Perth may be the world’s farthest-flung capital, but the multi-taskers behind Democracy haven’t let geography hinder them. The party has so far hosted some of the most revered names in house and techno – among them Audion, Hernan Cattaneo, DJ Pierre and Carl Craig – while also nurturing “the next generation of 4/4 producers and DJs” within state borders. This weekend, Democracy has secured another bona-fide legend in Robert Hood. We found out all about it from one of the party’s ringleaders Karl Pownall.

What was the original motivation behind starting the Democracy parties?
Boredom. I had moved back from the UK in 2000 and had planned to go back, but obstacles kept popping up and I like Perth so I decided to stay and make it more interesting for myself. That has changed over the years, and now it’s more to throw parties that will inspire the next generation of 4/4 producers and DJs. We have some great artists on our roster but as with all music it needs a hub, where people can be exposed to new sounds and share ideas.

How do you go about choosing your guests? Is there a certain criteria you use?
You have to find a balance between what you think you can sell and what you really love, I’m sure the more chin-stroking members among our clientele have raised the odd eyebrow at some of our bookings, but you have to be flexible and try and draw in punters that maybe wouldn’t normally attend Democracy, and it seems to work, people generally comeback.

Is Perth an unpredictable city for pushing ‘underground’ sounds, or have you seen an ongoing loyalty to Democracy?
It never ceases to amaze me how unpredictable it is. Perth people seem to have their own set of blinkers that seems to cut off the world around them. We only really have one club Ambar that tries to do anything of any substance. That has been in the past predominantly a breaks club and more recently incorporated fidget and electro house. A regular Ambar night might pull in 6-700 people and a Democracy night there might only pull in 4-500, so there is this conception that breaks and fidget is much bigger and that’s how it will always be. If you look at the numbers in a meaningful way, it won’t take much of a ground shift to flip that in reverse.

All EDM is underground really. When I say that I’m not talking about the house-inspired pop music you see in the charts. Pop music has always been influenced by the underground, and sometimes the lines get blurred and people start talking about David Guetta and something that’s not completely shit in the same context.

Are there any particular Democracy parties or moments that really stand out in your memory?
DJ Pierre springs straight to mind. He smashed the club to bits with records that were 20 years old. The Democracy Sunday parties, all of them – you know something special is going to happen when you can get people into a club on a school night, and invariably it does. Deetron, Audion, Gui Boratto and Hernan Cattaneo, it’s like church in its purest form and the vibe is unbelievable.

Having secured a legend like Robert Hood for your next edition, who else is on the Democracy wish-list?
We already have some great stuff booked in, Marcel Dettman for the third birthday being one. At the moment, we are only promoters not touring agents, so we are limited to who is touring, but we are planning to start our own tours soon so we have more control over the artists we book – and they won’t be any of the usual suspects.

DJ PROFILE: JOE STAWARZ

Western Australia has always been a hot-bed of musical talent, and Joe Stawarz is another star export. The young studio whiz won Slam’s Beatport Remix Contest in 2007 with his version of We’re Not Here, and his production portfolio continues to grow. Stawarz is a regular fixture at Democracy events, so we sent a couple of questions his way in anticipation of this weekend’s workout.

Did winning Slam’s Beatport Remix Contest open some unexpected doors for you?
The whole experience came as quite a surprise. I was honoured that they chose my mix but I had no expectations when I entered the competition so anything that came out of it was a bonus really. It established a point of contact with Soma Records, which was invaluable because they subsequently showed interest in my original works. I had not sent out any demos before that time so I was very fortunate to have a leg up in that regard.

Do you feel the art of the warm-up DJ has been somewhat lost?
I’d say it depends where you look. I can only go by my own experiences and suggest that generally the role of the warm-up DJ is under-appreciated. At the gigs I attend there does seem to be a pretty good understanding of what constitutes a flowing progression over the course of a night, but I have no doubt there are circles with no apparent desire for subtlety and variation. So while I think its functional practice does remain, perhaps the artistic side has been neglected.

What would you say sets Democracy apart from other club nights in Perth?
Democracy filled some gaps with what was on offer in Perth. I think many of the acts that have been booked may not have made it over otherwise and for that I am grateful. Democracy promoter Chach has a good awareness of how to make each night work and he picks the local support accordingly. Democracy has developed a decent following now and I get the impression that people approach the events with a positive party atmosphere in mind.

It must be a buzz to support an artist as influential as Robert Hood. What have you got planned for your set?
Absolutely, it’s a pleasure to be on the same bill, but I’m mostly just excited to hear him play. I believe I’ll be following on from him and it’s hard to know in advance if the crowd will be up for more or if it’s time to wind it down. Either way, it would be a challenge to match the energy and tempo of Hood, so I’ll probably aim for a more complimentary style. I don’t do any planning beyond this kind of mental preparation and making sure that I pack my crate with the most appropriate type and variety of tracks as possible.

Democracy presents Robert Hood at Geisha this Friday 25 June.