do we need to go back underground?

[morris215]

I like for it to be underground music personally but I would also like for people in america (as cheesy as us americans are) to get into other forms of dance music besides hip-hop, old red-neck poor some sugar on me cuts, and cheesy re-mix trance. I heard people say this and its true...you can't just focus on larger cities. So, if your an american, your on this board, and you live in small area and you play records (and want people to hear the music) go to a local bar that isn't doing so well. Make lots of friends, be extra nice to everyone, and start someting. Doesn't have to be to big to be fun. After a while people get into the music, they start to understand that you aren't doing it for attention (at least you shouldn't be) and they support it. It take a while but when it happens (and it may be only with a small group of people) it is something special. So don't bitch about how no body likes techno, or minimal. The reason they don't is because they haven't heard it enough to know any better and largely because you were at home watchin youtube vids of other peoples kick ass parties.

I've played in many small towns over the years....they dont like techno, let alone minimal techno. I agree they haven't heard it enough and it is an acquired taste, but theres only so many times you can get into arguments with people screaming at you for "something to dance to", making requests that you don't have, or simply yelling at you for playing "fag drug music"
90% of America only wants a jukebox and a miller lite

[Measax]

I like for it to be underground music personally but I would also like for people in america (as cheesy as us americans are) to get into other forms of dance music besides hip-hop, old red-neck poor some sugar on me cuts, and cheesy re-mix trance. I heard people say this and its true...you can't just focus on larger cities. So, if your an american, your on this board, and you live in small area and you play records (and want people to hear the music) go to a local bar that isn't doing so well. Make lots of friends, be extra nice to everyone, and start someting. Doesn't have to be to big to be fun. After a while people get into the music, they start to understand that you aren't doing it for attention (at least you shouldn't be) and they support it. It take a while but when it happens (and it may be only with a small group of people) it is something special. So don't bitch about how no body likes techno, or minimal. The reason they don't is because they haven't heard it enough to know any better and largely because you were at home watchin youtube vids of other peoples kick ass parties.

I've played in many small towns over the years....they dont like techno, let alone minimal techno. I agree they haven't heard it enough and it is an acquired taste, but theres only so many times you can get into arguments with people screaming at you for "something to dance to", making requests that you don't have, or simply yelling at you for playing "fag drug music"
90% of America only wants a jukebox and a miller lite

well thats why you make friends first as i said... get a little respect in the area first then start something up. You can't just hang out with your little tribe of techno hads (all 4 of you) in a small town and expect sh!t to happen. We have def. had some good parties in small towns here in virginia...redneck and yuppy capital oF east coast...but cool people are in every town...it takes time and effort to find them, make friends...get them into something new...etc....i mean we've had raggers go until 8 am in morning before...it doesn't happen all the time like berlin but its still a good time regarless of the frequency or town...

[stevësto]

The reason they don't is because they haven't heard it enough to know any better and largely because you were at home watchin youtube vids of other peoples kick ass parties.

thank you for posting this. this is the #1 reason i think so many djs suck. they just copy what the big name djs spin or try to mimic a party they saw on youtube. this is why so many local opener dj's that play minimal sound so monotonous, they are forcefeeding an underground vibe when its not the right moment to do so on a dancefloor, this is because the dj wants this vibe so bad, the dj wants it to be his way, the dj forgets its not what the dj wants thats important its what the customer (the dancers) wants. you can give the underground sound to anyone, even at a country bar, the trick is to do it slowly and gradually starting off from more normal traditional music choices. i played minimal to a small black hip hop gathering 2 months ago, and they loved it. how did i do it? i looked at the crowd and said "they look like they want hip hop". so i played hip hop, and would throw a minimal track in between here and there, until finally i ran out of hip hop and it was all minimal from then on, and they kept moving and tapping their feet anyway. granted when it was all minimal i would scratch the main vocal hook of some classic popular hip hop records over the minimal tracks. sounded like this: "glitch click clack glitch ... hey we want some pussssyyyyy" (2livecrew).

and another thing, its not that america hasn't heard minimal or techno enough to "understand" it. theres nothing to understand or get used to. read that again. there is nothing to understand. the very essence of repetitive dance music is there is no thinking involved, there are no lyrics to interpret word for word to know what the singer is expressing. its all feelings, emotions, moods, theres nothing to understand at all. good music is good music, forget about the genre. the reason america doesn't like techno/minimal is because no one knows how to play good tracks in a melodic order. a lot of amateur djs play all tracks with the same certain sound or tone and it ends up sounding too repetitive, this goes for all genres, not just minimal. for example all the amateur minimal djs all play the same sound (click clack bleep glitch).

[Red Kite]

So your point is DJs in the states suck more than DJs here? Complete bullshit! The bad opening sets you are describing are happening in Berlin all the time, so what? Attitude here is that DJing is something that doen't require anything like skill. I believe this is seen a little differently (but in any case not worse) in the states. I guess you have much more amateur minimal DJs in Berlin playing exactly like you describe than anywhere else in the world. Damn, you won't believe how bad most German wannabe DJs are!

You're right, minimal isn't something you need to understand, but it is something you need to get used to. You can't go directly from Shakira to minimal techno, you need some introduction, you need to learn what's so special about it. Minimal techno is very different from what you get delivered from commercial institutions, and there is no real bridge leadin gfrom one to the other. So you need to know what you are looking for.

[Measax]

for the record i play all minimal/micro house. I don't want people to get the wrong idea of me. On thursdays which is our little open decks party where we kinda meet people and make friends we let other people sign up and play whatever...trick is if you listen to them they give you a chace. SO i never dis to anyone face their music of choice no matter how bad it is because i want them to give minimal a chance, so it is a give and take. But, for what its worth, i play and promote with my close friend a minimal techno party or parties like i would anywhere else. people just have to get used to it and hopefully they will. But hopefully one day i can be somewhere where people just get it.

[mr.nestor]

I went to Villalobos night in Helsinki 29.04 and it was perfect! They let something like 250-300 ppl in and that was that. per-fec-to I tell u.

exactemundo!!!!

[Der geile Ami]

I think the problems in the states go deeper than just educating the local drinking crowd. The local and federal gov'ts and major media structure stifle a lot. The cities that have decent happenings in frequency also have local govts that understand that dance music has both business and culture. The RAVE act fucked up a lot of stuff, and the struggle for legitmacy bred a lot of shady promoters to further spoil things and implode local scenes. I visited DC in march. it is a metro area as large as berlin and used to have 2 major clubs going on. It is now reduced to a few lounges nad bigger electronic touring acts have moved to midsize concert venues. Local what?

The drinking age is higher than in europe and a lot of impressionable kids do not have the options of formal places for parties. In most places, hte bar closes too early.

Things are possible. I've gone to nice, small gatherings in very rural areas where big trucks and beer was de facto, but it extremely diffiuclt for these to grow. Record shops were always scarce and it could be understandable if people moved on, never to bother with online distribution. It just makes sense for anyone serious to move somewhere where something can grow.


Berlin has countless mediocre djs getting gigs they are not ready for, but that is only because hte scene is so big and so open for people to do something. There is a döner kebap place that even hosted a party. It may be amateur, but represents an underground where anyone can just gather a few friends and go party. In proportion to good djs and stuff, the US has jsut as many locals that should stay at home a bit longer, they just have nowhere to play!

[mando]

isn't that exactly what the clip was?

I dont follow..

you say it only holds 250 .. but then the clip title is: john acquaviva on the bill at harry klein club for a birthday party.. . I'd bet to gamble... it would be that way on the name alone... how could you not expect that... ?

I think as with life it's falls on the law of balances and averages... sometimes over crowded can be fun with/on the right varibles.. sometimes not..

sorry for late answer:

let me explain:

it was just a example for all smaller underground locations and the title wasnt me

but, if you have only space for x people and you allow more people to come in (because of the money), its only the joy for the club, but never the joy for the people (okay, perhaps sometimes).

artists and djs behind the decks dont see the problem, for them its good to have party with the crowd and they dont see the problem about movement and space.

but the people are not happy about this situation, because they have much stress to move and to be happy. so, some people will never come, because of this situation of a overcrowd location.

its only my opinion, but i also can can close the entrance, if i see, the space is filled inside. and i also want a happy crowd inside and not much stress between the people, are going aggressiv.

perhaps it will be also a lession for all the people coming too late to this club, next time, they will come earlier.

and thats the problem for all evenings, i have some big names and i know, if i only have space for 250, but 800 people want to come in, i must find a solution between money and happiness for the people.

i hope u understand.