Posts by Tom Semmens
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If the forecast is for rain – or to much wind – I drive. Whilst I appreciate the North-Western cycle way, i think that it is still really just an paved track built by someone who doesn’t ride a bike. A bit of camber for water run-off, and some thought about alignment/wind shelter would have been dandy. I normally just wear my helmet and a wind and showerproof flouro shell jacket over my work clothes with a backpack containing some wet weather pants. And some bike clips for my nice work pants. It is only a 20 minute bike ride to work, after all. In winter I add gloves and the little skull cap I use snow boarding under my helmet because that keeps my ears warm.
Oh yes and I have this really fancy web thingy that I can put on over my jacket that turns me into a mini-rave of flashing lights for cycling at night.
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Over at the handmirror there is post entitled "Sometimes, we win". But I think this is entirely wrong. In this country at least, when debate is allowed to occur the better - the mild and gentle aspect - of our national character has ALWAYS handed the the angry and conservative elements in our society a crushing defeat. In our fair isles in terms of progressive policies we don't win sometimes. We always win, eventually.
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I too have had a gutsful of Vector security and I am not alone.
I basically refuse to go to events at Vector, to the extent that I prefer to fly to Australia to see acts than go through the miserable experience of having to walk around on egg shells at Vector. Lucky for me that I can afford the airfares, I guess.
The security and the concession holders conspire to make going there an unpleasant experience. If you want a taste of what it like to be inside a youth correctional facility in the United States, then I am reasonably sure Vector is a good indicator.
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I’m not sure I like the whole EDM thing, though. Just been watching Baauer DJ to a huge crowd and it seemed banal and boring.
Baauer I don’t really like. But the key thing is perhaps the generation gap. Baauer, Avicii and Shrillex are all 25 or under in age (deadmau5 is 32 and Calvin Harris is 29). Dance music badly needs an injection of younger generation of DJ’s that a younger crowd can identify with. After all, the currently mighty David Guetta is 45, the fabulous Carl Cox is 50, Paul Oakenfold (who?) is 50, Pete Tong is 52, and Tiesto is 45 I think – you get the picture. The 1990s generation are in serious need of renewal. Trance in particular seems to have completely run of creative steam. Now I personally think Avicii in particular is more a brand that a credible musician. He is everywhere, but marketed like a line of expensive handbags rather than as a musician as far as i can see. But they have virtue of youth and they are introducinga whole new generation into dance with THEIR generations sound, rather than the stuff the oldies over 35 have been listening to for 20+ years.
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But imagine if there was, like, a little deep house tent for grown-ups …
I don’t know about this. The days of walling off the doof doof crowd with their it-isn’t-really-music-is-it from the rest are well and truly over. Put them on the main stage, get out the dancing girls, fireworks, lasers and a fuck-off light show and the crowd would go bananas over a Carl Cox.
Well, a younger crowd would – I got the distinct impression that by the time of the final tragic BDO the promoter had no real idea anymore what anyone under 40 might want to see.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Walking Distance, in reply to Sacha,
No, none whatsoever.
The integration of "live stage" with "DJ" at Ultra was great to see. In particular, seeing what treating the visual mixing as an integral - and live - part of the performance brings to a show was a real eye opener.
Watching the best visual mixers in the world in action was awesome.
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If they want it to be something different from the Big Day Out, then re-launching and calling it the Big Day Out is a bit silly.
My guess would be that C3 are the ones behind this? Having just got back from the WMC in Miami and seen what was spent on production at Ultra (not to mention the sort of money the DJ’s are charging these days) It looks to me like the US festival scene is awash with money right now. EDC, lollapalooza, Ultra, etc etc. Hell, even the smallest boat party in Florida seems to involve 300 people on a pint sized ship with free booze and food, and the monster they had parked out the back of Ultra as the artists lounge took up the entire viewfinder at ranges shorter than 200 metres.
Anyway, outside the usual suspects of commercial radio (Swedish House Mafia and co) There is so much dance music talent at the moment in the US you want to cry at its lack of presence here, hopefully any tie up with US management outfit will see a bit more of the explosion that is happening in the USA here.
Oh and having seen the visual production standards at Ultra, all I can say is wow. We’ve got no idea what we are missing out on with the crappy visuals we get here. Just no idea.
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On Telegraph Ave you're as likely to be bowled over by a bike cop as by someone...
I have just spent 17 days in South Beach and the biggest danger there was also cops and other cyclists on the footpath, cars were really considerate - especially around the beach. Cyclists on the foot path is a really, really bad idea.
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Maybe National will just pass a law saying criticism of it’s corporate welfare program constitutes recklessly interfering with a corporations rights to go about their business, with up to 12 months’ jail or a $50,000 to $100,000 fine depending on whether the criticism came from an individual or body corporate…
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Worked in the garden in the morning listening to RNZ until mid-morning, where I thought Dame Anne Salmond provided a text book out-of-touch elite commentary for me to muse over during my hanging basket maintenance. Honestly, if her Pollyanna views on race relations are typical we are in for some fireworks when ivory tower happy clappy collides with surly ZB Waitakere man over the constitutional review.
Then I went and did a bit of shopping, had a nice walk to the top of Mt. Eden, went home and pottered about with my kontiki and at the same time laid low to avoid friends who wanted to persuade me to go with them to the council concert in Henderson. I then deliberately avoided the news.