CYFI Media
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2008
Moondance, a well established event that has been running its nights in and around London for well over 13 years now. Funki, the man that created and nurtured Moondance into what it is today, has played a great part in the UK's underground dance scene. From Elevation to Innovation, Funki has been educating the masses for longer than you think. “Moondance – Rave Anthems : The Album” is out now on I-Tunes, and so yet another branch is added to Funki's tree.
1.) You've no doubt promoted many parties in the past, and have a lot of very good connections. Unlike DJs and MCs however we never get to hear much about promoters, so what have you been doing in the scene for the last 25 or so years?
Well it’s not quite twenty five years…… but I have been on the scene for a good while! I have promoted lots of events from Elevation, Freedom to Dance, Innovation through to Son of Dance and Moondance to name but a few. As well as the nights, I have also made some event albums, the latest being Moondance Rave Anthems available on I Tunes (shameless plug!). When I am not busy with all of that I also look after the ehmproductions.com website and dancemusic247.com internet radio station.
2.) You currently promote Moondance in London which is one of the capital's top Old Skool and DnB parties. It's currently a very competitive field with alot of good, professional, well polished promotions going on at the moment, so what do you do to make Moondance stand out from the crowd?
We have a very loyal following so the most important thing we do is listen to our ravers and put on events that they want to go to. The web has made it so much easier as you can read about what has or hasn’t worked almost immediately – Moondance ravers are not shy when it comes to telling you how they feel! We don’t want to put on lots of crap nights – better to try and do a few very well. Above everything else, we want people to have a good time and talk about it the next day.
3.) You've obviously got alot of memories of good times over the years from nights you've put on, and the smiles you've put on the faces of so many ravers. In your opinion what's the best night you've ever put on and how does it feel to be a big part of something that makes so many people happy ?
I think all our New Year’s Eve events have been fantastic – the crowd is always up for a party. But a night that stands out as a favourite was the first Moondance we did at the Camden Palace in January 1996. It was still a new event so we were only expecting a few hundred people but it was so busy we ended up turning away hundreds. The atmosphere was electric and the DJs, including Ratpack and Slipmatt, brought the house down that night. In my opinion, Camden Palace was the best London venue at the time as it had state of the art sound and lighting and was loved by both DJs and ravers. I recently came across a review for that event on the Fantazia Rave Archive that tells you all you need to know!
4.) The scene is always evolving and changing. Recently however we've seen a lot of revival stuff over the past few years and it looks like we may be on the edge of a major Old Skool hardcore revival in popular culture, just like back in the day... Do you think this will happen or am I just dreaming and living in the past?
It feels as if the scene has come full circle and the events we are doing now reflect both the old skool feel of the late eighties (and a lots of the old faces) with new skool DJs and sounds. Single room events have become harder to put on as ravers now expect choice as well as quality. It’s not so much about an Old Skool hardcore revival as the appetite for both old and new all at the same time. The vibe is the thing ravers and promoters are trying to re-create.
5.) So from your answers so far I can tell you have got alot of experience at putting on a great party, and that can be down to some many factors. In your opinion what are the most important factors in making a great party and how as a promoter do you ensure that these are taken care of?
Great atmosphere makes a great party and that’s down to the crowd - we are lucky to have such a great bunch of “up for it” followers. My job is to look after everything else. As much as possible I try to make sure we have quality line ups and great sound systems in safe venues at an affordable price.
6.) It's a really tough for a new young promoter trying to make it in an already established field. Many tykes try and fail all over the country with dreams of dancefloors and dollars in their eyes, but they still fail. With all your experience at staying on top of your game what piece of advice would you give to a young enthusiastic promoter?
Only spend what you can afford to lose! Booking the same line up as an established night doesn’t guarantee that you will have an overnight success and can leave you seriously out of pocket. It can take years to build up a following and even then the most successful promoters can sometimes get it wrong. Start small, build a solid following and try and put on nights that ravers want, not just an event that you and your friends think might be a roadblock.
7.) Everyone loves the classic, established DJ's like Slipmatt and Phantasy, but as a promoter you've obviously got an unrivalled access and view of new acts coming onto your scene. In your personal opinion who are the hottest up and coming acts on the Old Skool and DnB scene, who should we keep an eye on for good stuff?
Sense, Smitty and Trix are smashing it at our events.
8.) Leading on from the last question, obviously you get thousands of DJ CDs and promotional emails. What's the best way for a DJ who's new to the scene to get established and get bookings from promoters?
We try and put up and coming DJs on the bill for most of our events as it’s really important for the health of the scene. Recommendations tend to work better than getting a CD out of the blue. We hear about new DJs through web forums, word of mouth or on the pirates.
9.) We will end with a fun question, hopefully to reflect the energy and fun you put into your nights and promotional work. After all, its all about having a good time once the night kicks off. So if your night was a used car, what used car would it be, and if you had to advertise it in the local paper for sale, what would you write in the advert?
Our night wouldn’t be a used car but a Routemaster double decker bus – an old skool London institution giving you two floors of fun at a price you can afford.
1.) You've no doubt promoted many parties in the past, and have a lot of very good connections. Unlike DJs and MCs however we never get to hear much about promoters, so what have you been doing in the scene for the last 25 or so years?
Well it’s not quite twenty five years…… but I have been on the scene for a good while! I have promoted lots of events from Elevation, Freedom to Dance, Innovation through to Son of Dance and Moondance to name but a few. As well as the nights, I have also made some event albums, the latest being Moondance Rave Anthems available on I Tunes (shameless plug!). When I am not busy with all of that I also look after the ehmproductions.com website and dancemusic247.com internet radio station.
2.) You currently promote Moondance in London which is one of the capital's top Old Skool and DnB parties. It's currently a very competitive field with alot of good, professional, well polished promotions going on at the moment, so what do you do to make Moondance stand out from the crowd?
We have a very loyal following so the most important thing we do is listen to our ravers and put on events that they want to go to. The web has made it so much easier as you can read about what has or hasn’t worked almost immediately – Moondance ravers are not shy when it comes to telling you how they feel! We don’t want to put on lots of crap nights – better to try and do a few very well. Above everything else, we want people to have a good time and talk about it the next day.
3.) You've obviously got alot of memories of good times over the years from nights you've put on, and the smiles you've put on the faces of so many ravers. In your opinion what's the best night you've ever put on and how does it feel to be a big part of something that makes so many people happy ?
I think all our New Year’s Eve events have been fantastic – the crowd is always up for a party. But a night that stands out as a favourite was the first Moondance we did at the Camden Palace in January 1996. It was still a new event so we were only expecting a few hundred people but it was so busy we ended up turning away hundreds. The atmosphere was electric and the DJs, including Ratpack and Slipmatt, brought the house down that night. In my opinion, Camden Palace was the best London venue at the time as it had state of the art sound and lighting and was loved by both DJs and ravers. I recently came across a review for that event on the Fantazia Rave Archive that tells you all you need to know!
4.) The scene is always evolving and changing. Recently however we've seen a lot of revival stuff over the past few years and it looks like we may be on the edge of a major Old Skool hardcore revival in popular culture, just like back in the day... Do you think this will happen or am I just dreaming and living in the past?
It feels as if the scene has come full circle and the events we are doing now reflect both the old skool feel of the late eighties (and a lots of the old faces) with new skool DJs and sounds. Single room events have become harder to put on as ravers now expect choice as well as quality. It’s not so much about an Old Skool hardcore revival as the appetite for both old and new all at the same time. The vibe is the thing ravers and promoters are trying to re-create.
5.) So from your answers so far I can tell you have got alot of experience at putting on a great party, and that can be down to some many factors. In your opinion what are the most important factors in making a great party and how as a promoter do you ensure that these are taken care of?
Great atmosphere makes a great party and that’s down to the crowd - we are lucky to have such a great bunch of “up for it” followers. My job is to look after everything else. As much as possible I try to make sure we have quality line ups and great sound systems in safe venues at an affordable price.
6.) It's a really tough for a new young promoter trying to make it in an already established field. Many tykes try and fail all over the country with dreams of dancefloors and dollars in their eyes, but they still fail. With all your experience at staying on top of your game what piece of advice would you give to a young enthusiastic promoter?
Only spend what you can afford to lose! Booking the same line up as an established night doesn’t guarantee that you will have an overnight success and can leave you seriously out of pocket. It can take years to build up a following and even then the most successful promoters can sometimes get it wrong. Start small, build a solid following and try and put on nights that ravers want, not just an event that you and your friends think might be a roadblock.
7.) Everyone loves the classic, established DJ's like Slipmatt and Phantasy, but as a promoter you've obviously got an unrivalled access and view of new acts coming onto your scene. In your personal opinion who are the hottest up and coming acts on the Old Skool and DnB scene, who should we keep an eye on for good stuff?
Sense, Smitty and Trix are smashing it at our events.
8.) Leading on from the last question, obviously you get thousands of DJ CDs and promotional emails. What's the best way for a DJ who's new to the scene to get established and get bookings from promoters?
We try and put up and coming DJs on the bill for most of our events as it’s really important for the health of the scene. Recommendations tend to work better than getting a CD out of the blue. We hear about new DJs through web forums, word of mouth or on the pirates.
9.) We will end with a fun question, hopefully to reflect the energy and fun you put into your nights and promotional work. After all, its all about having a good time once the night kicks off. So if your night was a used car, what used car would it be, and if you had to advertise it in the local paper for sale, what would you write in the advert?
Our night wouldn’t be a used car but a Routemaster double decker bus – an old skool London institution giving you two floors of fun at a price you can afford.
