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MindGames message to Emma
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___Russ
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 18, 2001 12:34:30
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Hi Emma,
My name is Russ, the organizer behind MindGames and this year's "The Labyrinth." (There's a chance we met at the party but I have hard time remembering people's names on no sleep!) Thanks a lot for your posted note about The Labyrinth. It's nice to hear people appreciating what we trying to accomplish. A couple of the dj's were a bit disappointed that we didn't have a huge crowd, but I didn't make the party to stroke egos. I made the party for people like you. (And many, many people have given us kind thanks for creating that kind of nostalgic party.)
For me the whole drive behind organizing the party was to throw a party with incredible/serious/psychedelic music from beginning to end with no distracting bullshit and, most importantly, to create an atmosphere suitable for pyschedelics. Everything, from the location to the line-up, to the candles and torches and tippees, to the ban on naked lights/shops/generators on the dance floor, was decided on what is good with acid and what is not. Even the mist! (If you look carefully, you might notice I put deco by "Mist" on the flyer, because I thought we would have a deep misty morning up there that time of year.) For some reason most organizers have decided that clubs are "psychedelic" so they do their best to make the outdoors look like a club, with the strobes and the string and the lasers and and the cliched goa paintings and the ridiculous dancers/strippers/christmas tree light warriors (!!). In my book, the night should be night, and the morning morning. If you light everything up like a club, you not only kill the power of the night, but you also deprive the morning of beauty. OUTDOORS = PSYCHEDELIC! However organizers who don't understand acid will never understand that.
And of course, the most essential element to an "acid-friendly" environment is the people. I didn't even put flyers at Cisco and Technique or pass out flyers at the huge VQ Gathering party. I would much rather lose huge sums of money than have my party overun with little shibuya girls and screaming, shaking shabu freaks. I have had some deep, meaningful experiences in the past at trance parties that have provided beautiful memories, but not for a long time in Japan. I knew the spirit was there, but felt that the organizers were all looking in the completely wrong direction. The Labyrinth was my statement to the party people and organizers in Japan: "THIS is trance." And it was a reminder to the old school Japanese tribe and to myself: "It is still alive. If you make it." The parties used to be like this; there is no reason they can't be again.
I hope to meet you at next year's MindGames parties. We are going to cut costs--:)fewer dj's and longer sets--and aim for the same size crowd. I hate big. If possible, I would like to do two parties next summer like The Labyrinth--underground, outdoors, for the groovy liquid tribe.
take care,
--russ ("The Monk") |
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___HuJaBoY
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 18, 2001 14:16:30
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Need live/dj set.
Hujaboy@hotmail.com
972-54-718174
I will be playing in Japan in the 19th January:)
Nir Shoshani |
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___Anglo_Osakian
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 19, 2001 05:37:34
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Hiya Russ!
Thanks for the nice message.
This is EMMA by the way!
I totally agree with everything you have said here. This is what touched me, and all the Osaka possee, (didn't know anyone else), and is why, despite having been to all the biggies this year, Labyrinth was the most memorable! Well done!
Yeah, I think we met, infact I think I have a picture of you with your Labyrinth crew at the entrance, that you asked me too take! It's a nice one too! Let me know if you'd like a copy!
I was asked by Mondo san to be photographer....
Remember me yet??
Talking of which, I took about 6 roles of film, and got some REALLY nice pictures![color=Orange]
[/color]If you are ever down Osaka way then I'd love to show them to you!
Don't know if I'll still be here next summer, as I am planning on (or trying to) make the break and leave Japan next June-July time. I've been here for 10 years! Think that's a nice set of years to depart on.............If I can actually go through with it that is! Britain really doesn't seem to be the place for anything but cheesy, commercial raves and parties full of groupies thesedays! Shame, it was still nice when I left in 92!
If you think Japan has gotten too commercial, then check out the british scene with dj groupies standing around the decks oggling their idols!! What's that all about???!!
But, of course, I'm only hearing the horror stories. But there are quite a few british dj's and organisers who refuse to play in Britain anymore, so there must be something to it!
Anyway,keep up the good work with the parties, hopefully I will get to see another before my departure! If that ever really happens!
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___DJ_HIKARI
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 19, 2001 09:14:23
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I never got to check out labryinth. sounds like a good party. Yeh i wish the old trance scene would come back to japan. Parties where there were no fights, no shibuya gals. Just people who come for the music. I remeber three or four years ago where even finding a flyer for those parties was hard. Well Russ good luck with your organization, keep the spirit. Next party i want to check out. |
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___kaz
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 19, 2001 14:30:34
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If you're leaving Japan because you want some really amazing party atmosphere, go to Australia. When I was there a few months ago, in certain areas you'd have at least 3 outdoor parties every weekend (in the middle of the winter), NO COPS busting the parties, an amazing, wonderful vibe and lots of great people, great local DJs (along with a few dodgy ones, but that's ok), and some brilliant spots for the parties (especially around Melbourne and Byron Bay, but at Sydney too, to a lesser extent).
And the whole scene there is still not really commercial (especially in the Byron Bay area)... And you can get dmt there :) |
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___miraculix_69
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 20, 2001 14:40:18
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to@emma - i just came from england 2 months ago (after living there for 3 years). i think you got the wrong idea, it's not all cream and gatecrasher over there. in fact the psy-trance scene is very underground. sometimes i found it even too dodgy, but definetely NOT cheesy. maybe you wanna check out parties by resonoise, alchemy, kundalini, etc. |
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___Anglo_Osakian
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 21, 2001 01:05:00
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Thanks Asaf and Alex for the info on Australia and Britain.
Especially in the case of Britain. Finally!!! someone who can set my mind at rest a little about the state of the British Trance scene! I really don't know what to think as I only have other peoples statements and what I read in magazines like face or ID to go on!
Mind you, Shakta said that the scene wasn't bad as well.....
i am planning on finally making the break and heading home some time next year, and I needed to hear that I have something worth going back to!
Thanks mate![color=Yellow][/color]
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___miraculix_69
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 21, 2001 11:32:25
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www.tranceculture.com
lists most of the parties in the uk by the way. otherwise, maybe talk to people in camden (pschadellic dream temple, access all areas,...) for the less publicised ones. |
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___Dj_Psyde_effect
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 22, 2001 06:39:30
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old time wont come back till the decade or more passed from now. c mon ppl, this became big fat biz, they dont much care about music itself like ppl here do. israel scene is, from my point of view, like 2-3 yrs ahead of tokyo scene. so we have a lot to learn from aliens.
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___yohe-i
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 22, 2001 14:12:03
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hmmm, dont know what you mean...
besides if japan is a decade away from having a good scene and israel is 2-3 years ahead, that's not good for israel either...
it's not what you ment, i know. but i think that's not necessarily the case. good parties are apparantly still around, although i havent been to the labyrinth. you just have to look harder between all this commercial crap which is of course so easy to notice...it just means that you won't be able to enjoy a live by someone like koxbox in an underground environment anymore, which you can still do in other countries. |
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___Russ
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 22, 2001 14:53:41
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...unless you don't tell people they're coming... |
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___Russ
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 24, 2001 11:56:00
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Hey Emma,
Hope you stick around long enough to catch our next party:)
Also, I would love to see the pictures you took. I was so busy that I took almost no pictures. Could you send me an e-mail to rmoench@hotmail.com? I don't think I'm going to be in Osaka anytime soon, so maybe I could pay to have another set of your pictures printed out. I would REALLY like to see some nice pics of the party and the people. Plus, I need some pictures to put up on a website if we make one next year.
Cheers!
--russ |
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___monkey
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 24, 2001 12:23:31
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Remember Goa Gil Nijima a couple of years back ? Now that had a nice spirit as did the Strong Sun moon festival in Gifu in summer of 98. I agree, the good old days are gone......... |
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___yohe-i
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 25, 2001 05:34:31
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ah ppl, last message is not by me but alex heheh
he just logged on after i used his pc
just notice :)
enjoy ur life
boooooooom
dj yohe |
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___monkey
Old Forum Member
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Posted : Nov 25, 2001 08:01:18
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No Im not Alex, just a member from the old Chikuya days. |
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