The biggest show in Hard House goes global on February 25th with a massive head-to-head battle against Holland's mighty HQ at Brixton Academy in London. We spoke to Chloe, one of the driving forces behind the Hard House machine that is Frantic, about the finer details of the event...

So Chloe, how did you first get involved with dance music?

I’ve loved dance music since I was a kid and I was brought up in very much a musical household so getting involved in the industry was always something that I was interested in. My first ever club experience was Koko in 1997 and I was hooked! After that first taster I then started going to Peach most Friday nights, The Fridge and checking out more and more venues and promotions.

My first step into the working world of the industry was for HeatUK and Wildchild in 2002. I was working full time at an IT Recruitment company and just thought one day “what the hell am I doing?” I got myself a full time job in the Media Industry at a top Advertising Agency and started to learn about marketing and promotion.

I then started contacting all the promoters out there to see how I could get involved and got a response back from quite a few. Wildchild and HeatUK asked me to join their team of workers which initially started out as working on the door, being part of parades and just general fun stuff. This progressed to me dancing, looking after merchandise and interviews for Wildchild and becoming more involved in how the promotion ran.

When and how did you start working for Frantic and NinetyNine PR?

Wildchild and Frantic have put 3 events on together with the last being “Future” at The Brixton Academy in June 2005. Reece and Will wanted me to take more of a role and asked me to be the Backstage Co-Coordinator for the evening. It was amazing looking after the DJs and guests and making sure everything behind the scene was running smoothly. The highlight of the evening was dancing on stage with Proteus looking at a crowd of about 3500 people!

After this event Will asked me to work part time doing Frantic work which involved me contacting DJs for guest list names, copy checking flyers and eflyers, arranging competitions and generally building hype on websites. From then on I became more and more involved in the promotional side of things and Will offered me a full time position in November 2005.

NinetyNine is Will’s brainchild which he had been planning from 2004. With me on-board we were able to put his ideas into place with the help of Amanda, Benz and Zoe. NinetyNine is a specialist Marketing and Event Management company representing heavyweights in the industry like Slammin Vinyl, Moondance and HeatUK with online being our strongest medium.

What responsibilities do you have? What kind of stuff do you do in an average day?

No day is the same which makes for an extremely interesting job. I can be doing anything from listing an event on a website to sending out marketing proposals and even directing viral ads for campaigns.

My job is split into three areas, Frantic events, NinetyNine and also Hidden Club so it’s consistently busy. I can be working on anything up to 12 events at a time so it’s always key to stay focused and organised.

How stressful can the work get and why does it go so?

I’m more of a solution girl so I always try to find a reason or way of fixing something if it goes wrong. There is always a way around something and it always bodes well to keep a smile on your face and stay happy. The only part of my job that tops up the time is chasing suppliers to meet deadlines. This can sometimes grate on what you are trying to do as often a lot of stuff needs to be turnt around quite quickly.

Moving on to lighter matters, the next Frantic event is Hard House Academy vs HQ on February 25th at Brixton Academy in London. Why is this event exciting you so much?

2006 is all about less events with the focus on bigger shows. We are focusing on better line-ups, only the best venues and the finest production in Hard House and Hard Trance!

HHA is going head to head with HQ to bring you a massive event at The Brixton Academy. HHA back in October 2005 was certainly my most favourite Frantic event to date and I truly feel that this HHA in February will top that.

The line-up is looking awesome with NEC’s Live & Unleashed set, this will be the hardest set they have performed so hold tight! Greg Brookman will also be performing his A.L.I.V.E PA, Andy Whitby and Proteus return to the main arena alongside the Organ Donors vs Kutski and the mighty Fausto! Cally Gage, Alex Kidd, Little Gem and Matt Pick-Up will be tearing up the foyer and those nutty Brazilians from Never Enough hosting the Corridor with Oblivion Recordings hosting the Circle Bar. All under one amazing roof!

The plans for the production and sound are also looking pretty exciting! Halo are looking after the stage and lighting with the biggest laser we have used to date, it is truly going to be the nuts nuts!

We also have a massive group of people making the trip across the water from Holland to party with us!

Who are HQ?

HQ are one of the largest Hard House events in Holland running for approx 11yrs. The people behind HQ have a massive amount of experience running Hard House and Hard Trance events and host an arena at the mighty Dance Valley which brings a 30,000 party mad crowd each year.

HQ have always been about giving their audience only the best production and quality acts to each event which makes it so fitting to have them on-board at HHA in February.

How does running an event at Brixton Academy differ from putting on parties at other venues? Do you find that some venues are easier to manage than others?

All venues and events are different to work on especially if it is a new venue like The Renaissance Rooms at Timeless in January. The difference with The Brixton Academy is that it is a dry venue, which means that you need to put the sound and production into the venue. A longer amount of time is spent on planning the production so that the event is just right.

The exciting thing about using the venue in February is we shall be using Line Array Sound which is used at most of the big festivals like Glasto etc, so it will be crystal clear and LOUD! Alongside this we shall also be using Funktion One in all other arenas.

HHA is our largest event, with the Academy holding approx 4500 people and being host to some of the biggest events in London including Mylo, Faithless, Basement Jaxx and more!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into the behind-the-scenes aspects of clubbing and dance music?

Passion and dedication! Always ask questions and listen to what people have to say. If you really want it go for it because there will always be someone else who wants it too. You always need to stay one step ahead and shine.

What important lessons have you learnt since being involved in the industry?

There has been so much I have learnt so far and there is still so much more to learn. The main highlight has been working with Will and Amanda, they have so much knowledge of the scene and how to run a promotion and I can only thank them for having me on-board. Onwards and upwards!

And finally - what’s the most excitable you’ve gotten in recent weeks?

Definitely the lead up to Timeless with Lab4 doing a special Escape from Samsara set! The feedback has been amazing! I’m also excited to be going to Holland in February to represent Frantic at HHA vs HQ on 18th February! Alongside that I can’t wait for the main event itself on 25th February, Tranzmission on 15th April and I’m also working on some great campaigns at the moment including Anjunabeats on 4th March at Canvas, HeatUK presents 10yrs with Spencer Freeland on 11th March at Koko and the Global Breakthrough Cape Town Club Tour between 9th-19th March.