Loco Dice Goes Under 300

Loco Dice has outlined plans for a second Under 300 tour, with 12 intimate dates lined up across Europe in January and February.

Some readers may remember the first Under 300 tour in 2009. The concept for this one is largely the same—only 300 tickets will be sold for each date—but with a few updates. This time around, Loco Dice will share the bill in each city with resident DJs that have given him a leg-up over the years. This will include, to name just a few, Boris Werner at Trouw in Amsterdam (in the smaller downstairs room), Martinez at Culture Box in Copenhagen, and Patrick Specke and Vladimir Ivkovic at Salon des Amateurs in Loco Dice's home city of Dusseldorf. In a nod to his hip-hop roots, the Desolat boss's set-up will be limited to two turntables, a mixer and a mic, which he'll use to say a few words about each of his hosts.

We caught up with Loco Dice over email to get more background on the tour:

What made the last Under 300 tour special for you?

The first tour came after a long 7 Dunham Place world tour. I had a pleasure to play in great clubs and at big festivals. At the same time I simply had to go back to small clubs, play long sets, see people clearly, dance with friends. I use to play long sets in bigger venues, but playing for eight hours in a tiny place with a great sound system and great crowd... It's where I come from.

What do you like about concept-driven tours as opposed to traditional tours?

I like stories, screenplays, movies... With concepts you create your own world, invite people to visit it and share it with you. It should be something special for everyone.

As a big DJ, do wish you got to play small parties more often?

I always play small parties! I do so for example in Dusseldorf, where we have our Desolat parties two or three times a year in a great bar which is way below the capacity of 300. I can pack my record bag and almost walk there, meet friends, play whatever I want to play. This is something that I want to capture on the Under 300 tour, stick to the classic art of DJing mentioned in so many hip-hop songs: two turntables, a mic and records.

One new detail about this tour is your nod to resident DJs that have brought you to their clubs over the years. Why are these relationships so important?

I admire good resident DJs! Those are the guys and girls who do the groundwork for so many things. They are able to break records, they keep people dancing week after week. This is fundamental. I grew up as a resident playing for hours, I was the host for a guest or I simply played the whole night or day. Guests come and go, and I hope that I can shed some light on it, remind people that there is a lovely lively scene just around the corner and that it's still great thing to go offline for a while, go to a club, dance, fall in love. Or just have a beer and dance.

Have a look at the video below to see Loco Dice, looking slightly knackered after a flight home from South America, explain the concept in detail.

I admire good resident DJs! Those are the guys and girls who do the groundwork for so many things. They are able to break records, they keep people dancing week after week. This is fundamental. I grew up as a resident playing for hours, I was the host for a guest or I simply played the whole night or day. Guests come and go, and I hope that I can shed some light on it, remind people that there is a lovely lively scene just around the corner and that it's still great thing to go offline for a while, go to a club, dance, fall in love. Or just have a beer and dance.

Have a look at the video below to see Loco Dice, looking slightly knackered after a flight home from South America, explain the concept in detail.

Loco Dice about UNDER 300 TOUR 2012 from Desolat Music Group on Vimeo.