Just wanted to get some thoughts out there based on my experience of the upfront scene as a dancer / DJ / punter.

If there is a small harcore that want to hear this type of music, should promoters be looking at nighters in a different way?

Why try and mix both scenes?

Why try and find stonking great halls with football pitch size dance floors?

Could a different type of nighter be driven back underground?

Wants list:

Smaller

Intimate clubs

Low ceilings

No requests

No music policy - Promotors choose your DJs accordingly

Dark corners

Comfortable seating

Covered smoking areas with piped music from the dance floor

50 - 100 "up for it" peeps with open minds and ears

Memberships

Smaller dance floors (but never use those made up floors - ever)

One off nights in fantastic smaller venues

Invite only

Lots of different DJ's playing exciting music

If you want something different you will search out this night

If you are a DJ who wants to be inspired to play something different

If you are a dancer who wants to get excited about new tunes and can dance to stuff they have never heard

If you are a listener who wants to take it all in with like minded people in comfortable surroundings

I'm not saying all nighters should be like this but I think there is space for a nighter that goes smaller rather than larger.

A modern version of the 1920's prohibition "speakeasy"

No I'm not starting a new night just some thoughts I've had

Doc

Edited August 18, 201113 yr by Dr Pickles

Best spots and best music I've heard have been through this format, I seldom here anything but self indulgence through the longer format spots, Whats the problem with a dj doing two staggered 1/2 hout spots, it works better for continuaty and for the dance floor IMHO.

Yep, x2 half hour spots works well. ToD room at Gloucester also does it and we did it as well. If anything it makes you think a lot more carefully about what to play and movement between the DJs is nice and fluid. Also gives more people decent times throughout the night. Maybe it doesn't suit everywhere, but we enjoyed it.

Edited August 21, 201113 yr by Matt Male

the 1/2 hour spots favoured by venues like Bidds and Differnet strokes help to solve this problem and for the sake of the dancers should imho by addopted universally. It also seems to give Dj's in incentive in morew ways than one.

half hour spots are great and work really well at BIDDS..........how ever (this is deffo not aimed at anywhere in particular) the problem quite often lies with the promoter,they don,t think in a lot of cases wether this dj or that dj is gonna play a set that fits in..........how many times have you bin to a venue when it,s kicking along lovely and then some tonch of a dj comes on who has taken no notice of the evennings music AND COMPLETELY goes in the opposite direction killing the night for the punter and for the next dj who,s job it is to pull it back.......dj,s need to know what they have to play or be told , simple (with one or two exceptions)....there is also a problem with dj,s clammering for a spot at certain venues when they don,t play that venues style of music ( DON,T DO IT LOL )....we now only go to a few certain venues because each of em in their own style do it right i.e All different music emphasis,but along the same lines that we,re disscussing makes for a varied selection of clubs methinks atb tezza

Edited August 22, 201113 yr by gordon russell

Well, they don't get just 1 x half hour spot they get 2, so they still get an hour (or in some case 1 x half hour and 1 x 40 minutes depending on how many DJs are booked)

Plus this means all the guest DJs then get a main spot (somewhere between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.) and their other spot is either early doors (if they want to get off early) or between 4a.m. and 7 a.m. if they plan on staying to the end or can't turn up till midnight etc.

Suppose it works well for Bidds cus we play lots of different genres and plenty of upfront tunes......I do believe it keeps DJs competitively bouncing off each other (no fat jokes required ) and prevents any overkill of any one genre.

As for DJs not wanting to travel long distances to do half hour sets, I've had plenty of DJs travelling long distances to happily DJ under such a format.

In fact Dave Abbott travelled up to DJ at the last Bidds Niter and seemed well impressed with the whole set-up.

He'll probably come on here now and say he hated it mind

Its no big thing but personally if a DJ is playing a great set, I'd rather hear him for 45 mins to an hour, obviously if the consustency is holding up then it's ok but I have been to a few do's with too many DJ's and the consistency has not quite been there but then again all this is very analytical,

As for DJs not wanting to travel long distances to do half hour sets, I've had plenty of DJs travelling long distances to happily DJ under such a format.

In fact Dave Abbott travelled up to DJ at the last Bidds Niter and seemed well impressed with the whole set-up.

He'll probably come on here now and say he hated it mind

Indeed I did...and I was

Bidds has got to be one of the 'get to'; dare I say 'upfront' allniters - and it was a DJ's dream. I loved it all :-)