August 1, 2009 (Issue #1) – What do you spin? I spin Breaks, Drum & Bass and Dubstep.
How and why did you start spinning? I began playing Underground Hip Hop and had ambitions of being a top scratch DJ or turntablist simply because I just thought it was fascinating and wanted to contribute to the art in my own way. As fate would have it, I had my first pair of turntables and about 95% of my records stolen just as I started taking interest in EDM (electronic dance music). I started playing Breaks and D&B because of the variation of drum sounds and drum patterns evident in these genres and since I’ve always been heavily into the drum sections of all the music I listened to while growing up, it made sense to me. Not to knock other genres but nothing is quite like D&B and Breaks. It’s intense, beautiful, emotional, organic, futuristic, diverse, and all-encompassing. Another thing that drew me in was the use of Dub Reggae, Jazz, Soul, Funk and Hip Hop samples. I thought to myself “This is the music of the future, I want to play and produce this music.”
Where do you spin? Anywhere I’m asked to. Since EP lacks a real broken-beat based scene, I have no residency at the moment, although I’m negotiating with www.dnbnoize.com about a weekly internet radio show.
Are you under any labels? My colleague CJ Tari is in the process of rolling out a label called Border Syndicate, which will be an outlet for our productions as well as those of Dr. Lo, another Las Cruces DJ.
Do you spin vinyl or CDs? I use vinyl and Serato Scratch 1. There is a big misconception about those who use this program and it needs to be addressed but I’ll do that in a forthcoming article here in ECB.
What are your goals? My goals are to continue doing this whether or not it becomes lucrative for me. The proliferation of the sound is priority one. Secondly, to be able to release my music on labels that I respect and am influenced by.
Do you have a website or Myspace? Listen to tracks and download my mixes at myspace.com/dlsdnb and in my myspace blog.
What has been your best and worst show and for what reason? I think my best show was one I played as a member of 505 Crew (myself, Da-illa, Souljah Slim and DJ Ash). It went down at the infamous Loaded Wednesday at Casa Verde. Each of us had our own setup of turntables and mixers so we played two tracks each while layering sounds over the mix and adding scratches and vocals. The place normally had two areas but it rained outside so everyone was forced to stay inside and listen to us. They were ALL bouncing! It was hot, sweaty, and a little smelly but it was a perfect example of a crowd any DJ would dream of playing for. Despite the fight that broke out near the table our stuff was set up on, good times!
Best party ever attended and why (not counting events you have spun at)? Man, I can’t answer even that question. There are so many memorable ones but I’m sure D&B was on the decks!!!! Go Back…
