Juicy Is Rad

Portland

Written by Neil Strauss /// photos by Jill Smothers

When you do something well, you usually gravitate towards your talent. This explains why Conrad Loebl has been throwing the best parties in Portland. His talent is bringing together people to have a great time. Renegade really appreciates the time he took to answer some questions to help find out what’s up with life, future and the business of promoting.

You dj, you book shows what else does Conrad do?

Hmmm well my day job is at Mike Thrasher Presents. I’m his assistant. Booking local support, getting holds at venues, etc. Then I DJ and throw parties at night, as well as booking shows on the side from time to time. I still book hardcore shows at all ages venues and/or houses, etc, which I’ve been doing for 10+ years, keeping a hold of my roots. I also dabble in photography, graphic design, etc. And when I’m not out working/promoting/going to shows, I try to catch up on sleep and lock myself in my room and watch movies.

When you left Berbati’s, how did you see your future?

I dunno it was kinda scary actually. I wasn’t really prepared but I was ready? Does that make sense? I knew I wanted to keep doing something in the music business, primarily booking. I just wanted to take what Berbati’s had given me, and run with it. I had a couple of options, but still was pretty unsure of what the outcome was. I didn’t know if I would have to go back to working in coffee, or working retail, or what? I had asked Mike if he needed someone, and at the time he said no. Then he called back a week later and asked for me to come interview. A week later I had the job. As far as parties, I didn’t think I was gonna be throwing parties like I do, and being as busy as I was, its still now kinda surreal, but I’m stoked right now on where I’m at and what I’m doing. Looking to brighter stuff in the future you know?

When did you start doing nights at Rotture
and how has it progressed since?

We did our first Juicy there in December of ‘06. Juicy actually started as a queer night, as that’s what we were used to throwing. I’d been throwing queer parties the entire year, and I guess I just didn’t know anything else. Things have progressed a lot and has been switched up since our first Juicy. Lineups have shifted a little, although a lot of our crowd is still predominantly queer, which we love, we try not to focus so much on gender and sexual orientation and more on the music and fun. We all have a large mixture of friends so we don’t want anyone feeling left out. We also set the standards high at Juicy, and have stepped it up with the djing. All of our DJ’s mix and are great selectors. Everyone is pretty current and always up on the new stuff. And there’s a good chance you’ll come out hearing something you’ve never heard.

You booked and setup the Chromeo and Flosstradamus show, which of course was fucking ridiculous. Has that made you rethink what you could do as far as packing a place, maybe bigger places in town? In other cities?

Well of course. I’ve always wanted to book Chromeo, and was actually talking about bringing Flosstradamus out when the Chromeo show was offered. I was ecstatic, but I knew it was gonna be a lot of work. I pretty much gave up 3 months of my life promoting that show and it paid off. I even gave up a trip to Maui for my family reunion. But it was well worth it. That show was off the hook, and it gave me true faith that Portland is down and ready for acts and parties like this. Which makes me stoked to live in a city like Portland right now. There’s a lot going on a lot of potential for this city. I’m excited to see this place grow. I don’t think I’m gonna be leaving Portland anytime soon, although thoughts have crossed my mind from time to time. As far as bigger places, for right now, I’m very happy at having my parties at Rotture. The venue is great, the staff is amazing, and its the perfect party spot. If we grow, we grow. But right now I’d rather have a place packed than half full you know?

What makes Juicy different than other nights?

Well I think the biggest difference is it’s a Friday night party where the music is current and the DJ’s are top notch. I’m not talking current radio jams, although that gets played as well, but we’re pretty up on the new bangers coming up. And we all mix. Our crowd is pretty mixed, with a lot of cutting edge kids coming through, not as much bridge and tunnel as some of the other more mainstream spots. And honestly, its just straight up fun. Its a place to forget the week you just had, have fun, and dance your ass off.

What’s the best night in Portland right now?

Wow there’s a few that come to mind. I’m not gonna be a cocky dick and say Juicy, so I’m gonna hit you with a few amazing parties going on that are flipping it. Of course there’s A Hole in Your Soul, every 2nd Thursday at Rotture. That’s Beyonda’s soul night. You’ll hear some of the best music ever here. And it’s probably some of the most innocent fun you’ll ever have. Always a great crowd. Great music. Perfect combination. Then there’s the Fix, which is every Thursday at the Someday Lounge. Four of the best hip hop DJ’s in town: Rev. Shines, Kez, Omega Watts, and my boy Dundiggy killin’ it every week with the deepest crates. These 4 are definitely the Encyclopedia Britannica’s of Hip Hop. They take it back to the roots and is always mixing it up. Great crowd, great vibe, and you’ll probably hear something you never heard before, and learn something new. Maybe where your favorite hip hop artist lifted that sample from. Or some of your favorite cuts from back in the day. There’s also Rockbox at Holocene, which Kez, Dundiggy and Mr. Matt Nelkin does, always fun. And of course, No No Disco, the best Tuesday night you’ll ever have at Tube, with DJ Linoleum always mixing it up. Always packed, always great music. I’m sure I’m forgetting something but yeah, those are definitely the spots you’ll see me at the most.