If you don’t know who/what/where stranger is, then it’s time to throw away that rock you’ve been hiding underneath. Quickly becoming a Melbourne techno institution, stranger has brought the very best in techno to our dark alleyways, from DVS1, Rebekah, Derrick May, Recondite and Clouds – to name but a few. Mysterious as they are, we managed to sit down with the strangers behind stranger, Monty McGaw and Adrian Bell to find out what their plans are, what the future has for stranger  and if the rest of Australia will get a taste of their brand of techno.

 

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stranger has hosted some of the biggest names in techno, including DVS1, Rebekah, Derrick May, Recondite and Peter Van Hoesen. What would you consider to be the best night so far?

It’s hard to single out just one party and say “this” one party was the best. In just over a year we have had some amazing nights. Recondite’s live debut was definitely an amazing one and large on scale, but taking into consideration the energy from nights with Clouds and Rebekah alike they were just amazing parties. At points throughout the night it was literally just intense and people were having such a good time it ventured on seeming out of control.

How did the idea for stranger come about? Was it a conscious choice to make it a techno ­only night?

It was definitely a conscious decision to build a techno orientated brand. Together through different channels and opportunities in the past we have always loved and been passionate about techno. However never felt like we never had a platform where we could build on creating a following or brand dedicated to all the different sub genres of techno alone. There are some amazing club brands on offer in Melbourne now and in the past, but most showcase various genres and maybe the “lighter” side of techno.

stranger’s brand is dark, enigmatic and dangerous, not dissimilar to techno music or the dark venues we find ourselves listening to techno in. It is quintessentially Melbourne, but do you think there is room to grow and transcend the brand into other places in Australia – and is that something you would want to do?

There has been a real resurgence in the Melbourne scene with some other great crews pushing parties we also enjoy attending as punters (Billion Underground, Machine and A Colourful Storm) and overall Australian techno scenes with both international tours becoming more prominent and fresh local talent coming to surface. It’s certainly an exciting time, who knows what the future holds but for now we are focusing on Melbourne.

What can we come to expect from the upcoming stranger party with Dave Clarke on October 24?

Dave Clarke has always been on the forefront of classic no-nonsense, rolling techno so you can expect that his sound will be heavily percussive and the energy high!

Melbourne romanticises vinyl, that’s a no brainer. In fact some of the most respected local djs play vinyl-­only sets. What do you have to say to those averted by Dave Clarke’s almost anti-­vinyl/pro­-digital stance?

It’s all personal preference, each medium has their pros & cons and at the end of the day it comes down to what the artist is most comfortable performing with and what provides the best product.

Everyone has a bucket­ list of acts they want to see, so surely you have a list of acts you want to host. Who are 5 acts, possible or impossible, you would dream to host at stranger?

There are a lot that come to mind but our top 5 would have to be;

1. Norman Nodge
2. Donato Dozzy
3. Sandwell District
4. Shed
5. Surgeon

What does 2014/2015 have in store for stranger?

Some debutants, some return artists, some live artists and some unique spaces but first we will finish off 2014

 

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Dave Clarke will play at stranger at Brown Alley on Friday October 24th. Tickets are on sale from Eventbrite. Sydney won’t miss out with Dave Clarke coming down on the Saturday October 25th playing at Chinese Laundry.

If you want to get a taste for what you’ll be in for, press play on Dave Clarke’s Awakenings Festival set