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What’s the Best Way to Handle a Lying Rival?

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Barefoot Doctor: “One way is to sprinkle itching powder in their underwear though if you are unable to get close then visualising them surrounded in an invisible egg of immobilizing white light is an effective means of neutralising them.

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It’s also important to remind yourself that the Great Way (the natural flow of events) will always swing round your way sooner or later, providing you operate with integrity and honour. Life and its events comprise an ongoing, unfolding theatre, in which sometimes you’re required to play one role, sometimes another, so when you find yourself being the victim of slander trust that in the next phase, justice will be yours.

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To do this successfully you’ll need to trust in the essential benign nature of reality and have patience to ride out the discomfort but in time others will instinctually know you’ve been a victim of slander and your reputation will remain intact or even improve as a result.

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The best way to accelerate this karmic process is to actually (internally) thank the perpetrator for providing you a meaty bit of life-lesson learning, to see them as the Buddha in disguise. By doing that you neutralize negative energy and so enables the positive force to grow in the dynamic with less obstruction.

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Questions by Skrufff.

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Barefoot Doctor’s new book, THE MESSAGE, vision for a new world, is now available in all formats
via www.barefootmessage.com

Pet Duo: click for more

Six Berlin residents; Pet Duo, Axel Bartsch, Ralf Gutterslut, Steffa Superheilig, Patrick DSP & Snuff Crew, chatted to Skrufff last week about their experiences moving to the German capital. See below for Brazilian techno heroes Pet Duo’s comments in full.

To read the full feature: click HERE

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): How much did moving to Berlin march your expectations?

Pet Duo: “We moved to Berlin from Brazil 5 years ago, and the city really is so different from our hometown. There’s cleaner air and streets, better public transport, loads more parks and trees  . . . On the other hand São Paulo has better weather: MUCH better weather: As well as a lot more 24hour shopping options and more choice. When we lived in Sao Paulo we’d usually go to the supermarket at 3am. But for us the food factor is not so important, because here in Berlin we can find many Vegan/Vegetarian options for restaurants and markets.

Berlin matched our expectations in the way that is a very Europe-centred, geographically speaking, because this way we are so much near to any city in the continent. Living in Brazil would take longer to go to any gig, it just made sense to be here, closer to producers, vinyl shops, and the cities where we play.”

Skrufff: How necessary is it to speak German?

Pet Duo: “We took German classes for 11 months and it helps a lot on our everyday endeavours, even though what we know is still very basic. We think it is necessary to study for at least 2 years to properly speak it. But because we have a very international job, and we speak English almost fluently, for us it is not so necessary to learn it. Of course we will return to German classes, we cannot miss this opportunity. After all, where is the best place to learn it?

In Berlin part of the population speaks English, so we kind of find it hard to practice the little that we know and now that we stopped going to classes for 2 years, we have already lost a part of what we knew. It’s a hard language to learn. With English you must have at least a 600 word vocabulary to have a proper conversation, while with German you need 3000 words, but it’s a very exact language.”

Skrufff: How different are Germans from Brazilian culturally?

Pet Duo: “Brazilians are generally much more open for meeting new people, they are really easy-going and laid-back, whereas Germans are more closed and introspective. But in other ways, when the Germans open themselves they can be great fun to be with, and they can certainly party as hard as the Brazilians do, no doubt about that.

Also Germans are some of the most focused and professional people we have ever worked with, matching the Dutch and the Austrians in this matter.

But there’s a lack of improvisation, which is something that we Brazilians have a lot; maybe Brazilians have that quality a little too much.

We have also learned that there are three things that Germans ask from anyone: To be on time, to wear clean clothes, and the third we’ve forgotten because we are Brazilians. Ha ha. No, we think the third thing you must remember is to pay your taxes. Please correct us if we are wrong.” (They’re right- Skrufff).”

Skrufff: What advice do you have for getting into clubs (eg Berghain); have you ever been refused entry?

Pet Duo: “We’ve been lucky because we have never been refused entry at any club. Yes, we heard that some clubs such as Berghain have a strict policy regarding entry. But what we would suggest is to go to the clubs wearing clean clothes, and not so fucked up. Then when inside, get dirty and drink as much as you want.”

Skrufff: How should a DJ coming to Berlin aim to find gigs?

Pet Duo: “Send mixes to promoters via websites dedicated for their nights, find an agency that can arrange your gigs in town beforehand, get in touch with a DJ who has a residency at the club you would like to play and make sure he has the liberty to ask the promoters/club owners to book you.”

Skrufff: What are the most common mistakes incomers make?

Pet Duo: “If someone wants to be in Berlin they need to be aware of the strict policy regarding immigration. The best thing to do would be to arrive in town and try to find a day job straightaway that could justify your stay, or, even better, come with a job already lined up beforehand. Otherwise you’ll be in trouble after your visa expired.”

http://www.petduo.com/ 

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

Six Berlin residents; Pet Duo, Axel Bartsch, Ralf Gutterslut, Steffa Superheilig, Patrick DSP & Snuff Crew, chatted to Skrufff last week about their experiences moving to the German capital. See below for Patrick DSP’s comments in full.

Patrick DSP

Click HERE to read the full skrufff feature.

Skrufff: How much did moving to Berlin match your expectations?

Patrick DSP: “When I moved to Berlin, I didn’t know what to really expect.  I what I knew about the divided city of Berlin came mostly from Canadian High School History Classes and from record releases such as Trance Europe Express Compilations that came with these massive books about the Love Parade.  You don’t get those kinds of things with MP3s but that’s another story.

Back to my point, I move to Berlin with the only expectation that I’d be around a lot of other like-minded artists and friends but most importantly for me, I’d be in Europe where techno music is a lot more accepted and appreciated than in North America. At one point, I was going back and forth from Canada to Europe almost every two weeks, taking expensive and tiring flights, so it made sense for me to move here as I was already in Europe quite often.”

Skrufff: How necessary is it to speak German?

Patrick DSP: “I think it’s always important to learn the local language wherever you are, its basic respect for your host country and their culture.  With learning the language, you’ll have better appreciation for everything the country has to offer; the food, the humor, the day-to-day interactions.  If you’re in the big cities, you can get by with speaking English almost anywhere.

Outside of the big cities, you’ll be looked at as if you’re an alien if you don’t speak the language.  You’ll really need to know German if you plan on doing anything officially here; Taxes, Visas, Renting, Doctors.  German classes here are offered by the Government (Volkshochschulen/VHS) and are quite affordable compared to German classes in your home country.  I’m currently enrolled.”

Skrufff: What advice do you have for getting into clubs (eg Berghain); have you ever been refused entry?

Patrick DSP: “Don’t be an asshole. Be respectful for the place you’re going.  Ask around; get to know a little about the club you want to go to. Each club likes to cater to different types of people.  But some simple rules apply, if you show up at the door being loud, aggressive, speaking loudly in a foreign language, drunk, high or in a very large group; you probably won’t get in. No one cares how far you have travelled or who you know, this is Berlin.

The person in front and behind you have travelled just as far and know more people than you do. The door man’s responsibility is the safety of the club, their patrons and the vibe inside. If you don’t get in, don’t stress it or fight it unless you want them to remember your face and never let you in ever. Just go across the street, there’s bound to be a club in Berlin that will let you in (eventually). Thankfully, I’ve never had to deal with it personally, but I’ve seen many people rejected while waiting in line.  At least it’s not like Moscow with their “Face Control”.

Skrufff: How should a DJ coming to Berlin aim to find gigs?

Patrick DSP: “Have friends and contacts before you come. Have something to show for yourself. If you’re new to the DJ world and expect to make it big here, then get in line. There are about 3000 FOREIGN people registered musicians/artists in Berlin, and that’s not counting all the other foreign people who are not registered with music being their main profession. You’ll have all the fantastic local talent to compete with as well. Local talent with +20 years’ experience in the industry and have seen many foreign djs come and go every summer. Have an agency to represent you in Europe, and gigs already lined up before you come here.”

Berlin is akin to New York for theatre or Paris for Fashion or Hollywood for films.  Don’t come here thinking there will be a red carpet laid out for you in Tegel, there won’t be. Have it planned and organized, make friends, get to know promoters that you’d like to work with, and have some sort of fan base here before you come.  But most of all be patient and have fun.”

Skrufff: What’s your assessment of Berlin’s club scene today?

Patrick DSP: “The club scene here is awesome!  Each weekend you’ll see over 100 events/club nights happening; each pulling for a different type of crowd. There really is something for everyone here.”

Skrufff: What are the most common mistakes incomers make?

Patrick DSP: “Coming here with high expectations and not understanding the huge history and cultural differences here will make for crushed dreams. It’s a huge mistake to think that because you jumped on a plane that you are now an ‘International’ artist. That doesn’t replace the ability to pull in a crowd and having great credentials/labels behind their name.

Substance always outlasts any media hype and Berliners know this because they see all the techno tourist DJs come at the beginning of the warm weather and leave around September. I’ve met many DJs in my short time here tell me their great plans when they first move in, only to invite me to their apartment sale when they need to go back home a few months later. It’s not something to be embarrassed about, but it’s something that can be avoided with a little bit of planning and luck.”

http://www.patrickdsp.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxhwLY_rgv8

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff