To celebrate one year of Jaguar, the Persona crew proudly presents:
PRIMAL
a two-floor all-out techno rager!!
Jaguar was born out of a desire to celebrate the underground dance music scene and highlight the sound of the old school, bringing veteran headliners and on-the-rise DJs who are putting a contemporary spin on classic electronic music.
PRIMAL is the culmination of this effort. At the helm are "The Godfather of Techno Soul" Eddie Fowlkes and emerging powerhouse Sister Zo. To support these world-class talents, Persona has invited some of Pittsburgh's finest DJs as support:
Paul Fleetwood, Formosa, Kiernan Laveaux, smoko.world, and Azrael will spin alongside Persona residents Dave Clevr, Repeat Offender, and Ron Mist
The hypnotic lighting provided by Keebs will keep you in a trance all night.
on both floors
8pm-2am
$15-25
21+
PRIMAL is co-presented by Spirit and sponsored by IC Light Mango, Pittsburgh's go-to summer beverage.
EDDIE FOWLKES
With nearly five decades behind the decks, Eddie Fowlkes is a true Detroit Techno Originator. Dubbed the “Godfather of Techno Soul,” he spawned a fresh sound which rests on a foundation of classic Detroit Techno and Chicago Jackin House. Honored by the Detroit Historical Museum's exhibit "Techno: Detroit's Gift to the World," Fowlkes and three of his cohorts were distinguished for pioneering Detroit’s electronic music. Fowlkes’ catalog–over 150 releases deep–dates back to the iconic 1986 track “Goodbye Kiss,” and features credits on Elektra, Sony, BMG, Defected, Desolat, and Tresor. A powerhouse in both the studio and the booth, he continues to create, push boundaries, and release music regularly on his own vinyl imprints, Detroit Wax and City Boy Records, while charming dancefloors worldwide with his quintessential Detroit sound, and humble, authentic smile.
SISTER ZO
Kansas City-born Zoey Shopmaker, aka Sister Zo, has long been on a path entirely of her own making. After getting her start performing at underground poetry events in her hometown, she eventually moved on to playing live beat sets during open mic nights at one of KC's most pivotal queer nightlife institutions of the 21st century, the Uptown Arts Bar. Occasionally she'd wander upstairs to Niche, a 100-cap club with a legendary sound system known as the Meta HiFi. There she got her first taste of the sounds of the UK bass continuum and the LA beat scene. At 26 years old, she left behind a stable career in psychotherapy to pursue her creative dreams. This would lead her back to Niche where a ravenous desire to evolve as an artist connected her with Peter Anthony, aka Coughman, who ran the independent KC collective and label, Intelligent Sound. Soon Anthony encouraged Zo and her friends Mazzy Mann and Lorelei Kretsinger to build a platform of their own. In October 2017, the three of them founded the UN/TUCK queer/trans collective and record label. Over the next two years, they tirelessly built UN/TUCK into an internationally recognized platform, releasing their own music and organizing shows and parties curated specifically for trans and queer people in Kansas City. Now based in Brooklyn, she has made definitive creative statements in 2022, releasing her debut EP, Screw Cheek, on acclaimed UK club label, Scuffed Recordings, and a follow-up EP, Freak Shift, on Martyn's hallowed 3024 imprint, as well as a slew of national bookings. It's clear that Zo has solidified her place as an emerging artist firmly in her own lane, with tracks that span the continuum of UK bass and North American techno and house, and mixes that seamlessly capture and defy her genres of interest, blending deep dark percussive bass and broken beat with blistering techno, psychedelic house, east coast club and more.