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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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Cracking on with Damian Gelle of Lock ‘N’ Load Events @ the SW4 afterparty
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 22-08-07 21:44
Have you ever enjoyed an event so much you’ve thought about putting one on yourself? Then be warned, dear reader, for promoting is a very difficult game, especially in today’s climate. Fortunately however there are still success stories, and perhaps one of our scene’s greatest is that of HeatUK co-founder and now Director of Lock ‘N’ Load Events, Mr Damian Gelle. In the last six years, Damo has progressed from organising the first Heat party in his back yard with business partner Anton Marmot to massive sell out events like Clapham Common’s SW4 Festival and NYE @ Brixton Academy. With this weekend’s SW4 selling out weeks in advance and tickets for the afterparty running out the door faster than Pete Doherty on the rebound, HarderFaster cornered the king of crack ons...
First up, congratulations on selling out SW4 so early in August! This must be a record?! With so many new festivals cropping up in 2007 and the likes of Wildchild, Glade and Global being complete washouts, what do you reckon has got clubbers so excited about SW4 ‘07?
Damian Gelle: I think it is a combination of several things. First and foremost it is an inner-city festival that improves each year because the company behind it (Lock ‘N’ Load Events) are constantly investing in it. When I say invest I’m talking about equal measures of time and money. For example, the line-up this year is the strongest we’ve been able to assemble. From the moment it was released we were receiving great feedback from excited clubbers and the event was still five months away. South West Four is different from a lot of festivals in the sense that it is an energy day so once you walk through those gates you don’t sit down, you gather with your mates and let your hair down. This in essence has been my lifestyle for many years. This is not the Big Chill so discard that picnic blanket. Rain, hail or shine this is going to be a high octane bass-driven day that is value for money.
You were last interviewed on HF in May 2006 with Will as part of the build up to Supernova @ Brixton Academy where Heat and Frantic went head to head. That was one hell of a party! What have been the highlights of the last year for you? And are there any plans for another Supernova in the pipelines?
DG: It’s been a mad year and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some superb brands like Bedrock, Fire It Up and Judgement Sundays. Then there was the very successful Ibizan Heat week. Also, my own house brand PUSH started doing bigger events like the Armand Van Helden gig. Most of our club shows have taken place at Koko because we love the venue so much, whether it be hard or house music. Will has done more gigs at Koko than anyone I know and the recent success of the Frantic 10th Birthday is encouraging for everyone who likes their music fast and relentless. There are no plans yet for Supernova 3 but I’m sure one day we’ll get inspired by something and do another event together.
Yourself and Anton Marmot are partners in Lock ‘N’ Load Events with Turnmills owner Danny Newman, which means that together you’ve got a monopoly on some of London’s top events, including South West Four and Get Loaded in the Park. 15 months on, is all still well in the Lock ‘N’ Load towers? Which of your business partners do you prefer to get loaded with and who would you like to lock in a dark room?
DG: A dark room, what you mean a club? Sounds like my typical weekend. Let me give you some background. The difference between now and 15 months ago is that I use to work out of a kitchen above a shop in East London and there wasn’t a team of people to really delegate to. Sharing a cab with Will one day I asked him about his online PR company called 99. When I enquired as to why he called it 99 he replied that his business partner Lee (who once managed Camden Palace) said that “99% of promoters go back to their full time jobs.” Will wasn’t going back to school teaching in a hurry and I wasn’t going back to journalism. At the same time I was having a bitch about the way I was having to outsource to all these different companies to create websites, banner ads, e-flyers, PR etc… and we thought it would be a great to have a one stop shop for that kind of thing where all the services were provided under one roof. At the time my business partner Anton was running a print company called Evolution so the two became Evolution99 with the Turnmills staff and Lock ‘N’ Load Events, our promotion company, taking the office next door. It’s amazing what can come out of a cab ride. Being next door obviously helps with all the work we do with the festivals; at the same time, a lot can be achieved with very little resources. It’s not all about owning companies and having loads of staff. To the contrary, promoting is all about making a lot of noise with very little.
Damo and Anton
What’s your actual job title at Lock ‘N’ Load? Please describe a typical day in the life of Damian Gelle (if such a thing exists!).
DG: I am one of four directors and my main duty is promotion. A typical day can be pretty mental. For example today I received 201 emails and probably answered about 70 per cent of those. On this day (14th Aug) I took South West Four off sale. All the combined tickets (day + afterparty) were gone and this involved about half a day of calculating and talking to sellers before the decision was finally made. This can sound like a pretty exciting moment but after five solid months working on something you feel more numb than anything else. The event lanyard was designed today which I had to oversee and approve as well as the organising the industry and press guest lists.
Even though one event sells out, you have to continue working on the next event such as... the South West Four Afterparty or the indie rock day ‘Get Loaded In The Park’. Both are being promoted heavily around town with AO posters plus print and web campaigns. Myself and Danny are constantly working on the visuals for these campaigns such as artwork designs, right down to implementing flyer teams that work the streets and parks or organising promotions at other festivals. Then there are future events which we are constantly brainstorming, like the next Release Yourself date with Roger Sanchez in September or the Bedrock Anniversay at Heaven scheduled for October, then there is the first Paul van Dyk gig at Koko and HeatUK’s 6th Birthday in November. It really never ends, sorry to strip away the glamour!
You’ve come a long way since you threw that first outdoor party in your backyard in Walthamstow in July 2001, yet you still come across as just as passionate about the music scene now as you did five years ago. How do you sustain your passion for the dance scene? Surely the drugs stopped working years ago?!
DG: I fell in love with house music on the very first Ibizan Heat trip and this is where HeatUK changed and started to embrace different sounds and chase different goals. If I was still trying to fill the Rock on a Saturday afternoon there would be no personal evolution and none within the musical genre of that era.
Don’t get me mistaken — it’s not about the size of the party for the personal enjoyment. The recent PUSH boat party for 360 people was one of the best events I’ve done this year. There is no greater drug than putting on events and watching people enjoy themselves. I truly get off on watching 20,000 people go nuts on Clapham Common or the main room of Brixton Academy at midnight for HeatNYE, but a small party with 200 people can be just as mental if the elements are right and that is what we as a company are seeking to do with every event.
The first Heat back yard party
As a promoter you’ve booked some of the world’s top DJs, and at SW4 alone this year you’ve got Paul van Dyk, Sasha, Digweed, Roger Sanchez, Ferry Corsten, Judge Jules, Eric Prydz, Marco V, Sander van Doorn, Timo Mass and Smokin Jo playing, to name but a few. Who’s the best DJ set you’ve ever seen? And who has been the messiest?
DG: The best has been Sasha at Fabric, Armin Van Buuren at Cream, Ian Betts at The Cross, Carl Cox at Cavo Paradiso, Sven Vath at Amnesia, Andy Farley and Phil Reynolds at Camden Palace… the list goes on! As for the messiest… me and Aaron Baskerville (PUSH resident) at one of my infamous house parties.
You must have heard some great excuses over the years as to why a DJ might be late for their set. What’s been the most inventive? And the lamest? Please name and shame!
DG: If I name and shame I will be forever looking over my shoulder! The second South West Four we had a Radio One contest for a lucky winner to play the opening set on the main stage. Just before he was due to go on we realised it was a blag — this guy couldn’t mix a salad! We had to scramble to find another DJ which wasn’t a problem.
Over the last six years you’ve put on parties at London’s top venues (Brixton Academy, Turnmills, Koko, The Coronet, Pacha — the list goes on…) as well as in places as far afield as Thailand, Ibiza, Amsterdam and Germany. What, in your opinion, are the necessary ingredients for an awesome party?
DG: Anticipation is half of it. This is why festivals are capable of creating such an incredible vibe. Months beforehand with friends you mark the event off on the clubbing calendar and start talking or should I say hyping who you want to see perform. Then there is the anticipation of the pre-party meet up followed by the crack on house party afterwards. DJs must be programmed correctly and everyone must play their slot. If the DJs and production can come together with an enthusiastic crowd then you’ve got one helluva party. I can’t stand events that are not programmed correctly with DJs smashing out big tunes before midnight. Timing is everything for DJs and promoters.
HeatNYE @ Brixton Academy
In 2004 you were interviewed on this very website by Sharon B with the feature getting a record 11,718 hits (at last count), making it one of the most read features on HF evAH. How does it feel to be an HF celebrity? Do you think the internet and sites like HF have made your life and job easier or more difficult since their inception?
DG: Wow that many hits, well I never feel like a celebrity in clubland because you are only as good as your next party. It’s a constant battle to sell tickets and fill venues. Will from Frantic was the first I heard compare it to a war and some days it can be like the opening scene in ‘Saving Private Ryan’… in other words a lot of shit flying at you and you not being able to deal with it. I think the influence of the web is difficult to say because I’ve always been promoting while there has been email and HarderFaster started the same year as the first HeatUK event in 2001. I think it has made it easier to get the word out there but a more expensive process for promoters. I don’t feel there are as many gung-ho promoters out there any more because the overheads are too high and there are too many places to advertise and the return is debatable. At the same time, hearing those stats you just mentioned you cannot deny the fact that a large percentage of people spend a large portion of their days staring at screens and if you just read this chances are you are one of them.
You’re a film buff, and have even flirted with writing film scripts. What would the name of a film about your life be called? Would you star in it yourself or hire and actor? If the latter, who? And who would play your friends and family?
DG: I wrote film scripts for about two solid years and I probably learnt more doing this than my entire high school years. Don’t get me started on the education system! The working title of the film of my life would be ‘The Man Behind The Curtain’ and he would not reveal his family because just like a script writer he would rather people appreciate his work on the big screen (or in my case in the venue). I have a hard time on stage and with any kind of celebrity tag so instead I employ DJs.
Your own promotion, PUSH, took a very different turn from the harder HeatUK events. How did PUSH come about? And what happened to those regular Sunday sessions at the White House? You’ve just sold out a PUSH boat party with next to no promotion, how on earth is that possible in this day and age?
DG: Like I said above I don’t believe the internet is the be all and end all of promoting. For the PUSH boat party I spent £250 on promotion and sold out a 360 capacity boat at £20 per head well in advance. It was one of the best boat parties I’ve ever promoted because there was loads of hype that delivered to a great crowd. HeatUK is always going to be about tougher beats so I was in need of a house brand to separate the two sounds. Myself and Aaron Baskerville (now PUSH resident) were brainstorming names for a new house night for about two weeks and really coming up with nothing. The name is so important and we wanted to get it right. It’s the first thing that people see that represents your brand so you better get it right the first time because you might have to live with it for many years to come. Anyway, after a bunch of beers one day Aaron literally shoved the door of this bar open and said: “Why don’t you call it PUSH?”
There it was… it just stood there and stared at us in green neon like ‘DIRK DIGGLER’ in the movie Boogie Nights. ‘PUSH’ became the house brand and just like Heat it conjures up so many different meanings without being obvious. The PUSH Sunday sessions last year at the White House were a fantastic stepping stone for the brand. We did over 20 of these at the White House with very high profile artists such as James Zabiela, Adam Freeland, Krafty Kuts, X-Press 2 — I don’t think last year Sunday clubbers knew how good they had it. Once the brand had a foundation and I no longer had a liver it was decided to step things up into bigger venues.
Looking back over the years, you must have some incredible stories from so many parties. What’s been your favourite event? And the most memorable?
DG: The most memorable events have been the ones where you take that next step up like The Rock (600 capacity) to Camden Palace (2000 capacity) and events like the first HeatNYE where you move to a venue as big as the Brixton Academy and remortgage your house just to finance the event. Promoting is full of peaks and troughs and believe me I’ve seen my share of the latter. Obviously something the size as South West Four is an incredible milestone. Looking out from that main stage at a sea of heads across Clapham Common is a very surreal and mind-blowing experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to share plenty of the good times with an incredibly close and loyal group of friends.
Having organised so many events, of course there’s been a few blunders along the way. What’s the most spectacular mistake you’ve made on the night of a party?
DG: There have been too many! I failed a business degree after six months so everything learnt is business by default. There are too many blunders to list so here are five of our best prize winners:
1/ One night at Turnmills I turned up to the gig late to discover what I thought was going to be a third room for DJs was full of coat hangers. They had moved the cloak room and I had to cancel a room full of DJs. My popularity graph took a dip.
2/ On the eve of HeatNYE Anton phoned me and said: “I’ve got a bit of bad news — we’ve got no sound!” Our Function One sound system was stuck in Europe somewhere… we miraculously found another.
3/ Anton came off his moped and broke his ankle the first Ibizan Heat year on day 2. He has never recovered.
4/ Our trip ‘48 Hours In Amsterdam’ on the high speed ferries became 14 torturous hours on buses when the ferries were cancelled due to rough seas. It was only the third time in a year this had happened. Anyway, due to the coaches being supposedly trashed the coach company dropped our group in Amsterdam then drove off the next day leaving me and travel partner Kirk Field with 450 clubbers who had to be at work in the UK in less than 24 hours. We had to pay a fortune for an emergency coach company to return everyone. Crisis talks with no sleep are not much fun.
5/ HeatNYE 2003: the fireworks at the end of the midnight countdown went off not one minute… not two minutes… but try three minutes into the New Year. We panicked for days but no one really seemed to notice.
As a professional party-goer, what’s your favourite club to throw a party at? Would you ever like to follow Will’s example and own your own club?
DG: My favourite London club is Koko. I love the theatre set up of the main room and the sound is awesome. Every DJ wants to play the main room of Koko with a capacity crowd. I’m not interested in being a club owner. One of the advantages of doing random events is being able to move them around. I’d hate to be stuck week in week out with the same venue.
Koko aka Camden Palace main room
It’s been an interesting summer in clubland so far, with clubs in the UK being forced to change how they do things thanks to the newly imposed smoking ban, while some clubs in Ibiza opened late thanks to crack downs by the new Spanish government on drug dealing. With many events now returning to their warehouse roots, where do you reckon the future of the club scene lies?
DG: The future remains in brands that are tried and tested and that people can trust. Bedrock is a classic example as far as London is concerned. It can withstand the test of time and its audience have remained loyal. Ibiza is a great example because the island continually reinvents, which every brand has to do at some stage before it dies. The dance press have been crapping on for years about all these new places which are the new Ibiza. Well I’ve yet to see it. Ibiza has been miles ahead for years because it continually evolves and sets the benchmark.
In the last year the hard dance scene in particular has changed considerably, with events getting smaller and less frequent and many of the original hard core Heat crowd switching to other music styles. Do you think hard dance really is dead?
DG: If it was dead there would have been no-one at Frantic’s 10th Anniversary. OK, it ain’t the glory days of 2001 but I tell ya what we’re all responsible in some way. I’ll put my hand up and say I could have done more for the scene at certain times. It’s like selling a cheap Rolex watch or handing out £5 notes on the High Street, people are going to say it’s too good to be true, that there is a catch and walk away from you suspecting something is not quite right here. This is what happened in the hard dance scene. Some of the music produced was truly horrible when inspiration was needed and I feel the so-called industry and artists behind the scene failed to support it. Once again, I hold my hand up for certain things I could have done better. Is it dead? Read the first line of this paragraph again.
Over the years there’s been plenty of healthy competition with other promoters, with you even, by all reports, ruining Dave Logic’s holiday in Portugal one year by beating him to Brixton Academy by putting on the first HeatUK event at Brixton Academy. What’s the most competitive or cut throat thing you’ve done to promote an event?
DG: Firstly Dave Logic is one of the legends of the scene. He is a true personality and a joy to work with. Logic has delivered some of the best events I’ve ever been to. As far as being competitive and cut throat, well you probably want me to say something like I stole someone’s database… or I stood on the door of a competitor’s venue and handed out free tickets… or ripped down a competitor’s posters… Well I’ve never done those things. I don’t even despise someone who has done those things because all is fair in love and the promotional war and if competition is non-existent you have a weaker market. However, I will say this there have been substantial competitive attacks over time but it is hard to beat an enemy who is prepared to lose the shirt off his back. I’m not just referring to spending a hill of beans on a counter attack, I’m talking about being prepared to work the hours to make a brand sustain and be successful. Brands are not made overnight. Success is measured in decades not years. It’s hard to beat an opponent who believes this.
The line-up for this year’s SW4 reads like a who’s who of dance music. How did you choose the DJs and arenas? And where are the traditional HeatUK hard trance sounds?
DG: Myself and Danny Newman did the line-up in about two weeks last November and it fell together so naturally because it was the kind of festival we both wanted to see. Danny will go down as one of the best bookers in dance music history, his understanding of the music and relationships with people in the industry is superb. In previous years there has always been an arena with an Ibizan influence, like the first year it was Bora Bora, the second year it was the Space arena, then last year it was the Ibizan Underground arena. This year we have introduced new arenas for the first time like Bedrock and brought in a trance superstar to play the last set. It is also a welcome return for Sasha who headlined the first two years, which makes this year a good balance of old and new completing our strongest line-up. I don’t believe hard trance as we know it deserves an arena at South West Four this year. At the same time, artists like Ian Betts, Sander Van Doorn and Ferry Corsten will still be delivering the kind of bpm trance you would expect at a HeatUK/Gallery event.
You’ve booked God aka Paul van Dyk to play the SW4 afterparty at Brixton Academy, which also happens to be the launch party for his new album, ‘In Between’. Given your reputation as the crack on king, what can clubbers expect from the biggest crack on of them all? On the Sunday, will you be cracking on to SW4 Cardiff or staying local for Get Loaded, the second day of the Metro Weekender?
DG: Don’t you worry I’ll be cracking on all right! After the afterparty at Brixton a car will collect me and drive me to Cardiff. I get to put my head down for a few hours and then it’s back on site to do South West Four all over again. No rest for the wicked. This year it has been awesome to secure the services of an artist like van Dyk for the afterparty. It is my dream line up for the Academy and looks set to completely sell out.
With SW4 being sold out, you’re already gearing up for HeatUK’s sixth birthday in November. Can you give any news away to your many fans on HF about the birthday bash yet or is it still all a big secret?
DG: There are three live acts and six of the best scheduled for Koko November 10. That’s it for now.
After being knee deep in mud for a weekend at the Glade and then again at the Global Gathering I have to ask… with so many festivals this year being a wash out, what plans do you have in place to deal with Clapham Common being a mud bath? Have you got your gumboots/Wellies ready?
DG: No I never do. I pray to the God of Promoters and at this time every year he makes it rain up to the event and then delivers blue skies. Last year he delivered torrential rain for the last hour of Carl Cox’s set as an extra special effect. For the past four years we have had amazing weather in between terrible conditions. The weather forecast for this Saturday is 24 degrees and sunny so once again he has kindly looked down upon us.
Over the years you’ve seen many promotions rise and fall. Unlike many of your contemporaries, Anton and yourself always preferred to be in the thick of the party, which no doubt contributed to your loyal and up for it Heat crowd. What would you say are the necessary qualities to make a good promoter? What challenges have you had to face in your years as a promoter and how have you dealt with them?
DG: My promoting resume reads six years and I accidentally fell into this occupation after one notorious back yard party. It was like Kermit in the Muppet Show — this massive fork in the road and I really had no choice but to follow this because it looked like a fun thing to do. Myself and Anton were party animals back then and probably haven’t grown up much since. Our style of promoting is to become part of a community and entice members to come to our events.
In short, we’re always in the thick of it. I’ve had one weekend this entire year where I haven’t gone out. There are other ways to promote parties but this is what we do and it works. I think a good promoter needs to be prepared to learn about loss first and foremost — because you will get knocked. Nothing in my life has ever challenged me as much as this occupation I fell into. I was suppose to get married this year and that fell apart. It tests you in every way possible. If there is a weakness promoting at this level will soon enough find it. On the positive, I regret nothing. The last six years have been the best years of my life and I’ve met some incredible characters.
A couple of years ago you made a DVD documenting the history of HeatUK and your achievements. If you could revise the DVD for 2007 what would you add? And delete?
DG: It’s become a bit of a collector’s item because the footage is so raw and unique documenting that particular era and sound from the golden years of 2001. I’m keen to update it when I get time and re-release it with some extra bits from Amsterdam and Ibiza. The interviews need some work and it only covers up until the first South West Four which was for 10,000 people. I still get text messages from people who watch it back in Australia and the first thing they want to do is go out, and that’s what we set out to achieve!
Sasha @ SW4
It hasn’t all been plain sailing, with some events not doing so well and fate creating some, well, interesting situations. You mentioned the 48 Hours in Amsterdam weekender, where the seas were so bad the ferry couldn’t run and clubbers were forced to endure the excruciatingly long bus ride from London to the Dam. Suffice to say the buses allegedly got trashed and you were faced with a huge bill. What kept you going through tough times like these?
DG: OK we lost money on that trip but it was a landmark. We all had such a good time. I guess it’s like being stuck in the mud at Glastonbury. We’ve also been blessed with a very supportive and great group of friends who realise that we don’t always pull it off but we’ll give it a fair crack!
You now DJ yourself and have played the opening set at your own events, including the main room of Brixton Academy. Is this where your true passion lies? Does this mean you’d throw away the promoting lark for a residency at Space?
DG: I’m not comfortable on stage as stated before I just enjoy music and wanted to try my hand at mixing to understand what DJs have to go through. It has given me an understanding of the discipline. Obviously I’m not taking it too seriously with a name like ‘The Real Tony Montana’!
You’ve just added Astrix to the line-up of the SW4 afterparty at Brixton Academy, and after seeing him play the best set at the Antiworld 070707 festival and hearing his latest DJmag covermount CD I’m really excited about this. How did this last-minute booking come about? What do you think Astrix is going to bring to the party?
DG: I actually really dig the style of trance he represents and his sets have been mind blowing. His sound truly crosses over so I’m looking forward to putting that sound alongside a trance master like van Dyk. It will be mind-blowing!
You’ve achieved one hell of a lot in your six years in the events business. What goals do you have for the next couple of years? Do you reckon you’ll still be putting on parties in six years time?
DG: No. I have an exit plan and this is in place. It is important to know when to step aside.
Thanks very much for your time!
Thank you Damo! Looking forward to SW4 and the afterparty!
Photos courtesy of Damian Gelle, UKClubPix and the HarderFaster archive. Not to be reproduced without permission.
The Official SouthWestFour AfterParty
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On:
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Saturday 25th August 2007
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At:
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Brixton Academy [map]
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From:
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10PM-6AM
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Cost:
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£20 advance / MOTD
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Website:
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www.southwestfour.com
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Ticket Info:
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Tickets available from Ticketweb: 0844 477 2000 www.ticketweb.co.uk
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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The cat’s out of the bag and ticket’s are with already flying out the door for the BIGGEST August Bank Holiday after party The Official South West Four After Party & Paul Van Dyk Album Launch which takes place at the world-famous Brixton Academy directly after the last record plays out at this summers South West Four festival on Clapham Common.
Heading up the bill in the massive Main Room will be Paul Van Dyk celebrating the launch of his fifth artist album ‘In Between’ due out on Monday 27th on Positiva Records alongside Radio 1’s rogue DJ Judge Jules, Rotterdam’s leader of trance Ronald Van Geldren joined by London’s finest Wynand Delport and Richard Launch / CD warming up.
Over in the Foyer, hosted by South London’s leading house party PUSH the SOS Collective are joined by the kings of the beats Stanton Warriors alongside PUSH resident Aaron Baskerville London’s hottest up and coming DJ crew 2PhUnKeD uP and local lads Clay & Reveal. With two further arena’s hosted by Leading underground club nights Dirty Dubbin, Thirsty DJs and Club 10 featuring some of the hottest DJs London has to offer.
‘In Between’ is testament to the strength of van Dyk’s writing and production, moving from dance into rock and classical arrangements with ease. He’s created a range of songs and styles that combine to form his strongest body of work yet. Collaborators on this musical tour-de-force include David Byrne (Talking Heads), Jessica Sutta from Pussycat Dolls (on current single ‘White Lies’), Ashley Tomberlin (Luminary), Alex M.O.R.P.H, Lo Fi Sugar, Rea Garvey (Reamonn), Ryan Merchant and Wayne Jackson.
‘In Between’ by Paul van Dyk is released on August 27th / Positiva Records
www.paulvandyk.de
www.positivarecords.com
**SOUTH WEST FOUR LONDON 2007**
South West Four returns to Clapham Common on August Bank Holiday Saturday 25th alongside our scruffy indie loving brother Get Loaded In The Park as part of the 2007 Metro Weekender.
Headed up by The World’s No.1 DJ Paul van Dyk who takes over the mantle from Carl Cox as this years exclusive headline act. Paul will be joined on the massive outdoor Main Stage by fellow DJ icons Sasha, Roger Sanchez and Pete Tong. Alongside UK NO.1 act The Shapeshifters, The Plump DJs and SOS – that’s Demi, Desyn Masiello and Omid16B – who show us what can be done with 6 CDJ’s, 3 Mixers, 3 Laptops & 3 EFX units
Over in the tents the hugely influential John Digweed hosts his own Bedrock ‘International Arena’ featuring Hernan Catteneo, Josh Wink, Eric Prydz, Sander Kleinenberg and Jimmy Van M whilst in the Harderfaster.net Arena London clubland giants The Gallery and HeatUK join forces to bring you Ferry Corsten, Radio 1 Rogue Judge Jules Dutch master Marco V and one of the hottest new talents of 2007 Sander Van Doorn. The Fourth & Final Arena sees The Ibizan Underground return featuring Steve Lawler, Smokin Jo, Tall Paul, Paul Woolford, Martijn Ten Veldon, Pete Gooding and Aaron Baskerville!
If you think this is large you should check out our sister event taking place in Coopers Field in Cardiff on Bank Holiday Sunday August 26th. You have been warned, this will be the No.1 dance event in the South of England this summer – miss out at your peril!
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Flyer:
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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Trance. Bouncy House. Deep House. Funky House. Prog House. Tribal House. US House. Vocal House. Funky Techno. Techno. Breaks.
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DJ's:
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MAIN ROOM
Paul Van Dyk (Part 1 of 2 official UK album launch parties for ‘In Between’)
Judge Jules (Radio 1)
Ronald Van Geldren
Wynand Delport
Richard Launch / CD
FOYER – PUSH
Stanton Warriors
SOS Collective (Desyn Msiello, Demi, Omid 16b)
Aaron Baskerville
2PhUnKeD uP
Clay & Reveal
CORRIDOR HOSTED BY DIRTY DUBBIN & THIRSTY DJ’s
Sleazy-G
Shan
Wayne C
Tyrone Life
Mike L
+ DJChewy (Thirsty DJs)
VIP ROOM HOSTED BY CLUB 10
FMS
Back 2 Front Brothers
Gush
DJ Popper / Coxy
Phill Noda
Sammy Adami
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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