Monday, September 8, 2014

Track Review: Mutt - Changes / Just My Luck


 
Mutt: Changes

Review Summary:
Jazzy Blues male vocals mixed with sensual melodic female vocals. Finely orchestrated string section with snippets of a dubby horn. Drums are heavy on the 2, similar to a jump up drum pattern with dashes of bongos in the background. Overall a great track for someone looking to fill out their Liquid / Intelligent: Jungle / Drum & Bass crate.

The Full Review:
Often the first 8/16/24 bars of a track are rarely heard alone. They are generally mixed in with whatever track was playing before it. I enjoy listening to how a producer uses this space, they either treat it as a great space to introduce you to a mood or just lump all the sounds in and not put to much though into this area.

Mutt takes the first 24 bars of  his track to craft a sound scape of enveloping instruments, voices and sound FX, creating a scene of haunting melodics mixed with a chorus of uplifting vocals. The first 8 bars introduce you to the main core of the musical instruments used, while an almost inaudible conversation is taking place behind a veil of ever expanding audio frequencies. The next 8 bars introduce you to the players in this musical sparing match with female and male vocals. These 8 bars would be especially haunting when mixed into another track just as the strings start seeping up and through the EQ's. The next bars raise you up just before dropping you off in a moment of isolation with just the strings and accompanying vocals.

The next 24 bars do as one would expect, they hold the line. The subtle changes in orchestration is a much needed focused repetition for dancers to find their groove.

The following 8 bars is where the break drops, opening with a processed dubby horn and envelops you with swirling strings and that soulful female vocal.

Then no build up, no gentle wooing you back into the track - WHAM, SMACK, BOOM - your tossed right back into the heart of the track. Just like the title and hook would imply - "changes". Here we spend the next 16 bars with a bongo backbeat rhythm, and more dubby horn snippets. Then suddenly it "changes", reintroducing the strings and female vocal.

The last 16 bars are comprised of your standard down shifting of sounds and FXs. The cherry on top is actually its last 8 bars, a beautiful minimalist bongo drums, wooden rhythm stick and bass.

Conclusion:
If your looking for a vocal driven Liquid / Intelligent track. Then, Ding Ding Ding we have a winner. Its not going to be an immediate classic but its strings have a staying power that will loop in your noodle for a few days afterwords. It also has the ability to conger a sense of love and empathy in its strings and vocal sparing. I would say its worth a listen and if not a purchase for any Drum & Bass DJ.

Time: 5:14
Key: 6A / G Minor
Tempo: 86BPM
Energy: 6
Mastered: Ill Omen
Released: 08.18.2014
Catalog Number: FDR00033



BUY IT:
Beatport | Juno.co.uk | Satellite Records

==

Mutt: Just My Luck


Review Summary:
This Liquid / Intelligent jungle track contains a somber male vocal, that is riddled with swirling piano riffs, mellow baselines and standard Jungle / Drum & Bass drum patterns. His ability to seep emotions within the frequencies of his productions continues to impress me. I would say its worth a listen and I've personally added it to my record crate.

The Full Summary:
The first 16 bars are drums and a EQ seeping piano riffs that swaggers into the room like a long last lover. This hypnotic state is shattered by a ringing set of chimes, leaving the piano riff alone and naked.

The following 48 bars is where the magic happens. Drums, Bass, Piano and this voice. This male voice is middle aged, weathered and half speaking, half singing to his lover. The words are those of survival, and gentle plea for love and support as he deals with his own inner demons.  Those demons are echoed in the stealthful use of whirling piano loops and echoing staccato FXs. This section ends in a break down, leaving you with a mans pleading and that haunting piano riff.

The next 48 bars hold the line, giving us the full range of the drums, bass, piano and vocals. Then slowly pulling back into the darkness.

Conclusion:
This track has a haunting charismatic staying power, especially that piano riff. It is a somber male vocal, that is riddled with swirling piano riffs, mellow baselines and standard Jungle / Drum & Bass drums. This is another solid Liquid / Intelligent track from Mutt, that I've already added to my record crate.


Time: 4:55
Key: 3A - 7A / B-Flat Minor - D Minor
Tempo: 86BPM
Energy: 6
Mastered: Ill Omen
Released: 08.18.2014
Catalog Number: FDR00033

BUY IT:
Beatport | Juno.co.uk | Satellite Records

==


Notes from the Librarian:
When I got these tracks in my inbox, I was not expecting the sound I received. Faction Digital Recordings are known for a certain sound. This can be summed up with two keywords: HARD and HEAVY.  Currently not my cup of tea but as one who used to be a fan of the dark and heavy sounds of the 2000's I can appreciate them. But this is not your standard FDR fair, this is something bright, smart, insightful and haunting. Hat tip to both Mutt and Faction Digital Recordings.

All BMP and harmonic key information came from Mixed In Key

Friday, August 22, 2014

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Ice Bucket Challenge



Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

This is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, that control voluntary muscle movement. It's often refereed to as a glass coffin and the individual has full control of his mind but is unable to move.

I've now been challenged Claire Helmke, Gil Lingenfelter and Terry Eiler. I accept this challenge if only to get my radio listeners to know what ALS stands for and how horrific the disease is.

I charge anyone watching (or listening) to learn more about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and if you have funds feel free to donate.

VIDEO: A Life Story Foundation - Pete Frates' Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85VkgNt5OgI

Summary"
A former Captain of the Boston College baseball team and professional baseball player in Europe, Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS in March of 2012, at the age of 27. Since his diagnosis, Pete has enjoyed the strength and support of his family and new bride, Julie.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

FTA News: the studio is going to need some love

In May, I kept smelling something. It was driving me nuts, it sort of smelled like mold but would only hit me now and again as I was working in the Annex. Finally one morning, I snapped and went on a hunt for the source of this maddening smell.

I eventually narrowed it down to a corner of the Annex, under my record shelf. So I emptied my large wall of Ikea record shelving.


After removing the shelving

Captain, I think I found the mold

There it was, mold on the carpet and under side of the Ikea shelving. As one could imagine I freaked out. Was it the last set of hip-hop records that I picked up? Did I have a crack in my foundation? What the hell brought in this infestation of mold in my goddamn studio?

So I did with any other cold-blooded American would do I nuked it. Vinegar, Teatree oil and then with a healthy vacuum into boot. I was hoping that'll be the end of it, however that was just the start. 

A few days later, I pulled up the carpet in that corner, discovering a very wet carpet pad.  I pulled back the carpet some more and put a fan on it. While that was drying out I measured out the space and trundled over to Home Depot to buy new carpet padding. Dry and treated carpet, new carpet padding, done and done right? Wrong. The mold was still tweaking my senses. 

That's when I hit the Internet looking up mold remediation and getting scared by really bad photos of crazy mold infestation. Addison in the end found David at Valor Cleaning Inc. David in short order explained to us what he thought the issues were and ran through series of options we could to remedy the situation. He would do the remediation work but someone else would have to test for the mold. David written a paper on the topic called "Pros and Cons of Mold Testing", which outlined the reasons to test and how one might go about it. In the end we went with David's suggestion and used Avery at Fusion Services, LLC. 

Avery was a pro. Polite, well spoken, could geek out about mold Addison but was able to explain it in a way that I could follow along. But the topper was a side comment. "Have you ever heard of the warehouse? I used to go dancing there when Franky Knuckles first started playing there." Insert mind blown, 

A) because Avery had been to the Warehouse
and
B) heard the godfather of House music back when it was all just starting. 

He filled my head with a few stories from the Warehouse. Which only made me want to do back to my books on the earily days of house and techno. It was truly awesome. 

I was bummed when Avery and all his high tech gear left, but I was also a bit anxious because the new idea of mold in the walls. 

Sure enough when all the lab results came in, it looked like the mold was in the walls. So back to David at Valor. Looking over the report he wrote up a budget and scope of work. Looking at the cost it made me suck a bit of air, however it was the first major expense we have had in our new location. To be fair to David, for all the work they did it was a steal, and I would totally recommend him. 


Totally felt like the E.T. tent. Ba ha



That's the image that made me cringe...

The walls have now been gutted. The finished studio is now in storage and I'm left wondering what and how I'm going to rebuild. 


First things first I'm having a electrician rewire the basement. 


 In the end... I'm looking for a crafts man to build me a record wall. A skilled electrician that someone can recommend. Advise on what materials we should redo our floors and walls with. 

In the mean time I may set up my decks in the kitchen. Grand Master Flash style. 

-the librarian

Sunday, June 29, 2014

FTA Spotlight: RobOne: V003

My name is RobOne. I'm one of the first DC area Jungle/D&B DJs. I played quite a bit from 1995 until 2001, then took a little hiatus, started getting involved again in 2011.


"Well, strictly speaking, I started playing Jungle music before Drum & Bass developed as it's own sub genre."- RobOne



How long have you been a DJ?
My first gig was August 9, 1995. I was buying records before then but that was my first gig so that's the date I say I started as a DJ.


Have you always been a DC based DJ?
From 95 until 01, yes. From 01-05, I lived in Hawaii. From 06 to the present, DC area again.


When did you first want to become a DJ?
I actually didn't start out wanting to be a DJ. In 93-94, mix tapes were really the only way to hear rave music outside of a rave. Some groups, The Prodigy, Baby D and Altern8 and others, had CDs out but there was more music than just them. And the place where you'd buy tickets to the raves were the music shops where DJs bought their music. So when I'd go to get tickets, I'd spend more time listening to records, eventually buying them and then eventually more. Then I was in there on new release day. Then it got to where the guy in the shop was holding white labels for me and I'm making multiple trips each week. During that time, I got turntables and a mixer and it all just happened.



Do you remember what your first record was you bought?
I can remember buying records as a kid, long before raves and DJing. Metallica albums and Kurtis Blow's Kingdom Blow. Definitely remember buying those.

As for records for DJing, I have numerous foggy memories of what was purchased in my early rave days. Baby D, Jam & Spoon, Hardfloor, 2 Bad Mice, Rabbit In The Moon, Gang Starr, and Justin Warfield were all early record buys. One that stands out with the most clarity, though, is the Warehouse EP by 2 Bad Mice on Moving Shadow.


Have you always been a Drum & Bass DJ? If not what did you play before Drum & Bass?
Well, strictly speaking, I started playing Jungle music before Drum&Bass developed as it's own sub genre. But, yeah,  I've always been first and foremost a Jungle DJ. I've always bought records of other genres, especially Hip Hop, and I've been known to play other stuff - and still do on occasion, but Jungle/D&B is my first true music love.


What was your first gig?
I believe it was called Rave Up. August, 1995. In DC. I played a freakin prime time right after Baggadonuts and before Shamus. It was the middle of the night. No idea how that came about.


What crews have you been affiliated with over the years?
The Snowball Collective was the first to put me on. I met Shamus at a Jungle rave in the spring of 95 and he got me the booking at Rave Up that summer. Then I met Buster and the rest of their crew. The next month they did an event with Trace and Odi and I played that for so I guess I was in the crew with them at that point. In early 96, Buster called me about playing at an all Jungle event he was starting which was to be DC's first all Jungle weekly called Where The Wild Things Are. He and John Tab did the event under the name Elliptic Crew, which later included Slant and Ron "The R."

Shouts to Snowball crew members Shamus, Buster, Gehno, Troy T-Rex, Durty Daryl, Paolo and John Johnson plus the ladies crew Rosanna, Caroline, Debbie, Gretchen, Lydia, Jenn, Janie, Kim. All of them helped make the events go off.


Presently, I'm with the Transit crew doing Wednesdays each week in Fairfax and with Sensory doing quarterly events in DC.

Do you have anyone you can call out on being a large influence on your DJ career?
As a young raver, I was really into Scott Henry in DC, Feelgood and DJ Who in Baltimore, Diselboy would play in Baltimore a lot back then and he was the main guy playing the faster breakbeats - the early UK hardcore breakbeat stuff which Scott Henry also played and Greg Sargent played it too. As that style evolved into Jungle, it was Dieselboy, and dB and On-E would play in the area pretty frequently. Those were the ones who I was really drawn to early on in terms of rave oriented DJing. On the Hip Hop side, O-So-Fresh was everywhere playing all the time in DC and Cool Aaron played at some Baltimore raves. There were also the DJs on the albums that I listened to like Premier, DJ Scratch, Eric B, Terminator X, Jazzy Jeff, Cash Money, King Britt… Radio recordings of Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito were a god send but were few and far between for me. But…

To name one who I had seen live I'd say On-E. He would play his sets half Hip Hop and half Jungle. Having grown up on Hip Hop, I always loved to see him play Hip Hop at the raves and to back it up with Jungle too. He was awesome. And although I hadn't seen DJ Hype live until years later, I had loads of his mix tapes, dozens of them bought at the raves: recordings form World Dance, Dreamscape, Desire, Helter Skelter. Bukem, Rap, SS, Gachet tapes too. I lived on those tapes and they totally influences how I play.


So where did the name Rob-One come from?
Back in the early 90s, it was fairly common for graff writers to add a number 1 or even the word "one" after their name. Like a crown or an arrow, I thought of it as flair to add to a tag or piece to help the name stand out a bit. Later when it came time to decide on a DJ name, I didn't want to use the same name for bombing and for DJing. I didn't really think my first and last name would work as a DJ name. I did want to use my real name but make it different somehow, so I added the -One for flair.


Where do you aspire to play at?
Sun&Bass and SunBeatz Ibiza.


What do you look for in a track when you’re pulling your set together?
Any song will work in a DJ set, you just have to figure out the right place for it. That will depend on what you intend to do with the whole set.

 As for a single song, what draws me in and creates the vibe for me is the musicality and composition - the chord progression, how long the tension builds until its released, if the bass just rides the root of the chord or if there are chord inversions, counterpoint melody. I'll pay attention to drum patterns, too, when considering a mix. I don't think that is really looked at too closely enough by DJs these days.


As a mixed media DJ, (someone who will DJ with Vinyl & MP3) what's your take on the media wars within the DJ community?
I could easily take the grumpy old traditionalist position and say nothing compares to vinyl, but the truth is that I embrace the technology. It's practical and efficient. I use Serato and I enjoy it. I actually started using Serato before I ever used a CDJ. But I still have all my records and I love them. I'll never get rid of them. I'm always down to do a vinyl set whenever.

As for the beef over which is better, it's all a matter of perspective: I think, if you came up with music on wax, you're likely to prefer it. A younger person who has come up in the digital world is more likely, I believe, to prefer that.

I look at DJing holistically and realize that DJing now employs a lot of various technologies, so I use the technologies in my own way. For me, Serato bridges the traditional vinyl DJing method with the contemporary music media. I'm  disappointed that Serato has  discontinued their support for the 57.


On the topic of your collection, how is your media organized at home?
My CDs and my old tapes are not organized at all, but my vinyl is:

Jungle/Drum&Bass is organized primarily by label and chronologically within that label. I have a divider for any label from which I have more than 3 records and families are grouped together (ie. V and Philly Blunt are together, Suburban Base and Boogie Times, Good Looking and Looking Good, etc.). Then, for labels from which I have fewer than 3 releases, there's a miscellaneous section divided by each year of release, 90-99, then 2000 onward are all grouped together.

This is the most efficient method for me because, for example, if I want play Hype's Roll The Beats, I know it's on SubBase, and I have a ton of SubBase, so I go to right to that big section. Since i know that came out in 94, I go right to the earlier releases since all the SubBase are chronological, and within a few grabs, I have it. If I'm looking for Thoughts of an Innocent Mind, I go to the miscellaneous 1993 group because I know I only have 2 releases from Metamorphosis Records, this and Dub War. It takes less than 10 seconds to find any record and I have thousands of records.

Hip Hop is all alphabetical by artist with dividers for A - Z, and again if I have more than a few records from an artists, I have a divider for it. Like Gang Starr, I think I have about 25 albums and singles, so I go past the "G" section and before the "H" section is all the Gang Starr records together.

House and breaks are just all together, with certain artists grouped, like all the records from Rabbit In The Moon, Scott Hardkiss, and God Within are grouped together.

Rock and punk are all together, alphabetically.

I also have an acappella vinyl section and a section for breaks sampling.


What's your home set up like?
The DJ setup is two 1200s turntables and a Rane 57.

I use a MacPro and a MacBookPro running Logic, ProTools and Ableton Live with Waves, Izotope and other plugins. I use an Avid MBox and an M-Audio FastTrack audio interface. The board is a Mackie MCU Pro and Alesis monitors. Then there is some outboard gear, a compressor and an eq and some Roland gear and other midi controllers.


Tell me about Surface Noise Productions?
It was going to be a label and studio. But I've ditched that name.


How many years have you been in business?
I wouldn't say I've been "in business," instead I'd just say I've been available for mixing and mastering for about a year and some change.


What are you doing more of, DJing or Production, now a days?
Producing. Writing and arranging my own songs, plus mix downs and masters, as well as mix and master for others.
DJing is a second to that.


What’s your goal when you’re producing a track?
Different goals at different stages.

Initially, I want to get an idea captured quickly and drive off that creative impulse. A composition can be completed in just a few hours if all the pieces come together and there's no technological hindrance.

Once the melodies are written and the song is arranged, my goal in a mix is to get the elements in their place - sonically, in the audio spectrum. This can come quickly or it can drag on and it's different from song to song.


What’s been your favorite DJ moment?
Oh gosh. As a DJ, there have been so many good memories. Playing at midnight at the Snowball NYE 96/97 event was amazing. People actually still occasionally mention that night to me.

A favorite DJ-related moment, not actually DJing, would be the first time I was given a record. It was 1995. I was hanging out at a friend's and dB was there, we got to talking. He asked if I play records, I said yes. He asked what I play, I said Jungle. He pulled out a copy of his N.Y. Jungle EP and said, "here. Hope you like it." I was 18 years old. Totally blown away.



What are your top five favorite tracks right now?
Just 5? Wow.
Calibre - Sagan
Radias - Let It Roll
LN4 - The Sound of the Night
Muggsy - Every Sky would Be Blue

And my current crate digger favorite is Wax Tailor's Que Sera.



What do you say to any bedroom DJ trying to get started?
Easy: Close the laptop.

Serious answer: DJing is playing music and you don't look at music, you listen to it. Learn to use your ears to play music and forget what's on the screen. Also, forget the tricks - all the bells and whistles that are in the software - until you understand and have mastered the fundamentals. So, once the song is loaded, turn the screen so you can only use your ears.

Also, if you're gonna about the music, be about the music. Don't get caught up in scene beefs. That just works against the music.




Do you have any upcoming gigs where the FTA audience can check you out?
  • June 8, a history of Jungle/D&B set on Dirtbox Radio, jungletrain.net with Mad Max, Freefall and ODJ.
  • June 18 at Transit, Fairfax, VA.
  • August 1 at Turnstyle's Artwalk in Richmond, VA - a jungle jam out in the streets.
  • August 9-11 at Doah Fest, a weekend mauic and arts fest in Shenandoah Valley, VA.

In closing would you like to say to the FTA audience?
If you've read this far, thank you.
ez.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Other Events: 4.19.2014 Faction Digital Recordings: 1 Year Party [Virginia Beach, VA]


FACTION DIGITAL RECORDING [FDR]
will be celebrating our 1 year as a record label!

The Lounge
3972 Holland Rd #109, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452

Line Up:

ARTIST PARTY
---------------------
[$25 for public to attend the entire show, Buffet/open bar]
=
12-1 Patrick Currier Vs Konztant [Drum & Bass] - DC - WVA
1-2   Alcrani [Drum & Bass] - VA
2-3   Set Wreckaz [Breaks] - VA
3-4   The Phunktards [Breaks] - VA
4-5   James Ruffin [Breaks] - VA
5-6   Mak Rayne Vs Stacey Essene [Breaks] - VA
6-7   Paranoid Androidz [Breaks] - VA
7-8   The Venture Brothers [Drum & Bass] - VA - TX

MAIN EVENT
------------------
[Open to public $10 presale ($15 at the door)]
=
8-9     Tasha [Drum & Bass] - OH
9-10   Geoffro [Drum & Bass] - PA
10-11 Tester [JUNGLE] - GA
11-12 Stunna [Drum & Bass] - IL
12-1   ODI [Drum & Bass] - NYC
1-2     Will Miles [Drum & Bass] - VA


FDR private party for artists and close friends will be from 12pm-8pm.
Doors open to the public at 8pm.



/*/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*/
Mega package deal..... (sales end 04/19/14, 11am)

$25.00 will get you into the private party and the main show.

The percs...

Buffet catered by the Lounge. (Fried chicken, pork BBQ, greens, veggies, Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and more)
open bar (Time block TBA)

plus you get to hang out and listen to some bangin tunes for FDR artists from all over the country!

plus... merch & freebies!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fdr-one-year-anniversary-party-mega-deal-tickets-10372958799

/*/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*/

General Admission presales $10 8pm-2am $15 day of the show.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fdr-one-year-anniversary-party-general-admission-tickets-10373271735

/*/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*/

HEADLINERS:

ODI
Konkrete Jungle, NYC/Charlotte
[Drum & Bass]

Odi as he is known to the world, does not look like the type to have a group of beautiful women fawning over him. And yet, there are several that I have to get through to talk to him. People murmur “respect” as we walk outside. Their admiration is not underserved. Odi, is in great part responsible for the entire style of jungle music in NYC. “I can’t think of anything that makes me happier,” he says. “Every show makes me better.” Jungle or drum&bass is one of the evolutions of the 90s electronica wave, characterized by an emphasis on fast-paced breakbeat and prominent bassline. It was then, back in its formative years that Bronx-born, Harlem-raised Odi entered the scene and gave it his kind of direction. “I grew up around 125th street , the home of hip hop. So it was natural to be an aggressive DJ, putting in the hip hop elements. It’s what I know.” His break came around after high school, when running promotions for the famous NASA rave parties at Club Shelter grew into a steady DJing slot. From there, Odi and some childhood friends who shared a lifestyle, culture and musical interest began pumping out electronic records with their own signature twist. “Jungle didn’t happen as a music until 96. Back then it was all just called breaks or techno was the common term,” Odi recalls. “Anything went back then. My friends and I got real lucky, being in the right place at the right time.” Fans would argue that it was not only the position but the skills that propelled Odi and his DJ crew, Digital Konfusion, into the underground limelight. Their way of mixing jungle beats with Hip Hop has grown into its own genre. “Jump up” has been the defining style of NYC and the east coast in general since 97, when the crew formed their own eponymous record label and began spinning at NYC’s most dedicated weekly jungle show: Konkrete Jungle. Odi rapidly became a fixture, while continuing to travel the country, one of the first few to enjoy such popularity. Eventually Odi caught the ears of Malik Shabazz, the international spokesman for the respected Hip Hop society Zulu Nation. Shortly, he initiated Odi in 03, making the Harlem native the first junglist to enter the organization. “I really respected the work that they did,” says Odi. “And I try not to talk or brag about it, but it’s a very big honor.” Odi and his record label remained prolific in the recent year, DJing constantly while putting out a mix CD and producing for multiple other artists. The next step for Odi is his upcoming artist’s album and taking his music online for digital distribution. But most of all, he would just like to continue playing, unconstrained by genre. “They have names for all the different styles, but I like it better when it was just music,” says Odi, smiling. “When it comes down to it, no one really knows the difference.”
=




TESTER
Trilogy Sound Crew, Atlanta, GA
[Jungle]

Tester is as known in the ragga jungle genre as the amen break. He's been on the front lines since the foundation days and his one ton dubbox reflects just that. Tester's distinctive brand of ragga jungle and reggae dubplate style is a favorite amongst DJs, producers and listeners alike. Tester has releases on labels such as Tuff Gang International, Top Ranking and Jungle Royale, as well as his own imprints, Soundtest Records, Tester Series and Big Tune Records. Tester has over 20 vinyl releases, amounting to more than 30 individual released tracks and has produced well over 100 original dubplates and VIP remixes. With extensive touring across North America, UK, Europe, Russia and everywhere in between, Tester continues to unleash his infamous style on dancefloors worldwide. Tester also operates as a reggae clash Sound and has recorded dubplates with the biggest names in reggae.

www.trilogysoundcrew.com
=

STUNNA
BASS DRIVE, Chicago, IL
[Drum & Bass]

Hailing from the Windy City, STUNNA (aka JAY CAPPO) has been deeply immersed in the Chicago music scene for many years. Schooled in piano study from an early age, his love of jazz music turned him on to the sounds of HERBIE HANCOCK, especially his early-70's work with synthesizers and electronics. At the age of 12, Jay acquired a drum machine and an 8-bit sampling keyboard and began to experiment with the jazzier sounds he'd listened to and also with the current sounds of Chicago House that was at the time, in its formative years. A number of years were spent performing in bands on the keyboards and alongside DJs at parties. His discovery of Rap music and the walls of layered samples by groups such as PUBLIC ENEMY fascinated him and he made it his personal mission to dig and find the sources of these diverse sounds he was hearing. Jay realized that many of the current sounds within these layers were actually pieces from the jazz and funk he'd heard only a few years before. He was now hooked on the science of connecting his own sounds with various parts of music's funky past. He joined local Chicago funk bands and began working with House producers such as ROY DAVIS JR. in the mid-to-late 90's, playing keys and collaborating on original tracks and remixes. Around this time he began hearing more and more of the sped-up breakbeats of many of his favorite jazz-funk drummers that were now being used by Jungle and Drum+Bass producers. After accumulating many vintage synths and new studio gear, Jay delved into creating his own brand of D+B and locked himself in the studio. When he emerged, he'd written over 50 tracks and began DJing out to fine-tune his songs. Currently, Jay continues to work on D+B, promotes many shows around Chicago, tours with bands, DJ's around the world, and hosts the weekly radioshow 'THE GREENROOM' Wednesdays on WWW.BASSDRIVE.COM. He has signed tracks to 31 RECORDS, OUTSIDER, OFFWORLD, LDNB, SOUL DEEP, INFLUENZA, IM: LTD, ROTATION DEEP, FUNK STAR, HUSTLE AUDIO, SOUNDTRAX, POINT AUDIO, WESTBAY, STRICTLY-DIGITAL, PHUZION, DEFUNKED, FOKUZ, VIBEZ, PHUNKFICTION, BIOS, LEVITATED, FUTURE RETRO, LUCKY DEVIL, performed on THE FAREED HAQUE GROUP's lastest release for MAGNA CARTA RECORDS, and has also co-produced/performed on tracks and remixes for NEW ORDER, ESTHERO, TERRY CALLIER, MISSY ELLIOT, RON CARROLL, BARBARA TUCKER, BOMBAY RECORDS, NITELIFE COLLECTIVE, SONY, WARNER BROTHERS, DEFECTED RECORDS and TALKIN' LOUD. Currently, he's working on his own original Drum+Bass productions as well as collaborations with artists worldwide such as AMANING, BACHELORS OF SCIENCE, BIONIC1, BROTHER, CONTOUR, CYBASS, DECADE, DONNIE DUBSON, FX909, HENREE, INDIVISION, J-CUT, JAY ROME, KUBATKO, LENZMAN, MAD VIBES, MATIZZ, MECHANIC, METHOD ONE, MIXMASTER DOC, PEYO, PLACE42, RANDOM MOVEMENT, REDEYES, SOL.ID, SUBMORPHICS, SUBZ, SWITCH, WILL MILES, and Chicagoans PIPELINE, RELEASE, RADIATA, GRANDMARQUEE and LAMEBRANE. For more info - visit: WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM/STUNNA -- WWW.BASSDRIVEARCHIVE.COM/STUNNA -- WWW.GREENROOMDNB.COM
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Geoffro aka TopShotta 
PA
[Broken Beat]

a technician behind the decks, geoffro has been destroying 1200's since the early 90's with the ability to rock a variety of styles and crowds. from reggae and dancehall to lounge and downtempo to hip hop and EDM, all with his own unique style & finesse. he has had several reviews in URB magazine for his "mixtape" work, been featured on dj muggs mash-up radio show and "mixtape", played in front of thousands at venues like JFK stadium for the legendary HFStival, the 9:30 club, camp bisco, the recher theatre, fletchers, the WMC in miami and the LA convention center for E3, shared the stage and opened for artists including beenie man, tanto metro and devonte, macka diamond, bone thugs-n-harmony, the crystal method, green lantern, israel vibrations, tech itch & decoder, inspectah deck, the pharcyde, jimmie's chicken shack, the allmighty senators, lake trout, trick daddy, birdy nam nam, the nappy roots, k-os, killa priest, method man, g. love & special sauce, KJ sawka and dj enferno. he has been featured on numerous FM and internet radio including WHFS 99.1, WQXA 105.7, CFRU 99.3, KROCK 92.3, www.inthesound.com, www.dirtboxradio.com and www.eastcoasthappy.com and has performed at a number of VIP events for various artists, athletes & sponsors including trick daddy, the harlem globetrotters & red bull. after establishing a name in the central PA area, geoffro relocated to baltimore in 2000 to join up with live alien broadcast. together they set out on a consistent run of writing, recording and touring through the mid atlantic area, playing a string of memorable shows like the massive HFStival, NYE @ the inner harbor, the vans warped tour & a sold out CD release at fletchers in their home town. after the bands breakup in 2002, geoffro moved back to central PA & quickly became a staple in the then burgeoning nightlife boom, holding down residencies at 2 of harrisburg's premier nightspots, mars lounge & NOMA. currently he continues to hold down a number of residencies throughout PA and is producing original material both as dj geoffro and under the alias TOPSHOTTA, with some of his edits available at rarecrates.com. a truly versatile, veteran DJ/producer capable of rocking any party.
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Tribe Steppaz aka Tasha 
MIA DNB, OH
[Drum & Bass]

Tribe Steppaz aka Prime Mover is a multi-national production team consisting of Stateside native Tasha & UK native Cridge of 'Up Bustle & Out' (best known for their Ninja Tune releases). Between the two of them they have been releasing both vinyl and CD's since the 90's on a plethora of labels worldwide.

Prime Mover/Tribe Steppaz music has received support by some of the scene's biggest names, and has been charted both stateside and in the UK, including hitting #3 on the UK DMC d&b chart for their 'Star Wars' remix on Cridge and dj SUV's Bootshake Records (12' vinyl), and a #2 spot for the team's 'Killa Army' tune on Tasha's Pound Recordings (12' vinyl).

So far in 2014 Tribe steppaz has released future jungle/breaks with Bad Habit, UK and saw both sides of the single reach #1 on the top 100 breaks charts for 3 weeks on Trackitdown in London. Tasha is proudly a part of the USA's biggest drum&bass collective, "MIA DNB" as well as the USA's longest running Jungle brand, "Konkrete Jungle".
Next up in the quest to push the drums, Tasha was brought on board with DJ SS's Iconic "The World of Drum&Bass" brand to represent the team stateside, focusing on spreading positive vibes and Drum&Bass across the planet.
MIAdnb.com

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

FTA Spotlight: Moody Moore & General Motorz: V002


 Welcome back to the second edition of Spotlight. It was a cold and rainy night in March 2014, and I had the pleasure of welcoming Moody Moore & General Motorz into the Annex Studio. Moody Moore a staple in the DJ Jungle scene and her daughter General Motorz, a second generation junglist that is a raising star in the DC DnB scene. What transpired that night consists of 2 hours of non stop Jungle / Drum & Bass and a hour long interview and a great deal of laughter. Without any further a due, I give you Moody Moore & General Motorz.

"We're sort of a really edgy version of the Partridge Family". - General Motorz


ANNEX: Records Organization?

MM: I would just rather spin them.


ANNEX: So you don't have any organization?

MM: Well, I've moved a couple of times…

GM: Yea, so right now we have a lot of stacks of records laying around.

MM: Because of you!

GM: Hey, hey, you do that to. You keep your mixes laying around. In places where I knock them over all the time.

MM: [laughter] Yea potential mixes. I will put the needle on the record and say hey those tracks will go together

GM: Well yea that's what my stacks are as well.

Moody Moore at Transit in Fairfax, VA 2013. Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler

ANNEX: So what is it about a track that will make you pull it out for a set?


MM: I'm a melodic mixer. So I will not mix tracks that compete, you know? I like the marriage between two tracks that were made for each other, that's what I'm always going for.

GM: I'm sort of similar. I will listen to a track and go "Oh! this track would go really well with something hard or vocally”. So I will start looking for something along within our huge collection. I like to have a lot of shifts in my sets.

MM: The Journey.

GM: Yea! I enjoy change ups, also a good bass line! If it has a good bass line I will pull it.


ANNEX: So where did the name Moody Moore come from?

MM: [Smiling] This is a great story. I had just started DJing, and I had Ken Lazee, Tamela, Yaz, Steve Raskin & his wife Johanna, over to our house in Arlington. I was going through a few names that I was just not feeling. So I was going through these names and Kenny all of a sudden interrupted the conversation. "DUDE, your fucking Moody. Your God damn Moody Moore." I was like that's it! Especially since the best DJ names are bequeathed.

MM: I was telling Gwen this story, when she asked me to teach her how to DJ. I was like "OK, you're going to learn on vinyl, you're going to learn how to program, and mix properly." But Gwen was all worried about her DJ name, then one night while driving…

GM: This is after several months of coming up with nothing good.

MM: Yea, and it just popped into my head GM, Gwen's initials. G.M. Dude, General Motors!

GM: It really work for me to covering the bases. Since I was really concerned with having a feminine DJ name. Since I feel like there is a stigma for female DJs getting booked for their tits, and it doesn't matter if you're really any good. So I wanted a name that was gender neutral. Of course it was from my teacher, my mentor, my mom so it just worked for me.

MM: Yea, I'm proud to have been able to give her, her DJ name. Like Kenny did for me. Besides the best names are bequeathed. Kenny my friend, then boyfriend, then friend again gave me my name. I really like the alliteration the M-O-O, M-O-O of it.

GM: He was the one who introduced you to Drum & Bass, right?

MM: Kenny was the one that introduced me to electronic music. He was our roommate. When he set up his turntables and one night he was spinning, I was like, what? Where do you hear this music? Like, this music is amazing! Where do you go to hear this music? He said I'm going to take you to BUZZ at Nation. And I walked in and I was home. So Ken Lazee gave me my name.

GM: Big ups Ken Lazee.


ANNEX: How long have you been DJing?

MM: After Kenny moved in, I was a raver first. Then we started doing parties together, so I was a promoter. That got me very acquainted with the DJs in the scene, John Tab and other heads that I established relationships with. Then my dad died, although my father left me nothing in the will, eventually after some arguing I got a few thousand dollars. That was enough to buy Turntables, mixer, receiver, monitors and a coffin. So I went through the full spectrum. Raver, to Promoter, to DJ. I practiced everyday. Its been proven in history that if you practice a skill every day for an hour you can master it in a year. Generally speaking. That's what I did, I committed myself everyday, and came out with [the mix] "Surge Reflect". I gave it to John Tab and he booked me.

*In a email follow up I did get the answer to the original question. Moody Moore started DJing in 2001. 


ANNEX: Was that your first gig when he booked you?

MM: Winterman. Do you know Winterman? He was the first one to actually book me then shortly there after John Tab booked me. I can't really recall but it was very soon after that first gig that he booked me.


ANNEX: Have you always been a DC based DJ?

MM: In 2006, I was done with DC. I was getting headaches everyday and had a horrible job. So I had to get the fuck out of there, so I moved to San Diego. I lived out there for 3 years, went to Burning Man and had club gigs between San Diego, San Francisco, L.A. and a few desert parties.  Came back to DC after hitting a new low in my life, and focused on putting my life back together. Focusing on my family and my job. Its really only been in the last year since Gwen started to learn to spin. Teaching her how to spin really got me back into it. I actually considered… I know this is a terrible thing to say and you will hate me for this. I actually considered selling my equipment because… you know from a financial perspective. You know, this lifestyle is not maybe what I should be focusing on…

GM: Lies.

MM & GM: [Laughter]

MM: I know, right?!? But that was right when Gwen asked me to teach her how to spin. It has slowly gotten me back into it. Yea.

Photo Credit: Faith Blanco

ANNEX: How did the west coast change your sound? Or did it?

MM: I don't think it really did.

GM: It's funny though, because you were in real opposition to what was going on out there.

MM: You see Burner's don't really like Drum & Bass. I remember Skandar, my boyfriend at the time got me booked in for this party in Mexico. The promoter listened to Fuck Cinderella Mix, and was like wow this is Drum & Bass? That mix was melodic and vocal, its something that people can relate to even if you're not into Drum & Bass. Because of that mix I was one of the first D&B DJ's to play a Burner party in that community. From there we started playing parties in San Diego. You know I'm a Junglist Soldier, like hardcore I would say 95% of the music I listen to is Drum & Bass. Its my warm blanket.


ANNEX: Whats your favorite DJ moment?

MM: Oh that's tough. You know their are a lot of them. I remember spinning the front room at Nation. Spinning with the Bansheez, you know Jungle Jessi, Inna K, Silkey & Skandalus (Amanda). Forming that crew, you know, that was major, because there were no female DJs in the scene. So we formed this crew to take shit over, partnering with the HeadHunterz. You know how we were talking about 4 turntables, we would do that ridiculous shit at places like Alias. Those Alias Shape the Future battles, were where I was playing more than one genre in a set. Spinning Drum & Bass and Breaks and people were like, what is she doing? Whats going on here? And because of that I got second. Scott Haapala / DJ Haaps beat me out by one vote! Why because I did not VOTE FOR MYSELF!

GM: Oh Well.

MM: From there I became a member of the Midnight Sons with him [DJ Haaps] and Peter Lantern / DJ Lantern and a few others. Defiantly spinning at Burning Man was an amazing experience. But I think spinning at U Hall with Gwen was huge. Because after everything is said and done, things have come around full circle and to be able to spin with her in the premier club of DC. With Jungle Jessi and Joanna O was totally amazing.


ANNEX: So you all share your vinyl?

MM & GM: Yea.


ANNEX: Where do you both buy your vinyl from?

MM: She buys more vinyl than me. I work for a non profit now so I don't have a lot of disposable income, but I have so many great records that I've never played out.

GM: That's sort of my job.

MM: Yea, and she [Gwen] buys far more vinyl than I do at this point.

MM: This is why I really admire Joanna O because she is hardcore vinyl, because she is like, "I'm not making the switch". So when I was trying to figure out if I should make the switch? Should I buy CDJs or Serato? Fuck Serato. Every time someone spins Serato…

GM: Something goes wrong

MM: We were at U Hall for the Danny Byrd and SPY at Hospitality. And the only problem he had that night was with SPYs set, because he was spinning Serato. Every time someone spins Serato...the sound went out on him 3 times during his set. I just started to feel bad for him.

GM: It was a solid set…

MM: But, as a DJ you have to be crushed every time the sound goes out [in their set]. He handled it and Kenny got it back really quick but… the thing about vinyl its so interactive and people can see what your doing. You can see what your doing. Its tactile, you know I love the feeling of vinyl on my finger tips. You can see the music.

Moody Moore at the Annex Studio in the Mix. Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler

ANNEX: How do you feel about these other mediums people are DJing with?

MM: Yea. I do want to get CDJs eventually because its cheaper; and if you have a gig that night you can roll online and buy all the new hot shit now and have it; and CDJs are a cakewalk compared to turntables.

GM: Oh yea, do you remember when we were out at Rhonda's Summer house? I had never spun on CDJs before. I had only been spinning for a couple months. I figured I should learn how to do this because some clubs don't have turntables anymore. Which is terrible!

MM: The clubs are terrible not the turntables.

GM: No. Not the turntables. So yea I was going through Ra's CDs, and Ra only spins House and Garage, and I'd never spun House. But I'm sitting there beat matching everything, mixing things I had never played before and I never went off my beats. In comparison it was so easy.

MM: So I'm now wanting to take the hard line at this point. Start collecting vinyl again and be like this is what I spin. Cause vinyl is really coming back. Clubs at least clubs that cater to our scene always have a pair of turntables. For the sound guy, the maintenance is so easy, because rarely do you have problems with turntables. Unless its a problem with the needle.


ANNEX: Because you both live together do you have to jockey for practice time?

MM: We kind of have to sometimes. I'm like okay I'm going to go do my exercise.

GM: Yea…

MM: Cause the turntables are in my room.

GM: We don't really have a living room in the apartment.

MM: The Living room is my room.

GM: I like to practice alone cause I'm that kind of guy. So whenever there is a free moment.

MM: I think it works out, we negotiate it well.

GM: Yea, Yea.

MM: She will come home from school while I'm still at work and have that time.

GM: I set aside a couple days a week to make sure I get my practice in.


ANNEX: What was your reaction to Gwen when she asked you to teach her to DJ?

MM: She is very musically inclined. She can play the guitar and is a very good vocalist too.

GM: eeeeeeer…

MM: She will argue with me over that. When she came to me I was like, Okay. Your going to learn on vinyl, with turntables. You're going to learn how to put tracks together / program, cause beat matching is the easy part. But you're going to learn the basics.

GM: She took it really seriously.

MM: I did.

GM: You were like a drill sergeant sometimes.

MM & GM: [Laughter]

GM: Especially with the equipment making sure I was handling it correctly.

MM: She learned really quickly. She is very emotional like me. So when she would have the AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I would be like, "okay its cool", I will let her scream. I will not comment.

GM: Remember the first time I spun Drum & Bass and I got a headache. This was when we first moved into the City. So the speakers were above the turntables and you had to…

GM & MM: STEP BACK

GM: to hear it.

MM: It was terrible.

GM: It sucked. So it was just so difficult to get a feel for what you were doing.

MM: And you thought you wanted to spin Electro.

GM: I know, I know. Back in the day that's what I wanted to spin.

MM: Which is fine, I was like whatever…

GM: I still like French Electro but of course I was born to spin Drum & Bass. Can't escape fate.

MM: Of coarse that's what you grew up with.

GM: 2nd generation Junglist. All the way.

MM: [Laughter]

MM: That's what's up baby. [High Five]

MM: When you started spinning Drum & Bass, it just clicked.

GM: Well its the music I know better than anything else. You know most people grow up listening to the Beatles or the Rolling Stones that sort of stuff. I did too, to an extent, but to me my childhood was Drum & Bass.

MM: Because that's what you listened to every night.

GM: Its very familiar to me and a music I feel I understand. So yea I guess that made the learning curve not so steep.


ANNEX: Whats it like sharing a Stage with your Daughter?

MM: Amazing. I'm sure there are some pictures from U Hall where I'm just glowing behind her. I'm not sure I can really explain the feeling… its just huge. More than what my body and soul can contain…

GM: We're sort of a really edgy version of the Partridge family.

MM & GM: [Laughter]

General Motorz and Moody Moore at U Hall in 2014 for Konkrete Jungle. Photo Credit: Unknown

ANNEX: What advice do you have for any young upstart looking to get into the scene?

MM: Fundamentally you need to be a supporter of the scene. You need to be going out, supporting the parties, the promoters, the DJs. That's the first step.

GM: You have to learn to kiss ass.

MM: Well I mean… there is that to. You have to support the scene. I'm particle to vinyl, I think to really understand how to mix and program you really have to start with vinyl because its so challenging.

GM: I have to say… sorry for interrupting. Seeing DJs that are my age that are learning to spin, not on vinyl, there is a disconnect. Like remember that guy we saw at Netsky. These kids…

MM: GOD HE WAS TERRIBLE! What was his name?

GM: Honestly I forget. But they love the music that's definitely there, but they just don't have the finesse of the fine understanding of what makes a beautiful mix. So they are spinning but not really mixing, maybe beat match kind of…

MM: Well, with the technology, they don't even have to beat match.

GM: But then they will have these train wrecks of clashing stuff, with no sense of journey to it. I feel learning to spin on vinyl gives you an understanding that really nothing else can.

MM: I agree.

General Motorz at the Annex Studio in the Mix. Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler

ANNEX: Now turning to you is it General Motorz or DJ General Motorz?

GM: Well before I added the Z at the end Facebook yelled at me telling me I was not a motor company. I changed it to the Z because you have to respect your roots. Being a Junglist you have to use the Z instead of the S.

GM & MM: [Laughter]

MM: Well said.

GM: So I did finally change it but by then [I had created the Facebook page] and had to do the DJ thing. But I prefer General Motorz on its own, because the thing with DJ is that it is an umbrella for a lot of different things. There is the DJ that we all are, then there is the guy with the Hawaiian T-shirt at your 8th grade dance.

MM: [Laughter]

GM: I think sometimes it causes confusion, when I tell people I'm a DJ. Personally as a people I think we need to come up with a new term. I hear "selector" sometimes, a lot of British people will used that term.


ANNEX: How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a DJ?

GM: I think I was 16. Its actually funny. It was just as I started to really get into electronic music. Growing up with it as a kid, I definitely went through a phase. A rebellious phase in middle school of being super against it. Agggghhh you know its what old people do. “Its not real music”.

MM: MY MOM DOES IT!

ANNEX: [Laughing]

GM: You know its probably what your own parents said,"Its not real music". Blah Blah, cause they don't know anything about it. But that was my rebellious phase, you know you can't escape fate. I was born to be a Junglist. I started to listen to what my mom was doing with a critical ear and one day something clicked. I think it was while listening to a Nero mix, the Nero Essential mix on BBC Radio One. Of course.

MM: Yea, Yea he goes through so many genres. He does Drum & Bass, Dubstep, French Electro, its really an amazing mix.

GM: It was during the French Electro section that I really decided. I definitely love French Electro. I don't know I was just listening to this mix and it was so amazing. It was such an epic mix and I was like I want to learn to do this. I wanted to be able to bring this same beauty of the mix to people.

General Motorz and Moody Moore at U Hall in 2013 for Thirst. Photo Credit: Thisrt

ANNEX: What was your first record?

GM: Definitely an Ed Banger record. I think I bought my first two records were both SebastiAn - Smoking Kills, &  SebastiAn - Embody. But it really sucks that I can't even use the Embody track, cause I love that track. Its a great track but its like 105 BPM, and I'm like, what am I supposed to do with this?

MM: Maybe if you mixed it in on a break down. But what was the first Drum & Bass track you bought?

GM: First Drum & Bass track… hmmmm. I think it was those two records that I bought of Chemical. That Ramajam Record & The Zone.


ANNEX: Where do you buy your records?

GM: I buy some of it online, but I'm looking for places to buy without the huge shipping costs. Because Drum & Bass all comes from the UK its hard to find online American stores…

MM: There are just nothing here anymore. You know. Turnstyle [Records] is really the best place to buy Drum & Bass anymore. What was that track you just bought at Turnstyle?

GM: It was a Roni Size record.


ANNEX: So what was your first gig?

GM: Was Transit actually. It was last July I think. So almost a year ago.

MM: Peter hit me up… mind if I take over for a second? He was like, Moody do you want to play out? He knew I was looking to play out. So I was like, by the way my daughter is spinning now and I think she is ready for her first gig.

GM: I was not by the way. [Laughing]

MM: You played a great set. You played Breaks, and it was a really good set. So I was like, "Peter I would love to spin, how about booking Gwen as an opener"? Because we go way back he was like, "Of course".

GM: Big ups Peter Lantern!

MM: He is in Miami right now spinning with the big dogs.

GM: [If] I really honestly, had been the one to say if I was ready, I would say "probably not", but it was a good experience definitely. Especially because it was the same night Aphrodite was in DC, so nobody was there.

GM & MM: [laughter]

GM: But it was a great night of music. Anyone that went to see Aphrodite, choose wrong. [laughing] Even though there was barely anyone one there I got 3 gigs out of that [night].

General Motorz just stepping off the decks as Moody Moore brings in her first track at Transit. Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler

ANNEX: How would you describe your sound?

GM: I don't know. I guess Eclectic. I just like a lot of different stuff. So I mix tracks that are vocally with tracks that are hard.

MM: Similar to what I was saying earlier. She will pull records out of my shelves and play the B side of something, and I will have never thought to mix those tracks together. She also has a different mixing style than I have as well. So when she mixes these tracks together I'm like, that sounds fucking awesome!

GM: Why thank you. I'm really ADD when it comes to listening to music. I feel like a lot of people will get into ruts and play a lot of similar tracks and I just get bored. I like for the gears to switch a lot, I guess.

MM: For instance DJ Fresh: Bass Invaders. From the early to mid-2000's, and that's just what he does up and down through the whole mix. Its amazing

GM: That's what I try to do.


ANNEX: Seeing you have made such a splash on the DC scene, Where do you want to play next?

GM: SubDistrick definitely. Whats that new venue…

MM: FLASH!!!

GM: Yea! I would like to play there. I hear its a good club… I do have that dream one day, because the [Drum & Bass] scene is not that big that someone huge will come into town. Like Hospital Records, and someone will book me to open for them. I want to share a stage one day with Danny Byrd, and Netsky. One day.

General Motorz at the Annex Studio in 2014. Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler

ANNEX: Do you have any events coming up we should know about?

GM: Hopefully SubDistrick. In July, I will be at the Artwalk in Richmond. Playing for Joanna O. at Turnstyle. That's about it at the moment.


ANNEX: Whats the best way for people to find out more about you both?

GM: My Facebook page which I keep updated. Really the only reason I use Facebook. I do have a SoundCloud page but I really need to update it.

MM: Yea same. SoundCloud and Facebook.


ANNEX: Top five Jungle / Drum & Bass track for each of you?

GM: Hold your Color - Pendulum. I grew up with that track. Its almost the sound to my life, because its been in the background the whole time.

MM: Up All Night - John B. As a Junglist I'm not sure how you can not have that in your collection.

GM: Brown Paper Bag - Roni Size.

GM: I really love a lot of stuff by Danny Byrd. I also really like what the Brooks Brothers are doing now too…

MM: Agreed.

GM: Carry Me On - Brookes Brothers

MM: I've been prepping for this question. However, asking me this is a lot like asking me which of my children I loved most. So its been really hard.

MM: Solarize - J Majik

MM: Hold your Breath - Etherwood

MM:  Blackout - Logistics

MM: Actually a lot of the tracks I played tonight would be on my top 5 listing. Literally every track I've played tonight are my faves.

GM: I tried to do something similar in pulling tracks out that stood out to me that I really really loved. I'm not sure if you said this about playing tracks that made me love Drum & Bass but I really did try to base my mix around that idea.

MM: Underground - Boylan

GM: Hell Hath No Fury - Klute


ANNEX: What is the DC Scene missing right now? If anything?

GM: I feel like a lot of Drum & Bass DJs defected to playing Dubstep when it became popular. But Drum & Bass as a whole is really getting influenced but Dubstep and Electro; its not bad but I feel like when I was growing up in the mid 2000's there was a renaissance of Drum & Bass. As it started evolving from Jungle, and there were so many good tracks that come out then. I would really like to see that happen again. A new renaissance of Drum & Bass, where there is just this explosion again.

MM: I feel like that's happening again. The Upbeats are totally making their own sound.

GM: I don't hate Dubstep, I'm just really looking forward to its popularity waning. Its really not my cup of tea, honestly… Sorry that was a bit of a tangent.

MM: What was the original question? What is the scene lacking? If you had ask me this a few years ago I would have said there is just not enough Drum & Bass parties going on in the area. But now with Julez / SubDistrick, Cadence at Flash, Sunday Sessions, and even Steez, they still bring in large Drum & Bass headliners. So what is the scene lacking…you know I feel like some of the new kids just really don't respect the history.

GM: You know no one really knows how to dance anymore!

ANNEX & MM: [Laughter]

MM: The raves now, with the girls in their fucking underwear.

GM: Ok, yea, I get that its hot.

MM: What happened to the big pants? It was not about "Here is my body". It was, "I'm here to dance". That's what I really miss. Its actually why I don't even go to big raves anymore.

An evening completed. The first family of DC Drum & Bass. General Motorz and Moody Moore. Thank you.  Photo Credit: Ocean Eiler
Notes from the Librarian:
I would like to thank both Moody Moore and General Motorz for taking the time to come out to the studio, play a few records and talk to me about their lives as a DJ family. As a soon to be father myself, I take comfort in the trails these two junglist are blazing. My hats off to them.

If you would like to see Moody Moore on the wheels of steel she will be playing at SubDistrick on April 19th 2014. Along side NoNSeNsii, NICK SHADESJULEZ

 

Who's up next? We here at From the Annex have some ideas but we would love to hear from you. Who with in the DMV Jungle / Drum & Bass scene would you like to see next on Spotlight? Let us know in the comments.

As always I will catch you'll on the flip.
-The Librarian