Twisted Sessions all over the place

[Guest kingdok]

Not since the Tsunami compilation have I seen so many copies of a psy trance CD on music store stands. They had a dozen on a listening station at Virgin Megastore when I went today. Twisted has mad marketing! 'Wonder when Tip.World and the rest will catch up?

[Guest Elysium Project]

Actually a lot of goa/psy trance was sold in the more "commercial" stores such as Virgin MegaStore ect. in the mid nineties. But due to a overflow of bad sound quality music (compared to professional recorded music) and too many releases sounding similar (copying other artists) coming out from many small amature "bedroom" labels/producers many of those shops and major distributors felt they could no more sell this music and decided to "pull the plug".

 

They have always supported a lot of quality ambient releases and to my knowledege they also have sold quite a lot of well known artists that had a good professional production on the CD's.

 

I would be very pleased to see more goa/psy in those shops but I do understand that they "pulled the plug". Especially with some of the labels (I wont mention any names - but there are quite a few "big" labels on my mind) that rather use their (or the artists) royalty money on drugs and their own studios than using the money on actually paying their artists and promoting them profesionally.

[Guest r2d2]

"but there are quite a few "big" labels on my mind) that rather use their (or the artists) royalty money on drugs "

 

I know you don't want to mention any names but the first one that I could guess would do that is Raja Ram. Again it's just my guess and I really don't have anything against him personally.

[Guest Elysium Project]

Actually I was not thinking about T.I.P. and Raja who have always been ok with paying royalties but of course the have a lot to learn about promoting the artists. Just as most other labels in this scene does.

[Basilisk]

my friend had a gift certificate for HMV a few xmases ago... the only thing he found in the entire place was a tristan 12" on vinyl, right in the small 30 piece vinyl "dance" section that was mostly madonna remixes. and this is in toronto - not exactly a town with widespread psytrance exposure. they've got the longest reach in the biz as far as i can tell...

[Guest OzR]

FYI:

 

TIP World is not runned by Raja Ram. Indeed, he is their 'spiritual' leader, and their most know DJ, but he's got nothing to do with the buisness around the label.

 

/J

[Guest dam10n]

The way the chain stores stock stuff is amazing... my local HMV has had Battle of the Future Buddhas lying in the R&B section for over two years :/)

Not sure what that's all about.

There used to be an awful lot more around though, when Muzik and Mixmag were hyping the scene... now they generally discard it but Twisted seem to get their releases covered somehow - this might affect the availability as these magazines carry a lot of clout with the buyers in the UK chains.

[Guest Elysium Project]

OzR that's not really true.

 

Raja is doing a lot of A&R (artist and repetoire) work for T.I.P. and he is actually the owner and founder of T.I.P. Records (together with Graham Wood and Ian St. Paul).

[Guest Elysium Project]

second (sorry) :-)

 

Nothing get's by Raja on TIP Records. He is the one that actually has to approve all promotional and financial things (with Richard).

[Guest Lurk]

I think Twisted have a distribution deal with Sony, or they certainly used to.

[Guest stringtheory]

I wouldn't argue with Elysium about the psytrance industry and TIP. He is actually IN the industry, being that he is an artist and has seen far more of the dealings that go on than us. :-)

 

Elysium....Good luck with future releases :-)

 

 

As for pystrance in the US......there is none. 99.9% of all music stores do not sell psytrance. It royally sucks. I mean other than Space Tribe, Astralasia, and Juno Reactor....trying to find any goa in stores here is impossible.

 

I couldn't fathom how cool it would be if I could just ride down the street and buy psytrance......*starts drolling* hehehe

[Guest bugbread]

Hehe...come to Tokyo, where the endcap display for the new S.U.N. Project album is bigger than the endcap for the new Eminem album.

[Guest Elysium Project]

no need for arguments just trying to set things staright :-)

 

Thanx stringtheory :-)

 

My wish for the future of our "little" scene is that the labels get more aware of the possibilities there are in promoting an artist. I am not saying that they don't do a ok job but there's a big lack og basic marketing knowledge on the labels due to the fact that most are runned by people that never before have been in the business or even have a clue about PR and marketing.

 

But the thing that bother me the most is the many rising labels and now even some more settled labels that release new unknown acts without paying them any advances and a very little royalty percent (some down to 4-5% of the wholesale after expenses and taxes). Those labels should be boykotted and stopped. It's pure slavery exploding young hopefull artists.

[Guest OzR]

EP,

 

Strange, as I have been in contact with TIP world recs for about 6, 7 month now dealing with our album, and Richard is the guy responsible for the bizz there. Yes, Raja has a lot to do with selecting the music and such, however all the 'real' buisness (maintaining contacts and dealing with the larger music industry, where this topic had its origin) is done by Rich alone.

 

Dats a fact

 

Things changed with the migration from TIP to TIP World. For better or worse, who knows.. I'm happy with the way they're running things now though.

 

 

/J

[Guest Elysium Project]

OzR I am not going to argue with you but the fact remains that Raja is doing a lot of the dealing with other acts and doing a lot day to day business (s mentioned in my other post) just as much as Richard is. You just happen to deal with Richard that's all.

 

I have been in contact with TIP since 1994 :-)) and I do know what's going on there.

[Guest space^madness]

"After five years of organizing parties and making music, Raja Ram and Graham Wood (of The Infinity Project, hence the label's name) formed TIP in 1994 to promote psychedelic trance. Ian St. Paul (who had organized the legendary Future and Spectrum parties in 1987/1998) managed the label until Rich Bloor took over the ropes in March 1996. The first release was The Inifity Project's 'Stimuli'/'Uforica') and over the next few years TIP released full-on trance by some of the top artists in the area, including Astral Projection ('Enlightened Evolution'), Doof ('Lets Turn On'), Green Nuns Of The Revolution ('Conflict'/'Cor'), Hallucinogen ('Angelic Particles'/'Soothsayer') and Laughing Budda ('Infinite Depth'/'Andromeda'). At the same they produced a series of different-coloured compilations whose covers featured 'Goa'-style images. Artists' albums followed, including monumental works by Astral Projection (Trust In Trance) and Doof (Let's Turn On). The infinite Excursions compilations have displayed a more relaxed side to TIP with their dubby, softer psychedelic flavour, while the TIP Singles series aimed to make available deleted classics and forthcoming releases. In 1998 they launched a new label, 10 Kilo, which accommodated more 'downbeat and eclectic styles' touching on the electro/breakbeat sound in colaborations with Adam Freeland. At the same time they continued to organize parties around the world and were developing new artists such as Growling Mad Scientists, Orichalcum, Psychopod, Snake Thing and Synchro, encouraging them to experiment rather than adhere to any particular styles."

'The Virgin Encyclopedia Of Dance Music'

[Guest OzR]

Dude, I dont want to argue with you either, but please stop playing 'Know-it-all'.. It's quite lame, I recon.

 

Indeed Raja is doing some a&r. However buisness with distributors, other labels (licencing etc.), formalities, royalties, ie - the lot - is done by Rich nowdays.

 

Today I have carried approx. 500 kilos of studio equipment from one place to another, so I'm quite exhausted and maybe a bit grumpy..

Dang, analouge synthesizers are heavy..

 

Peace out

[Guest Elysium Project]

I did not try to play "know it all" just straightning out a fact that you had wrong...that's all...if that makes me a "know it all" well then be it. Sorry to hear that you're grumpy just relax.

[Guest r2d2]

Who are you really OzR?

 

I mean what is your artist name (if it's not a secret).. I'm guessing you're a member of Logic Bomb. Am I right?

[Guest OzR]

blah blah.

 

make music, not war.

 

=)

[Guest OzR]

..

 

Very curious though, as you seem to have such knowledge in TIP world's everyday buisness - and I don't - what exactly is your relationship with them nowdays? I know you used to make music back - what, like 5 years ago? But how deep did you ever go with TIP specifically? And how much do you know about them these days?

You see, things change. Things are not as they were back in the mid 90's.

Just because you might be on their promo-list doesn't really justify you to make statements like the ones above. Or actually, I don't really care what you think or say, but I'm getting tired of your I-know-how-things-are bullsh*t.

 

I am in constant touch with all the guys over there, and as far as I am concerned, I know a lot more than you do in this perticular subject.

 

Now, I'm really looking forward to hear what you have come up with musically as I haven't really heard anything from you in years!! The old stuff still rocks.

 

 

Yeah, back to Sonar. Back to reality.

 

 

/OzR

[Guest Elysium Project]

lol Im not on their promolist since i dont play as aDJ anymore but I am a personal friend to Raja and Graham for the last 6 - 7 years and do know their ways of operating on the label8s) since I have had relases with them and i do talk to them quite often - also about their label and what goes on. And by the way I have released lot's of music the last 5 years under different project names.

 

Anyway I dont really bother to get into argument about who knows most bla bla bla. All I was pointing out to you was that Raja has a lot to say and do with TIP.

[Guest OzR]

What project names, if I may ask?

 

/OrZ

 

Btw; I heard some of Brians new stuff, it really kicks. Met him down in Brazil a few weeks ago.. Nice to hear some new Orion stuff.

[Guest stringtheory]

OrZ, what is your problem ??? Sounds like a little kid argument. Who gives a damn if you are helping Raja Ram take a piss. You started all this Raja Ram Tip business man stuff, and then you get pissed off when someone disagrees with you. This sounds like some kind of stuff kids would be arguing over. It is like kids trying to compare how many popular people they are IN with at school. And then you start making personal attacks on Elysium ?? What is that all about ?? I am sure you both have alot of knowledge about the industry. But there is no need to get mean. Just chill man. Peace is a pleasant thing :-) The bottom line is the psytrance industry needs to market the artists better as well as do a better job of taking care of the artists financially. Moreover, it is also the responsibility of the psytrance community to show respect for the artists and not trade mp3s. If you like a song or an artist friends.....BUY THE ALBUM or the COMPILATION.

[Guest r2d2]

looks like we're havin' a fight between Elysium and Logic Bomb (duno which one of them). My money is on Elysium:) Oh and I'm accepting any bets too:) Yeah kick is ass Kristian Watch the left hook!!... good punch !!yeah...