I've been the worst culprit of this before - banging out fast and furious tunes when the situation demands something a bit more restrained. It's an easy trap to fall into: Dubai crowds can be a bit slow to catch fire sometimes, so throwing down some heavy-duty ammunition can be the easiest way to light the touch paper. That and a relatively early 3am finish added to the fact most clubbers don't show until 12am at the earliest, means that you've got a few hours to show them a good time. And invariably that means cranking up the speed. But, pop quiz hot shot - where does that leave the night to progress to? And it's not going to impress the headliner who's now stuck at lightspeed, and any decrease will risk losing the momentum you've so carefully blown up.
In my defence, it's something that I've tried pretty hard to rectify in recent years, and I now take a lot of care in my warm ups, making sure the music, tempo and energy of the tracks fit the venue, the crowd, the time of the night. To me, a warm up now means starting at 95BPM at 10pm and finishing on around 120BPM at 1am when the headliner comes on. And that suits me perfectly, as I've genuinely fallen in love with music at around 110BPM in speed (hence the name of the blog, see).
It first started when I got into disco (as I think most DJs do at one point or another, it being the creation point of all dance music, after all), and I realised the energy a 100BPM banger could have, the propulsive momentum created by big, scudding beats and skittery hi notes to push it forward. And then there's my other new love, Ghetto funk, which is another slow but energetic genre that is essentially breakbeat slowed down to a hip hop speed, but with added dubstep bassline wobble and seismic beats. It's a genuinely exciting new type of music, and one that I've started incorporating into my edits and mashups.
It seems the 'slow is the new fast' school of thought is spreading around the world. House, once in love with minimal house (which to my ear sounded like a particularly annoying bat fight) has now added melody to the music, and stripped back the speed so much that 125BPM is now considered speeding. And even dirty Dutch house, the most virulent strain of electro, has taken a raincheck on its speeds, and has transmogrified itself and is now called Moobahton, with 110BPM tracks doing the same damage on the dancefloor as pitched up 130BPM anthems.
What does it all mean, then? To my mind, it's simply a re-adjustment to the previous few years, where dubstep and its halting, punctuated 140BPM scatter-gun breaks and nu-disco and its big-room melodies over beefed up beats have made a huge impact on the musical climate. Music needn't be Lighting Bolt fast to make an impact, and warm up DJs and headliners have brought the speeds down and with it raised the club's ceilings. Whether crowds in Dubai appreciate this slow-down is another matter, but with nights like Turn Me Loose, iLL Communications, audio tonic and the Electric Boutique at Trilogy flying the slow and funky flag, there's a lot of hope yet.
And if you've made it this far, here's my latest mix which works its way from 100BPM to 120BPM over an hour, with plenty of acid-fried disco flavours along the way.
http://soundcloud.com/da-funct-synf/da-functs-nu-disco-acid-wiggle
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Saturday 16 July 2011
Shouting Together
My recent Horror's nu-disco edit got a surprising amount of love, so I decided to continue in that musical theme and given Primal Scream's 'Come Together' a drum-heavy edit and added Tears For Fears vocals along the way. Give it a spin and let me know what you think...
And if you like it, it'll most likely be played loud and proud at our next Loaded on Friday July 29
Saturday 9 July 2011
Ride on Still Life
Few bands have got at me the same way The Horrors have. They were the band of Glastonbury last year when we saw them at sunset on the Park Stage. It might have been a combination of a fuzzy red-wine head at 7pm, or the strange mushroom omelette that I had for lunch (ahem), but when they took to the stage and played their debut album Primary Colours in its entirety and it blew me and the missus away.
Understandably, we were HUGELY excited about the follow up material and first single from the new album, 'Still Life.' And it didn't disappoint. A buzzy, shoegaze meets pop blast of ever-evolving brilliance, it's one of the best tunes of 2011 already. But - and there's always a but - it didn't quite work on the dancefloor at Loaded.
So, I've added a fairly large tweak, sped it up slightly and mashed it up with one of my nu-disco bangers. The beats are now harder, faster and the two songs work really well together in my opinion. But that's just my thoughts, click on this link for my mashup and listen for yourself...
Understandably, we were HUGELY excited about the follow up material and first single from the new album, 'Still Life.' And it didn't disappoint. A buzzy, shoegaze meets pop blast of ever-evolving brilliance, it's one of the best tunes of 2011 already. But - and there's always a but - it didn't quite work on the dancefloor at Loaded.
So, I've added a fairly large tweak, sped it up slightly and mashed it up with one of my nu-disco bangers. The beats are now harder, faster and the two songs work really well together in my opinion. But that's just my thoughts, click on this link for my mashup and listen for yourself...
Friday 1 July 2011
'Can you play something betterer?'
Loca was the busiest it's ever been on Thursday. From 8pm, it was standing room only, and every nook and cranny was filled with people. Which ordinarily, would have been perfect. In the year I've been there, Loca has always had a great vibe, and quickly built up a reputation as one of the best bars and restaurants in the city, and I love my Thursday nights there.
Sadly, it was so busy that a group of 30 teachers were press-ganged into the DJ corner, and for 5 exceedingly painful hours, constantly let me know about it.
It began when one of the Arabic teachers in the party told me - not asked, told me - I should be playing Arabic music. When you're in a Mexican restaurant. And I'm a white guy currently playing New Orleans funk and soul which is going down very-nicely-indeed-thank-you-very-much. That didn't stop the muppet asking a further 3 times however, each one accompanied by an imploring arm swung round to presumably imply that no one was enjoying my music when people where actually quite happily getting down.
That was nothing compared to the agony inflicted by the drunk, cackling, middle-aged pack of teacher hyenas who pounced on every track I played. I can't replay the whole night (more for fear that I might end up curled up naked in the shower rocking myself from side to side as I re-live the memory) so here are a few excerpts...
Woman: 'Can you play something betterer' - that's not better, but betterer.
Woman: 'Can you play something we can dance to/Can you play something I know/Can you play something faster' - all of which were met with a confused/disdainful/please-god-let-this-end-soon look from me.
Woman: 'I was born in the 70s (that's a lie, but moving on) - can you play something I know.' So I drop some Fleetwood Mac and some Rolling Stones.
Woman: 'I did ask you for some 70s music, are you going to play any or what?'
Erm...
Woman: 'Is this what the venue have told you to play - why don't you play something we can dance to and that we know.'
Me: 'We don't really play commercial, radio music.'
Woman: 'Why not, it's better than this shite.'
Me: 'That's quite rude.'
Woman: 'Play some Usher or some Pitbull.'
Me: 'No.'
Woman: 'You're the worst DJ in the world, I've never met anyone so rude. I don't understand why you won't play what all the other bars are playing.'
Me: (While turning the music up) 'Well fuck off to one of those bars then.'
Woman: 'Why were you laughing and talking to that person who just made a request.'
Me: 'Erm, what?'
Woman: 'You've been nothing but rude to me, why won't you take my request?'
Me: 'Well, that was one of my friends who I haven't seen for a few months. She's nice, friendly and doesn't bust my balls about the rather excellent choice of music I've been playing. You however are a pissed twat who's had one margarita too many, and are now being a bolshy, musical moron trying to push your weight around.' Except you can't say that to people, so I just put my headphones on and dropped some more 'shite.'
What total twats like that fail to appreciate is that a) I have the other 300 people to cater to (of which a lot of people regularly come up and say how much they liked the music) b) I have to be consistent with what we've been doing at the venue for the last year (and that's playing funk, soul, disco and rock and roll, and judging by how busy we are, are doing it rather well) and c) when else would you be so down-right rude, condescending and petulant to another human being and think that it's perfectly normal behaviour?
You're a punter, a consumer. We play different music, it's our niche, our calling card and judging by how busy it is and how many repeat customers we get, a very succesful one. Vote with your feet and go to Chi/Rock Bottom/anywherefuckingelse instead of giving me a hard time for 5 long hours.
But they didn't. They stayed in my DJ corner from 8pm until a very drunk 1.15am. When the music was so bad that they presumably went home and ripped off their ears so they could never endure the pain again. A whole 5 hours and 15 minutes of hell, or 315 minutes of unadulterated musical perjury for both them and me.
So this blog post is dedicated to them. As is the this song that I played when they were walking out, accompanied by a few backward looks over their shoulders, before they plummeted over an unseen step and ended up on a drunken heap on the ground.
Sadly, it was so busy that a group of 30 teachers were press-ganged into the DJ corner, and for 5 exceedingly painful hours, constantly let me know about it.
It began when one of the Arabic teachers in the party told me - not asked, told me - I should be playing Arabic music. When you're in a Mexican restaurant. And I'm a white guy currently playing New Orleans funk and soul which is going down very-nicely-indeed-thank-you-very-much. That didn't stop the muppet asking a further 3 times however, each one accompanied by an imploring arm swung round to presumably imply that no one was enjoying my music when people where actually quite happily getting down.
That was nothing compared to the agony inflicted by the drunk, cackling, middle-aged pack of teacher hyenas who pounced on every track I played. I can't replay the whole night (more for fear that I might end up curled up naked in the shower rocking myself from side to side as I re-live the memory) so here are a few excerpts...
Woman: 'Can you play something betterer' - that's not better, but betterer.
Woman: 'Can you play something we can dance to/Can you play something I know/Can you play something faster' - all of which were met with a confused/disdainful/please-god-let-this-end-soon look from me.
Woman: 'I was born in the 70s (that's a lie, but moving on) - can you play something I know.' So I drop some Fleetwood Mac and some Rolling Stones.
Woman: 'I did ask you for some 70s music, are you going to play any or what?'
Erm...
Woman: 'Is this what the venue have told you to play - why don't you play something we can dance to and that we know.'
Me: 'We don't really play commercial, radio music.'
Woman: 'Why not, it's better than this shite.'
Me: 'That's quite rude.'
Woman: 'Play some Usher or some Pitbull.'
Me: 'No.'
Woman: 'You're the worst DJ in the world, I've never met anyone so rude. I don't understand why you won't play what all the other bars are playing.'
Me: (While turning the music up) 'Well fuck off to one of those bars then.'
Woman: 'Why were you laughing and talking to that person who just made a request.'
Me: 'Erm, what?'
Woman: 'You've been nothing but rude to me, why won't you take my request?'
Me: 'Well, that was one of my friends who I haven't seen for a few months. She's nice, friendly and doesn't bust my balls about the rather excellent choice of music I've been playing. You however are a pissed twat who's had one margarita too many, and are now being a bolshy, musical moron trying to push your weight around.' Except you can't say that to people, so I just put my headphones on and dropped some more 'shite.'
What total twats like that fail to appreciate is that a) I have the other 300 people to cater to (of which a lot of people regularly come up and say how much they liked the music) b) I have to be consistent with what we've been doing at the venue for the last year (and that's playing funk, soul, disco and rock and roll, and judging by how busy we are, are doing it rather well) and c) when else would you be so down-right rude, condescending and petulant to another human being and think that it's perfectly normal behaviour?
You're a punter, a consumer. We play different music, it's our niche, our calling card and judging by how busy it is and how many repeat customers we get, a very succesful one. Vote with your feet and go to Chi/Rock Bottom/anywherefuckingelse instead of giving me a hard time for 5 long hours.
But they didn't. They stayed in my DJ corner from 8pm until a very drunk 1.15am. When the music was so bad that they presumably went home and ripped off their ears so they could never endure the pain again. A whole 5 hours and 15 minutes of hell, or 315 minutes of unadulterated musical perjury for both them and me.
So this blog post is dedicated to them. As is the this song that I played when they were walking out, accompanied by a few backward looks over their shoulders, before they plummeted over an unseen step and ended up on a drunken heap on the ground.
Re-Loaded
Loaded - Just Good Music.
I think we stuck to our musical mandate on our 2nd Loaded event, as we played everything from The Supremes to The Vaccines, and drum and bass (Marky and Stamina) to Nirvana. And if anything, it went down even better than the first event: well, that is apart from the batty old bird who vehemently complained that we weren't playing enough indie (amusingly, while The Stone Roses was playing) and Simon's laptop getting splattered in beer which meant he had to play off my laptop (hence the above-average number of mashups!)
Then again, it's maybe not surprising that Si's laptop took a dunking as there was a full on moshpit in Casa Latina from 11 until a sweaty, sweaty close at 3am. We're back on Friday July 29 which is the last night of clubbing before Ramadan, so it should be rather large. Until then, here are some great pics that our good friend Duncan Dodgson took from the last gig - see if you can spot yourself in the moshpit.
I think we stuck to our musical mandate on our 2nd Loaded event, as we played everything from The Supremes to The Vaccines, and drum and bass (Marky and Stamina) to Nirvana. And if anything, it went down even better than the first event: well, that is apart from the batty old bird who vehemently complained that we weren't playing enough indie (amusingly, while The Stone Roses was playing) and Simon's laptop getting splattered in beer which meant he had to play off my laptop (hence the above-average number of mashups!)
Then again, it's maybe not surprising that Si's laptop took a dunking as there was a full on moshpit in Casa Latina from 11 until a sweaty, sweaty close at 3am. We're back on Friday July 29 which is the last night of clubbing before Ramadan, so it should be rather large. Until then, here are some great pics that our good friend Duncan Dodgson took from the last gig - see if you can spot yourself in the moshpit.
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