When did you start DJing and what or who were your early passions and influences?
I started DJing in 1988 at the age of 15. I always had an interest in DJing. Stemming from my love of early rap and having friends from New York and Chicago always bringing me mixtapes to listen to. I was always infatuated with the sound of early dance music (electro and the first 'techno' coming out of Detroit) and my mother was a clubgoer. She had a great record collection and I was hearing early and late disco played at my house, and tons of danceable R&B. But, more than anything, in 1988, I wanted to be a DMC champion. I started playing techno primarily in about 1993-94. My early influences were people like Charles Noel (Archetyp), Mr. Claude Young Jr., Paul Johnson and Anthony "Shake" Shakir - who I had the fortune of playing alongside early in my life as a DJ.
Being the electronic music industry so vast and competitive, was it difficult for you to join it?
Difficult? Well, no... When you're young and full of self-belief, you think you can do anything. The fun folly of youth. I had been part of a mildly successful hip-hop band, and understood marketing/self-promotion and also how to interface with people you look up to. I started producing music as a solo artist in 1994, by 1995 I was handing out these horrible cassette tapes with hand-printed covers and labels. I got calls back from Dan Bell and Anthony Shakir (who both took me under their wing and gave me opportunities to work with them in their studios) and I thought I'm doing something! I also spent a great deal of time learning from a masterful engineer and composer, DAC Crowell (who produces some of the greatest ambient and experimental works I've ever heard), I took what I learned and kept pushing! And I'm still pushing to this day.
The relationship with the audience is crucial for a DJ, and yet it seems to be a fragile one. How do you see the balance between giving the crowd what they want and treating them with something new?
The DJ has to always realize that it's not all about your equipment. It has to do with your talent. If you're not into what you're doing, the crowd may not be either. It's a situation of energy - you're either giving it or taking it away. A great DJ set tends to be an exchange of energy, one where the crowd gets behind the performer and the performer gives the crowd his best. I tend to play most of my own productions in my set. In that sense, the people get my own personal raw emotion. Something they may have never heard before, but something that hopefully drives them. I also like to surprise my crowd with great and danceable works that come from the past - after 25 years or so of listening and collecting, you find things that will work on a dancefloor no matter the age. As fragile as that relationship is, I absolutely LOVE playing records for people...
Tell us about your "Personal Growth" EP?
"Personal Growth" is something I'm typically concerned with. Continual improvement, finding new ways to express my creativity. The tunes on this EP are fairly different and come from several sessions where I've taken an idea I've had and experimented. "Angry Pop Song" has loops cut from a jam session in the studio, working with some of my hardware, "Downline Descent" is a track that uses an Arturia Microbrute to create the long, strange sounds that weave their way in and out of the tune and "Impasse Resolution Theorem" is a tune that I've had laying in wait for the right moment - that's me talking about my escape...
As a producer, you have releases on labels such as MDR and Music Man Records. How rewarding it was for you to see your work recognized by the best dj's and producers?
Recently, I've realized that my work for MDR, Frictional, and Diametric share a very common theme. The owners of the labels are very picky as to what they will release. Each label challenged me to do work that I never thought I was capable of (or that people would pick up on and enjoy) and I am humbled and blessed to know that there are people that think very highly of my work. It's great meeting DJs and producers that you know of, introducing yourself and having said to you "Oh my goodness!!!! Great to meet you! I love your work!". It is quite humbling and makes me feel quite proud of my accomplishments. But I have so much more to do!
Tell us about your current DJ / Production setup? What Hardware / Software do you use?
My studio is a jumble of very utilitarian devices. I pick my tools based on how I interface with them. I'm a HUGE fan of Abelton's Live products, and have been using them since version 1.5. Other highlights? I use a Kawai K-1m, Nanoloop for iPad, Arturia's fantastic Microbrute, Korg's Volca Keys and Beats and Mutable Instruments Shruthi-1 (which has reached the end of its run as a kit, I think). My DJ setup is: 2 technics 1200mkIIs (which I do all of my own service work on) and a Hercules DJ Console RMX. It's used as my mixer and interface for Traktor. There are many more tools in my studio, but those are the highlights/lowlights.
What’s your favorite track of all times?
Every day that changes. Today? My favorite track today is "Remember" by Gino Soccio. I love the very simple and sparse lyrical content. "People come and go...life is strange, y'know..."
So how is the techno scene in your eyes at the moment? And how do you see it in the future?
Techno is in an interesting place. There are several great performers out there, with several more fighting to get to the top level (like myself). The idea of the DJ is ever-evolving and that can be a double edged sword. There is a great focus now for me on doing live performances (when I say live, I mean: unscripted, free-form performances), mainly because there is this idea that 'everyone is a DJ'... Even your iPod. At this moment, the future looks like it's in the hands of the fan, who will work to seek out the best and brightest, not just what the festival circuit tells them is good. The darkness is coming back to techno, and as long as the human side of techno comes with it, I'm all for it. In the future, the competitive nature of the earlier days needs to come back - where competency, ability, and skill are the drivers of success. In order for the scene to survive, there have to be voices from everywhere - Women, the young producers, and all ethnicities need to be heard and seen doing great work - and it's slowly happening. People like Doctor Sleep, Sassmouth, Plural and Santiago Salazar come to mind. I want to see more diverse lineups in the future. It will take the fans to demand it!
"Personal Growth" EP (UNDERDUB RECORDS) - https://www.beatport.com/release/personal-growth/1589477
Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/FBK-127861793984897/?fref=ts
