Ugh, WTF are you on about "mindshifter? Who the hell are you? I don't even know you in person. You have no right to come on here and talk , especially for things that have nothing to do with the original thread. What a retarded and ridiculous post from you.
Everyone who posted on this thread (including dj's and the biggest promoters in LA) know me in person, and they know that I know my when it comes to music. I've been religiously supporting the scene and music for almost 10 years now. Just because I haven't been going out a lot the past year, it doesn't mean I don't know what the I am talking about. There are a lot of people who agree with me that a lot of the music lately has been boring as hell, and the parties just aren't as good as they used to be.
Maybe the music is getting better now, and I'll have to check it out to see if my music taste agrees with them.
I have to agree with Rob's post, that a lot of the music lately seems like "background music". I find that when I do go out, I'm mostly just chatting with friends, and the music is secondary.
HearHarmonic
quote:
Originally posted by Miss Julia
I have to agree with Rob's post, that a lot of the music lately seems like "background music". I find that when I do go out, I'm mostly just chatting with friends, and the music is secondary.
I agree. The majority of the time I'm out is spent talking with friends. It takes someone special to get me in the "dance zone". Recently that has been few and far in between. A couple that have made me dance my ass off are: Junction SM, Jeremy P Caulfield, Wighnomy Brothers, Kiki, Ida Engberg, Derek Plaslaiko.
bas
quote:
Originally posted by MindShifter
if i didn't know any better i'd say this was a straight troll thread - but lets be real, julia has proven over the years that she's too stupid to do something like that on purpose.
no this more of the par for the course "i don't know all about the scene, rarely go out but here's what i think that the promoters should do!" thread.
you live in socal which one could argue next to NYC has the most diverse edm scene in the US and you're complaining that all you hear is "mnml" and that there's no variety.
Woh settle down Chad, we're all having a good discussion here. No need to make it personal.
rizo
quote:
Originally posted by MindShifter
if i didn't know any better i'd say this was a straight troll thread - but lets be real, julia has proven over the years that she's too stupid to do something like that on purpose.
no this more of the par for the course "i don't know all about the scene, rarely go out but here's what i think that the promoters should do!" thread.
you live in socal which one could argue next to NYC has the most diverse edm scene in the US and you're complaining that all you hear is "mnml" and that there's no variety.
not really a troll thread, actually turned into a good discussion on the scene today (and people not adjusting to Holden/BC's new style) until your comment. seriously a personal attack? julia hasn't gone out for personal reasons too but as she said she is going to try and make it out more. she isn't the only one not going out either. i know a lot of people in san francisco doing the same. its more due to the music than economy. the economy does make it an easier choice for them to not go out though. heh in fact i recall a video holden saying that recession is good cause hopefully good music comes out of it.
SF has good variety too but when you're already into a lot of varieties and become a bit more picky of gigs now, there's def something wrong and don't mean it in a bad way either. ricardo tobar was refreshing and a lot of people at 1015 felt the same way esp when compared to 4strings... i think more people were excited about tobar than 4strings. i know friends who liked jason short more than the usual too even though short is a local...
R!CH
have you ever taken that "background music", put it on your ipod, smoked a bowl and ridden your bike through a forest? up and down a mountain? along the coast? through the city? through the county? i recommend you try it. it's great. it's better than being in the club with a drink in your hand.
gerard6975
now it's my turn to butt in...
i can only speak about my baby, INCOGNITO. the whole history about is i've been going out to clubs almost every weekend before 2007 and just got too tired of huge promoters booking the same "celebrity" DJs. and since then, i tried scouring the internet for quality music and talents.
our original tag line was "I am a Medium. Drown in my Beats." the plan was to go against the norm. no need to have the tiestos or PVDs of the world. there are a lot more, lesser known talents out there that produce and play quality music.
my original plan was even to promote our nights without even putting the name of the headliner in our marketing and just surprise the crowd who we're having for the party. it's all about quality electronic music and that's our niche and strive to promote.
alan and i are both marketers outside the nightlife industry and we are very strong about brand marketing. our long term goal for INCOGNITO is be in the same ranks as Ministry of Sound or Cafe Del Mar. or let's have an example outside music, Colgate.
colgate is a very strong brand for toothpaste. and we also know that they also manufacture toothbrushes and other oral products. but they never changed their name and rebranded just for these products.
and that's how we run our bookings, too. we strive to give the best edm has to offer. of course, we can not please everybody. but we want to expand everyone's horizons to what good music should be.
fast forward to today, i think it's very good to have a lot of parties going on in LA. i agree that the edm fans is thinning out between the parties but there are millions of people here in LA still untapped. COMPETITION BREEDS EXCELLENCE and you can see that in the quality of talents coming through our city.
as for mindshifter comment, no personal attacks needed here. i strongly believe that there are more Julias out there who still love the music but don't go out regularly since there aren't artists that excite them. and as a promoter, that's the hidden gem.
that keeps me on my toes for talent bookings and always think outside the box. and that's why you'll see that most our talents play with us for their first LA performance. and the promise that we have the most open-minded supporters.
pointer
quote:
Originally posted by MindShifter
if i didn't know any better i'd say this was a straight troll thread - but lets be real, julia has proven over the years that she's too stupid to do something like that on purpose.
no this more of the par for the course "i don't know all about the scene, rarely go out but here's what i think that the promoters should do!" thread.
you live in socal which one could argue next to NYC has the most diverse edm scene in the US and you're complaining that all you hear is "mnml" and that there's no variety.
I don't understand. Are you mad at her for having an opinion and voicing it?
Nothing wrong with that I would think. Personally, its interesting to me to read different POV's whether they are perceived as valid, knowledgeable, or even trollish.
I think Julia's position happens to actually mimic a lot of people's perceptions out there on EDM and the scene in general. That makes it valuable for someone like me (or the others here) to reflect on, if that makes sense.
rob.
alan
quote:
Originally posted by MindShifter
if i didn't know any better i'd say this was a straight troll thread - but lets be real, julia has proven over the years that she's too stupid to do something like that on purpose.
no this more of the par for the course "i don't know all about the scene, rarely go out but here's what i think that the promoters should do!" thread.
you live in socal which one could argue next to NYC has the most diverse edm scene in the US and you're complaining that all you hear is "mnml" and that there's no variety.
not a troll. not stupid.
david.sound
quote:
Originally posted by MindShifter
if i didn't know any better i'd say this was a straight troll thread - but lets be real, julia has proven over the years that she's too stupid to do something like that on purpose.
no this more of the par for the course "i don't know all about the scene, rarely go out but here's what i think that the promoters should do!" thread.
you live in socal which one could argue next to NYC has the most diverse edm scene in the US and you're complaining that all you hear is "mnml" and that there's no variety.
Kill yourself.
Hi Julia! Good seeing you at Holden last time!
Rob, thanks for Compression. Looking forward to 2010.
Incognito, Fairmont please!
Clovis
quote:
Originally posted by alan
One of the best tech house sets we've ever had was by ERIC KUPPER. As a couple of DJs on TA and promoters who were there that night will attest to. And yes, that was their personal taste.
If you have no constraints, then you guys should book other DJs outside of the Techno+House world. Or for some peculiar reason, only DJs in that specific scene produce good music? Isnt that the constraint already, your personal taste in music that tells you that some artists are not quality when more people who are also into EDM think they are?
I'm not sure what you're getting at here since I do not book acts or throw parties. The parties I enjoy have artists who play a wide variety of great music, from all over the 4/4 spectrum from chillout to techno. Ewan Pearson ended his set at the Standard with a track from the Talking Heads. And yes, my personal taste does usually dictate what I think is good, that is usually how it works with most people. I don't care what other people think, or how many awards someone has or what their DJ Mag ranking is.
I opened the Standard in september starting at 90 bpm, going through dub, breaks, disco, house, minimal tech, and tech house and ending at 120 bpm. Later on troy pierce played techno and magda dropped electro and some old school jams. Like Julia, I was not a huge fan of what she played, but I always like the way she plays music and find her interesting to see.
quote:
You pointed out that good music is good music regardless of genre. if such is the case, your bookings should show that you book other people who play other genre's. The proof should be in the pudding.
Yeah again, I don't book DJs, I am one. As for the parties I like to go to, I don't like parties where DJs play genres, or where the flyer has a laundry list of categories for the evening. I like DJs who play good music, regardless of what it happens to be labelled. Djs who will play whatever feels appropriate at the time and aren't afraid to step out of bounds.
quote:
That is where my statement that other events are constrained. Either by choice, by personal taste or any kind of bias. Still a constraint at the end of the day.
I guess the easiest way is show me is a Drum and Bass DJ or a Vocal Soulful House DJ that you think is quality. Then pair them up with your normal bookings.
Again, there's nothing wrong with what one event does over the other. This is my personal analysis of the market.
I don't go out to listen to Drum n Bass. If I wanted to, I'd go to some of the DnB events that go down in this city. I don't think most Drum N Bass is that good and in my opinion it is not conducive to long parties of the kind you could find in Europe. As for 'soulful house', lots of the DJs I have seen over the past year have been known to drop house jams, from the 90s and up. Three, Shaun Reeves, Dyed Soundorom, Dixon, Danny Howells...I could keep going.
You're attempting to box in artists that you really know nothing about. Where the best DJs in the world are concerned, in my opinion, genre tags are useless, so saying these people are just house & techno guys is a misstatement.
Clovis
quote:
Originally posted by pointer
At a super brass tack level I think the music being released is largely boring, derivative, and lacking in pushing envelopes right now - and certainly the sense of a cultural movement wrapped around tech/house (revival) has been absorbed into the overall zeitgeist of electronic dance music. Its just not that unique at the moment.
So, when things get less dynamic, less inspirational, less provocative (like when breaks did for me), I get bored.
I'm bored right now, to be honest. Excited about this Friday, but after that, I'm happy to sit back in silence and be a student again until something really grabs me that I can't shake. Then I'll get back on the train.
Of course, being a dj still is fun. But I'm having problems these days, picking tracks, too. lol :)
.02,
rob.
Damn dude, I knew you were burned out a little but that is a pretty bleak assessment of things! I agree fully that the music out there is largely a sea of and recycling, but I am still finding a lot of great music that moves me and hits me in some way, music that makes me feel good and makes people want to dance. Playing a lot of older stuff too, there is so much great music out there that people are not playing imo.
The usual players in dance music are not usually the ones delivering these days in my opinion. But there is a great crop of new guys who are really playing great music I think, and hitting the right balance between the resurgence in the deep/housey sound without falling into gimmickry and stereotypical traps. There are artists who make 2-3 great tracks and then release uninspired stuff the rest of the year, you just need to sort through things and find your narrative among them.
I don't think this is anything new though, all of these feelings various people are having. This music always has its ups and downs, periods where there is great innovation and a wave of new, and periods where people are not sure which way to go (like right now). The thing is, if you're not getting what you want, you need to go out there and find it, and I think a lot of people here are trying to look for something exciting in all the usual places. Example, Poker Flat...not doing it for me for quite a while. Lots of labels might drop some great stuff then release garbage the next minute, or things that sound too similar and formulaic. You just need to vary your sources and not settle for less, and always keep the search going.
I keep my beatport crate for 2 weeks now before purchasing and I whittle it down to only the best stuff and listen to the samples over and over to make sure I'm not bored of them. But I am finding good music still, and really enjoying playing now, particularly opening slots as I get to play the deeper and slower stuff that I really love.
I still have a lot of fun, last friday anthony collins was quite good and sammy dee just dropped great records like he always does. Shaun Reeves has been playing around here for the past month and I have not been disappointed by him once, he is one of the best DJs in the world right now and a true rising star in my opinion. The people playing the best music are constantly ahead of the stereotypes and categories people are using to try and define the sound, imo.
I feel like posting some youtubes now... lol
R!CH
also ewan pearson - sci fi hi fi is one of my top albums of all time
