PROGNOSIS – Dec 15th @ LOOP

by J-Slyde

Prognosis December Eflyer

As the weather heats up and the silly season kicks into gear, Melbourne is alive with quite literally, the sound of music. Stepping in line the only way they know how the Prognosis krew gears up for an edition of truly epic proportions. December in Melbourne means two things – hot weather and even hotter parties, and come Dec 15th the latter is set to be well and truly covered! – We’d comment on the former, but knowing Melbourne weather, anything is possible. Anyway, intent on making this edition of Prognosis as hot as possible, two of Melbourne’s finest have been hand picked to headline the festivities; Sean Quinn and Steve Ward.

Having been involved with the Melbourne music scene for well over a decade in every way shape and form possible; from DJing at every worthwhile club, festival and event possible throughout Australia and Europe, to hosting one of the most successful shows on local radio station KISS FM, through to producing some of the biggest dance tracks to come out of Melbourne, if not Australia – Sean Quinn is a legend amongst the Melbourne EDM scene. A born performer, his DJ set’s are carefully crafted masterpieces executed to perfect brilliance. Those who have not experienced one for themselves, have no doubt heard others speak in revered tones of their awesomeness. To say we’re honored to have him grace the stage at Prognosis would be a heavy understatement.

Ramping things up, the enigma that is Steve Ward also gets set to share the headlining spotlight. Frontman of local record label Chameleon Recordings, Steve has been at the forefront of Australia’s new revolution of underground dance music for well over a decade. A globally recognised techno and house artist who has collaborated with a bevvy of A-list artists such as: Carl Cox, Dj Pierre, Tim Taylor, Technasia, Psycatron, Peter Horrevorts & Jamie Stevens, Steve has performed at some of the most forward thinking dance events throughout the southern hemisphere of up to crowds of 20,000. A performer at heart, Steve is as at home behind the decks as he is his keyboard, a quality that shines through with every live performance. Needless to say, we’re set for one electrifying display when Mr Ward takes the stage.

On support duties we welcome Mr Alex David, the Techno incarnation of our beloved Alex Butler, along with our Prognosis trio – J-Slyde, Aaron Static and Simon Murphy. Visual duties will be handled by the extremely versatile VJ PiedPiper, whom will be dishing up delectable next-level imagery onto Loop’s two massive 30ft screens.

LINEUP:

Sean Quinn (Retrospective Set)
Steve Ward (Chameleon Recs)
Alex David
Aaron Static
Simon Murphy
J-Slyde

VISUALS:

VJ PiedPiper

WHEN:

Saturday, 15th December – 10:00pm til late

WHERE:

Loop – 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne CBD

PRICE:

100% FREE!!

FACEBOOK EVENT

http://facebook.com/substancesounds
http://twitter.com/substancesounds

OXFAM AID 2012 ~ 23rd March @ Wah Wah Lounge

by J-Slyde

Oxfam Trailwalker is one of the world’s leading team endurance challenges, with 16 events in 13 countries and growing. Oxfam Australia now holds three events each year: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Globally, Trailwalker has raised more than $100 million since 1981 for Oxfam’s valuable work around the world.

To coincide with this year’s Oxfam Trailwalker, we’re putting together a fundraising gig at Wah Wah Lounge. Assembling an all-star lineup of some of Melbourne’s finest beat conductors, we’ll be providing a night full of quality tunes to raise funds for the cause. Covering everything from Breaks, Techno, Prog and House, the night will be a journey through all that is quality in dance music.

All the DJs involved are offering up their services for free, with all door sales going straight to the fund. Adding to that, 10% of bar profits will be going straight towards Oxfam – SO THE MORE YOU DRINK, THE MORE MONEY WE RAISE! There’s never been a better excuse to party!!

LINEUP:

Dave Pham
Muska
Citizen.com
J-Slyde
Simon Murphy
JD
Alex Butler
Steve Dixon
Cosmic Wolf

PRICE:

$5 entry (goes straight to Oxfam)

WHERE:

Wah Wah Lounge (in the Bubble Bar)
Level 1 / 185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD

WHEN:

Friday 23 March
9pm til late

MORE INFO:

http://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/melbourne/

DONATE:

http://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/melbourne/teams/team/?team_id=12033

FACEBOOK INVITE:

https://www.facebook.com/events/147155948739335/

Interview with a Butler

by Taran M

On Sunday just passed it was my pleasure to catch up with one of Melbourne’s rising pound for pound DJ’s and friend of Substance, DJ Alex Butler, or as he casually refers to himself as “The Alex Butler Experience”. It takes a bold and brash personality to adorn themselves with the title “Experience”  and for those that don’t know him, you would simply write it off as DJ wankerism 303. But to those afforded the luxury of being in his inner circle, it’s actually more of an ironic middle finger to the conformity of what a DJ is nowadays, done with a ball’s out this is what I have, if you’re not laughing at it you should be stomping your ass off to it. So with beer in hand and recorder set to stun I set about interviewing Alex at the home of his own branded “Sunday Sessions” at the Terminus in Abottsford.

Substance: So mate how is that Tasmania came to lose you, what did you do with the second head?

Alex: I was living in Tasmania and one day got a phone call from my brother, basically telling me to pack up my shit and come over to Melbourne to party with him. So three days later I packed up my life into my car came over on the boat and was straight to Hard Kandy on the Friday night. They perform the operation to remove the third head before you get on the boat.

Substance: So you’re a real boat-person, wow you’re my first. So before you came over to Melbourne you had had your first experience in real big clubbing/ partying. Tell us about it?

Alex: Yeah I had been over here on a sporting trip to Melbourne in 2003 and was pretty buggered and after thirteen days of games. On the Friday night my brother said “Fuck it, I’m taking you partying”. So we hop into his car and after about half an hour of driving I asked where we were going. I found out we were going to a party, at a castle in the middle of nowhere. Was a bit shocked and had no idea what I was in for. Got to the front of the castle and I was amazed, I hadn’t seen ravers or set foot in a proper club before and there’s Kryal Castle done up to a T, I was amazed. I met Scott Alert back stage and when the night was done there was no looking back, I spent every Friday at Hard Kandy for the next three to four years.

Substance: When you first started getting into the scene did you know that you wanted to be a DJ/ Producer. Asking because you have been in the scene for awhile its only the last few years we’ve seen you really step up to the plate?

Alex: Nah, wasn’t like I wanted to get into DJing immediately I just liked to head out and party. I had a few friends that showed me the ropes, mixing wise and producing. It wasn’t until about 2006 that I started getting into the tunes, bought some decks and gave it a crack.

Substance: So you started playing electro house and Trance with Kandy at the start of your career and you’ve definitely headed into a more bushy sound, what are you preferring to play at the moment, What’s the Alex experience offering listeners at the moment and where is it heading?

Alex: I’m playing a hybrid of prog trance with definitely a more psy sound. It’s a universal sound, crosses over but it’s definitely got a tough feel to it. On the flip side I do like to get down and dirty and have a bit of fun playing electro house still. I’m definitely pushing the prog psy as my definitive sound though. I’m starting to produce tunes in this vein so that’s where it’s all heading.

Substance: Worst gig experience? If you had five robotic dancing chickens would that have helped the gig?

Alex: I ran an after party for a Substance, nothing worked, it was at Pony, which was a miss-booking in terms of a venue, we were heckled by people that saw us play there the last week, even though that was our first night. At the end of the gig we grabbed our shit and we broke out.

Substance: How important is the crew that you hang with n the EDM?

The support from the guys around in the early days, like the Substance crew was important. More so now my mates like Simon Murphy and Jordz have given me the avenues to get the gigs I’m getting. It’s great to have mates around me doing this cause the main reason I started this was to have fun with my mates.

Substance: Tell me about the beach party you and Simon destroyed New year? By all reports it was just a docile little affair until you and Simon got on and fucked shit up, is it true you laced the water with stimulants?

It was a docile party to begin with and was pretty tame during the day lots of people sitting back relaxing , the sun went down, we started bashing out the prog psy and shit got loose, started rocking it. I wish we could afford to lace water with drugs, unfortunately we are not that rich.

Substance: Use the words “Mint”,  “Fresh” and “slapper” to describe the average situation behind the decks:

Alex: (Laughs) I’d like to think the tunes I play are pretty fresh, I like looking out at the mint chicks on the dance floor until the lights come on and they’re all slappers.

Substance: What is the one artist and or event you would give your left nut for a gig at?

Alex: Rainbow Serpent Open or straight after Neelix, market stage… Go hard or go home!

Substance: You’re really into Neelix?

Alex: Yeah he got me into that prog sound, everytime i see him play he never disappoints, he steered my sound towards a more rounded prog sound, definitely diverted my attention from hard trance.

Substance: So we’re at Sunday Sessions at the Terminus which you run with Simon, what is this all about? Is this the Dr. Jekyll to your Mr. Hyde?

Alex: This is more just for us to have an outlet to hang with our mates, play some chill out hip hop. We just thought it would be a nice change of pace to cross fade some tunes and enjoy a beer garden with a mean parma.

Substance: What’s the biggest problem that the Melbourne EDM is facing and don’t say clubstep!

Alex: I would definitely  say it’s the stigma that some venues still have to partying, more so a throwback to the damage caused by bad crowds and negatively geared press towards the EDM as a whole. Liquor licensing and councils are slowly become more of a problem for venues.

Substance: Whore yourself again, Where are you playing next? What are you upto?

Alex:  I’m playing an electro gig at Hard Kandy, with “The freak” Daniel Johnston going bananas on some tough electro. Then there’s a party coming up in a couple of weeks, ill post it underneath the article…. I’m also playing a two hour prog set down in the Otways in March, that’s going to be a good little doof.

 

For more info on Alex and upcoming gigs visit his Facebook page.
You can catch him playing every second week at the Sunday Sessions at Terminus Hotel in Abottsford.

PROGNOSIS @ Loop ~ 15th October

by J-Slyde

Prognosis - October 15th Flyer

After a MASSIVE night in August which saw a full club treated to an evening packed full of audio visual treats, this October sees the Prognosis crew head back to Loop to write the next chapter in their musical journey. A night not to be missed, the crew is once again set to explore the full spectrum of the progressive genre.

Prognosis welcomes back Darkbeat stalwart and Mink resident, Dave Juric, to lay down a fine selection of tunes from a genre that has long been aligned closely with the Melbourne scene. Playing alongside Prognosis resident J-Slyde, the two aficionados will delve deep into their collections to serve up a progressive breaks feast. Playing back-to-back, the two will take a look back at some of the tunes and artists that helped build the once thriving scene and acted as a catalyst in putting Melbourne on the global progressive map.

Joining them on the night is progressive house wunderkind Rysh Paprota whose highly acclaimed production and remix skills have seen him in high demand. Producer, DJ and front man of Budgie Collective online radio station, Square Eyes will be down to treat us to a showcase of his sound. Also along for the ride is Alex Butler who will be channeling the dusty dance-floors of the festival world as he packs a bag-load of tougher progressive weapons and gets ready set to unleash some musical mayhem.

Of course, no Prognosis event would be complete without the musical stylings of resident tune addicts Simon Murphy and Aaron Static, who will once again treat their audience to a captivating blend of the finest tunes on offer. Captivating crowds at some of Australia’s most highly regarded events with his artistic wizardry, vdmo Kstati is set to lay down the visual aspect of the night.

::::: GUESTS

Dave Juric (Darkbeat)
Rysh Paprota (405 Recordings)
Square Eyes (Budgie Collective)
Alex Butler (Activate)

::::: RESIDENTS!

J-Slyde
Simon Murphy
Aaron Static

::::: VISUALS!

vdmo Kstati

::::: WHERE!

Loop – 23 Meyers Lane, CBD. Melbourne.

:::: WHEN!

Saturday, 15th October. 10pm – LATE.

FREE ENTRY!

https://substancesounds.net/ | http://facebook.com/substancesounds