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Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases!
Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme!
Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works.
Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain!
Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September!
NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases!
Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup!
Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast!
Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music!
SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023!
The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023!
NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music!
Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project
The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22!
A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden
Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma
Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino
New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik!
PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records!
Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters!
N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood!
Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna
A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022!
'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022!
DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022!
TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022!
A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London!
Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide!
DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022!

Behind the Turbulence – An Interview with Gizmo

Reported by Housechick / Submitted 30-05-07 12:24

There’s a storm coming so fasten your seatbelts and fold your tables into the headrest please. We’re going to go through some Turbulence landing on the sunny shores of South Africa. Set up by Gizmo, this launch event looks set to be a massive party, but what makes him get up in the morning?

Taking over an entire hanger at Rand Airport and set over two arenas with Sean Tyas headlining in his first time in SA; Turbulence is the place to be this June 2nd. With such immaculate taste is DJs it’s certainly got to be the music that gets our Gizmo going, but what else is there? Come with us then in this rundown of one of SA’s brightest promoters.



What is your greatest achievement to date?

There are a lot of moments that really stand out for me. I think I’ve pretty much achieved all of my goals that I set for myself as a DJ except for one. If I had to say what I’m most proud of though, it would have to be releasing my own mix albums, Needle Damage Volume 2 and 3. Volume 3 was done with DJ Bonebreaker of Brooklyn Bounce fame.

Which number one DJ would you like to play back-to-back with?

Without a doubt, Sean Tyas!

What are your production plans for 2007?

I’d like to focus more on getting international exposure. I’m also going to be spending a lot more time on producing my own music! Unfortunately the Trance and Hard Dance scene in South Africa is not very popular at the moment so I am not going to spend too much time on getting bookings etc. My main focus will be to build “Trance All-Star Productions” as a recognisable brand in terms of dance events in South Africa. I also have some other plans in terms of partnerships and collaborations but I’ll keep that quiet for now.

Can you give us an update about your production and events Management Company?

Turbulence will be the first event under the Trance All-Star Productions name. We will be looking at doing a minimum of 2 big events with top Internationals a year as well as 2 or 3 smaller events. There aren’t a lot of promoters in South Africa focusing on the trance and hard dance scene at the moment. We’d like to try and build that scene up to where it used to be a couple of years ago! We won’t only be doing parties that only cater for 1 genre of music but rather all styles of Electronic Dance Music! We are also going to try and promote and use up and coming local talent as much as possible!

What was your greatest djing experience, which event and which club, and why?

I’d have to say it was playing closing set at Escape 2005. I took over after Dizzy and Manuel (The Hardy Boys) at 3:30 in the morning to the biggest and most awesome crowd I have ever played for. There must have been about 4500 people left at that time and when I had to kill the music at 06:30 there was probably about 1000 people left screaming and jumping around. (I get goose bumps just thinking of it!)

What do you regard as a good producer / DJ? Do you feel that you have to produce to reach international recognition?

I think a good producer is someone that can produce quality music that does not only appeal to themselves but to all people and DJs. It’s someone who produces music that comes from the heart. In my opinion Sean Tyas is one of the best producers I have ever heard. Absolutely every big name DJ including Armin van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, Tiesto, Above and Beyond etc support his productions in a big way. A good DJ however in my opinion is someone that can adapt to any crowd or music style. It’s pointless only playing what you want and not caring about the people that matter, the crowd! I know there are a lot of different views on this topic but I think being versatile is definitely one of the best qualities a DJ can have. I think that producing definitely plays a vital role in your success as a DJ, both locally and especially internationally. It is definitely the way to go if you’d like to be recognised be taken seriously.



What do you think can help local DJs excel and reach international gigs?

Unfortunately there is a lot of negativity amongst South African DJs. If DJs can get past the negativity and politics, I think it will change the South African dance scene in a big way. Most DJs are in this industry for the same reason, for the love of it! I believe that producing your own music and creating your own style when it comes to sets is vital. There are so many DJs in the country that all have the same dreams, unfortunately DJs aren’t as recognised as they use to be a couple of years ago. The only way to get to the top is by marketing yourself properly, building a brand around your name and by doing as much networking as possible. Make sure everyone knows that you were playing wherever you get booked. It’s a tough scene to be in but if you have the passion and the persistence you will succeed!

What music styles can you play?

I can play pretty much any style of music from electro to vocal and uplifting trance to hard trance and hardstyle. I’m starting to experiment with Techno as well. It has to depend on the type of crowd, venue and what time your set is!

Which is your favourite genre and which do you feel has a shorter lifespan in the local SA market?

I prefer playing trance, uplifting hard trance. Depending on the mood and crowd of course. I don’t think that any genre of music has a short lifespan in general. Although the Trance scene is pretty much non-existent at the moment, I believe that it changes. People get tired of things easily. I believe that people will start getting into the harder dance scene again. At the moment electro and house is huge and it has been for quite some time. One of the major reasons for that is as I said before that promoters are focusing mainly on house and electro events. Producers are keeping it fresh by experimenting with new sounds and genres all of the time.



You have done a couple of project with DJ Speedy, are there any further plans to produce more together?

No apart from my latest CD release, Turbulence, on Elevate Music! He did the first Needle Damage CD and I took over volume 2 and 3. We have played a couple of back to back sets together but no productions as yet. I would love to do a CD with him though. Who knows, maybe the first Trance All-Stars CD?! He has always been an inspiration to me as a DJ though. I would love to produce with him at a later stage.

What does it take to put on an event like Turbulence? How often are you planning to run this event?

It takes a hell of a lot out of you as a person and your lifestyle. Planning, marketing, booking of venue, DJs etc. Having to put up with some of the DJs attitudes (not to mention their agents). Getting the capital to finance an event is the biggest strain of all. It’s a huge risk unfortunately! Sponsors aren’t keen on giving money for events like this anymore. It’s sad because it has so much potential! There is a hell of a lot that happens behind the scenes. A lot of late nights, I hardly slept over these last 2 weekends and that’s not going to change until after the event! Most of the marketing in terms of flyer drops, putting up posters getting the word out at clubs and events happens after hours. It will all be worth it in the end though. I’ve been planning Turbulence from January so it’s a very lengthy process. Depending on the success of the event we will be doing at least 2 a year and I have already started making arrangements and international bookings for the next one in October / November. I must say that I have had a lot of support from some close friends and other DJs so that has helped me a great deal!



Lastly, some quickfire questions:

Chocolate or cheese
Chocolate
Comedy or action
Action
4x4 or sports model
Sports Model
And for the ladies: cosy nights in or wild nights out
Cosy Nights!

Photos courtesy of Gizmo. Not to be reproduced without permission.


Turbulence
Send an eFlyer for this event to a friend Include this Event in a Private Message Direct link to this Event
On: Saturday 2nd June 2007
At: Rand Airport Germiston (South Africa) [map]

From: 8pm-late
Cost: Ticket Prices R100.00 pre-sale R130.00 at the door R160.00 VIP (Pre-sale only!)(Includes Official Turbulence Cd!, jump the queue, VIP parking, VIP overlooking the main floor with private bar and facilities, meet and greet DJs in the VIP section)
Website: www.gizmo.dj
Ticket Info: Tickets:
RJL East Rand Mall 011 8785549
Cameroon Eastgate 011 6165545
Xogo Park Meadows 011 6166522
Xogo The Glen 011 4354017
Xogo Cresta 011 4780044
Club Records Lakeside Mall 011 4271881
Cameroon Sandton City 011 7830797
Cameroon Woodlands Pretoria 012 9975344
RJL Menlyn Pretoria 012 3689713
More: Turbulence
Trance All-Star Productions presents the most anticipated dance event of the year. Get ready to re-live and re-vive the past and join us in setting the standard for dance events and the future of the dance scene in South-Africa! Get ready for the ride of your life, fasten your seat belts and get ready to experience… Turbulence! Featuring, International Trance Sensation, Sean Tyas as well as 12 of South-Africa’s most requested and hottest deejays on two floors playing the best in electronic dance music!

Ticket Prices R100.00 pre-sale R130.00 at the door R160.00 VIP (Pre-sale only!)(Includes Official Turbulence Cd!, jump the queue, VIP parking, VIP overlooking the main floor with private bar and facilities, meet and greet DJs in the VIP section)
Turbulence Main floor:
Sean Tyas - www.seantyasmusic.com
Andy Murrel - Elevate
James G - ESP
Speedy - Elevate
Gizmo - www.gizmo.dj
Grim Brothers - Teknotribe
Nick Grater - Teknotribe

Landing Strip Second floor:
Vanessa Holliday
Heath Cordier
Ricardo Da Costa
Groove Element
Steve Sorel
Lloyd

main floor fully airconditioned
second floor fully covered
mind blowing lasers
state of the art sound system with intelligent lighting
12 shooter girls and guys with promotions throughout the night
safe and secure parking with ample car guards
lots of facilities and bars for maximum comfort
exclusive VIP section overlooking the main floor with private bar and toilets (limited to 300 tickets)
Food stalls available
Medics available on the premises

Rand Airport, Germiston

Official Turbulence after party at ESP - free entrance for all with Turbulence arm bands between 6-8am
info line: 082 781 4469
Flyer:
-
Region: International
Music: Trance. Hard Trance. HardStyle. Hard House. Techno.
DJ's: Sean Tyas
Andy Murrel
DJ Vanessa Holliday
James G
Heath Cordier
Speedy
Ricardo Da Costa
Gizmo
Groove Element
Grim Brothers
Steve Sorel
Nick Grater
Lloyd

Who's Going? (0) :  
HF Photographer: HouseGuy HF Reviewer:

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Other Features By Housechick:
Tick Tyas Tock - It's Sean Tyas!
There's Annarchy in South Africa
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
Comments:

From: HouseGuy on 31st May 2007 05:21.35
what a great interview, well done babes.

From: Nickbackonit on 8th Jun 2007 12:49.15
HouseGuy can you pls send me your email add to nickbackonit@yahoo.com. Thanks dude.

From: TranceTJ on 11th Jun 2007 16:11.26
Nice Interview!!!

Definitely one of S.A's up and coming stars!

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