[swifty]

Yo fellow hip hoppers. I keep seeing peeps posting up about their events and calling them Jams. I was under the impression that a JAM was a party...?
We have a lot of COMPETITIONS in the uk but not a lot of jams. I know that in london and other major cities a lot of bboys hit up the clubs and such which is dope but i mean just a jam where everyone comes from all avenues of dance and like at many of the after parties that happen ( Uk champs , Ibe, Breakfest welsh champs) just a straight up party for no reason!!! Kindda like all city (shout out to Pointman !) that used to happen in reading...?
If we could set summat up what you think to that guys ?

[ChazBee1]

Yeah you're right, too many people are calling events/competitions "Jams" when the main focus of the event is the competition. That would be really cool if more actual jams kept popping up, would give people more of a reason to party in another city in the region!

[J03]

could argue that jam is still an appropriate name for an event as there are people that turn up just to cypher and socialise with no intention of entering the competition. it depends on your perspective.


what about a thread just for jams, in the same vein as the events calendar?

[unity]

I'm with that ^^
be good to ge a thread going as a lot of jams that happen (in Cardiff anyway) are smaller, more local things,s but it'd be good to have somewhere to post them in case anyone is up for travelling just to jam. It'd be a good way of knowing if something's going on if u wanna go somewhere last minute. Prob worth putting a phone number on there so folks can check if it's defo still happening and bboys r gonna be there.
From what I've heard, when people try to organise a jam with no comp, it doesn't draw in as many people from outside the local scene so they get disappointed.

[dj mushroom]

currently working on a new Jam in Brum which would be on a sunday Afternoon once a month,no comp big space 5-6 djs just spinning away

[swifty]

dj mushroom, on 18 January 2012 - 07:46 PM, said:

currently working on a new Jam in Brum which would be on a sunday Afternoon once a month,no comp big space 5-6 djs just spinning away

exactly what i am talking about ! Mushroom always stepping it up !

[Atomic]

i get whats being said, what about events being called jams tho like Just Jam?

[P BADTASTECRU]

History of Just Jam.

Started out as a small jam/event for local bboys, dancers, djs, graf heads, mcs, musicians to get together monthly and socialise, jam, hangout, network, party, dance, battle, etc etc. We invited alot of bboys from up and down the country to this and it was also the afterparty for bigger hiphop events in Newcastle (ie breakin convention amongst others)

Then we grew to the point where we wanted to put on an bigger event. Personally we have always called battles/events/competitions etc etc, jams..rightly or wrongly, doesnt matter either way to us, thats the hiphop term we were schooled on and use.

We aimed to create an event that catered for ALL people, the bboys, the community etc and also have a high level of competition element to it, furthermore now legendary after parties (If you aint been then you dont know )

We have altered our format over the years to make sure it is the best possible event in the North East (and UK) FOR ALL who attend, by making it half a jam/battle, half a show (in terms of the audience and now the added theatre night)

JUST JAM prides itself on its friendly, welcoming vibe, aswell as real bboy culture coupled with professionalism and high production values.

We aim to give the UK bboys the best possible experience and competition, aswell as room to chill, network, socialise,and party.

To try to do all these things is very hard (as all promoters will know) but there are very few events in the UK with this package and this is why we strive to keep making it better and better each year. Of course there are always hiccups and things that could be improved, which we always try to do.

We feel that JUST JAM is a JAM, it is whole weekend of hiphop culture, it is what you make it, and this goes for any other event. You can put things into catergories, make observations, critique, compare, contrast etc, totally up to you.

At Just Jam, you can jam, cypher, battle, chill, observe, network, party, see hiphop theatre, go to workshops, go to a graffiti jam, you can DO what YOU want, and make it what YOU want it to be. Its all HIPHOP, thats why we all do this eh?!?

P
BTC

[Spin]

Duuuuuude All City Jam in Readnig was the ooooonnneee hands down for me in terms of just a JAM in general. At the time, they had a james brown tribute circle after JB passed, had some international invites down and even met peeps from overseas who had just come for the jam itself. Daaam i miss that jam (sigh)

[Dhalsim]

Diamond Circles London 2012. Keep your eyes peeled. Cloak and Dagger coming back!

[Flo]

Just Jam is a jam: pre-party, after party, circles in the main room/in the foyer/upstairs...

My point is, nothing prevents you from going to events and just dance without entering. Nowadays though, organising a comp will help A LOT if you want to attract people to your events, if you want good DJs, if you want high standard...

[marko]

I have been having similar conversation about this with the Cambridge boys. In terms of what makes a good event.

The first All City was really good but the 3rd one wasnt very good. Half of it I would down to putting it on a Saturday night in an area which is expensive to travel to, and when the venue is large with not many people it in; it's hard to create an atmosphere even with world class bboys.
The second half was due to no focal point, nobody really know when to start and when to finish. Nobody can solidly throwdown without looking like they are practising for 5 hours with no atmosphere.

I find competition getting a bit boring at the moment with too many rounds, which Im sure the Cambridge boys are tired of hearing. I think with a 1on1 battle the max should be 16 although the best events its usually 8. The other problems with long battles ie 32 is that it is only a few people end up dancing rather than the few who have to go through many rounds. The circles between battles are also not very good because they may be cut off a few moments later which just frustrates people.

If you are wanting to throw an event where it is more about the circles it's worth have a focal point like a 8 man battle or organised battle ie WCRTM, Banana Jam and Diamond Circles. I found that everyone enjoys the circles after the event if the battles are short. If the battles take forever they are much poorer or everyone just goes home because their concentration is shot. If you do have a short focal point ie 8 battles and the circles after may not be going as well as possible then improvise. You can have a battle from a hat where people put their names in a hat and then random battles are chosen, or spin the bottle. Just think of a few things that don't need a long time and can be cut at any point.

I've spoken about this with quite a few people like some of the IBE guys etc.. and they will all say the same thing, get the main event blasted through and then everyone can join in. It's always worth experimenting and noticing peoples interest at an event. I think the long competitions are the reason why so many people complain about battles are "killing" the scene.

[P BADTASTECRU]

thanks flo..

p

[Paddy]

Every year we have Jetty Jam in Plymouth- down by the sea, outside, live drummers, sometimes a full band if we can get one setup, BBQ, jamming, partying, swimming, diving in the sea, icecream, all good. Proper good fun!

Will post up when we are planning the next one, so would be cool to get some other people down.

[swifty]

Spin, on 23 January 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Duuuuuude All City Jam in Readnig was the ooooonnneee hands down for me in terms of just a JAM in general. At the time, they had a james brown tribute circle after JB passed, had some international invites down and even met peeps from overseas who had just come for the jam itself. Daaam i miss that jam (sigh)

DAM right Spin thats what it is a party and celebration but cyphers too all over the place

[swifty]

marko, on 27 January 2012 - 07:05 AM, said:

I have been having similar conversation about this with the Cambridge boys. In terms of what makes a good event.

The first All City was really good but the 3rd one wasnt very good. Half of it I would down to putting it on a Saturday night in an area which is expensive to travel to, and when the venue is large with not many people it in; it's hard to create an atmosphere even with world class bboys.
The second half was due to no focal point, nobody really know when to start and when to finish. Nobody can solidly throwdown without looking like they are practising for 5 hours with no atmosphere.

I find competition getting a bit boring at the moment with too many rounds, which Im sure the Cambridge boys are tired of hearing. I think with a 1on1 battle the max should be 16 although the best events its usually 8. The other problems with long battles ie 32 is that it is only a few people end up dancing rather than the few who have to go through many rounds. The circles between battles are also not very good because they may be cut off a few moments later which just frustrates people.

If you are wanting to throw an event where it is more about the circles it's worth have a focal point like a 8 man battle or organised battle ie WCRTM, Banana Jam and Diamond Circles. I found that everyone enjoys the circles after the event if the battles are short. If the battles take forever they are much poorer or everyone just goes home because their concentration is shot. If you do have a short focal point ie 8 battles and the circles after may not be going as well as possible then improvise. You can have a battle from a hat where people put their names in a hat and then random battles are chosen, or spin the bottle. Just think of a few things that don't need a long time and can be cut at any point.

I've spoken about this with quite a few people like some of the IBE guys etc.. and they will all say the same thing, get the main event blasted through and then everyone can join in. It's always worth experimenting and noticing peoples interest at an event. I think the long competitions are the reason why so many people complain about battles are "killing" the scene.

Marko thats why i agree with IBE pick top 16 for everything - preliminary round then top 16 and it gets done quicker that way ! if you have a good set up then jam or comp will run smooth

[Timber]

anyone who says Just Jam can not be a JAM has not been to Just Jam or has straight up MARMELADE in their head, for reals!!!!

just because it has a competition does not mean it disqualifies it from being a JAM at the same time...

actually, it's one of the best organised all round events i've been to, theatre shows, after partys, internationally and nationally invited b-boys, workshops, drummers / percussionists, jamming time, jam area in the lobby, rap freestyles, community involvement 100%, graffiti, after party, pre party, ALL ROUND PARTY: IT'S A CELEBRATION OF WHAT WE LOVE...making it a JAM and you marmelade!!!