Brand Focus: Dansville

The second of our MTTM competition Brand Focuses and the spotlight is on the guys supplying the main prize a set with Mix n Blend at the legendary DANSVILLE!

We sat down with the brains of the Dansville operation, Brendan Meyer.


MTTM: How did the Dansville parties start out, where's the name come from and all that, tell us the story!

Dansville: The first parties started out at a small local bar in durbanville called kunskafee which had a small stage for bands to perform. I've been a big fan of electronic music since I started studying thanks to Tyron Kuypers (Bruce Willis??) & Graham Kennedy (Kennedy) the masterminds behind Brick City and all those kind of parties were only available in town at the time. I come from Durbanville
but stay out in town so the highlight of my month was the Homegrown parties. When I went to durbanville over some weekends the only thing really happening were some local bands playing their gigs out in Durbanville side which I got gatvol of, so one night out at one of
these gigs after the bands played their set I went to my car, grabbed a Ed Rush and Optical cd and started playing some drum & bass and obviously
the few people left over at the early hours of the morning started going crazy, it was then when I decided I'm gonna start throwing parties out in the north. I knew there
was a crowd for this kind of music in the ville, but didn't think it would grow into anything at that time, I think the people were just waiting for it to happen, and it happened at the right time.

The next day with a fakken huge babbalas the idea was still fresh in my mind & I started thinking up some names and realised I was trying too hard to think up "cool" names and kinda sticked with something that was just straight forward and said what it was, a "dans" in the "ville". I started up the group page on facebook and people slowly started joining. The guys that helped build Dansville to what it is today are Rohan Olwage (Infemy), Mark Ackermann (Hydraglyph, Construkt) & Steffen Olivier (beatjuice).
After a few gigs at Kunskafee I realised we needed a bigger venue were the bar also stayed open for longer and Blizzards
was the perfect venue for it. I think were the parties really took off and people really started to hear about it was when Jack Parow did a set at the first party for 2010 and we organised a braai outside of the venue which was a huge success. From there on bigger names came, bigger crowds came and we still proud to keep the scene alive out this side of the world were I think most people probably thought we are still boer.

MTTM: What music genre's is Dansville known for?

Dansville: When it started out it was D&B, Electro and trance but now its DnB, Electro and Dubstep

MTTM: What makes Dansville stand out from other party brands/events?

Dansville: I don't think Dansville stands out that much from other events I think the only difference it has is that it's the first of it's kind in Durbanville and the people were just waiting for it to happen. I also think that because it isn't dedicated to one music genre it caters for all so wether you like DnB, Electro or Dubstep you know it's gonna feature at a Dansville event. And obviously the D'ville crowd are fucking nuts so at the end of the day they make it happen and are always keen to lose some face!

MTTM: Past DJ's that have played for Dansville?

Dansville:  Hmmm! Hope I can remember them all but I'll start off with the resident guys, Construkt (Hydraglyph), Infemy, Beatjuice, Illtastic, Haezer, Niskerone, Hyphen, Dublusion, Idioteque, Dynamo, Blitkrieg, LG Fritz, Liver, Das Kapital, George Daniel, Bruce Willis??, SFR, JoNNY RoBoTIX, Half-Life, Totem, Tommy Gun, AM Stereo, & Kennedy, Sparrow, Marci X & Kylie B Sorry if I left anyone out :)

MTTM: We saw something a while ago pairing the Dansville name and Assembly, tell us more about that.

Dansville: That was actually something Dansville & the band Foto na Dans did together for the launch of their album DIE VLOED, we combined the 2 brands and held 3 events called Foto na Dansville at Assembly,
Klein Liberates and one at Blizzards. Always good to try different things I suppose. Big ups to all the guys that were involved and to Assembly for giving the opportunity.

MTTM: What do you as a promoter think of the MTTM concept?

Dansville: Personally I think it's the only way now a days for DJ's to help promote themselves and to have the opportunity for people to hear what they are capable of apart from actual gigs which is sometimes hard to get by. As a promoter I only make use of MTTM & Soundcloud to hear who's who and what they have to offer in terms of producing and mixing and from their I can judge who's got the skills and who doesn't, so MTTM is doing a great job :)!

MTTM: What does the future hold for Dansville?

Dansville: To keep organising great parties, building and keeping the scene alive alongside all the other awesome Party brands in Cape Town, maybe even getting a few internationals out this side one day….. ;)

MTTM: Looking forward to that!!

Volume 35: Hektek Elektrek

We got out first Psy-Trance minimix in! Proving that it can be done using a little
creativity.



This minimix is in by a new Djing and at some stage production duo called
Hektek Elektrek. Check out their Soundcloud page for their full demo, a nice mix of Psy-Tech, Psy Breaks and Funky Psy.



They will be playing at Mungus Fungus presents Psykick this coming Friday at Purple
Turtle, Long Street, Cape Town from 9 - 10:30.



Mungus Fungus are now doing a sick Psy party every Friday and as the trance season winds down the parties thrown by the Mungus guys are going to hot right on up!!



PsyKick Minimix by Hektek Elektrek

Unofficial: Zero Zero

So we have been thinking of extending the time of a minimix, 10 minutes is a tad suffocating. 15 minutes is still regarded as a short hard hitting taster of what a particular Dj can do, so we going to be on the lookout for mixes that are of the slightly longer variety.

Doing the usual Soundcloud browsing we came across this sick Jungle inspired Drum & Bass minimix, done using 3 turntables. Done by a fellow from the UK called Zero Zero.

Really been enjoying the Jungle sounds of late here at MTTM so this makes for some perfect listening!

The man himself gives us the low down:


I'm from Jersey in the UK, started Djing a couple of years ago, my first big gig was supporting DJ Friction at the Watersplash. On NYE 2009-2010 myself and a couple of mates threw a barnparty after the town parties, which we had CTRL Z play at. Not long after that we setup the Nightshift which is 2 of us and an MC, we have supported quite a few acts that have come over including Dub Concept, Gerra & Visionobi, Krogenic & R-Dange, Terminal State, Caged Baby, Plump DJs, Schema, Ctrl Z, DJ FU, Friction, Marcus Intalex, TC and Noisia. We have 2 residencies, 1 with local promoters, and our own night we started not long ago.
I started producing just under a year a go, and I've just recently started working in the studio with Terminal State and will hopefully send some stuff out by early summer.

For bookings contact: nightshiftdnb@hotmail.co.uk

3 Deck Jungle Dubs Minimix - ZeroZero by ZeroZero

Brand Focus: MyCityByNight

The next 3 Brand Focuses will be on the sponsors of the MTTM Dansville competition, bringing you the indepth and the low down on what make them tick!

First up is a brand which probably needs very little introduction: MyCityByNight

If you are not already a daily reader (you should be!)
it's a blog/website dedicated to the young Generation Nexters who constantly live their lives by being updated with the latest and hottest music, competitions and well just generally cool random stuff!!

Don't take our word for it, Kreg of MCBN has sat down with us to fill you in on how it all started, what keeps them motivated and what might be in-store for the future!!!


MTTM: How did the MCBN idea start?

Kreg: Well Ricky and I had been writing on Cape Town Alive for a while which gave us the confidence to start something on our own. We wanted to basically write about all the sick parties we attended as well as just to keep everyone up to date of what’s hot in and around Cape Town (seeing as though we are both born and bred proud Capetonians). We also saw it as a promotional tool for artists as well event promoters to use MyCityByNight to promote themselves or their event. We usually like to find up and coming artists ourselves as we are out and about often enough After about the 5th or 6th post on MyCityByNight, I was fully hooked and knew it was something I wasnt going to be able to stop doing easily. The possibility of advertising in the long run was a goal but never a major goal as we have been always very much focussed on content as we all know “content is king”. I think this overall view has got us to where we now...

MTTM: Introduce us to the contributing "staff" who specialises in what?

Kreg: Currently there are 3 of us who run the show, Myself (Kreg), Ricky ByNight, Stacky (My half boet or as we like to call him Ari Gold) and we are very lucky to have 2 amazing contributors such as Stroob and then the ever so lovely Raven looking after everything for us in the Perilous City of Jozi.

MTTM: Does blogging get you laid? Hehehehe

Kreg: Blogging gets you what ever you want ;)

MTTM: Tell us how you became such a music lover?

Kreg: I have always loved music, it was something I have been brought up on. Busting moves to the Macerena was always a high point in my childhood. I played a few instruments throughout junior school but I first fell in love with electronic/dance music around the age of 11 (Seriously!!). A mate of mine, Craig got into Djing around the age of 12 and played his first gig at the age of 15, so from then on I was following him around and getting involved...

MTTM: What's your pick of the electronic music genre's?

Kreg: I would have to say Psytrance and Electro. I listen to a lot of electro and my psy collection runs all the way back to 2001. I will always love Breaks and Drum n Bass. More recently though I have been loving Dubstep, but it has to be the harder, darker Dubstep, I feel a lot of it can be hit and miss otherwise.

MTTM: You go to alot of local parties (super jealous!), we all know the outdoors are tops in terms of best parties week in week out, what/who/where comes in 2nd?

Kreg: Our outdoor parties are one of a kind – I got mad respect for all organisers as they put in such hard work for us to party in the most beautiful surroundings possible. Weekend after weekend you have a dance floor of 1,500 person strong, you know you are doing some right. Then again our local psy producers, in my eyes are some of the best in the world. To have guys like Headroom and Broken Toy playing the closing set at an outdoor is an absolute treat in its own right. Being on the trance floor on a Sunday for me has to be one of the best thing ever, some of the most enjoyable times have been had on the trance floor.
Its hard to say who comes in second as there are some solid events in and around Cape Town that all deserve a mention. I kind of have a set routine, week in, week out (well not really but you know what I mean). Cape Town has some really awesome weekly events that you can without a doubt wake up severly hungover after. My weeks can sometimes look like this: Tuesday – Fiction for Untamed Youth (Tommy Gun has done a great job the Tuesday nights), Wednesday – Trinity is by far the best place to be on a Wednesday. With a mix between techno and electro and the hottest DJ’s in Cape Town it almost makes it hard not to go there. Thursdays – PsyNopticz. I always loved a little bit of a trance on Thursday before the weekend. Friday has been DOMINATED by The Assembly with the weekly Discotheque events. In my eyes, Discotheque has to take second place purely for their role in growing and strengthening the electro scene in Cape Town and for giving us some deadly international acts in 2010, Le Castle Vania, Cyberpunkers, Gtronic, Fukkk Offf and A1 Bassline to name a few.
And then wake up on Saturday and head off to the trance party...
Good times!

MTTM: Who are your favourite artists, break it down locally and international?

Kreg: Okay, this is going to be tough and I apologise if I leave anyone out but locally:
Pascal and Pearce, Mix n Blend, El Gordo, Niskerone, Enough Weapons, Illtastic, Haezer, Double-Adapter, Liver, Tommy Gun, bteam, Crazy White Boy, Riot Squad, Twelv & Thesis, Toby2Shoes, DEADBEAT FM, Anthea, Ivan, Rob Gonzo (another really underrated tech DJ in Cape Town), Jam Jarr & Soundproof.
Local psytrance DJ’s: Deliriant, Shift, Skragg, Broken Toy, Headroom, Archive, SwitchCache, Super Evil, Gandalf Grey (one of the most under-rated in the psy scene), Artifakt, Dirty Motion, Frozen Ghost, BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE (Solar Axis), Slug, Plusminus, Xatrik, Lost n Found, Hiyarant... Jeeees, this list could go on forever. The talent in the South African psy trance scene is unbelievable.
International DJs: Skrillex, Skrillex, did I say SKRILLEX? Le Castle Vania, Riktam and Bansai, Umek, Myles Dyson, Wolfgang Gartner, Felguk, Porter Robinson, Cyberpunkers, Justice, NEELIX, Vaishiyas, Fukkk Offf, Saint Pauli, F.O.O.L Music, Dada Life, Netsky, Rusko, Glitch Mob, General Midi, Adam Freeland, Stanton Warriors, Stereoheros, Belzebass and obviously, the Above & Beyonds and Armin Van Buurens etc etc

MTTM: Any thoughts on the future of Cape Town clubbing in general?
(We would love to see some beach parties or illegal parties, also the whole drinking laws)

Kreg: This whole drinking law is absolutely ridiculous and is going to have a huge effect on the nightlife scene in Cape Town. With that said, I got a feeling that we will be seeing more festivals and if not more, the festivals we have now will definitely be expanding and getting bigger. People can bring their own booze and wont have to worry about the bar licence. I see ALOT more international acts making their way to Cape Town. Last year was great and if it is anything to go by, 2011 should be one helluva year for partying AND I see a massive door opening for Sunday day parties to make a come back.
I went to Mykonos in Greece a couple years back with Pascal and Guy and my eyes were opened to the beach party vibe. Clubs and pubs along the beach, people partying at/on the bar, on the sand or in the water, girls in bikinis and lots of shooters! It was insane and vibe was so awesome. A similar concept needs to be done in and around Camps Bay... We can only dream though
With the new addition of Trinity and the SugarHut, there will be more options for people to party and I know Trinity have got 2 HUGE international DJ’s line up the next two months.
With the amount of “Commercial concerts” coming up in the next few months as well, we are seriously lucky. Faithless, U2, Kings of Leon within the space of a month aint to shabby either. Its definitely not my vibe but I know that tickles a lot of peoples fancy.

MTTM: How does it feel that you fast becoming the go-to-guy when it comes to fresh talent and music?

Kreg: Hahaha, that sounds pretty cool, the go-to-guy! Djing/Producing was a long time dream of mine and when I realised that it wasn’t ever going to become a reality, I decided I would like to get involved in another way. That is another reason why we started MyCityByNight, to show of talents we found along the way as well as trying to help those guys get sorted in club slots that they wouldnt be able to organise themselves. We are in contact with promoters and event organisers very often and I like throwing new names at these guys as often as I can. Everyone wants a chance behind the decks, well thats how I see it.

More info on Dansville & DJhookups to follow soooon!!

SOTD: Enough Weapons - Got Digital

So this is a SICK Breaks track by Enough Weapons.

Don't think they getting enough credit for the excellent work that they consistently put out. We think the local club scene needs way more breaks appreciation and Enough Weapons are at the fore-front of that revolution!

Take a listen to the track below, because it has been shortlisted on BreaksPoll.com for best track and we of course would like to lend a hand in rounding up the votes.

Go to the voting link: Click here and vote via email address or facebook.

You don't have to fill in all the other catagories just select the drop down option list on Best Track and choose Enough Weapons - Got Digital and that should do it..... So go ahead and DO IT!!!

Got Digital - Enough Weapons by Enough Weapons