Frantic vs Wildchild Preview: Interview with Little Gem
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 09-03-04 10:14
With HarderFaster hosting a room at the huge upcoming Frantic & Wildchild event at London's multi-room superclub SE1 on Saturday 20th March, what better way to give you the lowdown on one of the Capitals fastest growing parties than by having a chat with Wildchild promoter and resident Superkid Little Gem....
So for those readers who don’t know, what is your position at Wildchild?
My position at Wildchild is the general dogs body, tea maker, chief filing clerk etc etc, he he, only joking!! My role at Wildchild is quite varied. I work alongside Reece on a lot of stuff, such as, line-ups, clubs, general promotion and look after the ‘promotional events’ arm of company which deals with all the fun things that go on during the night and the various methods of promotion for the event. I also look after our big team of Wildchild Cadets, making sure they have enough promotional material etc.
Did you get into promoting and DJing at the same time or did one come before the other?
I was actually a DJ before I got into promoting. I was in a record shop one day and saw an advert to get involved with Wildchild – I jumped at the chance, and look at me now!!
Promoting and DJing can be a conflict of interest. How do you manage to juggle both and does one take precedence over the other?
To be honest it has been difficult to dedicate time to both at times. Wildchild definitely takes preference over Djing, as it simply needs more immediate attention. If I don’t do something for Wildchild, it suffers, so it’s a case making sure everything is ok with Wildchild before I can get on those decks! I’ve always said that if I didn’t have Wildchild, I’d have Lisa Lashes status by now!! This year is definitely my Djing year, and with the help of Wildchild behind me, hopefully I can get that little bit further by the end of the year.
Clubland at the moment is not at its strongest and is going though some changes. It’s hard for new clubs to carve a name for themselves but Wildchild have been one of the success stories. What would you say has been the ‘secret’ to the success?
We have had an amazing year, there’s no doubt about that. But we have got a long way to go yet. We pride ourselves in always delivering what we say we will. Anyone that knows us at Wildchild, knows that we’re not some big balls promoters that are up our own arses. We are just clubbers that wanted to do something a little different in the current climate and give something back to the clubbers – that’s why we focus heavily on big line-ups and loads of giveaways. We’ve always said, there’s not much you can do about the door price, the price of drinks, the cloakroom, but what you can do, is make someone’s night one to remember and if that’s by giving them a few sweets, a CD and a bloody good night, then let’s ‘av it!!!
You’ve collaborated with some big names in Hard Dance over the past year and March sees you team up with Hard Dance Royalty, Frantic. How did this Titanic clash come about?
Yes, we do like a collaboration here at Wildchild! We’ve obviously worked quite closely with Nukleuz over the past year, using their tours and many of their artists, including BK, Ed Real, Rob Tissera, Phil Reynolds, Guffy, Tom Harding and Cally & Juice. With Nukleuz being tied in with Frantic, things were suggested and after an initial meeting, both promotions realised that the coming together of trance and hard dance from two of Londons most ambitious promotions, would surely be something that London needed. The rest they say is history!
The Main Room at Wildchild has successfully fused Main Room Hard Dance & Trance with the likes of BK and Lange playing side by side. How do you go about constructing a Main Room line up for the events?
The whole trance and hard dance concept was something that we’d though about for a while. We knew it could work, but whether it did or not in London was another matter. We’d seen it in clubs such as Judgement Sunday, where they would have Jules and Lisa Lashes in the same room, and people loved it. With Wildchild, we just structure the night so that there’s a natural progression of music. We’ll start with the more trancey guys, Simon Patterson, Pulser , Lange then move on a step further with Reece, Judge Jules, JFK. On again, to say Rob Tissera, who proves the perfect link to the more traditional harder jocks - Lisa Lashes or the Tidy Boys… and then the crescendo of the night… the mighty BK who always seems to play the last set! Voila, there you have it!
Wildchild & Frantic on March 20th is billed as one of the biggest parties since the millennium. What makes this party so unique in your eyes?
I think the two promotions coming together in the first place, is pretty cool in it’s self. You hear about all these riffs between rival club promoters in various parts of the country and I just think it’s a shame they can’t work together. We’ve spent a lot of time together figuring out line-ups, production, promotion and all sorts to make it one of the best events of the year and I really hope that the dedication and attention to detail really show in the event and really give the clubber a night to remember.
With Caroline Banx, Guffy, Reece Elliot, Shan, Donna Birt Lucy Fur, Barry Connell, Simon Patterson & yourself on the line up you are heavily supporting the ‘Nu-Breed’ of Djs coming though the ranks. Who are you most excited about out of this next generation of artists?
Ohh, let me think, they’re all so good! I really admire all of them to be honest. Each is doing remarkably well and I think they’re each going to give a pretty good show on 20th March as well as the rest of the year. If I really had to choose, it would have to be…no I really can’t, I love them all!
You live outside London. Promoting an event when you live in the Capital is hard enough. How do you make time to cover all the ground necessary to push such a large scale party?
Not living in the capital doesn’t actually make a difference, as we’re always in London! I’ve always worked, clubbed, shopped in London, so I know it really well. I actually only live in Kent, so I’m never a million miles away anyway. We also have our Wildchild cadets, who look after some of the flyering and who we meet with @ our HQ in the heart of the West end, so we’re always out and about in the capital.
Aside from running the event and DJing are you going to get time to see any other Djs on the 20th and if so who?
I would love to! The problem is that at Wildchild we have so many things going on, such as the parade, the Reece Police, giveaways, space hoppers etc etc, and as I’m the one who has to supervise all this, getting a spare minute is pretty rare. But I’m determined to catch glimpse of Guffy, Caroline Banx and I always like to see how Reece goes down. I’ll hopefully have stopped running around by the time BK comes on, so should be there for all of his set!
Can you give us an insight into what surprises you & Frantic have got in store for us at SEONE?
Nope nope nope. Sorry, completely confidential! Might be a few bangs though and watch out for those Haribo! Let’s just say the whole event once the punters walk through those doors is gonna be a big surprise. The months, weeks, hours that have gone into the whole production side of the event is going to deliver something mind-blowing.
There are only a few big venues in London capable of hosting the larger events. What made you choose SEONE over the likes of Brixton Academy?
We’ve wanted to do SEONE for a while now, but as it’s sooooo huge, we really wanted to do a big collaboration there. Once discussions were being held with Frantic, we realised that this would be the perfect venue. It was the right size, the perfect amount of rooms and a great location, and seeing as Frantic also wanted to use the venue, it was full steam ahead for SEONE!!
What else is on the horizon for Wildchild?
Quite a lot actually, I don’t know how I’m going to cope! Next on the agenda after 20th March, we have our two return tour nights at Slinky and Scream. On 17th April we take a hike down the M4 to Bristol where we are to battle it out once again with the city’s finest – Scream. We held Wildchild Vs Scream @ The Coronet on 4th May last year, so now it’s their turn to host the battle! 23rd April sees us take on the mighty Slinky at the beautiful Opera House in Bounemouth, where they’re going to try and take back the crown we won last August Bank Holiday Sunday when we hosted Wildchild Vs Slinky @ Heaven – some chance! Next up after that little lot we’ve got our May Bank Holiday Sunday event on 30th May. We’re back at Heaven with a line-up to die for… watch this space!
See you on the dancefloor, Gem xx
Frantic & Wildchild: BiggerBetterFaster StrongerLouderLondon
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On:
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Saturday 20th March 2004
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At:
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S.E.One [map]
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From:
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8pm - 6am
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Cost:
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First 500 £10 +bf / £15 +bf thereafter
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Website:
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www.franticuk.com
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Ticket Info:
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TICKETS:
THE 1ST 500 EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE JUST £10 +bf | £15 +bf STANDARD PRICED TICKETS THERE AFTER
FRANTIC OFFICE: 07949 618035 / tickets@franticuk.com [BUY 5 GET 1 FREE]
TICKETWEB: 08700 600 100 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
CLUB CONNEXIION: 0870 246 1840 / www.clubtickets.co.uk
OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY @ HARDWARE!
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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BiggerBetterFasterStrongerLouderLondon
Wildchild & Frantic kick off the first in a series of collaborations between two of Londons brightest stars of 2004. Trance & Hard Dance struggle for power over 5 blistering arenas of awesome production and state-of-the-art-sound.
This is one of very few events not to be missed in London for 2004.
Fasten your seat belts, get ready for take-off!
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Flyer:
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