OK…. first off – before you get on a high horse and say I was 6 or whatever – I’ve been part of the free party scene since pretty much the start of “rave” culture (I often say the state of me is down to the Spirals – they changed the way I looked at lots of things:wink:), and have done the blood sweat and tears thing (still do in fact – I own a rig, and put parties on – rig built with own hands, and parties ‘cos I enjoy making people dance).

The kind of shite you’re promoting is more to blame for the state of the party scene than any band can be – agro breeds agro (and yes, I demonstrated against the CJA before you ask).

SIMPLE FACT – The police hold more power in this country than a bunch of ravers do.

SIMPLE FACT #2 – throwing bottles at them and hurling abuse will give them all the reason they need to shut down any party we do.

SIMPLE FACT #3 – The more often this is done, the more they can roll out the media image of ravers as a bunch of tossers, who don’t care what happens as long as they can have their fun….

Actions do speak louder than words as you say. So how many free parties have you organised?
It is a lifestyle for some, but there’s no way it can be for all. We all still have to live after all, and unless you have rich parents, you need to have a way to make the money needed to live.
I remember free parties that Liam went to in the early nineties (didn’t get to any of them unfortunately, as they mostly happened around Essex, but had friends who did). The professional musician thing – Sorry, but that’s the kind of thing that you need to say when you are pro, and are getting media flak for promoting something that is illegal (see the Shamen and their answers to questions about Ebeneezer Goode:groucho:).

Liam Howlett and the Prodigy have done more for the party scene than pretty much anyone else (excepting the Spirals, and possibly DIY), because they took the message to lots of people who never would have heard it otherwise. And they make bloody good music. As for selling the free party scene out – the only people who actually believe that are the ones who can’t see past the end of their own noses… The same people who make life difficult for those of us who are doing, by making the police and the general public hate us.

Think about that next time you feel like rioting:you_crazy

The rich parents thing – a general comment about the fact that it’s usually people who have nothing to lose that are happy to cause agro at parties when the old bll turn up (and btw – you’re wearing rose tinted specs wrt the old parties – I was there too, and I remember plenty cash being made in various ways that I won’t go into here for obvious reasons).

The obvious question though – why should people pay for scrap metal or antiques, and not pay for music? Musicians have to live too…

What’s a hobby to you (and me these days), is the way musicians put food on the table. You can rail all you want about capitalists etc, but that’s how the world is at the moment – even you have to make money to live after all….

Sorry, I have to agree with MrAHC to a certain extent.

I believe musicians should get paid for their productions (not to the level that a lot of dj’s do though) but the Prodigy did sell out and openly slated dance music, parties and dj’s at one point. That’s when I went off them as people, they got rich off the back of the rave scene and then left it behind when the money and fame started rolling in. They turned in to self obsessed twits.

Doesn’t detract from their music though. Jilted & Experience are great albums, can’t say the same for the rest of their stuff I’m afraid, although I do like some bits and pieces.

Musicians: Make money for yourself but never get so self absorbed that you believe you are more important than the scene and people that helped create you.

Agree about the music (excepting firestarter, the latest albums have left me cold). Too much coke IMO…

Doesn’t mean they didn’t do a lot for the scene though (and at the time they “sold out”, I can’t blame them to an extent – the scene was up it’s arse)…

And bang on with the last bit…

Good to see you over it, and back on planet earth…:wink:

ya need to hav dignity in ur convictions, no1s gun pay ne attention to ur views if thas how ya go about puttin ur point across

http://www.partyvibe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=20311

:yawn: :yawn:

No..i’m tired and worried

I have a friend in Copenhagen who right now is fighting his ass off to keep that house..He might even be in jail..I don’t know..

But what I know is that he is out there fighting for what he believes in,not sitting in here moaning because things dont go his way..

He still talks nice to people and don’t go around making everybody his enemy

I have to say I can’t see the difference between MrAHC and friends disrupting a Prodigy concert (because they disagreed with the Prodigy’s commercial success) and the “leftie” activists disrupting the ballet because that BNP woman was there – an action which MrAHC was criticising.

this would surely also mean that the Prodigy also have the right in a free country to make a decision to work with the mainstream music industry without harrasment, however much anyone may disagree with their decision…

We also have the option to protest by not buying records or not attending a performance if you do not like the performer, rather than creating a scene. Often this is way more effective.

If an artists “sells out” and their content becomes too diluted people stop supporting them.

I personally think that the Prodigy didn’t make any good tunes after 1992, so I stopped buying them.

As for the CJA, it was beefed up in 2004 and can be (and is) increasingly used against “mainstream” licensed venues these days when there are violent incidents or even excessive tolerance of drug use, or even just “excessive noise”.

These days even a “disco” – held in a licensed venue on a commercial basis – can be deemed subversive and shut down on the whim of a few coppers.

Thats what we are all up against.

That is word for word is how i got into this scene..this is how it went

firestarter=prodigy=unhealthy obcession=the earlier stuff (experience)=more obcession=the biography=finding out about this “free party” scene=typing free party into google= me 2 years later :weee:

well said my friend, as i said in the other thread, defeatism grips a lot of us, but fuck that, stand against it

but we gotta use our heads innit, throwin bottles n shit aint gonna solve anythin. we need to start gettin clever