noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - Spring 2008 Issue # 55 - Index

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Sometimes, good things do come to those who wait. In the last issue of noiZe I
danced around the subject of how important DJs and music are to our dance event
experiences. But as we move into the close of the new millennium’s first decade,
we’re witnessing the final nail in the coffin of the compact disc, and the meteoric rise
of the mp3.
Tower and Warehouse Records have gone belly up while iTunes continues to thrive;
meanwhile a wide array of mp3-based components are flooding the market. Yet when
dance and electronica enthusiasts go online looking for new music, all we seem to be
finding are pop, country, and rock-‘n’-roll to buy for our iPods.
This year, all that changes. Masterbeat recently stopped all production of their CDs
and are going completely digital with the launch of Masterbeat.com. We’re ecstatic
to have an exclusive inside look at the what, how, and why of Masterbeat’s dramatic
leap into virtual music. Finally, all the dance and electronica you crave is in one convenient
place, just a click away.
Integrity Is the Key
Looking through the editorial selection for this issue, I was struck by a wide variety
of articles covering music, dance, entertainment, travel, and health—and started to
wonder if there was a central theme. Then it hit me.
Integrity.
There is a consistent honesty and humility to the success of each of our featured artists
and events found in the pages of this issue. The idea of competition within the
Circuit has always struck us as a rather silly notion, as it doesn’t help build community.
Winter Party does not compete with Ascension. Black & Blue does not compete with
White Party. Each event has its own place in time, its own beneficiary, and a limited
number of attendees to draw from. Only by working together to get boys off their
butts and onto the dance floor can events continue to thrive. Where there is integrity,
success is sure to follow. That is what makes us such a fierce tribe.
Which leads me to Mickey Weems, our calendar editor, who will release a book later
this year covering the history of the Circuit, and all that it was and has become. Dr.
Mickey’s view of history—it was his doctoral thesis, no less—will be accurate, if not
a bit controversial – as always. The Fierce Tribe will be available in bookstores and
reviewed at noiZemag.com.
What better way to kick off the first issue of 2008 than with someone who has
embodied integrity in the gay press for over a decade? Meet our new editor-inchief,
Steve Weinstein. Steve edited the New York Blade and currently oversees
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