Brent Crampton sound offers Lincoln new beat

Coffee house music and house techno music don't often go together; unless you go by the moniker DJ Crampton.

Crampton is on tap to spin today at the Bricktop, 1427 O St., from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

A sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the 19-year-old Brent Crampton has taken a roundabout route in accessing the club dates that DJs in the area so desire.

DJ Crampton with Ryan McGinty When: Tonight at 9 Where: Bricktop, 1427 O St.

"I found it hard to get performances in the electronic community,' Crampton said. "So, I took a different route to get noticed and to express myself."

With a style he dubbed "deep coffee house," he began to tour coffee shops in the Omaha area with an impressive amount of success.

"Before, it was always acoustic and rock bands, but now people would walk into coffee shops and see this kid DJing," Crampton said.

Crampton's ingenuity earned him the ears of an upstart production company, Musique, and he was asked to be on its DJ roster for gigs at two Omaha venues: Club 415 and the Velvet Lounge.

Ethan Bondelid, owner and founder of Musique Productions, said Crampton's mature sound was one of the reasons Bondelid was interested from day one.

"His sound is a mix of a cultural world sound with a bit of merlot," he said.

Bondelid was impressed Crampton didn't give up when his initial impressions on the Omaha music scene didn't garner him local club performances.

"Music was always in my blood," Crampton said. "I would listen to a song right before school so it would be stuck in my head for the entire day."

Crampton's DJing journey began in 2000. He went to underground parties when the Omaha rave era was still in full swing.

One event stands out to Crampton in his search for musical salvation. He went to an event in Kansas City called "Where the Wild Things Are," where he realized DJing was the route he wanted to take.

"The True House Coalition was performing and I just caught the house bug and knew I wanted to DJ," Crampton said.

From there the successes piled up:

-- A slot in last September's Music Meltdown in front of an estimated 4,000 people.

-- The incorporation of live instruments such as African drums, saxophone and flute into some of his sets.

-- Outings in an eclectic array of atmospheres including the aforementioned coffee houses, art galleries, schools, warehouses, churches and clothing stores.

The deep house sound Crampton embraces with his turntables is a bit different from the usual Bricktop fare, but Crampton said the crowd has embraced him when he's spun there in the past.

"The people at Bricktop like things hard," Crampton said.

"If I came in playing deep house it would clear the floor. The avenue I take when I'm there is quirky, techy, funky and of course, jazzy."

Garrick Michael, local DJ in charge of booking musicians for the Bricktop, said Crampton's previous appearances have been successful.

"People here take to his music and they like it,' Michael said. "His style makes for an interesting change of pace."

Crampton's union with Musique has presented him with more than just an opportunity to play the occasional set at local clubs.

Musique has put together a series of CDs promoting its DJs. Crampton's offering is third in the series.

"(Crampton's) music is something you can listen to in your car, on the dance floor or while you're hanging out on the beach with someone," said Joe Iaccheri, Musique's DJ booker and fellow performer.

Such an explanation is about all that's needed to describe the sound of the CD. Some percussion, but laid back so you could listen to it before heading to the club and after returning home, ready to chill for the duration.

Tonight's performance at the Bricktop is an unofficial pre-release event for the CD. Crampton will be selling promotional copies of the CD for $5. Ryan McGinty will perform from 9-11 p.m.

The release party for "Musique: Mix Series Volume 3" is on February 14 at Club 415, 415 S. 13th St., in Omaha.

For more information on Crampton, check online at djcrampton.technomaha.com.