"There are a lot of enthusiastic people that really want to start something," Matthew said. "There are plenty of people involved personally with music. Maybe they just want to be an event coordinator, or they want to be involved somehow, and they have the ambition. It's just going to take, I feel like, a lot of trial and error on their part to actually see a real scene come to fruition."
But with groups like Subculture coming around and events like Block x Blog, that kind of teamwork and unity is exactly what's brewing.
"If things stay on pace, as they have been for the past year or so, I think some good things are going to happen," Eric said. "I've seen a lot of changes. There was a time when you would never hear of an indie dance party downtown. There was a time when we were not welcome downtown, period. So getting to the point where you're going from those dive bars, and now you're playing in the biggest venues downtown, I would say now more than ever is a time where people have the opportunity to really get involved and make a simple choice."
That choice is about taking the time to seek out good music, good art and all of the hidden gems Ft. Lauderdale's bubbling underground have to offer. Of course JAMS is stoked on the growth of EDM, because they're all about dropping future beats. But they realize the cultural revolution of Ft. Lauderdale goes beyond bpm, and is really about something much larger.
"Ft. Lauderdale is essentially a blank canvass when it comes to pioneering any sort of new movement in this scene, new ideas, or fresh things with art," Eric said. "I've seen some artists come out of Ft. Lauderdale that have amazed me. I've seen some amazing things come out of this city. We could potentially possible be on the most underrated little cities in Florida."
Block x Blog. With Ex Norwegian, Holy Ghost!, Afrobeta, Jacuzzi Boys, MillionYoung, and others. 8 p.m., Saturday, April 20, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Visit subculture.us or jointherevolution.net for tickets.
Follow @CountyGrind
