Is starting a small night for standard genres worth it any more?

DJing is not about mixing etc. it's about making a night go well and reading an audience. Not many people do that well especially if they are doing a genre night.

Just came back from Manchester with a DJ playing to about 40 people with a really eclectic mix of stuff and judging just when to play which track to make it happen on the dancefloor. He roused a bunch of very tired people to dance like loons. He was followed by someone else with similar skills but without that rapport and the dancefloor was empty 15 minutes later.

There is no point anyone putting on small nights unless they are good enough to make it happen on the dancefloor. As long as someone's skills are adequate I couldn't care less about their technical skills.. And since the mainstream genres are all catered for well enough by bigger nights what's the point. If you have a fresh / different take then you could build a following if you can give people a fun night trhat they want to come back for more of.

I used to love going to the smaller nights, especially the trance ones (Beat Therapy, Electrophoric etc), even Neuroscience.

Some of those nights were brilliant, better than some of the 'big' nights I've been to, maybe less than 50 people at some of them but everyone seemed well up for it. The last few smaller nights I've been to have had 10 / 15 people there, and everyone seems afraid to hit the dancefloor.

2 years ago or so I would have went to every trance night in Newcastle, whether it be local lads or a bigger night at Digital. Over the 6/8 months, I haven't even been to Digital once, and the only night I've been to in Newcastle was DS.NE. I can't make as many nights as I used to but I really can't be arsed with nights in Newcastle atm. I would literally rather pay the extra £30 to go to Leeds etc. Would love that to change however!

Even a year ago, Newcastle had around 6 regular trance nights, apart from Audio Rehab starting up again next month there isnt really a regular night now.

I miss the big room tracks that used to be squeezed into trance sets that dont seem to be around anymore (or am I wrong) which used to make people who were sitting jump off their seats and anyone on the dance floor intoxicated go wild in hysteria - tracks such as Satisfaction, Lonliness, Carte Blanche, Silver bath, Murder is the Bass, Kernkraft 400, Rising Star, Warrior, New Time New Place, etc.

It speaks volumes about the state of the clubbing scene when your going out for the afterparty rather than the night itself.

For me the afterparty has been as equally important as the night for I dare say the last 10 years

you either need to be with a bunch of friends or you need a bunch of strangers who are all on it at the same time. Couple that with good dj's and you are nearly there. But the other thing people running nights often fail with is atmosphere. You need a good space but poor lighting, bad sound, stinky piss ridden bogs, bar area lit like an airport, oppressive security, surly/bored/slow bar staff, long queues, nowhere to put your coat, nowhere to sit, no effort with decor/visuals/quirkyness can all spoil it. Getting a party right is an art. It's hard to do. The laurent Garnier night in Hoults yard very nearly got all those things right and was such a good night as a result. A small night that got all that right might succeed but it still needs a USP of some kind as well or people will just go to the known venue with the known DJ or stay at home and get trollied round the decks in safety and for cheap.

most new promoters trying to put "genre" nights on - whether its hardstyle, tracne , psy etc....do not do enough street work to make those nights a success, they sit on their arse on facebook promoting the nights and then act all surprised when they only get 50 people in. They may think they do do enough work but in almost every case they do not.

then the punters that do go to the event then get dissillusioned with the event as it isnt that busy and dont go back.

on the flip side you get events thinking that to BUILD an event they need to put a huge name on or copy other events lineups and that will pull punters. that doesnt work either cos you just fill your event with people who chase the names and dont come when the name aint on.

like has been said in this thread you need to offer something different to what other people are doing. DETOX does well for numbers on this level because this is what we have been doing for the best part of ten years, in a nutshell you dont pull 600 to 700 people after running just 2 or 3 events.

REGARDING GENRE nights I aint a fan personally as in todays fickle scene when a genre goes out of style that event then nosedives and its difficult to re-invent itself.

regarding psy nights, the decor is indeed mint but remember this it isnt often the promoter doing that decor its the passionate "hippy" types who attend and are willing to put up the decor for those promoters

theres a lot more to putting on events than booking a venue, whacking mates and/or BIG names on and promoting it mainly or more often than not these days ...only by facebook.

I could honestly write a book on it but why share all these tips / advice and watchouts that have been learnt along the way with people who just want to sit on fadgebook and have an easy ride....i say to those types, get off your arse, get postering pubs and kebab shops daily and get outside the clubs freezing ones ass off at 4am on a weekly basis if you want any kind of "successful" event.

oh and 1 final point picking up on something brid said, the fundamental problem is people starting off wanting to build a "brand" i hear it all the time in conversations with people who run what amounts to tiny nights numbers-wise ...they talk about their night as if its some kind of established brand......NIKE and adidas are brands.... these small nights are not brands...and moreover ...why the obsession with building a brand, surely its more important to have fun putting on a mint party and if you make money and become a brand in the process then BONUS. the thing is these days is that everyone wants to be the next crasher, gods kitchen or GOOD GREEF and for why....i tell you why ....for the fame and money thats why its what has morphed todays dance music scene into a pile of crud with people only attending gigs when mr big time superstar dj is on like guetta or van dyk!

if fame money and branding ia all that people chase where is the real fulfillment in that.

that isnt for me and neither is genrefication either and long may it continue like that.

people should "dare to different" but that isnt playing it safe so few rarely do.

the question was about 'standard genres' - says it all really. Who wants standard? I saw a cartoon once - fly with a suitcase standing on a turd talking to his parents " cow shit may be ok for you, but I want adventure, and glamour - flamingo shit, leopard shit, whale shit"