By Daniel Gray-Kontar

hen HeadRush Music founders Amy M. Dana and David Christopher first began their weekly electronic music series inside an attractive space called the Abbasso Lounge, the move seemed curious. Abbasso is located in the basement of Bottom’s Up, a restaurant/lounge at 1222 Prospect Avenue. Needless to say, the address is not in one of the hippest areas to hang out after hours. For years, when you thought of this section of downtown Cleveland, only three things would come to mind: rowdy Indians fans, underdeveloped building projects, or drugs and prostitution.

Both promoters admit that the location — as much as starting this series in January, smack in the middle of the coldest Cleveland winter in recent memory — had a lot to do with the series’ lukewarm reception in the early going.

“Abbasso was known exclusively as ‘that after-hours place,’” says Dana, a warm and engaging 33-year-old Cleveland native. “A lot of crackheads would land here at 4 in the morning before we got here, so we had to contend with the perception that anyone up ’til 6 in the morning is up to no good. We would love for Cleveland to be like every other city that goes until 6 in the morning without it being perceived as some kind of freaky thing.”

For anyone not stuck in a parochial mindset, it seems a reasonable goal, and once inside Abbasso, the warm surroundings make it seem reachable. Such series as Nitty Gritty and the Chicago Sessions have drawn a significant number of the area’s electronic music listeners, and the HeadRush series could soon become another in the short list of successful electronic music showcases in town.

In fact, the series could thrive due to Abbasso’s relative obscurity. That the club is a stone’s throw away from the hustle of the Warehouse District means that HeadRush naturally attracts a different type of clientele. On a typical Friday night at Abbasso, it’s not unusual to find a small cluster of progressive house DJs talking shop in a small corner of the lounge, while a carefree clique of dancers, tired of the city’s rave scene, forget their troubles on the flawless pine dancefloor.

“The people who come here are from all walks of life,” says Christopher, a 24-year-old Yale alumnus who’s more soft-spoken than his partner, but just as eloquent about his commitment. “It’s a very international community, and they’re all here for one reason: to enjoy the music. It’s not about trying to pick up a girl or a guy, or to get as wasted as possible, or to be seen, or dress fancy and feel cool. It’s a place to get away from all that. It’s the antithesis of the nightclub scene.”

To create the right vibe in the lounge, the couple adds a number of features one might not find at a more traditional venue. For example, sketch pads and notebooks are left throughout the space for those with a penchant for creative writing and visual art. Copies of the latest magazines about politics, fashion and electronic music are also provided by the promoters.

“It’s not surprising that many of those people that are really into this music are also politically aware,” says Christopher. “So we provide an environment where you can not only dance, but where you can also engage your mind.”

But while the HeadRush founders agree it’s important to create the right chemistry inside the club, they also agree that the style of music has to address what’s missing in Cleveland. Christopher, who also goes by the DJ moniker Deviant, spun in New York’s electronic music scene before moving to Cleveland last year (HeadRush continues to promote shows in N.Y.C. and Connecticut).

Many of the DJs HeadRush brings to the Abbasso for their marathon Friday-night sessions are former friends that used to spin on the club circuit along the East Coast. More important, the HeadRush team makes sure the guests also emphasize a keen sense of musicality in their DJing and, ultimately, their production. Such DJs as the highly sought Thomas Penton have graced the Abbasso booth. Other internationally renowned DJs from Canada, New York and Washington, D.C., have also dropped into town, performing for small audiences with a true appreciation for the grooves these beat alchemists blend.

“A lot of progressive house is becoming too inorganic and too mechanical and formulaic,” says Christopher. “So we want to put out music that’s in the progressive house genre, but with a better sense of musicality than what’s out there now.”

“During our sessions, we love it when we’re able to talk about the journey that a DJ takes you on,” adds Dana. “That’s the best way to describe the kind of DJs we like to bring.”

And those DJs also fit the mold of artists the pair plan on signing to their new recording label, Toes in the Sand Records. Perhaps a reference to Miami, home of the fabled electronic Winter Music Conference — where the couple met — Toes in the Sand will feature DJs whose approach to production is a fusion between electronic music and organic instrumentation.

If the brand of music is anything like the Abbasso series, expect it to be a pure, off-the-beaten-path style that could make HeadRush Music a welcome addition to a local electronic scene slowly gaining more regional respect.

The HeadRush Music Summer Series 2003 continues with San Francisco DJ John Howard, 9 PM - 5 AM, Saturday, May 31at the Abbasso Lounge, basement of Bottoms Up (1222 Prospect Ave, Cleveland, 216-566-7278, or headrushmusic.com). 21+, $10 door/$8 advance.