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Creating a trance party
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mez
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Jun 27, 2011 09:15:38
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I have been attending and helping trance parties for about 8 years now but I am curious about the ins & outs of throwing trance parties in the US, specifically the North Eastern United states.
Like typically what is the process?, getting a venue? booking acts?, acquiring proper permits?
I am trying to leave most of my pretenses behind when thinking about this one (I have alot of theories as to how this works and have definitely heard alot stories), How would you throw an event?
Unfortunately, setting up a geny on BLM land doesn't seem to be a viable option these days. Anyone ever heard of trance parties being thrown on reservations (no disrespect to the reservation's governing body and inhabitants). I feel like at this point it might be easier/mutually beneficial/safer to hold a trance party with the permission and support of a reservation. This could also be controversial and upsetting to both parties involved. I have seen shit sorta hit the fan when it comes to having trance parties in other people's backyards. I guess ideally a member of any given community would invite a gathering in, rather than a the event being purely a matter of rental. Any thoughts? Any other idea's as to where to create temporary autonomous zones oriented around Psychedelic trance?
I personally prefer outdoor gatherings, It seems like there are quite a few more hoops to jump through in order to do this. What does it take to rent a beach/a piece of land private or public? Who is usually the first to complain? who calls the cops? how do you prevent this? What kind of fines/penalties can you incur by being busted?
What is the breakdown of the cost? The artist booking fees? the space rental?(whether it is club, bar, school gym, science center, boat, whatever) all the other shit, like what did it take to throw your last event?
Maybe someone knows a spot or has an inclination as to where to hold a party? Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss any of this privately as discretion may be advised.
It seems like throwing trance parties is sorta a losing man's sport, as one of my friends put it (a logistical nightmare) but I figure, I might as well see what it takes. I have no qualms with the current parties, I just feel like variety in trance events is the elf spice of life.
Peace & Love
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 27, 2011 14:38
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Everything always starts with finding a venue first. Everything else is really secondary until you find a place to put it all  . Most of your other questions would be answered once you find a venue. Reducing the chance of a noise complaint is as simple as looking at where the neighbors are at and pointing the speakers in the opposite direction (not that this is always possible and it depends on how close they are and how loud you are). Nor does this guarantee anything.
For a first time I would look into venues that have already been used/tested out. I would highly recommend doing a 1 night indoor first- they are easier to run and will give you a feel for things without making you too crazy (hopefully).
Be sure to not over spend on your first one too (the key is to be able to keep throwing parties, so proper budgeting is very important). Costs all depend on the people, find artists you like and get into contact with them.
 http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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Shiranui
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 27, 2011 21:31
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Buy a small soundsystem and throw small events with it. Let the events gradually get larger through word of mouth, don't promote.
Once you have a following, throw a few fundraisers to get the cash together for a BIG party.
Find a venue for it, throw some cheap parties there first to test the waters.
THEN book headliners and rent sound. |
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mez
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Jun 28, 2011 00:57
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Thanks for the wisdom, I appreciate it.
any anecdotal expenses? I am wondering if you want to throw a party that goes from 10 pm till 8 am is any indoor venue going to be able/willing to do this? I imagine this heavily based on the zoning and regulations of noise and what not. How do you find such a venue? Google searches seem to bring up only the most established and expensive locations. The most successful all night event ventures I have witnessed were thrown in semi-residential spaces. I have never really seen a successful trance party pulled off in a bar.
Maybe a location near an airport or highway is appropriate as the sound pollution is already been addressed or expected by the neighbors.
Can you rent a garage or industrial space for one night?
I guess another angle is to just talk to people doing similar all night events, like bm decomps, raves and hipster shin digs. I know of a few crews that have arranged events in very interesting locations, like on a docked barge or in a trolley station. Probably should just outright ask em.
Thanks again
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Kabayun
Kabayun
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65
Posted : Jun 28, 2011 02:45
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Mez, where are you located?
There are definitely places that will let you go all night, although they are harder to come by these days, and generally will not be licensed clubs.
I would love to give you some tips, but it really depends what city/state you will be doing this in, because the possibilities vary greatly depending....
In NYC for example, there have been many events that go till 8 am or later (last week we had one till 11am) but they are almost always in underground warehouse venues....
If your content to stop at 4, then the possibilies are endless.
As for outdoors, I would get in touch with some of the crews who have been doing outdoor events, as they would be very good resources. Or just find a buddy with a farm, ask if you can throw a party, and point the sound away from the neighbors.... SpectrumRob has had great success doing this in the Albany area..
http://2to6.net
http://kabayun.com |
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mez
IsraTrance Junior Member
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163
Posted : Jun 28, 2011 08:34
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Hey Kabayun
I moved to NYC about a month ago, I grew up there but was away for a while. I think I was at the till 11 am party, I left around 9:30 am and it was still going strong. Very nice location and music.
Hope there is more of that.
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dreadieg
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Jun 28, 2011 18:52
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alright, i've been building a scene for about 2 years now and here's what i've learned
1. this will cost you money. don't think in hippie terms, you're starting a business.
2. your sound is the most important thing. make sure to invest in GOOD speakers with REALLY GOOD subwoofers. get good cables, amp racks, hell, get a trailer and a truck.
3. don't listen to other people that come to your parties about how you should throw your events. you're in charge. you put the money into it, so it's your call.
4. own your mistakes. you will fuck up. you will make enemies. you will lose friends and money and people will blame you for stupid shit. it's business. just learn from it and move on.
5. don't expect other people to throw in with your or contribute. the people in our scene are generally lazy. want someone to make deco? either pay for it or make your own. your crew isn't going to help.
6. it's going to be small. this is a small scene. don't expect 500 people for the first year or so.
7. it's ok to ask questions from people. i swear, if kri or fuzz had a dollar for every "how'd YALL do this" question i've emailed em, they'd be throwing boom by now.
8. deco is cool. it's a pain in the ass. but it's cool. and psy-people have come to expect it.
9. DJs suck. yes. yes they do. most of them are primadonnas and yet they only spin other peoples tunes.
10. you will more than likely want to give up if you aren't 100% dedicated.
all the rest is just renting a place out or finding an outdoor area. then the load in. sound check. time management. partypartyparty (you'll be dealing with all issues that arise in this time). tear down. leave no trace clean up. load out. home. beer. sleep.
Doof Local |
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paradigm
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 28, 2011 19:35
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What Dredieg said.... Every point he laid out is solid.
Other advice I can offer is......
It's all in the details. Just as much as the location and music count in determining the quality level of the event, the small stuff plays just as big a role.
Infrastructure is very important. From who you having running your door, to the amount of power you have available, to having shade on your dancefloor if its a outside event.
The devil is in the details
Logical Light Music - SF
Straylight Productions -SF
Sound/Mind - Denver
Xcience - Midwest
mixes for dl at :
http://www.thehothouse.net/straylight/paradigm/index.htm
"He who ha-ha's last, ha-ha's best" |
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 28, 2011 20:17
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@ dreadieg: #5 is something that no one should expect in this scene. In the midwest it's all about people contributing to the event (whether it's big or small) and I think that helps to make the party better when more attendees are invested in making the party. I know everywhere is different, but imo this is part of being a promoter, you have to be the one setting things in motion. The best way to get more deco is to have a small deco party where someone lives .
Any promoter should encourage participation from other people, especially when it comes to deco. Even just a few people with some materials, time and motivation can make some really neat stuff. As a promoter you should run into people like this at your parties, so get to know them . Pretty much every party we do I have someone come up to me with some deco ideas or just to tell me about some stuff they're working on that they want to bring to the next party.
http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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Moonclear
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Jun 28, 2011 22:59
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Hi,
regarding psy-trance parties in bars and clubs in nyc, there was something about the venue owner taking the bar $$ and the party crew taking the door $$. Therefore whenever I am partying in a bar or club I try to drink as much as may be ;].
If there's no liquor then the owner will probably want rent for the space.
That's my understanding .. I always see trance as very viable so I think the owners should be openminded about the bar. Ther would be more trance in nyc. ppl complain about commercialization yet the flip side is how many unrealized tranceheads are out there bc events aren't promoted enough. Nevertheless keep it underground, for example with a party on a private boat, that is a great choice. Peace, Mc |
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mez
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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163
Posted : Jun 28, 2011 23:47
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Thanks all for your time and thoughts. This is really helpful.
I feel like it must be really important to pick the right date. I think that if it's during another trance party even in a neighboring city attendance levels would probably drop, at least this is my observation in the North Eastern United States.
How long ahead of time do you generally start planning/booking and promoting? What is a good time frame for working with venue owners and musical acts to ensure the event comes together properly. A lot of events I have seen from the perspective of a volunteer seems like they could have stayed in the oven a little longer, but I imagine if you set a date for too far in the future it might be difficult to keep momentum.
Regarding boat parties, this would be great, except I think with boat parties, the party has a sort of contained energy, like once your on, your on till the end. Generally I like when parties have an open door policy of sorts, like you get a bracelet and you could go wander off into the woods or go bowling if you need too. But If the party was right I would be happy to trance on a boat with out any complaints.
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 29, 2011 01:25
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Plan ahead time always depends. If you want to plan an outdoor event for next summer, start now. It becomes a perpetual process- I'm constantly thinking of ideas for parties, thinking of/finding acts I would like to bring out, etc. Even though we do 2 major 3 days around the same time each summer, we're constantly talking about what to do for the next one.
The time you need to spend to do things like find sound, coordinate things with any acts you are bringing in, figure out what to do for deco, etc depends on how big you want to do it (or how many acts you want to book). When you have consistent people to do sound and deco it becomes easier obviously .
http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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dreadieg
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Jun 30, 2011 08:22
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for big parties i try to get at least 45 days ahead of time. for small things, maybe 2 weeks or so.
it depend on the event. outdoor things need time for the word of mouth to spread. facebook is your best friend on that sort of thing. start a company page, and friendfriendfriend. the limit of your promotion is how far you're willing to go.
even for private events, i like to have 2 weeks to plan, because something WILL come up.
basically any promoter is in the crap shooting game. it's all a gamble.
i would NOT throw a boat party. ever. to much of a legal liability (yeah, we have to think like that, sad i know) it'd bad enough that we're extremely vulnerable for basic events, let alone something that some idiot could fall off and drown on.
honestly i can't even imagine the work that goes into the bigger things in the US. sounds like a cluster fuck to me.
when my time comes for bigger events, i'm going to act like a freaking fascist, cause it's going to be what it takes. sad, but hey, less stress on me.
ascension: ya know, mr.sir, i've heard great things about the mid-west scene and how it's very community based. down here in NC (asheville doesn't count) there are so few of us, and no one is deco-inclinded.
i've actually thrown some deco parties, but damn if my people aren't fucking worthless with paint…...
Doof Local |
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MR VOMERS
Moderator
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Posted : Jun 30, 2011 20:12
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dreadieg, who are you and where do you throw trance parties in NC?
WARNING: The Reality Master General has determined that Mr. Vomit may significantly alter your reality. Usage of the knowledge provided by Mr. Vomit may be perceived as dangerous and subversive by those in authority. |
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kameleonpangea36
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Jun 30, 2011 22:40
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