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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 |
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Zoe from Kurruption & Amanda from Frantic prepare for UP^^
Reported by benz
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Submitted 14-07-05 00:33
This Saturday 16 July sees the return of one of the capital's most in-demand funky house soirees — UP^^. The venue is T2 at Turnmills, alongside the highly rated City Loud in the main room featuring US house legend Tony Humphries. UP^^ brings to the table some of the country's hottest house music talent, with only the most fiercely funky DJs participating. Clearly, this event is one that the glammed-up funkateers are going to be salivating into their champagne flutes over!
We got together with two of the people that are making this event happen to find out how they got into the whole promoting lark and to find out a bit more about UP^^. [bAmanda[/b] is better known for her hard and relentless work for Frantic and has been co-promoting some of the most successful parties in the country for years now. She has dealt with more stress than the average city trader, ensured the smooth running of hundreds of high-quality, highly-attended events and helped to bring thousands of clubbers the world over club events to remember and savour.
Zoe is the promoter of Kurruption, one of the biggest success stories in the house/breaks/electro scene in London in recent years. Also a passionate and determined promoter, she has taken her promotion from humble suburb beginnings to bigger and brighter things than most would have imagined possible. She will be bringing 2 of her finest DJs to UP^^ this Saturday (Mark Bowler and Vandal) to fly the flag for Kurruption and once again show why it is one of the hottest tickets in town!
So ladies, how did you become involved in this sordid dance music scene in the first place?
Zoe: I somehow ended up living above the Captain Cook in Acton, which gave me a taster for the smaller scale of clubbing. After living there for a few months, I thought I'd put on my small party, centered around my friends and their musical tastes... It just kind of snowballed from there really.
Amanda: Like a lot of promoters I started off by being a clubber. I used to go out every weekend and started flyering for Frantic; the rest as they say is history!
What did you do before you were involved in dance music?
Z: I did the usual London thing, saw the sights, went to a lot of live gigs and generally took life at a much slower pace!
A:I was a teaching assistant in a special needs school.
Was there a defining moment in your life which made you realise for sure that dance music was what you wanted to be involved in? Why did you decide to become promoters?
Z: There wasn't actually a defining moment. Things have just progressed slowly over the past few years. Although it was probably when I took my party outside Acton and when everything became a bigger challenge that I decided to stick with it... I'm always up for a challenge!
A: When I first started clubbing I thought it would be the ultimate job, but never thought I’d actually be doing it full time. Then Will approached me and asked if I would be interested in filling in for Robyn while she went on holiday, I thought here’s my chance. My first event was Frantic vs Fevah in January 2001 — held at the legendary Camden Palace. I remember standing at the very top of that colossal main room with Robyn (who now works at tidy) and thinking, ‘this is what it’s all about!’ Looking down into a sea of people who were having the time of their lives made all the hard work worthwhile! I was hooked!
Amanda, you originally hail from Canada. Did your introduction to dance music and clubbing start there or was it elsewhere you ‘learnt the ropes’ so to speak?
A: If I’m 100% honest I hated dance music when I was growing up (I was a rock chick through and through). It was only after I moved to London in ’98 that I went to my first dance club and fell in love with the music. Everything I’ve learned I’ve learned here.
Has hard dance made its mark over there do you know?
A: Like many other countries Canada is a few years behind the UK, but the scene is definitely thriving with DJs going over every weekend to rock the clubs and show how it’s done UK style.
Zoe whereabouts in England are you from? Have you experienced much international clubbing in your time?
I was born in Hampshire but spent a lot of my time in Bristol and Cornwall at boarding school. I led a pretty sheltered life until I was about 19, which was when I hit my first club (The End). I haven't quite got to the international clubbing scene yet but there's plenty of time for that!
Zoe and K.A.R.L. from One
What have been your proudest achievements in your job up to this point in time?
Z: I am proud of everything I've done with Kurruption. Promoting it on my own has been tough and I'm just happy that we're still around, with plenty of new things in the pipeline. Selling out my boat party tickets with almost no advertising, nearly 2 months prior to the event felt pretty good. I'm proud that we're a party that has a loyal following from a great crowd.
A: How long have we got? LoL.. I’ve had so many proud and defining moments so far that I think it would be too hard to choose! I think each event we do is an achievement as it’s another lesson learned.
What are your musical loves outside of the styles of dance music that you promote?
Z: I've loved all styles of music from an early age and my taste changes constantly, which doesn't make buying records and CDs a cheap past time! I used to be a huge hard dance fan but after promoting house/breaks/electro for Kurruption, my tastes swayed. Now I'm actually getting back into my hard again.
I also really love lots of the indie/rock music that's around at the moment and still try and get to lots of gigs. Saw LCD Soundsystem a few months ago, who were great!
A: I’m a fan of all sorts of music to be honest. From rock and pop to swing and disco… If it gets your foot tapping or your whole body shaking then it gets a thumbs up from me. Rock on!
Amanda
July 16th sees the return of UP^^ to the capital, in Room 2 at City Loud at Turnmills, which you are both co-promoting. I’ve for one haven’t been to UP^^ yet — what can we expect to hear, see and feel?
A: UP^^ is all about fiercely funky house! It’s different to other Frantic events in that Ii’s dedicated to the bass heavy, vocal filled sound of dirty funky house!
Do you find that much of the crowd at UP^^ generally circulate in hard dance circles, or are they very much a separate clientele? Do you find that the hard dance affiliations associated with a night such as this can cause problems? Or can they be beneficial?
A: I think at first there was a lot of crossover, but now UP^^ has definitely got its own crowd. They tend to be open minded clubbers that love funky and dirty house, but also like everything from breaks to techno.
What feedback have you had from previous UP^^s? What have you learnt from them?
A: The feedback has been very positive, hence we keep going back for more! I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is not to rely on the name Frantic but to use the skills I have learned there, and adapt them to the house market.
Photos used courtesy of Daf, Zoe and Frantic.
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Other Features By benz:
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Eat Static return for Lost In Space
Coburn bring their live show to UP^^
The return of The Colosseum
Modernism, Politburo and Sedition: Matthew Duffield’s manifesto
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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