Ritual @ Redzone Col >> ATB, RICHARD HUMPTY VISSION

I thought that this might happen. The first name to spin that doesn't ring a bell in every clubbers head because they aren't mainstream trance and no one shows up. What ashame, I love Marco Carola and he deserves to play to a packed house, he is too talented to not have a packed house. Anyway more details about his set would be great, I'm sure whoever went was in for a good one.
 
Still smiling....

Alright, it is Sunday evening, and I've finally gotten to a point where I can get online and comment ;)

The show? Well, I forgot Quantum was opening, which I regret. I have a personal thing with ice-9 from Canada and need Quantum to autograph a pic that I can send to icee...and I missed my chance. Also, for most of his set, I was too excited to see everyone and I missed a lot of his music. I can't criticize what I heard, and I can say he never made me stop what I was doing and wonder wtf was going on - I guess you'd call that a weak nod of support, with an apology for being more attentive. For Marco, I hadn't heard him before, didn't know what to expect. While the crowd wasn't all that large, I didn't notice anyone not having a good time. I didn't get to break down his set with anyone afterwards, but from my own perspective he was worth it. I recall one specific thought as he played on and I took a close look at the wide range of people in attendance - the set was going smooth and with the right amount of energy to make a good time for anyone here that was sober, drunk, or falling into the "other" category. A solid dj whom I would guess is just starting his headlining phase of his career. Would I travel 3 hrs for just him? Probably not. Would I travel for a show that he was in - well, he'd make me lean towards the yes category, that's for sure. For the club itself (not having been in it before), I liked the layout. I understand it was only the main room with a VIP balcony (which appeared to be open to all that night), with plenty of opportunities to chill, hang out in a dark corner and talk with friends, dance, or get right up at the stage and dance like a crazed monkey. I heard there were other rooms, but I understand this show was aimed smaller, and the venue accommodated it well by keeping other rooms closed. One complaint, if I have to find something to improve upon - the bartending. Cost of drinks the club controls (I've still got sticker shock), but mix of drinks - I'll say that the first round I bought was way way strong to the point that several of us switched to beer for the remainder of the time, and the second factor was that what I ordered was not what I got. It wasn't so loud or crowded she couldn't hear me, she just got it very wrong and I switched to the safety of beer for the night (hard to screw that up). I want to end my event/club review by stating publicly how much I appreciate what Mike/Ritual does. I had a reminder of much goes into a show (flyers, banners, video) as well as discuss with some friends all the hassels of booking venues, dealing with security and club owners and local law, busting one's ass even for a medium-small show with a low but decent turnout. I thanked you in person while I was there, but I'm giving Ritual another shout out here - Thank you, for all you do for the MW Scene.

Now, to take the personal side of this review. It friggin kicked ass and a half. Best time I've had in nearly a year and I'm so glad I went. Cravn & Whirly, I'm torn between personal gratitude for the limited time I've had with you and the sadness of watching you leave. BUT, But, but...I will do everything I can to put the wife on a plane and visit you guys once you get settled into the left coast. BBB & Tranceecee, words can't come close to what it was like to hang out with you, though I tried my best to describe it to my wife. Trust me though, she's excited to come with me this summer and spend some time with you guys as we ride around King's Island and hangout in general. While Trancey was always be a pleasure to listen to, I was very pleasantly suprised with BBB's chillness and ...how do I describe it...."good guy" to the core. fallenangel, sorry we didn't spend more time together, though I could tell immediately you'd be someone I'd love to see for anything else we can meetup for. You are a wonderful woman who's company is always a pleasure. I know there were more people in the room, and I could shout out to all, but I didn't get the chance to really talk with very many people other than Missy (didn't catch a bluelight name). You were perhaps the greatest suprise for me of all. Sweet, special, and genuinely nice. I really do look forward to seeing you and Pat in the future. For the others, I'll do better at hanging out next time and not monopolize Trancey's time (though I'll need a lot of it ;) ) and until then - stay cool.

Thanks to all for a memorable bluelight time. A&Z - travel safe, you will be missed. :(
 
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I was in town from Chicago, so I went to this, haven't been to the redzone in almost 2 years and always had a good time there. Like what was said above, I thought there would be more people there. I think the lower attendance was due to a couple of things, like Gerr UT said about not being mainstream trance, and also how the events in c-bus revolve around the schedule of the University(finals next week). I also thought the bartenders were making the drinks a little strong. The guy bartender also tried to rip me off towards the end of the night, I'm already paying $8 for a red bull and vodka, don't try to give me $2 back when I just gave you a $20 bill. So that was rather annoying considering I had been tipping well the entire night. That being said, the music was banging, and the opening DJ(Quantum right?) was really good too, I enjoyed his set. So I had a good time, hopefully hope to hit up the redzone again relativley soon.
 
Re: Still smiling....

TheLoveBandit said:
A solid dj whom I would guess is just starting his headlining phase of his career. [/B]
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marco has been headlining some of the world's largest and most prestigious festivals for years. i'm sure he was headlining in europe by '98 (if not earlier) and already an established producer and label owner by that year. today he's by far one of the best dj's in the world - and i'm talking top 5 - and as a producer i'd put him up there with beyer and surgeon which basicaly means he one of the best. marco carola is also a partner in elp medien, which is home to some of the worlds best producers and labels across the house/techno/electro spectrum.

check out www.zenitmedien.com (sick loops from zenit artists play when you view this site) and www.elpmedien.com
 
This was pretty much what I expected; leave it to Columbus to completely fall flat attendence-wise when someone even remotely left-of-mainstream comes to town. I'm sure there will be a crowd for ATB or RHV or whatever garbage is in town next. With the exception of the Penetrate and Proceed events (and whoever was responsible for bringing David Alvarado last year), Columbus promoters, both rave and club, have done everything possible to dumb down their bookings as much as possible over the last few years and I think last Friday night was a direct consequence of that. The leads to quotes like this (already pointed out by the poster above me):
A solid dj whom I would guess is just starting his headlining phase of his career.
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No, he's not starting his headling phase of his career. He has, in fact, headlined events (both club and rave) in Columbus before numerous times. Carola can easily pack in thousands in most cities, which is why it's so frustrating to see such a small turnout.


That said, I had an enjoyable time over all. Saw a good spread of the small and crippled Columbus techno scene, and thus a few faces I haven't seen for a while. The Red Zone seemed a bit less cluttered layout wise, althought maybe this was just because it wasn't crowded. I'm not sure if they "minimalized" the lighting for Marco Carola, but either way the lighting was a huge improvement over what I remember the Red Zone usually looking like. The sound quality was awful; I'm assuming something was wrong, though, otherwise whoever configured that rig should be beaten with a rubber hose.

Carola's set wasn't particularly exciting; he doesn't seem to have evolved much since the last time I saw him, which was at a Subsonik event in Dayton a while back. It was reasonably interesting, though, and it was nice as it was the first time I've heard looped/banging techno on a full system in Columbus for a while. Whoever the opening act was, however, was horrible and should be banished back to whatever glowstick lit rave-hell he came from.
 
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this was my last event in ohio before andy (cravNbeets) and i move out west. it was def. a night to remember.

i've seen marco before and i didn't think he was that great, but this was at DEMF and i think that most of the acts aren't up to par. this time though, i was def, impressed, so i'm glad i gave him a second chance.

i didn't mind that attendance was low at the club b/c my friends were there and that's all that really mattered to me. good friends and good music.

it was awesome that reed came down and partied with us all night and half the day. what a rock star! :) it was also great to party with cee cee and brian as always. arron, i'm glad you came up too. i hope andy and i could make you smile. pat and missy are always a blast and i def. wish i could have met you guys sooner. i was glad to have gotten to know mike and justin better. you guys are awesome. i made a CD with the pics i took of you. andy can give it to you when he sees you.

mike (ritual) i have a pic that i took of andy and you that he needs to email you, so remind him. thanks for putting on a great night for us.

and to everyone unnamed, you all contributed to a wonderful last hooraw!
 
Thanks to those who are educating me a little more in regards to Marco. As I said, I hadn't heard him, and I was judging his career on the attendence (my mistake). I do need to make one other comment that struck me about his performance. The stage appeard to have 3-4 turntables, and he had his Mac-top hooked up. I know most people these days integrate computuers into thier set, either to help transition or lay a background for the records to play over, but I've been extremely cynical of any such thing in the past. After watching Crystal Method perform 'live' and having the music never miss a beat while a keyboard fell on the floor and the guy took 20 seconds to stare at it then get on his knees and bang on it out of sequence (read 'DAT performance') and catching uberzone playing a 'live' set in which the music was mixing and scratching but the guy at the decks was literally resting a hand motionless on a record.....I just hate the concept of pulling a milli-vanilli with a computer. I can honestly say that I am very critical of such acts, and from what I saw, Carola was definitely working it all together - nothing was faked. That is something I can respect and appreciate.
 
Well from the looks of things, all the bluelighters who posted about this show, compact, Javeryt, and whirlpool this was a quality night, which is what I expected. I also feel that from just reading posts by compact and Javeryt that they have a lot of knowledge about QUALITY TECHNO! not to take anything away from whirlpool. I personally love Marco Carola and really wish that I could have seen him play. I am currently in the U.K. and I know for a fact that when he plays in London, not only does it sell out, all the old school kids come out and show respect, where respect is deserved. I again see why Mike always has to book mainstream, I don't blame him, no one wants to lose money. Although I will say that he still does a very nice job of throwing in the Marco Carola's and John Acquaviva's for those that know. I am really hoping to catch Carola while over here because I'm sure he would be playing in top form.
 
i had a great time. yes of course the turn out sucked but i've begin to expect that. how can anyone really expect promoters to bring talent like marco when this is the kind of support they get. i guess it is a chicken or the egg debate BUT here's my .02 on that issue:

i know for a fact that there are mad techno heads in columbus and the surrounding area who did not come out and represent at this show. If the people who know and love a particular dj / genre dont come out to support how can you expect random clueless clubber to plunk down his hard earned dough?

either way, if you are a fan of music and you weren't there you missed out.

thanks to everyone who came out to give whirly and i a proper send off. thanks for making it a lot harder for me to leave columbus behind :\ *jerks*

TLB glad we finally got to chill. i know its not the last i'll see of ya though. take care man.

BBB and Trancey awesome to see you again; hopefully our next meeting will be in the Pac Northwest:) good luck to you guys!

Arron i hope this weekend made you feel better just a little bit. sucks that you're goin through a rough spot but rely on your friends and you'll be fine...oh and stay the hell away from me!

pat and missy, we'll see you guys soon. it's been beyond awesome gettign to hang out with you guys these passed few months. you'd better start planning a trip to portland for this summer

to everyone else ( drew, nick, erin etc) i hope you all had a good time @ the club and the hotel and hope save travels home were had by all.

well thats it I suppose. thus concludes my 3 years of partying and clubbing in and around the columbus area. i've met some great people and some not so great. i've partied all over this country and with a few exceptions the midwest is no different than much of the states in regards to party club culture. huge ups to Mike and company for trying to bring excitement to an area that for whatever reason doesnt seem to interested in anything but the same old same old.

peace
andy...
 
I've still got love for the streets

For me at least, a big crowd has never equaled a good time. If anything, a big crowd usually just means no friggin' room to dance...and we can't have that for a dj like Marco C. That's why I was kind of glad there was a low turnout Friday. I'd never been to Redzone, so I had no clue as to what kind of crowd was going to be there (and after hearing how packed it was for Ferry, I was slightly worried that I'd be getting drinks spilled on me all night).

Nonetheless, I danced my pants off and spent quality time with a lot of great people on my B-day. thanks to all who bought me an over-priced beer/shot. :) Thankyou Andy and Zarah for being so hospitable and warm-hearted Friday, I had such a great time!

Also nice was meeting BBB and CiCi for the first time; both very nice and attractive people! It was also badass chatting up music with 909guy and Pat Blaze. I'll have pictures up from the afterhours once I get around to it. Until then, take care everyone.
 
With the NCAA Tourney in town this weekend, I don't think there is a need to worry about shortage of attendace-considering that the Cbus Dispatch expects 20,000 Kentucky fans in town--Columbus will be ablaze period! All those fans need some place to go after the game, right? Go 'Cats!=D
 
Honestly, where the hell did the weekend all go so fast!

I had a blast.

I agree on both ends. Corola was awesome on every degree. Yes, after seeing his performance, he does deserve a packed house. At the same time, numbers arent as important as having fun. It was good to see everyone (that did attend) on the dancefloor. Because of the smaller turnout, I also enjoyed the intimacy of the crowd. (At least the parking was great...heh.)

Alright, shout outs:
909 - was awesome to meet you. i respect how the jaded-factor was very similar to mine: going to parties for the music, for the artists performing, and for the friends to hang out with. definitely will be awesome seeing you again in the future.
skip - loved your energy. was definitely awesome meeting and talking with you at bWs. good to meet another face from the old school.
snake - your energy on the dancefloor was amazing. keep it up!
mm_sexy - you seemed like a cool chick with her head together. glad you were able to kick back with us after the party. was cool meeting you too.

everyone w/ritual - keep up the great work. again, much appreciation for the hospitality.

fallen - ive known you for like a year now, but have only really gotten to know you this past weekend. you're definitely a chick that i consider "real" with an awesome heart. looking forward to hanging with you again. (oh, sorry we didnt call you sunday...we didnt do much of anything sunday but phase out).
pissy and mat ;) - good to see you two again. again, was good to get a chance to just kick it and learn about each other. cant wait to kick it again.
TLB - dude, im never suprised from the old school crowd. its good to see other "chill" people out there. glad to meet you and kick it with you. looking forward to hittin them roller coasters with you and your wife this summer.
A and Z (the alpha and the omega) heh - what can i say. as if i need to post anything about you two. have a safe and fun trip out to the pacific northwest. definitely will NOT be a goodbye, but a see you again soon.

everyone else at the party, the after-party, and the after-hours party - it was awesome meeting with you all. being off of BL for about a year, i appreciate my return being very-welcome.

**man! i think this weekend was one of the most eventful ones where there were so many BLrs that im having trouble remember a few names (for that, i apologize).
 
that909guy said:
Nick, I kept getting you and Andy mixed up.I guess next time I wont drink as much Jager.That is all

Rob
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this should help;)

25883Marco_corola_035-med.jpg


was nice meetin ya randy good luck with everything ....you snobby twat :D
 
Well,
This sounds like it would have been a good time to be @ the redzone. I have always wanted to meet more bluelighters from around the area, but hopefully this summer when I get back from the U.K. I can work something out. Good luck to CravNbeets and Dj Whirlpool, at least you guys are seem to be moving to the right area. Never got to meet you all, maybe out west sometime.
Roger
 
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