Washed Out DJ Set at Ophelia’s – House Mixed Refreshments

Story by Cortney Hanley, Photos by Nick Velharticky

Ophelia’s Soapbox was nothing less than sizzling last Sunday. What a great reminder of how it used to be when we could look for, and actually find, a simply killer house night! Disco ball and massive video projection of Reefer Madness included, the venue held us in the delicious two-story sound bubble. Dancing in front of the stage or grooving at an upper-level tabletop, local DJ LUVr and live production chief performer Washed Out brought the bump. 

Chugging at around no more than 118 bpm, the train steamed in. Through the styles and mix, LUVr carried the audience, solid and smooth. Old school and disco house shifted away from the daily hard, hectic chaos. He soothed a plan to forget the typical new thumping loudness and drown your senses in a tasteful party. Quick swaps, silky transitions, and swing trumpeted off in precisely the right direction. Later into a little lounge and landing in a bit of bounce, the opening DJ crushed his set. He also seemed as excited as we were to see the main act. After LUVr paved the path, we found him behind the sound booth towards the end of the show taking pictures of our headliner.

Washed Out, let’s go lightyears away! Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr., performing a solo dj act on this tour, isn’t a stranger to other things music. Booking shows and dropping tracks since 2009, he has managed an appearance in the top thirty on the Billboard charts as well as providing the intro theme song for Portlandia. Sort of publicly credited for creating chillwave, Greene suggested in a 2017 interview he’d rather not be held to that term exactly. In the same interview, Greene mentioned that, for productions to follow, he’ll probably break that mold anyway. 

Bass-heavy and downtempo, the glitchy first track flowed to those cool synth vocals that we would expect from hearing previous projects. Club or classic, that chillwave feel Washed Out is known for snuck in to give contrast in picture-perfect places. Hustle beats plucked right from 1975 puppeteered the moving floor. Foot stomping tunes like Freelance from Toro Y Moi assuredly kept the crowd knowing it was just for you, baby.

Female vocals and calmer tropic vibes teed up for lower progressions. A storyline built, and excitement paralleled. Feeling love like Donna Summer must be there somewhere, Greene displayed magnitude in his musical choice. Those legendary phrases shuffled through the lit dance floor like they have done for decades now. Deep house took it back down, leading to an end on a personal track. Sealed and tied nicely, Washed Out’s first original single ever released, Feel It All Around, closed off. We all left refreshed with the sound of house.