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Andrew Schultz interview - Unifying The Masses

Author: Charlee
Friday, March 17, 2006
In such a cut throat industry it isn't often you meet a DJ who is working to bring his peers together to share in the fun and success that is on offer. Enter Andrew Schultz, an active member of Melbourne's progressive/trance community and co-operative of the Unify Promotion team.

Gaining a strong following over the years for his impressive DJ performances and welcoming personality, he is certainly a favourite in the local scene.

This years Two Tribes festival saw the Godskitchen arena packed to the rafters with loyal Trance fans, an interesting result considering the recent decline in local trance nights. Will 2006 see the return of Trance as a dominating genre in dance music-
Well the Melbourne trance massive might lynch me for saying this, but in short the answer is NO, as far as dominance goes, but was it really ever that dominant to start with- I think Two Tribes was a success simply because I think trance really belongs in those big events more so than in a small (by comparison) club. The atmosphere in a big arena, the lighting and massive sound really lends itself to trance.

Trance will always have appeal, it's just that I think people overestimate just how big that appeal will become. It's like trying to get people that don't like vegemite to keep trying it until they do. It simply doesn't work. So just like there is a certain percentage of the population that like vegemite, then you can say the same for trance, and for most other musical genres. 2006 is going to be more about the people who enjoy listening to and DJing trance, working together to make the scene more cohesive and enjoyable, rather than competing against each other. This is what will take the sound further.

Last year Unify hosted Ronski Speed who was your first International guest. When planning the development and ideas behind Kyau Vs Albert, a night which is fast approaching, have you made any changes in your approach to running this party-
Well from the outset Hayden (Warnock) and I had the idea that this time it would be good to run a party with two rooms, really for the sole reason of having a fun night with lots of great music to listen to. It's also a good example of the cohesion I mentioned earlier.

We've tried to include many DJs from various crews and with them all playing Vs sets, it turns out to be a cool theme to the night, with Kyau & Albert also a Vs duo. It's a good way to make more people feel involved and also a good a way to get extra help in getting things organized as we all have busy day jobs.

What are your plans for Unify in 2006- Will we see the return of your monthly nights-
Hayden and I are prepared to run less frequent parties at this stage, maybe that will change as the year progresses, but at the moment there are so many nights happening in Melbourne that are competing with each other that it's hard to pull large numbers right through the year.

It's not helped by the fact the most progressive and trance nights are all stuck with doing their thing on a Friday, which is becoming a quieter night for the people of Melbourne these days. It might seem like a cop out, or not being able to cope with the competition, but it's far from it. We're just trying to be realistic.

In your opinion what is the biggest misconception about Trance music-
I'm really going to get into more trouble, but to me personally, it's that it can be played from 10pm till 6am. I think trance is best saved for those few 'special' hours late in the evening. It should be something that is built up to.

Speaking more generally, it seems to have this tarnished image when it comes to it's appeal to the more mainstream music lovers in society. If I was to say "I'm a DJ" to most people, then they'd be like "oh cool", but if a said I was a trance DJ then they'd be sure to be whispering amongst themselves that 'Schultzy plays that weird rave techno music' (no offence implied to techno).<
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