When I started doing Pure Filth, it was basically because there was not really any techno in Nottingham any more, and I had a bag of records I wanted to play. So we sorted out Filth so we could get a play out once a month and also have a decent party to go to.
I always tried to mix so-called 'big' dj nights with locals and other unknowns so there was a draw with the name but at the same time those who were starting out could also get a chance to play to a crowd.
I did it all on the dole so classy promotion was pretty much out of the question. I found that when we started a lot of the time, it was down to word of mouth in order to get people to the party. Gettting a base crowd into the night, as opposed to drawing peeps by having a 'name' on seems to have worked in the early days and meant that you could tick over nicely.
Then Analbumcover took over, moved the venue, had a few quid to back himself up with and hey presto - the new look Pure Filth in a new club with prominent names in techno playing regularly. My opinion is that Filth was fine when I did it in a smaller venue when we started out, BUT it needed fresh input my Analbumcover to increase its longevity. If Filth wouldn't have been moved then it may well have died rather than lasted this long.
So essentially I think that you have to keep moving with the way things change. New input is always a good thing, so long as it keeps with the ethos of what you are trying to do with a night. As the old saying goes, 'mutate to survive.'