DJ SVS Dance music is the only genre in which up-and-coming artists alternate between playing major festivals and free club shows. Even the 10 a.m. Ozzfest openers command $7 or so when they come to town, but they're compensating for travel costs. Unsigned DJs play most gigs near home, and they're willing to sacrifice cover charges for wider exposure. Last week, Kansas City's Michael "SVS" Thomas spun in Manhattan, Kansas, at the Resistance event alongside multiple headliners, including one of the biggest stars of drum 'n' bass, DB. On Tuesday, he showcases his rhythm-rocking skills solo at Balanca's Pyro Room. A New York native who moved to Kansas City in 1999, SVS developed his appreciation for grooves in a high school jazz band. He then embraced alternative rock, which provided an unlikely entryway to the electronic-music world. "I was into Korn because of their bassist, out-of-the-box and raw," he says. "That's what I found in drum 'n' bass." SVS brings that hard-rock energy to his material: His signature mix, "Digital Punks," is half rave, half mosh pit.
