Issue 32 web-2.pdf

How long have you been playingDrum and Bass?I have been DJing for 24 years.I was playing the music thatpre-dated Drum and Bass, whichwas called, “Breakbeat Hardcore.”So, I guess you could say I havebeen playing drum and bass sinceday one.Where are you from, and what wasDrum and Bass like there when youstarted?I am from all over the place (Florida,Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York). I gotmy start DJing when I was going to schoolat the University of Pittsburgh. Again, Drumand Bass didn’t exist at the time when Istarted. But the scene back then was quitesmall, very underground and very passionate.You had to hunt down parties and really had todo your homework to learn about good music. Itwas a very fresh scene.As a pioneer since the 90s of Drum and Bassmusic, what have been some of the best years, andwhy?The heyday of Drum and Bass was the late 90s andearly 2000s. This was before the rave scene took ahit numbers wise and this also predates the dubsteptakeover. During this time, there was a huge surge inthe popularity of the music and by the early 2000s, youwere 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 areshort intros, big drops and short roll outs) and people justseemed more focused on the music.What year did Planet of the Drums start?1999How did Planet of the Drums start? Can you give us a brief history?The three biggest North American Drum and Bass DJs at the timewere myself, AK1200, and Dara. We were all on the biggest Americanelectronic label at the time called, Moonshine. Every year, Moonshinewould do their Moonshine Over America tour and bring their artists onthe road. AK, Dara, and I were almost never booked to play the sameshows together because promoters would just have one big DnB headliner.Well, we got lucky once and we were all booked to play in New Orleansfor the Moonshine tour. That night, we realized that it would be a benefit tothe DnB scene in the state as a whole if we essentially formed like Voltronand used our collective names and bargaining power on a tour to push Drumand Bass to the main stage, where it had sorely been missing. The rest ishistory.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 interestingto see what the other guys are bringing to the table. Also, we not only tagteam but play over the top of each other’s sets in real time. This makes it especiallychallenging as DJs because you have no idea what the guy next to you is going toincorporate into the set. Keeps you on your toes and makes you work. When it allcomes together, it sounds good...then it makes it all worth it.156 InkSpiredMagazine.com