I was having a conversation this week with friend about playing at Carl Craig.
My friend asked: Why do you do it?
There is no money in dance music, why do you work for next to nothing, and go to extreme lengths for events that don't reward your efforts.
I thought about this for a while, because the discussion was about work and pay-rates and marriage and mortgages. The real reality of what is becoming increasingly important to my life.
It's true, in retrospect I have never made a living from dance culture, and I've always committed more than I can afford.
Most people in CHCH might see a poster for Carl Craig, or hear a radio ad. Most people will wonder about the ticket price, or getting to work the next morning. Some people will not even care who Carl Craig is.
Other people have put their cash on the line. They have made phone calls and asked favors. They have over committed their time and emotions knowing that it is a risk they should not take.
Why do we do this?
Because tomorrow just like the day before, I will go to work to pay my bills. Struggling, striving for my dreams and looking after my family and friends.
But when I play music at Carl Craig, I will live my dream; I will do something I truly believe in. I will support an Artist, an innovator that has excited and inspired me. I will represent for my love of sound systems and dancefloors.
I will be in the presence of people who love music: who smile when they dance.
So yea, my name is Turnstyle. I will be playing music to support Carl Craig at the Zinc Bar in Christchurch on Thursday. I am doing this because it is a privilege that I respect, and because with out music and sound systems I'm just a guy working to pay his bills.
