Joe Saltiel.

How did you get into booking? Do you remember one of the first nights when you booked an artist, and what you learnt from it?

I grew into booking through the scene itself. In the early and mid-2000s, I spent a lot of time abroad, especially in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Italy. At events there, I made contacts with promoters and DJs. Over time, I helped more and more with logistics, from travel arrangements and pick-ups to how things ran on site. Only after that did I start taking on bookings myself. Eventually, that became Nightlaw in 2009.

Above all, I learnt that a good night starts with trust and reliability. The artist needs to feel looked after, and the promoter needs to know that everything will happen as agreed. Music is only one part of it. Organisation, communication and personal relationships matter just as much.

Imagine a small promoter contacts you for the first time to book someone from your roster. What makes you think it could be a really good night? What do you want to know about the club and its audience before saying yes?

When a promoter gets in touch for the first time, the first thing I look for is whether a community already exists. A club with a regular audience and a clear musical direction is a good sign. An established local resident DJ opening the night fits that picture: someone who builds the evening and sets the right vibe before the headliner takes over.

Before agreeing, I focus on three things.

Sound: a good sound system with clear, balanced sound is essential. Even an outstanding artist cannot make the most of a set if the system or the rest of the equipment is not up to standard.

Size and audience: for me, a small, well-filled club is often better than a large, half-empty room. The atmosphere is more immediate, the artist can respond to the audience, and it is more likely to become a shared experience everyone remembers fondly. So I also ask how well comparable nights have been attended recently and what kind of music the club usually plays.

Promotion: especially at the beginning, personal recommendations are often more effective than indiscriminate advertising on social media. Promoters who speak directly to their guests and know their audience lay the foundations for sustainable growth.

You work from Austria with international artists and promoters. Where do you see a local scene or initiative that deserves more attention? What would help it take the next step?

Looking at the scene from Austria, I feel that Organic and Progressive House get less space here than in some neighbouring countries. Cid Inc and Luke Fair have played in Vienna, for example, but that was more than ten years ago. In Hungary, by contrast, these styles remain in demand and well represented.

Balance Croatia, an annual festival on the Adriatic since 2025, has also specialised in these styles. It shows that a clear musical direction can reach an interested audience.

What would help our scene is more courage from promoters to programme this sound regularly, including on a smaller scale. That allows a regular audience to develop step by step. More exchange and cross-border collaborations would matter too. Artists, promoters and audiences all benefit from that.