goldfish ???
"...
The power to happen huge
February 13, 2008
By Therese Owen
It couldn't have happened to two nicer guys. Since 2006, Dominic and David, two qualified jazz musicians from Cape Town, who happen to also be surfers, have revolutionised South African dance music.
GOLDFISH HAVE JUST SIGNED A DEAL WITH PACHA,
the massive global dance brand that incorporates 30 nightclubs, hotels,
merchandising (think the two cherries) and events around the world.
In fact, they are so big that their only other rival is Ministry of Sound.
However, Pacha is not a record company in the usual sense of the word. They release only one album a year, each time with a different artist. That album and artist must obviously add to the name of the Pacha brand and, in return, the artist develops a prolific name within the dance industry.
So just how did two boys from Cape Town hook this massive deal?
"In 2007 we were recording our second album and we reached a creative wall," they recall.
"We decided to book some gigs in Europe which included Ibiza, where the main Pacha night club is. The first time we saw the club it was unreal - 7 000 people trying to get into a nightclub resembling a Spanish villa."
They managed to perform at longtime resident DJ of Pacha, Pete Tong's pre-party (Tong is a superstar in the world dance music).
"You see, each night of the week for the six summer months in Ibiza the world's biggest DJs each have their own spots, like Carl Cox would have a Monday and Paul van Dyk a Tuesday. Pete Tong had a Friday night last summer.
"The organisers were so impressed with us that they asked us to play at Pacha at Pete's main set, which only starts at 1am. We performed at Jade Jagger's party, called Jezebel, which she hosts every week at Pacha. She lives in Ibiza."
The pair say they received a good response and it was great to feel validated outside of their home country .
"We felt like we had touched a global nerve. We had affirmation that we could do something overseas."
They returned to the Cape refreshed and excited and continued work on the album. Then Tong contacted them, saying he wanted to do remixes of their music for his syndicated show which has 12-million listeners around the world.
Then Pacha offered them a record deal. "The funny thing is the guys from Pacha started off as hardcore motherf*@#ers and as we sent them more of our material, the e-mails changed to fan mail."
Luck also played a role. The manager of Pacha, Ibiza, just so happened to hail from Pretoria, so Goldfish had an ally in their corner.
"Pacha has a massive infrastructure around the world. This signing means we skip the first 10 rungs of the ladder. They have 30 very serious nightclubs around the world which we will be performing at and where our music will get played.
"WE ALSO HAVE A RESIDENCY AT PACHA IN IBIZA
ON A FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THREE MONTHS
DURING THEIR SUMMER SEASON THIS YEAR."
The duo also plan to launch their second album, Perceptions of Pacha, at Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town in two months' time before going to the Miami Winter Music Conference. They then play Los Angeles before travelling to New York to perform at Pacha NYC.
Another part of the Pacha marketing involves remixing their music to infiltrate the huge underground dance scenes in Europe.
"Once that snowballs, we have the muscle to happen, and happen huge," they smile confidently. "But we are under no illusions that we have to work hard."
..."
( tonight.co.za)
"...
Who said (Gold)fish couldn't fly, hey?
September 19, 2008
By Atiyyah Khan
"We're not DJs. We're a live act. I've never played a record in my life," says Dominic Peters from Goldfish. Bold words from the electro-jazz duo who have just returned from a summer residency at Ibiza, the party capital of the world where thousands of DJs would have killed for the slot.
The "Fishies", Peters and his partner-in-crime David Poole, are nicely tanned and bursting with enthusiasm after returning from their 24-hour-party at one of the most famous clubs in Ibiza, called Pacha, where they held a four- month Friday night residency. As Peters says, "Pacha is basically the coolest club in the world."
The connection with Ibiza was made last year when the boys decided to try their luck and land a gig there. They met with DJ Pete Tong (BBC 1) and the organisers at Pacha who were keen to release their latest album, and through negotiations they were invited to play at the club for the summer.
"Our first gig was with Fedde le Grand and Will.I.Am and our second was with Basement Jaxx. It was amazing, we opened for them and they were next to us while we performed," says Peters excitedly.
Playing to a crowd of about 3 500 regularly, the boys also shared the stage with dance giants such as Faithless and Paul Oakenfeld. "James Blunt used to come to our gigs," Peters adds.
Since Pacha is a world-renowned brand, Goldfish have released a double-disc CD called Pure Pacha internationally to break into the global dance market. It features remixes of their own tracks as well as additions by DJ Sarah Main. Their second album, Perceptions of Pacha, which has topped charts in SA, will only be released internationally in March next year.
"Pure Pacha is a huge inroad into the world dance market. We released it overseas, because they're already an established brand and people will buy it. Perceptions of Pacha will be launched there next year, because there would be more recognition in the stores and people would know us better," explains Poole.
The boys share some interesting stories about Ibiza
. "It's got a sunset to die for. As the sun goes down, it hits the horizon, but just as it dips the DJ who's playing stops the track, and the whole crowd turns around to watch the sunset. After it sets, the DJ brings the tune back to say, 'Now the chill time is over, it's time to get nasty! Six tequilas, please!'" says Poole.
The party imagery goes on, making Ibiza truly sound like paradise.
Sleeping during the day, and partying at night, I wonder what else people at Ibiza do. "The thing about Ibiza that's amazing is that people don't have dinner until 11 at night, the sun only sets at about 10pm and people have a siesta in the afternoons, so all the stores are closed for naps. The beaches are amazing," says Poole.
The boys also travelled to England, Spain, France, Germany, Lithuania, Portugal and Brazil, where they received a great response to their music.
They will soon jet off to Dubai, Amsterdam and, strangely enough, Moscow. They describe the touring almost as a fitness training session in the musical sphere. "You go overseas and no one knows who you are, then some DJ just drops the biggest tune of the summer and you think you're going to get eaten alive.
"That's been really good for us, thrown in the lion's cage and learning how to deal with that."
About whether Ibiza is the drug capital of the world too, Peters responds: "We're not into that. Music is the best high of all."
They describe their standout show with Basement Jaxx: "It was one of our highlights. We had the whole of Pacha roaring and chanting along! And we thought, 'we're just two guys from Cape Town, if what we're doing can be vindicated on the international context, then SA does match up'."
... see
www.goldfishlive.com
..."
(
http://www.tonight.co.za)
