Here's why your techno scene sucks.

[The Germ]

in techno there should never be rules....


:clap:

[eviled303]

when was the last time dustin threw away money he didnt have because its harder in this country than its ever been to get people into techno nights. and i dont mean hard house, trance or drum n bass, i mean techno. i appreciate what the man is saying, dont get me wrong, i think he made alot of sense, but from my point of view its harder than its ever been putting on a night, and i know that goes for quite a few promoters in this country. last year was a bitch for euphonic and it cost me a shit load of money. its fine if you have a budget to book surgeon, but if your passions are further underground, less people are listening these days, and my empty pockets and maxed out credit cards dont lie. i hope his optimism in the glory that is techno starts trickling down my way, cos i sure could do with a full dance floor this year before i lose the will to do it altogether!!!

[Paul Nisbet]

in techno there should never be rules....


:clap:

Does intellihance still run dude? Had a couple of releases from them, then quiet? Or maybe ive missed it?

Btw for me, Techno has never been stronger, in Edinburgh the scene is MASSIVE. The only style that can have 3 or 4, maybe even 5 club nights doing well, and packing it out and completely rocking the place. In the summer there are 2 or 3 crews putting on Free parties, and all the different groups from different clubs go to each others nite and free parties, no politics. Just fun and messy times.

[Dustin Zahn]

when was the last time dustin threw away money he didnt have because its harder in this country than its ever been to get people into techno nights. and i dont mean hard house, trance or drum n bass, i mean techno. i appreciate what the man is saying, dont get me wrong, i think he made alot of sense, but from my point of view its harder than its ever been putting on a night, and i know that goes for quite a few promoters in this country. last year was a bitch for euphonic and it cost me a shit load of money. its fine if you have a budget to book surgeon, but if your passions are further underground, less people are listening these days, and my empty pockets and maxed out credit cards dont lie. i hope his optimism in the glory that is techno starts trickling down my way, cos i sure could do with a full dance floor this year before i lose the will to do it altogether!!!

When was the last time I threw away money for a techno show? Matthew Dear, Bryan Zentz, Slobodan, Madga & Troy Pierce, Traxx, Claude Young, and next month Michael Mayer and probably a UK producer (tbc). That is at least 7 occassions in the last year where my friends and I have poured money into an event and the only positive thing we got back is a "thank you" from some loyal friends. To be honest, the thank you's are more than enough for me. It sucks losing money but the fact that we keep pushing it on a consistent basis now means more people are coming out and less money is being loss. Honestly, we made money on our last show featuring Slobodan but after meals, drinks, and all the other small odds and ends it was about $35. Just like producing, DJing, painting, writing, anything else...promoting truly is an art and it takes time to learn when and which corners need to be cut.

[eviled303]

we're approaching a fourth birthday, so i've had plenty of time to get my promotion in line, and its something i know inside out. all i'm trying to say is that when we started four years ago, there was a vibrancy about the scene which seems to be missing these days, and we were able to balance the books, just. now, and for the last year, there's less people coming out. its very frustrating when you know you're doing something good but less people are interested, and there's a big hole in your pocket. look, i'm not asking for a sympathy vote, i'm just trying to say that from where i'm standing, the problems with the scene here are wider reaching than just the music, and although i hope to carry on for as long as possible, i can only lose so much money before it becomes prohibitive, and i know i'm not the only one, and without the nights to go to, the cycle which the club scene relies on becomes smaller and smaller. whether you like it or not, money is important, to dj's, to producers, to club owners, to distribution companies, to promoters. it's a cycle which needs money to survive, and if the people arnt giving you their money, there's bound to be problems. i'm afraid in england these days, a techno club can't compete with 'naughty schoolgirl night' at jumpin jaks.

[killarava2day]

in techno there should never be rules....


:clap:

Does intellihance still run dude? Had a couple of releases from them, then quiet? Or maybe ive missed it?

Btw for me, Techno has never been stronger, in Edinburgh the scene is MASSIVE. The only style that can have 3 or 4, maybe even 5 club nights doing well, and packing it out and completely rocking the place. In the summer there are 2 or 3 crews putting on Free parties, and all the different groups from different clubs go to each others nite and free parties, no politics. Just fun and messy times.

Hmm, I too remember picking up an EP from this lable featuring Donovan, really good as well.

[Komplex]

i'm afraid in england these days, a techno club can't compete with 'naughty schoolgirl night' at jumpin jaks.

A 'naughty schoolgirl on speed night' at your local techno club can.

[John Vella]

I agree with most of what you said here Dustin. I appreciate your passion. There is something you mentioned I wanted to discuss a bit.

They're meant to be tools, not songs...and a lot of bedroom DJs don't realize this.

Maybe this is part of the problem as well?

Too many producers creating tracks to be used *only* as a DJ tool.....

Why aren't more Techno producers applying fundamentals of musicality to their tunes? (where u have proggresions and big changes happen within one tune)

Perhaps because prodcuers have been infulenced by this notion many have seemed to adopt regarding what makes a good DJ set? So many people only rate a Djs performance on how many 1000s of records they can possibly fly through in one set. It's also this obession with 3 or more decks going at a time. This can almost become more of a circus act than a musical expression. Sure this is *very* impressive from a technical talent standpoint... But is it always so pleasing musically? That is always going to be a matter of personal taste.

To me, **personally**, when I am on the dancefloor, I can't get into a set like this because I start enjoying a groove and bassline and enjoy REALLY gettin into it, and POOF its gone within seconds before I could really digest it. Kind of like your getting teased to death over and over. Leaves me feeling very unsatisfied as a listener because the entire set becomes this total blur. Too chaotic for me. Like I said this is me personally. I'm not saying I am right. I have plently of friends who love the really fast paced style.

Regardless of what one's taste is, I think a bit more balance can be utilized here. Yes producers want to write tracks that can be used by Djs... But I don't think they should have to bend over backwards and sacrifice any creativity....

So I guess what I am trying to say Dustin, is where you are putting more of the emphasis on the DJs to mix it up, maybe some of that duty can also be placed on the people contructing these beats as well. I definitely do see your point tho.

Peace

-John Vella

[davethedrummer]

i also would like to bring up the point that so many times, djs are not given the time to widen their styles and really let their sets breathe. one hour sets after one hour sets and so many times transitions can seem clumsy if not given the space to move.

across the board, i would like to see FEWER djs per night and LONGER sets from djs with the skills to take it somewhere interesting

yes yes yes
more time to experiment behind the dex please!

[Mindful]

I think the only answer to this problem is to land on your own planet do your own thing play/make what moves you and stop worrying about what everybody else is doing(to an extent)if you only let your own boundrys get in your way then expressing yourself becomes so much easier only then can you trully look back and say I did it my way and this applies to everything you do in life.

Works for me anyway ;)


Peace to the Techno community each and every one of you lets fu**in have it this year peeps.

[Tyrisia]

I agree with most of what you said here Dustin. I appreciate your passion. There is something you mentioned I wanted to discuss a bit.

They're meant to be tools, not songs...and a lot of bedroom DJs don't realize this.

Maybe this is part of the problem as well?

Too many producers creating tracks to be used *only* as a DJ tool.....

Why aren't more Techno producers applying fundamentals of musicality to their tunes? (where u have proggresions and big changes happen within one tune)

Perhaps because prodcuers have been infulenced by this notion many have seemed to adopt regarding what makes a good DJ set? So many people only rate a Djs performance on how many 1000s of records they can possibly fly through in one set. It's also this obession with 3 or more decks going at a time. This can almost become more of a circus act than a musical expression. Sure this is *very* impressive from a technical talent standpoint... But is it always so pleasing musically? That is always going to be a matter of personal taste.

To me, **personally**, when I am on the dancefloor, I can't get into a set like this because I start enjoying a groove and bassline and enjoy REALLY gettin into it, and POOF its gone within seconds before I could really digest it. Kind of like your getting teased to death over and over. Leaves me feeling very unsatisfied as a listener because the entire set becomes this total blur. Too chaotic for me. Like I said this is me personally. I'm not saying I am right. I have plently of friends who love the really fast paced style.

Regardless of what one's taste is, I think a bit more balance can be utilized here. Yes producers want to write tracks that can be used by Djs... But I don't think they should have to bend over backwards and sacrifice any creativity....

So I guess what I am trying to say Dustin, is where you are putting more of the emphasis on the DJs to mix it up, maybe some of that duty can also be placed on the people contructing these beats as well. I definitely do see your point tho.

Peace

-John Vella

:clap:

[ampassasinbirmingham]

I agree with most of what you said here Dustin. I appreciate your passion. There is something you mentioned I wanted to discuss a bit.

They're meant to be tools, not songs...and a lot of bedroom DJs don't realize this.

Maybe this is part of the problem as well?

Too many producers creating tracks to be used *only* as a DJ tool.....

Why aren't more Techno producers applying fundamentals of musicality to their tunes? (where u have proggresions and big changes happen within one tune)

Perhaps because prodcuers have been infulenced by this notion many have seemed to adopt regarding what makes a good DJ set? So many people only rate a Djs performance on how many 1000s of records they can possibly fly through in one set. It's also this obession with 3 or more decks going at a time. This can almost become more of a circus act than a musical expression. Sure this is *very* impressive from a technical talent standpoint... But is it always so pleasing musically? That is always going to be a matter of personal taste.

To me, **personally**, when I am on the dancefloor, I can't get into a set like this because I start enjoying a groove and bassline and enjoy REALLY gettin into it, and POOF its gone within seconds before I could really digest it. Kind of like your getting teased to death over and over. Leaves me feeling very unsatisfied as a listener because the entire set becomes this total blur. Too chaotic for me. Like I said this is me personally. I'm not saying I am right. I have plently of friends who love the really fast paced style.

Regardless of what one's taste is, I think a bit more balance can be utilized here. Yes producers want to write tracks that can be used by Djs... But I don't think they should have to bend over backwards and sacrifice any creativity....

So I guess what I am trying to say Dustin, is where you are putting more of the emphasis on the DJs to mix it up, maybe some of that duty can also be placed on the people contructing these beats as well. I definitely do see your point tho.

Peace

-John Vella

:clap:

i deffinantly feel this way about a set. technicality is cool, but keeping a set flowing is far more important.

i find that techno dj's get a lot more time to experiment behind the decks. at a drum and bass night it is usually 8 1 hour sets, but at most techno nights people usually play for 1 and a half hours plus.

[djshiva]

When was the last time I threw away money for a techno show? Matthew Dear, Bryan Zentz, Slobodan, Madga & Troy Pierce, Traxx, Claude Young, and next month Michael Mayer and probably a UK producer (tbc).

damn...i need to come hang out in minneapolis more, huh? :)

[djshiva]

i deffinantly feel this way about a set. technicality is cool, but keeping a set flowing is far more important.

i find that techno dj's get a lot more time to experiment behind the decks. at a drum and bass night it is usually 8 1 hour sets, but at most techno nights people usually play for 1 and a half hours plus.

around here, EVERYONE except for the big names gets an hour. and it results in a schizophrenic musical mishmash based solely on status instead of musical flow.

one of my favorite parties i have ever thrown and played at was one of our SUBterror parties here in indianapolis. me, adam jay, and our friend matthew bandy all played, and what we did was set/tag/set/tag/set. so adam played for an hour, then he and i tagged for half and hour. i played an hour, tagged with matt and then he played for an hour.

what was neat was that by the time it came to my set, adam had already played a good chunk of the bangin type stuff that i also normally play. so i had to delve a bit deeper in the crates and find more minimal/experiemental stuff to play. then when matt and i tagged, it got all funky, then he ended with some incredibly good jazzy/deep tech and house.

so in this case, the flow of the evening dictated where the music went, instead of who played when. we all know each other incredibly well, so it flowed and evolved at its own pace, rather than us deciding what we would play. we had a blast, and the crowd was right along with us the entire evening.

i would love to see more events that involve the promoters encouraging the artists/djs to collaborate and choose records based on what time it is, where the crowd is, and where the flow is going, rather than djs arranged according to status and just blowing their wad for an hour and going home. it's more fun for the djs, and subsequently MUCH more fun for the crowds. and let's face it, if the crowds don't have fun, good luck getting them to shell out cash for another event.

i just think that people need to rethink not only the music, but the format of its presentation as well.

[andy james]

around here, EVERYONE except for the big names gets an hour. and it results in a schizophrenic musical mishmash based solely on status instead of musical flow.

oh so true lisa !!! i'm soooooo sick of the 6+ stages & 100+ djs parties where everyone and their mamas are spinning. these f*ckin' promoters get all their cronies to spin reguardless of their talent and organize a HUGE sh*t fest :dontevengothere: ! with that many djs on a lineup, it isn't about the music anymore it's about the size of the promoters balls .

[Internal Error Records]

Hi Gang,
I said it months ago and I'll say it again. I don't think techno is struggling at all. There is certainly a changing of the guard, but that is not a bad thing. On the East Coast here things are blowing up and dj's are passing up gigs to avoid over exposure. And now New York City seems to be waking up aswell with the Kind Kids, Matambe and other crews finally coordinating with eachother.

The Mid West looks like a resurgence is happening also.

I just dont see any reason to complain. And if you feel there is something to complain about than go grab a pile of flyers and promote for a buddies party. You all know someone organizing something!

Gil

[The Overfiend]

Very true Gil, Kind Kids and Matame are definitely steppin' up to the plate, I really miss the East Coast right now, on the West Droid is doin they're thing, Mid west I'm not knowing, here in Arizona things are really bout to happen ;) Believe that.

[Internal Error Records]

Very true Gil, Kind Kids and Matame are definitely steppin' up to the plate, I really miss the East Coast right now, on the West Droid is doin they're thing, Mid west I'm not knowing, here in Arizona things are really bout to happen ;) Believe that.

What are you doing in Arizona?!?!?

[dirty_bass]

I`m always a little retiscent about a 3 deck set.
Mainly because, if you are a good producer then you have really filled the sound spectrum up to make your track.
And then it gets played with 2 other "full" tracks.
What a mess, no room for the sounds to breath.

[The Overfiend]

Very true Gil, Kind Kids and Matame are definitely steppin' up to the plate, I really miss the East Coast right now, on the West Droid is doin they're thing, Mid west I'm not knowing, here in Arizona things are really bout to happen ;) Believe that.

What are you doing in Arizona?!?!?

Moved out here to be with my misses.