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Subject: Hooj Choons Closes!

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Original Message 1/37 18-Sep-03 @ 04:16 PM - Hooj Choons Closes!

stilla punter

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Dear Hooj person,

It is with deep regret that we have to inform you that Hooj Choons, as we
know it, is no more. Following two years of fairly horrendous financial
struggle, during which time we fought to trade our way out of mounting
debt problems, we've had to call in the professionals to resolve matters
once and for all.

Naturally, this has come about as a direct result of: Sept 11/ any middle
eastern conflict you care to name/ downloading/ the slump in the global
economy/ music industry/ dance music industry... No, the truth is that as
distinguished labels, clubs and magazines shut down around us, we failed
to react quickly or effectively enough to what was going on. We thought
we'd seen this happen before, and could work our way out of it, but this
was a different kind of slump.

It feels like we should write some kind of mini - obituary for Hooj at
this point, but maybe everything that needs to be remembered about us is
out there already: a hundred and thirty six releases spanning 13 years,
all of them, for better or for worse, trying to live up to our original
aim of remaining 'occasional providers of half decent house'.

(Key members of staff will be carrying on the work of hooj.com, one of the
few beacons of hope amongst the gloom of recent times, under a new name
and ownership. Please see separate Hooj.com statement for details at the
top of the message board).

Its been a long, and until recently, enjoyable ride and we thank everyone
for their support over the past twelve years.

Yours,

The Hooj Mob

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Message 2/37 18-Sep-03 @ 04:22 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

BluStudio

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wow, in saying that there release list was getting smaller and less credible of late - hooj was the king back mid nineties tho - some unforgetable records.

blu

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Message 3/37 18-Sep-03 @ 04:51 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

dubmunkey

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wasn't a big fan of hooj but am def gutted that such a big and important label can fold like this.....what chance do we have?

greg

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Message 4/37 18-Sep-03 @ 05:27 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

ducale

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non. Dance music is slowly dying. Kids are interested in guitars again.

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Message 5/37 18-Sep-03 @ 05:49 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

R.A.T.

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A very very very sad fact...... :-(

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Message 6/37 18-Sep-03 @ 05:53 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

mcc>

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but alas...they be kids and they will grow up.

perhaps sad....but true.

everything in cycles.

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Message 7/37 18-Sep-03 @ 06:07 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

errata

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Man i feel old! Warning old dude on porch about to ramble on>>>

I remember when this stuff wasn't cool, interesting or popular... I remember when a big party was one hundred kids in a warehouse, where we didn't belong! I remember when the music was live, and the people were interesting, and SMART!!!! I remember when frat boys didn't want to f+ck raver chicks... when they beat up raver kids... when it was common to find hippies, like from the sixties, at a party. I remeber when the scene wasn't all over billboards, car commercials and soda cans! I remember when we did this for one another, not ourselves...

Quit whinging about the the "death of Dance Music"... you're not going to get rich! Grow up and except that (you weren't going to get rich anyway)... make beats, if they're good beats, people will dance! Forget the rest of this plastic, industry bullsh+t, it's not what "dance" about anyway!

e

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Message 8/37 18-Sep-03 @ 06:34 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

steve

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it's a bit sad to see labels closing, but this is a good thing in the long run I reckon - people'll get back to doing things for the love of it again, and that can't be bad.

dance music isn't dying, the corporate beast that it'd become is.

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Message 9/37 18-Sep-03 @ 07:41 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

milan

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cool letter. makes me feel sorry for them, although i'm pretty sure they released some horrible hardhouse things along the way.

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Message 10/37 18-Sep-03 @ 09:47 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

Boo

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Sad, sad stuff.

Still, mcc is right - Things run in cycles.

We'll still be here through thick and thin, still making tunes regardless of whether people want to listen or not.

Guitars suck.

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Message 11/37 18-Sep-03 @ 09:56 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

errata

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my point is, People do still want to listen! Just not as many as 3 years ago... the "scene" needs this! Aren't we all the same people who bitched and moaned when Underground trax started playing in movies and on car commercials? Well, there you go, we're getting what we wanted.

Not a moment too soon. Yeah it sucks that lables (and more-so the people who depend on their income from them) have to fold. It sucks that clubs are closing, etc... but, hell... it's cathartic guys.

It's not going to die, this is just trimming the fat... and that's GOOD!

e

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Message 12/37 19-Sep-03 @ 09:20 AM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

dubmunkey

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of course dance music isn't dead- people going back to guitars? puh-leeze the current crop of guitar widdlers must be the most uninspiring lot-

i play guitar, love all my guitar bands but the currrent crop of shit (read mid-90's onwards) really made me turn my head to where my other interests lied...ie in dance and hip hop....and whilst both those scene are still serving up fresh tunes today the guitar shit is just pale...

greg

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Message 13/37 19-Sep-03 @ 09:58 AM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

Steve Roughley

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Yeah, this is a purely commercial shift, as these things allways have been since the birth of the 'Chart'. Aint nuttin to worry about. And will probably be most beneficial to the music.

Steve.

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Message 14/37 19-Sep-03 @ 01:15 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

imola

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I would like to thank Hooj Choons for making available two of my all-time favorite releases:

Energy 52 "Cafe Del Mar"
Lost Tribe "Gamemaster"

You made life that much sweeter.

Thank you.

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Message 15/37 19-Sep-03 @ 01:16 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

ducale

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I think The Darkness have contributed more to music than any "dance" act over the last 2 years.

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Message 16/37 19-Sep-03 @ 01:21 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

seantyas

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Only problem here is, a lot of people in the industry and not on the industry don't consider Hooj to be part of the "fat"...

I hope you guys are 100% correct in saying that essentially it's this scene's "reload time".

Dont know how many people here watch Comedy Central, but yesterday's Daily Show had a really funny bit about the RIAA and its lawsuits... And it's stance really seemed to be poking fun at the people who download all this music, and when asked about it, deny they knew what they were doing

.. Granted the 1st case, the 12 year old girl, was a bit young, but it really takes effort to make 1,000 songs available from your computer. Her statement was even funnier: "I am sorry for what I have done. I love music and don't want to hurt the artists I love"... Was she thinking that it would help further their careers by downloading and redistributing the music to her friends and strangers?

Sorry, had to vent, my goals involve being able to make music to be my income, not even to get rich, but enough to do it all day as a career. With these unregulated services up, none of us are looking at a career in music anytime soon. In fact, all these labels shutting down means people actually losing their careers in music.

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Message 17/37 19-Sep-03 @ 01:34 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

mcc>

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personally i've always been against redistrubution of works not intended by the artist to be free. dt is free music....and is intended to be so.

there's a big difference between what we're doing and what the huge file-swapping community is doing.
i hope there's no confusion there.

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Message 18/37 19-Sep-03 @ 01:41 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

dubmunkey

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i must i was mislead by 'the darkness' name......got my hopes up and all that....shame...

greg

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Message 19/37 19-Sep-03 @ 02:44 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

seantyas

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nono, i wasnt talkin about dt at all...

Think about it this way. Think about your favorite artists... whoever they may be, whatever genre.

if i had to guess, at least 60% of them are listening to their tracks from downloaded mp3s...

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Message 20/37 19-Sep-03 @ 03:24 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

R.A.T.

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Errata:

"I remember when this stuff wasn't cool, interesting or popular... I remember when a big party was one hundred kids in a warehouse, where we didn't belong! I remember when the music was live, and the people were interesting, and SMART!!!! I remember when frat boys didn't want to f+ck raver chicks... when they beat up raver kids... when it was common to find hippies, like from the sixties, at a party. I remeber when the scene wasn't all over billboards, car commercials and soda cans! I remember when we did this for one another, not ourselves... "

America seems like a strange place..... apart from the warehouse bit, which kicked off years before in the UK, wtf is the rest of it ? Beating up raver kids ? didn't want to fuck raver chicks ? hippies at parties ?

UK late 80's, early 90's, Rave was the thing which reduced violence, almost stopped football hooliganism, and had loadsa raver girles in skimpy clothes waiting to be boned.

WTF America ?

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Message 21/37 19-Sep-03 @ 03:54 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

dubmunkey

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wtf indeed? even without the m-b-d's the scene was still about no pretenses and no aggro- how can things go so wrong?

i often find, in the UK at least, that the pucnhier kind of person often has little to no musical taste and therefore do i rarely bump into them...

greg

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Message 22/37 19-Sep-03 @ 07:00 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

errata

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That's my point... used to be, the frat guys, the mainstream, didn't like the scene, didn't like the people... "ravers" were seen as homo's and would get picked on, just like Punks in the 70's and 80's... the raver chicks were WIERD...

Now that's where they get their Girls Gone Wild sh+t!

That's kinda what I'm saying... there was a time when it wasn't mainstream... it was peaceful, giving and filled with respect for one another... now it's JUST a party!

and with it falling out of popularity, maybe it'll be worth doing again!!!

e

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Message 23/37 21-Sep-03 @ 01:59 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

O/d

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I think its more a case of what used to be underground Dance music becoming mainstream in a shitty cheesy pop sort of way. Rock went underground again when 80's metal and grunge started to fade out. Look at bands like Radiohead, Interpol, Black Rebel Motorcycle club,the Darkness, Queens of the stone age and my next door neighbours

'the thrills' these people are making quality music with underground alternative leanings... thats what the kids want to hear these days. Not some proceessed rubbish with more fake shine than a bottle of Mr sheen. Dance music, most of it anyway, has lost its heart. Its just not fun anymore.

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Message 24/37 22-Sep-03 @ 08:25 AM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

beds

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you bunch of old motherFuckers. ;)

interesting article in the prs/mcps rag this month about this perception that dance is dead and rock has all the kids in thrall. i thunk it too, but apparently ppl still go clubing (shock horror - was that me chewing my cheeks off the other week?) and dance compilations are selling quite well thank you very much. ppl might be buying less 12" singles than before but they're still "consuming" (puke) dance music.

huge choons were crap, good thing they're gone. them and their six hundred and sixty six remixes of cafe del mar can go suck satan's cock.

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Message 25/37 22-Sep-03 @ 11:45 AM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

Dingostema

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Above are the words spoken by a man on a very very bad comedown....

Dingo

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Message 26/37 22-Sep-03 @ 11:53 AM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

beds

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wtf are you on about? i thought i was quite cheery. i even quoted bill hicks.

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Message 27/37 22-Sep-03 @ 05:04 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

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"I think The Darkness have contributed more to music than any "dance" act over the last 2 years."

well lets see how long they last after they've had their 'UK music media' 3 months of favour.

I think they need better material, ressurecting a style might not be enuff, and their material is pretty weak imo

___________________________________

I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!

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Message 28/37 23-Sep-03 @ 01:06 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

ducale

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do any of you lot go to live gigs on a regular basis? I do and I can tell you that The Darkness were the second best band I've seen all summer (at the festivals). They rocked and had the place jumping like no other band I've seen this year. The best band I've seen all year and who beat only The Darkness was The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They were amazing and are amazing musicians. The peppers did this thing at V where some non discript dance act were playing the second stage (there were 3 people dancing)and Flea started playing the bass line from I Feel Love and then the rest of the band joined in. Best dance act (for that one tune) I've seen all year. I mean which dance act is currently pushing boundaries at the moment? huh? Well? Can you name one? No, thought not?

And don't say Apex Twin pleaaaase.

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Message 29/37 23-Sep-03 @ 02:45 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

milan

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probably none. but not like rehashed rock bands are any better. or?

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Message 30/37 23-Sep-03 @ 03:32 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

mcc>

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i remember when anthony..the pepper's singer was down from LA and came and checked out my band...dogs with masks. damn was he skinny in those days!
he sat with us and kept asking for drugs. never could've imagined he'd become the he-man he is today. surviving is good.

but if we're talking about the mainstream doing any groundbreaking...my vote still goes for last year's parrel farrel album....song yet to be sung. absolutely stellar d-n-b with a wild in your-face spirited quality....very alluring. there's really only one bonehead song on the cd. i'd recommend it to anyone. definitely more on-the-edge than the chilis.

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Message 31/37 23-Sep-03 @ 03:57 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

Kungfu Monkey

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ducale? The Darkness?? Get to f*ck, they suck.

who was into poodle rock in the first place?

all those twats who thought dance music was for "poofs" and were stood at the bar too pissed to work out why every one else was off dancing in fields, making friends, lovers and generally having a bloody good time of it.

i like "rock", people such as radiohead, charlatans, stone roses, primal scream, von bondies, kings of leon and the strokes are amazing.

but the darkness??? f*ck off, singing with a falsetto and non scanning lyrics.

and i quote

"I'm being punished for all my offences
I wanna touch you but I'm afraid of the consequences "

f*cking stringy haired off-spring of peter stringfellow media hyped shite.

I guarantee next year people will be denying ever liking them, they are the kulashaker of the new millenium.

Dance artists not orginal? try bonobo on ninja, his new album is great, anything by wally and dr kucho they are also tops. also have a look at http://www.11-hour.com/ loads of artists and record labels who support THE UNDERGROUND.

f*ck the charts and f*ck boring pop music.

oh, and apparently 750,000 people take e's every weekend in the uk... that's a lot of brain damage and you can bet they are not dancing to the fucking darkness.

and one other point, just think how many bars there are in your area with a dj in and a late license (in the UK anyway). compared to all that superclub nonsense, lots of bars with dj's.... doesn't that mean they'll still be buying records? F*ck me, I hadn't thought of that.

and it's considerably harder to pirate vinyl, in fact vinyl is still the preferred medium of choice by dj's. They've got big ego's you see and nothing pleases them more than a nice big wall of vinyl to impress themselves and others with.

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Message 32/37 23-Sep-03 @ 03:59 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

milan

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perry farrel, he's still alive? gotta check it out... used to love jane's addiction.

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Message 33/37 23-Sep-03 @ 04:07 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

mcc>

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milan...as a d-n-b guy...i'm almost certain you'll love this cd. if mainstream music could have drum-n-bass balls & beats and a love/warrior attitude...this is it.

btw....anthony sat down at our table in 83.
...the red-hots have been around for twenty years!!!!

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Message 34/37 23-Sep-03 @ 04:45 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

milan

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eh? dnb? off to check it out asap

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Message 35/37 29-Sep-03 @ 12:48 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

hooj owe me money

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OK, sorry for who? what about all the artists and suppliers etc etc? They are going to be left high and dry, as Hooj Choons owe thousands of pounds to LOADS of people! And how come they can continue with this website (which if they are, its because its making them money) and not pay their creditors? Its always the artists that lose out at the end of everything. Hollow promises. Thats all they were good at. Hollow promises. And bounced cheques.
I'll bet you that in a couple of months time, when all this has died down, the people involved with Hooj will just set up another label, and continue with what they were doing before. The difference is, all the debts left over will not be paid, so you (the "fan") will probably still get to hear awesome new releases (and I'll grant you that Hooj always released fantastic products), but who will miss out will be all those people that didnt get paid in the first place, after you (the "fan") actually paid good money to get those releases...
A similar thing happened to Fire. They went bankrupt, putting all their debts into oblivion, while all three founders of Fire (Cass, Slide, Burridge) founded their own label.

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Message 36/37 29-Sep-03 @ 01:09 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

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I got tickets for the darkness in October

- I had to see for myself.

yup labels do go tits up - it'd be honourable for owners to honour old payments tho via newly setup labels, even if they could only afford to do it in installments - however, we all know that in this game of shopping out tracks to small labels this can happen. many people therefore demand their cut upfront

___________________________________

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Message 37/37 29-Sep-03 @ 02:24 PM - RE: Hooj Choons Closes!

beds

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my mate's 14 year old daughter asked him to download the darkness album for her. the kids love it, yeah.

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