Ceroc Jamfest at Camber Sands and Ceroc Scorch at Southport.
This is a blog post which mostly is grumpy about music and enthusing about music. If you think I'm wrong that's fine: I'm often wrong. Please use the comments block below to say why. I will delete anything that is offensive to named individuals.
There's a lot of good in weekenders - there are many good jive weekenders, there are some good WCS weekenders - they all far far away, if there was enough decent music there would undoubtedly be some good Tango weekenders and who knows what line dancers and swing dancers and Morris dancers get up to at the weekend meets.
This blog is about music - it's not about DJs per se - it's what they play and why they play it when they play it. For me the music at Southport was mostly terrific (but not everyone I've spoken to thinks that), whereas at Camber it was mostly horrific. I offer no solutions, I'm no expert - there may be good reasons for the set up as it is, but here's what I think.
The Festival of Jam
At Camber new DJs let their voices be heard amongst the regulars but they were indistinct. Whilst any fool could hear Mr Gammon, Mr Baker (minor), Ms Assiph and Mr Turner excelled - there was disquiet about their sets from those who couldn't recognise a good dance tunes when it enters their tiny, tiny brain cavities. The predominant form in demand in the main room was loud, beat heavy and tunelite - simple unadulterated bilge in quantity was what they seemed to crave. Some people needed that music to dance to all night in the fast room: it will send them mad in the end as it alters the balance between Shatner's bassoon and your wiggle duct and becomes pretty mind altering after a short while.
Such is the nature of the choice at these events there's always the other room for the sane....in theory In the slow room at Camber there were some great sets - Mr Turner and Mr St Rose stand out, Mr Rokov and the visiting Ms Assiph too. But there were sets in the music which was too loud, too fast, too often and because the "chill out" room was fast and loud it became an overflow for the main room - packed with fast dancers failing arms and draining one's strength as one watched. Presumably this is to make the general Cerocers at home but it's all a bit confusing when the music in the "chill out" room is louder and faster than the main room as it was on a couple of occassions. There's room for a little of both - but not whole swathes of the evening. Exceptionally on Sunday morning in the last hour one we had a set which was not only loud and fast, it was also very bad music: people went to bed early fearing they may go mad too.
The fast room music needs to be loud but the music in both the chill out room and bar there were very high volumes too often - crackling speakers and the drift of dancers away from the speakers should tell the DJs a lot: at one point in the chill out room there were more people against the back wall than in the cahirs next to the stage (and speakers!). I'd like to see some sensitivity to sound levels - it's not about challenging anyone's virility - if anything it's a health and safety issues for the poor bar staff. But for preference when asked to turn down the volume, DJs should pay heed and not - as happened to me at Camber in February - turn it down for a track and then turn it back up!
I will leave the bizarre post-cabaret entertainment at Camber for historians to relish and eye witnesses to recount. I'll also say that the chalet I was in was great for the second weekender in a row and the idea of busing people in from Yorkshire was inspired - down at the far end of the encampment we had racing pigeons, Yorkshire puddings, nude figurines of Brian Close and Tadcaster's finest beer. Sadly those who's views I trust said they weren't imprest' wi t'event
Scorchio
For Southport I understand guidance was issued to DJs and the music in the fast room was brilliantly varied and interesting as a result. Mr Gammon, both Messrs Baker, Mr Turner, Ms Assiph and Ms Nichols brought many people to the floor with terrific, energetic and interesting dance tracks. The grace, pace, power and elegance and the subtlety with which it was handled was greatly appreciated. In the Chill Out Room in the afternoon there were two stylish Swingers Hours led from the decks with the senstivity of a dancer's ear by Mr Uren and Dr Lonsdale respectively. On Sunday afternoon Mr Rokov played a set of brand new tracks - this was one of the best sets I've heard in donkey's years. Challenging (because we didn't know the tracks), powerfully evocative music with real bite for the adventurous dancers to get their teeth into. Mr Silva followed suit. It was an inspiring monumental two hours which represent music at its best: it allowed for endlessly expressive dancing which was a joy to watch as well as attempt. It also put to bed the idea that people don't like too much new music - they loved this because it was fantastic music, carefully chosen by two very fine DJs .
Outside the glories of the main room (where I spent much of all three nights) the problems arrived in the evenings. Having two rooms close together should have been a boon, but the sound from one drifted into the next - the loudness problem again? The varied genres given to or chosen by the DJs didn't necessarily match the set of dancers they had before them and so there were incongrutities: a room full of West Coast Swing dancers was left high and dry by the change of DJ - they complained. But consider also the DJ, the multi-talented and hard-working Mr Sambridge, who was left high and dry in the middle of the night when the dancers who had requested his presence didn't show.
Where was the slow, poetic, multi-layered, mixed genre music which quietens those sent mad in the sun/driving rain at Southport? As a couple of people have said - there were times when the chill out room, it's temporary annex and the room down the corridor were all playing the same kind of music and it was all upbeat. The Blues sets were fine - though in a room better suited to contemporary theatre puppet shows, chair storage or WCS - these two sets seem to me to be tied to their genre a bit too much and I say that as someone who loves pure blues every now and then. Elsewhere WCS seemed to be creeping into every room even when it had a room to itself.
As for the DJ who decided a cover version of Superstition was the way forward, I am forever in your debt - you have found a piece that can usurp Elgar's Violin Concerto as the most unwelcome noise I've ever encountered.
Many times I have voiced my personal feeling that hearing and dancing to too much WCS (and for the record Tango music and Gilbert & Sullivan) will send you quite mad. Each of these has an intensely irritating cumulative banality which is known to be mind altering (attacking Shatner's bassoon like a virus) and seems, as a side effect, to provoke undue attention to technique over creativity. It also seems to send dancers with perfectly good connection into paroxysms of self doubt and inadequacy. Of course if they choose to listen to it; that's their affair. But I suspect that it may have the same effects on simple minded Cerocers like me and so I beg for more slow, mellow and very melodic music.
In both weekenders, the keenest ears and edgy dances were to be found at Sack the DJ slots. In StDJ we hear raw talent: Ms Holmes, Mr Grant, Ms Piddington and Mr Burke at Southport; Mr Pius, Mr Stewart and Mr Onions (who might be mad in playing "Go" - but if he is so am I! Its a corker!). Here, at least, was some respite from standards, and joy of discovery - even if the Ceroc insiders were sniffy about the more exciting elements.
Southport was glorious: sunny, friendly, warm and generous - I put that down to the splendid turn out from over both formerly militarised borders (England/Scotland and Lancashire/Yorkshire).
Summer Southport is, despite or maybe because of all I've written above, the pre-eminant weekender and we should be glad of it: it remains the place to be.
This is a blog post which mostly is grumpy about music and enthusing about music. If you think I'm wrong that's fine: I'm often wrong. Please use the comments block below to say why. I will delete anything that is offensive to named individuals.
There's a lot of good in weekenders - there are many good jive weekenders, there are some good WCS weekenders - they all far far away, if there was enough decent music there would undoubtedly be some good Tango weekenders and who knows what line dancers and swing dancers and Morris dancers get up to at the weekend meets.
This blog is about music - it's not about DJs per se - it's what they play and why they play it when they play it. For me the music at Southport was mostly terrific (but not everyone I've spoken to thinks that), whereas at Camber it was mostly horrific. I offer no solutions, I'm no expert - there may be good reasons for the set up as it is, but here's what I think.
The Festival of Jam
At Camber new DJs let their voices be heard amongst the regulars but they were indistinct. Whilst any fool could hear Mr Gammon, Mr Baker (minor), Ms Assiph and Mr Turner excelled - there was disquiet about their sets from those who couldn't recognise a good dance tunes when it enters their tiny, tiny brain cavities. The predominant form in demand in the main room was loud, beat heavy and tunelite - simple unadulterated bilge in quantity was what they seemed to crave. Some people needed that music to dance to all night in the fast room: it will send them mad in the end as it alters the balance between Shatner's bassoon and your wiggle duct and becomes pretty mind altering after a short while.
Such is the nature of the choice at these events there's always the other room for the sane....in theory In the slow room at Camber there were some great sets - Mr Turner and Mr St Rose stand out, Mr Rokov and the visiting Ms Assiph too. But there were sets in the music which was too loud, too fast, too often and because the "chill out" room was fast and loud it became an overflow for the main room - packed with fast dancers failing arms and draining one's strength as one watched. Presumably this is to make the general Cerocers at home but it's all a bit confusing when the music in the "chill out" room is louder and faster than the main room as it was on a couple of occassions. There's room for a little of both - but not whole swathes of the evening. Exceptionally on Sunday morning in the last hour one we had a set which was not only loud and fast, it was also very bad music: people went to bed early fearing they may go mad too.
The fast room music needs to be loud but the music in both the chill out room and bar there were very high volumes too often - crackling speakers and the drift of dancers away from the speakers should tell the DJs a lot: at one point in the chill out room there were more people against the back wall than in the cahirs next to the stage (and speakers!). I'd like to see some sensitivity to sound levels - it's not about challenging anyone's virility - if anything it's a health and safety issues for the poor bar staff. But for preference when asked to turn down the volume, DJs should pay heed and not - as happened to me at Camber in February - turn it down for a track and then turn it back up!
I will leave the bizarre post-cabaret entertainment at Camber for historians to relish and eye witnesses to recount. I'll also say that the chalet I was in was great for the second weekender in a row and the idea of busing people in from Yorkshire was inspired - down at the far end of the encampment we had racing pigeons, Yorkshire puddings, nude figurines of Brian Close and Tadcaster's finest beer. Sadly those who's views I trust said they weren't imprest' wi t'event
Scorchio
For Southport I understand guidance was issued to DJs and the music in the fast room was brilliantly varied and interesting as a result. Mr Gammon, both Messrs Baker, Mr Turner, Ms Assiph and Ms Nichols brought many people to the floor with terrific, energetic and interesting dance tracks. The grace, pace, power and elegance and the subtlety with which it was handled was greatly appreciated. In the Chill Out Room in the afternoon there were two stylish Swingers Hours led from the decks with the senstivity of a dancer's ear by Mr Uren and Dr Lonsdale respectively. On Sunday afternoon Mr Rokov played a set of brand new tracks - this was one of the best sets I've heard in donkey's years. Challenging (because we didn't know the tracks), powerfully evocative music with real bite for the adventurous dancers to get their teeth into. Mr Silva followed suit. It was an inspiring monumental two hours which represent music at its best: it allowed for endlessly expressive dancing which was a joy to watch as well as attempt. It also put to bed the idea that people don't like too much new music - they loved this because it was fantastic music, carefully chosen by two very fine DJs .
Outside the glories of the main room (where I spent much of all three nights) the problems arrived in the evenings. Having two rooms close together should have been a boon, but the sound from one drifted into the next - the loudness problem again? The varied genres given to or chosen by the DJs didn't necessarily match the set of dancers they had before them and so there were incongrutities: a room full of West Coast Swing dancers was left high and dry by the change of DJ - they complained. But consider also the DJ, the multi-talented and hard-working Mr Sambridge, who was left high and dry in the middle of the night when the dancers who had requested his presence didn't show.
Where was the slow, poetic, multi-layered, mixed genre music which quietens those sent mad in the sun/driving rain at Southport? As a couple of people have said - there were times when the chill out room, it's temporary annex and the room down the corridor were all playing the same kind of music and it was all upbeat. The Blues sets were fine - though in a room better suited to contemporary theatre puppet shows, chair storage or WCS - these two sets seem to me to be tied to their genre a bit too much and I say that as someone who loves pure blues every now and then. Elsewhere WCS seemed to be creeping into every room even when it had a room to itself.
As for the DJ who decided a cover version of Superstition was the way forward, I am forever in your debt - you have found a piece that can usurp Elgar's Violin Concerto as the most unwelcome noise I've ever encountered.
Many times I have voiced my personal feeling that hearing and dancing to too much WCS (and for the record Tango music and Gilbert & Sullivan) will send you quite mad. Each of these has an intensely irritating cumulative banality which is known to be mind altering (attacking Shatner's bassoon like a virus) and seems, as a side effect, to provoke undue attention to technique over creativity. It also seems to send dancers with perfectly good connection into paroxysms of self doubt and inadequacy. Of course if they choose to listen to it; that's their affair. But I suspect that it may have the same effects on simple minded Cerocers like me and so I beg for more slow, mellow and very melodic music.
In both weekenders, the keenest ears and edgy dances were to be found at Sack the DJ slots. In StDJ we hear raw talent: Ms Holmes, Mr Grant, Ms Piddington and Mr Burke at Southport; Mr Pius, Mr Stewart and Mr Onions (who might be mad in playing "Go" - but if he is so am I! Its a corker!). Here, at least, was some respite from standards, and joy of discovery - even if the Ceroc insiders were sniffy about the more exciting elements.
Southport was glorious: sunny, friendly, warm and generous - I put that down to the splendid turn out from over both formerly militarised borders (England/Scotland and Lancashire/Yorkshire).
Summer Southport is, despite or maybe because of all I've written above, the pre-eminant weekender and we should be glad of it: it remains the place to be.
There were a couple of really great sets Garry Turner's Blues and Rocky's blues on Friday night. I also loved some of Tiggerbabe's music at various stages.
ReplyDeleteWCS seems to be taking over the world. Had some interesting conversations on the subject.
I think the cube did not really work as an additional room as it meant that dancing on the outside decking was rather confusing as you could hear both tunes.
I would rather have had all the blues set in the pub as that is really the blues room and put the specialist dancing in the WCS/Tango room. Again it is the blues room becoming the WCS room.
It was a really great weekend though and these little irritations can't possibly spoil my favorite weekender because I won't let it.
I loved Scorch and wish that I had the stamina to stay up into the early hours when all my friends seem to dance. My compensation, though, was that by being awake before midday I was able to plug my iPad into the sound system and play a selection from a number of my playlists (Country, Soul, Blues, Rock and Covers). I admit that most of the time I was the only person in the Blues Room, but there were occasions when a few people felt moved to dance; even a couple who apparently win things. It proved to me that people can dance to my selections. I am afraid that I missed Piddy's set, but was privileged to be present for Bex and Hannah. I was astounded at Bex's choices and believe they were some of the best STDJ (and possibly 'professionally' produced) Blues tunes I have heard in this environment. Hannah, was, as always, superb. I wish I had been able to witness Kevin's selections, and hope to do so in the near future. Inevitably, I heard some sets that I was not impressed with, but overall, I would not have missed this weekend for the world!
ReplyDelete