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Montreal - reforming the 'scene'
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| Kate Manus |
K.. I'm venting... grab some popcorn or quit reading.. hehehe
After hearing that Sander Kleinenberg got added to this year's Cream lineup... I couldn't help but feel disappointed..I think on their own, each of the djs on this year's Cream lineup would be welcome additions to the big montreal parties of years before, but together in the same night.. ??
Perfect example of the 'sum of all parts not being equal/greater than the whole'.
I'll start by this little 'disclaimer' I'm not trying to single out any clubs/promoters here, some are more obvious than others, but I'm speaking from my experiences here as a patron.
I know first and foremost that promoters are running a bu$ine$$... and as such, are interested primarily in booking names that will 'draw'.. I just think it's sad that I can remember only a handful of occasions in the past few years where I have really felt like the club promoters were doing something genuine for the 'scene' (ya.. that sounds *geigh* I normally hate referencing that.. but I can't think of a more appropriate word right now).
I don't feel like I go out anymore and see promoters (club owners) passionate about bringing in world wide talent, there's a sense of indifference, a shame in such a taste-making city, and it's been going on for awhile now.
To bring this up only as an example, if you look at the Cream lineup, I think all of the djs have been booked in montreal clubs in the past 6 months or so.. Desyn Masiello I think was awhile back, with Luke Fair maybe? but the rest for sure.. this is a let down in several ways, because it is the perfect opportunity to expose Montrealers to other djs (or other styles of music at least.. sheesh.. can you say 'jack had groove ALL night long?').. presently, there seems to be a rotation of maybe 15-20 odd headliners that can fill the clubs in montreal regularly, I don't see this as just a montreal problem, I think it's like this in many places. Exposing people to 'new' names (which are by far not even 'new'.. we just barely get fresh blood booked here anymore, beggers can't be choosers..) is a big factor in 'growing' any scene.. it's a natural cycle!! It's important to recognize that fostering the relationship with the resident djs that we are often exposed to, and keeping things fresh, *most* of the time will have a more lasting impact than which club Derrick Carter is playing at this week..
514 Productions, for one, did this quite well years ago.. back in da day.. many of the headliners we see in the montreal clubs today got a lot of their exposure because of them.. they would pair headliner djs with 'lesser' knowns at the time.. people felt that 'buzz' about the mystery surrounding the lineup and would seek out more information on the djs booked.. now we can't even rely on most of the promoters to tell us much about the acts they book.. I seldom see bios/write-ups on the flyers or posters for upcoming events.. I guess there's no point when you book the same names all the time though. *meh*
Anyway, this isn't just some jaded clubber plea.. of course I'd love to see more techno booked here, and this is hardly the reason for this thread.. But I think it's true that the montreal 'scene' is definitely at a low point right now.. it doesn't seem healthy and sustainable long term. So many afterhours right now, catering mostly to the same crowd.. the bigger Rave/Club events once complimented each other for the diversity in the bookings and venues.. now they seem hard to tell apart, and Cream exemplifies that, in my opinion.
For the record, the 2 RM parties I went to (stanny franssen & basic implant, as well as thomas krome) I did feel like an effort was made to the benefit of the partiers.. so thank you Martin for that.. I'm more of a club goer myself, but I believe your heart is in the right place, and I respect that.
there were other nights in the past few years from various promoters also, but not consistently, unfortunately.
I just hope we see some changes soon, whether that be in the oepnings/closings of some clubs, new promoters with fresh ideas, or the usual suspects with a broader vision.
I thought competition would be healthy.. but so far I haven't seen it.
/end of rant
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| alec |
| I didn't read most of what you wrote Kate, but from what I get, the gist of it is that there should be less techno and more trance! I whole heartedly agree!;) |
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| ZinG |
| Alec you need to practice on reading more, when you finish school doesn't mean you finish learning:p |
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| kreamy |
I for one can say that i have read the entire post.
I can't really put an opinion on it because i dont think i know enough about the montreal "scene". But i do agree that too much of a good thing is bad and that up and coming lesser known dj's and artists are loosing out. I dont think we can really say that clubs are just doing it for the money because when they ask people who they wanna see, its all those names who come up the most...so its not surprising that a huge night with all of those names comes up and kinda kills any hope of anyone in the city talking about some lesser known dj.
and good post...one of the best posts ive seen lately. |
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| Kate Manus |
| quote: | Originally posted by alec
I didn't read most of what you wrote Kate, but from what I get, the gist of it is that there should be less techno and more trance! I whole heartedly agree!;) |
Why am I *not* surprised that this is the kind of comment you would say.. Truthfully, I left out the fact that I think trance and techno are BOTH very under-represented at the moment.. It wasn't my intent to turn it into a house vs. 'everything else' kind of discussion, because the same principles apply throughout.. ;) |
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| Kate Manus |
| quote: | Originally posted by kreamy
I dont think we can really say that clubs are just doing it for the money because when they ask people who they wanna see, its all those names who come up the most...so its not surprising that a huge night with all of those names comes up and kinda kills any hope of anyone in the city talking about some lesser known dj. |
It wasn't always this way though.. of course there will always be people listing out whichever 'top 20' dj they listened to last night, but the clubs/promoters have a strong influence in building 'names' in these parts, and they seldom take advantage of these opportunities.
Steve Lawler is a good recent example of a dj that generated 'buzz' here in the last few years.. and while I realize that he isn't as wet behind the ears as Zabiela, you can bet there were a lot more people downloading whatever set they could find of his after seeing him here, and he is a much bigger draw now than he ever would have been without those bookings (in montreal). |
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| alec |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kate Manus
Truthfully, I left out the fact that I think trance and techno are BOTH very under-represented at the moment.. |
Yeah, but anymore trance in Montreal, and not only my education but my budget would be shot in no time! |
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| FunKenLouis |
Montreal is all about HOUSE MUSIC
too bad:( |
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| USMC_Greg |
| quote: | Originally posted by alec
I didn't read most of what you wrote Kate, but from what I get, the gist of it is that there should be less techno and more trance! I whole heartedly agree!;) |
werd |
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| alec |
| quote: | Originally posted by USMC_Greg
werd |
to the big berd! |
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| malek |
finally, i can post...
i have to say that I attended to most parties with techno djs at aria in 2003 and the nights with a good attendance, i could count with one hand. :(
I love techno and want more of it. But some formula has to be found for it to succeed. A smaller venue? Many techno djs in the lineup, big(ger) djs teamed with smaller ones the same night, etc.
I can't blame aria (the club i followed the most) for not trying nights with different sounds... it didn't seem to work good enough. :( |
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| Kate Manus |
Naturally... I expect people take the angle I am interested in more techno bookings.. well of course, there is some truth to that, but my beef is not so much the 'style' of music they are booking.. it's the mentality of a lot of the powers that be right now.
This isn't a thread about Aria.. in fact, they got props for some recent bookings, like Zabiela and Freeland.. but having said that, Aria wields a lot of influence in the djs we get exposed to.. and you can point to lower turnouts over the past few years.. I know, I was there too.. pretty depressing at times..
You take the words out of my mouth though Malek, the current formula isn't working.. but the status quo isn't the answer either!
oh and by the way boyz (greg, alec)... when you see Armin & Ferry three times a year but complain that Blank & Jones aren't getting booked.. remember this thread. ;) |
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