“Five years ago, if you would’ve told me about Starfucker, I
would’ve spit my Americano all over your face,” says Manny
Reyes—the co-founder of Supernature, the monthly party he
organizes with E*Rock and Copy—in summing up his shock at
electronic music’s recent rise in Portland nightlife.
He has a point. It wasn’t long ago that a night on the town in our
moody city meant clasping cheap cans of beer while nodding off with the
latest band to invest in a delay pedal. That stepping out now means
something not quite so socio-pathetic—a little less shoegazing
and a lot more dancing—is in no small way owed to Reyes’
enthusiasm for the unabashed fun in which Starfucker traffic. It’s
taken some time but we’ve finally learned how to party.
Superfest, an all-ages offshoot of Supernature, might be Reyes’
biggest party yet. For two days at Rotture (home of Supernature) a
veritable summary of Portland’s recent Day-Glo players will take the
stage in what its organizer refers to as a celebration of electronic
music’s present dominance.
“The kids drove me to organize Superfest,” Reyes says. By “kids” he
could be referring to the bands as much as the scenesters. At the top
of the bill, Nice Nice, Panther, and Reyes’ own excellent prog-disco
group, Atole, are set to play. The two-day festival will also mark an
intriguing point of intersection for its two headliners. On Saturday,
Jona Bechtolt begins the push for YACHT’s new internationally
anticipated full-length, See Mystery Lights, while on Sunday,
Starfucker wraps up the entire festival with the homecoming gig for
their current national tour.
When the scene takes its inevitable next sharp turn away from this
extended Italo-obsessed moment, Reyes insists he’ll be ready. “I’m
hoping tribal-influenced noise pop is the next big thing,” he says, in
reference to the funky but decidedly guitar-driven Explode into Colors,
who play on Sunday, “or maybe singers that don’t use words at all.”