bass all in the same night. You could see all walks of life and different cultures coming together, united by dance” That is exactly the kind of experience
Newtype intends to give us; a multi-genre musical journey into electronic dance music. This leaves the door open for spontaneity and creativity for the DJ, and excitement for the audience. Josh went on to speak to me about showcasing local DJs in the same way other promoters would an out of town headliner, as well as ending gatekeeping altogether. “The DJs doing support in this city are just as talented and skilled as many of the national DJs being booked. They just don’t have the same marketing and promotion behind them. So the other thing that we want to accomplish with this night is to give local talent a platform and vehicle for success. This mindset isn’t limited to just DJs playing either, it carries over to the crowd as well. Fostering a spirit of education and radical inclusion, Josh made it clear that this is a safe space and everyone is welcome. “Jesse, Rusty, and I had specific conversations about that, and how we want the crowd to feel differently. At our shows, you’re not just going to feel like a spectator. You’re going to feel like part of the show, because you are the reason we’re all here doing this in the first place. We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re out of place or they don’t belong.” Josh said he knew from the beginning that Rusty and Jesse were the perfect partners for this project. All three share a common vision and purpose, yet bring different perspectives, talents, and knowledge to the table.

The venue, El Volkan Night Club, was previously a Mexican restaurant that has been transformed into a full bar nightclub. It looks unassuming on the outside, however, when you walk in it’s a completely different world. There are also local artists and vendors, and even a taco truck on site if you get the munchies!

Finally, Josh shed some light in regards to the name of the event and its meaning. “So I am a massive weeb, I don’t hide it anymore lol, and a newtype comes from Gundam. It is a person who has reached a new stage of human evolution in the Gundam universe. The theory behind this is that basically, in order to adapt to life in space, the human body in mind evolved with heightened mental awareness. And when I thought about that, I thought about evolving music genres, expanding consciousness, it just seemed like it made sense, and we loved the duality of the name.”

I am so excited for this event; even more excited to cover it! Newtype’s next event is
Bloody Valentine’s next Friday February 18th at 2705 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46222. They are asking you to please wear red and bring feminine hygiene products that will be donated to
the Julian Center.