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Bad year for trance?
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HIKARI
IsraTrance Junior Member
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611
Posted : Oct 4, 2005 08:51
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Hey guys, seems like summer has gotten to us and many of you have been away from this forum.
Well to assess this years summer festivals, I just wanted to know how everybody in this forum, felt about this years summer festivals(in Japan).
To me, this year just wasnt a good year for the mainstream organizers. On the other hand all the underground organizers had some success.
Many large parties which usually get over 5000 got around 3000 people. Some parties around 500... None of the so called Monster Festivals got a fair number of people.
Is the trance boom coming to an end for Japan? At least for me( in the CD industry) its coming to an end. Nobody seems to be buying CDs anymore. They dont go to parties, what is going on?
What are your assessments for this years party season?
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Ken
IsraTrance Full Member
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441
Posted : Oct 4, 2005 14:12
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Bad year for Trance?... NO WAY. For me, this was the best Summer ever in Japan (I got here in 1998).
As you said Hikari, I think it was a bad year for the mainstream organizers but the underground scene really took off.
Here's what I heard, please correct me if I'm wrong.
***MAINSTREAM PARTIES:***
ARCADIA - about 800 people only and out of those probably only 500 paid. Had problems with the shuttle bus and water. Lost huge amounts of money and are now finished as an organizer.
SOLSTICE - Enough people not to lose money. Good vibe... a lot of the young chimpira / Shibuya types stayed away. Great chill area and production.
MOTHER - heard good reports about the vibe. Only criticism I heard was that the music was a bit the same right throughout.
ANOYO - doesn't this happen every year to Anoyo? I remember going in 2000 or was it 2001? Anyway, the year before the Earthquake one. I think that was one of the only ones that wasn't hit by a natural disaster. I went to another Anoyo party in Sado Island which was hit by a Typhoon!!!!
This year's Anoyo was also hit by a Typhoon and I heard the 2nd night was cancelled and they had all sorts of problems with ferrys being cancelled... etc.
VISION QUEST - Did Infected Mushroom get through Immigration? Dont know about the numbers but I expect thousands as usual. I think it got affected by heavy heavy rain which turned the place into a swamp. The vibe at Vision Quest? Heard some reports that I would rather not repeat here.
***UNDERGROUND PARTIES:***
LABYRINTH - heard this was a nice party with a good vibe. Is it underground? I heard about 1000 people went? Mathew Johnson blew peoples minds... at least my friends minds hehehe. Looking forward to seeing Mathew Jonson at Earthcore Carnival in Australia in November.
DAT MAFIA - heard their parties have really exploded. 500 people? Good vibe. Ummm Good music too... if you like Suomu Finland Trance. It sounds a little like old nintendo / playstation sounds to a beat... but hey, I'm into computer games!
CHIKYUYA (GOA GIL) - heard these guys are really attracting a lot of support from the Trance community and putting on some nice parties.
PSYLAB13 (DISCOVALLEY) - really wanted to go but missed this one. heard 500 or so people turned up. Great Great location and good vibe. If you're into the dark dark full-on psy then this is definitely it. I think I'm getting old and can only handle it in small doses.
MANAS (JUNE) - after this party, i thought nothing could beat it this Summer but... , about 400 people, one of the best vibes I've ever experienced. It was more an Old School Goa Party with lots of craziness going around. What do you think of guys wearing those tight Goa Pants????? Ewwwww
PSY16 (EARTHCORE TOUR DOOF) - i think i should leave the subjective comments to other people on this forum that came... Spliffnik, Shed, AitchTee, Coldring... etc? We got 400 - 500 people and the weather was nice! I'm still recovering!
UTAGE??
How about Breath, Daze Maze, Anomaly, Otokou, Nostalgia, Genkanon and so many other underground parties?
***Final Thoughts...
I think people are staying away from the big parties because...
1) Chimpira / Shibuya types who dont make for the best vibes.
2) Price - seems to be going up and up (oops, there goes my holiday in Thailand!)
3) Music - some parties seem to be stuck with the same artists?
I think people are going to the underground parties because...
1) Great Vibe and its smaller so you can meet people and make new friends. A sense of community.
2) Its cheap... 3500 yen for a 3 day party with an awesome massive sound system! Many of the underground organizers are "not so concerned" about making a profit.
3) Local Japanese artists are making some great music and they are finally getting support and recognition. Who wants to pay loads of money to see International DJs and Live Acts when the local talent provides the same level of entertainment.
Is this a Japanese phenomenon? NO. I got emails from France, Sweden and other countries saying the same thing is happening around the world.
***For me, nothing beats an Underground Party of about 500 people with an awesome sound system and great music and vibe in a beautiful location!!!
This Summer is the first year I didn't go to big parties and went to Underground parties only. I've made so many new friends and experienced some magical vibes and performances. This Summer has been the best Summer for me - unforgettable memories!!!
 The music was like new black polished chrome
that came over the sky like liquid night.
psy16.com |
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Zimon Post Forced
Started Topics :
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157
Posted : Oct 4, 2005 19:55
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Quote:
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On 2005-10-04 14:12, Ken wrote:
ARCADIA - about 800 people only and out of those probably only 500 paid. Had problems with the shuttle bus and water. Lost huge amounts of money and are now finished as an organizer.
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Well when you get the same artists all the time, of course the ppl will get bored and not come at some point. |
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damage
damage
Started Topics :
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Posts :
321
Posted : Oct 4, 2005 21:05
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osaka rocked pretty hard with still one of the most powerful and energetice party crowds i`ve seen so far.
the ppl want to hear something new. it`s time we give them this. more energy needs to be put into parties,cd`s and music as well. make it more interesting...like most of the other successfull types of dancemusic.
ROCK ON !  |
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Ken
IsraTrance Full Member
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441
Posted : Oct 5, 2005 01:49
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> Zimon Post Forced
Good point. What's happened to all the Arcadia artists now. I saw John Phantasm and Cosmosis are playing at a Sigma Records / FBI Honto party in Tokyo next week. Does anyone know who's behind Sigma Records? Did Arcadia change its name to Sigma Records?
I think the same organizers bring the same artists out all the time because they sign some kind of exclusive deal or something!!??
> Damage
Thanks for reminding me of the Osaka scene. Any reports? What outdoor parties do you have down there? I heard Full Moon Mondo controls most of the scene down there? Fine Play do outdoors as well? Please do tell.
My friends who have been organizing Underground Goa Parties for years were shocked when their party got over 400 people earlier this year. They're throwing another party this month and have decided to limit it to 200 people Advance Ticket Only with no promotion... True Underground.
The music was like new black polished chrome
that came over the sky like liquid night.
psy16.com |
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HIKARI
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posts :
611
Posted : Oct 5, 2005 03:40
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Nicely put Ken.
I guess this year was the year for underground parties.
Labyrinth, Earthcore all these parties i heard had a good experience.
Considering VisionQuest, my friend who went there said it was about 5000 people. Not too many people considering how much they used to get.
Utage was the next big disaster to Arcadia. They got about 1000 people, but with a line up that was 3 times the size of any psy party.
I guess Zimon Post Forced is right, same line up every year and people get tired.
Organizations should learn to collaborate. Most of the festivals in the world dont have exclusive artists. I always thought this was the one thing wrong with Japan.
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damage
damage
Started Topics :
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 06:00
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Organizations should learn to collaborate. Most of the festivals in the world dont have exclusive artists. I always thought this was the one thing wrong with Japan.
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it`s not just japan though. many countries are like this. very old way of thinking.(in the psy-trance scene)
regarding me doing outdoors in osaka...nothing this years. only did outdoors in nagoya and tokyo. both had great vibes.
in june i did a party in motherhall, osaka which pulled the record amount of party ppl for motherhall so far apparently. that place was really packed big time. was a super party. (new world) so looks like it`s growing in some places. would really love to do an outdoor in osaka again though. the tiger spirit is strong there  |
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AitchTee
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0
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 06:18
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It seemed to me that there was a much younger crowd at the parties I went to at the end of the season compared to the ones at the beginning. No scientific evidence to back it up but I think it is very positive for the future.
Labyrynth had 1700~1800 people, a great event but my favourite party of the year was the Earth Core Doof. |
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Ken
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 09:40
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Wow, Labyrinth had 1700 - 1800 people!
I thought it was an Underground party!
BTW It's Earthcore not Earth Core and actually its Psy16 that put it on and EARTH ENERGY is the name. Instead of clearing things up I think I've confused people more! hehehe
I'm glad you had a good time at Earth Energy.
That last morning was all bit hazey and I may be mistaken, but was that you being carried from the floor on the last morning AitchTee?? Mental Meltdown eh? onya m8!
The music was like new black polished chrome
that came over the sky like liquid night.
psy16.com |
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cosmomochan
IsraTrance Junior Member
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127
Posted : Oct 5, 2005 10:04
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Nice words Ken.this summer was a big hit to the big orgenizers
For me It cant be better than that LOL,I always thought that the scene here is bigger than it should,Its just went "Ninki and Ninki" over the last 2,3 years,and now this bubble explode and got some over confident people behind the scene a little disappointed...
Maybe now me&a lot of people who prefer international artist will have the chance to hear them not in a super packed parties.
In my opinion the lineup in arcadia+visionqest this year was the best ever...too bad so many people there bring bad vibes...maybe it will change this year.
Hope its not too late for Arcadia though,their parties give me some special moments.
I can understand that most of the readers of this forum are not the biggest fans of fullon music...but if u r into this music and u wanna listen someone very good its very hard to find underground parties with such artists(Yes..they are famous sometimes).
Anyway...HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR ALL THE FORUM
(israeli new year lol)
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russ
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
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275
Posted : Oct 5, 2005 11:07
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Yes, labyrinth got around 1700-1800 people. We did much less promotion but got more people than before because of good word of mouth. but i would say it was far more "underground" than a lot of the smaller underground "goa" parties, because of the open music policy. it's a voyage through the entire electronic underground: trance, techno, tech-house, electro, minimal, progressive, dub, downbeat, ambient, etc. nowhere else in Japan can you hear one of the dons of the underground london tech-house scene, dave mothersole, play a 5-hour set on a big system outside. or hear mathew jonson fry your brain with his frequency tweaking!!
and people went bananas because all the music was so fresh. every dj played a different style/genre, but the way i construct the timetable the different genres all blend into each other so there's one infinite groove that goes through the whole party.
one guy told me it felt like the very first time he went to a trance party--everything was fresh and exciting.
this is why the big organizers eventually burn themselves out. people can't keep on listening to the same sounds every year. and the people who want only high-energy drug fuel music tend to bring plenty of bad vibes with them.
the same happens with any scene. if you don't give it new blood, it becomes inbred, then it becomes sick, and then it dies. labyrinth is my attempt to stop that from happening in Japan. i know the small parties will always survive and do well, but i like BIG SOUND. hehehe...
about cd's, the quality of psy music being released now is so below that being released in other scenes that i'm surprised anyone is buying anything at all. how many copies of the same cd do you really need? |
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Zimon Post Forced
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 13:14
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Russ you got it all right, and ill shake your hand for those words  |
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Zimon Post Forced
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 13:30
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On 2005-10-05 01:49, Ken wrote:
> Zimon Post Forced
Good point. What's happened to all the Arcadia artists now. I saw John Phantasm and Cosmosis are playing at a Sigma Records / FBI Honto party in Tokyo next week. Does anyone know who's behind Sigma Records? Did Arcadia change its name to Sigma Records?
I think the same organizers bring the same artists out all the time because they sign some kind of exclusive deal or something!!??
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Hehe.. you wanna now if its the same, its easy, just look if they bring Eskimo, Dynamic & Talamasca in every weekend 
And i think Sigma is the same as Arcadia, but im not sure... 
Don't really know about that deal thing, ill try to pull some strings to find out... |
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slug
Slug
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
114
Posted : Oct 5, 2005 13:59
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Quote:
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On 2005-10-05 01:49, Ken wrote:
> Damage
Thanks for reminding me of the Osaka scene. Any reports? What outdoor parties do you have down there? I heard Full Moon Mondo controls most of the scene down there? Fine Play do outdoors as well? Please do tell.
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Ken - concerning Fineplay - they do one main outdoor per year ("The Beach") on an island in Mikawa bay (I think Nagoya is the closest city to this place). They do a lot of indoor events as well (around Nagoya, Osaka, even Tokyo occasionally). Hopefully more outdoor to follow from these guys.
The one outdoor of theirs I played at last summer (2004) had about 1250(?) ppl, and I think this year they got around 2000 at the same event - so it does seem to be growing around this area. |
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damage
damage
Started Topics :
15
Posts :
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Posted : Oct 5, 2005 15:40
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how many copies of the same cd do you really need?
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yes, this is my point. it`s all you get when you pay money for it. dj insert, colour cover. totally understandable that ppl will wise up and realize that is a total waste of money if you can just copy it.
there needs to be more effort. needs to be made special again. more interesting. make it more than just about the music on the cds. some good reason to want to pay money for it again. 
will need to be a very new kind of approch though |
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