“It’s all Hear/Say until you experience it for yourself”
Every Friday night at Q Nightclub a brand new club experience is curated, and now, from Justin Hartinger and Michael Bell (the creative directors/co-founders of this weekly night) comes Hear/Say – a night entirely dedicated to creating a club experience that goes far beyond the norm. With diverse lineups, a commitment to the community and devotion to local artists and musicians from around the Northwest, Hear/Say is shaping into a unique experience.
Hartinger is a local artist who has a unique and distinct sound that bends genres of all types mixed with his particular style of “cute EDM.” He’s known as a DJ who plays clubs around Seattle and major festivals alike, and also as a producer and entrepreneur who started his own record label, Big Slide Records.
His latest endeavor appearing on his resumé is creative/brand director for Friday nights at Q Nightclub, alongside co-director and co-founder of Hear/Say, Michael Joseph. Michael, having dabbled in music production on his own, had one simple dream in mind: To create a unique space that showcases the best, most creative and talented artists possible. Together, Justin and Michael have embarked on this dream and we at DMNW had the opportunity to talk to them, and as Michael stated:
“We can all talk about it until we’re blue in the face about what you may experience, but in the end you have to experience it for yourself to truly have it be your own. No amount of words, posts, or hearsay will come close to what you will experience with your eyes and ears, especially with the Funktions.”
“The Best Path May Not Be The Easiest”
Sparked by a desire to make an impact on the community around us, Hear/Say began when Justin and Michael saw an opportunity to create something unique to Friday nights in Seattle; it’s not just about curating a night filled with great music and industry artists like photographers and videographers. It’s also about inspiring others to follow their dreams by being an example of what can be accomplished with hard work and passion.
Hear/Say is about “widening the lane for people in the community to catch dance music artists/DJs before they become major festival headliners.” But as with all dreams, one has to determine the best possible way to bring it to fruition. The best way for one dream to come true may not be the way for every dream, a fact that is greatly acknowledged by both Justin and Michael who know that following your dreams isn’t always easy.
“The best path may not always be the most direct or the easiest to find but the help of others definitely increases your chance of discovering the correct journey. Gonna get a little corny but its like Geo from Blue Scholars said in Sagaba ‘Eyes up to the sky, she sighs, I need nobody, true indeed, sister, but you still need everybody because we hardly know ourselves if we know nobody else’ if your only sample size is yourself and your experiences through your eyes its going to remain biased and not thinking from any perspective but your own which can lead south quick!”
It would be nice if we could do exactly what we envision for ourselves, but our community is just that: a community. And as such, there’s a collective consciousness of what this community should be, and everyone has their own interpretation. So, Justin and Michael are working exceptionally hard to ensure that their dream aligns with the needs of the community while staying true to their vision.
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