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Electronic Music 'Free Podium' - Good or Bad idea?
General discussionHello,
I am thinking of running a sort of 'Free podium' style series of events starting the second part of 2005.
Why? Belgium has a history of free podia, where bands go to play for free, in the hopes of trying to win. There are several qualms I have with these events:
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The price is often minimal to, in my eyes, non-existing. Example: Playing at another festival at the location, with unknown headliners anyway. Also unpaid.
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Most of these locations count on all those people taking their little 'fanclub' with them. They also ask entrance. Now, if all these bands play for free, why is entrance needed? You make enough money on the beer I would guess, especially with a lot of acts.
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My most important qualm: These projects are often NOT very open-minded to electronica. What happens: locations get a demo of an electronical project. Often, these projects have 10 times as much experience with mixing and mastering as any given rock band. On stage, however, there are always two problems at a 'rock' free podium: Fans of other bands will not like it, the typical 'jeugdhuis' often does not consist of electronica-minded people (and if they do, they'd rather organise a party than a free podium); And also, the typical sound engineer is used to working with metal, hardcore, 'De mens', etc.
This results in little to no electronica projects being in such events, and if they happen to be, chances are they won't make it to the finals.
I am thinking of organising therefore a series of events geared ONLY towards electronica. ANY electronica. Lo-fi, studio work, live bands, laptop projects, someone playing a casio with his toes, ...
Now, the good things:
I can get good locations, a good soundsystem, an interested public (we are building up quite a steady fanbase), extra promotion, maybe some radio's, etc.
The bad things (again, in my eyes):
There is not a lot I can offer, unless I get some bigger corporations to help me along, which is always a problem for me regarding integrity. So far, what we are brainstorming about:
-Aforementioned good locations: 350 to 500 people, Brussels and outside of it. Good soundsystem, experienced technical workers who are willing to work with electronica.
-Winners would be added to the collective/label. This would mean: getting live gigs, getting extra promotion, being featured in the promotional binder, getting some coverage (radio, magazines, bleh blah), and being given the opportunity to have a release printed on our cd pressing facility.
I don't know, good idea, bad idea? I should have some funds to get some things going, and I'm discussing with a lot of official organisations and city representatives now that we've gone for an ASBL/VZW.
Replies
Sounds like a great idea! But don't do it outside of brussels in some unknown village (like Beigem or Wolvertem). It's to difficult to get there if you don't have a car.. Maybe you should work together with Electrobel and line up the best ten artists or something. Mail to stubru, programs like Switch may be intrested and they could give you some useful phonenumbers to call..
Hehe, I have a lot of useful phonenumbers, don't worry :)
Why not Beigem and Wolvertem? Begem has a nice 'Parochiezaal'? Or Grimbergen's 'Fenikshof' ;)
Anyway, I'm in discussion with some of the bigger cities, but also smaller towns that opened cultural centra a week ago. Capacity 500 people and a good PA and an interested local crowd make for a good solid starting basis.
Look at us, played some labelnights in Kultuurkaffee and before we know it we're everywhere each weekend. That's the same kind of domino effect I want to create for the bands.
But yes, we would do an initial shift based on demo's or online bits. Then we will judge the artists based on a number of criteria (Quality, stage presence, originality, ...).
I will probably contact some of the 'VIP's' I know to be in the final jury.
This is all a very basic sketch, mind, nothing definite.
Maybe Gent? Lots of students, trendy,...
What about one headliner to draw the attention (soldout, vive la fete, dr. lektroluv,..)
Also, check VUB, they often organise parties with "alternative" dj's ..
If I would take a headliner it would be one of my own label. The Neon Judgement, probably.
Vub? You mean the Kultuurkaffee then. Yes, that will be one location where it would be done. I might also be able to get some public places, for added coverage (people that wonder by and go 'ooh, nice').
Kultuurkaffee 'alternative dj's', yes, we will be doing some original afterparties in February and March, not the usual afterparties, more live laptop electronica.
Ok, I will be working out the kinks 'n' details more fully when I find the time, but this is finalized:
Everyone can send me demo's until July, 31st. Je m'en fish will be making an initial selection based on a number of factors. You HAVE to be able to bring these songs live; Playing your own mp3's on a laptop or similar is not considered. Otherwise, any and all kind of experimental electronic music or poppy tunes, whatever is fine.
The first selection will be playing at locations such as Kultuurkaffee, at which a jury will be present to judge the live performance on a number of levels. Visuals will be added to this presentation, if any project has their own, a projector and screen will be at their disposal.
The first 5 will then be selected to play at a bigger location (probably Recyclart, possible an open-air location in Brussels). A jury will be present made up of, among others, Dirk Da Davo (The neon judgement), Bart Mandonx (Zounds booking/management, for neon judgement, luc van acker, seize, implant, ...), and many more 'in discussion'. The evening will be closed by Je m'en fish acts and a headliner (maybe the neon judgement, depends on funds).
The WINNER will receive full mixing and mastering help by talented mixing wizards, and help in production of their, probably first, demo cd. Je m'en fish will take care of the printing of this cd and send it around.
The OTHER finalists (possibly top 3, maybe all 5) including the winner will be featured on a compilation cd which will be sent around to magazines, radio's, labels, and more.
Other prizes can follow.
If you are interested, you can already send material to:
Je m'en fish VZW/ASBL Dujardin Bart Avenue Du Paepedelle 26 boîte 2 1160 Brussels (Auderghem)
Another person in the jury will be Libelia De Splenter, Studio Brussel.
Now send me those demo's! :)
Here's the text in all languages
Je m'en fish, Belgian electronic music collective based in Brussels, will be organising a contest for electronica projects ONLY.
There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that we believe electronica often makes none or a slim chance in any regular 'free podium' contest in clubs and bars. Another is that the sound engineers often do not have any experience with working with electronica, nor do they want to get any, often. A last one is that Je m'en fish got so many applications for new members, we had to find a way to make a selection.
We are accepting electronical projects on ANY media (tape, cd, DVD, come 'n' play it on our front door, ...). Websites are considered but if we get a surcharge of people sending links we might not be able to give it our full attention.
A first selection of artists will be asked to present their work live (so yes, you have to be able to bring your stuff live; playing mp3's on your laptop will not be considered), aided along with experimental visuals (feel free to bring your own visuals, otherwise), in one of the more popular venues (one of them will be Kultuurkaffee, VUB, clubcircuit).
The organisation will then choose 5 finalists, which will be offered to join the label (not mandatory), and be featured on a promotional compilation cd. This cd will be sent to all kinds of media and labels, and thrown into the public in the finals.
The finals will take place at a bigger location (Recyclart, Muntplein Brussels, ...), and will be headlined by a bigger Je m'en fish artist (The neon judgement, Seize, ...). A jury consisting of, among others, Libelia De Splenter (Studio Brussel), Dirk Da Davo (the neon judgement), Bart Mandonx (Zounds management), will be choosing the final winner. This winner will get the offer to produce a cd (probably their first) in coöperation with the Je m'en fish label; The artist can choose the colour of his cd, and the way he wants it to be printed; Artwork can be made by our graphical designers or the artist; Je m'en fish will then print a quantity for free and present it to locations, radios, magazines, and more.
Questions? Info? Visit the website, send us an email, or give us a call. Otherwise, just send away your material.
Je m’en fish VZW Paepedellelaan 26 bus 2 1160 Brussel (Oudergem) 0473/67.49.41 http://www.jemenfish.be jemenfish@hotmail.com
Electronica, in al zijn facetten, gaande van clicks ‘n’ cuts en de meest experimentele soundscapes tot poppy toegankelijke songs, is vaak een stijl apart, zeker in België. Ons land heeft een verleden van rockrallies en een overdosis aan festivals. Toch ziet men zowel in clubs als op festivals, als het op electronica aankomt, vaak dezelfde namen opduiken, en wat betreft free podia, gebeurt het vaak dat electronica-gerichte projecten geen kans maken.
De redenen hiervoor zijn talrijk. Allereerst: Veel locaties gebruiken een rockrally om nieuw bloed te trekken en kleine projecten een kans te geven. Echter, zowel het publiek als de geluidstechnici hebben vaak voeling noch ervaring met electronica (en al zeker niet als het iets te experimenteel wordt). Dit is ook vrij vanzelfsprekend: indien een jeugdhuis wél interesse zou hebben in electro, drum ‘n’ bass, electronica e.d., zou het misschien eerder een fuif organiseren met dj’s die deze stijlen brengen.
Deze wedstrijd wil echter bewijzen dat het in België ook anders kan. Het aantal laptop-artiesten is in ons landje in stijgende lijn, en de live-bands met een vleugje electronica (we hoeven geen namen te noemen) doen het ook in het buitenland soms goed. Talent is zeker aanwezig.
Om een plaats te laten aan de ‘nouvelle vague’ van projecten die een minimum van electronica in hun muzikaal werk verweven, organiseert Je m’en fish deze wedstrijd.
De opzet is simpel: In eerste instantie worden de projecten verzocht een demo-cd (of tape, DVD, …, alles kan. Website-links kunnen eventueel ook, maar de voorkeur gaat naar demo-opnames) op te sturen. Een onafhankelijke jury maakt een initiële selectie, op basis van talent, originaliteit, e.d.
Deze eerste reeks van gekozen projecten, wordt dan uitgenodigd om hun prestaties live te komen brengen, in sets van gemiddeld 30 minuten, in een nader te bepalen zaal (Denk: Kultuurkaffee, …). Je m’en fish zorgt voor het nodige materiaal en voorziet het project van een aangepaste visuele show, of de artiest kan zich voorzien van zijn eigen visuele kunstenaren (ook de aanpassingskwaliteiten aan live elementen als belichting en visuele ondersteuning zal worden beoordeeld).
De uiteindelijke finalisten mogen een laatste keer hun ding komen doen op een groot podium (Denk: Recyclart, Muntplein Brussel, ...), eind 2005. De avond zal worden afgesloten met 1 van Je m’en fish’ grotere muzikale projecten (The neon judgement, Seize, …). Alle finalisten krijgen 3 songs op een promotionele verzamel-cd, die op kosten van Je m’en fish en in samenspraak met de artiesten wordt ontworpen. Deze wordt overhandigd aan programmatoren, muziekmagazines, radio’s, en wel meer. Alle finalisten krijgen eveneens de kans om lid te worden van het Je m’en fish collectief, en hun werk vaker live te brengen.
De uiteindelijke winnaar zal op het slotevenement gekozen worden door een jury die zal bestaan uit o.a. Bart Mandonx (Zounds Management), Dirk Da Davo (The neon judgement), Libelia De Splenter (Stubru), en wel meer. Deze winnaar zal na afloop de kans krijgen om zijn eigen cd te ontwikkelen in samenspraak met Je m’en fish. Je m’en fish neemt de mixing en mastering voor zijn rekening, alsook het drukken van zowel cd als booklet, na goedkeuring van de artiest. De artiest wordt stap per stap hierin begeleid.
Interesse? Stuur gerust een mailtje of bel voor meer informatie, of bezoek gewoon de website. Of stuur je demo in 1 keer voor participatie. Vergeet je contactgegevens niet!
Sidenote: Enkel Belgische artiesten worden gekozen, maar eventuele buitenlandse artiesten kunnen materiaal opzenden, deze worden overhandigd aan onze collega's in naburige landen (AKH records, ...)
Je m’en fish VZW Paepedellelaan 26 bus 2 1160 Brussel (Oudergem) 0473/67.49.41 http://www.jemenfish.be jemenfish@hotmail.com
Bonjour,
Je m'en fish, collectif de musique electronique Belge basé sur Bruxelles, organisera un free podium la deuxième partie de l'annee 2005, utilisant uniquement des projets electronica (Clicks 'n' cuts, experimental, pop, n'importe).
Une première selection sera donné l'opportunité de presenter son set en live a des salles assez grandes avec un bon material + visuels (Kultuurkaffee, VUB, par exemple).
Les finalistes seront presenté sur un cd promotionelle pour la presse, et pourront ainsi aussi presenter un nouveau set live sur un lieu encore plus grand (Recyclart, Place de la Monnaie Bruxelles, ...), probablement avec une tete d'affiche de Je m'en fish comme The neon judgement ou Seize. Les finalistes sont offert de se joindre au collectif, mais ceci n'est pas obligatoire.
Le gagnant sera choisi par un jury independant, se formant entre autre par Dirk Da Davo (the neon judgement), Bart Mandonx (Zounds management), Libelia De Splenter (Studio Brussel), ...
Ce gagnant sera offert par Je m'en fish de produire un album (supposant son premier) en collaboration avec le collectif. La pochette peut etre fait par nos artistes graphiques, l'artiste choisit tout les petits details comme couleur du disque + type d'inscription, etc.
Le mixage et mastering seront fait par des professionels dans le milieu et aussi en discutant avec l'artiste.
Je m'en fish s'occupera ainsi aussi d'envoyer ce cd a une grande liste de media.
Pour toute information, ou si vous etes interessé, envoyez votre cd et n'oubliez PAS vos coördinees!
Je m’en fish VZW Paepedellelaan 26 bus 2 1160 Brussel (Oudergem) 0473/67.49.41 http://www.jemenfish.be jemenfish@hotmail.com
28/10/2005 Je m'en fish electronica contest on stage @ 'Palmyra', Vlaams Centrum Voor Amateurkunsten (VCA), Veeweydestraat 24-26, 1070 Brussel. Number of chosen bands unknown.
16/12/2005 Electronica contest finals @ Arenbergschouwburg, Antwerpen. 5 finalists will be chosen by Je m'en fish. At this event these get to play one final time live in 30 minute sets, and the winner will then be chosen. Jury: Libelia De Splenter (Studio Brussel), Dirk Da Davo (Neon Judgement/Electronics), Bart Mandonx (Zounds management), Zark (Electrobel), Ben Sadoine (Je m'en fish), Charles Blondeel (Fm Brussel). Closing act of the evening by Neon Electronics.
i dont want to be the fun killer here but there are some disturbing points of this posting i think it s a great idea to offer a free podium to any kind of music - and i think there s a need for a place where bands have the chance just to play i dont think that rock or metal or any other kind of bands have more chance than electronics it s about the same and mostly it s just a certain genre gets hyped for a while and than its "out" again i dont thnik that soundengineers are that bad with electronics - they generally suck cause clubs don t pay really for good professional ppl and a beer and a handshake for the cousin of the girlfriend who can make a difference between and xlr and a jack doesn t make him a sound engineer - only good and big venues pay for professionalls - they screw up teh sound with any other band just as badly :p an other thing is - let bands play for free is quiet ok but i think it should be considered that they get at least their travelling costs / gas money or a bit for the transportation or effort it it s a free podium a freen entrance usually the places are able to make enough on the beer so why not ot pay to the bands at least a little fee - not a payment in general but that they have their costs out of it ?
We pay for the clubs, and we keep the entrance free, and the club can keep the money made on beer. The bands can win their cd's made by us.
Frankly, the only ones that really invest is our organisation, and clubs like Kultuurkaffee who don't have a good soundsystem and spend about 150 euro to get one. As people will have noticed already the soundsystem with the live bands in kk is extraordinarily good.
I am now informing to book a tour with the finalist(s) and that would get paid, but reïmbursing travel costs is not a possibility.
As to your comment on soundengineers, I'm afraid I have to say it's obvious you have absolutely no knowledge of the matter. Sound-engineers often DONT HAVE A LOT OF experience with electronica, even the ones we hired for Recyclart, and they have 20 years experience. Same with Vaartkapoen or...
I'm sorry, but we're counting on 2000 to 3000 euro investment already in the contest, it would seem kind of stupid to say 'take part in our contest - And we'll pay you 50 euro for just participating!'.