In the wake of the announcement that iconic Australian music festival the Big Day Out will not be taking place in 2015, Australian DJ and former host of triple j‘s House Party, Nina Las Vegas, has weighed in on the state of Australia’s live music scene, urging punters to leave their homes and experience live music first hand.
“The uncertainty of the Big Day Out’s future got me thinking about the Dance Music scene I’m currently a part of,” wrote the DJ in a lengthy Facebook post. “We live in a time where everything comes to us and it’s starting to scare me. You can stream DJ sets, download albums and see SO much just through Instagram.”
“With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that people don’t go out, and numbers for things like the BDO are dropping,” she added. “In a time when there are more producers and DJs than ever, I really hope that people in the community start realising that no matter how many hits on SoundCloud your song may get, what really matters is the experience of seeing it live. In a club, in a bar or at a festival.”
It was that last comment that sparked up the interest of one of her Facebook followers, who commented with a picture of a tweet Nina Las Vegas sent out a few weeks ago, announcing that Waveracer‘s Foster The People remix had more plays on SoundCloud than a Deadmau5 track. “You got me,” she replied to the savy follower.
While the Australian producer and DJ does say the country’s dance music scene “is bigger than ever”, she adds that she finds it “crazy and sad that things that are as iconic [as the Big Day Out] can… fail?”. “I care about the little dance scene I’m a part of,” she says, “but am really concerned about it too.”
“I guess what I’m trying to say is GO TO THINGS. Don’t wait until last minute… find a crew and get excited,” continues the post. “Listeners, club goers, music lovers and party holders are so goddamn important and WE NEED YOU.”
Earlier this year, Nina Las Vegas announced that she’ll be stepping down from her role as host of House Party, to focus on an expanded role on Mix Up Exclusives. “I spend most of my weekends in clubs, so I want to make sure the radio I make reflects the absolute best of that,” she said in a statement at the time. “Mix Up Exclusives keeps getting better and better”
FYI @waveracermusic's remix of @fosterthepeople new tune has more plays on soundcloud that the newest @Deadmau5 joint.
— Nina Las Vegas (@ninalasvegas) June 14, 2014
