Split/Shift is trying to turn up the volume on Milwaukee’s electronic music scene. Growing out of makeshift attic parties, the nonprofit has staged a cluster of events in the last year: charity nights, all-ages daytime sets, and pop-ups at Low Rain tattoo shop. The goal? To make club music more accessible and inclusive.
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“We’ve met a lot of people within the community, so it was like, ‘How do we use those connections to help other people trying to find their way in music?” says co-founder Jeff Mankini.
In April, the nonprofit moved into its new Third Ward headquarters. Along with acting as an office, the space is a home for workshops, seminars, livestreams and networking events. There’s a fully outfitted DJ booth, a photography studio and a rooftop patio.
One goal for the space is to give budding DJs a chance to learn the craft and meet others in the scene without dropping a ton of dough. Another is to have a welcoming environment without alcohol or other nightlife elements that might turn off fans of the music. “You don’t have to worry about everything that comes with a bar or a nightclub or whatever it might be, and just have an actual, true safe space,” Mankini says.
Over time, Split/Shift hopes to extend its reach beyond Milwaukee. The nonprofit started digitally, as a way for the co-founders to connect over music with friends all over, and the nonprofit continues to release mixes by DJs across the world. But its roots are firmly in the Cream City. “There’s a lower cost of entry in Milwaukee, at least currently, that makes a lot of things possible on a shorter timeline,” says co-founder Will Hughes. “Also, it’s just a great place. It has a really thriving creative community that has always given me a lot.”
Split/Shift plans to tap into all sides of that creativity – its next event, on July 17, will put together DJs with art curated by 100% MKE for Summer Gallery Night MKE. Dance music stays at the center as a means for connection. Hughes says: “We all found acceptance and an ability to be ourselves within the [electronic scene]. It goes back to that.”
