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Bug in the Bassbin
Kris Moon Heads for the Hills

by Donte Parks

Through a twist of fate, Seattle techno fans owe a huge debt to Top 40 hiphop. For much of the last decade, local techno notable Kris Moon has made ends meet DJing for the masses at Fremont’s Ballroom, using the free time from that job to indulge his electronic leanings. Now, after months of planning, Moon’s leaving not only the Ballroom but Seattle, heading for a quiet Montana cabin that’s spitting distance from the middle of nowhere.

Moon is best known as a DJ/performer, flying the techno flag since back in the day at nights like the now-defunct ROBO.trash and turning heads with his dubby live sets, but he’s been busy behind the scenes as well. Along with a circle of collaborators, Moon is a founder of the Laptop Battle; a creator of Division, the ever-growing regional techno-centric mailing list; and is curator of SLUG (the Seattle Live Users Group, a series of workshops for sharing tips for Ableton Live, the de facto standard software program for live electronic-music performance). He’s also served as Decibel Festival’s educational director for the last three years.

So why would Kris Moon leave Seattle? Unknown to most, Moon has been making trips to the cabin regularly, minus this impending trip’s permanence (he plans to stay for at least a year). These getaways provide a distraction-free environment for Moon to work on his various ideas with the added bonus of the natural setting.

"It’s like a hiatus," Moon says of the impending move. "It’s where I get my spiritual recharge. I go out there every year, and I’ve always wanted to do all four seasons. The last time I was up there for an extended period was in 2002, and after I came back I came up with the Laptop Battle. The material I came up with then still shows up in my live sets."

His plan for the next year involves a strict focus on his own music. He’s working with two newly launched labels, Peloton Musique and Think 2wice Records, both for dubby techno productions and his newer hipster-friendly club remixes. "I’m relying on those guys for my a cappellas, since I’ll be completely out of the loop," he jokes

Moon’s absence doesn’t mean the end of his various projects. He’s already planning a trip back to Seattle for the regional Laptop Battle (this year’s national finals in Atlanta will be the first held outside Seattle), and he’s handing the reins of SLUG over to one of its regular attendees ("at this point I’ve shared all my tips and tricks").

Moon is quick to allay concerns about his move and what it means. "People have been worried, but there’s electricity, there’s running water [in the cabin]," he says. "I’m in a pretty unique position—no kids, no huge responsibilities. It’s been a lifelong dream to spend an extended amount of time there, so now that I’ve got the opportunity, I just have to do it. My plan is to come back to Seattle, but who knows how things will go after a year at the cabin."

Kris Moon plays his official going-away party at Krakt on Saturday, March 8, 10 pm–2 am, $10, 21+, with NYC’s Derek Plaslaiko. He’ll also be DJing at Serious Business on March 22 at Lo_Fi.