If someone blogged something like this about you, I am sure you would find it hurtful. I think the best thing about PopFest is the people; and I am disappointed that someone I met there could be so mean.

Roque, I would like to preface this comment by saying that I have always had respect for you and thought you seemed like a great guy, and I really respect the stuff you have done for indiepop with your label. However, this blog post makes you seem elitist, mean-spirited, bitter and exclusionary, all the things that are the opposite of what indiepop means to me. I’d also like to point out that I don’t even know Paul personally, and my only dealings with him have been on the internet, where he has been nothing but polite, enthusiastic and supportive of any and all ventures we have tried to publicise online. I don’t even know where to start with this comment, to be honest, and I am feeling really quite angry and disappointed to learn that someone I thought was a kindred spirit is nothing of the sort.
First of all, since when did one person have the right to decide what is indiepop and what isn’t? And who elected you as that person? For me, indiepop has always been about the DIY, punk-rock spirit, about collaboration and doing something for the love of it, and of course that nature of ‘scenes’ within music means that there is an element of segregation in terms of what people do and do not play when they DJ, but here’s the thing: if you don’t like a particular night, don’t go to it! Clearly the Popfest organisers liked what Scared To Dance do, and you must have been aware beforehand what the night would be like – why go to it if you were destined to be miserable all night? I’m pretty sure I have heard you yourself espouse the belief that the job of the DJ is not just to make people dance, so why are you so down on Paul for failing to live up to your expectations? I wasn’t there, but from the sounds of it he was just doing what he loves doing and maybe it wasn’t in line with your tastes but you can’t expect everything to be tailored directly to you all of the time! That’s just ludicrous.
Second of all, you have a massive go at someone for daring to promote their own night. Imagine the cheek! Perhaps you are lucky enough to be bathed in the presence of adoring fans of indiepop, but for most of us that is not the case. We have to actively promote our nights outwith our own circle of friends or the place will be empty. Sometimes that means widening the scope of the night to play stuff we might not play otherwise, but do you know what? That is an education, for me. I’m not a music snob. I listen to pretty much every genre of music there is, but my major love is indiepop. This is based on contemporary music that I have heard and loved and that has made me explore more. I have no interest in C86 or Sarah records, and I had never even heard of the Shop Assistants until I started doing my club night and someone asked me to play them. This doesn’t make me any less an indiepop fan than anyone else.
Thirdly, as far as I am (and pretty much all of my indiepop-loving friends are) concerned, indiepop is about inclusion and embracing difference and the DIY spirit and the modern embodiment of punk rock. You talk about hipsters taking over indiepop, but in my mind a hipster is someone who wants to make a scene their own and exclude all others; that is precisely what you seem to be doing in your blog post and it’s diatribes like this which lead people to have a low opinion of indiepop. Shame on you.

I’ve got no affinity to Scared to Dance, nor do I know Paul (aside from having said hello to him once at a Standard Fare gig), but I really enjoyed his djing at the 100 Club, and you, my friend, sound like everything that’s snobbish and cliquey about indiepop; moreover you sound like an asshole.

what is so unreasonable about someone expecting to hear (only) actual indiepop (at an indiepopfest)? sure, i like the stooges as well, but consider how few indiepop fans there are, and that some are traveling from the states or other countries…it does seem a bit misleading of scared to dance, to be part of the popfest.

I know Paul. He’s a genuine guy who plays music that he loves. A large amount of the stuff he plays is what I’d call indiepop. I could’ve probably been the subject of this mean spirited rant – as Odd Box dares to release and love any music that moves me. Some of this is indiepop, some isn’t. I’m still doing it for the love of it. As is Paul.

Perhaps Roque isn’t being unreasonable expecting to hear nuttin’ but indiepop at at an indiepopfest but does anybody deserve this spew of vitriol for the crime of playing some records, being enthusiastic about it and having a wide array of people like him? Some of the avenues and sideroads Roque wanders down in his attack on Paul make me not so much question Paul’s integrity or commitment to the cause but rather what Roque hoped to achieve by this? Other than make himself look like proper foolish and alienate people who previously may have been well disposed toward him…

Kudos for addressing a couple of the major problems in indiepop. Your (sometimes brutal) honesty is one of the many reasons why I like you so much.

For me personally, its not just the indiepop/not indiepop at a popfest disco-issue, but its also the thing, that it’s really easy to take advantage of the benefits there are – by taking part in this community (or whatever you wanna call it).
Most of the people I’ve met through my interest in this specific genre, are always willing to do what they can, to support each other and the music they love. Spending all their savings travelling great distances to play (for free) or simply see some great band (probably with some not-so-great-band) at some worn out pub, far away from home.
Because sometimes it turns out to be all worth it, seeing all these magnificent bands, dancing to your favorite music, hanging out with all these crazy, funny, bright, cool people.

And it’s just such a damn shame that theres also the occasional over-ambitous discjockeys. I mean – its basically just putting on something people wanna dance to, isnt it? Look at your audience (not your feet)! And you just stand there, and you can’t help thinking: “What exactly am I doing here?”, spending too much at the bar, listening to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” for the second time that evening, watching random teens getting drunk. And then topping the evening with some crappy hostel because that’s all you could afford – and no one really gives a damn anyways.

My point is; that those mornings when its just you (or, you know), your hangover and you aching dancing feet, you kinda feel like crying because its too sad that the night is over. Thats when its all really goddamn worth it.

“We should support DJs and clubs that truly and kindheartedly support our music.”

I wonder which parts of this blog you consider to be the most kindhearted? Is it where you “cheekily” outright insult someone on a public forum because you think they’re not as “militant” as you? Or is it where you appoint yourself sole and only arbiter of exactly what is and isn’t acceptable at an indie weekend, and damn anyone who dares disagree?

No, I think the most kindhearted and supportive thing about this whole blog is when you spend a bus ride absorbing personal information about somebody which you then decide to share online with a wide audience, who you then ask to exclude entirely from their friendship, just because he played some records you don’t like at a disco. Well done!

hey buddy. are you autistic? because if you are, that would really explain a lot… i am a longtime rabid indiepop fan, and i had absolutely no idea who you were until quite recently. because you are not important. you are a mere speck of dust in the long and glorious history of the genre, and let’s get real: you have done nothing that will be worthy of remembering in a few years’ time other than acting like a real asshole, overcharging for your products, and conducting some of the worst interviews i have ever read with folks who really deserve better.

there are a lot of things i could respond to amongst all of the really nasty bile you spewed above. but i am going to lay it on the line. you are a nasty, spoiled brat. there are plenty of people all over the world who would kill to be able to travel overseas just once in their lifetimes let alone several times a year. there are pop fans all over the world who would kill for just ONE of the gorgeous 7″s you arrogantly crap out in your revolting daily facebook parade.

you are not the indiepop police. you do not represent me. try to be a little more humble.

What a mean attack on one of the loveliest people and DJs in London. Blogging this under the Cloudberry Records name, a blog I have enjoyed reading too.. I won’t be bothering anymore. You’ve lost a lot of London fans, or ‘hipsters’ as you may choose to call it. Have fun at the next Popfest… lots of friends left in London I’m sure!

I won’t be bothering with this blog anymore. You’re attacking one of the loveliest people and DJs. You’ve lost a lot of London fans, or ‘hipsters’ as you may choose to call it. Have fun at the next Popfest… lots of friends left in London I’m sure!

i would suggest getting some perspective, and if that’s not possible some professional help. to be so wrapped up in a scene that you think this is an appropriate response to someone being nice to you on a bus is pretty odd. and to spew such vitriol at someone who you admit you both a) don’t know and b) is a nice guy shows a distinct lack of class.

man, i hope this turns out to be a massive gotcha on us all.

you’re being completely horrible about someone you hardly know, who was nice to you, introduced himself, rode the bus with you, helped you get acquainted with an unfamiliar part of town and offered to buy you drinks. and you’re doing this for what? some higher “indiepop purpose”? you think you’re saving “the scene” with this kind of mean-spirited, arrogant attitude? that’s what’s killing it.

what i love about the indiepop scene is that people are lovely and friendly even if they don’t know you, there is a real community feeling where people accept you (and accept your occasional shyness/awkwardness) there is no emphasis “outcooling” each other or being exclusionary. but your post is the complete opposite of that.

paul has been utterly lovely to me every time i’ve met him. he’s the furthest thing from a hipster and i’ve never heard him say anything arrogant. he’s friendly and supportive and my friends and i have had amazing nights at his club. sure, it’s not 100% indiepop, but he doesn’t claim it is. and you really can’t hate on the guy for playing some records he likes that you don’t like.

and talking about gratitude (which you claim paul doesn’t have), you’re showing a distinct lack of it towards the popfest organizers. i know they worked goddamn hard organizing the whole thing (as you say, it’s not an easy task, organizing these things) and you call it a joke? real nice.

i see your point that you wanted more indiepop that night, but there are better ways to make it, without resorting to being totally horrible about someone who was actually pretty darn nice to you from the sounds of it.

I knew it wasn’t just punk rock fans who were humourless about ‘their’ music. I KNEW IT.

If none of you know this “Paul” well enough then why do you even bother on criticizing someone who actually complained for a cause? What do you hipsters do? dance to anything that Paul plays because “he’s just doing what he loves”? Conformity never makes the man. People have to complain and take action in order to get things done, if it was up to all of you no art period nor music movement would’ve existed. The day any of you does something valuable then you MIGHT have the right to critique someone who actually LOVES what he does (that’s why he complains) and who is also extremely proactive about what he loves.

You should all be murdered.

You all suck.

To be fair to this Roque guy, if I was insane enough to fly all the way from Miami to London for a club night then I’d probably be pretty hacked off if they didn’t play exactly what I wanted as well.

Seriously though, if you don’t like the direction things are going in then you’re surely better off doing your own thing than getting all hissy on the internet about a guy who’s doing what he wants. You say that there’s nowhere in Miami for you to dance to this stuff – why not? Why don’t you start your own club night if you’re so damn proactive? And if you won’t/can’t, then you should probably acknowledge how hard it is to get stuff up and running, which Paul seems to have managed pretty well. Maybe he does that in part by diversifying the kind of music he plays and reaching out to people that way…

Really though, you just seem desperately jealous in your post. You also seem like you can’t write very well considering that you think your writing is worthy or people’s time. Or are you deliberately writing like a sixteen year-old because you think it’s ‘diy’?

Now that really WOULD be the behaviour of a hipster.

lazlo, he did not fly out to london to go to paul’s club night.if i were going to be petty, i’d question your reading comprehension skills, but that’s not what this is about….
roque wrote an honest review/rant/opinion, and dj hipster paul couldn’t bear to hear the truth, so he sent his minions out to write their sad personal attacks, and general disregard/admittance of ignorance of indiepop. that’s pretty much it.

Amidst all these personal attacks towards Roque for having an opinion I feel a point has been totally ignored it the rant.

“I was already uncomfortable with him taking over Saturday night party at Popfest. The way he was promoting it, as it was his own gig, as if he had organized it all by himself in the 100 Club, was provoking to say the least. His flyers were misleading. It felt like he was the main event, not London Popfest. It felt he was doing a favor to team Popfest to DJ. Nowhere on his flyers or promo sheets -yeah, he has all those because he is very professional about these things- there was some sort of honest gratitude to the Popfest people. On top of that, he had managed a sweet deal: after all the bands have played people could come in for his club for the sum of 3 pounds.”

Which is a feeling I got as well. Likewise on Facebook, where the general Indiepop group has turned into a promotional vehicle for Scared To Dance and what they consider be worth promoting i.e gigs and nights where Scared To Dance are Djing..

Dude, you sound like a total douchebag, but at least you attracted some attention on here- and even I paid a visit to your blog which I’ve never seen before. Keeping the indiepop scene “clean” sounds a bit fascist and snobbish and indie music in general is full of these conceited types that believe something gives them the right to say what is “true” and what isn’t. I personally find it lame when indie pop DJs play obscure shit, and really enjoyed the stooges song.

Roque – I love you, you know I do. I admire your stuff and your spirit. But this is just plain wrong. Indie pop was never ever supposed to be a genre anyway, we are in the the realm of independance and their has to be some democracy, difference of opinion and individuality. I can’t bear it when people get really precious about ..whatever, it just creates more waste, more division, more seperation etc. I can honestly say I am really saddenned by this blog and find it quite unexpected. POP is democracy in action, POP is fluid, POP is acceptance and DIVERSITY… I really can’t be done with this…Paul, is entitled to his take on POP in the same way you are and Vive la difference! Please allow other people to have totally different tastes to me, Please allow there to be totally different takes on what we love…music. REMEMBER – ‘FALL IN LOVE WITH US FOR 2 and a half minutes then forget about us. Don’t accept the fascist rock crap’ – Sha la la Fanzine 1987…..kind of ironic ain’t it? Much love and forgiveness…xx

perhaps the name of this “club night” should be changed to Scared to Disagree With Paul (that was too easy.)

Maybe the name of this blog should be changed to “Indiepop Purity and Social Skills Failure”.

i’d hope i could have the same level of dedication as paul if i were putting a night on. one night, because he wanted me to stay, he gave me two pounds so i could get the bus instead of the last train. that is not the work of someone out to rob us all of our ‘shady three pounds’.

instead of posting unprovoked vitriolic rants on the internet, perhaps you could start your own indiepop club in miami. might be a better use of your time.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

YOU PUT THE ‘DIE’ IN INDIEPOP, YA GET ME?

You can have a Swedish girlfriend if you really wanted.

They ain’t all that though

Heh, this all reminds me a bit of the Series Two Records attack from a few years back.

If I’d go to a popfest, I would look forward a lot to the indiepopdisco as well, and would indeed be somewhat disappointed if it didn’t turn out the way I had hoped for. In this case though I think it was pretty clear from the start what kind of DJ Paul is, and the organization specifically asked him for this, to do his thing. A personal attack seems a bit out of place here… If there’s a need for any kind of action whatsoever, a request for a more indiepop-oriented DJ to the organization may have been a better and more productive course to take.

At least you got some people talking here, Roque. I hope this will turn out to have been mainly an unfortunate way of formulating your points, and to see you and Paul dancing together on a next occasion!

“What do you hipsters do? dance to anything that Paul plays because “he’s just doing what he loves”? Conformity never makes the man.”

How would you call “Listening to the same stuff and doing exactly like Indiepop Police said you should”?
Conformity, perhaps?

Clearly there’s a level of musical ignorance that goes along with indie pop purist mentality. Seeing as your precious twee and indie pop bands wouldn’t have existed without predecessors like OMD, Altered Images and The Wake. Who were consequently a direct takeaway from their influences, The Velvet Underground, The Slits, Joy Division and the like. Please do your homework and don’t bash others for playing music –be it post punk or other–that’s all stemming from the same root of influences. I love Cloudberry, but this post smells of the kind of elitism that contradicts indie pop all together.

So, just because you Americans don’t have any indiepop nights, you have to come over here and tell us what we need to listen to?

Well, guess what, we have at least 8 indiepop club nights a month, and we get a little sick of hearing the same songs all the time.

Americans… eye roll.