some initial questions to ask the dance party people for submissions to this site. I'm out of practice with interviews so these might progress as I think of more / get replies
short version :
I'd like to speak with people and record / document their memories about the people, places, music, fashion and other aspects of the community that they can recall. how it started - how it developed - where it is now. those sorts of things. take a look at the sections / lists @ http://www.brisbanedancepartiesarchive.com/book and record any memories about these things, as well as suggestions for these lists on what I've missed or haven't got to yet.
:::
long version :
thanks
a lot for helping with the Brisbane Dance Parties Archive project. what I'd like to see initially is a collection of interviews with people who went out - to hear their memories/feelings of back in the day.
I can upload to the site (or u can login and upload too if you prefer/have time). eventually I think it'd be good to make a book - perhaps a collection of zines to start with as well as the site. videos & audio interviews would be good too (though these take longer to transcribe)
when u think about it, we were at the start of a new 'movement' so I think in future people might want to find out what it was like, and I don't know about you but my memory seems to be fading these days :)
you can write whatever you would like to submit - no length limits either, but if you prefer a question / answer based interview, here's some questions. (work in progress & this could be an iterative process as I might ask more once I read the replies)
in particular I'm after info from 1987 -> 2001, though post 2001 -> current is ok too.
>> when did you start going out to Brisbane dance parties?
>> do you remember / can you list some of the clubs and parties? maybe there's a (or multiple) particular event/club you remember?
>> and what are your memories of those days? and feelings?
>> did you have any favourite parties? djs? music styles?
>> how often did you tend to go out?
>> I remember in the early days going out seemed to take up most of my out-of-work time. for example, we went out 3-6 nights a week. spent time preparing what to wear - either shopping or making an outfit or accessory. then going shopping for music and listening to radio prior to going out to a house party, club or dance party. were your experiences similar & can you share some? or tell us what your weekly routine was if you had one?
>> what are your thoughts on the local djs / bands compared to the international & interstate guest djs/bands
>> any overseas experiences / comparisons you'd like to tell us?
>> did you ever have a stage of taking a break and not going out for a while, then coming back to it later (I did this - had a couple of breaks when it didn't seem as fresh)
>> did you keep your flyers, posters, tickets, & take photos? (I wish I had)
>> how do you think the Brisbane dance community has changed over the years?
>> any regrets? or things you wish you'd done differently? eg I wish I'd spoken to more people & not been as shy/quiet and taken more photos back then!
>> was this an important / influential time in your life and if so how? did it help shape the person you are today? or have those experiences helped you in later life these days?
>> do you think it was an important time? did we change the world in any way? postive/negative.
>> what about the friendships formed back then? have you kept in touch with people? I remember meeting people each night and being best friends for a few weeks/some years. and I recognised more faces when I went out even if I didn't know the person's name. it was a friendly time where it was easy to talk to people.
>> for me, it felt like a safe time and I felt safe at the places I went to, even though other non-dance friends wouldn't go to some areas of the city/valley where the parties were held. (not sure why!) I didn't get hassled by guys in the clubs and I could just go out by myself or with friends or meet up with people and know I'd see people I knew, or knew of when I arrived. any comments/experiences along these lines you'd like to share?
>> why did you go out? was it the music? the people? the places? the community? all of these things? something else?
>> what is it about electronic music that keeps a hold on you?
>> are you still going out / involved with the music community?
>> are you still listening to the music? even if a different genre? have your music tastes changed a lot / widend?
>> and if you had to sum up your experiences in Brisbane dance parties community how would you describe it?
>> and can you share some info about your djing experiences (if not already above)
>> is there anything else you'd like to mention?
>> are you still going out? regularly or occasionally? and comments about this.
>> is there anyone you'd like to hear about their experiences? let me know who else I should be asking / new sections not already on the site if not already covered
>> the dance & hip hop community has lost a few of it's favourite & most prominent members recently - DJ Angus / DJ Bribe, MC Sabre, DJ Dufty, Michael Jordan. I think it would be good to have sections on them. do you have any stories/input about these people that you'd like to/be able to contribute?
>> DJs/bands/promoters/industry section (though anyone is welcome to answer these) :
>> you'd have a lot of different experiences to those I had as a punter. any stories / memories not already mentioned that you'd like to share?
>> what made you start DJing/creating music/promoting gigs/working in the industry? and what's kept you doing it? what is it about the music & the community that keeps your attention?
>> did you ever think when you were a kid that you'd be writing music/performing/working with music/in the music industry or was it something that fell into place once you'd been exposed to it?
>> and if you have a biography/profile can you send it to me so I can post it to the site & to aliak.com too
>> what name would you like me to use when posting this to the site? (eg real name/alias/dj name) and any contact details (they'll be published on internet so nothing private). pls mention your website url if you have one
take your time & skip anything u don't want to answer.
thanks a lot!
kath
http://www.aliak.com
http://www.brisbanedancepartiesarchive.com
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below is the email I've started sending out to people to ask if they'd be interested in contributing stories/memories :
I've been meaning to talk to you about a project I'm working on. it's called Brisbane Dance Parties Archive :
http://www.brisbanedancepartiesarchive.com - hoping to capture /
document some of the memories and information about the early days in brisbance dance 'scene'. I started the site a few years back whilst overseas and homesick, so there's only very sporadic info there so far. there's a few facebook groups these days where people have been posting flyers/photos & making comments. the National Australia Library PANDORA project have agreed to archive it too @ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/88704 (they're after dance sites for their collection)
I think it'd be good to do a book of interviews/stories from different people as well as the site - perhaps a collection of zines to start with. maybe video / audio too at some stage.
would you be interested in contributing your thoughts?
I'm still thinking of questions - and this might be an iterative/work in progress but I have some initial questions here: http://www.brisbanedancepartiesarchive.com/content/initial-questions-dan...
otherwise I can call / email for a chat sometime if that's easier (though it takes me longer to transcribe).
I hope all is well!
cheers
Kath
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http://www.aliak.com
http://www.brisbanedancepartiesarchive.com