Joining the dots is harder offline

The web is a world of possibility for music. I have just downloaded a brilliant section of 93-95 hardcore and jungle, mixed to perfection and with comprehensive liner notes, timings and a well designed sleeve to print out which even has the watermarks on so you can cut it properly. Respect to Naphta (Naphtha? is he alluding to the Arabic for oil?), this is a fine example of transcending traditional capitalist ways and will fill a few gaps in my knowledge of the continuum, after I left the London/orbital hardcore scene for northern bedsits and “intelligent techno”, only to return having missed the rapture of junglist innovation.

But there are limitations. How does the online sphere of sharing ideas and files translate back into real-world concerns like putting on a club night? Research HQ doesn’t want for hits, neither do most of its protagonists. Cull doesn’t do too bad either.

But the numbers were low again at our second Extropia, 40 at best. At least it didn’t matter too much as the venue was much more appropriately-sized. And those who came enjoyed some top sonic workouts from Cull’s Cream74, lots of new wave and indie, L’Infinite’s eurotronic stomp and punk blasts and Mforrest’s live reworking of his new album, as well as some nice Cull slideshows and the comic art of Pete. Musically, having given up trying to mix properly without phones, I was most happy with my juxtaposition of dubstep and hardcore, and the final segue of Mad Mike’s X and Kraftwerk’s Numbers. The work of the mysterious Semitic Djkeyll was aired while we were clearing up too. Earlier on I had turned the dank ex-bogs horticultural with the florescent Seefeel and Ulrich Schnauss. Somebody also came over to say she dialled that service which picks up the tune and texts you its title back (it was Justus Köhncke’s After 909).

Many thanks to all those who came. The next one will have to see a return to old-style marketing practices if we’re to reach the next level. If we’re doing a night in London then we have to reach Londoners, not have a Londonist attitude of “name the date and they will come” and not solely concentrate on online adverts which are irrelevant to those in New York or York. And, you know, thinking of the basics such as the right-size jack for the speakers will help. While we don’t seek to rip people off for their experience it doesn’t hurt to be more professional.