international news _ JONTY SKRUFFF _ 1st November, 2005
Judge Jules Ridicules Anti-Rave Rock Rant
Mainstream newspaper Scotland On Sunday published a classic 'dance is dead' feature this week, using the recent turnaround in Scotland's live scene to launch a woefully inaccurate tirade against the country's still thriving club scene.
"The rave is out and the gig is back," said SoS staff writer William Lyons, "Gone are the days when bands would play to half-full arenas while nightclubs would be packed to capacity with superstar DJs playing their latest mix of techno, house and hardcore."
The 'Arts correspondent' backed up his theory by interviewing local rock promoter Peter Irvine, who told him "the days when big-name DJs like Judge Jules flew around the country, stayed in five-star hotels, went to a nightclub with their little CD case and picked up £10,000 or £20,000 for the night are over. People have got bored of it," prompting an amused reaction from Judge Jules.
"Scotland remains one of the strongest regions in the whole country for dance culture. In the past six months alone I've played sold out gigs in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Dunfermline- all were venues of minimum 1000 capacity," Jules told Skrufff.
"If anything these clubs have got busier rather than quieter over the past 18 months and most people in the clubbing fraternity have commented how much the dance scene has picked up nationwide during this period. This journalist clearly doesn't frequent the same places in Scotland that I do, but since the places I play are amongst the biggest clubs in their respective cities, I can't see what he bases his evidence on," he continued.
"The whole feature is one of those classic newspaper articles fitting the prejudices and aspirations of the person writing it," Jules added, "Who's no doubt always hated clubs and longs for them to go away so he can revert to his old favoured order of things."
(Jonty Skrufff)
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