Kenny Summit Born Again Good for You Records
Kenny Top: DJ, Producer and Owner of The Cure and The Cause
And then things got a little heated today with our recent post on LA's Cure and the Crusade DJ policy. Then we idea we go to the source and go his thoughts in more detail.
Kenny Summit, owner of the Cure And The Cause, gives us the scoop on why they gear up their current DJ berth policy, an update on the club and his thoughts on the House music status quo.
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This whole opinion on no laptops and controllers has sparked up quite a controversy. Tin can you please elaborate on your DJ booth policy at the Cure And The Cause?
KS: We have Business firm music events iv nights per calendar week. So we get A LOT of DJs coming through the social club every calendar week. We have the occasional large headliner (unexpected for such a small venue), and nosotros likewise go a lot of locals and young DJs who get hired past promoters to warm upwardly the room. The problem lies with the opening DJs (mostly), many of them show up with a laptop and controller, and that'southward all they've e'er used. That's a problem. They don't know what to connect with our Pioneer organization; they have no clue what they're plugging in or what plugs they're taking out.
Now I know young DJs have to cut their teeth, and that's why we give the promoters the opportunity to bring in their own DJs to open... only its gotten to the point where information technology's like an epidemic with these DJs who oasis't bothered to go the full distance and LEARN how to set their shit upwards without interrupting the flow of the night. Midnight is not the ideal time to turn the mixer off, pull information technology out and start guessing which port to plug your Traktor into.
I'm OLD, I know, I come from a fourth dimension when DJs didn't cartel leave their house unless they knew they could put on a good performance. But we also took pride in knowing the equipment, knowing how to set up up every component in the DJ booth. The kids just don't seem to give a fuck today. We immersed ourselves into the culture whereas this is now just a stupid hobby that anyone and everyone seem to have picked up.
Many people believe that the art of mixing has been lost with many of the new DJs, what are your thoughts on the topic?
KS: I'thou a New Jersey / New York guild vet, so I've got mixed signals when it comes to that argue. I've had the pleasure of being entranced by David Mancuso, a homo who simply does non mix, nevertheless has impeccable selection. Nicky Siano, another long fourth dimension favorite of mine, not exactly known for riding a mix, but every time I've come out to hear him, DJ, I would leave with swollen feet. And then there're people like Tenaglia, who tin can go 12 hours without every fifty-fifty slightly going off with his mixes. Danny Krivit, Tony Humphries, Frankie Duke, David Morales, these guys could do it all and I've had the pleasance of playing with all of them, and so I've witnessed first hand all the types of transitioning from one record to the next and how information technology translates to the crowd on those dissimilar dancefloors.
Aforementioned with Hip-Hop, I spent most of my early days behind the turntables trying to mimic Cerise Alert and when information technology came down to rocking a expert Hip-Hop outcome it all came downwards to selection. Certain it helps if you could transition from 1 track to the next in a manner that keeps the vibe, just I recall selection is the matter that'due south been lost more mixing. I say that because today mixing is not hard because of the applied science. Even on the CDJs you got the sync characteristic. Merely I'd LOVE to meet these kids effort and play an all rare grooves set where the drums are live, and you gotta REALLY stay on top of the mix. So no, I don't recollect mixing has been lost. That is an easily learned/taught skill that I call back anyone who can tap out a 4x4 shell can option up relatively chop-chop. I call up the real loss has been the music selection.
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Tell us more about Cure And The Cause. What's behind the proper name? What'south the music policy? Why start another club in such turbulent environment?
KS: Its basically an former Gaelic saying about liquor: information technology's the cure and the crusade for all your troubles and happiness. It's something that's been carried on by my family who have been in the liquor business through prohibition. Our mission argument is simple: provide tasteful, quality hole-and-corner house music to the people of Los Angeles while featuring as much local talent as possible. While living in NYC, I was lucky to exist involved with some successful nightclub ventures, and when I moved to LA, I promised myself I'd never open another club. Merely my buddy DJ Fido found a deal nosotros really could not decline and then we opened Cure And The Cause. I wouldn't consider the club globe in LA turbulent at all. I'd call it corporate every bit it lacks whatsoever semblance of soul or passion. I don't know one order possessor hither correct at present who opened their doors for anything other than to brand money. I think King King was the last bastion of hope for anyone seeking surreptitious satisfaction from a legal venue. I don't know, though, I've only been here for iv years so it's not fair for me to judge.
Tell us more nearly your label?
KS: Skilful For You Records just had a birthday, it turned four years old this past March. The label focuses on house for the most part. It'south been a great learning experience owning/operating GFY, I've got to work with a lot of my inspirations and made some life-long friends in the procedure. Frankie Duke was plain a big part of the label getting started. Eric Kupper continues to be my rock in the sea of bullshit that is the music business organisation. We've had a good dozen or and then #i releases, virtually 50 top 10'southward by at present. It's forever changing, like, it'due south always morphing into what I like more and more, it's refining itself I recall. Got some great tunes out at the moment past Terrence Parker, Vanilla Ace, Joeski, Chaka Kenn, myself and of form the PROPER duo which is Eric Kupper and me. A lot of cool shit happening for the GFY family this twelvemonth.
Would you lot ever curve the rules for someone like Louie Vega, etc.?
Louie Vega can do whatever he wants!
KS: If Louie wants to play on a fuckin Commodore 64 at this guild, he is more than than welcome to. We're banning the idiots that don't know how to apply them. Obviously, DJs like Louie or Kenny Dope or Whatsoever seasoned veteran are welcome to apply whatever the hell they want to use. This ban on laptops is a more similar a ban on the people who can't bother to learn how to exist a real professional and learn how to setup and break down their equipment without Whatsoever disturbance in the night. Simply yep, I'd actually enquire Louie to use USBs or vinyl and if he said NO, I'd be like "alright." lol.
Are you hopeful for the Business firm music scene these days? How has the reception been then far to the club and the music policy? Are you getting younger patrons coming out or merely older heads?
KS: I don't really focus on anything outside of House music, so I might not exist the right person to enquire about it. From my standpoint, House music has grown tremendously thanks to the EDM shit. I think a lot those kids who were really into EDM 4/5 years agone grew up, did a little googling as to where that cool dance music came from and they've started to embrace real House music.
Again, our policy is but Firm music. Not to say we don't veer off occasionally and play funk and soul and some proper tru-schoolhouse Hip-Hop, but for the most office, our music policy has been embraced by the crowd we've focused on as our target demographic. This is non my first rodeo. I've had the dumb luck and pleasance of working with the All-time lodge owners in the world in NYC: from Ian Schrager (owner of the original Studio 54, now owns W Hotels) to John Blair (probably THE almost influential promoter ever in the history of NYC), Peter Gatien (Tunnel, Limelight, Palladium), and finally David Sarner who in my opinion is the most knowledged person in nightlife alive today. I got to piece of work with each of them closely over the years and was extremely lucky to selection up bits and pieces of the puzzle until I put together a full picture of how the social club globe works and how to make good coin owning a club.
We opened Cure And The Cause 4 months agone with Zilch upkeep for marketing, talent, promotions or advertizement and nosotros did information technology with but 1 week'due south advanced discover that we were going to open. Now we take parties every Wednesday, Th, Friday & Saturday night, and we're booked out for the next three months. I was talking with an old colleague concluding night virtually how we went from nil to something in only 4 months with no investors, no budgets and we did this while focusing on the smallest demographic of lodge goers: underground House fans. If you know some other person who tin pull that off, I'd like to run across them.
As far as our oversupply goes, information technology'southward always a squeamish mix of people; from 21 to fifty-something, our crowd is an ideal mix of black, white, gay, direct, burners, hippies, cholos, freaks, geeks, queens, y'all name it, and they can probably be found on our dancefloor.
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Source: https://www.magneticmag.com/2016/06/kenny-summit-speaks-up-about-the-cure-and-the-causes-controversial-dj-booth-policy-and-the-status-quo/
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