Clubs are just a phase?

[dolik]

I don't know about you guys, but I first heard about clubland when I was 15. My good friend at the time has visited Sound Factory for the first time and he spent a good 2 hours describing and reliving the experience for me. I was listening with my mouth open the whole time. The music, the crowd, the setting he was describing...it all seemed so surreal and exciting. From that moment on, I knew I would become a clubber.

And so it was. At first, like the rest of the little kids, I started off by frequenting NO-ID parties. As bad as they are [now I know] they seemed like the best experiences of my life at the time. When I first entered a club...the lights, the bass, the sheer immensity of the space - it all blew me away. Thousands of people were congregated in front of me, all moving in complete unison to the beat. It was like watching some kind of a giant organism breathe in house music. It was beautiful.

From my very first time, I was hooked. Going to a club became the highlight of each month - not only did I have a lot of fun AT the parties, but I was also one of the first kids in my high school to start going to these and it felt good to know so (back then Factory wasn't comprised of 16 year olds and no-ids weren't yet 12 and under).

Then I decided to take the next step. Before I even stepped foot in the place, I called up Sound Factory and offered to become their promoter. They forwarded me to Jeff Fusion and he set me up with my first guestlist. I know it sounds lame now, but it was really exciting at the time. I was 16, promoting for a real club, getting paid for partying and having fun...it was the time of my life. I loved everything about the place - the vibe, the way the people looked/dressed, the music, and of course, the drugs.

I am not going to lie, drugs have been a central point of my club experience from the very beginning. I took my first hit at 15 and it just went downhill from there on. I became sucked into the Factory culture. The week did not matter anymore...I only lived for the weekend. Friday nights became sacred, as they provided me with a way to release the stress from the week passed and recharge me for the week lying ahead. I stopped eating dinner on Friday nights, because the tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach prevented me from eating. It was the feeling of excitement, of going out to a club with your closest friends, having the BEST night of your life...and being able to do it every single week.

That summer was priceless. I made some good friends at the club and everyone seemed extra friendly and laid-back. I ate, slept, and breathed Sound Factory. Tanning, waxing, and gym entered my daily routine (well, not as much as the juiceheads there but definitely more than before). I found out what spikes were and where to get all the trendy club gear that made the SF kids look so good. Every time I walked down that staircase onto the mainfloor, I felt like I was entering a different world. Everyone was fashionable, good looking, and most of all, everyone could dance.

The magic of that summer eventually came to an end and my promoter career was temporarily put on hold. School started and I got back into the routine of my daily grind. Still, I was simply unable to let go of my weekend escape and I went back to SF as much as possible.

It just wasn't the same though. After that summer, the party went into a steady decline, finally culminating in the lay-off of the entire Friday night promotion crew. I'm guessing it was part of Richard Grant's 'brilliant' marketing and cost-cutting strategy.

Around the same time, I began looking into other clubs. Roxy was becoming my second home, as the SF Friday kids began migrating over. ClubPlanet also has it's share in influencing my clublife with it's countless meet-ups, member parties, and VIP cards. I can say with certainty that most of the clubbers I've met have been members of ClubPlanet.com. Even my girlfriend that year, my first love and closest friend at the time, was from CP.

The disappearance of Sound Factory Fridays have led me to explore other options in club land. At this point, I rotated my weekends between Roxy, Exit, and Vinyl. The drug use just kept growing. I was up to two, sometimes three hits a night by this point and K was quickly becoming my new drug of choice. The whole 'promoter' idea spiraled out of control - I was now running lists in Roxy, Exit, and the World simultaneously while brining in $0 from all three combined. It was getting ridiculous.

I remember talking to my best friend at this point and telling him: "I hope that I grow out of this. Because I would hate to be 24, still taking pills and puking my guts out in the bathroom stalls." I figured it was a phase that would pass, since I started so early. My prediction turned out to be right - I began growing out of it, even earlier than I expected.

By summer 2002, my club debauchery was beginning to cool down. I was still very much into the music, but the drug use began decreasing and becoming rarer. So did my club appearences. I just couldn't find the time anymore and, for some reason, the whole experience just didn't seem as enticing as it used to.

I visited Sound Factory for the last time in the beginning of September. That was also pretty much the last time I've touched drugs. Without a doubt, I had a fun time. But after reflecting back on it, I realized that it was fun mostly because of the 5 jars that I split with another friend.

I started looking for a different way to spend my weekends and discovered smaller venues and lounges. Alcohol is now my drug of choice. I still love techno, but hip-hop is also becoming my favorite music style. I now spend my Thursday and Friday nights at places like Suite 16, Lobby, Bungalow 8, Cream, etc. I also more or less stopped posting on any club sites, since I feel like I have nothing to contribute to these message boards anymore. The upcoming events of Exit and such have stopped concerning me.

I don't mean to sound elitist or snotty. I have just found for myself that danceclubs are a phase of life and, as dominating as they might seem at any one point, it will pass. I have moved on before most of my friends did, and feel no interest when they discuss the next club event. But maybe that's just me.

What do you guys think?

[rocksteadyct]

drugs are a phase more than dance clubs are

If you go to dance and meet people - u don't get "burned out"

If you go and only have a good time if you are fucked up, then drugs and clubs become linked together

I bet if you would have made more of an effort to club sober, you wouldn't have "grown out" of this phase.

At least that is the way it is for me.

[girly]

I think it could be a phase for some people, but if you really love the music and the atmosphere, i think you just have to learn how to do it and manage it into your life. For me there are some times where i will go non-stop but then there are other times I just have no desire to go but for the most part it will be a part of my life for a while..

by the way HI you, how are you? Long time no see:)

[somebitch]

im kinda bored of the whole club thing too. ill go to a club to meet up with people i like, hear djs and dance but it might as well be at a smaller place. big clubs are overpriced and packed with cheesy juiceheads id rather do the dinner and a lounge or bar thing over a club anyday. it is funny because when i had only 20 $ to my name i would want to spend it to get into a club but now that i have the money, i dont have the interest...

[nyumaggie]

as with anything it gets old.

[househead24]

haha thats funny dolik cause my story is pretty similar...When i was about the same age my best friends older brother always used to come home like late sunday night from the city and finally we asked him where the hell he's been all weekend, he's like ive been at the Factory...We were like Factory? yea the Sound Factory....so he told us everything about it in exact detail, every lil thign that happeenmd to him there, everything...then he started to get us to listen to the music and we used to watch him do the strings for hours and hours, he was redic. the best person with the strings i ever seen, so anyway he started us out with all this music and we just loved it, uptempo, fast paced, sick beats everything, it grew on us...everyone else hated it and most of em still do except a select few of us...we used to practice strings for like 5 hours just listenin to song after song it was insane...haha we even used to have names for people who liked and disliked the music...Jonathan Morgans were us the people who loved it and understood what it meant, and the Fertoninas were the people who hated it...I knot it sounds crazy but hey when u grow up in a small town u gotta do shit like this...Anyway we started goin to local clubs around the way and begged them to play house cause we would wip out the sticks and destroy the place...We'll the first time i went to Matrix we busted em out in a big cirlce we had the whole place watchin' us it was an awesome feeling, and the dj came over and tlaked to us about the music so... we chatted for a while and ive keep in close touch ever since with him, and he's how i get all my cd's now, Big Ups BugOut...We started to get more and more involved and gettin' other people involved as well...It was just so much fun to be involved in something like this ya know that not alotta people knew about and u could preach about it to others hoping they would follow...So finally I think i went to my first NYC club when i was 17, made the trip all the way down there and entered none other than Sound Factory...it was a friday night so it wasnt great, stayed for a lil while then went to exit and finished the night off there...I couldnt beleive my eyes when I saw these places, unbelieveable...Everything everyone had said was true about these NYC clubs, they were remarkable, so remarkable that i go almost every weekend now....

[trancerxn112]

5 1/2 months since ive been in a club and besides thinking about going to picotto this weekend i havent once thought about going back... the drug scene... low point in my life... nuff said havent smoke in 4 1/2 years and havent dropped in almost a year and never will again.

[Randy]

scenester defined

it's good to have passions, partying doesn't have ot be one of them, but it can be.

just mkae you're passionate because whatever it is is for you and not for someone else

posers are boring.

[woodpecker]

I did the same but, back when factory was where twilo was and Limelight was the place to be... i worked for Michael Alig and partied like a rock star.....I was so hooked on every drug@ 16 and thought that was the scene....Then the bottom fell out of my world and the world around me......I started going out clean and just dancing and enjoying the music.....With out the clubkid bullshit....I have more fun now than I ever did....Don't get me wrong I won't trade some of days back then for anything but, you must grow-up someday.........

[cintron]

outstanding argument for why i do now and will always party sober.

[rocksteadyct]

Originally posted by Randy

scenester defined

it's good to have passions, partying doesn't have ot be one of them, but it can be.

just mkae you're passionate because whatever it is is for you and not for someone else

posers are boring.

right on

[JonathanNYC]

yea clubbing is definitely a phase in your life, that everybody has to go thru. But doing drugs is definitely not a phase. Doing drugs can never be a positive in a person's life. The club scene has definitely died down. Personally Spring of 2000 starting off with Johnny Vicious At Sound Factory, was the start of my clubbing days, then moving on to Exit Summer 2000 was absolutely insane not just every song back then was nutsssssss but because there was a vibe, which u cant feel anywhere else but in a club. Personally the music, the vibe, the people is what drew me out to go to a club. Now i havent been to a club in a while, and there is not draw anymore, because of the bad experiences in the previous years.

But Clubbin is definitely an experience that everbody needs, but doing drugs is a bad idea!

peace

jonathan

THUNDER IN PARADISEEEEEEEEEE!!!

[xkingchangox]

"I did the same but, back when factory was where twilo was and Limelight was the place to be..."

A such sweet and dark days.

Truly a prelude to modern day society

[lillizzy]

it's a phase i'm over and done with it, well, except when the big-names come around

[woodpecker]

Perry Farrell once said....People say those were the days but, for us these are the days.........Clubs are a great if you learn from them and don't just do drugs.........I won't be the person I am today if I never went clubbing......I would be like the kids from my hometown some white hat frat boy who thinks the only way to get a laugh is to make some racial joke.....t not to sound elitist or cocky.....but, trust me clubs can't hold candle when I worked @ Limelight and Tunnel was just reopening...It all just lost it's direction somewhere along the line.......but, the music just keeps getting better.....

[sexxyme]

Originally posted by dolik

Now I don't know about you guys, but I first heard about clubland when I was 15. My good friend at the time has visited Sound Factory for the first time and he spent a good 2 hours describing and reliving the experience for me. I was listening with my mouth open the whole time. The music, the crowd, the setting he was describing...it all seemed so surreal and exciting. From that moment on, I knew I would become a clubber.

And so it was. At first, like the rest of the little kids, I started off by frequenting NO-ID parties. From my first one, I was hooked. As bad as they are [now I know] they seemed like the best experiences of my life at the time. Going to a club became the highlight of each month - not only did I have a lot of fun AT the parties, but I was also one of the first kids in my high school to start going to these and it felt good to know so (back then Factory wasn't comprised of 16 year olds and no-ids weren't yet 12 and under).

Then I decided to take the next step. Before I even stepped foot in the place, I called up Sound Factory and offered to become their promoter. They forwarded me to Jeff Fusion and he set me up with my first guestlist. I know it sounds lame now, but it was really exciting at the time. I was 16, promoting for a real club, getting paid for partying and having fun...it was the time of my life. I loved everything about the place - the vibe, the way the people looked/dressed [pretty people's place], the music, and of course, the drugs.

I am not going to lie, drugs have been a central point of my life from the very beginning. I took my first hit at 15 and it just went downhill from there on. I became sucked into the Factory culture. The week did not matter anymore...I lived for the weekend. Every Friday night was sacred, as it provided me with a full recharge for the week lying ahead. I stopped eating dinner on Friday nights, because the tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach prevented me from eating. It was the feeling of excitement of going out to a club with your closest friends and having the BEST night of your life...every single week.

That summer was priceless. I made numerous friendships at the club and everyone seemed extra friendly and laid-back. I ate, slept, and breathed Sound Factory. Tanning, waxing, and gym entered my daily routine (well, not as much as the juiceheads or regulars there but definitely more than before). I found out what Spikes were and how I could get all the trendy club clothing that made SF kids look so good. Every time I walked down that staircase onto the mainfloor, I felt like I was entering a different world. Everyone was fashionable, good looking, and most of all, everyone could dance.

The magic of that summer eventually came to an end and my promoter career was temporarily put on hold. School started and I got back into the routine of my daily grind. However, I was simply unable to let go of my weekend escape and I went back to SF as much as possible.

However, it just wasn't the same. After that summer, the party went into a steady decline, finally culminating in the lay-off of the entire Friday night promotion crew. I'm guessing it was part of Richard Grant's brilliant marketing and cost-cutting strategy.

Around the same time, I began looking into other clubs. Roxy was becoming my second home, as the SF Friday kids began migrating over. ClubPlanet also has it's share in influencing my clublife with it's countless meet-ups, member parties, and VIP cards. I can say with certainty that most of the clubbers I've met have been members of ClubPlanet.com. Even my girlfriend that year, my first love and closest friend at the time, was from CP.

The disappearance of Sound Factory Fridays have led me to explore other options in club land. At this point, I rotated my weekends between Roxy, Exit, and Arc. The drug use just kept growing. I was up to two, sometimes three hits a night by this point and K was quickly becoming my new drug of choice. The whole 'promoter' idea spiraled out of control - I was now running lists in Roxy, Exit, and the World simultaneously while brining in $0 from all three combined. It was getting ridiculous.

I remembered talking to my best friend at this point and telling him: "I hope that I grow out of this. Because I would hate to be 24 and still taking pills, puking my guts out in the bathroom stalls." I figured I would, since I started early. My prediction turned out to be right - I began growing out of it, even earlier than I expected.

By summer 2002, my club debauchery was beginning to cool down. I was still very much into the music, but the drugs dosages began decreasing and becoming rarer. So were my club appearences. I just couldn't fine the time anymore and, for some reason, the whole club experience just didn't seem as enticing as it used to.

I visited Sound Factory for the last time in the beginning of September. That was also pretty much the last time I've touched drugs. Without a doubt, I had a fun time. But after reflecting back on it, I realized that it was fun mostly because of the 5 jars that I split with another friend.

I started looking for a different way to spend my weekends and discovered smaller venues and lounges. Alcohol is my drug of choice now. I still listen love techno, but hip-hop is also becoming my favorite music style. I now spend my Thursday and Fridays nights at places like Suite 16, Lobby, Bungalow 8, Cream, etc. I also pretty much stopped posting on any club sites, since I feel like I have nothing to contribute to the club message boards anymore. The upcoming events of Exit, and such have stopped concerning me.

I don't mean to sound elitist or snotty. I have just found for myself that danceclubs are a phase of life and, as dominating as they might seem at any one point, it will pass. I have moved, before most of my friends and I feel no interest when they talk about the next club event. But maybe that's just me.

What do you guys think?

I think you just described MY life when I was 15-17 years old...and now...!!!

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by cintron

outstanding argument for why i do now and will always party sober.

I have just become bored with NY....i've been bored since Godskitchen...

[edalgiere]

there is no such thing to me as a club scene phase i like going to clubs but i never got into the drug scene just like a few drinks and to dance and meet ladies

[dolik]

THANK YOU guys, for responding and for keeping this drama-free...I didn't expect too many responses just because I figured my post would be too long to read.

househead24, nice story! Thanks for sharing...

girly, hi hun!! I havent seen you in forever, how have you been?

Just to add a little to my previous post...of course, I agree with everyone, drugs are bad and not a true way to enjoy clubs. And yes, they definitely were a big part of MY clubbing experience...just because some people are more exposed to them than others and some have better self-control than others.

I'll be honest, I usually had a better time with drugs in clubs. BUT...that doesn't necessarily mean I was a poser...I did go sober too, especially when an amazing DJ spun. I wasn't in the scene JUST for the drugs...I love techno music and I can definitely appreciate a good DJ and great tracks. Drugs simply provided me with a way to enhance my experience.

I just found it weird how I could be SO MUCH into clubs at one point in my life, to the point where they were the very reason for my existence...and then become so indifferent to them later on.

Of course, clubbing changed my life, and probably for the better. But nowadays, I just don't share my friends' enthusiasm when they run up to me and scream "Brooooo, Peters was OFF THE HOOK last weekend!! It was AMAZING, we have to go this Saturday!!"

He'll be amazing every Saturday. And if not him, then somebody else, and if not at Sound Factory, then elsewhere.

Maybe you guys are right...maybe I had it all wrong from the beginning, and focused on all the wrong aspects of clubbing, only to find out that it's not for me. Or maybe it WAS for me at one point but my perspectives have shifted...either way, I feel like that part of my life is now behind me and I am starting to move on. We'll see what the future brings...

[Randy]

Music is not simply classified as noise, techno, hiphop, rock, country, latin, and classical.

From your post it seem you don't really know what techno is, prolly never actually heard, let alone listened to techno, and prolly aren't hearing hiphop now.

You are a scenester, nothing wrong with that as every existence is valid, but some of your impressions are inaccurate.

[dolik]

Randy, of course if you nitpick every detail, some of my impressions will be inaccurate. I was simply referring to the generic types of music in order to differentiate. Obviously, there isn't JUST techno out there, nor is techno a completely appropriate term for referring to that genre of music. But for the purpose of my post, I have decided to label it that way...and we both know what I meant by it.

[trancerxn112]

Originally posted by dolik

Randy, of course if you nitpick every detail, some of my impressions will be inaccurate. I was simply referring to the generic types of music in order to differentiate. Obviously, there isn't JUST techno out there, nor is techno a completely appropriate term for referring to that genre of music. But for the purpose of my post, I have decided to label it that way...and we both know what I meant by it.

i think hes just busting ur balls... some people cant get over the fact that it gets old for some people and that they arent hopelessly dependent on it anymore... like the matrix!

[tastyt]

Originally posted by Randy

scenester defined

it's good to have passions, partying doesn't have ot be one of them, but it can be.

just mkae you're passionate because whatever it is is for you and not for someone else

posers are boring.

That is so dead-on balls accurate...

[dr0ne]

Originally posted by Randy

Music is not simply classified as noise, techno, hiphop, rock, country, latin, and classical.

From your post it seem you don't really know what techno is, prolly never actually heard, let alone listened to techno, and prolly aren't hearing hiphop now.

You are a scenester, nothing wrong with that as every existence is valid, but some of your impressions are inaccurate.

you know what's funny, i was on slsk the other day and some toolbox is d/l'ing my stuff so i browse his selection which is like 99.9% filth basically anything you'd hear at ktu, sf, draper, vicious all that bullshit. so i come accross these sf mixes by JP and lo and behold the guy actually had a bunch of techno tracks on there i swear like ben sims and selway and shit.

[Teknojunkee]

I sort of agree.

I kinda did the same rounds as depicted in the main post.

But for me, Factory has always stood out as so different.

I see myself now, i go to school, i work, i have since turned 21 and am drinking. I go to bars, Long Island clubs, etc.

But I still go to Factory. I try to make it there at least once a month after being a weekly face to the Factory Family as we called it. I noticed that the partying is almost always sober now, if not, under the influence of alcoholic beverages if I make it there b4 4am.

I dont myself stopping my Factory outtings anytime soon. Unless it closes down or something. It is the only place that I see worth my time anymore.

I will visit other venues for names such as Picotto. But thats all.

Thats my view point.