Jonty Skrufff's Blog

Archive for July, 2009

Camilo Rocha @ Vegas (click on the picture to download Camilo's latest Tech-o-disco DJ mix)

“The original vision for Discology was about good dance music from any era meaning disco but also funk, soul, old school hip hop, 80s dance, acid house, boogie, vintage electro, classic Detroit. The name Discology has actually more to do with ‘disc’ than ‘disco’.”

Though London and increasingly Paris have gone ‘nouveau disco’ crazy in the last 12 months, Sao Paulo club night Discology first began championing the trend 5 years earlier in underground clubs and minimally converted strip clubs around the city. The brainchild of top local journalists Claudia (Clau) Assef and Camilo Rocha (also one of Brazil’s best known DJs) the club nowadays takes place once a month at Vegas, one of the wildest and best clubs in Sao Paulo nightlife.

“The inspiration came from Clau and I looking at our massive record collections and thinking it was a real waste that they should stay home,” says Camilo, “At the time, 2003, local clubland was still dominated by linear DJ sets, so there was something radical about the notion of playing all these styles together, from many different eras.”

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James Palumbo (click on the picture to access the Tomas website)

“There are two sorts of men, my friend: those who seek riches and glory, and the others. The former will, no doubt, find what they seek, in varying degrees. So? They die. What imprint do they leave? Nothing. Only echoes. The others seek a higher purpose: to make a difference to those around them: to change, shape or improve things, if only to a small extent’.

Though Ministry of Sound chief James Palumbo is the first to admit his novel Tomas, like all debut novels, is partially autobiographical, it’s through side character Napoleon that the book delivers his best lines.

“The risk taker is defined by one idea only, burned into his soul: a willingness to fail,” the French Emperor tells Tomas as he outlines his roadmap to becoming a ‘great man’. “That’s why wealth and glory seekers can’t qualify,” Napoleon continues. “They may take risks but only up to a point. And they would never endanger their spoils or glory.”
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James Palumbo in Cannes (click on the picture for more on 'Tomas')

Multi-millionaire Ministry cofounder James Palumbo chatted to Skrufff this week about his debut novel Tomas and revealed that its themes of decadence, immorality, success and failure were directly inspired by his own life.

“I had no plans whatsoever to write a book, whenever anyone says they’re going to write a book you think ‘Oh Christ, have you got nothing else better you want to do? You’re a bit of a loser’,” James admitted.

“I was just sitting in my comfortable chair at home one day and I started writing with absolutely no agenda, no plan, no agenda and no characters.”

The novel’s central character Tomas mercilessly massacres champagne quaffing financiers and takes on Russian oligarchs, learning key life lessons along the way from the likes of Napoleon (a leader James admits he identifies with).

“The worst possible thing in life- or death (is) mediocrity, those who strive for nothing “ the19th century French emperor tells Tomas.

“Can’t you send out a hundred CVs; try harder or finish with your girlfriend; buy a one way ticket out of town; retrain, go to night school; emigrate; think, discover; internet your way to a different life,” he urges, “Isn’t effort rewarded and trying always worth it? Anything but the twilight world of bitterness, prejudice, alcohol and bad language,” says Napoleon.

Fischerspooner: James Palumbo's greatest mistake

(Heineken Green Party in Hanoi, Youtube footage: 19 December’08)

“Hanoi’s club scene right now is dire; there’s no other word for it.  There’s simply no infrastructure in place to support a decent nightlife here at present.  The cops closed down the only decent club- New Century- about a year ago following a drug raid and fragmented the scene well and truly.”

Though New Zealander Giles Cooper heads up CAMA one of the few party promotion crews currently operating in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi- he’s refreshingly candid in his assessment of the city’s current nightlife scene.

“A couple of reasonable small venues have opened up but they tend to get filled with fancy boys and girls purely there to be seen; it seems no-one really gives a toss about the music,” he continues, “That’s not to say there isn’t good stuff going on from time to time (CAMA events of course) but it’s slim pickings.  Probably the biggest problem is the supposed official shut-down time of 12am.  It’s pretty hard to get cranking properly before that time, isn’t it.”
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Fidelity DJs in Berlin this weekend at the Mid Sommar Festival on the banks of the Spree: she’s on from 3pm-6pm on Saturday July 4