1/Fourth: How Omaha's Sickest DJ Crew Adds Up

It was just over a year ago that I attended my first real 1/Fourth party. I had seen DJ’s CP and Pree spin at a couple parties, but I could say with absolute certainty at the time that the 1/Fourth scene definitely was not MY scene.

What was this music?

Was everybody seriously enjoying this?

Dear God, do these people really think whatever it is they’re doing is dancing!?!!?

To say that I was confused…and a little frightened would have been a gross understatement. It had definitely been an interesting experience, but I was in no hurry to relive it. I would stick to music I knew and loved and that wasn’t…this, thank you very much!

I couldn’t tell you to this day why when a friend asked, I accepted an invite to another 1/Fourth event. Clearly I was a musical masochist to go back for more, but I did no less, and I actually had fun. Now, I can’t tell you when, or even how exactly I got sucked into the 1/Fourth machine: all I know is that it happened, and it happened fast!

It seemed like over night I went from going to 1/Fourth shows because I knew someone who knew someone, to stashing my purse behind the turn tables with the rest of the "crew’s" coats and bags, and dodging limbs on the dance floor. Even now, writing this article, it’s funny to me how these guys came to be a part of my regular nightlife, and somewhere along the way, really cool friends, as well.

It was official…I was a 1/Fourth convert, and I didn’t even know it.

Confessions of a Convert

Now, to understand how one might be sucked into a scene, crowd, or type of music that she had a firm—albeit ignorant—distaste for is another story in and of itself. In short, these guys were cool as hell, and they created their own scene.

It was contagious! The crowds were getting bigger and bigger at each show, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to stay away from the dance floor. It was when I realized my inability to refrain from attending 1/Fourth events that I really took in what was going on around me and what these guys were doing.

CP

There was Chris (aka CP), who to me looked as much what I imagined a DJ to look like as the man in the moon. An Indonesian implant with a serious face, and serious skills to match. When we interviewed the guys he joked that we had to cut his portion of talking down to two minutes because as he puts it:

Terrance is 20 minutes, Seth is ten, and I’m two minutes…that’s it.

He may not have much to say, but when you dissect a beat the way CP can, there really is no need.

DJ Pree

Then there’s Terrance (aka DJ Pree), who is the complete polar opposite of CP…to say the least. Where CP seems to be in his own world while spinning, Pree plays largely off the crowd, almost forcing the beat thirsty dancers to beg for the next bar. Pree’s smooth swagger, whether behind the turn tables or not, has become somewhat of a trademark for him, and I don’t think that 1/Fourth fans would have it any other way.

Serka

Next up on the 1/Fourth roster is Seth (aka Serka). As Pree once put it, "Seth is the man!" From a dance move—which was lovingly dubbed by yours truly—known as the full body dry heave, to a smooth transition behind the turn tables, Serka is a man in his own land. A treat to watch, Serka always looks half torn between honing his ever emerging presence on the ones and twos, and dancing his life away with the ever growing 1/Fourth loyals. It saddens me a bit that I don’t get to see him dance quite as much as he used to, but fret not, because the boys of 1/Fourth will never leave a dance floor unmanned…

Nayef

…which brings me to the one and only Nayef. I feel a little bad even trying to put into words what this man does on a dance floor. To watch Nayef Aljuraid dance is to witness another person in a moment of sheer bliss. To put it mildly, not only does Nayef cut the proverbial rug, he sews it up and cuts it again. There are no words for what an experience it is to watch this guy get lost on the dance floor. I’m not even going to continue to try. All I’m going to say is: come out and experience it first hand, my words truly do Nayef’s dancing little justice.

Derrick

Now, as if that weren’t enough, 1/Fourth has added a new member to the family in the form of Derrick Calloway, set to take the group to new heights. Derrick is not only adding a fourth set of fresh hands to the already eclectic group, he is also spearheading 1/Fourth’s new mission to create original tracks and remixes to add to their turn table arsenal.

An arsenal that is already packing two signature events: CARNIVaL, and Vampire Masquerade, a new monthly residency—that will begin this June—on the third floor of Sake Bombers, an epic birthday celebration, several events sponsored by Red Bull (including Vampire Masquerade), and love from fellow DJs that is extending far beyond Omaha’s borders.

And that is just a taste of what 1/Fourth has going on! These guys haven’t let success go to their collective head, even with their growing popularity; they haven’t become too high brow to play the French Underground, or the occasional house party. With 1/Fourth, it really is all about sharing what they love with as many people as possible, and contributing to the continued growth and quality of the art, music, and entertainment scene here in Omaha.

These guys make happenings. And at the rate they are going, I think it is safe to say that we’ve only scratched the surface on what they can make happen. 

In their Omaha.net interview, 1/Fourth shouts out their favorite venues (Axiom, The French Cafe Underground, Nomad Lounge, The Slowdown, Tip Top, Urban Wine Company) and artists (Brent Crampton and loom, The Envy Corps,  Masaris, Panos, The Silent Years, Ultimate Down Machine) in the Omaha DJ scene.

The boys of 1/Fourth also wanted to make sure to shout out a couple supporters they didn’t get to mention in their interview; Chris Dinan of Gunk who has helped with many a 1/Fourth event, including doing video work for Vampire Masquerade, and Red Bull for sponsoring many of their events.