Downloading MP3 files off the net means top DJs can get to top choons quicker than ever before. E-music visited Manchester's longest running house club, Tangled, to check it out
Terry Pointon and Phil Morse promote and DJ one of Manchester's most dedicated nights out. Tangled's been up and running for over six years and much of its success is down to its promoters' approach to clubbing; it's laid-back, but full-on, it cares about its revellers, but also wants them to leave feeling like they've had their arses well and truly kicked.
The pressures of delivering all of this acoustic pleasure and pain, coupled with the perpetual push for the next big tune, have turned the Tangled duo into more than just vinyl junkies resigned to finger-flicking the record stores of the city. In Y2K the Net's become important to them, too. We caught up with Terry Pointon to find out how MP3 is giving them new musical outlets to explore.
TUNING IN
It's just past 5pm on a Saturday afternoon and it's time for Tangled's Terry to hunt some new stuff down on the Net. The club starts in five hours' time, but he's confident of finding something to drop in tonight...
17:00 - "First time we had a scan for stuff, I think we just used a search engine and put the word 'dance' in. It worked, but it took ages to get through all the shite..."
17:20 - "Once we found a tune we liked, we added the site to our Favourites and returned to the same sites. We generally found the best stuff at peoplesound and vitamin."
18:30 - "Alright, so I had to listen to a few before I found the track I liked, but it's only 6.30pm and I've only got to listen to it on my MP3 player and then transfer it."
20:00 - "There you go, just gone 8pm and the tune's burnt on to CD and ready to drop into my set this evening."
E-TALK
Terry tells us how Tangled found MP3s...
E-music: How did Tangled get going?
Terry: It'll be the seventh anniversary of Tangled in July. The first one was at the Dominion Hotel in Manchester and all we did was sell tickets to friends. It took a while to really get going but the last few years its really taken off and has been sold out every weekend
E-music: Why do you think it has become so popular?
Terry: It's difficult to think of any one reason. Everyone that comes to the club just wants to dance and have a good time. There's no-one who comes along just to stand around posing - everyone's completely unpretentious. Some people say it's got the feel of get-togethers in the early days of the scene, which is great
E-music: How often do you hold events?
Terry: Every Saturday at the moment, at The Phoenix, Oxford Road, Manchester
E-music: How have you seen things change on the clubbing scene in the last seven years?
Terry: The music's changed definitely. It's got better for one thing. I think what's important for a DJ is to remember that people just want to go out and have a good time. That hasn't changed and it never will
E-music: How did you get involved in net music and MP3?
Terry: We didn't really have much to do with music on the Net until fairly recently. But when we started doing it about two or three months ago we were surprised by how much good music there is on the Net and how easy it is to get access to it. There's a lot of good tunes out there that you won't find on vinyl no matter how long you spend in a record shop because they aren't signed yet
E-music: So do you think MP3 music has a future?
Terry: Definitely. It's the next step as far as listening to, performing or mixing music is concerned. Obviously for some people putting music on the net the problem is that the production is quite poor and there are always going to be tracks you don't like. But there's great stuff too. I think you'll see things like the quality of recordings get better, and as more people get involved it will get even easier to access music on the net. And at the end of the day, it's free so you cant go wrong really
E-music: So how do you incorporate MP3 tracks at Tangled?
Terry: At the moment its a matter of taking the tracks we like from the Net and burn them onto CD. Then, if you've got a CD mixer, you're laughing
E-music: So do the clubbers notice when you dop in an MP3 track?
Terry: No, it's just another tune as far as they're concerned. You might get someone come up to the booth and ask what it is you've just played and they're surprised to hear that it's something that's come from the Net, but apart from that it just forms part of the set. Obviously its good for you as a DJ because, with most of these tunes coming from artists who are unsigned, you're often the first to play them and the crowd know you by what you play so that's cool
E-music: So do you have a website for Tangled?
Terry: Yeah, we do. It's a bit basic at the moment but we're looking to update it soon
E-music: What's next for Tangled?
Terry: Just to keep the event going, and keep the vibe going. So long as everyone's still coming to dance and enjoy the tunes, we'll be here.
SIMON CLAYS