Q&A: Poolclvb – Let The People Dance
Poolclvb, otherwise known as Danny T, is not only a prominent DJ in the Australian music scene but also runs a music label called Sweat It Out. Poolclvb’s juicy house sounds are no stranger to the airwaves on popular radio stations such as Triple J. Poolclvb’s label has signed many incredible influential artists in the Australian dance music scene such as WhatSoNot, Rufus Du Sol, Motez, and many more. Poolclvb lives a life consisting of hotel rooms, long flights and late nights. It is his passion, his routine and his livelihood.
Poolclvb was meant to be part of the line up for a festival called ‘Mountain Sounds’ earlier this year on February 15 and 16 in Sydney. Due to what was labelled as the New South Wales government ‘war on festivals’, it never went ahead. Poolclvb spoke out publicly on his Instagram about his disappointment against this decision, urging the NSW government to “Let the people dance”. I talked with Poolclvb about his experience in the music industry, how the cancellation of Mountain Sounds affected him and what the the future of the Australian music will look like.
Q: How did you break into the music industry?
A: I used to run a nightclub in Brisbane. There was always an 8-10pm period of the night where we would just have a CD on, so that two hour slot became the training ground where I cut my teeth to learn the basic fundamentals of working a room and building a dance floor. Through that, the natural progression for me was to move into music production.
Q: How have you seen the Australian music scene transform during your career so far?
A: Dramatically! It wasn’t too long ago that you could trade for 24 hours if you wanted. These hours really allowed aspiring artists the chance to grow into their art, and understand how to build a room as fore-mentioned, rather than being confined to a five hour window before lock out. With the main portion of the night reserved for the headline artist it doesn’t allow much time either side of midnight for a young gun to have their shot and cultivate their art.
Q: How did the cancelling of Mountain Sounds affect you personally and career wise?
A: Aside from the obvious financial loss, which was nothing compared to what the organisers of Mountain Sounds had to wear, it was so incredibly saddening to hear testimonials from the local Central Coast community, who welcome Mountain Sounds with open arms, and gave local aspiring musicians a platform. Mountain Sounds generates so much revenue and tourism for the area, it’s not just a music festival, it’s a celebration of all arts and this wonderful pocket of Australia has suffered because of a knee jerk reaction by the NSW government.
Q: What do you think about the implementation of huge fees thrust upon music festivals in NSW and what do you think it will do not only to the NSW music scene, but the entire Australian scene?
A: I don’t think the cost of police and public safety should be completely on the back of the festivals, and I think the framework put in place has been rushed and not thought through properly. It will affect the NSW and Australian music scene heavily, simply it will make fewer festivals and then bring down artists fees which will then in turn affect the amount of artists and their livelihood.
Q: What do you see as the future of music festivals?
A: I think we’ll get through this and the legislation will be over turned or at least updated to make more sense and be fair.
Q: Is there an underground music community growing out of retaliation to these new rules and regulations?
A: Absolutely, there have always been underground and illegal raves and parties but I feel I’m seeing more and more pop up now due to this unfair government crackdown on legal parties.
Q: From a behind the scenes perspective, what do think the NSW government should be implementing to ensure patron safety at festivals? Do you support pill testing?
A: Yeah Pill Testing is a no brainer, I think there could be more police and support staff provided & paid for by the government. The promoters are often making little to no money and putting events on for the public. The government should be supporting the arts, not trying to kill it.
Q: What can people do to show the NSW government that music festivals aren’t dangerous?
A: I feel the main stream press blowing things out of proportion is a big problem and the cause of a lot of knee jerk reactions. I also think people being more aware of the dangers of drugs and properly looking after themselves would be great.
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