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Hard House Academy's 4th Birthday - Interview with Will and Gary Frantic.
Reported by Steve Milton
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Submitted 17-10-04 12:31
As the years dives headlong into winter and leaves the summer firmly behind the hard dance calendar moves into overdrive and this years opulence would certainly be incomplete without the final instalment of the Hard House Academy for 2004. As one of the most successful events in the country HHA celebrates it’s fourth birthday on the 23rd October so as a lead up to this I locked horns with the men behind the event, Will and Gary from Frantic to find out a little more of what makes them tick and the effort involved in putting an event such as this together.
NS: What was the original concept behind HHA and do you think you’ve achieved everything you set out to?
Will: The original concept behind HHA was to try and put together the biggest ever celebration of Hard House in the UK. Up to that point Hard House had only been relegated to the smaller room at events like Return to the Source and Pendragon in London or Crasher or Godskitchen events in the North or Midlands.
As a club Frantic also wanted to take on the challenge of filling such a massive space and we also wanted the chance to give more exposure to DJ’s like Phil Reynolds, Andy Farley and BK and other artists that we really believed were able to deliver a brilliant night out.
It was a very, very nerve racking experience! Every time we went to visit the venue I used to go home feeling sick at the thought of having to fill it and honestly its still the same now 4 years and 13 sell out HHAs later as there is nothing quite like the size of the main room to concentrate your mind!
Whether we have achieved our original goals of giving Hard House, Frantic and our DJ’s more exposure is something only other people can decide. Being so involved in the event from day 1 it’s difficult to be dispassionate about something that has dominated my life for so long! I certainly hope that we have given all of the clubbers who attended the parties a wonderful night out and gone some way to represent some of the amazing DJ’s we have in Hard House and Trance!
Over time it has certainly changed the way I work on my other events and led to a much more critical approach to the whole production angle. Before we did HHA we used to spend all our money and I mean all our money on DJ’s as I was so determined to play my heroes from Trade, Sundissential and elsewhere but HHA really taught me that there is more to the night than just the music. The size and scale of Academy and the fact that it is an empty shell when you arrive on the Saturday morning focussed Frantic to design what we hope were exciting and next generation shows using talented lighting, sound and visual technicians to create shows that rival the West End musicals but with harder music!
NS: Following on from that, how important is it that an event such as this develops and yet still maintains it’s core principals as per the original concept.
Will: I think it’s vital that like any great product or club that HHA retains core values while constantly innovating to provide something unquestionably new and different.
At its core we remain committed to the music we love like nothing else, which is the kicking sounds of Hard House and Hard Trance. As the promoter I regularly go to 7 or 8 clubs every weekend and spend the week on websites and talking to scouts across the country looking for that next great DJ or looking again at someone I have used in the past. If you like I see the line up at HHA as representing the Best 11 in Hard House at the time. I want 40+ DJ’s that represent the cream of the crop, that really set alight the audience. I want DJ,s that spend their time seeking that great anthem, that practice like an Olympic athlete and love and live the music like their life depended upon it! I think artists like Paul Glazby, Rob Tissera, Lisa Pin Up and LAB4 live up the hype and make the weekend the highlight for many thousands of happy clubbers across the world!
We also remain committed to putting on a SHOW. We spend many weeks and months with at least 4 different design companies working on this show. We have to spend at least 14 hours building stages, hanging lights, visuals and decor and testing the sound on the day and nothing is too much trouble in getting everything right.
We do however seek to change what we are offering. For this 4th Birthday HHA we are making these following changes: - LAB4 are going on their own 2nd stage. This is the first time they has ever been a second stage at a club event at the Academy. - We are putting Funktion One Sound throughout the venue. This is widely thought of as being the finest sound system in the business in 2004 and we have successfully used it at the Coronet to great acclaim. - We are looking for DJs that interact with the crowd. Whether it is Andy Whitby doing his 'Whitby Walk' to the front of the stage or Proteus and his mad stage show we want the DJ’s to be going off like the crowd! - We are filming the whole night for our second DVD release, which will be coming out in Jan. We are now seeking to use our clips of the night as promotion rather than relying on flyers as we did until recently.
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NS: Brixton Academy has had its critics over the years as a venue with regards to this type of event. How is it that you seem to make HHA successful in the face of this criticism?
Gary: What we are trying to offer with all the Academy gigs is to give people the best and most varied line-ups, the most advanced sound systems available, we give the DJ’s the chance to play on the latest equipment, we try to incorporate the most impressive visuals and laser/lighting technology, along with the latest inflatable and the most stunning décor we have to offer. And by using different equipment suppliers for each gig, we ensure that the look of each Academy party is always fresh and new.
NS: What are the main considerations with regards to production values for Brixton Academy and if you had the chance what one thing would you change about the venue.
Gary: For the last couple of years the management have been exploring plans to modify the structure of the building above the stage, where a sort of mezzanine section currently exists. This area has fallen into disuse, and it would be great if it could be used as a VIP area or something along those lines. It would also be nice to see a permanent dance floor installed instead of the having to hire out one especially for each event. And obviously it would be nice to have the toilets renovated, but I think that can be said for most clubs! Other than, it rocks!
NS: HHA is going to have two stages in the main room, what was the thinking behind this as opposed to the tried and trusted single stage?
Gary: We were talking about where to put LAB4, and we wanted to do something different about it. I’d seen something done at a previous gig at the venue that inspired us to try and use the auditorium to a better effect, as opposed to the standard layout. That’s all I’m saying for now! 
NS: From and organisational and technical point of view the two stages must complicate things enormously. Has there been any problems dealing with this or has it all been smooth sailing?
Gary: As it always is with doing something different, it is never going to be easy. Especially when you are dealing with so many different technical companies, it is important to ensure that everyone is ‘speaking the same language’ on the day of the event. There have been a few headaches, but rest assured it will be fine on the night!
NS: Both Lashed and HHA have got a pretty big following now so do you think there’s ever the danger of the Frantic brand becoming over exposed?
Will: I definitely think we were guilty of overexposure in 2003. We ended up doing 48 nighttime gigs in that year and in hindsight this was too much. At the time we were under pressure from venues to take on more dates and it’s hard to say no to managers who have been very helpful in the past in getting you into the venue in the first place. That said it robbed me of the chance to sit back and reflect on what was working and what wasn’t and it did lead to Frantic becoming a little formulaic. This year we have really cut back so that we have time to go out of London and look at how other people design their light and sound shows and to look at new and different DJ’s and lastly to concentrate on improving the look and feel of the flyers and other marketing material.
NS: Daytime events like Riot seem to be becoming more and more popular these days, not only as after parties but as events in their own right. Is this something that just happened and you supplied from the demand or is it something you’ve consciously driven from the word go?
Will: Hard House really began in daytime events like Trade and Sunny Side Up and it’s always been a vital part of what has arguably been the most hedonistic scene in UK clubland! Over the last 5 years it has been possible to go to upwards of 10 clubs during a typical 48 hour Hard House Weekend and clubs like Riot and Twist have played a vital part in keeping the scene alive. So in answer to your question daytime events were where I first started going clubbing and they have remained there throughout my time as a promoter. I used to run Provocation every Sunday morning for nigh on 2 years and to be honest Id be in clubs all week if I could so when I was asked to help with Riot I jumped at the chance as out of all the clubs playing Hard House it was more similar to Frantic in that they tended to focus on Hard House DJs that had a national following and tended more towards Hard House rather than the prevailing Hard Trance sound of say Heat or Twisted or Tasty.
Gary: Well as you may know, Frantic have often been involved in after parties and day parties, from Provocation in the early days to Hardware more recently, so in that sense we have been at the forefront of the after party scene for the majority of the last few years. And now with our involvement in Riot!, we continue the trend.
NS: Moving on, have points been raised in the past on open forums regarding your promotions that you’ve considered valid and acted upon?
Will: There have been quite a few points raised on Harderfaster and elsewhere
that we have acted on:
- Venues: We move around venues so that each night is different and exciting and each one a new show. In the past we tended to use less venues but we find that clubbers love to go on a journey to somewhere they haven’t been or don’t go often and it gives us the chance to design a new light and sound show like we have done at the Coronet and this challenge keeps us on our toes.
- DJ’s: In the past we have been guilty of playing too small a range of DJ’s and keeping the same range for too long. We now look long and hard for new DJ’s and at the moment we are very excited by Andy Whitby, rising stars like Lucy Fur, Donna Birt, Ben Stevens, Cally Gage and many more. We have announced Andy as our new resident and we will shortly be announcing 2 more new residents for Frantic and 2 new residents for Convergence.
- Genres: In the past we stuck to playing Hard House and nothing else. We are glad we listened and now play everything from techno to breaks, house to Hardcore. We are really thrilled about the breaks room at the next Lashed on Nov5th, the Hardcore Till I Die Room at Frantic vs Wildchild on Nov 27th and the Techno room at the Lashed Birthday on Dec18th.
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NS: So would you say promoter/clubber communication is one of the major reasons Frantic have become so successful?
Will: Totally. One of the reasons I go out to 7 clubs a weekend is to talk to clubbers and listen to their concerns and interests. A good example is the Nu Energy Collective. I had 10 people text me when they played at Logic Summer 2003 saying I should book them or Andy Whitby, 4 friends in the North called me to say I should book him.
NS: Finally, I recently acquired a set of decks and am now attempting to teach myself (with the help of some friends) to mix. When I’m good enough how about a set at one of your big events? *Laughs*
Will: Errr...I’ll get back to on that one! 
So there you have it. Even though my future as a DJ with Frantic looks a tad questionable I’m sure you’ll agree the effort these guys put in can only be of benefit to both promotions and clubber alike as the standards and values are pushed ever further in the quest for the perfect party.The Hard House Academy's final flourish of 2004 kicks off on the 23rd October, lets see how good things can really get. 
Thanks go to Joeyxx for the great photo's.
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Other Features By Steve Milton:
The Final Zoo
The Death of Clubland?
Trousers, Caps and Trance Anthems - It's Dave Pearce!
Boom Box, Bulldog Breaks and V1 - It's Time to Reload with DJ-X(lab4)
Clubbers Guide to Photography: Part Two
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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![[HarderFaster] - Work Hard, Play Harder!](/images/mainbanner_top1.gif)
and so does my Swedish friend who come over ONLY when HHA it's on! He hasn't missed a single one since his first time back in Feb 2003. Good work to the frantic team! 
to will and gary!
