Promo Fail?

This is something that I'm sure everyone is aware of, and I know that we get a pretty good laugh at most of them, but I think that it's about time someone asked 'what the fuck is going on?'

Far too often now, when a new night is announced, someone releases a record or has recorded a mix, you are greeted not only by the essential details of what's on but you are given a free history lesson on the DJ/Producer. Now this would be okay-ish if it gave you some interesting information but it is always the same generic, meaningless background story (filled with superlatives), and it keeps getting worse..

Now I'm sure that the majority of folk who do this, care about their nights and invest a lot of time, effort and money to put them on.. Why then, do they have absolutely no pride or shame when it comes to promoting it? Does it really mean THAT much to get more views on the forum?

Do they really think, that having a 2 page essay on DJ A is going to convince you to spend your money?

Maybe you think differently, but if I haven't heard of a DJ, a page of generic text is most definitely not going to change my mind about going to the gig, never mind the cringeworthy drivel that you get from some promoters.

So have a read at the next few quotes and decide for yourself. If you read this, does it have you convinced? or does it leave you wondering what the fuck they were thinking?

* All of these are real and relate to house and/or techno, and can be found online

"Both DJ's displayed a fantastic knowledge of tracks when they last played ?, so we couldn't think of better pair to link together to kick start the night"

And how did they display this knowledge? A quick Q&A? I think that displaying a fantastic knowledge of tracks is a little bit misleading...

"Glasgow based DJ ? is rapidly gaining a reputation for his talents playing tech music. Possibly the most versatile and technically talented DJ we've come across, able to play a set seamlessly, combining a variety of different styles, with ease. Be it techno, minimal, tech house or deep house, he'll play it, if the time is right, and the crowd wants it. "

I'm almost certain that was written by the DJ, but if it wasn't - why would you even think about having it on your profile?

"Sometimes, no introduction is required."

This preceded 4 paragraphs about Ricardo Villalobos... c'mon?

"The ? lads have been putting in a sterling shift on the local club scene around Glasgow and have hosted some great nights around the city. Bringing something different to every night, the resident DJs mix it up with anything from Upfront House to some nice Techno beats adapting to give the crowd what they want. With their early success they have a promising future ahead, being booked to DJ at nights in 2011 such as ? & ? and supporting Stereofunks monthly residency @ Level 2."

I would read that one a few times..

"? talent knows no bounds, and musical knowledge is unsurpassed. To add to all this, his DJ talents are as impressive as his productions - can anything hold him back in 2011?!"

How can people write this and expect to be taken seriously?

There are tons of nights & DJs doing this kind of thing, most of them far too long to post on here, and I think it's getting out of hand... Seriously, get it together, it's embarrassing.

Wax Works 6th March

So... As the old firm match was on the 6th February, Bar Petite asked us to move the party and we obliged.

You can still expect cheap drinks, good pizza and a decent soundsystem all day, you just have to wait an extra 4 weeks.. Hopefully everyone can still make it down and make it a good party!

Wax Works RA listing
Facebook event

Machine Language

Didn't plan on posting for a few days, but a massive new live set from Skudge was uploaded today and I wanted to share it.

Live sets are not generally what I would look for, but these guys are all hardware and their label is a vinyl label - so that is good enough for me and I'm happy to make an exception.

The set is brand new, recorded on the 7th Jan @ Culture Box in Copenhagen and is absolutely groovin'. Culture Box has a lot of fantastic artists playing in 2011, so I can only hope more of them get recorded and that they are just as good as this.

Check it out.

Skudge LIVE

January Picks

I plan on putting together a small post every now and then, updating you on some of the records I have been buying, it gives you an idea what to expect if you come to one of our parties, or download one of the mixes from the blog.

It's not a chart,I won't be putting up anything that is unreleased and I am not using this to hype up certain records, it's just an insight into my record bag.

If you like the music, then please support the artists and buy it.

Iain


Demdike Stare - Liberation Through Hearing [Modern Love]

This is the latest album from british duo Sean Canty & Miles Whittaker and it is excellent, if you are not aware of these guys then you should be, ambient/droning techno cuts of the highest quality.

Function - Variance 1 - 3 [Sandwell District]

I was a bit skeptical when I saw this was getting released, there is only so many times you can sell people the same track right? But, after Adam told me to check out the EP I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.

A lot of hype(too much?) surrounding Sandwell, and I think that their popularity and success puts them in a difficult situation regarding the ideals and ethos behind the label.

Still, killer EP and I recommend getting this if you can... It's not in stock at Rubadub yet so I imagine they will have plenty of copies within the next few weeks.

V/A - Superlongevity 5 [Perlon]

Sure, it's £60+ and yes the samples for the tracks were not great, but this is a killer compilation and IMO is better than Funf. Perlon had a good year in 2010, Cassy had a strong EP and the Portable EP was a nailer, they also released Ark's album and the Harmonie Park EP that I really wasn't feeling, but RA had some nice things to say about it. So I'm really looking forward to hearing what Perlon do this year.

Giorgio Gigli - Skulking In The Shadow [Zooloft]

Great atmospheric techno from Gigli here on a pretty cool gold vinyl, limited to 250 so your best bet is probably Discogs. Perfect for fans of Prologue, Dozzy etc...

There is also a new Zooloft coming out shortly with a remix from Mike Parker! Really looking forward to that!

A few more tips regarding Mike Parker - he has a new record coming out on Prologue with a Donato Dozzy remix, which is probably going to be massive, also he has a record coming out on Semantica later on in the year.

Semantica is a label that is really worth checking out, all the records are limited so move quickly - if you can I would recommend picking up the Silent Servant EP - El Mar

Mix Up

It's Saturday afternoon, so if you need some new music to relax or to get you in the mood for whatever you are doing tonight then you can find the best right here.

Plenty of high quality house music from 2 of my favourite DJs, check them out!

Cassy @ Voltt, Paradiso, Amsetardam 26th Dec 2010

Margaret Dygas @ Club Der Visionäre, Berlin 20th Nov 2010

More January Parties...

It looks like I was a little hasty in denouncing January as a month with nothing on, so here is a quick update on the nights that I will be attending...

Point4 @ The Soundhaus

Point 4 is a night run by promoters for promoters, the aim of the party is to bring a lot of the smaller nights together, under one roof and to create one great party together - there is also bound to be an after party too!

Point4 is something that I hope sticks around for a long time, and I think that if more promoters work together then we can make up for the lack of venues in the city, and make some really cool parties happen!

So if you have no plans for the 21st, then get to the Soundhaus - it's only £6, nae excuse.

Neil Landstrumm LIVE @ La Cheetah

I mentioned this in my previous post but it has been confirmed that Neil Landstrumm is playing live @ La Cheetah on the 28/01, Data Rape will also be playing live on that night.

£10 entry and it's payday, so I expect this to be a busy one.

Technofunk

I first came across Juho Kusti last year through a mix he sent me over at mnml.nl, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. In a little over an hour Juho had flawlessly worked his way through 23 essential cuts of techno and house, all on vinyl.

Since then he has celebrated the 2nd birthday of radio show Deep Space Helsinki (which I suggest you tune in to) with Samuli Kemppi, and kept his Technofunk series going strong. The latest instalment in this is a killer so get this downloaded while you can as it only has a limit of 100 downloads. And for those of you who still need convincing, we have included the tracklist (which really speaks for itself).

Technofunk7

Tracklist

Rasmus Hedlund - Opasiteten Saknas - Ljudverket
Giorgio Gigli - Hidden In The Darkness - Zooloft
Lucy - Kalachakra (DVS1 Eyes Open Mix) - Prologue
Marcelus - Perception - Deeply Rooted House
G.I.O.N. - Haze - Human Race Nation
Samuli Kemppi - Välitila - Pakkas Levyt
Nuel - Untitled - Aquaplano LTD
Giorgio Gigli - Self-Reflection - Prologue
Mike Parker - Bleep Gate 2 - Geophone
Marcel Dettmann - Unrest (Norman Nodge Remix) - Ostgut Ton
Samuli Kemppi - Dark Matter - Mote-Evolver
Traversable Wormhole - Where 2D Meets 3D - Traversable Wormhole
Ben Klock - Static Test - Ostgut Ton
Population One - Rush Hour (Rolando Remix) - Rush Hour
4.26. - Unknown - Frozen Border
Milton Bradley - Desperation - Do Not Resist The Beat!
Millsart - Gamma Player - Axis
Reality Or Nothing - Unknown (Function Remix) - RSB
DJ Qu - Somethin' Ta Feel - Strength Music

Nights Out In January

January isn't a great month for parties and if, like me, the festive period involved spending far more than you planned to, then you will be glad to know that you won't be missing out on a great deal if you are not out that often this month.

It's not a very long feature but it's a pretty weak month in Glasgow. Still... I'm sure there are plenty of people who will be glad to have a few weeks of rest.

Neil Landstrumm might be playing La Cheetah on the 28th January but there seems to be very little about this online, so I can't be sure that this is going ahead. (If you know more about this then please get in touch)

The only other night that I think is worth some space here is bi-monthly party Loop.

January 15th - Loop @ La Cheetah

Resident Advisor

Loop has been running for a little over a year now, and to kick off 2011 they have booked Scottish producer Polymath. Polymath's music really isn't for me and I have never seen him play so can't comment on that, but residents Neil Murphy and Jamie Knox are both rock solid and play some serious techno at times, so if you are out on the 15th then I would recommend heading here as it is always a great party.