Many quality posters have moved on.
The music discussions have run their course. Top 5 WU Solo joints.....U cant be serious? That butter has been over-churned.
The newjacks join and dont really contribute. They introduce and disappear. Thriller fans.
The "political" muthafuckas cant keep their hands off the keyboard. Sopranos and The Wire fans.
If im not mistaken this shit was really built on breaks/Hip Hop. That shit is from the previous generation.
There arent a gang of new internet kids sweating Power of Zeus that way folks did before.
And Hip Hop is on some Barber Shop Quartet steez these days. Its niche now and not the dominant flavor anymore.
Ive met/interacted w/ some great muthafuckas up here.
I'd hate to see her leave but im human enuff to see the love aint the same.
I'd prefer to leave on a good note and bow out gracefully than hang around lovin' of that love from years ago.
I dont wanna hate a bitch before I could let shit go.
Holy shit, dude.
Next time I put something down, you're composing the eulogy.
I check a few times a day on my phone. In my prime, I was literally on almost all day, photoshopping random shit at the drop of a dime, reading every thread.
I'm like laserwolf, this is kind of my general information center. I learn about things here that I'd never know about or I hear about them faster. I'd hate to see it go, but as others have said, no reason for Raj to suffer if it's not worth it anymore.
The thing I liked most about the strut was the community feel. You could get a sense of who people were, there were lots of inside jokes, and just a general buzz of excitement. I don't feel the community vibe anymore, besides with the names I recognize from the past. That's life though and some get off my lawn old man shit.
The beatoffs are great. Top 100 is great.
Batmon is right that a lot of the stuff that used to be cool is just not cool anymore. I still like breaks and famous samples, but I also don't give a shit about them anymore.
I wish there were more jokes and more
Photoshop gags. The hey csomo thread with all the album covers is an example of what I love. Inside jokes that can be enjoyed by the general population. I also love the shared story threads. Can't go wrong with those.
Memorable farts
Memorable shits
Embarrassing sex
Digging stories
Many more.
These are solid reads everytime. I can't read that fart thread in public. I cry everytime.
I love this forum. The Strut is significant to me--it helped me start a record label, and gave me couches to sleep on in whichever city I found myself. This place was a community; there was trust here. I think don't think that came not from the record talk, which only goes so far, but from the general conversation. Then social media came along and that conversation went elsewhere. I'm pretty sure it's not coming back.
The forums that continue to thrive, at least in my experience, are ones that deal with a narrow and dynamic subject. For example, I'm active in a climbing forum where people discuss climbing advocacy and development in Ontario. There's always new development and there are always advocacy issues. Contrast with this old music, which is basically static--it is today what it was when we were discussing it ten years ago. Even these active forums aren't what the Strut used to be. No one on my climbing forum lists their tops fives. You get some peripheral banter, but not a whole lot.
If the Strut goes, we need a Strut alumni group on FB. Just saying. I nominate DOR for president.
While we're reminiscing, anyone know what Ironmonkey is up to these days? DJNevilleC?
While we're reminiscing, anyone know what Ironmonkey is up to these days? DJNevilleC?
Iron Monkey is now chilling in New Mexico living it up making tattoo art, I was lucky enough to have my former Whitey on the moon Radio co-host do a little work on me before he left SoCal last year
the strut means a lot to me obviously and I can echo all that has been said about the sense of community and the inde stuff
i mean PASUE is so much more than just a word
we need to see what we can do to drum up more threads and participation
forgetting all the animosity waxi is more active..how did they achieve that
some of the aforementionned veterans (neville C) or on there actively but never here why?
not throwing stones since i also love the weird records that suck but i am asking to see what has been different that we may be lacking
i want to see this place strive and sincerly i would love to have another generation benefit
what can we do
i would be down for more music solutions (ISH,more reviews,music threads etc)
but i am fearfull that it will go the record day thread way (despite much hype and planning we barely got any records posted)
i mean even teh one reynaldo barely appears
maybe the mack won't ressurect to fight funky_Guzzo's ghost but we need to keep this place going
i think conentrating on what works and eliminating the grueling stuff that just clogs space and discourages posters would be a start
we've all gotten older/busier but this place can't be put down like an old dog imo
Specially since there are people on the Strut who I don't really see anywhere else - not on FB, not on Waxi, not in real life. When the forum breaks up, where in the hell will I run into Batmon, Bassie, Laser Wolf or Big Stacks (to name four) again?
But like the rest of you, I have noticed a serious drop-off in the last year, for reasons unknown. It used to be that all the new threads would take up all of Page One and half of Page Two. Now it's barely half the first page.
When the beef with That Other E-Group was happening, that pulled us together for a minute. People were coming up with meaningful music dialogue like tomorrow wasn't going to come. This unity didn't last long, however.
I never will forget the time I was getting nostalgic over an old g.f. that I still see socially and wondering if I should try to win her back. The responses I got from you guys were so touching and on-the-money that I bookmarked the thread. Still look at it whenever I need to check myself. In the eight years I've been on the Strut, that was possibly the only time I got that personal. The fact that I trusted the Strut sez quite a bit - and you gave me the realistic advice I needed. All from a message board about records!
I look back at old threads from the mid-2000s heyday and think damn, that was one hell of a party. But the fervor is dying down, for reasons outlined elsewhere by other people. (Batmon laid it out like a motherfucker...)
I really don't know what Raj should do now. Like Joe Tex sang, I've got half a mind to leave, but only half a heart to go...
Take the emotions out the bitch and let it breathe and get focused.
Resuscitating is not the word. As so many others have pointed out, the kids are not into Dj Shadow or Hip-hop or looking for rare records.
They are into fucking with their smart phone and listening to Kendrick Lamar and Skrillex.
"Reinventing" so that Raj can get value out the bitch is reasonable, and really the only way the shit will ever work again. And in order to do that, the threads need some organization.
i still check in regularly, but end up skimming through.
in all honesty, the record talk is on waxidrome...not that i am over there much either. but there are few dealers, store owners, and "out every day" collectors on here anymore...horseleech, rich, laswerwolf, knobbynucks...and most of them post over there too. folks over there grind out for records like we used to 8 years ago. so when quantity turns up on some shit, or there is some new discovery, thats the place to find out. the lowdown on ARC, FMU, etc? over there. theyve taken that cape, without a doubt and its not just weird records that suck (but its those too of course). its a great site. still, my interests align with soulstrut a lot more and i value the opinions of a lot of folks on here quite a bit and would miss them if the site was put to rest. i definitely build with people from here in the real world tho.
mixes on here are a treasure trove that ive turned a lot of non-forum browsing people on to
i support raj in whatever decision hes gotta make. im also fine with soulstrut as it is now. still a highly worthwhile place to stroll through.
billbradleyYou want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,889 Posts
I support Raj in whatever decision he makes, but It would be nice to see the torch passed on to someone else rather than take the site down altogether.
i still check in regularly, but end up skimming through.
in all honesty, the record talk is on waxidrome...not that i am over there much either. but there are few dealers, store owners, and "out every day" collectors on here anymore...horseleech, rich, laswerwolf, knobbynucks...and most of them post over there too. folks over there grind out for records like we used to 8 years ago. so when quantity turns up on some shit, or there is some new discovery, thats the place to find out. the lowdown on ARC, FMU, etc? over there. theyve taken that cape, without a doubt and its not just weird records that suck (but its those too of course). its a great site. still, my interests align with soulstrut a lot more and i value the opinions of a lot of folks on here quite a bit and would miss them if the site was put to rest. i definitely build with people from here in the real world tho.
mixes on here are a treasure trove that ive turned a lot of non-forum browsing people on to
i support raj in whatever decision hes gotta make. im also fine with soulstrut as it is now. still a highly worthwhile place to stroll through.
I'm thinking we should change the focus of the site. The Soul Strut brand needs to be reinvented to something more viable for new blood. A lot of us have been here for close to a decade and have families and real world shit... I bought about 10 records last year... Seriously... Let waxi have the crown.
How about :
Soul Strut : Cool Shit 30... somethings like?
In all seriousness. I have streamlined this site to where it is extremely easy to maintain... maybe an hour a week... I spend around a grand a year out of pocket to keep the site up... No big deal.
It's just that I have not found this place very engaging lately. The only threads which get crazy activity are the political ones which I despise.
I would LOVE more than anything to keep this site going but if it's going to be a laughing stock... ehhh....
I would LOVE more than anything to keep this site going but if it's going to be a laughing stock... ehhh....
How is the site a laughing stock? Because it doesn't have the same level of activity it once did? Because some other fuck face on some other site makes a thread about the Strut being dead? Who gives a FUCK about either of those points?
The level of activity is probably due to folks having a life and not having too many of these types of ass-hats on the forum:
Those are pluses in my book. If a great topic blows up and gets multiple pages of amazing content, great. But the site shouldn't be looked at as a failure just because there isn't a consistently high level of activity. Most forum related activity on the internet as a whole is down...forums are an ancient mode of communication in internet years....who gives a shit.
All I know is, I have had copious amounts of knowledge dropped on me directly from this site. Jesus Christ, I ate like a goddamn prince in Vietnam thanks to suggestions from total strangers on this site.
I won't even get into how priceless the 'mixes' section has been for house parties and get togethers.
Whatever metrics someone uses to dub this place a laughing stock should be shoved up their ass.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Just make sure James sticks around and we're straight.
The Strut changed my whole music game for which I will be eternally appreciative. I still check it regularly, but I pretty much stopped posting. I got tired of the crusty curmudgeons shitting on all the posts with deconstructive one-liner thread-killers. A lot of those people have stopped posting to fully pursue their careers as blowhards, for which I am thankful. No offense intended to the OGs that have constructively made this site what it is today with rich content and endless amusement.
I'm not really connected to the internet socially, so this is a nice way outlet for me to stay minimally current and up on music. I really don't see an alternative if this disappeared. The Strut is unique in it's taste collective which closely matches my own.
For what it's worth, I don't think anyone important is laughing at us or sitting around thinking it's a joke. It's a tool to be used as people see fit. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. If you 're tired of doing it, pass the torch. I'm sure there are lots of people that would be happy to take the throne.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Hey Raj,
I for one love Soul Strut, and I have sent many music aficionados here to the site. We're on our 9th day without power so I have been unable to post. Plus, my new gig as dept. chair has slowed my posting over the past year. Nonetheless, I check the 'Strut regularly as it remains an incredibly valuable source of information, good humor, and entertainment. Finally, the mixes are a treasure trove of sweet musical goodies. For these reasons and many more, I hope you keep Soul Strut alive.
In all seriousness. I have streamlined this site to where it is extremely easy to maintain... maybe an hour a week... I spend around a grand a year out of pocket to keep the site up... No big deal..
Every time this topic comes up the first thing I think is that you don't want to pay/can't afford it. I am glad to be wrong, and hope that continues to be the case.
I really don't think you are giving this child of yours enough credit. It was a very special place at one time, because of your direction, because of the subject matter, because of the community. None of these have changed. The only change is in the people. People change, institutions like Soulstrut, should not.
I sold records (ill stabz) yesterday. I see kids in record shops all of the time. I know people who have bought MPCs, Maschines and Ableton within the last month. I can never get into to Dante's, SexyBNice's(wcsc) or Meatogre's club nights around here because the lines are too long.
Soulstrut is needed as much as ever. The quantity/quality of posts/posters right now doesn't change that.
Message Boards have outlived many forms of communications, and will continue to do so. If anything, set your child free.
Wow man, i knew i'd been addicted to The Strut for a long time but i didn't realize that i've been here since pretty much day one. How pathetic that i've never really posted. i bet i check the forums an avg of at least 5 times a day and have since '99. Ain't scurrred to post. Honestly, there are so many knowledgeable, hilariously smart-assed, and varied personalities on here, what i'd want to contribute has usually been covered before i get a chance to post it.
Me: have a wife and a kid and a mortgage, have a career, wish the career was music / art-related, collect records - primarily of the cheap and weirder-the-better variety, play instruments, produce "music", don't know any Strutters IRL except Harvey (living in Austin-rel.). Thriller.
Been here through lots of changes and phases: superpoaster, monty-hayek, mingering mike, elise's self-boob-grab intro pic, etc. My wife has gotten used to clowning me bc about 90% of the time that i tell her about something new (to me) and cool, she knows i found out about in on The Strut. That is certainly not limited to music.
I also have to constantly remind myself that the rest of the world may not understand when i'm saying, "plaese to...", "b/w", and the like. Fuck 'em. Get with the lexicon or plaese to GTFOOHWTBS.
This place is indeed different these days. Guess we should be grateful that we're collectively doing grown-ass-(wo)man shit. I know plenty of ppl that still do pretty much the same ish that they did way bitd and it's sad. I wouldn't be checking to see what they're talking about on the innerwebs, that's for sure.
So yeah, just figured i'd say hello and Raj, thank you so much for all of the work you've put in over all of these years. I have learned a lot and laughed a whole lot. The volume of cool-ass people that have been attracted to this place, keep coming back, and extend their friendships into the real world is a rare, impressive thing.
My vote is def for a successor to the throne if Raj is done - Ebbs, flows, The Strut must live on !
As a new member, it took me a long time to find a forum that matched my tastes in music even though I no longer buy vinyl. I'd be disappointed to see it go.
don't think a single dude in here would absolutely hate the idea of the site being branded as a "lifestyle for 30 somethings" website. Like a page out of Esquire mag and where dudes can still have an outlet for a Deodato beatoff......that's pretty unique.
It's pretty obvious from the feedback you've gotten here that the website has always been visited for a number of reasons. It thrives on variety. I'm just happy if the NBA thread is there.
Consider branding this site like The Chive, except for grown ups. Music will still be the under current, but have tabs for political talk, gear, fashion, mixes, sports, random vids, food, etc containing their own threads. I agree: let Waxi have the crown and be the source for heavy record nerdery. But re-invent the Strut to be a hub for us music aficionados who are also in the know about so much more.
Comments
Holy shit, dude.
Next time I put something down, you're composing the eulogy.
I'm like laserwolf, this is kind of my general information center. I learn about things here that I'd never know about or I hear about them faster. I'd hate to see it go, but as others have said, no reason for Raj to suffer if it's not worth it anymore.
The thing I liked most about the strut was the community feel. You could get a sense of who people were, there were lots of inside jokes, and just a general buzz of excitement. I don't feel the community vibe anymore, besides with the names I recognize from the past. That's life though and some get off my lawn old man shit.
The beatoffs are great. Top 100 is great.
Batmon is right that a lot of the stuff that used to be cool is just not cool anymore. I still like breaks and famous samples, but I also don't give a shit about them anymore.
I wish there were more jokes and more
Photoshop gags. The hey csomo thread with all the album covers is an example of what I love. Inside jokes that can be enjoyed by the general population. I also love the shared story threads. Can't go wrong with those.
Memorable farts
Memorable shits
Embarrassing sex
Digging stories
Many more.
These are solid reads everytime. I can't read that fart thread in public. I cry everytime.
The forums that continue to thrive, at least in my experience, are ones that deal with a narrow and dynamic subject. For example, I'm active in a climbing forum where people discuss climbing advocacy and development in Ontario. There's always new development and there are always advocacy issues. Contrast with this old music, which is basically static--it is today what it was when we were discussing it ten years ago. Even these active forums aren't what the Strut used to be. No one on my climbing forum lists their tops fives. You get some peripheral banter, but not a whole lot.
If the Strut goes, we need a Strut alumni group on FB. Just saying. I nominate DOR for president.
While we're reminiscing, anyone know what Ironmonkey is up to these days? DJNevilleC?
Ban political threads.
And if you're losing interest, pass it of to somebody else and maintain Elder Statesman status.
Iron Monkey is now chilling in New Mexico living it up making tattoo art, I was lucky enough to have my former Whitey on the moon Radio co-host do a little work on me before he left SoCal last year
i mean PASUE is so much more than just a word
we need to see what we can do to drum up more threads and participation
forgetting all the animosity waxi is more active..how did they achieve that
some of the aforementionned veterans (neville C) or on there actively but never here why?
not throwing stones since i also love the weird records that suck but i am asking to see what has been different that we may be lacking
i want to see this place strive and sincerly i would love to have another generation benefit
what can we do
i would be down for more music solutions (ISH,more reviews,music threads etc)
but i am fearfull that it will go the record day thread way (despite much hype and planning we barely got any records posted)
i mean even teh one reynaldo barely appears
maybe the mack won't ressurect to fight funky_Guzzo's ghost but we need to keep this place going
i think conentrating on what works and eliminating the grueling stuff that just clogs space and discourages posters would be a start
we've all gotten older/busier but this place can't be put down like an old dog imo
it's a sign that we can start anew and rise again
4 more years!
Bet the site crashes cause there is glitch in the matrix.
I wonder who the 1,000,000 post will be.
Specially since there are people on the Strut who I don't really see anywhere else - not on FB, not on Waxi, not in real life. When the forum breaks up, where in the hell will I run into Batmon, Bassie, Laser Wolf or Big Stacks (to name four) again?
But like the rest of you, I have noticed a serious drop-off in the last year, for reasons unknown. It used to be that all the new threads would take up all of Page One and half of Page Two. Now it's barely half the first page.
When the beef with That Other E-Group was happening, that pulled us together for a minute. People were coming up with meaningful music dialogue like tomorrow wasn't going to come. This unity didn't last long, however.
I never will forget the time I was getting nostalgic over an old g.f. that I still see socially and wondering if I should try to win her back. The responses I got from you guys were so touching and on-the-money that I bookmarked the thread. Still look at it whenever I need to check myself. In the eight years I've been on the Strut, that was possibly the only time I got that personal. The fact that I trusted the Strut sez quite a bit - and you gave me the realistic advice I needed. All from a message board about records!
I look back at old threads from the mid-2000s heyday and think damn, that was one hell of a party. But the fervor is dying down, for reasons outlined elsewhere by other people. (Batmon laid it out like a motherfucker...)
I really don't know what Raj should do now. Like Joe Tex sang, I've got half a mind to leave, but only half a heart to go...
Resuscitating is not the word. As so many others have pointed out, the kids are not into Dj Shadow or Hip-hop or looking for rare records.
They are into fucking with their smart phone and listening to Kendrick Lamar and Skrillex.
"Reinventing" so that Raj can get value out the bitch is reasonable, and really the only way the shit will ever work again. And in order to do that, the threads need some organization.
in all honesty, the record talk is on waxidrome...not that i am over there much either. but there are few dealers, store owners, and "out every day" collectors on here anymore...horseleech, rich, laswerwolf, knobbynucks...and most of them post over there too. folks over there grind out for records like we used to 8 years ago. so when quantity turns up on some shit, or there is some new discovery, thats the place to find out. the lowdown on ARC, FMU, etc? over there. theyve taken that cape, without a doubt and its not just weird records that suck (but its those too of course). its a great site. still, my interests align with soulstrut a lot more and i value the opinions of a lot of folks on here quite a bit and would miss them if the site was put to rest. i definitely build with people from here in the real world tho.
mixes on here are a treasure trove that ive turned a lot of non-forum browsing people on to
i support raj in whatever decision hes gotta make. im also fine with soulstrut as it is now. still a highly worthwhile place to stroll through.
I'm thinking we should change the focus of the site. The Soul Strut brand needs to be reinvented to something more viable for new blood. A lot of us have been here for close to a decade and have families and real world shit... I bought about 10 records last year... Seriously... Let waxi have the crown.
How about :
Soul Strut : Cool Shit 30... somethings like?
In all seriousness. I have streamlined this site to where it is extremely easy to maintain... maybe an hour a week... I spend around a grand a year out of pocket to keep the site up... No big deal.
It's just that I have not found this place very engaging lately. The only threads which get crazy activity are the political ones which I despise.
I would LOVE more than anything to keep this site going but if it's going to be a laughing stock... ehhh....
If that's not getting into blog territory.
They have a Tumblr / Word Press Plugin for that.
How is the site a laughing stock? Because it doesn't have the same level of activity it once did? Because some other fuck face on some other site makes a thread about the Strut being dead? Who gives a FUCK about either of those points?
The level of activity is probably due to folks having a life and not having too many of these types of ass-hats on the forum:
Those are pluses in my book. If a great topic blows up and gets multiple pages of amazing content, great. But the site shouldn't be looked at as a failure just because there isn't a consistently high level of activity. Most forum related activity on the internet as a whole is down...forums are an ancient mode of communication in internet years....who gives a shit.
All I know is, I have had copious amounts of knowledge dropped on me directly from this site. Jesus Christ, I ate like a goddamn prince in Vietnam thanks to suggestions from total strangers on this site.
I won't even get into how priceless the 'mixes' section has been for house parties and get togethers.
Whatever metrics someone uses to dub this place a laughing stock should be shoved up their ass.
I'm not really connected to the internet socially, so this is a nice way outlet for me to stay minimally current and up on music. I really don't see an alternative if this disappeared. The Strut is unique in it's taste collective which closely matches my own.
For what it's worth, I don't think anyone important is laughing at us or sitting around thinking it's a joke. It's a tool to be used as people see fit. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. If you 're tired of doing it, pass the torch. I'm sure there are lots of people that would be happy to take the throne.
I for one love Soul Strut, and I have sent many music aficionados here to the site. We're on our 9th day without power so I have been unable to post. Plus, my new gig as dept. chair has slowed my posting over the past year. Nonetheless, I check the 'Strut regularly as it remains an incredibly valuable source of information, good humor, and entertainment. Finally, the mixes are a treasure trove of sweet musical goodies. For these reasons and many more, I hope you keep Soul Strut alive.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Also just realized I've been on Soulstrut for over 10 years.
Every time this topic comes up the first thing I think is that you don't want to pay/can't afford it. I am glad to be wrong, and hope that continues to be the case.
I really don't think you are giving this child of yours enough credit. It was a very special place at one time, because of your direction, because of the subject matter, because of the community. None of these have changed. The only change is in the people. People change, institutions like Soulstrut, should not.
I sold records (ill stabz) yesterday. I see kids in record shops all of the time. I know people who have bought MPCs, Maschines and Ableton within the last month. I can never get into to Dante's, SexyBNice's(wcsc) or Meatogre's club nights around here because the lines are too long.
Soulstrut is needed as much as ever. The quantity/quality of posts/posters right now doesn't change that.
Message Boards have outlived many forms of communications, and will continue to do so. If anything, set your child free.
Me: have a wife and a kid and a mortgage, have a career, wish the career was music / art-related, collect records - primarily of the cheap and weirder-the-better variety, play instruments, produce "music", don't know any Strutters IRL except Harvey (living in Austin-rel.). Thriller.
Been here through lots of changes and phases: superpoaster, monty-hayek, mingering mike, elise's self-boob-grab intro pic, etc. My wife has gotten used to clowning me bc about 90% of the time that i tell her about something new (to me) and cool, she knows i found out about in on The Strut. That is certainly not limited to music.
I also have to constantly remind myself that the rest of the world may not understand when i'm saying, "plaese to...", "b/w", and the like. Fuck 'em. Get with the lexicon or plaese to GTFOOHWTBS.
This place is indeed different these days. Guess we should be grateful that we're collectively doing grown-ass-(wo)man shit. I know plenty of ppl that still do pretty much the same ish that they did way bitd and it's sad. I wouldn't be checking to see what they're talking about on the innerwebs, that's for sure.
So yeah, just figured i'd say hello and Raj, thank you so much for all of the work you've put in over all of these years. I have learned a lot and laughed a whole lot. The volume of cool-ass people that have been attracted to this place, keep coming back, and extend their friendships into the real world is a rare, impressive thing.
My vote is def for a successor to the throne if Raj is done - Ebbs, flows, The Strut must live on !
T
That is exactly what you should do.
don't think a single dude in here would absolutely hate the idea of the site being branded as a "lifestyle for 30 somethings" website. Like a page out of Esquire mag and where dudes can still have an outlet for a Deodato beatoff......that's pretty unique.
It's pretty obvious from the feedback you've gotten here that the website has always been visited for a number of reasons. It thrives on variety. I'm just happy if the NBA thread is there.
Kindly,
parallax