Hailed as “a crucial laboratory” for the music scene in Downtown Brooklyn, the famed Roulette Intermedium at 509 Atlantic Avenue will soon have a new person in charge of its artistic direction. Since its opening in 1978, co-founder Jim Staley has operated from its TriBeCa loft as the venue’s artistic director. It’s greatly down to his efforts that Roulette didn’t simply fade from the music scene as so many others have over his 45-year reign.
Changing music preferences and new technology have often proven too great to wrangle for music venues, let alone a place like Roulette, which is better classed as an experimental arts venue. Yet, it stands tall to this day with Staley having masterfully navigated these trends and waves for over four decades. From its founding, being experimental and versatile has been key, from its origins to the latest embrace of new technologies.
Founding and naming Downtown Brooklyn’s home of the experimental
Founding and naming Downtown Brooklyn’s home of the experimental
In 1978, Jim Staley (a trombonist) and artists David Weinstein, Dan Senn, and Laurie Szujewska came together to form a new venue for local and new music and performing arts. From the off, the aim was to be broad and give the stage to a diverse collection of talents. New jazz, improvisations and collaborations, special events for one time only, and contemporary music artists were the focus, as were younger composers needing a stage.
Then, of course, they needed a name. There are many connotations you could take from the name ‘Roulette.’ There’s the randomness of the game and the perceived classiness. After all, even now, when you play roulette online, you’re expecting lavish studios live streaming to you with world-class croupiers at the helm. From the classy Live Hippodrome Roulette, streamed from the prestigious London venue, to Live Power Up Roulette, it’s all about having a distinguished experience.
These links certainly play into the persona of the venue today. From the view of the street, you could see the word ‘Roulette’ surrounded by a jump of ‘Video,’ ‘Film,’ ‘Art,’ ‘Dance,’ ‘Adventurous,’ and more. Still, the origins of its name go back to one of Weinstein’s pieces, Café Roulette, which ended up being the perfect title to encapsulate the assortment of artists who would rumble in and out of Roulette over the decades.
An evolution with the tech and times
Then, of course, they needed a name. There are many connotations you could take from the name ‘Roulette.’ There’s the randomness of the game and the perceived classiness. After all, even now, when you play roulette online, you’re expecting lavish studios live streaming to you with world-class croupiers at the helm. From the classy Live Hippodrome Roulette, streamed from the prestigious London venue, to Live Power Up Roulette, it’s all about having a distinguished experience.
These links certainly play into the persona of the venue today. From the view of the street, you could see the word ‘Roulette’ surrounded by a jump of ‘Video,’ ‘Film,’ ‘Art,’ ‘Dance,’ ‘Adventurous,’ and more. Still, the origins of its name go back to one of Weinstein’s pieces, Café Roulette, which ended up being the perfect title to encapsulate the assortment of artists who would rumble in and out of Roulette over the decades.
An evolution with the tech and times
Variety under Staley’s custodianship has allowed Roulette to remain nimble and relevant to the Downtown Brooklyn arts scene, particularly when it comes to music. However, few businesses across entertainment can survive without embracing new technologies, let alone during the events of 2020. As it turns out, Roulette, like the online table games of the same name, fully embraced live streaming and more.
In 2020, Roulette turned to live-streaming performances by using a sophisticated robotic camera system. The performances were all available to watch in the moment and for free. Some businesses ditched such outlets once normalcy began to return, but not Roulette. Instead, live streaming has become entrenched in the operation, putting nearly all of the season’s performances out live across the internet. Going further, Roulette teamed up with Matterport and MPEmbed to offer a full 3D tour of the venue on their website.
Roulette has thrived under Staley by being nimble and embracing trends and movements in both the arts and technology scene. Now, it’ll look to continue to be a hub for Downtown Brooklyn arts under the stewardship of composer and musician Matt Mehlan.
In 2020, Roulette turned to live-streaming performances by using a sophisticated robotic camera system. The performances were all available to watch in the moment and for free. Some businesses ditched such outlets once normalcy began to return, but not Roulette. Instead, live streaming has become entrenched in the operation, putting nearly all of the season’s performances out live across the internet. Going further, Roulette teamed up with Matterport and MPEmbed to offer a full 3D tour of the venue on their website.
Roulette has thrived under Staley by being nimble and embracing trends and movements in both the arts and technology scene. Now, it’ll look to continue to be a hub for Downtown Brooklyn arts under the stewardship of composer and musician Matt Mehlan.
