#the energy in club gigs are just top tier

[epavirees]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: small club gigs will forever go harder than any big stage gig

[charlesmwa]

Investing in High-Quality DJ Equipment: Is It Worth the Extra Cost?

Imagine you’re at a packed party, the vibe is electric, and everyone’s dancing to the beat you’re mixing. But just when you’re about to hit the perfect drop, your DJ controller starts glitching, the sound crackles, and the energy in the room falls flat. The reality is clear: your budget equipment just can’t keep up with the demands of a live performance. If you’re serious about DJing, investing in high-quality gear isn’t just about splurging—it’s a game-changer for your career and the crowd's experience. But is it really worth the extra cost? Let’s break it down.

1. The Sound Quality Difference

One of the most obvious reasons to invest in high-quality DJ equipment is the superior sound quality it delivers. Whether you’re playing at a small house party or a massive festival, the audience expects crystal-clear audio. Budget mixers, controllers, and speakers often lack the advanced components needed to produce rich, full-bodied sound. High-end equipment, on the other hand, comes with premium sound cards and audio processors that ensure every beat, drop, and vocal comes through with clarity.

When your music sounds better, it hits harder. Quality sound is what makes people feel the bass in their bones and connect with the rhythm. If your audio is muffled or distorted, it doesn’t matter how great your track selection is—no one will enjoy it. Investing in good equipment ensures your mixes sound the way you intend, giving you the best chance to keep the dance floor packed.

2. Durability for the Long Run

DJ equipment is an investment that should last, especially if you’re performing regularly. Low-cost gear might save you money upfront, but it’s often made with cheaper materials that wear out quickly. Faders get sticky, buttons stop responding, and connectors loosen up after just a few gigs. High-quality DJ gear, however, is built to withstand heavy use, with robust metal chassis, reinforced knobs, and reliable components designed for the wear and tear of frequent performances.

There’s nothing worse than having your equipment fail during a live set. It’s embarrassing, stressful, and could even cost you future gigs. Investing in durable, high-quality gear means fewer breakdowns and repairs, saving you money and hassle in the long run. Plus, you get the peace of mind that your setup can handle the toughest of performances, letting you focus on what really matters—your music.

3. Advanced Features for Creative Flexibility

The DJ world is constantly evolving, and so are the tools available to us. Top-tier DJ equipment usually comes packed with advanced features like touch-sensitive jog wheels, high-resolution displays, customizable effects, and enhanced connectivity options. These features aren’t just fancy extras—they’re powerful tools that give you more control over your mixes and help you push your creativity to new heights.

When you have access to features like beat-synced effects or customizable hot cues, you can experiment with your mixes in ways that simply aren’t possible on entry-level gear. It’s these small details that can make your set stand out from the rest. By investing in equipment that offers more creative options, you’re investing in your ability to innovate and build a unique style that people will remember.

4. Reliability for Professional Gigs

If you’re planning to take your DJing to the next level and start booking paid gigs, reliability is key. Imagine showing up to a club or festival with gear that’s prone to glitches or malfunctions. Not only does this risk ruining the night for the crowd, but it can also harm your reputation as a DJ. Professional-grade equipment is designed with this in mind, offering consistent performance even under the stress of long, high-energy sets.

Reliable equipment is the backbone of a successful performance. High-quality gear is built and tested for stability, ensuring that you can focus on delivering your best set without worrying about technical issues. When you show up with professional equipment, it also signals to venue managers and event organizers that you take your craft seriously—boosting your chances of being hired for more gigs.

5. The Value of Expert Support and After-Sales Service

You might think it’s easier (and cheaper) to buy DJ gear from a random online retailer or a big-box store. But when you’re investing in high-quality, expensive equipment, the benefits of buying from a specialized professional audio shop are hard to beat. A professional shop offers knowledgeable staff who can guide you in choosing the right gear for your needs and skill level. Plus, they often allow you to test out the equipment before you buy, ensuring you’re getting exactly what you want.

When you invest in DJ gear from a professional shop, you’re not just buying a product—you’re getting access to expert advice and ongoing support. If something goes wrong with your equipment, a specialized store is far more likely to help you with repairs or replacements than a generic retailer. Many professional shops also offer exclusive deals and bundle packages, giving you more value for your money. In the long run, this kind of personalized service can save you time, money, and a lot of headaches.

So Is It Worth It? Absolutely.

Investing in high-quality DJ equipment might seem like a big financial commitment, especially when you’re just starting out. But the benefits far outweigh the initial cost. Superior sound quality, enhanced durability, advanced features, and the reliability of professional-grade gear can take your DJ career to new heights. It’s not just about owning flashy gear—it’s about having the right tools to deliver amazing performances and build your reputation as a serious DJ.And remember, where you buy your equipment matters. Choosing professional audio shops like VIP PRO AUDIO gives you access to expert advice, hands-on testing, and exceptional after-sales support that you won’t get from a random online store. By investing wisely now, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success and more memorable gigs. So, if you’re serious about your craft, don’t settle for less—equip yourself with the best and get ready to make every performance your best one yet.

[likegoldrp]

membergroups + subplots

today, our content preview is going to be our membergroups and half of our site subplots! 

our membergroups are pretty straightforward - the five boroughs of new york city (and we can’t forget out-of-city commuters!) we have noticed both from our own experience and you all’s survey responses that, with personality member groups, it’s often hard to fit a character into just one group. we find that it can be restrictive at times, so we wanted to make it easy. we gave a brief description of what the boroughs each offer, as well as a list of aesthetics that may guide you into picking a general vibe for your character to associate themselves with. even so, keep in mind that these aesthetics are not binding and don’t have to represent the character. the amazing thing about new york city is that no matter the stereotypes associated with a certain section of the city, there are always exceptions due to its incredible diversity!

next, we have six of our thirteen subplots! at this time, you’re free to go ahead and send an ask reserving spots in any of the subplots (whether listed in the blurb or not, you can put your character into any role in a subplot that you see fit!). today, we’ll be showing you the following six subplots: murder mystery, greek life, nyc ballet, broadway, staten island yankees and glow women’s magazine! if you’re holding your breath for any of our other subplots, don’t worry! we’ll be releasing the remaining seven very, very soon. 

subplots will all be under the cut!

clockwork killer

21 years ago, a man named jonathan goldwyn was arrested for seven counts of murder and eight counts of kidnapping. his crime was meticulous, well planned out, and most importantly - terrifying. every six months a young girl (ages ranging from 14-21) from manhattan would go missing, and like clockwork, three months later to the day, her body would begin to turn up piece by piece. for three years, goldwyn terrorized the nypd with letters including nonsense puzzles as hints to his identity. it wasn't until he was turned in by his own son that the truth was revealed. the eighth victim, and only known survivor, moved to california never to return. two years ago, goldwyn died in the sing sing correctional facility after an altercation with a fellow inmate.

on december 31st, 2017 SAMANTHA CLAYTON left her home for a friends new years eve party. of course when she didn't return, her family began to worry. it was unlike her to not at least call, so immediately the police were brought in. at first, this was being handled as a typical missing persons case, until one month later when a letter arrived at the home of the LEAD DETECTIVE. a letter stating "i'm back, did you miss me?" with a 97% handwriting match to the late jonathan goldwyn. when march 1st came around and the police found their first piece of clayton, it was confirmed. new york city had a copycat killer on their hands.

despite the efforts of the nypd, when june 1st rolled around the cries of CHEYENNE JENKINS' parents could be heard for miles when she didn't return home. three months later, the city of new york waits to see what will turn up.

with time ticking, the nypd has nearly tripled their efforts to find the man who has begun to taunt the city once again. SUSPECT ONE a new york university professor who had both clayton and jenkins in separate english classes. the only common link found between the two girls. SUSPECT TWO, a fellow student with what can only be described as an unhealthy obsession with the case. and lastly, SUSPECT THREE, the only living child of jonathan goldwyn - the one who originally turned his father in for his crimes who moved back to new york only a few years before the killings began again.

* known associates of samantha clayton: 004. young with money

* known associates of cheyenne jenkins: 007. go greek

clayton family 

FIRST CLAYTON / 45+ / FACE 

FIRST CLAYTON / 45+ / FACE 

FIRST CLAYTON / 20-26 / FACE 

FIRST CLAYTON / 20-26 / FACE (daisy)

SAMANTHA CLAYTON / 19 / FACE TBD

jenkins family 

FIRST JENKINS / 45+ / FACE 

FIRST JENKINS / 45+ / FACE 

FIRST JENKINS / 19-26 / FACE 

FIRST JENKINS / 19-26 / FACE 

FIRST JENKINS / 19-26 / FACE 

CHEYENNE JENKINS / 21 / FACE TBD

dedicated officers 

FIRST LAST / LEAD DETECTIVE / 30+ / FACE 

WESLEY JAIN / 28 / DEV PATEL 

FIRST LAST / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / AGE / FACE 

suspects

 FIRST LAST / SUSPECT 1 / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / SUSPECT 2 / 20+ / FACE 

FIRST GOLDWYN / SUSPECT 3 / 35+ / FACE

greek life (nyu alpha chi mu & tri pi)

in such a huge city, it can be easy for people of all ages to find themselves lost in the crowd. however, the hardship seems to fall unevenly on the young students that come from as far as siberia - or as close as greenwich village - to come to schools in new york city. without a campus or a physical way to corral students together, new york university has established an extensive list of activities, clubs and opportunities to get students together and make the city a little smaller.

something that sets nyu apart from its university counterparts in the city - like columbia, fordham, and countless others - is that is has a thriving network of greek life organizations that many students take advantage of when they come in as freshman. it's a home for many, a way to make connections with like-minded individuals and make use of the opportunities and connections that a fraternity or sorority offers.

in recent years, greek life at nyu has found itself hitting roadblock after roadblock. fraternities have been shut down, forbidden from hosting parties or even participating in philanthropic events. after two of the so-called top tierfraternities found themselves being pushed off campus, alpha chi mu has found themselves in an awkward position. they'd never been a top tier fraternity themselves, but with their competition gone they've moved up significantly in the ranks. now, recruitment is busier than ever with guys fighting tooth and nail for spots in what is now their best shot at being cool. the current members, in response, are both swimming in the new attention and grappling for some sense of familiarity that they've lost in the upending of their reputation.

their newfound status has surely not come without issue. the 2017-2018 school year came and went with several scandals that they successfully swept under the rug: several close calls with members getting alcohol poisoning or circulating speculation of the brothers spiking drinks at mixers with xanax (accompanied by rumors of harder drugs being sprinkled in with it). there were even whispers that a domestic dispute between a brother and his tri pi girlfriend turned violent and all the partygoers were sworn to silence, but if it really did happen, no one's saying.

despite all of this, alpha chi and nyu's top tier sorority, tri pi, are going into fall recruitment with a clean slate and a thirst for fresh blood - and fresh blood they'll get.

WHISTLEBLOWER is new to greek life, but she's not coming in without a goal. an ever-eager journalism major, she's heard the whispers around campus and saw it immediately as a chance to make a discovery and lift herself up in the process. 

WHISTLEBLOWER's vying for tri pi and for a way to get close to alpha chi and all the dirty secrets she'll be able to unearth in the process. with the threat of being exposed and kicked off campus looming just behind the clouds where they haven't seen it yet, the brothers of alpha chi mu and the sisters of tri pi are simply getting ready for recruitment and a new pledge class to get to know. little do they know, they'll have to be on their best behavior to avoid letting WHISTLEBLOWER uncover all their indiscretions.

AXM 

FIRST LAST / PRESIDENT / 21-22 / FACE 

FIRST LAST / RECRUITMENT VP / 21-22 / FACE 

FIRST LAST / COMMUNICATIONS VP / 21-22 / FACE 

CHAD BAJEK / MEMBER / 21 / TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET

ΠΠΠ 

FIRST LAST / PRESIDENT / 21-22 / FACE 

LYDIA BEATON / WHISTLEBLOWER / 20 / OLIVIA HOLT

new york city ballet

nobody goes to the ballet anymore.

at least, according to the board of the new york city ballet, one of the world’s foremost dance companies. seeing their ticket sales decline over the past decade, the board has been besides themselves figuring out how to bring in new patrons while still trying to appease the old.

one of their orders of business has been to diversify their staff. the young and ambitious M1 has recently been hired as the company’s new artistic director, charged with bringing his charisma and energy to the box office. as promised, he’s been working to siphon new, exciting talent… and to get rid of the old.

F1 is worried about this. she’s the company’s premiere principal, after all, and after years of playing the very best roles, the changing times are starting to freak her out. currently on what looks like to be a career downslide, she’s been in the studio more than ever, spending all her time and energy trying to keep her job.

which might not be enough when you’ve got girls like F2working their way up to the top — or is it sleeping? young, beautiful and reportedly not nearly as talented as she should be, she’s been recently promoted to principal dancer and is eyeing F1’s roles with hunger and determination. she swears she’s got the skill, and she puts in the time, but it probably doesn’t hurt that she’s been seeing one of the nycb’s top donors, M2, for the past couple of months, coinciding perfectly with her new gig. and that rumor about her fling with M1? well, she’ll never tell.

not that she has to, with gossips like F3 and F4 around. longtime friends of F1 and ballerinas of perfect pedigree, they’ve been doing their due diligence in spreading around petty gossip so F2 knows her behavior isn’t welcome here. F3has even been hatching a plan to leak it all to the press, once she’s got enough details… the principal spot really should’ve gone to her, after all.

will any of this matter? will the change in talent give the nycb the kick it needs to keep itself around? or will the drama playing out behind the stage be more important than what’s happening on it?

FIRST LAST / M1 (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) / 32+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / M2 (DONOR) / 25+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / F1 (PRINCIPAL DANCER) / 30+ / FACE 

ROBIN CASEY / F2 (PRINCIPAL DANCER) / 26 / DANIELLE CAMPBELL

FIRST LAST / F3 (SOLOIST) / 25+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / F4 (SOLOIST) / 20+ / FACE (daisy)

FIRST LAST / PRINCIPAL DANCER / 27+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / SOLOIST / 20+ / HWANG HYUNJIN (artemis)

WINNIE VO / SOLOIST / 22 / LANA CONDOR (jo)

FIRST LAST / CORPS DU BALLET / 20+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / DONOR / 20+ / AGE / FACE

clueless the musical

with the huge success of musicals adapted from movies, such as mean girls and anastasia, broadway's hottest trend shows no signs of dying off any time soon. maybe it's the nostalgia or maybe no one has any creative ideas left, but producers have been racing to be the ones to put on the next adapted smash hit, and it seems that each premiere generates even more buzz than the last. such is the case with writer robert kendall's latest production, clueless the musical. aptly titled after it's forefather, the classic 90s teen flick, clueless is fun, flashy, and smart. the cast, composed mostly of newcomers, bring impressive vocal chops with impeccable comedic timing to match. critics have been raving about the show - from the cast to the music to the production value - and tickets are selling out fast. but do these broadway newbies have what it takes to carry a show that will make a lasting impression or will the fading excitement of a new fad leave clueless in the dust?

FIRST LAST / CHER / AGE / FACE 

NINA JORDAN / DIONNE / 27 / LAURA HARRIER 

FIRST LAST / TAI / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / JOSH / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / CHRISTIAN / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / MURRAY / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ELTON / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / TRAVIS / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / AMBER / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / MR. HALL / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / MS. GEIST / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ENSEMBLE / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ENSEMBLE / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ENSEMBLE / AGE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ENSEMBLE / AGE / FACE

staten island yankees

ah, baseball: the great american pastime, played by kids all over the united states, loved and adored by millions. it's infiltrated american culture like few other subjects are able to do, with the mlb surpassing $10 billion dollars in revenue for the past year. the dream starts young for many, but it hardly stops once little league players grow up. so many young men across the country have taken it to the next level, playing in college or even the major leagues - but there is an intermediary step that many forget.

the minor leagues are where many people start, signed to a major league team but playing for their satellite minor league team. these players are young, fresh, hungry for blood and playing time, but they're not quite ready for everything that the major leagues offer and the responsibilities that come along with those vast opportunities. as realistic as it is to put a buffer between these young and hungry early-twenty-somethings and immeasurable fame and fortune, most of them don't see it that way.

the staten island yankees are the satellite team for the famed new york yankees, way across the river in staten island. they're small, some of them having played on bigger fields in high school or in brief stints in college before they made their way to the baby bombers, but they're mighty. as minor league goes, the staten island yankees are good.

after a pretty rough time without making it to the playoffs oncefor ten years in a row, something sparked with these underdogs. in 2015, they came out of nowhere and won the playoffs, setting an intimidating precedent for the following years. this year, they've got a promising roster of high school state champs and shining college stars that found the university circuit stage too dim for their big dreams.

all that talent comes at a cost though: egos are clashing, coaching styles are falling flat, and the whole team is wondering whether they can make a name for themselves like past years' teams have, helping themselves to stand out against all the other choices in the sea of baseball recruits. some are banding together, trying to build the team as a whole, and some are trying to shine individually - there's no telling which one will bank the most value, though, and only time will tell.

FIRST LAST / PITCHER / FACE 

FIRST LAST / CATCHER / FACE 

FIRST LAST / FIRST BASE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / SECOND BASE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / SHORT STOP / FACE 

FIRST LAST / THIRD BASE / FACE 

FIRST LAST / OUTFIELD / FACE 

FIRST LAST / OUTFIELD / FACE 

FIRST LAST / OUTFIELD / FACE 

FIRST LAST / COACH / FACE 

FIRST LAST / MANAGER / FACE

glow magazine

with magazines shuttering left and right and journalism turning to digital, glow magazine — the number one women’s magazine in the country, where you can find everything from sex tips to celebrity interviews to thinkpieces on the state of the healthcare system — is in crisis mode.

over the past few years, glow has seen its subscriptions steadily decrease, only to plummet during the last financial year. in effort to bring some money to the business, its previous publisher recently sold the glossy to vancamp media, a media stronghold interested in restoring glow to its so-called former glory — and board members such as M1, whose family founded vancamp, has ideas of how to do it.

this puts glow editor-in-chief F1 in a tough spot. revered by the journalism world and her employees alike as strong, tough and incredible at what she does, F1 is suddenly seeing many of her choices go under the microscope by a company that swears she’s bleeding money left and right.

meanwhile, the company gossip mill is churning with rumors of layoffs and lower-paid replacements. this terrifies longtime section editors while maybe piquing the interest of younger upstarts, who just might be able to turn their youth (and lower pay) into a pitch to the board for a promotion. for example, digital director F2 is starting to wonder if she could be a contender for top dog should M1 decide her mentor, F1, just isn’t cutting it in the new frontier of journalism.

in the midst of all this chaos, will the women (and men) of glow band together to create the best possible product? or will tensions turning to rivalries get the better of everyone?

FIRST VANCAMP / M1 (BOARD MEMBER) / 35+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / F1 (EIC) / 40+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / F2 (DIGITAL DIRECTOR) / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / FASHION DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / BEAUTY DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / CULTURE & NEWS DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / HEALTH & FITNESS DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / PHOTO DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / DESIGN DIRECTOR / 30+ / FACE 

FIRST LAST / (SECTION) EDITOR / 30+ / FACE 

AUTUMN ELLIS / ASST. BEAUTY EDITOR / 25 / ZOEY DEUTCH 

FIRST LAST / (SECTION) WRITER / 30+ / FACE

[globalsource-blog]

Global Source meets Mayday

Following on from last week’s post, where Global Source caught up with the girls of B.L.O.O.M. ahead of their debut night at Soup Kitchen, this week we continue our series on Manchester nightlife with an interview with Tom from Mayday, a collaborative project between two well-established names on the Manchester scene: CULT and Ossia. This Saturday at Hidden they’re hosting what looks set to be a pretty outstanding showcase of cutting-edge electronic music, with a serious roster of talent from the celebrated R&S Records, and none other than Talaboman (John Talabot and Axel Boman) headlining. Read on to find out about what it takes to throw a rave in a skatepark, the challenges of making high-end bookings as an independent promoter, and what to expect from Mayday in the coming months.

Global Source: First things first, for those unaware of what you guys are up to, can you describe Mayday in your own words? What’s it all about, and what’s the link with Ossia and CULT?

Tom from Mayday: Mayday is a collaboration between Ossia and CULT. It’s simply the joined forces of the brands. It’s opened up new possibilities for us in terms of bookings, both financially as well as by combining our roster of residents. We’re taking Mayday in a different direction from the other two brands, which tend to focus on more intimate gigs in medium-sized venues, usually showcasing 1 or 2 artists. Mayday on the other hand is all about collaboration with organisations, labels and collectives, really trying to provide some of Manchester’s most top end nightlife. Our show with Dimensions last year was a lot of fun and an amazing opportunity to bring high-calibre artists the likes  of Daniel Avery to Manchester.  

GS: Cool – nice to see a full-on long-term collaboration between the two crews. Having more of you involved must make it a little easier on the wallet to make those higher-end bookings… Does it also make it harder to agree on a lineup? What’s the decision-making process like?

TfM: The costing is definitely eased by the number in the group, sure, but it doesn’t detract from the huge risk we put on ourselves for every show! The lineup process is always a tricky one but thankfully we’re all extremely passionate about the music and appreciate artists from across the spectrum of the dance scene. There’s rarely a suggestion that gets completely shut down because ultimately we’d love to have everyone play for us. Most of the time the main restriction is availability and the booking costs of the artists, we may agree on a 5 stage contingency of acts we want and get in touch with them all, only to find out that they’re all booked, taking the month off, or tied up in something else. Finding a solution is one of the fun bits though, trying to work out who would fit with who, whether they played too recently or too near, all these things come into play.

GS: So back in June you guys hosted an event at Manchester’s Projekts skatepark, where you had Mall Grab and Shanti Celeste play. How did that event come about? I saw some pretty funny video of people who’d had a few too many trying to negotiate a quarter pipe – did you have to do a risk assessment?

TfM: We scouted out the skatepark because we saw that UKF had done an event there a couple of years back. It looked like a wicked event so we got in touch and they were fortunately interested in having us in. They have to get a TEN [Temporary Event Notice] to have an event there but even with that we got the council coming over an hour before the licence expired telling us to pull the plug. Luckily we managed to pull a filibuster and sweet talked them for the hour so that we didn’t have to shut down before Mall Grab finished! The venue was covered with a risk assessment already but we had to take out insurance in case anyone did bail on the quarter pipe while trying to backside blunt and split their chin open. Luckily everyone partied *fairly* sensibly and we didn’t have any issues. There’s always an element of mutual trust when holding events like that, and with a crowd who are there for the music not because they’re at “UNAYYY” and love chanting about the most recent footballer caught up in a controversy we were alright.

GS: I’m sure you heard about the recent controversy caused by Jeremy Underground’s agent threatening to bite someone if they didn’t book a 5 star hotel with a gym and sauna for his client. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get your take on it – should top DJs feel entitled to a post-set spa session? Is there anyone you guys rate highly enough that you’d pay for their sauna to get them on the bill?

TfM: To be honest most tier 1 artists require 5* hotels with room service, wifi, leisure facilities, all expenses covered, upmarket dinner, excessive riders etc. It doesn’t come as any surprise to me that JU asked for those extra facilities because as he said, he had a very busy week of shows. That said we’re always careful to read the contract beforehand to know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into. Everything is negotiable, so as long as you don’t blindly sign bits of paper you should know what to expect. Changing agreements last minute on the other hand isn’t okay. It’s a bit of a confusing situation and it seems that the agent and the promoters were both slightly in the wrong - Jeremy offered to pay for it all himself so in my eyes he wasn’t being out of order. Personally I’d let Dixon have my house keys, all of my savings, any current girlfriends, my watch and my best pair of shoes because I think he is an absolute god. Whether I speak for the rest of the Mayday team is another question but he holds a special place in my heart!

GS: While we’re on the subject of big bookings, at this time of year as we all know it’s Warehouse Project season. Obviously they’ve elevated the standing of Manchester’s club scene on the world stage as a heavyweight contender, but some feel they’re unfairly monopolizing the market. As a smaller outfit, what do you feel are the pros and cons of the WHP brand?  

TfM: I remember a great piece of convo I had with Toby who was the original Ossia don, saying that he didn't mind WHP before this year because as much as they got most of the huge names they tended to leave a decent gap for more niche artists. This year they've just snapped up so many acts we wanted to book who we thought were a little more under the radar. So, kudos to them for improving the programming but also, rahhhhhhh. It's the exclusivity contracts that grind our gears – it takes away so many options for booking talent we truly love and who would provide a totally different show in a smaller venue that wouldn’t detract from Warehouse Project’s ticket sales. But there you go, they operate like a business whereas a lot of promoters do it for the love of the scene.  I can't help but thank them for making the Manchester nightlife so revered, no doubt they're a credit to the city and the scene as well as a pain in the arse. I remember my friends travelling from down south to attend WHP a few years back and it’s always drawn people to Manchester. I’d love to see them find a better venue because I’ve definitely fallen out of love with Store Street, but maybe I take that back because it might make our lives even harder!

GS: Yeah it’s definitely a tough one, hard to argue with the lineups they put together but seeing the corporatisation of the “underground” music scene does leave a sour taste in the mouth. Anyway, enough party politics for now. Let’s get to the matter at hand – this Saturday!  You guys are bringing the legendary R&S Records to Hidden. It’s a hell of a lineup, with Talaboman headlining, and you’ve even arranged an in-store pre-party with Space Dimension Controller at Eastern Bloc Records. How are you guys feeling about it? Looks set to be a night to remember…  

TfM: Safe to say we’ve all been absolutely buzzing for this show ever since we got the go ahead from R&S. They’re a household name in the dance music scene and have proved time and time again that venturing into the unknown and embracing diversity in your taste creates a successful following. Their roster of artists is so impressive and we’re blessed to have Paula Temple, SDC and Renaat. Paula especially has been on our watchlist for a while, and ever since Ossia had SDC do a DJ set a couple of year back we’ve been gagging to see him perform live! Talaboman as the special guest was a no brainer for us - since the two heavyweights joined forces we’ve all been drooling over the prospect of seeing them play together. The fact we’ve got them on a line up is a dream come true. Excitement in the Mayday camp is second to none and we just hope that everyone who plans on joining us brings immense energy and we have a proper party!

GS: I have no doubt that’s what it’ll be. Tom, thanks for your time, and all the best for Saturday night and the year to come – can’t wait to hear what’s next on the Mayday Agenda. Any clues as to what that might be?

TfM: I can't give too much away yet but we've got something special lined up for next may… think Bongos Bingo and Schloss!

There are still a few tickets available for Saturday night, go cop right here.

Check out the videos below for a hint of what you can expect music-wise on the night:

Talaboman - Loser’s Hymn

Space Dimension Controller @ Dekmantel 2017

Paula Temple - Ful (R&S)