BAZZY B - Q1 - HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE CLUB PROMOTION
BUSINESS?
BENNY V - All the cru had been playing out at various clubs for a while and we
saw
that we believed was a stagnent time for the scene. If you cast your
mind
back to 1998 and 1999 there were people left right and centre saying
that
Drum & Bass was dead. This pissed us off enough to make us get up and
do
things that we thought were right for the scene. It was a time when
attendances had started to dwindle some-what. We had a fresh
perspective cos
we were the same age as everyone who was going out. We knew what people
wanted and this gave us a great vantage point. Now we have been proved
right
as the scene is building again and will go from strength to strength.
BAZZY B - Q2 - BEFORE DANCE CONCEPT, DID YOU HELP TO RUN ANY OTHER
CLUB NIGHTS?
BENNY V - We put on local partys for our friends and stuff. Nothing big budget
but
used to have shit loads of fun just hiring halls and getting all your
mates
to bring their mates and jam the night out! Back then, it wouldnt
matter
what was going on in the scene, cos it wasnt about superstars. It was
about
the music! We all think back to those times with great fondness.
BAZZY B - Q3 - HAVE YOU, TRIPONITE, NICKY BLUNT, PHIL SURE AND
LOCK STOCK ALWAYS BEEN MATES, OR DID YOU COME TOGETHER
FOR DANCE CONCEPT?
BENNY V - What we feel has helped out the most with the cru is the fact that we
have
all known eachother for many years and have formed a tight-knit cru
that is
not just about the music but also based on friendship. For a start,
Triptonite is my younger brother!
Lock Stock is an old school friend. In fact I used to bully him back in
the
day cos he was a couple of years below me. Then one day, Triptonite
brought
him round and he got a bit scared!!!
Ive known Phil Sure since the early 90s. I was DJing at my local Ice
Rink
(Lea Valley Ice Centre) and he used to come down and give me old
Hardcore
and Jungle mix-tapes to play during my sets. We worked out we had all
the
same views on the scene and things followed from there.
I met Nicky Blunt at Helter Skelter in the mid-90s. We spoke in the cue
and
got on really well. Then once we went back to a mutuel friends house
afterwards I wanted to kill the bloke cos as his name suggests, he's
quite
to the point and opinionated. But under the tough exterior he's a top
bloke.
BAZZY B - Q4 - SINCE DANCE CONCEPT STARTED, HOW MANY EVENTS HAVE
YOU HELD ALL TOGETHER AND WHERE WERE THEY HELD?
BENNY V - The next event on the 29th June @ Club Colosseum will be the 6th event
over
2 years. The 7th will be on Aug 3rd once again at the Secrets Complex
(you
heard it here first!). The first event was held in November 1999 at The
Pleasure Rooms in Tottenham. This was followed by 2 very succesful
partys at
La Scala in Kings X. Due to the venue starting their own Saturday night
venture we moved on to thr Gracelands Studios, SE1. Desire and Jungle
Fever
had just recently held their events there but after rows with the
management, we moved to a brand new venue for Drum & Bass. The Secrets
Complex. This was a proper garage venue. Really plush with beatiful
decorations! That made it particularly satisfying cos for too long we
were
seeing venues normally holding D&B events playing nothing but Garage
instead. This was our way of sticking our 2 fingers up to the
mainstream
bullshit with people telling us that D&B was finished. We got in a
record
1100 people for the venue. And that was for a D&B event in a Garage
venue!!!
BAZZY B - Q5 - WHICH HAS BEEN THE BEST EVENT TO DATE, AND WHO
ATTENDED?
BENNY V - There are 2 joint top events. The first was the second Scala event. It
was
held on the 29th April 2000. The night after World Dance @ Bagleys and
the
night before Jungle Fever @ Astoria. Even though it was such a busy
weekend,
the public turned up and truely smashed up the place with around 1200
people
jammed into the venue. The line-up for the evening was Ray Keith, Mampi
Swift, Shy FX, Demolition Cru, Aphrodite, myself and the DC Cru. MCs
were
Skibadee, Fearless, Fun, IC3, Eksman, Herbsy and MC MC. The 2nd top
night
was the before mentioned Secrets Complex event on 6th May 2001. Once
again
the bank holiday raving masses (going on the same weekend as One Nation
@
Bagleys and Innovation @ the Rex) turned up to rave the night away.
Andy C,
Brockie, Mampi Swift, DJ Ron, Aphrodite, Phantasy, Demolition Cru,
Nicky
Blackmarket, Skibadee, Det, Fearless, Fun, Eksman, and the rest of the
DC
Cru were the artists performing on the night.
BAZZY B - Q6 - NEXT MONTH'S EVENT IS SET TO BE EVEN BIGGER AND
BETTER, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
BENNY V - Taking on the Colosseum was a big thing. This is a truely heaveywieght
London Venue. No doubt about that. Everyone who has been to the venue
will
know exactly what to expect. But we are once again going to educate the
ravers who havent been going to Drum & Bass events since the early mid
90s
which was the last time there was a major D&B event going on there.
There
are 3 massive rooms and the sound system will make your eyes water!!!
We
have brought in a Live PA from Dfrnt-Lvls (who brought you the Stevie
Hyper
D album a couple of years back). They will be performing with Illmatika
and
Wendie Roberts the track 'Ravers'. Now, this track is proper catchy and
has
a definate comercial side to it. There are talks that Sony and other
top
lables are interested, so you will be able to hear it at DC for the
first
time. We have assembled our largest and best line-up and also
introduced the
New-Skool breakz phenomenon into the equation. Ratpack will be playing
a
mixture of the Old and Nu-Skool flava in a room that is sure to appeal
to a
great deal of the D&B followers.
We have our usual Full Force dancers on the night and will have stalls
selling merchandise. This will most definately be our biggest and most
spectacular event to date!!!
BAZZY B - Q7 - WHAT IS INVOLVED WHEN PROMOTING A NIGHT LIKE DANCE
CONCEPT?
BENNY V - When we started DC, we never truely knew how much work was involved in
running a major event. Its not just a case booking a venue, some DJs
and
printing some flyers. It goes a lot deeper then that. And the costs
spiral
as well. You can sit down with a pen and paper and try to work out the
costings and trust me, you will find it costs a lot more. They're
called
'hidden costs'. Petrol for flyering, backdrops, enhanced lighting and
sound,
paste for posters!!! Then some DJs cancel and you have to find
replacements,
and other times, people dont turn up on the night and you have to have
back-up DJs. Promoting will take over your life!
BAZZY B - Q8 - HAVE YOU EVER GONE THROUGH THE PROMOTER'S
NIGHTMARE, AND SET UP A GOOD NIGHT WITH TOP DJ'S, ONLY
FOR A HANDFULL OF PEOPLE TO SHOW UP
BENNY V - Our first party at the Pleasure Rooms had the best line-up of any event
at
that venue. We had Randall, Shy FX, Brockie, Nicky Blackmarket,
Aphrodite,
Ellis Dee, Ratpack, Slipmatt, Demolition Cru, Krome, Skibadee, Det, MC
MC,
Majika playing the best in upfront D&B and Oldskool. We crashed quite
hard
on the financial side of things. We got in just under 600 people so the
place looked quite busy but to us it was a terrible kick in the teeth.
Especially as had worked so hard with the promotion and putting so much
money in. But we learnt many lessons from that first event. So, we
licked
our wounds, changed venues and havent looked back from there. Its mind
boggling to think you can put on a top line-up and flyer everywhere but
still only get a small fraction of the people out there to turn up.
BAZZY B - Q9 - WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE WANTING TO START
THEIR OWN CLUB NIGHT? WHAT SHOULD THEY DO AND WHAT
SHOULDN'T THEY DO?
BENNY V - There is not just one way of running things. The main thing is to not
get
dis-heartened if your first event doesnt work out the way you needed or
wanted it to. You have to stick to your task. At the end of the day, if
you
persist, then things should start working out. But it is not easy!!!!
Anyone
who thinks its a shit-easy to do, better think twice before they put
something on. If you work hard and promote your own clubnight, then its
beneficial for the scene cos more people become aware of the extra
events
going on and then more people start going out. But its no good to see
empty
raves and clubs.
BAZZY B - CHEERS FOR THE INTERVIEW MATE, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA SAY?
BENNY V - Just wanna big up everyone who is in the scene for the love! Out to all
the
pirates (especially those who hold no politics). Also out to the lovers
of
the Drum & Bass. Remember, it is you lot that make the scene. Not the
DJs,
Producers or the promoters. If the crowds dont turn up for the raves or
buy
the records, then there simply wouldnt be a scene. Its the love of the
music
that keeps this scene strong so big it up to everyone who knows the
coo.
Also out to all the Dance Concept regulars and to those who havent
sampled
the vibe yet... where you been??
Hold it up!
