⸻ An Sidney SN email response to email answer of management Storm Club Prague
06/28/2021 to: ondra@stormclub.cz
I was thinking about what stance I should take toward the management of Storm Club.
Of course, in regard to the incident with the club’s leadership. The unfriendliness of Storm Club’s management toward me.
Honestly, I still feel sick about Storm Club’s leadership.
I realize the event was staged. But from my perspective, it was an unconstructive solution—a deliberate attempt to discredit me. The reality is that, partly because of the incident at Storm, my name is actually stronger now.
In my opinion, Storm Club is far from ideal. Sometimes, if you just mention Storm Club, the response you get is, “Only junkies go there.”
Last summer and autumn, I was often at Storm Club because of the anti-epidemic measures. A state of emergency.
I’ve been part of the culture long enough to understand what it’s going through—what parties and clubs people go to, who attends (mentally, generationally, etc.).
So I can’t be satisfied with what’s going on at Storm Club either. I know people don’t go to the parties for the drum and bass, but for something else.
“Ravers” don’t even know who’s playing—and they probably don’t care. What matters to them is having their guarded shelter. And how old are they usually? This is quite common at Storm. And I don’t see any effort from Storm Club to address it.
But there are solutions. Plenty of clubs know how to deal with this.
I just think for management of Storm Club “junkie kids who don’t know” are good business. So they don’t even see it as a problem.
Storm is probably existentially dependent on this situation.
This is not culture.
In fact, it’s becoming clear to everyone now that the Storm Club management tried to discredit someone who is visible, positive, and gained recognition for what they do.
Honestly, what I experienced as Sidney SN on Grand Opening Day on Storm Street was unexpected and beautiful.
I walked through a kind of hall of fame among Czech DJs. That’s like a dream for many artists.
This kind of thing is happening to me more often now. Sometimes I feel like Charlotte de Witte.
That was never the goal of Sidney SN. Fame is just a side product of what and how Sidney SN mixes.
He genuinely likes people. So of course, it’s great if there’s positive feedback. They’re part of the mixes too.
I actually find it a bit funny that Storm Club is only reacting to Sidney SN now.
A lot of people know me as Sidney SN. Even years ago, people would recognize me on the street—three or four years back.
In other Prague clubs—not just Storm Club—people from the culture also often know me as Sidney SN.
I know exactly what I’m doing.
And if the Czech DJ “top tier” shows me appreciation, like what happened on Grand Opening Day on Storm Street, I truly thank you all.
I appreciate everyone who enjoys what I do—whether they’re ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or sixty-five years old.
I’m aware that especially Sidney SN’s liquid mixes can appeal to a wide range of people. Naturally, I also think about the fact that one of my mixes might introduce someone to D’n’B, and then they—or their family—might not be thrilled when they realize that some parties aren’t exactly a great environment… I speak from personal experience.
I’ve known for a while that a lot of people who listen to Sidney SN don’t even go to parties—or they only listen to liquid or deep D’n’B that I make. At home or in their headphones.
I know many people who avoid parties because of exactly what I’m talking about. I also know many who used to go, but don’t anymore.
Of course, I’m also deeply grateful for the support Sidney SN receives from various international labels and cultural figures. When someone supports the one they started out with—that’s divine.
I love what I do. And I’m certainly not going to give it up just because Mazzon and others don’t like it and try to handle it through their mercenaries.
If this is how the management of Storm Club treats someone else’s art—something that was built from scratch, born from passion and life itself—then regardless of Sidney SN, I don’t feel good about supporting Storm Club right now.
I don’t even know if I should bother defending myself against words like “sewer” or “rednecks”… Redneck behavior is what happened during Breakpoint.
Breakpoint kind of became a breakpoint for me, Sidney SN.
I thank Mazzon for standing behind what happened. Better to live in truth than in lies.
From the incident, I sense fear—fear that someone could become the cream of the crop, and others might just be pretending to play that role.
Storm Club’s management and their associates need not worry about that. Because this was never the goal of Sidney SN.
How bold—to kick me out of an empty Storm Street…