View Full Version : Downtempo in clubs - Doomed to fail?
Citizen
19-Sep-06, 12:04am
This has been on my mind for a while.
Ok, there seems to be a common perception that the inherent slowness of downtempo music automatically prohibits it from ever making the transition from the loungeroom into the club context.
Presumably this is because the average person attending a club goes with the desire to actually dance to music, wheras most ...ummm...blunted styles of music rarely evoke much more than a sedate sway and shuffle - even from it's most fervant fans.
I'm a huge fan of the more oblique, introspective blunted kind beats - as long as there is an element of funk to the sound, it can still be slow as hell, and I'll dig it. Often styles which make no attempt to adhere to a preconcieved dancelfoor formula offer the greatest scope for creativity and dept, IMHO. It doesn't necessarily have to move me, to "move me", if you know what i mean. ;)
So, I put it to you - can downtempo ever successfully be played in clubs, or is it forever relegated to home-listening? Or perhaps it can sneak into bars, for more sedate gatherings?
Your thoughts?
it comes in phases. downtempo instrumental hip hop and deep electronic stuff have been in and out... maybe half step bodes well for the next incursion?
Offbeat
19-Sep-06, 10:05am
I played all down tempo and loverly ambient stuff for about an hour at the alt launch at the FAD bar (adelaide) few weeks back. I liked it as well as some mates, but there was dick all other people there so...?
crazy_tripper
19-Sep-06, 10:13am
it's just gotta be the right setting... the relaxed lounge bar kinda thing on maybe a sunday night or something, people just chilling and enjoying the last of their weekend
ForeHead
19-Sep-06, 10:14am
I'm loving down tempo stuff at the moment.. esp the hip hop side of things with a touch of jazz... ive been researching around syd looking for a club that plays that kind of stuff.. it doesnt get recived that well, it is more suited to bars.. but i want a weekly event dedicated to it... i guess you need a big name to play it.. one that comes to mind is Mark Farina.. doing his Mushroom Jazz sets... as he has a strong follwoing already and alot of people love his Mushroom Jazz kinda stuff..
Spitchen
19-Sep-06, 10:37am
Frigid in Sydney did the slower tempo hip-hop, electronica and experiemental really well but to be honest it was only when more techy, faster tempo tunes were played that people tended to dance. Sunday evenings aren't the same. :(
i think what it sort of comes down to is the inherent subtlety of chilled, downtempo beats. when the music's not as fast or in-your-face, it can sort of become aural wallpaper; just hanging in the background, which in turn probably makes club or bar owners/managers more inclined to just spin a mix CD rather than employ a dj.
also balance that with the fact that the majority of people who head out on a friday or saturday night are looking to blow off steam and party hard. if they wanted to chill on a lounge, they'd probably stay at home. so maybe it's more suited to sundays or weekdays?
i dunno. it's definitely something missing in the canberra scene. i think the few bars around here that would be suited to downbeat grooves all seem to bump either seriously gay house music or go for the retro funk sounds.
ForeHead
19-Sep-06, 10:51am
yeh that true.. alot of bars and clubs rather use cd's.. i remember going to one bar and thought great music and then realise it was a M.O.S Chillout session cd... the music is perfect for a sunday afternoon at the beach...
me being an older clubber i love my hard/fast/funky stuff but every now and again i would love to hear down tempo stuff in a relaxing environment... but it never happens and yep they just play house and retro funk stuff..
evilchris2
19-Sep-06, 01:05pm
I really think the key thing here is to think outside the usual 'club' sphere; it can work though (often if you have the correct open-minded club and crowd); and often it's a question of a different sort of sensory environment); we had a food and ambient related event down here a little while back and it threw a completely different vibe on proceedings.
The part of the night I often have the biggest misgivings about is the club itself; it's time to get electronic music out of clubs and into fresh / new settings...at least, I think...
The part of the night I often have the biggest misgivings about is the club itself; it's time to get electronic music out of clubs and into fresh / new settings...at least, I think...
for example...?
personally, every day i sit here in the office staring out into the beautiful sunny weather i think how dope it'd be to get some sort of sunday afternoon beats in the park type shit going on in canberra sometime in october/november...
crazy_tripper
19-Sep-06, 02:08pm
downtempo/experimental/ambient sorta stuff would also be well suited for different art galleries and stuff. it would be awesome wondering around some of the more contemporary places with djs playing spooky music etc
ChiasticSlide
19-Sep-06, 02:12pm
I'm not too disappointed that down-tempo stuff doesn't get played out. Would much rather lay on my bed in the dark with my headies on :)
downtempo/experimental/ambient sorta stuff would also be well suited for different art galleries and stuff. it would be awesome wondering around some of the more contemporary places with djs playing spooky music etc
word. while i was in NZ i actually caught a bizarre exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery, whilst letting a bit of dj spooky rip in the headphones. complemented it nicely.
Spitchen
19-Sep-06, 02:54pm
I'm not too disappointed that down-tempo stuff doesn't get played out. Would much rather lay on my bed in the dark with my headies on :)
Likewise. I like listening to that kinda music alone and with no distractions so i can immerse myself into the nuances of the music and follow the, sometimes, complex phrasing and arrangements.
evilchris2
19-Sep-06, 04:00pm
for example...?
personally, every day i sit here in the office staring out into the beautiful sunny weather i think how dope it'd be to get some sort of sunday afternoon beats in the park type shit going on in canberra sometime in october/november...
That's exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about
downtempo/experimental/ambient sorta stuff would also be well suited for different art galleries and stuff....
Exactly - and that too; to a certain extent the NMA and ANG down here have been receptive to those sort of things, particularly in regard to multimedia events...
SkinDeep
19-Sep-06, 05:49pm
I would love to start a club night with downtempo/instrumental hip/trip-hop, dub, jazz, blues type music. For me, it's "all the time music", and it does my nut in that I can't go out and hear it anywhere.
I don't really dig the ultra-mellow, lounge type atmosphere, I mean, it's nice and all, but after a doob or three I'm getting quite sleepy! But the downtempo "genre" covers all kinds of sounds that aren't necessarily "mellow". A good mix of solid steel style hip-hop, funk, bit of jazz, and then getting into some seriously swanglin' blues type stuff with heavy dub beats and, well, you could easily get into techno from there, and onwards and upwards and and and!!!
I need a good friday night hangout!
I need it!
Now!
methinks you and i should have a chat tomorrow night at loudisboring, chris.
Funkedub
20-Sep-06, 09:19am
nice thread Citizen
As DJ culture has now rather saturated clubs and bars you'd think there'd be more scope for the variety of musical styles that can get out there and be heard.
But alas a lot of venues think this means playing funky house, MoS chill out compilations and lounge music when it comes to more relaxed bars and clubs.
It also comes down to bar managers wanting the punters to drink more .. faster music makes people drink more faster. That's not an assumption, that's the reason i was given by a bar manager once to change the tunes i was playing.
It also comes down to promoters selecting warmup DJs who don't bang it out form the very beginning of the night. You're going to cop 8 hours of beats at 133BPM so why not keep it down for the first hour or so? People generally aren't feverishly dancing at that stage either.
And finally i'll blame the emerging DJ culture which seems to be quite centred on filling a dancefloor or a wharehouse. This is where they see the popularity and buzz of excitement. I feel the notion of collecting, enjoying and mixing music that isn't out and out dancefloor orientated just isn't as immediately exciting for many emerging/aspiring DJs.
On the whole i think there is a market for the lowbeat sounds, but presently it seems to be the domain of the more mature demographic which unfortunately means we're still saturated with the tedium of the "safe" range of music we're smothered by currently.
Brisbane's Dub Sessions and The Zoo prove a regular saturday afternoon session of chilled music and beers is a real winner. certainly not always packed .. but always well patronised.
So i think in the right venue, with some thoughtful music selectors can be a winner ... we just have to break out of this mould of DJs only playing "dance music" ... and that's why this sub forum rocks ;D
laptopia
20-Sep-06, 10:16am
without pimping it out too much....
for any sydney-siders laptopjam is on again this saturday night at the sly fox in enmore.
paresis, disjunction reunion and drone subvert are playing live and are on the dope/glitch/ experimental tip. there are 3 other live acts too and it's free.
anyway, thought I'd throw it up there as an alternative night out option...runs from 10pm-3am.
ta...
www.laptopjam.com
what's on: http://inthemix.com.au/whatson/event/32225/laptopjam
crazy_tripper
20-Sep-06, 12:09pm
it's a shame the clubs are filled with such cretins. i certainly have no problem drinking really fast to really slow music :D
Spitchen
20-Sep-06, 12:29pm
As DJ culture has now rather saturated clubs and bars you'd think there'd be more scope for the variety of musical styles that can get out there and be heard.
Sadly, I think DJ culture and clubs have led to a homogenisation of music. Very few bar managers (in Sydney) are prepared to take a gamble on something different. I'd love to get something going in Sydney that presents all sorts of more slower BPMed, experimental electronica as well as music that isn't so electronic based. Just so few venues to do it in.
.
gymboxer
20-Sep-06, 04:38pm
The part of the night I often have the biggest misgivings about is the club itself; it's time to get electronic music out of clubs and into fresh / new settings...at least, I think...
I was listening to JJJ last night, and they had some folk on who were smuggling a synth and amp into elevators and taking their electronic music to the people. They were trying to lift the standard of elevator music. (Come to think of it, i can't actually recall ever hearing any music in an elevator.)
it's a shame the clubs are filled with such cretins. i certainly have no problem drinking really fast to really slow music :D
well said!
sydney siders there could be a saturday afternoon option pretty soon... will keep you posted.
Offbeat
20-Sep-06, 06:13pm
I was listening to JJJ last night, and they had some folk on who were smuggling a synth and amp into elevators and taking their electronic music to the people. They were trying to lift the standard of elevator music. (Come to think of it, i can't actually recall ever hearing any music in an elevator.)
* Hums "little spainish flea" *
That's a pretty crazy idea, you'd wanna hope is building security proof!
crazy_tripper
20-Sep-06, 06:43pm
i wish there was more smooth jazzy downtempo shiz going on outdoors, perth (and australia in general, really) has fucking excellent weather and stuff like greyboy, hermitude, bonobo et al are fucking peeerfect for a cruisey day in the sun kicking back with some beers
anyone wanna foot me some money for a portable rig and a generator? i'm totally good for it.
Citizen
21-Sep-06, 09:45pm
it comes in phases. downtempo instrumental hip hop and deep electronic stuff have been in and out... maybe half step bodes well for the next incursion?
Ha ha - lol. Are you like, reading my mind? (god I love my blunted dubstep. So good. So very gooood!)
Oh, and word up Funke. I'm picking up what you're putting down. ;)
keyring
06-Nov-06, 08:12pm
great thread. Im feeling the same about this situation as everyone else here.... well said!
sydney siders there could be a saturday afternoon option pretty soon... will keep you posted.
excellent.... the lounge would be a good venue in summer......
keep us posted calico!
great thread. Im feeling the same about this situation as everyone else here....
excellent.... the lounge would be a good venue in summer......
keep us posted calico!
that fell through. it was going to be cricketer's afternoons on saturdays, but that's not happening now. the lounge would be cool...
keyring
08-Nov-06, 06:54pm
ill keep my eyes peeled for somewhere. Lets try and do this for summer.....
forgedmc
08-Nov-06, 07:24pm
im not really too phased about the fact there isnt down tempo things happening in clubs, pack up your gear and go for a drive. far more interesting and induces a sense of accomplishment - getting people motivated is another story
DuncanM
09-Nov-06, 11:39am
that fell through. it was going to be cricketer's afternoons on saturdays, but that's not happening now. the lounge would be cool...
Ah bummer, that would have been good. Still, with the number of pubs with beer gardens in Sydney, there must be somewhere that something like this could work.
saxomophone
09-Nov-06, 03:02pm
Likewise. I like listening to that kinda music alone and with no distractions so i can immerse myself into the nuances of the music and follow the, sometimes, complex phrasing and arrangements.
True. But it would definitely be extremely cool to go out to a few cool bars in SYdney that played downbeat, dub, reggae, hip hop, electronica type sounds from really deep and slow to bit more danceable...whatever sound really.
That's what I find weird about what must be punters/club owners/promoters version of "cool" music is especially when in a really classy bar. If I am in a really chilled but swish, cutting edge kinda bar with a "cool" crowd (whatever that may be) I would definitely rather hear that sorta deep, groove that electronica/dub etc can provide. It just seems, well, "cooler".
People just wanna hear the exact same loud clanging poo no matter what time of the day or setting....
SkinDeep
09-Nov-06, 05:46pm
What's up with not wanting to dance to hip-hop/trip-hop/dub/etc...? I reckon it's better! The beats are phatter, the grooves are heavier, the music is more... musical... and you don't look like a mingin' raver!!!
8)
crazy_tripper
09-Nov-06, 06:33pm
hey, maybe i want to look like a mingin' raver :P
also, "downtempo" encompasses a lot of different things... there's some downtempo stuff that really isn't suited for clubs, but then there's jazzier stuff with nice beats that actually does suit your nights out
we ran a downtempo sunday @ yelza last summer on a sunday afternoon and it was great.
after doing that for around 5 months i started to think that most people who are actually into chilled out beats are usally too chill to rely on to get a crowd for an event.
one thing that annoyes me these days is that there are no good side rooms at parties. a side room now just consists of dj's who play an uptempo selection that is just 10bpm lower than the main room.. fuck that.. needs to be slow and relaxes and weird
We ran one for 10 years - a weekly called Frigid.
To make it work you need to build a solid community around your event - more than just people trying to find someone else to shag. Its hard work and you need to be lucky to catch the zeitgeist.
When we started Frigid it was back in 1996 when the idea of doing a downtempo night didn't mean playing wine bar/cafe muzak. Nowadays it is very difficult to find a comfortable venue that has both a good sound system AND a comfortable seating.
keyring
10-Nov-06, 08:12am
i think we are all having frigid withdrawals luke. I know i am.....
i think we are all having frigid withdrawals luke. I know i am.....
actually its seb. luke posts under a different name - lukesnarl.
crazy_tripper
10-Nov-06, 02:30pm
i think we are all having frigid withdrawals luke. I know i am.....
haha yeah i always have that problem when it's frigid
keyring
11-Nov-06, 11:10am
actually its seb. luke posts under a different name - lukesnarl.
opps.. sorry seb
Andrez666
12-Nov-06, 03:20pm
Frigid was ACE.
:bow:
it's just gotta be the right setting... the relaxed lounge bar kinda thing on maybe a sunday night or something, people just chilling and enjoying the last of their weekend
werd x 2
Donnie Darko
19-Nov-06, 11:39am
*plug* anyone wanting to play some of this style in syd contact me :)
crazy_tripper
19-Nov-06, 01:16pm
will you fly me over to sydney?
Donnie Darko
20-Nov-06, 10:01pm
u crazy tripper... :P
disjunction
08-Jan-07, 04:03pm
There are some plans to do a semi regular downtempo doped up limpet electronics event in sydney starting by the end of Q1 2007. it will be based around an afternoon/evening format rather than late night/break of dawn format.
Comfy venue is a prime requisite IMHO.
Drinks of course.
within the warmer months, an outdoor option and possibly food is good.
It keeps people happy for hours.
Its almost as good as an Nintendo Wii i hear.
outdoor/food/daytime kinda thing is definitely a winner for the downtempo sounds, i reckon. a great way to do it.
gravyishot
08-Jan-07, 09:21pm
I really think the key thing here is to think outside the usual 'club' sphere; it can work though (often if you have the correct open-minded club and crowd); and often it's a question of a different sort of sensory environment); we had a food and ambient related event down here a little while back and it threw a completely different vibe on proceedings.
The part of the night I often have the biggest misgivings about is the club itself; it's time to get electronic music out of clubs and into fresh / new settings...at least, I think...
well said, especially about the sensory environment. that's something plastic people has going for it - it feels like some sort of bizarre loungeroom. stuff like dubstep is a sound that is so strongly linked to its surrounds that anything that's a bit more glossy than a leaky council flat's gonna feel unnatural.
i think the current club concept in australia is pretty bland, but i also reckon there's a huge market, or an undercurrent demand, for something different.
would definitely like to see something tied to gallery-like spaces and art, or even dining.
Dane Hunnerup
08-Jan-07, 10:59pm
I did a down tempo DJ set in our state library a few months ago at the base of a concrete stairwell in the middle of the building so it floated up through all the floors.
Downtempo definitely has a place and it shouldn't be relegated to start and end of the night spots nor sunday chill out sessions. DJ Olive has some great stuff to say on this and did some great shows himself.
He was running a 'bring a bean-bag warehouse party' where people would be encouraged to lounge and enjoy soundscapes with the option of wearing air travel eye sleep mask thingies which he provided cartons of. That's at the far end of the scale but concept gigs are probably the best way to feature this kind of music. If people aren't gonna be minging and having a three course meal of their bottom lip on the dance floor they need other distractions. Visuals, Scents, Stuff to watch that allows them to be brought into a space that's outside of their messy comfort zone.
Someone should definitely open up an 'opium den' vibe down beat club.
Oh one other thing. I've found that dancing to down-beat in painfully slow motion like walking on the moon can be really satisfying and is an awesome work out for the legs at the same time.
johnjay
28-Jan-07, 02:20am
nothing beats downtempo at a big festival on the grass
yet noone does it
why?dunno
but the transition to a club occured ages ago, have u ever heard mark farina's downtempo mixes fk i'd rather liste to that in a club then those crappy re-looped baslines i hear everywhere else.
anyway less is more and it'll take off one day like minimal has now
Freshie
29-Jan-07, 12:33am
Did a set at the queensland art gallery about 4 years ago, was very fun although it was a bit corporate. Depending on what sort of venue it is, downtempo can be very successful. Sometimes people should realise that listening to relaxing music on your nights off can be a good way to unwind after a week of work, doesn't need to pump all the time.
Optimus Rhyme
29-Jan-07, 12:50am
We need more nights in fucking opium dens.... weird downtempo stuff and grizzled old indian dudes playing sitars and shit.
sam-i-am
26-Feb-07, 03:48pm
To make it work you need to build a solid community around your event - more than just people trying to find someone else to shag. Its hard work and you need to be lucky to catch the zeitgeist.
pretty much. I reckon if you just started doing it with no expectation that people were gonna come, eventually they prob'ly would
caught a pretty great downtempo party in Tokyo just after New Years - Artman, Makyo, Otoneon (ex Buddhastick Transparent) & others playing to a really nice crowd that were pretty consistently filling the floor while I was there, though there wasn't much dancing, mostly swaying.. some great dance music played though!
it ran from afternoon to midnightish & was in a pretty arty, funky cafe / bar
I'm moving there...
pretty much. I reckon if you just started doing it with no expectation that people were gonna come, eventually they prob'ly would
caught a pretty great downtempo party in Tokyo just after New Years - Artman, Makyo, Otoneon (ex Buddhastick Transparent) & others playing to a really nice crowd that were pretty consistently filling the floor while I was there, though there wasn't much dancing, mostly swaying.. some great dance music played though!
it ran from afternoon to midnightish & was in a pretty arty, funky cafe / bar
I'm moving there...
Yeah Tokyo is good like that. Lots of little bars and some really interesting music.
We've done a few shows there and almost without fail the nights have been funded by people who had some surplus money to put into an intersting night with no expectation of getting much, if any of it back.
Not many people do that here.
disjunction
27-Feb-07, 12:19pm
Yeah Tokyo is good like that. Lots of little bars and some really interesting music.
We've done a few shows there and almost without fail the nights have been funded by people who had some surplus money to put into an intersting night with no expectation of getting much, if any of it back.
Not many people do that here.
Space availability and licensing laws may have something to do with it at least in Sydney.
in Japan there seems to be people who are also happy to re-purpose spaces. shop by day, club by night!!
we don't have that kind of vertical commercial district.
what have we got?......pubs on the corner of a residential street :(
Spitchen
27-Feb-07, 01:07pm
Space availability and licensing laws may have something to do with it at least in Sydney.
in Japan there seems to be people who are also happy to re-purpose spaces. shop by day, club by night!!
we don't have that kind of vertical commercial district.
what have we got?......pubs on the corner of a residential street :(
One example of the vertical commercial idea is the Chocolate Dog cafe in south Newtown. Cafe by day, Mexican restaurant by night, run by two different people I think.
The drafted changes to both the NSW liquor and entertainment legislation should mean that things will change soon for the better. See Media Release 15/2/07 from MusicNSW. www.ncirs.usyd.edu.au/musicnsw.pdf (http://www.ncirs.usyd.edu.au/musicnsw.pdf)
yeah, there's a little joint in Canberra called the Front Cafe & Gallery.
it's a small cafe with comfy couches and stuff, plus a room next door that doubles as a gallery space. and then it's bookable at night times to put on gigs; jam sessions, alternative/experimental sound stuff, poetry readings, whatever.
it's really small, but then again, so's Canberra.
disjunction
27-Feb-07, 04:03pm
One example of the vertical commercial idea is the Chocolate Dog cafe in south Newtown. Cafe by day, Mexican restaurant by night, run by two different people I think.
The drafted changes to both the NSW liquor and entertainment legislation should mean that things will change soon for the better. See Media Release 15/2/07 from MusicNSW. www.ncirs.usyd.edu.au/musicnsw.pdf (http://www.ncirs.usyd.edu.au/musicnsw.pdf)
Yes indeed. I'm hoping those changes in legislation happen.
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