How long have you been playing
Drum and Bass?
I have been DJing for 24 years.
I was playing the music that
pre-dated Drum and Bass, which
was called, “Breakbeat Hardcore.”
So, I guess you could say I have
been playing drum and bass since
day one.
Where are you from, and what was
Drum and Bass like there when you
started?
I am from all over the place (Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York). I got my
start DJing when I was going to school at
the University of Pittsburgh. Again, Drum and
Bass didn’t exist at the time when I started.
But the scene back then was quite small, very
underground and very passionate. You had
to hunt down parties and really had to do your
homework to learn about good music. It was a
very fresh scene.
As a pioneer since the 90s of Drum and Bass
music, what have been some of the best years, and
why?
The heyday of Drum and Bass was the late 90s and
early 2000s. This was before the rave scene took a
hit numbers wise and this also predates the dubstep
takeover. During this time, there was a huge surge in
the popularity of the music and by the early 2000s, you
were seeing Drum and Bass on the main stage at shows.
It was awesome. People were well educated on the tracks,
the actual tracks themselves were longer and more detailed
(instead of the current ADD style of tracks where there are
short intros, big drops and short roll outs) and people just
seemed more focused on the music.
What year did Planet of the Drums start?
1999
How did Planet of the Drums start? Can you give us a brief
history?
The three biggest North American Drum and Bass DJs at the
time were myself, AK1200, and Dara. We were all on the biggest
American electronic label at the time called, Moonshine. Every year,
Moonshine would do their Moonshine Over America tour and bring
their artists on the road. AK, Dara, and I were almost never booked to
play the same shows together because promoters would just have one
big DnB headliner. Well, we got lucky once and we were all booked to
play in New Orleans for the Moonshine tour. That night, we realized that
it would be a benefit to the DnB scene in the state as a whole if we essentially formed like Voltron and used our collective names and bargaining
power on a tour to push Drum and Bass to the main stage, where it had
sorely been missing. The rest is history.
What is it like working with the others in the group?
Fun and challenging. We don’t practice before tours or shows so it is always
interesting to see what the other guys are bringing to the table. Also, we not
only tag team but play over the top of each other’s sets in real time. This makes
it especially challenging as DJs because you have no idea what the guy next to
you is going to incorporate into the set. Keeps you on your toes and makes you
work. When it all comes together, it sounds good...then it makes it all worth it.
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