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Thursday, December 18th, 2008
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3:18 pm - Tomorrow Night...
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Yes, I haven't been here in a while.
I work in retail and it's been Christmassy... *chuckle* Which I like but... wow, busy.
I've lots to write about. This weekend: playlists, touring, festivals, videos... all sorts of stuff. Promise.
But, and this is important, this Friday is the LAST time I will DJ at the wonderful, the fun, the delicious Savage Garden. If you've been talking about making the Dark Retro night, then this is your last and final chance.
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| Thursday, October 16th, 2008
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12:53 am - The Tour - The When and the Where
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So... here it is as it stands.
Let's start with Friday, Oct 17th where I have the honour and the joy of spinning at Savage Garden for the monthly Dark Retro night. And you KNOW it'll be major amounts of fun.
Then it's on the road, and on Saturday, October 18th I'll be in Cleveland, at the Chamber Nightclub in Lakewood where I will face off against the talented AND gorgeous DJ Purrrincess in the Chamber's new RoundRobin Versus series. Will I stand and rep Canada properly, or will our red and white flag cover my mutilated corpse once my foe is done with me? Y'gotta come out and see.
Wednesday, Oct 22nd I get to visit and guest at a club that's new to me: Rewired in Bowling Green, Ohio. I've heard some amazing stuff about the clubnights in Bowling Green... have heard it for years and years from people from all over: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania... I look forward to experiencing it for myself.
[I'm not guaranteeing it'll be a Fetishy night... but it will be fun!]
I'm still looking for something in Chicago on Thur, Oct 23/Fri, Oct 24 but after the dance of errors mentioned earlier... well, we shall see. I'm also waiting on hearing from DJ WhiteRabbit about Inferno in Madison on Sat, Oct 25th... a yea or a nay will happen soon. And then finally I am assured of a guest spot on Sunday, Oct 26th in Greenbay WI but... well, we'll see.
I'll then be homeward bound to DJ on Wed, Oct 29th at my favourite Renaissance Nightclub in Kitchener... a place I've missed terribly and hugely and am SO happy to be visiting with special gifts in tow.
And finally, on the night itself, I'll be crafting something musically special for Fet4Play here in Toronto on Fri, Oct 31st.
Then, as I've a few extra days left, I may just head to Ottawa for a few days with family on the weekend. We'll have to see, but it is likely.
Playlists and reviews of said clubs will be posted on my return and will make it to our eventual website for it's launch in the very near future!
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12:29 am - A Little Rant About Some People's Work Ethic...
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Before I get into the where and when of my vacation... well, when I get two weeks off [and with being in Rogers Management they now INSIST I take two weeks off every year] I like to pick an area on the map, book some guest DJ spots and go visit.
The guesting is... fun. I get to meet new DJs, see new crowds and new clubs, learn new music... talk shop... I enjoy the hell out of it. I get excited when I'm going to be DJing at a new club. All giddy, me, like a high schooler on a first date.
So back in August I picked an area... from Ohio up through Michigan into Illinois and ending in Wisconsin. Now, to find the clubs and such.
Ohio is solid. People there get back to me fairly regularly. A bit of chatting and a couple of dates were done.
The other end... Wisconsin... I'm TOLD there's a good bet in Green Bay but so far I've heard nothing back. And Madison, beyond an initial 'yes, we could be interested' hasn't said a thing either. Of course I worry that my email is getting spam-trapped or their responses are ending up in my junkmail but... after four more responses to DJ WhiteRabbit have gone unanswered... I'm getting slightly miffed.
Michigan didn't pan out. By the time I got in touch with Necto, it was midSeptember and they'd all ready booked for all of October. They book early... which I kinda like but... *shrug* oh well, my miss.
Chicago, though, has pissed me right off. Hugely. I initially contacted DJ Noir as he'd been found by a local friend and seemed interested. I wrote and got a response that basically said "contact me closer to, in Octoberish". So I did. And I got nothing. I wrote again. Silence. I've seen his regular updates on MySpace... wrote there too... still nothing. I tried alternate emails and other people close to the guy and... nothing. I finally got in touch with someone I'd talked with ages ago, who has some dealings with him, and got the "oh, too late now! And he's busy so..."
Y'know, I'm NEVER too busy to at least write and say "sorry, nothing available but try blah blah". I work a long day job and balance off the night job and other endeavours but I still have the time to respond to inquiries or to redirect 'em if need be.
I think what's got me mostly pretty frickin' angry is that I was told, and I trusted this, to "contact me over then..." and when I did, after a lot of hunting around, I finally got back a "oh, y'shoulda contacted us back then..." I feel like I've been jerked.
I'm doing a fast dance to email a few clubs and other DJs in Chicago but by this time... the possibilities are pretty damned slim. And without the bits of money that guest DJing can help bring... the bulk of the vacation gets shaky.
I always plot the number of guest spots I'd LIKE on a vacation/tour... and then cut it in half to be 'realisitic' in considering cashflow during the trip. And I'm not an expensive guest DJ *chuckle* But I've now dropped well below the half point threshold where I can afford the trip... if I hear nothing from Wisconsin then I'll get to spend most of my vacation at home doing very little *grumble*
Y'know... over the last half dozen years I've tried to get guest spots in Chicago on a number of occasions and have never had any positive experiences doing so. Not a single one. That tells me something...
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| Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
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12:52 am - A Very Delicious Weekend....
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Well, and what a weekend it has been. Busy, but fun and, in part, relaxing.
Spent a gloriously wonderful evening tonight enjoying turkey and ham [mostly ham] with two very fantastic people and a pair of equally entertaining guests out in Oshawa. Was just the perfect ending to the weekend. Relaxing, eating, conversing, eating...
Sunday night was Fet4Play again [will post playlist this week]. Y'know, I'm really liking this fetish night... the atmosphere, the energy is really very welcomming, very fun and light. It is fast becoming one of my favourite nights to DJ.
Additionally, DJing a fet night is more about the environment, the atmosphere that I get to add to, to enhance... so it allows me to be somewhat more creative than I usually get to be behind the decks. It was noted, towards the end, that the music was a little loud overall so I'll take that into account for the next one which is... Halloween Night itself!
It's been work and work, and when I'm not at the store I'm trying to get together a DJ tour... y'know, NO ONE answers their damned email in a timely fashion these days *sigh* A lot of stops are still up in the air. There's some interest but... confirmations are slow in coming. I'll be adverting the ones I KNOW I'm doing here in the next couple of days. And I do thank certain friends who're trying hard to get me in touch with the people I need to be in touch with *chuckle*
As for Steamy stuff [steampunk... getcher mind outa the gutter, there's no room with mine being in there *wink*]...
Your result for The Steampunk Style Test... The Aristocrat
You are the Aristocrat, the embodiment of steampunk elegance and poise. For you, dressing steampunk is first and foremost about simply looking good, with accessories and details to follow. However, this does not mean that you ignore the demands of creating a “steampunk look.” Your outfits weave together a balance between technology and style, and between period accuracy and beautiful anachronism. While your fashion inspiration may come from anywhere across the Victorian social spectrum, you always find a way to make your outfit beautiful. You will probably be found in the clothes of the steam age elite simply because of the greater elegance available to them. Chances are you dress this way because you like it, and you would still dress in this manner even if steampunk was not a popular interest. Try our other Steampunk test here. Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy
And... some pictures from our last video shoot.
( Arrrr, this way be pirates of th'air types... )
So much to do this week... promotions for local events, prepping for out of town stuff, packing for two weeks on the road [roughly], making sure that everyone will progress while I'm somewhat out of touch [I will have my cel with me, and it IS a crackberry so... ]
But I've never done bored well at all...
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| Thursday, October 9th, 2008
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9:40 pm - Ready for Halloween Yet?
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9:26 pm - A week and... a night.
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You KNOW this'll be all sorts of retro goodness... two rooms, nonstop from open to close!
AND it'll be the first night of my two week DJ tour... so I'll be packing ALL the fun stuff *grin*
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8:52 pm - Sunday.... and Beyond! Fetish4Play Info
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This is a really REALLY good party, in truth. It happens in the west end of Toronto [y'gotta register to get the address].
This Friday night I will be a Neutral from about 10ish to about midnightish... and I'll have a pocketful of 2for1 'coupons' that'll save you entry to the night. All y'gotta do is find me and ask for one... and it's yours.
October 12th Party (this Sunday) & Halloween Weekend Info!
_______________________________________________________________
2nd Sunday of every month.
dj TH'ELF | $25 pre-registered
Sunday, OCT 12 from 7pm-12midnight+
(it's the long weekend!)
WORKSHOP: Rope Bondage Intro | 7pm-9pm
EROTICA READING : Sephera | 9pm-10pm
KINKY MOVIE: Preaching to the Perverted | 10pm-12midnight
_________________________________________________________________
Oooooh there's more!
We will be hosting a SPECIAL Fetish 4 Play
Spooktacular HALLOWEEN PARTY
Friday, October 31st from 9pm – 2am
COSTUME PRIZES
TREATS and TRICKS
* Attend the Fetish4Play Halloween party Friday Oct 31st & receive a special pass for Northbound's fetish night the following Saturday night: $5 before midnight! Make it a fetish weekend!
Info can be found at www.fetish4play.ca and you can register either by calling 416-887-5621 or email ladyviktoria@ymail.com
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| Sunday, October 5th, 2008
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11:19 pm - Let Sleeping Cats Lie...
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... is just wise, or y'get nasty scratchmarks *chuckle* Ah, the cats are sleeping and soon I shall too. Work WAY too early tomorrow morning.
The video shoot today was exhausting but fun. I'm still getting over a nasty flu so I'm not moving as fast as I usually do. Wardrobe took longer than estimated, people showing late mostly due to traffic [the Walk for Cancer knotted up downtown until just before, Nuit Blanche had redirected things the night previous] but once we got going it was high energy and lots of laughter. We only shot for one song rather than two, but that just means we'll reschedule the second one for late November or early December.
I have to thank the crowd of folk who showed... we had about twenty seven or twenty nine front of camera folk [call 'em actors, I would!] and a half dozen back of the camera. We had some GREAT help from To Die For Designs, Sword in the Stone, Fantastik Creations and Valkryor Designs. It was big fun and in two and a half hours of actual shoot time, we got enough footage and then some. So... three weeks to completion if it all works out.
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Vacation in about two weeks. Y'know... as I try and set up guest DJ spots around several states... people gotta get to their email eventually. Hopefully things won't be in the air when I leave this city as it'll be less easy to coordinate while on the road. Though not impossible.
So far I have...
Friday, Oct 17 - Dark Retro at Savage Garden
Sat, Oct 18 - The Chamber, Cleveland [a 'versus' night DJ battle royale!]
Wed, Oct 22 - I've chatting with ReWired in Bowling Green. They appear interested.
Thurs, Oct 23 - I was talking to someone in Chicago but... the latest emails and MySpace messages have gone unanswered.
Sat, Oct 25 - Madison, WI seems to be interested. We're discussing it. I've heard good things about the clubnight in this city.
Sun, Oct 26 - Is supposed to be GreenBay, WI, but so far my emails have gone unanswered.
Wed, Oct 29 - The ULTIMATE Halloween theme party in Kitchener at Club Renaissance [more on that below].
Fri, Oct 31 - Fet4Play in Toronto.
So... could be eight club nights, but so far it's four. I'm still looking for clubs to fill in the between dates. Necto, unfortunately, is booked into November all ready. My fault for waiting. And a lot of the clubs in Chicago, on weekends, seem to be only up for 'star level' guests, from what I'm told by several people.
But there's still work to be done and two weeks to do it in. Okay, week and a bit, really. Twelve days or so *heh*
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So we're sitting down and talking about what to do with Club Renaissance in Kitchener for our preHalloween bash. It's a Wednesday night: tough to get people out. It's two nights before Halloween: tougher to get people out. Kitchener has the legendary Club Abstract Halloween: tough as HELL to get people out [though y'know, the club gets TOO packed so I gotta wonder why people bother... they should sell tickets and have a sell out point].
So we first thought ZOMBIES! Mostly 'cause I wanted zombie go-go dancers. And we discussed the undead and all the fun to be had with animated corpses. And then I thought "Hey, we had TWO themes that brought in decent crowds..." so we added the second theme and created ZOMBIE PROM!! Yup, it'll be the ultimate Prom O' Doom. A Zombie Prom night complete with photographers, prizes and all sorts of fun. Plus a band AND I'll be making a visit back to spin for the first time in... wow, a long time.
Ah... I gotta get to work on that *chuckle*
And now, 'tis time to do that sleep thing...
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| Friday, October 3rd, 2008
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10:59 pm - *hack*hack*hack*
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Well, appears I've got the bug that's going around. I called in to work today as I figured that customers wouldn't want me coughing up a lung all over 'em.
It was pretty serious this morning but a solid regime of liquids, hot baths, NeoCitran and such through the day and I'm down to just a harsh, hacking cough.
I don't think I'll be in shape to do Nuite Blanche tomorrow night. Dammit! Dammit all to hell on a stick! *sigh*
The one annoying thing about being single and sick is... I look like crap in a nurse's outfit and I don't got no one else to wear it for me *chuckle* Ah, I would kill for a backrub though. Simply KILL. My shoulders have been tensed up solidly for weeks now, and the stress of work has just been adding to the tightness. You could bounce billiard balls off my back. Honest!
So Oprah's mom is suing some store because they extended credit to her and she overspent and now can't afford to pay the bills. Apparently she's done this in the past, overspending and cutting out on debts. So... to get this straight... she is offered credit by a store... she abuses it... and she's asking THEM to pay HER money? What the fuck?!? It's called personal accountability, for fucks sake. Seems that the store sued her for the money owed so she's countersuing because they offered her credit.
Y'know, where I come from, if you have a problem, you see about finding help. You don't blame the other... wait, what the hell am I talking about? *sigh* yeah, this is the US we're speaking of... land of enablers and passing the buck *pfeh*
Still, that's frickin' ridiculous.
Video shooting to be done this weekend. Planning to be done tonight as I continue to work on arranging a vacation in a few weeks.
Work goes well. Very well. Things progress nicely. The boss is on vacation this coming week so I'm the guy on site. And she's not taking her blackberry with her so... time to show that I can at the least maintain a top tier store without hitting any bad bumps. This will help smooth my way into management... which should happen... *hurm* hopefully by Christmas.
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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
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3:13 am - A Little Photographic PreAmble
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Apparently they are tinkering again with the Brickworks this fall... changing things from the delicious decay, the wonderful steampunk feel, the organic atmosphere to something more... retail. I've heard they're putting in a restaurant, that they're renovating to put in shops... various things. So, with that in mind...
This Saturday, October 4th, we're going to do a short photoshoot of a Steampunk Nature at the Toronto Brickworks if you'd like to drop by for some fun.
Noon to 2pm only. Short and sweet. Preamble to the Video Shoot on Sunday at Savage Garden.
The Brickworks is at 550 Bayview Avenue:
Free shuttlebus from Broadview TTC station or bus from Davisville TTC station.
Parking is 5$ if you drive.
This isn't anything fancy, really... just getting some 'stock footage' and getting some last pics before it changes yet again into something... slightly different.
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| Saturday, September 27th, 2008
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11:54 pm - Video Shoot Time...
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Yup, it's that time again. We're shooting another music video!
So we're looking for Sky Pirates!!! and anyone steampunked up... classy or sassy, foppish or just another greasemonkey... we need a busy bar scene or three.
It is to take place on Sunday, October 5th at Savage Garden here in Toronto... you know, the club down on Queen West near Bathurst? 1pm. It should take only four hours total to get all the footage we need.
If you don't have anything appropriate to wear, outfit bits will be there and available for loan. We can mock something up.
(to quote the previous event for a shoot of this nature: "It's a Steampunk video. Think NeoVictorian. Parasols and goggles, cuffed boots and frock coats, poets blouses and tophats, we're needing both European and Middle Eastern outfits. Classic or traditional goth wear also works.
Don't have anything suitable? Don't worry... come in black slacks [not jeans] and black shirt and we'll suit you up. We have a number of outfits without people to wear them.")
The last video has seen some crazy success so we're looking at the follow up.
It is time!
C'mon out and have fun and be part of a steampunk video.
Even if you're not coming out, or if this is not your kind of thing, kindly pass it along to anyone who might be interested!
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| Friday, September 26th, 2008
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2:16 am - Stretching the 15...
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I was sent a review today of the Fet4Play party. I'm not sure whether this was published online, in a blog or in print but... hey, it was a good review. And I was even mentioned. Excuse me while I preen my bedraggled plummage a bit *chuckle*
I disagree with some of what the reviewer says about the general state of fet clubnights, but my own experience is obviously a bit different... but still, it was a good read.
( You know the drill... )
I'm working on organizing my vacation, a DJ trip through a number of cities in the northern Midwest and such. Y'know... waiting for a response to guest DJ inquiries can be frustrating as I try and sort out the itinerary. So far I've emailed folk in Chicago, Detroit [and area], and Madison with no response... though Cleveland is a natural, home stuff in Toronto and surrounding is built, and Ottawa did get back to me fair quickly.
One thing I've run into is the night itself: All Hallows. I now have run into three clubs that normally run on Saturdays and who are moving to the Friday night, doing Halloween and skipping the Saturday. And it makes me think: why?
So the night is now on the eventful evening itself... where it competes against every other club in the city [though not all the same genre, on Halloween they're ALL about dressing up... just with different music], house parties, city events and other festivities. It's taking a smaller slice of the pie depending on the competition and there's ALWAYS something to compete against. Heck, I always have a dozen things to do that night, though this year I'm working it... and I still have two DJ jobs, one of which I put in a very excellent, talented and accomplished fellow DJ who I know will do a killer job.
But Saturday? I can't find a thing to do Saturday in three cities. Saturday there would be less competition, less going on, bigger slice of that pie... and people don't get tired THAT easily, that they can't handle two nights of partying. Hell, I remember starting Thursday nights and going right through to Sunday, and I know people who do that even these days. Kinda makes me a little sad.
So next year Hallow's Eve will be on a Saturday. Personally, I'm going to make sure that something is going on for Devil's Night on the Friday as well, as I've little doubt that a lot of the Friday night regular clubnights will shift to Saturday to take that tiny slice of the pie...
But that's next year. This year... I guess I'll have a very quiet All Souls.
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| Monday, September 22nd, 2008
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7:57 pm - A New Clubnight...
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... though it might not be your cup of sugar. Wait, honestly, who doesn't like a whole cup of sugar? *chuckle* So a new fetish night has started here in Toronto... Fet4Play. The site is beautiful... a HUGE club with a comfortable sitting area, a well stocked bar, a dancefloor, a side room with fireplace and bigscreen TVs, a little art hallway and a large play area with much MUCH much beautiful furniture to play upon. The furniture is scattered throughout the club. About 40 or so people showed... decent for a first night. It was good socializing and some amazing playing [there was one cross a few yards from the DJ booth so I got to see some excellent work].
Now... the music. Apparently I approach DJing a fetish night different from pretty much every other DJ who does so.
There are two common ways to play a crowd. MOST DJs follow the crowd. They respond to the dancefloor working the energy up in reaction to the energy of the crowd and its response to the music. While easy, it's still tricky and a DJ can drop the ball [most of the meh ones do]. The crowd reacts to song X like so, so you give 'em song Y. It's not hard, and it's the easiest way to change the genre, though the DJ is always about one song behind.
The tougher way to do it is to lead the crowd. Some very very good DJs do it this way. They feed the dancefloor the energy, predicting where it'll go next. The song comes first in this case and a good DJ knows how the crowd will respond, given its response throughout the night. This is trickier and it takes a good DJ to be able to do this as you have to take into account the crowd make up, the level of booze and drugs in the dancers, the style, the genres... everything.
For a fetish night, particularly if the DJ has to account for the music being heard in the play area, requires a very uncommmon style... a strange mix of leading AND following the crowd. Players don't react the same as dancers and particularly when you have several play stations going, it can be frickin' near impossible to cover warm up, peak, impact, cool down and dancing all at the same time! So you have to try for the 'greatest set'. This is why canned music just doesn't have the right... oomph for a good playnight. It can get close, and if the compiler knows his/her stuff it can get VERY close but it takes a live DJ to get the right musical movement to bang it on.
I always figure a good night should be like a good book or movie... with several peaks... movement in the beat and energy up and down, building to a fun and excellent wrap.
It's one place I've begun hating single-genre DJs and fuck knows that I keep running into a LOT of those. Industrial DJ, Noise DJ, CyberElectronic DJ... to me, that just gets monotonous after an hour or two in a club because they generally also slice that subgenre even thinner playing just that smaller slice of what they like or what sounds like what they're playing. Y'can't be a subgenre DJ and do a fetish night... too many people with diverse tastes, diverse backgrounds, diverse play needs.
I also tried to stay away from the overplayed stuff [yup, there is overplayed stuff in the Fet scene too! *grin*] like Tool or the still ever popular Enigma.
Music for fet play is individualistic... I do adore people who think they can do the 'ultimate' scene music or playlist as it just can't happen. One person likes EBM, another industrial and a third classical and all of these people are in your club. One was raised on rock, the second on electronica and they're both on the furniture... AND you might think they're only paying attention to the beat but from what I've been told, a LOT of the players ARE listening to the words, to the instruments... to the entire song, top to bottom *wink*
Well... let me show you...
( Here be a list... )
Dancing did happen after midnight, which was rather fun... while some play was still going on.
Now we'll see where it goes next month...
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7:41 pm - Friday, that Dark Retro Thing...
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Friday was a bit of a rush... didn't get out of work as quickly as I'd have liked as there is a LOT to do at a store in the Eaton Center, particularly when no management is in the day previous. The office was chest deep in receiving, the repair system needed final overhauls and, of course, people needed talking with. Add in the other usual daily stuff and I was goin' hard and heavy for eight plus.
Dark Retro at Savage has a flavour that varies. DJ Pale and I definitely play the crowd, and the playlists from month to month can be radically different in feel though they may contain a few of the same songs. This is the fun part of it... there is SO much stuff from the 80s that a single night brushes only a handful. We generally start dark and gothy but... as the night progresses, the music tends to get more poppy. October we'll have another goth retro DJ in the front room so we'll have LOTS of retro goodness throughout the club.
Now, Friday just past was... strange for me. Normally Pale and I will switch off three or four times at least but Friday last we did two sets each... longer sets, as a result. My first set was... all over. I just could NOT get a feel for the crowd. I started stumbling and it wasn't until the last song that I got any response from the dancefloor besides two or three regulars. New Order doing so nicely for the dancefloor FINALLY, Pale followed up with Depeche Mode and we thought "well, another night of the same old same old retro anthems" and that's where he went with his set, which garnered a decent dancefloor response.
Well, before I get into my second set...
( Here's the first part )
The second set... dunno what happened but something right occured. Pale, as I'd said, had a good dancefloor going so I took it back down a bit with my opener, giving me time to 'reset' my thinking. And then I gave up on thinking and went on feel. My brain was riding as a passenger and as I garbbed music, I kept thinking "THIS'LL clear the dancefloor... yeah, definitely!" but it kept getting bigger and wilder and higher energy... and we went to some fun and interesting places as I 'rocked out' [or so I was told].
( And here is the second half! )
And, if you've been reading, you know I've been very unimpressed with the dancing in this city. I've not been at all interested in any of the dancefloors I've seen the last few weeks. The style, the people, the whole thing has been disappointing. Well... Friday last the dancers kicked my ass. Seriously. They were good... some of 'em were DAMNED good. They were dressed. They were high energy. They were into it. Hugely. Massively. It was... I was floored. I was impressed. I was agog. That's right. Agog.
So I'll be out at the clubs this week just to see if this kinda thing can happen elsewhere.
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7:26 pm - Valentine Days, Halloween Nights
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Well, got me some catching up to do. So we'll start recent and then slide backwards... this way as you read your LJ friends list tomorrow it'll read in order, of a sort *heh*
Saturday I had the pleasure of being invited to share the wedding day of two good friends and wonderful people in Cleveland. Well, just north of, actually. Got up a titch late, ran into STUPID traffic [are Ontario drivers getting more and more dumb with each passing month?] and thus just missed the ceremony itself. But the bride looked gorgeous, simply gorgeous and the crowd was full of wonderful people. The reception was interesting and entertaining, and the couple has some very fun relatives [at least the few I got to talk with were fun]. All in all, it was a great day.
Ended up with a half dozen folk laying about a hotel room [still in my tux] watching strange and usually kinda boring TV while discussing things of interest. I dragged a sleepy Batty back to my room... y'know what you get when you put two old goths, drunk and strange minded, into the same hotel room bed? Y'get a lot of snoring *chuckle* Though I gotta say, boys, snag this one... she's comfy to sleep beside and gives off heat like a blast furnace! If you find winter sleeping chilly... I swear I got a tan snoozing beside her.
I thought on Sunday of heading south to visit more Cleveland folks but figured what with the time and all they'd either be asleep or doing family stuff. And I'd only have had a few hours to visit anyways so... I forwent the pleasure and will see them in October.
Sunday was a leisurely drive home. I had no clue it was the solstice but... well, I left about noonish [missing the breakfast] and headed eastwards. And it was a beautiful day. You know, people say that a lot, but yesterday was TRULY a beautiful day. It was sunny, but not too so. Warm enough to drive with the window open but cool enough that if the window was up I was still comfortable. It was... a moment. A long moment where the drive was everything a drive should be. The music on the tapedeck, the road, the lack of traffic, the weather, the day... there was a moment of several hours when it was just... beautiful. Appropriate for solstice.
Of course this allowed for introspection and thought... how could such a timeless moment not? I considered something that DV8 said at the reception [and it was wonderful seeing him and his funwonderful other half, it has been too damned long!]. It is often said that the only two things that are inevitable are death and taxes. Well... we're still not sure what death IS and taxes... sometimes in some societies there have been none of those... so perhaps that's argueable. It's also said that the only constant is change and, while usually true, there are long periods where nothing changes for an individual. I'm there now, in a way. But BV8 said that the two things that are constant and forever in this world are music and love and... y'know... that I gotta agree with. Perhaps music is just a heartbeat and love is simply a hormonal response but... they're still there. Always were, always will be.
I occasionally wish to be younger but methinks that's just retrospect through rose coloured glasses as I was a stupid youth *chuckle* Oh, there were moments. There were also a few decades of high stress and other fun demands of my body and brain and I'll pass on doing that again, thank you.
But currently... I'm in a pretty okay place. Oh, there still needs to be some improvements but it's a reasonable spot to be in for the moment. 'Course there's still stuff missing but... *shrug* y'work with what you got.
So, on to the previous days and nights...
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| Friday, September 19th, 2008
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6:59 pm - Mmm almost forgot... tonight...
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From all the sounds of it, it'll definitely be a good crowd tonight!
'Tis a beautiful day out so it should be a delicious night... cool, clear and full of bits of darkness...
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| Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
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12:36 am - Date Change on the Video Shoot!
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Yup, it's that time again. We're shooting another music video!
So we're looking for Sky Pirates!!! and anyone steampunked up... classy or sassy, foppish or just another greasemonkey... we need a busy bar scene or three.
It is to take place on Sunday, October 5th at Savage Garden here in Toronto... you know, the club down on Queen West near Bathurst? 1pm. It should take only four hours total to get all the footage we need.
If you don't have anything appropriate to wear, outfit bits will be there and available for loan. We can mock something up.
The last video has seen some crazy success so we're looking at the follow up.
It is time!
C'mon out and have fun and be part of a steampunk video.
And feel free to crosspost this where ever y'think appropriate.
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| Sunday, September 7th, 2008
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11:06 pm - Dance Like No One's Watching...
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So this weekend was pretty... casual. Another weekend off in the city without traveling [though the rains put a kibosh on some plans to visit friends, dammit!]
Friday night I rushed to Neutral but missed the band, and I'd so wanted to catch SoundGazer. On the upside, I got to chat with some folk, see some friends... and not JUST the DJ and bartender *chuckle* The doorguy is well worth chatting with, very interesting and entertaining so going out for a smoke on my own wasn't too bad. And I got to see a handful [holds up ALL four fingers AND the thumb] of gorgeous ladies that I got to chat with. That was very nice. 'Course it led to some more introspection [the fun that NEVER ends] and I have concluded that when it comes to women, I am just dumb. Not clueless nor an idiot, really... not foolish... not really stupid nor ignorant nor even an ass [though apparently that last one can be argued] but just... dumb. Y'know, for a guy who considers himself with an intelligence slightly above the average [save in the case of 'casual small talk'] I wonder how I can be dumb but... y'know... knowing it is half the battle. 'Course now it's figuring out the OTHER half of the battle. I'm on the field, surrounded by smoke and explosions, loud noises and bright flashes, and I'm standing with sword in hand looking back and forth wondering just what the hell I'm supposed to do now. Y'd THINK that I should wave my cutlass, shout a blood curdling battle cry and have at it but... yeah, I wish it were that easy.
Anywho... dancing. I got to watch people dance again. And I thought about it more, and chatted about it with a few folk.
There are... that I can think of, four reasons to dance. Four MAIN reasons. I'm sure there are dozens of little reasons.
The first is all about the magic. Dancing to attract prey to the hunt. Dancing to cure the sick. Dancing to conjure up something and make it real, to drag it kicking and screaming into this world of ours. Dancing up the juju. Dancing the mojo. Call it what you will, but people have been doing THIS one since we wore only our own hair as a fashion statement. Y'don't see that much on the dancefloor as it's more suitable to dark caves and dark basements, small huts and bright firecircles.
Then there's dancing for celebration. For the joy of it. Y'see some of that, surely. Dancing for the fun. Dancing for your self. It's what you do in your living room when something fun comes on, and it boggles your cat when you do it. I know mine look at me funny, but fair is fair and I look at them funny when they leap at a play to lie down and they miss. Dancing just because... it feels good. It feels right. It's what you do then and there. I'm hoping a lot of the people in the club dance for this reason as it doesn't care HOW you dance or HOW you look, it just gives a damn that you dance.
Thirdly, there's dancing for the energy. More an internal thing than the first reason I listed, it's when the song just grabs something deep down inside you and yanks it up. It's the stompy, angry kind of dancing for most people. Sometimes it flows. Sometimes it bounces and jerks. But it's dancing because you gotta, not just wanna. Kind of a mix of the first two reasons, or perhaps laying between. The trick, as a DJ, is finding the music that does that... that calls you out to the dancefloor. You've seen it... something comes up on the speakers and people put drinks down, mutter a rushed "OOoooit'sTHISsongGOTTAdancetalktoyouinasecond" and they spill onto the floor.
Lastly... and this is the reason I'm USED to seeing in the club, y'dance as a mating ritual. A "look at my bright plumage" kind of thing. You show off your moves for your significant other, or for the crowd of the other gender [or same, depending on your preferences... or both of]. It's up there with getting dressed for the club... primping and choosing the right outfit and looking your best. Hell, clubs are 'the place to pick up' apparently, always have been and always will be no matter HOW unsuccessful people say they are there. It's pouring sexy into your moves. It's a "look at me!!! Me Me ME!!" thing. And y'know... looking at how a lot of people dance here in Toronto and across most of Ontario that I get to see... I don't wonder that most people go home from the club alone *chuckle* Really. It's kinda sad. The plumage out on the dancefloor is dim and bedraggled, worn and wilted. Though considering... most people, when they dance, do seem to be in their own little world, focused on their dancing and not the folk around them beyond not bumping into each the other. Still... there are usually a lot of people off to the sides watching.
Now part of that might be the music. There's a lot of angry, stompy music out there that just... lacks any real anger. It's a driving 4X4 beat and that's all people seem to want. 'Course it's the easiest type of music to dance to, y'don't have to change your moves, y'don't need to pay much attention to the beat, y'just have to Stomp!Stomp!Stomp! And you CAN swirl to it if you try. Sorta.
But a lot of the music lacks heart, lately. Oh, they're trying... but there is something that's just not there.
I'm told that there's really good dancing in some of the other clubs in Toronto but those aren't the clubs I want to go to. Usually I don't like the music. Then again, I ponder the high attendance of these clubs as they cater to the average clubgoing youth, and how much room there is on the usual dancefloor, and I wonder that they've got the space to dance?
But it's sad when even at the g/I clubs it's mostly the White Boy Shuffle and the White Boy Bob [like the shuffled, but with less footwork and less movement below the hips].
That said, I did see a COUPLE of dancers that caught my eye. There were a couple of guys who, even though they obviously didn't have the beat and had their own style of moving, were at the least doing it for reason 2 or 3. And there were a couple of ladies who did know how to move and move well. Made my left brow crook upwards for a bit.
And when did standing on the dancefloor become the thing to do? Okay, a pair of snarks here:
If you're going to stand, chat and drink, do it OFF the dancefloor. It's not called the standfloor, for fuck's sake. I've heard the point made by a few guys [and it's pretty much always guys who're doing it] that if one stands on the dancefloor, one might get bumped by a pretty girl who is actually dancing, at which point one apologizes and hey, bingo, the ice is broken. This then can lead quickly to talking, laughing and going home together. Um... I don't see that working so well, honestly. Firstly, y'might just piss off said dancing girl, annoying her that you're in her way. Secondly, it might be ME that bumps into you, and I'm all elbows and knees when I dance.
The other one has nothing to do with dancing, but is similar... once you've gotten your drink at the bar, step away and make room for the next thirsty bastard. Don't turn to your right and start chatting up the cute girl beside you while leaning on the bar. You're BETWEEN ME AND MY BOOZE! And y'know, booze is a big reason, relatively speaking, for me to go to the clubs lately [though I wonder why, as it's cheaper to drink at home. Lonelier, but cheaper]. And when I have to stand for fifteen minutes behind a double row of people just standing and chatting, or try to squirm my way between big people trying to talk, it just pisses EVERYONE off. There's usually a whole lot more club where you could go stand and talk without being between thirsty bastards like me and the supply of delicious happyjuice.
But hey, what do I know? I just play the damned music *grin*
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10:13 pm - Stolen Humour is the Best Humour
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| Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
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1:07 am - And now... for a real update.
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Yeah, I should be doing email. I have tomorrow evening to catch up with that.
And I should be asleep considering I'm in the store at bloody AM o'clock tomorrow but... y'know, me and insomnia are good friends. We hang out and drink a lot together, lately.
So this weekend just past, the labour day triple play, I was supposed to be taking another DJ to Ottawa but miscommunication sank that, unfortunately [I hope it was a good turn out in Ottawa] so I figured on spending the money at home and seeing what's going on in MY city. I don't get out much in Toronto as I'm always off somewhere else... DJing or something. It was... damned fun and at the same time there were moments... and realizations.
I started out Friday at Neutral. The crowd started weak but packed up pretty fast around midnight or so. Knew the DJ, one of the bar girls and about... MMmmm... four other people there. Got to see ONE wonderful and fun girl I'd not seen in AGES! Not since a fashion show a bloody long time ago. It was entertaining catching up.
But watching the crowd... well... y'know, I hate to say it, but Torontonians [and yes, I'm talking 'bout MY opinion here... you can agree or not as you wish]... most of 'em can't dance worth a damn. Really. I DJ all over the place and the only city I've seen with a lower percentage of decent dancers was NYC. Honestly. Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Montreal... all have better dancers. Then again, considering Kitchener, Hamilton and a few other Ontario cities... maybe it's something in the provincial water supply. There's a whole lot... and I mean a WHOLE lot of just bobbing in place. Kind of like the white boy shuffle but with less footwork. There ARE some good dancers but they are horribly outnumbered... and most of the good dancers are women... and even that percentage isn't very high here in this big, big, big city.
Warning... I'm about to be a typical male [really, stop sighing so loud] but y'know, when I watch the dancefloor I'm watching for someone with a good sense of beat and timing... with a bit of a flair, perhaps, but at least an idea of what the bass and drums are for. There are a LOT of people who are... beat deaf? Can that be a term? I mean, I figure if they have a good sense vertically, they might have a good follow up in a horizontal position and there is yet another reason I've not picked up anyone in a bar in... well, ever. That, and being oblivious to such stuff. And y'know, screaming conversation is not good for meeting or impressing the other gender. Really. But it was still good. DID have a few good convos outside. Danced to one tune [and it takes a lot to get me to set foot on the dancefloor these days... I've become picky].
Saturday I slept in late and then wandered out to Savage Garden. Another good night... where I knew the DJ, TWO bar girls, and about four people. I actually got a little bored. I think it's that nightclubs are kind of business now and y'know, I don't go to the store in my offhours to hang out and have fun so... I dunno that I'm a club kinda guy any more except when I'm DJing. But once again... the dancing... wow. Just... not a lot of skill out there on the floor. Which is sad as that's one of the many reasons I DJ... to get people dancing.
But hell, I guess as long as they're having fun... perhaps I'm just being elitist. Or something. But where did all the dancers go?
Sunday I had the absolute pleasure of having drinks and food with a charming, intelligent and gorgeous young lady. Hush now, she's a friend... she has a boi so it was catching up, laughing and sharing stories and enjoying the hell out of myself. Spent the evening on a random patio with wonderful company which was a great way to enjoy a beautiful day. After, we wandered off to a comedy open mic thing which was both good and bad [when the mic is open, quality control is low... but some of these guys WERE frickin' hilarious... like sharks with lazers on their heads]. Then off to Velvet where... well, the dancing was about Toronto par and the dress was even worse than usual.
Something else I've noticed about the clubs... many of the women still dress up, take the time to spend the attention to their appearance... but the guys? Okay, tshirts and jeans are not really 'walking out' clothes, y'know? After a few too many minutes of seeing Mr. College in his striped sports shirt [rugby? polo? I dunno] and baggy blue jeans groping his hot goth girl in her li'l black dress and... I got bored. So again I left before close. But it was still a fun day and night.
I also think my own sense of clubwear is outdated. I wore knee high military boots, snug pants, a loose shirt [Friday it was white linen with lace cuffs and throat, Saturday it was black silk], a black leather captain's coat, a touch of eyeliner and wore my hair down... something I don't do often... and I don't think I caught a single eye giving me a look. Now, the boy in the electrically powered hyperlight goggles, diode laden tshirt, glow in the blacklight belt and wristlets... HE got quite a bit of female attention. Or perhaps I'm just oblivious old *chuckle*
Though y'know, I thought I looked damned good *nod* and in MY fantasy world, it's MY opinion that counts.
Monday I did... nothing. I enjoyed the weather. I relaxed on the balcony, read book, played on the intraweb, forgot that the rest of the world really existed, and enjoyed the hell out of myself doing nothing. It's rare I can do that... I get bored easily but Monday seemed to be anti-boredom day. Relaxing.
Been listening to a lot of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin and similar lately. My personal retro has been dialed back to the 50s or so... give or take. I've been eyeing three piece, three button suits the last few weeks with intent to buy when I find me some money. Though with work moving to a uniform dress code well... here's hoping that ALL my single friends get married in the next four years so I've a reason to have all these ties and suits *grin*
Now, to start planning my autumn... trips, DJing, guest spots, work and all the other little stuff that fill the odd moments in my days, weeks and months.
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