By Aaron Smith I’ve been going to Generate, Akron’s only free electronic dance music (EMD) session, almost weekly since the end of the summer. It’s been an absolute blast. Generate brings skilled DJs mixing great tunes, great bartenders and a friendly crowd together from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Wednesday at the Lounge on Paul Williams Street. I got a chance to speak with one of the owners of Soul:R Sound System, Cody Rodgers, who produces Generate. Rodgers stressed that Soul:R Sound System and Generate is devoted to providing a high-quality experience to Akron dance music fans. “This means bringing professional local and regional DJs spinning tasteful tunes, not giving in to trends and creating an old-school vibe,” he said. Generate offers jams for both fresh-faced fans of EDM and old-school heads. “For people just getting into the scene you can come and check out all the music out there in one place,” said Rodgers. “If it isn’t getting played this week, it will next week. [And] for the old-school crowd I think the biggest draw is that we bring skilled DJs whose names you know.” Generate isn’t just a bunch of kids with laptops, but Rodgers adds that there’s a place for young blood, too. “Generate’s opening slot is for up and coming Dj. All of us at Soul:R Sound System were given a chance and we want to give that back to the community,” he said. Tradition is a big part of what Soul:R Sound System is doing. Rodgers explained that Akron has had an EDM weekly for ten years. “That ended a year a and half ago when Andy James and One Auxy stopped producing their Revision weekly at Annabell’s,” he said. “Generate is Soul:R Sound System’s way of picking up where Revision left off.” Generate started in 2010 with the Rotate event, which was very successful, and it’s been gaining momentum ever since. There’s even been talk of the return of Rotate, “single-genre parties where the mix never stops [and] the DJs tag in and out all night, which gives the event an entirely different kind of flow.” This past July Soul:R produced a full scale party, Worldwide Affair, which featured the internationally touring Drum and Bass duo Matrix and Futurebound. Akron’s weekly dance party gets underway every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. at The Lounge.