The UK Press - Mixmag, etc.

I remember religiously going down the newsagents to buy Wax because there were quality journalists (Mark EG for example) writing serious articles for it.

When I spend any time in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany I see a lot of the dance music media concentrated on good music, not on the hairstyles, etc. Even the 'commercial' TV and radio channels like TMF and MTV Dance play wicked music most of the time.

Since we don't have something as good as that (not since Wax stopped), are we, the promoters, not allowed to use the only vehicle we can see that is available?

There are a couple of nice underground free magazines - Implant and Upfront that we like to get heavily involved with as often as we can because we feel their agendas seem very positive. (Maybe we should stop talking to them because they just want to shift copies and **** up the scene too???)

I've always tried to use the press as cleverly as possible and I always totally benifited from it (until this last episode). Why do you think I've been writing underground articles for the last ten years?!!! It's a way to get your point across to thousands of people who wouldn't normally come to see your DJ set or buy your records.

The key is control. I'm totally convinced of this. I've had control in the past mainly because I've been writing the very same magazine, but this time it could have gone alot better. We all didn't talk about what we were going to say beforehand. Hardstyle is so new and young that they got hold of it before anyone had a chance to discuss it and agree the goalposts.

To be honest, I'll give some advice to anyone else who ever gets approached by press. Do the interview if you want to - there's nothing wrong with getting your point across - PROVIDING you get to see it before it goes to print and both sides agreee that if you're not happy you can change it. Jounalists change things and if they have a free reign they WILL change the story into something that sells if they are that way inclined. In this instance NOBODY said anything about seeing the finished article to Mixmag. As far as I'm aware, it was only once I got cold feet that it was even an issue that we should see the finished article. But then, by the time we saw it - it was too late. See my point????

Hey Tobe and Ginge, you're not to blame for this misconception of the truth. Neither is anyone who got involved... We should all be allowed to say what we want to say to the General Public about our scene. The fact is, the UK national press CAN be devious - you didn't know this and I had so little time to talk to you about it that it just rolled along and happened. At the moment, Mixmag needs to be to sell mags. Thus it created a story that wasn't there. Therefore we were slightly ****ed up the ass. Big deal - take it like a bitch, learn your lesson and continue knowing that there might be an even bigger, harder meat sandwich waiting for you around the corner.

Shame, but if anything, we're all gonna be very careful for the future, we've learnt our lessons, and shouldn't be afraid to all get in touch and talk about it if anything else develops.

(Maybe we should stop talking to them because they just want to shift copies and **** up the scene too???)
thought we'd put this one to bed... sorry not had chance to check back for a while been far too busy promoting.. hmmm
I've had articles in & happily helped implant & other such mags as well these type of mags deal more with underground musical styles anyway..
Of course it depends on the agenda of the magazine as to how you deal or don't deal with them.. there are many other promotional mediums and many succesful nights that have never had an iota of main stream music press coverage... yet they have still been succesful..
Sorry guys but I'm seeing people take credit here where none is due & over the next 12 months I'll watch on as more & more Italian (hard trance) labels become commercialised.. It's happened in germany time & time again & will sure happen again as producers see the mounting lira sorry euros that will be offered by certain uk labels the whole thing will then become watered down.. I've played in Italy now for the last 4 or 5 years so has mick we've championed labels such as stik, dance pollution, underground etc to many djs that have shown an interest. I even A&R some releases for the new UFO uk label all this is down to hard graft & trying to find that unique edge... that something different that makes the underground what it is... so you can surely understand why this has p*ssed me off so much..