TIPS FOR STARTING A DUBSTEP NIGHT

[KappaDUBSTEP]

big up to everyone that posted on this!

your help is not going unnoticed.

[frankiegrimes]

I run 3 nights here in Dublin, one weekly, one bi-weekly, and one monthly. Few tips:

1) As a general estimate, budget about €500 for expenses for a guest. Obviously Atlantic flights are gonna push that up, so I'd say try to only book people who are already in the US. On top of that, fees will range from €200-€1500, depending on the size of the act.

2) Your resident DJs are one of the most important thing. Assemble a team of 4/5 residents, who are all great DJs, with tastes that fit the night, aren't DJing 3 other nights every week, and you enjoy working with/spending time with. Try and find a good young DJ who hasn't broken into the club scene yet. He will bring a lot of friends as a young DJ, and you'll separate yourself from the other nights who use the same group of 15 local DJs for every night.

3) The venue is the most important thing. Starting a night in a venue which your target marget aren't used to going to is going to make your job a lot harder. The same can be said with a venue people are TOO used to going to.

4) For the launch of your night, image and internet presence is all you have, and word of mouth will build from that. So, get a good designer, think hard about everything you say on your posters, and then plaster it everywhere you can. The internet doesn't stop at Facebook. Original content is also key here, get your residents to do up promo mixes, get someone to make a short promo video for youtube etc etc.

5) Don't get hammered and take a load of pills on the night. You're working, you're not celebrating. If something goes wrong, you need to be there to sort it out, and if nothing goes wrong, you still have to make a good impression on the venue owners.

[ents]

we've just started something similar to this in upstate ny and it's working well for us.
we're house/dubstep/etc but same shit goes.

we started by getting the spot that everyone in town knows is the dance club. there's a few, but the one we got, everyone knew and has been before. we got in well with the booker, and made sure to follow shit super properly and be respectful. the resident djs are myself and my good friends who sold out 2 nights with just us playing, and now we've banked some money and can book big name dudes while keeping the door fee the same and people know the spot, know how the parties are and know we're the real deal.

we have our nights up one full month before they happen, i send out photos from the night before with the link to the details for the next one. it's just all smart stuff you get used to and think of as you go really.

for booking, keep your eyes peeled on all the big agencies sites and maybe you can nab the dudes a day before or after they play something that's very different from yours. if not, just network and make sure people know you're not some toy and know how to throw a party, with or with out em.

[firky]

we have our nights up one full month before they happen, i send out photos from the night before with the link to the details for the next one. it's just all smart stuff you get used to and think of as you go really.

That's a very good idea, but having done event photography at festivals and things myself... it's best if you pick a photographer who knows what they're doing. Don't get any twerp with a dSLR to take photos, there's an etiquette and an art somewhat in getting the best shots and peoples consent. If you get a photographer that goes around and sticks their camera in people's mushes you'll piss a lot of people off.

One of my friends (sometimes still posts here), got proper pissed off with one photographer taking her photo over and over again (because she had big tits I assume), and because she was pissed off, it spoilt the night and in the end we started avoiding that place on particular nights - taking with us another half a dozern or so mates. Simply because the photographer was a fuck nut with a camera, she tried to use her femininty as it were to get around it.. "oohh am just a girl with a camera". Fuck off!