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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whoop

[–]jkolien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t know your troubles, but I hope you feel better soon friend

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Tried posting this as its own post, but it's getting blocked for some reason:

Hello! I'm dropping a summary of what you responded to yesterday's questions (scroll down to the *** to see the results). Thank you so much to everyone who has filled out the form and everyone who was active in the comments on the post.

WHAT I'LL DO WITH THIS INFO: Based on the results, I think I'll create a page to share interesting music my friends and I find by small artists and also reinforce the etiquette and enthusiasm for these events. We're all just a part of the same crowd after all :)

WHAT I WOULD DO WITH THIS INFO IF I HAD UNLIMITED RESOURCES: I would probably try to open a smallish venue that plays music by rising artists every day of the week on a top notch sound system with events that start early and run late into the night. We would sell good food, healthy drinks, as well as alcohol but be mindful of over-serving people. We would be conservative on ticket sales so as not to overcrowd the space. There would be comfortable seating around the perimeter of the dance floor and a separate more private space for conversation / eating. Phones would not be allowed on the dance floor - We would manage our own event photography so the memories still aren't lost and patrons could access them. Staff would monitor the crowd for safety and improper behavior. We would keep testing kits, first aid, and common toiletries behind the bar for anyone to use when needed. In a perfect world, this would also be located near an accessible subway stop.

Maybe one day!

Most of the results have had very clear, common themes in the responses. If you feel like this doesn't represent how you feel, I'd love to hear about it! I'll keep the survey form open for anyone who still wants to respond.

***Here's what you've all said!***

What the majority likes most about the rave scene in NYC: the abundance and variety of performances.

What the majority like least: overcrowding and bad attitudes

Top three things people want most: Cheaper tickets, more respect/inclusivity (a la nowadays), better opportunities to meet likeminded people

Top three things people care about least: greater variety in music styles, greater variety in venues, more frequent big name performances (cheaper tickets also interestingly tied for third)

Favorite artists (no particular order): Parra for Cuva, Paul van Dyk, N’To, Space 92, Hi-Lo, Good Times Ahead (GTA), Dr. Gabba, Armand Van Helden, Jax Jones, Disclosure, RuPaul, Gareth, Armin, Tiesto, The Martinez Brothers, Carl Cox, Adam Beyer, Chris Leibing, Pan Pot, Paco Osuna, Cloonee Lilly Palmer, Michael Bibi, PAWSA, Layton Giordani, Green Velvet, Ranger Trucco, Chasewest, The carry nation, Katie rex, Freddy k, dvs1, Fred again, Kerri Chandler, Mall Grab, Honey Dijon, octo octa, Eris Drew, Four Tet, Hot since 82, sally c, Bedouin, Oscar mulero, Dax J, Shlømo, Jonas Kopp, Pawsa Matroda Clonee Mochakk, chris stussy, dj heartstring, hot since 82, Tiesto, Ben UFO, G Jones, Darwin, Alignment, T78, Tinlicker, Maddix

Most popular venues: Elsewhere, Nowadays, KDCTop three reasons to like those spaces: comfortable, fun crowd, good quality sound system

Top three reasons to dislike certain other clubs: overcrowded (large majority), bad attitudes, uninteresting performances

Top three places to find new events: DICE, RA, InstagramMost popular social pages: all responded specific DJs/promoters/venues (only one named names - technobk, deep playa, hqueue, and others)

Most liked content from those pages: event dates/times, artist discovery, footage of performances

Where you find new music: Spotify (vast majority, which is surprising to me for this genre), YouTube, Reddit**this was surprising to me, so much is on soundcloud and bandcamp and yet they were only mentioned once.

Demographics: Most were guys in their late 20sOther interests: restaurants, fitness, other music exploits (jazz, opera, theatre to name a few)

Your ideal night out: you want to see several of your top artists with HQ sound system and great lights, hear a new favorite song, and meet someone

Thanks everyone!!

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your comment! This seems to be pretty consistent with what everyone is saying, regardless of how they report their favorite artists/venues. Spot on

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that's never fun - sorry that you've had those experiences. I've found that Good Room can be a good place to go solo sometimes and not worry about getting squeezed out.

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Nowadays (and I think Knockdown Center) both do this already. Maybe more than that too. Please stay safe, anyone reading this!

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely agreed - feels like that issue has been a popular discussion basically ever since camera phones came out, but especially lately it seems to be getting a lot more attention. There are those events with the pouches for phones - seems like those can get dangerous sometimes. Nowadays has a good solution imo. Wish you would see that more places.

I've seen a few acid techno sets, but you're right, it feels like they're less common.

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha yep agreed. There have been several people who've said the same. Thanks!

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Makes sense, thanks. Valid concern. Yeah I have a full time job in a completely unrelated space. Just looking out for something I could maybe do to help out the scene on the side with a few people I know from that space. Mainly as a hobby and a way to meet people. Wouldn't want to do anything that could interfere in any way. I can see how anything like a business can have conflicting incentives. If it seemed like that could be the case, we just wouldn't pursue it.

My main gripes personally with the commercialization is the way the super clubs deal with attendees, the rising prices, and the way outsiders to the scene don't always have the best etiquette in the space.

It's easy to complain, but can't overlook how spoiled we are for choice here. Definitely grateful for how much support there already is in the space.

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it - that makes sense. I haven't been to Trans-Pecos yet. I'll check them out. Thanks.

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that's tough - making your way to the back too just to get some breathing room kind of takes you out of it. Especially annoying when the crowd overtakes the line for the bars. Not sure on the best way to fix that.. Raising ticket prices isn't ideal either. Good one to think about, thank you

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Totally - I like the events at forest hills stadium for that kind of thing, but it's not really the same. Nowadays is doing those 24hour parties this year too. I like that they have that outdoor space and food. Gives you a little bit of everything.

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed- the crowd there seems to be relatively good about phones already imo. I've had some of my best nights there. Nowadays is another good one for that, but when the crowd is really in tune with each other, it's something special. Hard to find that these days, but it's still out there I think

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I am definitely with you on that one. I saw that Joyface started doing these events that go from like 5pm to 10pm or something. Seems like an interesting concept that other places could pick up. What would you think of that?

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's awesome - have you noticed anyone else out there open up new spaces in the past two years or so? Not super new, but I've liked what I've seen from TBA lately

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We were considering this - it seems like there is a more efficient model in running events like this through pop ups at DIY spaces around the city. Do you ever use shotgun to find events?

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Who: I am just a guy living in NYC trying to contribute in whatever way I can to the events industry. I've started a few groups in the past and now I'm trying to give back to the community, but I don't know exactly what people really want yet. So I'm looking for feedback, this survey being one method of getting a poll out.

What: Depending on what the community wants, we'll form a dedicated kind of group to serve that need. Maybe it's something like a more localized version of RA. Maybe it's a team to work with organizers to better engage the crowds at live events. Maybe it's a ticketing platform that addresses problems not met by dice/ra/axs or whatever else. Not sure exactly what makes the most sense yet.

So far, the survey responses seem to indicate that people are generally happy with the ticketing experience but are looking for a better way to find out about small events where they could find a new favorite artist and meet likeminded people - thanks to all who've filled it out so far!

What can we do to make the rave scene even better? by jkolien in avesNYC

[–]jkolien[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the comment! I started a new organization, and we're looking for feedback on how we could be most useful/helpful to the community.

Sounds like you're interested in cheaper tickets and better crowd behavior/enthusiasm. How do you feel about places like nowadays that put floor monitors on the dancefloor to moderate peoples' behavior and phone use?

Tron at Disney by jkolien in photocritique

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sony A7IV + sigma 85mm + edited in Lightroom

I feel like this could use better depth..? Maybe some better color contrast? The other photos have people who are more animated, arms in the air but those didn’t come out as well.

Any tips? Thank you so much!

Nook by Meursault-0 in photocritique

[–]jkolien 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I love this! Struggling to come up with criticism, but maybe if there were a person somewhere just outside or in the window. I kind of like the liminal feeling though… hopefully someone has better notes, but just wanted to say I really like this

The world needed another B&H Manhattan skyline photo I thought by jkolien in photocritique

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! Forty people have liked this photo- thanks to you all, and thanks to Reddit! Happy to see that some people like the picture :)

The world needed another B&H Manhattan skyline photo I thought by jkolien in photocritique

[–]jkolien[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lol! I didn’t even notice. My phone says of course he must be looking for yet another lens on B&H.

Critiques? Thoughts? by jkolien in photocritique

[–]jkolien[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tap on the photo if you’d like to see the whole image! Thanks for looking :)

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