Brillobox
December 5
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
He took the reigns as operations manager at Bayardstown Social Club in April, launched the city’s inaugural Pittonkatonk Brass Festival on May Day and brought the world renowned Boban Marković Orchestra to town for their Pittsburgh debut in October—just to name a few highlights.
Bloomfield-based DJ, event producer, designer and dad to a daughter and a dog Pete Spynda has had one very busy year. Make that nine, as he gets set to mark a milestone for his popular monthly dance party, known as Pandemic. Dubbed everything from a “global ruckus” to an “ethnopunk party,” Pandemic celebrates nearly one decade as Pittsburgh’s premiere global musical mash-up.
Catch up with the Pandemic crew on Friday, December 5th at cozy Brillobox, where it first set up shop in 2005, as a collaboration between Spynda, Justin Hopper and Caulen Kress.
For its ninth anniversary edition, Pandemic is pulling out all of the stops—or should we say stomps—with the return of special guest DJ, Joro-Boro. The self-described “crypto crunk charlatan from the Balkans,” Joro-Boro has gained a following via his seven-year DJ residency, alongside Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz, at New York City’s famed Bulgarian Bar (Mehanata) on the Lower East Side. A pivotal influence on and longtime friend of Pandemic, Joro has toured with Balkan Beat Box, Omar Souleyman, Bassnectar and DAM.
Along with Joro and resident DJ-founder Pandemic Pete, prepare to get your world groove on, with top tunes spanning Bhangra, glitchy Balkan bass, electro Arabic tech hop, Brazilian baile funk, Colombian cumbia, Albanian tallava, Gypsy kuceks, chalga, Afrobeat, Turkish reggaeton and more. Whether you flip for dancehall or klezmer, Pandemic has the beat for you. Attendees can also score Pandemic merchandise such as new Pittonkatonk t-shirts, mix CDs and posters.
Along with special guest DJs both local and international, Spynda has applied a tireless enthusiasm to the task of rogue ethnomusicologist, uncovering new sounds from far-away lands to spotlight, while also bringing special guest performers, bands and DJs to town. Unearthing less-heard sounds from around the planet via a variety of tape, digital and vinyl formats, Pandemic has established a refreshing terrain within Pittsburgh’s nightlife.
Check out some of Pandemic’s sounds and new Continental Drift mixes on Soundcloud. In 2015, look for Pandemic to continue on the first Friday and third Saturday of each month.
