The origination of the dynamic duo known as 5kinandBone5 can be traced back to raves, Drum n Bass, blood pacts, and triple stacks.  Charles “Skin” Duff and Paavo “Bones” Steinkamp met by pure PLUR happenstance and thu5 the eternal bond was forged to create some of the more futuristic shit ever. With an impressive output on labels like Grizzly, Fool's Gold, Mixpak, and UTTU (just to name a few) with plenty more in the pipeline, it was time to act fast and get 5kinandBone5 out here with the quickness. We teamed up with our friends Outpost1 in Albany and Mushpost in Burlington to make it happen and it all goes down next weekend.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Charlie aka "5kin", who will be DJing at OTS next Thursday night alongside Mess Kid, Bombe, and Knomad down at the Gallery at LPR. As always, NO COVER, NO EXCUSES.


Have you played NYC before? What are your connections to the city?


Your D'n'B influences are well documented and NYC has a longstanding history with the sound. Give us a few records that have remained timeless to your ears.


Renegade - Dark Soldier Pt.1 
Inta Warriors - Inta (Special Forces Remix)
Mampi Swift - Mission  
Ed Rush & Optical - Watermelon  
Konflict - The Beckoning


Where do your hip hop roots come from? Who were some of the first producers and MCs you were into? Top 3 classic NYC hip hop records?


1. Biggie & Da Lox's C.R.E.A.M. Freestyle for Funkmaster Flex  
2. Audio 2 - Top Billin  
3. Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh - The Show  

Some of your more recent releases seem to be channeling an appreciation for the timeless sounds of Detroit techno. It seems that regardless of where you take inspiration from, the end result is often heralded as an authentic reinterpretation of said sound, rather than a carbon copy. When you start a track, do you start with a specific influence in mind or does the production process lead you to the end sound/genre?

 
More often than not, we are starting joints with a certain destination in mind (genre-wise), however in some instances we'll take pleasure in derailing something's trajectory and fucking it all up. 'Tachikoma Twerk' is a good example of that. Initially it was a heavily trance-oriented track that had 2-step garage elements, yet we ended up turning it into more of a grime joint ultimately. But yeah, for the most part there will usually be an initial intention or direction we are adhering to.  

The roster of labels you have released with is long and deep. Does this come from a dedicated hustle to shop your tunes or do the labels find you? If/When you shop your records, do you send all beats to all labels, or focus your personal marketing? Have you ever been asked to create a certain sounding record by any label?


The spring of 2012 seems to be all about trap, or that grey area where hip hop and the club music world collide. Given that you've been operating in that area for awhile, are you excited to see it gain recognition or are you already moving onto the next? While the sounds are futuristic, many a trap beat runs the risk of sounding dated when the trend dies down, so what advice can you give to keep music sounding timeless and original?


In a landscape where many producers get highlighted quickly for mastering one sound, your versatility is respected and refreshing. Do you ever feel that versatility hinders your exposure, since you really can't be boxed into one genre or format?


Whats the remaining 2012 5kinandbone5 release schedule looking like?

 
Grizzly wants us to do a follow-up release so we are stoked to see more shine with Sinden's camp obviously. We have a strident minimal techno banger we did with Vin Sol that is slated to come out on a Scion-AV release in the near future. Not to mention numerous secret alias projects that are out there doing their thing as we speak. It's fun to stir things up and keep people guessing ;)  

Your use of "out of the box" technology is well documented, reflected in the recent record titled "all 808 everything." What kind of gear do you have in the lab? How many of your tunes reflect a complete "out of the box" aesthetic versus the number that incorporate both worlds?

 

5kinandBone5 has come up from a background of working with vocalists and live musicians. Do you think this has an impact on your versatility? Does your approach to producing change when you know a track will be voiced?


When you have teamed up with vocalists, have you been shopping finished beats or writing with that individual in mind?


Who are some vocalists you'd like to hear on a 5kinandBone5 beat?

 

Taking a step back from production, where is your head at as a DJ these days? What can the east coast expect out of a 5kinandBone5 set? Anything new in the crate that we haven't heard before?

It depends on the party frankly. Left to our own devices we would play something that resembled a Juan Atkins set if he were up on his UK futurism. One thing you can expect is absolutely zero rap music. We take dance music very serious as DJs and avoid playing rap because at that point, you might as well be an open format bottle service DJ which is not really our cup of tea.

 Are you still running parties with Vin Sol back in SF?

We have occasional proper parties here and there as one-offs, but recently we have been content with letting other people handle promotion and what have you. Our time is spent better in the confines of the recording studio as that fuels the out of town bookings more than anything. Should you be in SF at any point, we do have a weekly Wednesday night party called Office Depot at The Tunnel Top downtown SF. It's the perfect low-key intimate setting in which you get to hear us test out new tunes fresh from the oven and it's predominantly house and disco.  

Favorite taco?


Special thanks to Charlie for taking the time to answer knomad's questions. Don't forget to catch 5kinandBone5 NYC DEBUT with us Thursday 6/21 .

Joe, it’s been almost 8 months since your last gig here in NYC for the DubWar one-off at Deity last December. Since then you’ve navigated a tour through Europe this past Spring as well as dates throughout the states. Why do you think more promoters in the city haven’t reached out and do you feel like your ‘controversial’ Big Up interview may have had any effect on this?

When I did that interview about 17-18 months ago I basically drew a line in the sand where I stood musically and it was a "ride or die" situation. I said what I had to say, I stood by it, and I stand by it now. I don’t think it was something limited to promoters in NYC, I'm sure there were promoters that read the interview and didnt want to book me because of what I said...and that's ok. When I did that interview, someone needed to speak up; I did...and if the interview took place tomorrow, I'd say the same thing.

Tying into that is the new Reconstrvct event happening in Brooklyn at the end of the month. The party is set to write a new chapter of the dubstep story within NYC, hosting Deep Medi producer VIVEK’s US debut, as well as sets from yourself and Dave Q. Can you talk a little about the event and the ‘low frequency with decency’ mission statement?

Well I was approached by a couple guys in NYC: Luke, Seth; they wanted to start up a new dubstep event in NYC and they wanted my involvement. I'm curating the event. I'm looking at the big picture, rather than small details within the picture. After 5 years of being "behind the curtains" at DubWar, there are loads of learned lessons I want to implement for Reconstrvct. There are things that I want to do that are going to be different from DubWar. We want our own identity and we don’t want to just have people come in and say “You guys are just trying to rehash Dubwar.” It's a new party. New place. New space. DubWar was a specific event in a specific time, it had it’s run, it’s done, and I nor anyone else could ever recreate DubWar. Those shoes can never be filled. We intend to create positive vibes and bring proper dubstep back to NYC. We want those that attend Reconstrvct to enjoy themselves, drink a cold Red Stripe, see people they haven’t seen in a while and enjoy themselves in an environment that allows each person to find their own space in the place. There’s certainly a market for that here and I fully intend with the guys I’m involved with to bring that sort of vibe and that sort of positive energy to NYC. “Low Frequency With Decency?” It is what it is. I don’t need to explain it. You know it when you see it, feel it, and hear it, those four words will make even more sense and have more relativity to you. Plus -- it's NEW YORK.

I cut my teeth in Baltimore but the city where I "grew up" most as a DJ is New York. You always have to come correct at every show, but that's not enough for New York. Standards are high and that's the way it should be.


While many choose to focus on the negative aspects associated with the explosion of brostep, it seems to have also brought the community that produces and supports the deeper sounds of the spectrum even closer. Do you think there are some positives that may have come from it all? Has it helped to build a hunger and desire for music that hits in a less superficial way?

I certainly agree with the idea and concept of those that were non-brostep circling the wagons and tightening everything up. That’s not necessarily to say that there was less of a community or any less of a togetherness before the whole brostep explosion. Whenever you have a situation where battle lines have been clearly drawn in the sand and the writing is on the wall, you have a tendency to gravitate towards those that are most like you. Human nature.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it where you have someone that plays dubstep that’s getting booked in NY with someone who’s considered brostep or whatever you want to call it. You can probably say that about other cities and the same thing about London.

Look at the DMZ lineup. You’re not gonna see Skrillex, 16bit, and Mt Eden on that lineup, it’s just not gonna happen. The opposite is also true, you’re not gonna see dubsteppers booked for an event that caters more to an aggressive brostep crowd.

We’ll do our thing, they’ll do theirs, and I guess now there is clearly enough room for everybody.

Have you been spending any time in the studio recently on production?

I’ve been dibbling and dabbling with a couple ideas here and there. Nothing that’s concrete and nothing that I’m ready to put out there and see if people are going to be receptive to. I’m not mature enough in my own production and my own concept of what I think I would want to play out. I’m not there yet and that’s gonna take time. Obviously more time than I ever imagined, but it’s gonna happen and when the time is right, it’s gonna be right. It has to be right, it has to feel right, and the timing has to be right. There’s no need to put something out just to be able to say that I did it.

DJing will always be a passion of mine. Performing in front of people no matter how large the crowd, is important to me. It’s important to what I do and what I represent in the dubstep community. It’s my identity. It’s what I do and I know the feeling I have when I play a tune from an artist and it goes off in the dance. I can only imagine the feeling that particular producer has when he or she plays their own tunes and sees a positive crowd reaction...or no reaction, which in many cases is just as good as people screaming and jumping up and down because if they’re not reacting, they’re standing there listening and thinking. That’s when you know you really have a crowd because it’s not just an automatic reaction of hearing something and asking for a pull-up. You’re standing there in the middle of the dance floor and you’re hypnotized by what you’re hearing and you’re thinking about it. You’re thinking “damn, I wasn’t really expecting this” and you might not necessarily like what you’re hearing, but you’re listening and it’s sinking in. I love when that happens because that’s when you know you have the crowd in the palm of your hand. Now you can go anywhere you want because you have their attention and not necessarily in a bombastic fashion.


You’ve always been one of the most quotable personalities in the scene. Where does all that stem from and who have been some of the most influential figures in your life?

We are all products of our own environment.  I'm no different.  My parents are the people I’ve learned the most from. Not necessarily in music, but as human beings. The life lessons that I’ve learned from them…it’s interesting now because I have a seven month old daughter and there were things said to me by my parents as a child that i didnt understand at the time, but I always remembered. My Mom would say, “you won’t understand this now, but when you get older and have kids you’ll understand.” Now I’m a parent and I’m saying things that my mother said to me when I was a kid.  I guess these things that I say are from the heart.  They’re not pre-planned statements that have come out just to make an interview or to sound cool in a conversation.

I’ve had people that have been influential to me musically and locally.  Dan Gee, John Ask; those two guys in the early days were always positive influences and were always in my corner when I was playing in ‘02 or ‘03 to 10 people in a bar.  They were always there telling me to keep going. Nearly a decade later, here I am.

I think there’s a lot of people within dubstep that have been influential…Mala, Martin Clark… Kode9’s another guy that when you sit down and talk with that brother and you feel smarter afterwards. The DubWar guys, Distance, Tunnidge, Cyrus…you can always learn something from someone.

I wasn’t even trying to call people out by name. There’s always a learning opportunity, there’s always a teachable moment, there’s always a learnable moment. Life lessons learned. True joy is when you can share those experiences with someone that has not had been as fortunate to have had them. It’s the satisfaction of knowing you were able to help someone along the way. Pay it forward.

Speaking of Martin Clark, I believe he recently threw down the gauntlet and challenged you to a battle of lost dubs on Rinse…

Mr. Clark did call me out. You saw it on Twitter, but that wasn’t the first time. He called me out in an email about 3 or 4 days before he actually challenged me. The only reason I hadn’t responded to him is because what he said in the email (and I’ll leave that between us and the email) what he said was audacious in a way that if you didn’t understand our relationship and our friendship, you would look at it and say, "Damn, what’s he beefin about?”

I never saw it as that. I know he's trying to wind me up and that's all good. Trash-talk is standard operating procedure for a soundclash. It's healthy. Someone has to obviously throw down the challenge and someone has to accept. Whenever you’re being challenged at anything, ego ultimately is going to get involved and then it just escalates from there in terms of the competitiveness.

I’m touring Europe/UK in October and if our schedules fit, it’s 1000% gonna happen. Now I know he has things in his collection that I’ve never heard or don’t believe actually exist. At one point he worked for Ammunition and it would not shock me if he had test presses of every Tempa release. There’s some dubs he’s got floating around. I know that I’m looking at my bookcase and....well....let’s just say there’s a few gems in the collection. Ultimately, it’s not about him winning or me winning, I think it’s the listeners of the show that will be the real winners. When are you gonna hear some of these tunes ever again? Blue ribbons and gold medals for everybody.

1. Ford & Lopatin - Emergency Room [Software]
2. The Browns - What´s That [Dancemania]
3. Neon Jung - Just Can´t Leave It Alone [Magic Wire]
4. Cardopusher - Body Slam [forthcoming Iberian Records]
5. Deadboy - Wish U Were Here [Numbers]
6. Cardopusher - Then What [forthcoming Frijsfo Beats]
7. Cardopusher - Coppertoned Punch [Tigerbeat6]
8. Magnum - Rays (Panteros666 remix) [Nightshifters]
9. Zoltan - Pawnoramics (Mock The Zuma mix) [Freshmore]
10. Bok Bok - Charisma Theme [Night Slugs]
11. KingThing - Queen Hive [forthcoming Freshmore]
12. Cardopusher - Guava Blossom [forthcoming DVA Music]
13. Instra:Mental - User [NonPlus]
14. Teeth - Shawty (FaltyDL remix) [502 Recordings]
15. Magnum - Juracan (Randomer remix) [Nightshifters]
16. Cardopusher - Instant Glue [forthcoming Frijsfo Beats]
17. Cardopusher - Yr Fifteen Minutes Are Up [Tigerbeat6]
18. Pacheko - Destruyelo [unreleased]
19. Cardopusher - Sunburst [unreleased]
20. Aux88 - Break It Down (Dj Dijital remix) [Direct Beat]
21. Addison Groove - Work It [Swamp 81]
22. SBTRKT - Look At Stars (Machinedrum remix) [Young Turks]
23. Objekt - The Goose That Got Away [Objekt]
24. Hyetal - Transmission [Black Acre]
25. Sesped - Get Around Girl [Saturate Records]

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Cardo, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. If you wouldn't mind, could you give us a brief introduction and talk a little bit about your musical background and upbringing?

I started making music around 1999 after discovering software like Acid and ReBirth after graduating from audio engineering school. Before that I used to play in rock bands as a kid, but got tired of working with others and realized I was more comfortable just doing it on my own. Around that time most of my background was heavily influenced by stuff like Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, and Ween. During mid 90s we got a decent "independent" record shop that included a small section of electronic music where I used to dig constantly. It took me some time to be interested in electronic music, but once i listened Aphex Twin and found the Warp/Rephlex label I changed my mind completely and discovered a whole new world of music I was missing.

Did the socio-political climate of Venezuela directly impact the breakcore and more aggressive sounds that you used to produce while living there?

Definitely. Venezuela has been pretty hectic for the last 10 years. People have become aggressive because of the situation and this had a direct impact on my music. I needed to release my own anger and frustration and channeled it into breakcore. Once i moved to Barcelona I decided to move on to other sounds, so I guess it was the climate while in Caracas that was pushing me to do it.

You were a student at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2008 which took place in Barcelona. Could you talk a little bit more about that experience and it's impact on your growth as a producer? Did that experience lead to your eventual relocation to the city soon thereafter?

The first time I heard about the RBMA was around 2003-2004. I got invited to a meeting where they were explaining what it was all about it and it sounded very interesting to me, so i decided to apply but didn´t get in. After applying a couple of times, I was finally accepted in 2008 and can say it´s one of the best experiences I've had! All participants and the whole academy crew were great! You go from lectures to workshops, surrounded by studios with an opportunity to sit down and make music almost 24/7 with the people around you. Very inspiring! It was also great to do it in Barcelona as I had relocated just some months before and the city still was new to me.

What's the shape of the music scene in Barcelona like in comparison to Caracas and how have some of the larger festival crowds like Sonar responded to your music?

The music scene in Barcelona is completely different in comparison to Caracas because basically in Venezuela everything arrives late. Also in Barcelona you have international acts playing often and tons of local and foreign producers. Caracas is just starting, but it´s getting bigger and bigger everyday. Better late than never!

Festival crowds like Sonar where you see a large amount of people enjoying your music is huge. I'm not used to playing at big festivals, so those kind of experiences makes you wanna keep pushing forward with what you're doing. I'm very comfortable being here in BCN and basically Europe is great place if you want to make a living doing music. But if you happen to find yourself in Caracas anytime soon, you need to go to one of our Abstractor parties.

When did you, Pacheko, and Pocz first meet and what was it like working together in the studio down in Caracas? Do you guys still keep in touch and bounce ideas off of one another?

I met Pacheko around 2004 when he contacted me to produce some tracks of his now defunct band Todosantos. We became good friends after the whole process of producing/recording the album at a friend´s studio where I used to work. A couple of years later we worked together on what is now his own studio (that he shares with a couple of friends), called Estudio Pararrayos where we do stuff for TV/radio/film working on foley/sound design/pre-post production + more. Pocz was looking for a job and he ended up working along us. We are all still in touch like always and I'm still working with the studio via internet. They just finished a remix for my next single on Tigerbeat6 and I just finished a remix on a project they are working on.

meow170/shock22 Cardopusher – Yr Fifteen Minutes Are Up by Tigerbeat6

Your latest album released on tigerbeat6 'Yr Fifteen Minutes Are Up' deviates from your earlier albums with a much more upfront 2step and garage influence. Was there a conscious effort to mix up the styles on this release and when did the majority of the material come together?

Yes.  This new album is completely different and far away from the stuff I've produced in the past. But everything was a gradual progression. After some years working strictly on breakcore, I got hooked into dubstep but realized I didn´t want to be pigeonholed by just one genre. There are so many kinds of music I love and I wanted to do an album of the stuff I was feeling by that moment. The intention was to create a history with it and not just a bunch of club tracks. Making something to listen to at home was a challenge for me and it took me around 5-6 months to complete it. The goal was to release it by the end of last year, but release was delayed until May 2011.

If you relive one party from the past year, which would it be and why?

Boom Festival in Portugal just because I went with many good friends and all of us were playing there. It was an in an open air area located near a big lake/beach in a zone called Idanha-a-Nova., 3 hours away from Lisbon. We spent 3 days there hanging around, it was epic!




Lastly, would you mind breaking down your TOP 3:

Cities:
1. Tokyo
2. Athens
3. Krakow

Meals:
1. Arepas
2. Sushi
3. Mexican food in general

Movies:
1. Exit Through The Gift Shop
2. Buffalo '66
3. Blue Velvet

Websites:
1. Abstractor.net
2. Cuevana.tv
3. Youtube.com

Activities outside of music:
1. Traveling
2. Eating
3. Reading

01. Calibre - Me, Myself, and I [Signature]
02. V.I.V.E.K - Eyes Down [Deep Medi Musik]
03. Marcus Intalex - Dusk [Soul:R]
04. Bastille - Through The Haze [dub]
05. ID - Slope [Sub Slayers]
06. Synkro - Just Say [Box Clever]
07. Kromestar - Konfuzed [Deep Heads]
08. Von D - Zhakee Bon (Distinction Remix) [Argon]
09. J:Kenzo - The Roteks [Tempa]
10. Silkie - Float [Deep Medi Musik]
11. Lennie De Ice - We Are I.E. (Caspa & Rusko Remix) [Y4K]
12. Bro Safari - Amazon Rock [Deceast]
13. Marcus Intalex - From The Ashes [Soul:R]
14. Icicle - Redemption (feat. Robert Owens) [Shogun Audio]
15. Atlantic Connection - No Explanations [Deceast]

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Our latest cloudcast comes courtesy of L.A. (by way of ATL) resident Deco, founder of the Deceast record label. We had a chance to chat with him about his music and design background as well as the innerworkings of operating the label and maintaining it's distinct vibe:


First off, it seems you have worn all kinds of hats in this industry: would you mind giving us a brief introduction and lending some insight to your musical and design background over the years?

Music has always played a big part in my life, but I didn't get heavily involved in the industry side until college when I started working at my school's radio station. I first got on the air at WRAS Atlanta doing a weekly graveyard shift and eventually spent several years being heavily involved with the station all the way up until I graduated. At the same time, I had started DJing around Atlanta mostly doing locals parties and opening for the occasional headliner. Those years offered up seemingly endless musical experiences and really sealed my fate of being involved in it one way or the other for the rest of my days.

After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles for what I thought would be a short stay to finish a master's degree. Instead, I dove head first into the music scene at a time when the first dubstep parties were being thrown in LA and drum & bass events were bringing out huge crowds multiple times a week. For about three years, I worked for the promoter Insomniac while also picking up other music-related jobs on the side -- during this time is when I really learned a lot more about how the larger music industry operates.

As for design, I gained an interest in it during the 90s through a combination of graffiti and the BBS scene art groups. I had an internship at a small graphic design studio when I was in high school doing really early web stuff and things like that. I did a lot of freelance design work to support myself in college and have spent stints working at design agencies and start-ups for the better part of the past decade.

While I've done both music and design for many years, Deceast is really the first time I've had the ability to blend the two worlds in a meaningful way.

When did the idea of starting your own label first come about and what were some of the first steps you took in terms of getting the ball rolling and signing those first tunes? What was it like seeing your vision come to fruition with that first release?

I've entertained the idea of running a label for a long time, but I didn't start to act on it until just over a year ago. At the time, I was getting sent a lot of great music that, for whatever reason, other labels weren't picking up. I thought this music deserved to be out in the world and given some attention, so I took it upon myself to make that happen. I started by getting the infrastructure set up, signing a distribution agreement to get the music to retailers, creating the branding, and signing the first batch of singles. After that, a lot of the work is focused on making sure people know the music is out there!

As for the first release, it was a great step but I knew it was just the first move down a long road. However, I still get really hype when I hear a DJ play a Deceast track or see one in the tracklist for a mix! It's very satisfying to see your contributions back to music getting picked up and supported by other people.

Any reccomendations or advice for anyone looking to start up their own imprint? It seems that now more than ever, there's a huge waiting game in terms of getting records pressed if you're a new upstart label. How important are vinyl releases to you these days?

I certainly know how tough it is to press vinyl these days, as I'm still trying to get a deal for vinyl distribution worked out. However, it gives me something to strive for as I would love to hold a Deceast release in my hands! For those looking to start a label, just remember to do justice to your vision and only put out the best possible music statements that you can. A lot of people now look at music as something disposable, but I try to put out releases that are carefully curated with a lot of attention to detail.
The releases on Deceast so far have all maintained a similar deep and soulful vibe while not being pinned down or restricted to any one specific tempo. Has this always been part of the vision for Deceast or did this part come about with time? What are the advantages and if any, the disadvantages of not being tied down to any one specific genre?

The vision for the musical direction of the label has always been based on vibe; tempo and genre have been secondary. If it has the right mood to it and it fits within the overall sound of the label, then it's probably something I'll consider signing no matter what the style is. I prefer to embrace the ability to release multiple genres on Deceast rather than focusing on one. I spent a lot of time sequestered away in drum & bass, so the past few years of the genre walls coming down have been liberating. I plan to include many styles of music in the Deceast discography as long as the vibe is right!

Could you talk a little bit about what influences have played a part in achieving this overall vibe that seems to have remained a constant from release to release? For example its seems that early 90's hip hop vibes certainly play a big part in the Deceast records DNA.

90s hip-hop plays a big part, as that was a major entry point for me into the world of underground music. Same with the atmospheric drum & bass sound typified by Good Looking Records, as well as the darker mid-90s sound of labels like Metalheadz and No-U-Turn. I also count jazz, funk, and soul producers from the 1960s and 1970s among my influences as that's where a lot of the conventions of the modern deep/soulful vibe were first pioneered.

Deco & Linker - Greenthumb Funk [Deceast - DEC004 - Released June 27th 2011] by deco

Greenthumb Funk is already in heavy rotation for me as a defining summertime anthem. How long have you been producing music and how did you and Linker first get together in the studio?

I first started dabbling in producing about 8 years ago but didn't get serious about it until recently. It took me a long time to get to a level where I felt good putting my name on the finished product. Linker and I know each other from the LA music scene, although his main musical outlet is a house music outfit known as Breakdown. He had been interested in expanding to some new musical styles, so we got in the studio and Greenthumb Funk was the second track we wrote together. We work really well together, so expect to see more from us soon.

Any crazy stories to share from your days of promoting/ being on the road as Evol Intent's Tour manager?

Those dudes read mad books. Like, more books than any other DJs I know. For real. Crazy book readers.

It seems like parties, as well as record labels run the risk of inevitably getting pigeonholed and having a hard time breaking out of what people's expectations are for a night or release to sound like. What are some of your favorite club nights and why do you think more promoters haven't taken a similar path to the label in terms of creating events with varied tempos and styles while still maintaining an overall vibe that serves as the common thread between the acts?

I don't travel much right now, so all of my favorite club nights are here in LA. For drum & bass, Respect is the weekly event for the heads. They've been going strong for over a decade and you can always expect to hear quality beats there -- they really love the music and know how to book the good artists who may not have a big reputation yet. The vibe there is quintessential LA too. For dubstep, both SMOG and Pure Filth are the two who really laid the foundation here and they still throw events that capture that early dubstep vibe that a lot of the new promoters totally miss. For more eclectic sounds, the surprise guests at the Do Over are always a treat, and the underground house parties produced by theLIFT are a favorite of mine when I want a bit of an adventure.

As for promoters not trying to vary the music of a night, I actually think things are more varied now than they have been in a while. On an average night going out, unless I know I'm going to an event that is catering to a specific genre, I hear many more styles of music than I would have even just a few years ago. Also, dubstep and a lot of the offshoot bass music genres have crept into much larger clubs typically reserved for big room house music, as well as festivals, and that's really opened things up stylistically. It's refreshing to hear different styles commingling.

You had mentioned in one of our earlier emails your experience seeing DJ Marky down in Atlanta in the mid 00s when he was just starting to blow up. Could you talk a little bit more about that experience and about Atlanta seemingly being a hotbed for DnB around that time?

DJ Marky came to Atlanta with XRS and MC Stamina in late 2003 right as The Brazilian Job and LK were blowing up. They played for a good three hours or more and it was great to see that liquid funk could drive the entire night instead of only serving as the opening soundtrack.

I think Atlanta developed a jungle / D&B scene earlier than many other cities in the Southeast, plus we had some great record stores that helped sow the seeds of the community in the 1990s. At the time, drum & bass was closely tied to the rave scene, but after raves all but vanished from Atlanta in the early 2000s it developed it's own identity. Atlanta was more receptive to the forward-thinking sub-genres than other places in the Southeast and it was a good time & place for me to come of age as a DJ. It has really helped me keep a high standard to what I do musically and with the label as a whole.

After being involved in the industry so long, are there any recurring trends you see coming back again full circle? Predictions for the future?

Music moves so fast now and new trends seem to come out of unexpected places more than they did in the past, so I'm not really sure what the future holds. With that said, I do think we're going to reach a breaking point with the relentless highest-energy-possible style a lot of DJs are pursuing these days. I hope that yields a return to hearing more dynamic sets and seeing more varied levels of energy at club nights and across the entire culture.


Lastly, on a lighter/less serious note, would you mind breaking down your TOP 3:

Cities:
1. ATLA (If only I could put ATL's food in LA's climate...)
2. Chicago (One of the greatest cities I've ever been to)
3. Denver (clean, crisp, and chill)

Meals:
1. Breakfast
2. Brunch
3. BBQ

Movies: Impossible to choose, so here are the last three I watched.
1. La Haine (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113247/)
2. Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/)
3. Primer (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390384/)

Websites:
1. http://ffffound.com/
2. http://createdigitalmusic.com/
3. http://iwdrm.tumblr.com/

Activities outside of music:
1. Reading (currently The Record Players: DJ Revolutionaries by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton)
2. Technology (currently creating touchscreen interfaces for movie theaters at my day job)
3. Design (currently designing the cover of the next Deceast single!)

1. Abstract Elements 'Abysmal Depths' - Exit
2. Calibre 'Thirst Dub' - Signature
3. Mode 'Stepping Stones' - Exit
4. Distance 'Regret' - Autonomic
5. Consequence 'Dreadtone' - Darkestral
6. Abstract Elements ' Abysmal Depth' - Exit
7. Lynx 'Disco Dodo' - Creative Source
8. Rockwell & Zero T 'Bone Structure' - Critical
9. Rockwell ' Stay Calm' - Critical
10. System 'Peach Fuzz' - Exit
11. ASC 'Matter Of Time - Non Plus
12. Need For Mirrors 'Gallows' - Shogun LTD
13. Bladerunner & Mr. Explicit 'Cause Of Death' - UFO
14. Wilkinson 'Moonwalker' - Ram Records

DOWNLOAD

We had a moment to talk shop with DJ, producer, and label-head LionDub about his guest-mix as well as what to expect from the label in the coming months:

BF:  Ez Erik. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us.

LD: All good, thanks for taking an interest in my work and in the label.

BF:  First off, could you please tell us a little about the mix you put together for us and the inspiration and creative process behind it?

LD: It was a very spontaneous mix. Ive been inspired by the deeper side of drum and bass recently and seriously felt a need to grab a dozen or so of these these 'autonomic style' vinyls out of the bin at halcyon, and string them together in a mix. Creatively speaking, mixing this type of material is always challenging because of the many different, off-tempo drum patterns, but this particular mix came together fluidly and with ease.

BF: Were there specific tunes that you knew you wanted to incorporate from the beginning or was it a general mood and vibe that you wanted to center the mix around?

LD: I knew that this mix would be deeper and more experimental, but i really wanted to build up from that slower vibe into more energetic tracks and cap it off at a peak. I chose to go from Abstract Elements' experimental, bass heavy dancehall style all the way to Wilkinson's 'Moonwalker' which maintains the experimental feel of the earlier bits, but smashes on the floor as well.


BF: Whether it be channeled through dubstep or DnB releases, your music and label have always had a strong foundation in dub and reggae music and the surrounding culture. Could you talk a little bit about your musical background growing up in NYC and it's affect on the shaping of the Liondub Int'l sound?

LD: Reggae music has inspired me since i was a child. From listening to Bob Marley Exodus and Kaya on my Moms stereo, to listening to hip hop / reggae radio dj's.. NYC DJ's like Red Alert, Chuck Chillout, Gil Bailey and David Levy, these legends provided me with the inspiration to become a dj and to this day i love to mix and have carried that early inspiration through my life.

BF: If you had to choose ONE record in your bag that goes off equally well with dubstep, DnB, and reggae crowds alike, which would it be and why?

LD: Jahdan Blakkamoore - The General. It resonates with everyone ive ever played it for. The people just respond to it no matter what type of party it is, or where I am in the world.



BF: You recently started up a new bass monthly in Brooklyn called Full Spectrum. What is the overall philosophy behind the event and how does it set itself apart from some of the other parties exploring bass music at the moment?

LD: Full Spectrum is based on the love of music and family. Its about variety and not being narrow minded or genre specific. I wanted to create a party that literally has a strong core group of diverse djs who are down for the music, for the people. ...You can hear everything from hip hop party jams, to dancehall, to dubstep, grime, UK funky, old school house, techno, jungle and more, but in a way thats never been presented before. To me, and others, its the ultimate mash-up; 10 DJ's, 30 minutes each. I'm getting the best out of everyone who performs, and asking them to bring the most solid party jams non stop. It just keeps getting better.

BF: What can we be looking forward to over the next few months from the LionDub camp?

LD:  Tons of solid new releases from Ticklah, Noah D, Marcus Visionary, Bladerunner, Navigator, myself and more. We're pushing the limits of what we have done, exploring new territory and working with new talent constantly. We've just released Marcus Visionary's 2nd full length LP, a solid jungle record entitled 'Humble', as well as Noah D's Remix of Beenie Man's 'Rum and Red Bull.'

We are just about to drop the remix of Navigators' classic jungle anthem 'Inequity Worker' by Noah D which is gonna be accompanied by a video on February 1st. In addition I'm in the studio solid, working on remixes for David Boomah, Juakali, The DIrty Dubsters, Murdertronics, Jahdan & Noble Society, F-Troop and Navigator, Elephant Man and Subatomic Sound, Dubblestandart, MC Zulu, Dubmatix and more. There is a ton of new music in the pipeline for myself and the label, and I'm seriously glad to be apart of it all.


 NAVIGATOR - INEQUITY WORKER 2011 (NOAH D RMX) by liondub international

BF: and last, but certainly not least...where's the best Ital food in the city???

LD: Funny, but yeah, there's a spot out in Jamaica, Queens that cannot be beat. True ital, but unfortunately I've only been there a few times and can never remember the name. I'll have to get back at you on that one, but for solid ital vegetarian food in the city? My vote goes to Angelica Kitchen, 2nd ave and 12th street.


BF: Thanks again for taking the time!!

LD: Thanks to the Bassfaced crew... Keep it real.

We had the chance to catch up with Philadelphia-based producer Starkey and talk about his recent travels on the road, his second LP 'Ear Drums & Black Holes', happenings in the Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey camps, as well the all-important Philly Cheesesteak; as he gets ready to head out West to smash up this year's Decibel Festival in Seattle later this month.

BF: Starkey, thanks for taking the time out. This past Spring saw the release of your 2nd LP 'Ear Drums & Black Holes' on Planet Mu. How have the past few months been soldiering it on the road in support of the album?

STARKEY: It's been great. I've been to some really great places, met a lot of fans of my music and have been able to share my music and performances around the globe really. The overall positive reception of the 2nd album has been very exciting for me. The album is basically a snapshot in time of where I was musically the past 2 years and I'm really happy with how it holds up over repeat listens. I really set out to make an "album", not a collection of songs, and I think there's an overall arch that holds all the concepts and sounds together. The vocalists all provided amazing performances as well. It's been a very exciting few months.

BF: Any parties/festivals from the past year that really stand out and are there any venues or places on your radar that you've yet to play?

STARKEY: Well I'd have to say that Dour Festival in Belgium has to be on the top of my list. I had never played to that many people and if you've seen the video on youtube, the energy was amazing. There have been some others that were pretty incredible for various reasons, but that one was really special. I flew all the way over to Belgium to play that one gig as well, so I'll always remember it.


STARKEY x AOOA.TV from An Overdose Of Awesomeness on Vimeo.

STARKEY: Just this week, Ear Drums was re-released in Japan by UltraVybe, so there's talk of doing something in Japan which would be fantastic. I've never been to Japan, but one of our Seclusiasis artists' BD1982 has been living there the past few years and speaks highly of the music scene out there.

BF: Are there certain tunes from the LP that seem to resonate more with different crowds, geographically speaking?

STARKEY: hmmmm. That's a tough one. I'm not sure if there are any of my tunes that stand out in different places, but as you know, I play a decent amount of hiphop in my sets and that goes over differently depending on what city I'm playing in. In some places, people don't really dance to hiphop and in other places, I could do a whole hiphop set and the crowd would be down for it. haha.

A lot of the same songs of mine get requested at most shows. Usually someone asks me to play "Spacewalk" off the first album....I also get a decent amount of requests for "Gutter Music VIP" still. From the new album, "Fourth Dimension" has gotten a pretty big response in most clubs as well as "Capsule". I guess "Club Games" is one tune that I think gets a bigger reaction in some cities and not in others, because it's pretty strong on the vocals and the hiphop-ish side of my sound.

BF: There is a noticeable inclusion of your vocals on 3 tracks off the album, is this something you plan on pursuing further on future works? live?

STARKEY: Yeah definitely. I used to be self-conscious about doing vocals because I've always been a singer in the more concert music side of things and never thought of myself as having a "pop" singing voice. But I realize now that it really doesn't matter, look at someone like Matt Bellamy from Muse who has a big theatrical voice, he's doing alright.

I've done vocals live at a bunch of shows now and the reaction has been mixed when I just whip out a mic in the middle of a DJ set. But when I did a live set this summer in London, I did vocals for all my songs live, so it made sense. I remember the first time I performed "Alienstyles" live. It was the last song in my set at Glade Festival in 2009. The next day people were commenting about it on the Dubstep Forum, saying like "Starkey was cool, but then it got all weird when he got on the mic at the end". haha. Some people liked it,  others never will. You can't please everyone.

I'm always going to be a producer, first and foremost but if I feel like singing on a record and have been inspired to write lyrics, then I'm not afraid to do it.

BF: We had a chance to chat with Anneka earlier this year, prior to the 'Stars' release and she spoke a little bit on her creative process writing the lyrics, how did that instrumental initially come together and when did you first hear about her music?

STARKEY: I met Anneka when I was in Brighton once hanging out with my friend Ital Tek, but I wasn't familiar with her music at the time. I later heard the tune she did with Vex'd, put 2 and 2 together and realized that it was the Anneka that I had known from a little while back. When we were having a meeting talking about the album and which vocalists we wanted to get in touch with, her name came up and I immediately said, "yeah... let's do it". Her voice is absolutely amazing, and she's got a great lyrical and harmonic sense to her delivery. We recently finished up a tune that's coming out in November on Civil Music called "Paradise". That one came about pretty much the same way as "Stars". I had a tune in mind, sent it over to her, she demo'd it, it was amazing, she fixed up some of the vocals and sent me the parts. I did some mixing, made some edits here and there and it was done.

BF: Was your intention with ED&BH to create a more cohesive album and tell a story, moreso than your debut LP on the label and were there certain ideas going into the production of the album that you knew you wanted to incorporate that you hadn't on 'Ephemeral Exhibits'?

STARKEY: Yeah definitely. Ear Drums was written from scratch to be an album, unlike Ephemeral Exhibits which we pieced together from tunes that I had been working on for some time. Ear Drums to me, has a bit more "classic" sounds in it, at least in the percussion elements. It's built largely around 808 and 909 drum sounds. I also did a ton of synth layering to build the textures into more complex waveforms. A lot of the themes in the lyrics and song titles reinforce the overall vision of the project which loosely revolves around my interest in interjecting science fiction, post apocalyptic thoughts, films, music, writing, etc... with street culture and composition at the same time. I know it sounds pretty crazy and probably only makes sense to me, but yeah... that's kind of what I was thinking about with the album.

BF: How did you initially get in contact with Mike Paradinas from Planet Mu and what was the first Mu release you remember hearing?

STARKEY: Well Planet Mu has been a label I have admired for many years so I had been sending my music to Mike for some time before he actually reached out to me about doing a release. I would just send him emails with links to the tunes that I was happy with. Then one day he responded saying that he was interested in doing an EP and that I should send him more stuff. The EP turned into 2 albums.
I'm not sure which Mu release was the first one I had ever heard because I'm pretty certain I had heard things and just didn't know that it was from a Planet Mu artist. The ones I can remember going out and buying were probably from like early 2003.... Snares' "Winter in the Belly of a Snake", "2370894", etc. Before that time when I started getting into breakcore and IDM/electronica, i was mostly into post rock epic stuff and trip hop.


BF: What can we be looking forward to from Slit Jockey and Seclusiasis in the coming months?

STARKEY: Lots of stuff. On the Slit Jockey side of things we've got a Kaiser EP and Single, an album from Sduk, 2 Stagga singles amongst other things. Then on the Seclusiasis side we're putting together Street Bass Anthems Vol. 5, as well as an EP from Siyoung, a DNAEBEATS mini-album of sorts, another release from Kastle, 2 Halp releases, a new BD1982 single with tons of great remixes.... There's a lot. I'm really happy with what we have going on with Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey. We have a great group of people who are passionate about making music, support each other 100% and are excited about it.

BF: With the now defunct 'Dress 2 Sweat' (RIP!) label, any chance we'll ever see another MOVES!!! release?

STARKEY: Well Dress 2 Sweat folded into Numbers, so it's sort of still around. But yeah, um..... I've demo'd a bunch of stuff, but I'm not sure what I think about it. Other people who have heard bits and pieces were into it, but I don't know. It's hard for me to write the music that I think MOVES!!! makes. haha. I love playing "All Skate" out... it always gets a huge reaction in the club, and it's one of my favorite dancefloor tunes I've ever done. But it's hard to keep things simple. I always want to overproduce things I think. I've been forcing myself to keep things a bit simpler at times with my new tracks but then I'll go and do a track like my new Tinie Tempah remix which was like 107 tracks. But yeah, I think there will be another MOVES!!! release down the road. If for anything... I like talking shit about MOVES!!! in the Starkille skits.

BF: Lastly, can we get you on record...best cheeseteak in Philly?

STARKEY: That's a tough one as well. I always ask people when they come to Philly "Do you want the standard, street cheesesteak or something a bit more gourmet?" For a bit more high end I'd have to say the Abbaye in Northern Liberties. They use chimay marinated flank steak, grilled tomato and onion, gruyere cheese and a roasted garlic aioli spread on the roll. I took Drums of Death there last time he was in Phillyand he's still talking about it. For the more touristy kind of simple cheesesteak I'd have to probably go with Jim's on South Street.

BF:  Big up PJ.  Thanks again for taking the time out!  Catch you at dB.


Photo credits:  David Lang (Vancouver, BC)

Starkey performs at the Planet Mu Showcase on September 24th at the Baltic Room in Seattle, WA alongside Ikonika, FaltyDL, and Ill Cosby.  BUY TICKETS HERE