Posts by Dastardly Bounder
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If kids can’t hear the music they love – music often made by their peers – there’s a risk they’ll be lost to live music altogether. And more particularly, to New Zealand music.
There's another option too. In some ways the restrictive nature of licensing and established venues leads to creative ventures that challenge, change and enhance the music scene. If ‘kids’ don't get access to the music they love in official venues, they start their own. Plenty of examples of this exist and they start because the status quo didn't cater for the audience.
I'm thinking about several warehouse flats that held this function in Auckland in the 90s - Normanby Road (The Berry to aficionados) comes to mind. This dilapidated warehouse at one stage provided weekly events that often featured music from NZ musicians, and undoubtedly influenced many kiwi producers of electronic music. The door fee was low and security kept at a minimum. No alcohol was ever sold and it wasn't generally consumed in large quantities either. I lived in the warehouse for more than a year and the only problems we ever had were from drunkards wandering down from the Horse and Trap.
The same thing can be said for why Entrain and Splore started and then thrived. The establishment just didn't support the type of event, the music or the aspirations of the crowd. The promoters looked for alternatives and the crowd reacted, voting with their feet (so to speak).
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The 'I was born in the wrong age' response seems reasonably common. Like Russell I would loved to have been at the Loft for those seminal times (see Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton as a great insight into the history of dance music and DJing).
I'd also have loved to have been immersed in either of the Sumer of Love explosions or in Goa between 89 and 93. The early years of Burning Man.
I was lucky enough to have been immersed in the Entrain experience between 92 and 95 and had the distinct impression at the time that there's nowhere I'd rather be. There was a feeling of 'relevance', an impression that something great was happening, something bigger than the individuals. While there wasn't any sweeping social change as a result of people dancing outside to amplified music, it is interesting to see those summers in the context of our history 20 years later.
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Hard News: Listening Lounge 2016: Drugs…, in reply to Russell Brown,
My sentiments exactly, I'm keen to hear what a Leftfield DJ set consists of... Also of note is that the Sun Shack is running a solar power sound system, which previously graced the theme camp bar - with greater speaker capacity for this Splore. I'd highly recommend being there from say... 7.30 on Friday night...
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The Listening Lounge is a great addition to the Splore quiver. I'm looking forward to the discourse...
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#Icantbreathe
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Hard News: The Boom Crash, in reply to BenWilson,
But Massey is the new Ponsonby!
Yeah... We established that last week didnt we?
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Hard News: The Boom Crash, in reply to william blake,
Set up a co-op with your mates
I've been wary of cooperative land or lifestyle groups, mainly because I've seen the results of failed 70s communes and business ventures started by friends. When things go wrong the fallout can be quite spectacular.
Saying that... I recently found this fellow in Christchurch who is an urban planner. He's put together a guide for cooperative land purchase and development.
I'd like to think it could work.
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Hard News: The uncooling of the inner West, in reply to BenWilson,
will never be the new old Ponsonby
Evidently times have changed. The old Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Kingsland will never come back. Lamenting the loss of culture in a now gentrified suburb seems to be a global modern dinner party theme (Hackney, Harlem, The Castro, Berlin's Graefe), but to me it's akin to saying there's no been no good music since the 'insert decade here'.
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Hard News: The uncooling of the inner West, in reply to BenWilson,
He moved to Ranui. Now, I seldom see him.
I think that is one of the reason's behind the sentiment in many of the 'my neighbourhood has changed and I dont like it' comments. We lose aspects of our community and culture as market forces disrupt our lives.
I would like to encourage people to get involved in community building - you can take an active role in creating and maintaining culture in your neighbourhood. Put on free events in your local park, meet people, campaign for the change you want at your Community Board meetings...
The 'cool' aspects of yester-year's inner west are achievable elsewhere, they just need your involvement.
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Hard News: The uncooling of the inner West, in reply to Donne,
Avondale might be a bit different. Around the town centre is zoned for much greater density and some apartments are already being built.
I think that may actually be good for Avondale - I've lived there for the last couple of years and have seen house prices rocket. It's one of the areas where artists pushed from the innner suburbs have ended up, and these people have been self organising to create cultural outlets. It'd be nice if the accomodation stayed affordable and greater density housing might help achieve this.
Avondale's one of the city centres identified for renewal by the recently proposed organisation arising out of the success of Waterfront Auckland's development around Silo Park. This group engages in 'Placemaking' which is a form of town planning slash event management slash community building and has been seen in Detroit, New York and Christchurch. It can work to great effect.
The Avondale art community has also taken control of their own destiny - the recent "Whau the People" arts festival in the old Three Guys site was really good. Impressive installation art works, performance, interactive arts. All good.