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Features
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The Man from Knowwhere - Interview with Stevie
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 10-10-03 16:45
From their original home Club 414 across the river to the the Soundshaft, London based trance night Knowwhere has always had a special vibe wherever they've hosted their nights. The night reaches the grand old age of 2 this month so as the birthday celebrations are about to get under way, we invited co-promoter Stevie in to talk about the last couple of years and what they've got in store for us in the future...
Knowwhere in full swing at the Soundshaft
HF: When was Knowwhere first started and what was it that gave you the idea to give promoting a go?
Stevie: Knowwhere began back in October 2001. Originally Pablo & Anthony Dean were the promoters, with a lot of help and input from friends and other clubbers like most promotions out there. I was at the first night and pretty much every one for the first year as a clubber rather than a promoter. A short while after that I got involved in promoting GroundZero along with Dale, Daegal Brain, Paul Reeves and a few others. For me it was just another way of being involved in the clubbing scene which I loved, (Having no talent in the DJ’ing department, that was never going to be an option for me!).
Just after the Knowwhere 1st birthday, (I’d left GroundZero by then), Pablo & Anthony approached me and asked if I’d like to join them. The move from 414 to the Soundshaft was coming up, and they felt they needed some new blood in promoting the night. Being one of my favourite nights anyway, I jumped at the chance.
HF: What is Knowwhere's official music policy and why is it that way?
Stevie: Like it says on the flyer, "Banging Uplifting Trance & Dance". I’ve always been a big fan of both Hard Dance and Trance, but Trance has been my personal favourite for a while now. Originally Knowwhere wanted to be playing the type of music that a number of nights moved away from for a while in 2001. A lot of clubs that had been Trance based had started to get a little too Progressive for some people’s tastes, and Knowwhere was partly set up to address that.
HF: As a trance night promoter, what's your view on where the trance scene is going at the moment? Do you see things getting tougher over the next 12 months or recovering for trance and clubbing in general?
Stevie: I think the Trance scene at the moment is excellent in London, mainly because there are some great small nights around that do an excellent job. On a bigger level, I do think clubbing could potentially face a few problems in the next year or so. One of my bugbears is the way some bigger nights have shown a tendency to move towards the ‘Bums on seats’ style of promotion, and seem to spend less time thinking about the clubber, and more about the bottom line. I realise it’s about business too, but for me, the thing that’s always made the scene special was the fact that it was driven by the clubber. Trance isnt as popular as some other genre’s at the moment, but I think it’s on the rise again.
The Knowwhere Crew: Pablo, Anthony Dean and Stevie
HF: What's the toughest thing about being a promoter?
Stevie: There’s no one thing that I find particularly tough. It’s definitely a labour of love. Obviously small problems present themselves all the time, but you just have to deal with them. If there was one area I could change I guess it would be the first two hours of the night where I cant stop stressing over how it’s all going to go, but that never seems to go away!
HF: And what's the best?
Stevie: Definitely those points in the night where you take a moment to stand back, look at the crowd with their arms in the air, and realise you’ve contributed to making these people so happy. I love that bit!
HF: Knowwhere was always well known for its nights down at the 414 - can you tell us why you moved to the Soundshaft? How have the nights been at the Soundshaft as compared to the 414?
Stevie: There were a few reasons. Partly a business decision, we needed a slightly bigger venue, but partly we were finding a number of people were actually not coming anymore because of the location. I’ve had some great times at 414, but there is definitely a love-hate thing about Brixton clubbing generally for many people. The Soundshaft came available, and we’d had some great nights there with other promotions, as well as it being in an excellent central London location, so it seemed like a good idea. We’ve been really pleased with the move. There were a few teething problems early on which ironed themselves out quickly, attendances are up, and the venue really works well for us, so definitely the right move.
Stevie's shirt in full swing
HF: It's Knowwhere's 2nd birthday coming up soon which is a major milestone - do you have anything special in store for us for that night?
Stevie: Well, apart from the line-up, which I’m really pleased with, (Anthony Dean, Ian Betts, Daegal Brain, Dom Pardey, Pablo); we’ll be giving away the latest Knowwhere CD free to the first 100 people through the door. Officially it’s the 5th Knowwhere CD, (there was an un-official one that Dom Pardey surprised us with last time he played for us, which we’ve kind of adopted). Traditionally the DJ is anonymous, this one goes under the name "Knowone U Know", but I can tell you it is someone who’s playing on the night, so you’ll have to figure it out for yourselves!
Pablo’s going to be opening the night with a set entirely of Knowwhere ‘classics’, the tunes that have been really popular over the last two years. So get there early for that. There are a few other treats and freebies in store too, but you’ll have to come along to find out what they are!
HF: Since we last spoke to you at the end of last year (when you first moved to the Soundshaft) the scene has changed a lot, especially the much trumpeted demise of superclubbing. How has that affected Knowwhere do you think?
Stevie: Actually not too dramatically, if anything it’s boosted the popularity of us and other smaller nights. There does seem to be a move towards more intimate clubs and promotions. Parties like Becomeone, Oblivion, Tilt and Knowwhere have developed very loyal followings, which is all good!
HF: What have been the highlights for you of the Knowwhere experience this year?
Stevie: There have been plenty, but Dom Pardey’s first set for us back in May was amazing, as was a Trance set from a little known traditionally Hard DJ by the name of Tom Allen  For overall atmosphere though, December’s and May’s parties really did it for me. I tend to be very self-critical of the night, even when everyone around you is having a great time, but on those two occasions, I really walked away feeling proud of what we’d achieved.
HF: There's been much talk about CDs replacing Vinyl in the clubs and record stores. As a promoter, if a guest DJ came in and played exclusively off CD all night, would that bother you at all?
Stevie: Personally no, it’s really important for me that a DJ entertains the crowd above everything else, and if he or she does that, then I’m happy. Not being a DJ myself though, I’m possibly less of a ‘purist’ than some others.
HF: Who do you consider to be your greatest competitor in the scene and why?
Stevie: I don’t honestly think there is one. On any given night, obviously other promotions will be running, and sometimes there may be a crossover in terms of where clubbers may want to go, but the nights that I see as having a similar pull as ourselves don’t tend to clash with us, so it’s not an issue.
HF: Seeing as Knowwhere is a trance night and HarderFaster is a hard dance site, is there really a lot of crossover between the two? Do you also publicise your night on the major trance sites?
Stevie and Garden Gnomes 
Stevie: I think most clubbers tend to have a foot in a lot of musical camps. A lot of people get a bit ‘tribal’ about their kind of music in forums and so on, but when it comes down to it, Hard Dance and Trance are a lot less different than some genres. HarderFaster is the site we do most online promotion with, because for me it’s more representative of the London clubbing scene, than any particular genre.
HF: If you could invite one of the top 100 DJs in the world down to Knowwhere to play, who would you pick and why?
Stevie: Paul Van Dyk. Absolutely no doubt. Back in March, I was lucky enough to see him at VANDIT in Berlin, and it was one of the most amazing nights clubbing of my life. Sadly I’d probably go across the world to see him play ABBA’s greatest hits!
HF: Out of all the Knowwhere parties you've thrown, which has been the most memorable and why?
Stevie: As I mentioned earlier, it would be between December 02 and May 03. December’s party would probably just take it for me, as it was my first night promoting Knowwhere, and I was so pleased to walk away feeling it had gone so well.
HF: Can you tell us any of your plans for the future for Knowwhere?
Stevie: There are a couple of big things on the horizon for us which I cant yet reveal too much about, but suffice to say there is potential for Knowwhere to be reaching a bigger audience in coming months!
HF: Name 3 'Knowwhere Anthems'
Stevie: Troubled Soul- Space Brothers, Wizards of the Sonic- Westbam (Matt Darey remix) and Everyday- Agnelli & Nelson.
HF: Anything else you'd like to say that we haven't asked about?
Stevie: Just a big thank you to everyone who’s come along to Knowwhere over the last two years, and all the un-sung heroes who help out so much. See you all on the 17th of October!
HF: Thanks for your time!
Stevie: Thank You!
Knowwhere turns 2 on Friday 17th October at the Soundshaft. For full details of this event click here.
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Other Features By HarderFaster:
HarderFaster Awards 2016 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2014 - The results are in!
Lashes, Dimples and the Brighton Music Conference
HarderFaster Awards 2013 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2012 - The results are in!
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.
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