Call it rave-revival, call it dance-resurgency, call it a blessing or call it a curse, but it seems that electronic music is taking over like Terminator (call it the Rise of the Drum Machines). As a member of Edmonton's Shout Out Out Out Out, producer, head of Nrmls Wlcm records (along with co-Shout Out-er Jason Trook), and DJ (Nik 7), Nik Kozub is doing much to help perpetuate the dance virus. The consolidation of such a number of job titles is emblematic of the genre blending that has helped break down pretensions and make dance music more palatable for the rock kids, and perhaps even make indie rock more palatable for the dance kids. Nevermind the possibility that maybe we all just want to forget about the immediacy of apocalypse (possibly via a James Cameron calibre robot war). According to Kozub, it's the merging of music that has coaxed us all onto the dance floor.

"Everybody's into everything now," he observed over the phone from Edmonton, "there's so many DJs now--guys like Diplo and Hollertronix--they'll mix Solid Groove and some baile funk thing into Daft Punk into Mariah Carey. The doors are just wide open and I think that has made everybody more excited." For their part, Shout Out Out Out Out find themselves placed firmly at the indy/electro intersection--their debut full-length Not Saying / Just Saying is (dare I say it) something like Edmonton's answer to Chromeo's She's In Control, but as Nik was eager to explain, a little more serious.

"I'm often kind of hiding behind a vocoder and burying lyrics," he said, "but I appreciate it when I'm asked about the lyricism on the record and what the record is about. That aspect of the band is really important to me." Kozub's worries are legit. Dance-punk--in all of its manifestations--is easy to take at face value. After all, who wants to think about somebody else's problems while they're busy trying to forget their own? Contrarily, within substance lies legitimacy, and within legitmacy lies longevity. "Lyrically I really enjoy the juxtaposition of dance music that's pretty upbeat and uplifting with dire, realistic, kinda bummer lyrics," Kozub told me, citing London's Hot Chip as an example, "It's important to me that even though we are playing fun music and a lot of the song titles are tongue-in-cheek goofy, it's important to me that people understand we are a pretty serious band."

Of course performing and, um, dancing are serious too. "I think we respect that that is a big part of our band," Kozub said, continuing, "For us to perform as a band, that's how we started because that's what we knew. Before, we were all playing in rock bands and stuff, now it's like we're doing the same thing but we have more buttons to push." With six members and a sizeable 'arsenal' of synthesizers and electronics, there are certainly lots of buttons and lots of fingers to push them. As such, the Shout Out writing process involves as much removal as it does addition.

"There's a lot of scaling back all the time with six guys all trying to get themselves heard," Nik explained, "We're very aware of cluttering things up too and a lot of our songwriting process does involve taking stuff away."

The care for cleanliness and attention to themes that Kozub emphasizes with Shout Out also carry over into the ethos behind his many projects that fly under the Nrmls Wlcm (say Normals Welcome) banner. As a producer he emphasizes an element of trust inherent with being responsible for people's music, including his own. As a label owner, he looks to well established European electro/indie labels such as Kitsuné, Gomma and, of course, James Murphy's ubiquitous DFA. "I have a lot of respect for how Kitsuné works, and Gomma and DFA actually, they all have a real artistic element to what they are doing and all those labels are involved in other things as well," he told me. "They tie things in with themes--I like that," he continued, "I like that all of those labels are labels that I feel like I could just go and buy any record and I know I'm going to be able to play it out when I'm DJing and I'm gonna like it." With a 12" for "Self Loathing Rulz" coming out soon--which will feature a remix from Germany's Malente--it seems like Nik, Nrmls Wlcm and Shout Out Out Out Out are on the right track.

For now, Shout Out Out Out will be focusing on touring in support of Not Saying / Just Saying , Nrmls Wlcm will be looking for talent wherever they can find it and Nik will be busy. "There's always tons of stuff to do but I like it that way," he said, "I actually find that even though I'm behind on everything, I get more done in the long run. There's always something getting accomplished."

<p>Michael Barrow, 15 Aug 2006<br /> ShoutOut play Vancouver with Holy Fuck on Sept. 28th. Check the events section for deets as we get them.<br /> Be sure to check out the<a href="http://www.nrmlswlcmrcrds.com"> Nrmls Wlcm Rcrds</a> website.<br /> Also, stop by on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shoutoutoutoutout"> Shout Out Out Out Out</a> on Myspace.</p>