Afro Monk

Ali Berger is only a junior in college and already killing it.  His new Ep 110 Love which will be released on Dec 5th on Street Ritual Records has been on constant repeat this week as my motivation to move into my new home.  Resulting in a few unexpected dance parties!   This celebration of funk, delivers 4 sexy tracks with flavors of glitch hop and old school electrofunk!  If your looking for Rhodes synths, amospheric pads, classy wobbles, and a solid drumbeat to match there will be something here for your fancy!  I have yet to catch a live show, but from what I hear his live PA shows are a funky mixup of on-the-fly arrangements, remixes, and mashups.  With his sound starting to blow up hopefully I will be able to catch a show in the next year.  Until, then we can hear him on his frequent visits to Glitch FM where he rolls with the Lost In Bass crew from Boston

Here is what Ali had to say for himself after I chased him down this week!

How long you been producing?

I remember finishing my first few tracks (ones that I never released) in 2008, but  I had messed around before then. i really got serious in 2009.

DAW?

Ableton Live. I’ve been using it since 2006 when I was doing bad but fun electric bass live looping jams.

Whats your setup for production?

I have a Windows laptop with a some free VSTs I like and Ableton Suite 8. My main controller is a Novation 25SL mk2. I also have a bunch of hardware that I don’t use very often–a Korg EMX, an Akai S2000, a Roland VS-880, and a Roland Alpha Juno 1. I did do seven tracks over the summer using only that hardware (they’re at http://alibergermusic.com/hardwareweekly), and I’m probably going to go back to that workflow for another project some time.

Performance setup?

My laptop, the Korg EMX for live synths and sequencing, the 25SL for channel volumes, filters, and effects, and a monome 40h kit that I built, which I use for clip launching in Ableton. I wrote a script for it that makes it act like two 4×6 APC40-style grids. When I perform I play a live set, so all my tracks are in 4 stems and separated into different loops for the different sections of the song. I have two sets of four channels in Ableton, so I can have two of my tracks going at once, mix different parts from different tunes, apply effects, etc.

Play any other instruments?

I used to play electric bass. I can still groove on the bass, but now I mainly play piano–I’m taking jazz lessons for school, which is a lot of fun.

What inspires you to make this music?

Funk! Hearing anything that grooves makes me want to make tunes.

Favorite artists at the moment?

Lately I’ve been really into Addison Groove–he has a cool way of performing live and there are a lot of videos of him online. I’m also a huge fan of Space Dimension Controller. Eliot Lipp’s new album with Jasia 10 is great too; it was his Beamrider EP that really introduced me to this kind of music and he’s been killing it since then (and before then too).

Major influences?

When I started playing bass I was listening to Larry Graham, Parliament, Average White Band… all kinds of funk, basically. I’ve been looking for ’80s-ish synth-based stuff over the past 6 months, listening to a lot of Trouble Funk, Techmaster P.E.B., and The Time, to name a few artists. I also love Rhodes pianos. Anthony Smith, the keyboardist from my favorite band (Global Funk), used that sound a lot with that group and I use Rhodes sounds in pretty much every track. Global Funk is easily the #1 influence. At the end of high school I spent 2 months listening to just the first hour of ONE of their live shows. As in I barely listened to any other music. Positivity, groove, and most importantly honesty really drew me to Global Funk and I try to put all of that into my music.

Best moment of last year?

Probably opening for Eliot Lipp in Boston. I was just going to see him play, but then when I got there the promoter said their first opener cancelled and asked if I wanted to play. I was all over it.

Your favorite track at the moment to get the crowd moving?

Since I do the live set, it’s usually one of mine… right now it’s probably “Honey, I’m on acid”. (http://aliberger.bandcamp.com/album/honey-the-kids-are-on-acid)  It’s the first track where I really felt comfortable at 130bpm. When I play it live I have a 303-type acid bassline synth going and I get to go crazy with the filter/LFO stuff.

Tour plans/release plans for the next year?

I’m actually only a junior in college, so that takes up a lot of time, but I will be making a huge effort to get booked in CA somewhere (hopefully several places), and I have to play at least one festival. I have a couple in mind that are within reach. And I’ll be playing around Boston a lot, as I always do. As far as releases, I have at least one single I’m gonna finish soon, and I really want to do a full-length concept album. I need to have a solid plan for the album and I think I’m getting close. It will involve outer space and some kind of psychological journey, I can promise that much.

What are your plans for nye?

Chilling with friends in NJ!

What are your tricks for getting creativity juices flowing?

If I don’t have ideas, I try not to force myself to work on tunes. Whenever I do that I make bad music. Sometimes I stand or dance around while I’m producing, to feel more live energy. I try and hear in my head what would make the track groove harder. Also, usually I start a track with a musical idea (like a bassline or a chord progression or a sound, beat, whatever) and try to go as far as I can with that. Then when I run out of ideas I need something non-musical to direct where the track’s gonna go. A story, or some idea of what the track is really about. Then that tells me what sounds or arrangement things I need to do to finish it.

Your From Boston,  Jersey originally  (same here)   How is the east coast bass scene?

I was actually really surprised when I came to Boston at how great the scene is here. It’s not really good for kids under 21, but I quickly figured out some ways around that. There are a bunch of weeklies that put on glitch hop/bass music/dubstep/live electronica: Music Ecology, The Drop, The Monday Mix, and Wobble Wednesdays. Music Ecology also just started a new night called Genesis, which I think is on first Saturdays. All the people running these nights are friendly and awesome. People come out and support, and there are a lot of nights in nearby cities too. The scene isn’t huge, so pretty much everybody who makes or plays electronic music knows everybody else who does. That makes it really easy to meet people. I love the scene out here, basically.

Anybody else you are working with?

No collaborations going on right now, but I have a lot of people I want to sit down with to work on tunes and some of them will happen this winter for sure. That’s all I wanna say right now

Im picturing big things for this young producer in future years and appreciate the time he took to answer some of my questions.  Go grab the EP on December 5th at Addictech!

Asa recently posted that he was looking for some blog support on an interview done over at the Greek Dubstepforum. I gave it a quick read and decided that I’d help him out. If you follow me on Facebook or some of my rants on this site I’m sure you’ll see why I agreed to this. It seems like the movement and attitude is spreading. Let’s not forget to mention genuinely being embraced by everyone with a free mind. This dude has a lot of passion behind what he says and isn’t afraid to speak his mind despite knowing it’s going against the ‘norm’. This is one of the reason I’m building a label right now. There aren’t enough outlets and places to get things like this pushed. That traditional dubstep sound is dying but that’s ok as long as it keeps evolving. The idea of 140bpm and heavy bass isn’t a formula to live by in dubstep. Hell if it was up to me forget about the bass lines and just fill it in with more melodic synth lines.

Here is the interview!

So who are you ?

My name is Asa, that is my birth name as well as my ‘alias’ or whatever you want to call it. I am a producer/songwriter from the UK, i am based in a small city on the south coast of the country, about half way between London and Bristol.

When did you started with producing and where does your style derive from?

I started ‘producing’ back in school, when i was about 15, i guess? but of course it was nothing serious, at the time my musical background was in choirs and i played piano – which has definitely contributed towards the way i write a lot of my music now. But in all honesty I’d say my production derives primarily from being sick and tired of hearing so many generic artists, i just wanted to hear something different. I make tunes for myself mostly, it’s like therapy, ya know? its personal and it’s intimate, well it’s intimate until it’s released anyway. then it’s the listeners property, which is the way it should be. For me, it just has to evoke an emotion in the listener, wherever that be on headphones in a dark room by themselves or it be on a huge sound system amongst thousands of other people – it’s got to induce some sort of emotional response. that’s the purpose of music, right? otherwise there is no point. In terms of dance music, I grew up listening to mostly garage, just a lot of 2-step and some dnb really, amongst a lot of other music of course. Bands like Sigur Ros & Incubus amongst plenty of others have as much influence on me as my contemporary ‘dubstep’ producers. But that is definitely where a lot of my rhythmic patterns stem from, for sure.  The Skippy 2-step drum patterns, i love them. I still find my garage collection to be the most varied and interesting music i have, obviously there is a lot of nostalgia involved with my relationship to the tunes, but garage did get killed off and recycled into dubstep and grime pretty much. That’s the way this music works, there is this continuum of bass music in the UK that just keeps churning out new ideas. hence why i get so frustrated with generic production traits – it’s the downfall of scene’s in the context of this music, you HAVE to do your own thing, and i think that principle is where my style derives from. I do my own thing.

What do you respond to the whole thing about dubstep and heavy bass. Is it just a trend?

Well it’s just the ridiculous amount of mid range lfo abuse i hear. I mean, i mostly only hear it when residents are playing that stuff before me at bookings. But don’t get me wrong, the producers I’m closest with like KOAN Sound, Statix & Culprate – they  make some of the hardest stuff around – but it’s so well executed, i get just as excited about a new Culprate tune as i do about a new Burial one, and that’s the way it should be i think. Good music is good music. But there definitely is a lot of poorly produced dubstep, i know that much. there is not enough space in the mix downs in most dubstep tunes now. No room for the sub frequencies to be the prominent focal point in the mix. Which was the only ‘rule’ in Dubstep in the first place, if you can even call it a rule. It had to be around 140bpm and have emphasis on sub bass, the rest was up to the producers individual creativity. That’s how it should be. Me and a few of my friends have all been writing music around 100bpm recently, after becoming somewhat disillusioned with what people think ‘dubstep’ is now, we have just reached a point where making music defined by one tempo just isn’t plausible. We don’t want to do that, as much as dubstep is and will continue to be the home for our music. There really has been a very notable divide in the scene over the last year or two; it’s clear to everyone involved on either side. A lot of people on one side hold a lot of animosity towards what is now commonly associated with the tag dubstep; as a result they are deliberately pushing further and further away from the cliché production techniques which is a positive creative drive for sure, but I for one am still more than happy for my music to be tagged as dubstep. I still think the best thing about the genre is its diversity, so if producers like me try and distance ourselves from dubstep, and then what hope does it have? Creating sub-genres is like pushing yourself into a corner, setting up more boundaries; it will only limit people’s creativity.

Your last release is ‘Sweeter Things EP” and let me tell you, we like it so much. whats next? are there unreleased or new tracks coming up?

Ahhh that’s awesome, i am glad you like the EP – i was a bit hesitant about it, i mean, it’s music i make for me and a few close friends to listen to and I know it’s not what most people are used to hearing. So it’s really good to know that some people have picked up on it and get the point of the tunes, that sort of thing is really cool. I really appreciate it whenever anyone tries to connect on a personal level and say that they like the tunes, that sort of thing really means the world to me. As for new releases myself & KOAN Sound just done a remix for Kito & Reija Lee’s EP on Mad Decent, which has been getting huge support and a great response recently which we are really happy with. Right now I have a whole bunch of remixes due for release – the list is so long i wouldn’t even know where to start. The same applies to collaborations, I’m still working with my core group of friends more than anyone, mostly KOAN Sound, but I’m now getting to work with some of my favorite artist’s, which is something i am really happy about. I apologize about being so vague and not mentioning artist’ names, but i have realized recently that it is good to keep such things under the radar until they are completely finished and on top of that I’m simply just not allowed to talk about things until certain dates etc. I write music all day, everyday. So there is no shortage of new music, it’s just an odd period for me and my friends at the moment – a lot of decisions being made with labels and all that kind of stuff, so a lot of our tunes are in a state of limbo at the moment.

Where do u see dubstep/step/future garage going? *just another trend like minimal techno

I really do not agree with the whole genre branding thing, as I’ve said. To me – ‘Future Garage’ is one of the most ridiculous tags i have ever come across. I could sit here for hours and moan about why i disagree with it, but it’s not worth it. i just don’t agree with it. It’s dubstep, don’t call it anything else. there is something in it for everyone – that has been the whole point of this music from day one, it was the main principle that attracted me to it, ya know? The scene is thriving, regardless. There is so much good music consistently being put out. that’s all that counts – it is not a ‘fad’ or ‘trend’. its just another part of this constantly evolving bass music continuum that we are so lucky to have in the UK. Creativity is thriving, the underground really is glowing…

What u know about Greek Dubstep in Greece in general and if u have any thoughts to play here?

I have a dear friend of mine who guys by the name of ‘Skru’, he goes by other alias’s also, but he is a great soul and has so much passion for the music. He has always supported my stuff since i started, but other than that i know very little about the scene in Greece. I hear about events occasionally from my friend, but that is about it. it is obviously a place i would love to come and play, meeting people and traveling is one of the best things about music – it is what I am most thankful for out of all of it. I hope i am lucky enough to have a Greek promoter want to book me someday!

Tell us some of your favorite source for sounds. VST plugin’s , DWA’s, hardware…

I don’t like to talk about production methods so much, for a lot of reasons really… I think sharing knowledge about production and such things is one of the most important things, no doubt. But i prefer to do it on a one to one basis – I would happily teach or show anyone how i go about putting this sort of music together if they were willing to just sit there and learn. Making tunes brings people together, the people I value the most in my life are the ones I have met through music. the whole networking side of it so important. Production tutorials and things like that seem to be a bit too ‘paint by numbers’ for me, it cuts of that human experience of writing music. The fun and the vibe you can get from working on music with someone who approaches it in a completely different way is one of the most exciting things for me. Sitting around with KOAN Sound and just working on tunes have been some of the most beneficial moments of my life. Do you know what I mean? i will say this though – i record all my own foley sounds, i have my own production palette. Well, i hope i do anyway..

“I made this for you” , i have to admit that was my first ‘contact’ with ur music, its one of my fav mix’s and i have the question if the title and the hole mix is ‘personal’ to you. maybe a girl ?

Well, i really don’t know if i should talk about these things… but it’s ok i guess. i mean, I am personally invested in it all for so many reasons. But they are not going to be the same reasons for the listeners, if that makes sense? I really don’t want to come across as pretentious. I just like making tunes, that all. so yeah, Essentially, a lot of the music i have made in the past was as a result of a very messy, break up from a long term relationship –a lot of it is about telling stories for me. It’s like therapy, it really is. That situation is well in the past now of course. so in regards to the mix entitled ‘I Made This For You’, it is in relation to another person… the key is in one of the first track names, that is all i will say. she knows who she is and that is all that matters

5 tracks I am into at the moment

Ed Sheeran – The A Team (KOAN Sound Remix)

Culprate, Tekka& Sticky Disco – Finger

Earl Sweatshirt – Earl

Joy Orbison – Sicko Cell

Asa – Sweeter Things (eleven8 Remix)

Interview done by: dubstepforum.gr

Stephan Jacobs

As one of my favorite artists of 2010, Stephan Jacobs has churned out one addictive track after another over the past twelve months. With a decade of experience already under his belt, Stephan continues to sharpen his skills to deliver some of the most ear-catching glitch-hop tracks coming out of the West Coast right now. He just finished up some fresh magic with his remixes of Samples’ Drop Bombs and +verb’s Cough (to be released Feb. 1 on Addictech via Muti Music) as well as a collaboration on Level Attack with Sugarpill and Naada (links at the bottom of this feature). Here Stephan talks a bit about his goals, reaching his creative peak and his ultimate message to fans.

TGD: Looking into the new year, what would you say your artistic goals are? Were there any particular turning points or notable moments in 2010 that helped to shape these goals?

SJ: Well, My primary goals are to keep making music and continue to refine my personal sound. I would also like to consistently release new music and travel more with my music. Basically continue to improve doing what I am doing.

2010 had some really good highlights; Playing at Coachella was a huge turning point for me. I was really happy when we made it to #1 on soundcloud’s “What’s Hot”  for my collaboration with +Verb – “Blind Dreams”; seeing that so many people were listening only pushed me harder and forced me to raise my standards for myself.

All in all 2010 has been a big year for me in all ways. My personal improvement and passion for music has never developed so rapidly as it did for me last year.

I have been known to be quite the advocate of anti-Brostep. Recently I was interviewed by a local music blog here in Dallas and was asked if I were to ever play Rusko and my thoughts on the whole brostep thing. The response in the online text clearly says No I’ll never play it. I want to clear things up on that. I’ll never play Rusko because it generally is music most people have heard. Why play a Rusko track if everyone in the crowd has probably heard it and every other DJ rinse the crap out of the tune. If Rusko wants to send me some dubs then sure I’ll consider it when I do want to take it to a hype level.

I never had anything against the guy more so that I had something against the DJ and people who would play Brostep ALL through their set. It’s as if going out was a competition to see who could play the dirtiest set in the night. Yeah sure crowds love to get wild and go crazy. He even describes that the music isn’t really heavy metal which I referenced in my interview as well yet there are guys like Borgore who are saying fuck it why not throw some metal into a set and break the club out into a pit. Yeah sure it’s fun but please when every DJ is doing that all night it’s a bit aggravating.

When I do actually go out to a bar/club it’s for the music and there use to be a time where dubstep didn’t mean brostep and their wasn’t such an emphasis on melting peoples faces off. I cringe every time I hear “melt face” in some sort of way. Variety is key. My only concern is how this take on playing more melodic stuff is a major trend. It’s as if melodic is the word of the time now just as deep was for awhile. Even in a recent interview I saw Datsik do with the homies in Seattle, Splatinum, said how he is starting to do a lot more stuff with melodies and making it more ‘melodic’. Don’t be a cop out now and only play melodic stuff or deep stuff. Give the journey of music different landscapes. Hell throw in a little ghetto crunk in there sometimes to ha.

Much respect to Rusko for this even though it seems like it’s a bit overdue haha but we all knew that even one of the Brostep kings couldn’t possibly be that bro. Despite being one of the kings of Brostep the issue is what he and the sound has amassed in the American DJs who do this all the time.

Two Fresh, the Asheville-based trio consisting of twin brothers Kendrick and Sherwyn Nicholls alongside drummer Colby Buckler, is currently completing a string of tour dates all over the country and I had the chance to check out their performance this past Saturday in Tuscaloosa, AL. I’ve seen these guys play a few times now and they never disappoint; by bringing high-energy rhythms paired with dope basslines and phenomenal live drumming this group guarantees to remain a crowd favorite. Here I ask Kendrick Nicholls a few questions!

2010 was probably one of the most fun years of my life and my ever growing love of electronic music and attending “raves” played a big part in that. It was of course the music that brought me in at first but it became so much more than that. I attended several events that were thrown by various production companies over the past year but I want to take a moment to really give props to one in particular, B.A.D.ASS Raves. I am just so impressed with the amount of time, energy, and heart they put into their events. And, they’re in it for the right reasons, not the money. They take their party themes to the next level and really just create a whole alternate universe where you can be and do whatever you want. It feels like one big family at their events where everyone looks out for each other. I’m sure that the people I’ve met and the bonds created at their events will last a life time.

Chad (DJ 2Rip) one of the founding members of B.A.D.ASS agreed to share some his stories and experiences with our readers. I sincerely hope that if you’re a DJ, production company, club, record label, promoter, electronic music event attendee, or anyone involved with this scene in anyway, that you take the time to read the interview below and show your appreciation and hopefully lend a hand in helping them achieve their goals and vision for 2011. My hope is that as the electronic music scene grows, there will be more honest, passionate, and dedicated production companies out there like B.A.D.ASS. It’s important to be passionate about whatever it is that you do, because you’ll work a million times harder at making your dreams and goals a reality! Don’t forget….P.L.U.R.

How, when, and why did B.A.D.ASS get started?

B.A.D.ASS was formed in 2004 when a small group of dj’s in Pittsburgh came together to form a dj collective called “Broke Ass DJ’s Association,” which was headed up by DVS. They had asked me to join the crew for upwards of 4 years since I was tight with all of them but I was focusing on building up the District Ignition name in DC while running Glow at both Fur & Ibiza. In 2008, DVS told me about a very lofty goal he had come up with for the Broke Ass DJ’s Association which involved uniting the best promoters & underground dj’s around the country to form a network which would allow the crew to grow nationwide. I gladly accepted the challenge and started “B.A.D.ASS” in the DC/Baltimore region before shortly expanding our reach to 8 other states.

I understand that B.A.D.ASS is now comprised of several affiliated production companies and DJs all working towards the same goal. One in particular that I always see involved with your events is “Slow Kids.” Tell us a little bit about your relationship with them.

Various local production companies had talked about working together or developing the communication process between crews for years. As far back as I could remember, each crew was trying to monopolize their regions and competition was running high.  When I brought B.A.D.ASS to the DC area I reached out to crews like 3D Productions, Buzzlife, Good Vibes, and Steez Promo to align our goals and find ways to help each other. My promise to them was that I would include them in my decision-making processes. Some were more receptive than others but we received support for everything that we had done and I made sure to reciprocate by assisting them with their promotional efforts.

I met the Slow Kids when I was asked to help promote a renegade party they were hosting with LowViz called End Of The Maze.  The three companies joined forces shortly after to host a 4th of July renegade party called Fiyah Works. After that night, the Slow Kids & B.A.D.ASS team decided to join forces on one final renegade of the summer known as Divine Moment of Truth. There was so much that happened at Divine Moment of Truth on an emotional & spiritual level that the two crews became inseperable. We each occasionally do our own thing, but we will always have each other’s back.

Some of your events in the past year have been “ Big Dub Candy Mountain ,”  “DMT,” “Psychedelic Dreamscape,” and “Mushroom Kingdom .”  How do you come up with the themes and ideas for your events?

Our goal since bringing B.A.D.ASS to DC/Baltimore was to give people out-of-this-world experiences. The plan started off with us booking events in venues that have been used for other parties, but showcasing our own artistic ideas. Psychedelic Dreamscape was a play on awakening the conscious mind, which had gone hand in hand with some spiritual progressions some members of B.A.D.ASS had made around that time. We had become very interested in the processes that took places in the subconscious which led to conscious reactions – a lot of this can be discovered in dreams, hence Dreamscape. So we decorated the party to have representations of various dreams sequences. This idea took a turn toward the darker side when we hosted Psychedelic Nightmare for Halloween.

Mushroom Kingdom was simply an idea of throwing a Mario Bros rave, which has become quite popular lately around the country as other companies are throwing their own versions. Mushroom Kingdom was our spin on the video game, obviously making some stabs at what might have been the magical ingredient in those mushrooms.

Finally, the Big Dub name came from an old song called Big Rock Candy Mountain but we made a play on the name. We then combined it with the twisted YouTube adventure video of Charlie the Unicorn who was taken to Candy Mountain.

On average, how many people and hours go into putting on events like “ Big Dub Candy Mountain ” and “Psychedelic Nightmare?”

Those were two of our largest events and required a lot of set-up. We generally work with a crew of anything from 20 to 40 people. Our average light, sound & decor installations takes about 24 hours but we spend at least 2 months making the decorations for each event. The conceptual phase for Psychedelic Nightmare was 5 months.

What kind of issues do you run into when putting on events like this?

The issues can be limit-less. We’ve had major delays on installations, one of which was at Psychedelic Nightmare which caused us to open 30 minutes later than we had advertised. We had run equipment tests all day long and everything was working perfectly but just as we were ready to open the doors, we had a major malfunction. We also ran into a lot of issues leading up to Big Dub Candy Mountain when one of our promoters, who meant well, leaked the location information to the public. A malicious outsider used the information to contact the police and scare the venue, which led to us losing our location.

I think our most notable issues that we’ve run into was with Divine Moment of Truth. We ran into problems with our original location and had to change to a new venue 2 weeks before the event was to take place. The new location was a clearing down a path in the woods that was full of debris scattered around 6 foot high weeds & thorns. We spent the entire 2 weeks, including the day of the party mowing the land and pulling weeds up with our bare hands. Since we had 2 weeks to promote the new location we were positive that only 150 people were going to show up. Out of nowhere we had 600 people in the venue by 8pm on the night of the party with the parking lot crammed nearly 100 cars over capacity and not enough staff to maintain order or fix the chaotic situation. By midnight we reached nearly 1000 people and people were parking on the streets. What almost cost us the event was when a patron shined a laser pointer at an airplane and the pilot took aerial photos of the rave and sent them to the FAA. We were honestly lucky that Divine Moment of Truth turned out the way it did. Despite the issues I mentioned, it was one of the best raves I have ever seen take place and the positive vibes were the most intense that I’ve ever felt in my life.

What is the most memorable or craziest thing that has ever happened at one of your events?

At Divine Moment of Truth, the police entered the party with drug dogs with a clear intent of shutting us down and clearing everyone out. I ran to the main stage to make an announcement that the police had entered the venue and that we were going to close the dance stages & clear the parking lot. At this moment, huge groups of our partygoers began barking at the dogs. The dogs sat down and wouldn’t move until the police took them back to the cars. The entire party then erupted into song, singing “Lean On Me” while the officer I was standing next to dropped his jaw to the ground, looked at me and said, “This was one hell of a party, wasn’t it?” The officer then started to walk away, turned around again and said, “It looks like everything is okay here. Just don’t turn the dance stages back on and everyone can stay.” This led to a massive drum circle that lasted until late the next day, completely saving the event and turning our rave into our very own magical, tribal gathering.

What is your favorite event (B.A.D.ASS event or other) that you’ve ever attended and why?

I really feel like all of our 2010 events had their own personality & story. My favorite event that I have ever attended was a cross between Big Adventure and Intergalactic Adventure – both were held in Pittsburgh and were just absolutely magical. These two events inspired some of the ideas that come out in our B.A.D.ASS events, like the balloon drop at Nightmare to the bubbles at Dreamscape.

What is the whole “Party.” thing about?

PARTY started as an inside joke between myself & Steve Bugbee. He was shocked that B.A.D.ASS would only release limited information like date & city but not announce venue or lineup and still get over 1000 RSVPs on Facebook. I laughed and said “I wonder if people would RSVP if we just showed them a blank piece of paper that said PARTY on it.” We wanted to see if the idea would catch on so we tested it by getting the B.A.D.ASS & Slow Kids teams to set their default photo on Facebook to a picture of them holding up a blank piece of paper that had “PARTY” written in arial font. The idea started spreading virally as Steve & I found ourselves looking around the internet and people we didn’t even know had made similar default photos. That was when I decided we would make that my birthday rave….the main flyer was also a blank piece of paper with PARTY on the front and then we released the lineup & RSVP info on the back.

I saw that you’re looking to expand outside of this region and already have some plans in place. What cities are you planning on going to next and how can other inquiring promo companies join the cause?

Great question! We are actively looking to add Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Diego, Boston, Chicago & NYC but we would never limit ourselves. We currently have chapters in San Francisco, Florida, Ohio, Pittsburgh, and obviously Virginia/Maryland/DC.

We are open to any promotional crew provided they meet the following criteria: They are in the business for the right reasons, they throw reputable events, respect their contracts, and throw enough events in one year that they can be considered “active.” I handle the majority of all expansion inquiries so anyone can message me at badassraves@yahoo.com to discuss their plans or ideas.

What advice do you have for individuals or groups looking to start their own promo/event companies?

I’ve been through the best & the worst and have witnessed the same for others. Be creative & push the envelope, don’t over-saturate the market, and leave the ego behind. The best advice I can give too is that the world can sense how much passion you put into an event. If you half-ass it, then you will see a half-ass result.

What do you think makes this scene so great?

There is the potential to change lives from a promoter standpoint. Each production team has the capability to be the underlying source for a lot of friendships as well as amazing memories. Sometimes it goes past just throwing a party.

What events do you have planned for 2011 and how can those interested get more info and an invite?

We have a fan page on Facebook if you search “B.A.D.A.S.S. RAVES” but all of the real information is kept secret for our email list subscribers. You can subscribe by emailing me at badassraves@yahoo.com

And lastly, anybody you want to give a shout out and/or thanks to?

I want to thank everyone we’ve come in contact with this past year.  A lot went into making our events what they were this year and a good portion of that was the people that attended or lent a hand in even the slightest way.

Join the B.A.D.ASS Facebook group here: B.A.D.A.S.S. RAVES . Make sure to check out all the fun pics from their past events!

I want to thank Chad for taking the time to share his stories with us and for everything they are doing for the scene. I can’t wait to see what B.A.D.ASS Raves has in store for the future! Much love and respect!

As you can imagine, Chad (DJ 2Rip) brings the same passion to the table when he DJS. He’s not afraid to switch things up and cross through several different genres and emotions while taking his crowds higher and higher, annihilating the dance floor with every transition. Make sure to catch him on his Annihilating Rhythm 3.0 tour. Below is a flyer with just a few of the confirmed dates for the tour.

Here’s a link to his summer mix and keep an eye out for Vol. 3 coming soon: Annihilating Rhythm Vol. 2

DJ 2Rip’s Facebook Fan Page

B.A.D.ASS Facebook Fan Page

-EA (EA@afromonk.com)

I had the honor of being interviewed for a blog filled with some extremely talented people who are making things happen in the music community. I figure some of you might want to know little bit about one of the people behind this site. I’m beyond blessed to have such a following. The past couple of months of my life have been unreal. Texas has been one of the best things that has happened to me. Have to thank all the people I’ve met here and all the people who support me online. It’s a pleasure to share all this music with you all. I just hope you all remember to stay true to yourself. Do everything because you Love it.

Thank you again to Elena for the interview. Glad to see how much coverage everyone is getting. Believe and go out there and things will make its way around. I wish I could respond to everyone but I never imagined for this to become what it was. Thank you to all the artist out there expressing themselves. It’s truly a honor to have people share so much with me.

Be sure to check out my recent mix to get a small idea of what comes about all the music my friends send me. Going to be posting a new mix once I hit 1,000 followers for Winter! Hope you all enjoyed the amazing show in the sky for the Winter Solstice! Thank you again to everyone who has come to visit this site.

Happy Holidays! Will be seeing my top 5 for 2010 soon!

INTERVIEW: Afro Monk Interview

Your given name really is Ben Samples much to my surprise. Did you think you were destined to make music with such a last name?
Hahah, yeah I get that a lot but I actually think I was just lucky. When I first started making music I didn’t even use the Samples name because I thought it was too obvious, but then friends convinced me it was too good to pass up.

Now that 2010 is coming to a close is there any accomplishments or events in your music career that stick out to you?
Playing Burning Man on some big stages (Nexus, Bass Camp, False Profit, and Portal Patch) was one of the biggest things I did this year. My main goal for 2010 was to get on the festival circuit and in many ways I accomplished that and developed what I like to call a “lot” following by doing free shows at parking lots in festivals and even playing on party busses (Basics Fund out of Boulder CO)

Have any goals or big plans for 2011?
One of my main goals for 2010 was to play at Red Rocks (in Colorado) and I was close to doing one event, but it fell through. I think I’m going to keep that goal for 2011 and kick it up a notch by trying to expand my market in the West, South and Midwest

Does Samples actually take up new years resolutions?
See previous question As far as personal resolutions, I just try to make as much music as possible but I always stay away from specific goals since they are easier to fail at.

When did you start producing music at what age and what sort of medium did you use at that time and how has it evolved into what you do today?
I actually have pretty much always been a musician (my dad taught me guitar at the age of but when I came to college (5 years ago in 2005) I decided that I couldn’t really ever become famous as a guitarist, so I gave away my guitar and started looking into electronic music. For the first few years I just experimented with it and looked at it as kinda a hobby, and it wasn’t til about 2 1/2 years ago that I became serious about electronic music and started developing a sound.

I started out by trying to produce music that had the energy of House music as well as the big buildups and drops, but I wanted to do it at a hip-hop tempo. I still carry that attitude today with my music, I’m just a little better at doing it. My motto with music has always been, “When the song drops, if everyone on the dancefloor doesn’t have their hands in the air then you did it wrong.”

You are one of the most prolific producers right now in the community, how long would you say it takes you to bang out a tune?
About 6 hours to carve the complete arrangement, and when I’m focused on creating a particular type of track it can even take less. When I want a track to be really big and a fan-favorite, then I’ll tend to sit on it for a day or two and come back and make edits, but I’m really good at visualizing a final product when I start (and thats how I can make music so efficiently)

Biggest influence, person you respect the most, and can call a friend in music?
Wow, good question, there have been so many people out there that have helped me in a lot of ways. I’d have to say Dylan (aka Ill Gates or the Phat Conductor) because he shares the passion I have for performance, technical knowledge, and production, and I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with him personally and learn a lot from him. Other great people that I call big influences are Ill-Esha, Freddy Todd, Dominic Lalli (from Big Gigantic), SPECTRE, Omega, and Kraddy.

Anyone you’d really like to play alongside in the upcoming year?
Well, I have to say there’s been a lot of people that I’ve already played with that have been pretty big names, but it would be cool to play with more international DJs, such as Joker, Rusko, etc. They tend to view music a little differently and the conversations we have back stage are usually pretty vivid.

Anything you want to say to anyone or message you want to conclude with for your final words?
To anyone thats thinking about making music, DO IT! You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t start and often I find people put too much time in the little stuff. There is a lot to be said by finishing projects and starting a new one, you never stop the learning process that way. It can intimidating from the start, but you can get good at it in a matter of months if you have the right mentors and work ethic.

And Afro Monk is the man!

Alright I’m sure many ladies want to know… Blonde, Brunette, Redhead, or specific color?
Oooh, I know I’m gonna make some ladies upset with this one, but I’ve found I have a thing for Brunettes recently, but in all honesty I fall in love with every woman I meet, so its not a matter of looks, just a matter of finding their own beauty

Much love and respect to the good friend of mine, Ben Samples. It’s always a pleasure getting to talk to him and running into him on random adventures.

Be sure to pick up Samples new album, Choose Your Own Adventure! The album has been put out by the amazing people at Made in Glitch. Be sure to support your favorite artist! Here are a few favorites of mine off it.

MartyParty is one of the most known producers in the glitch-hop, purple, dubstep,etc… game right now. I had the pleasure of seeing him come out to Austin, TX for a show. I put some questions together for him. Unfortunately I was unable to do the interview in person but his team was helpful enough to get them back to me. Austin is wild and something going on every night so didn’t get to say whats up to him but he’ll be back!

Marty takes us into his world in this interview. There’s a lot of things ahead. The man is truly going to revolutionize the whole purple sound. There will be more information about his next upcoming Skukuza EP later today on the site. I really want to thank Marty for taking the time to get back to me with these answers. I can’t wait to catch him again when he returns to Texas.

MartyParty Interview:

When did you start producing music at what age and what sort of medium did you use at that time and how has it evolved into what you do today?

I started producing my music in 2005 – I downloaded Ableton Live evaluation and picked it up fast – I bought Live a week later and produced my first digital album in 6 weeks – I havn’t looked back . I still use Ableton Live, however my tooling has evolved to include all the latest and greatest VST and Audio Unit plugins, synthesizers, filters, effects and volumes of drum one shot samples. My approach has evolved considerably and Im able to complete a track, mastered for release in an 8 hour day. This is through the invention of various “formulas” for developing the musical evolution of a basic chord transition and melody. Id love to talk more about it but its top secret

You have been hard at work with tour and just wrapped up a tour with The Glitch Mob. Can you tell us a little bit about tour life.

Touring is pretty new to me – The Glitch Mob tour was my first “every day” tour – Ive had been doing fly ins up until then. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot. I went from that tour onto the Mimosa/EOTO tour and that was also amazing. In 3 months I played in every major city in the US and Canada which is where touring really makes sense – you just make so many fans on the road. Having a good tour manager is the most important lesson I learned. I’m on PANTyRAiD tour currently and then onto Monsters of Bass tour with Freq Nasty and Opiuo for 35 dates across the whole country again in February and March. I plan to do my first MartyParty tour in Summer 2011 and am starting to plan that – I’m going to get to take the purple opera to a whole next level with some production budget. I will also be playing my preferred 3 hours sets on my own tour. That lets me really take the audience through the various flavors of MartyParty Music.

Clearly you have lots of tracks to date but are there any that stick out to you the most while you were producing them and do you feel a certain vibe when you create music?

When a hit comes along you feel it early – its just the way the instruments and tones of the layers sit in the mix with the beat, and the way the original intention flows through the whole piece. It just makes a magic feeling. I have several of these on the releases planned late 2010 through 2011. I write two kinds of music – 80-90bpm sexy pretty music or more Acid Crunky music – for that I try make sure to create a specific dance which I imagine a sexy woman would do to the track, and then purple music, which is 140bpm dance music which is just about losing your mind and jumping around the studio. If I feel those vibes in the tracks I know I’m on to something. Lately its been hitting quite a bit, on the upcoming EP Skukuza, the Los Angeles and Its Complicated tracks really illustrate the intention of MartyParty. On the next releases there are several standouts. Take a listen to www.martyparty.org – I dump every song I write very early on onto my website to stream and I have over 2000 listeners a day on there. Its become a bit of a radio station. See if there are any you think will stand out when mastered and released.

Honestly – when I make a beat that I just know will make the fans go WILD or make my wife run into the room – that is when I know its a goody -its a feeling you get as a producer/DJ – u know what the people want to hear, and you can make just that.

What do you have planned for 2011? Can you tell us about any new releases you working on?

I currently have 2 EP’s going out on The Confluence label in early December, then I have 3 full length albums of material I’m releasing in early 2011 – still working out how to package them – but they are all the tunes from my 2010 DJ set. I spent the last 2 months slowly mastering them whenever I return home to my studio. I will start writing the 2011 set in December and want to develop a pattern of a month in the studio, then touring the content of that month for 2 months, and so on through the year – then releasing the entire set each year.

Where do you think music today will be say 5years from now? Do you feel the day and age of vinyl will be lost? What do you currently use to preform?

Hopefully in the mainstream! Gosh. Yes vinyl is thankfully gone. I couldn’t do what I do with only two decks. I use Ableton Live and prepare a very unique DJ set made up of my tracks, and then acapellas, one shots and effects which I trigger using a MIDI pad controller in the live show. I use a M-Audio TriggerFinger still as all the newer controllers break and don’t travel well. I found the Triggerfinger to be the toughest – I hit those pads very hard in the middle of a flying leap and often spill my beer and sweat on my equipment. I mix 3-6 channels at once which is what really makes my set unique. Its the purple opera. It cannot be done with turntables/Serato/CDJs etc. Those are legacy tools now. I travel with a very high quality audio interface and my tracks are rendered as 48000 24bit resolution files (80MB each) – the result is a very high quality A to D conversion and outstanding sound quality. Another MartyParty differentiator, because I make all the music I play – its the highest possible quality – no mp3′s in my set I also never pre define a set – my set is like a game of Mahjong – I have probably 70 tracks in a set and try and navigate through them differently each time, attempting to clear them all by the set end. Obv. this is not possible in 60-90 min sets, but lately in my 3 hour MartyParty headline shows Ive got through almost all of them. Its a huge victory for me when that happens and it was seamless.

Traveling so much city to city how do you manage keeping it fun and building connections versus it strictly business?

Practice – its a job and is not as glamorous as one might think. From the start of the set to the end of the set is the easy part – the hard part is the logistics of traveling – often driving from one gig to another with no sleep, or dealing with airport security and layovers. Its tough, but I love my job. Once I’m at the venue and the fans come in it all becomes worth it again. My fans are amazing and loyal and make me feel at home anywhere I travel, and it keeps building to a point where I have relationships with groups of fans in each city I play. Its an amazing organism.

Are there any interest you have besides music that totally captivate you? Is there something else you do to take a break from music. What are other things in the world that makes you smile?

My wife Mary and dog Mackie are my life away from music. But I spend way too much time in my studio and sound design, arrangement and all the various crafts in the process of original music production have addicted me beyond explanation. It is an unbelievably rewarding art, where the feedback from your efforts is immediately felt and the possibilities are endless. I spend my days inventing new sounds and music styles. What a life! I don’t want to miss a second of it. OBSESSED YES!!!

You’re originally from South Africa and moved to the States but are there any other place or city that you’d absolutely love to call your home or visit for a short time? Feel free to make a place up and describe it.

I moved from Johannesburg South Africa in 1995 and settled in San Francisco, I since moved to New York where I have lived for 2 years. I love NY!!!!! Couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. However I have a special place in my heart for Amsterdam , Berlin, Cape Town and Malpais, Costa Rica where I surf and worship the sun.

If you had to describe love or what you feel as a human drives you to be complete content what would it be for you?

We encounter people, things and experiences on our journey through life which just make us feel more complete, and we miss them when they are gone. This is the love zone and the more incomplete you feel without something or someone, the more you love it. I am currently madly in love with purple music and the evolution of electronic music as it enters the mainstream to challenge contemporary music genre’s in a whole new way. I love music and could not live without it. If I don’t create a new song after a few days I get depressed and frustrated. I am addicted to creation. I cant imagine life without art anymore and don’t know what I did before to find contentment.

Biggest influence, person you respect the most, and can call a friend in music?

Its a draw between Josh (Ooah) and Tigran (Mimosa) – I consider them the best pure musical talents Ive ever encountered. We are all very close friends and whenever we hang out we make amazing music together. I would be nowhere without those two guys.

Who is your top musical influences that really hit you with emotion that you’d like to share?

Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin really made we look deeper into musical composition. They both taught me what a song was – I very soon learned the difference between a beat and a song after I got to know their music. Bob Marley and Dr Dre influenced my intention a lot. Currently Mimosa influences me as I’m a huge fan of his overall intention and tonal quality.

Anything you want to say to anyone or message you want to conclude with for your final words?

If you havn’t seen or heard the purple opera – you don’t know what you missing. Music is back and its prouder and louder than ever. Catch my show – you will be an instant fan. Its just that fun.

Here are some of Marty’s latest tunes! Seriously purple opera on big system is mind blowing.

NastyNasty is one of the most respected artist in the glitch hop community. He’s an old timer and has inspired many along the years. September 14th, 2010 marks another big release from Jasper, Puke Paint EP on Frite Nite. He has been busy making tons of beats and during the Spring he worked on some new material after he returned from tour. This release seems to be coming straight from the heart. The EP literally bleeds emotions and screeching beautiful vocals glitched up make this one of his best releases since Knife Play in my eyes. Jasper describes it as “voices blasting forth colour into digital soundscapes”. I’ll never forget when I heard Sore Loser and ran to see which track it was. This release has tons of vocal expressions all over the place.

Much respect and love goes out to NastyNasty. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this cat. I was going to have him come into Miami for my birthday but things didn’t work out. Excited to get to see him live in Seattle for Decibel Festival and hear some of his new work on a big system. Eff all those haters Jasper, keep doing what you doing and know you’ve inspired many including me.

Jasper’s given permission to distribute one of the tracks off the EP, Newport. I happened to play it while at my Asheville gig and this track just slices through the crowd, masterpiece. Grab the free download, NastyNasty – Newport

Tracklist:
1. DEAD STAR
2. Sore Loser
3. Toxenne
4. Newport
5. Bleeding

NastyNasty Interview

When did you start producing music at what age and what sort of medium
did you use at that time and how has it evolved into what you do
today? What other alias have you gone by?

Biggest influence, person you respect the most, and can call a friend in music?

My good friend and sometimes collaborator So What, he makes slap beats for days and is pretty much my pulse to the rap world…totally the kind of guy that reminds me why the word bitch really takes songs up a notch.

Who is your top musical influences that really hit you with emotion?

Man there are too many to name really…as cliche as it is to say aphex twin has always been a huge influence. Otis redding and sam cooke are constants, Danzig-Era Misfits are in heavy rotation….Astor Piazzolla…Lady GaGa… as far as “dudes in the scene right now” all my beat homies are doing really awesome things:

So What, EPROM, Starkey, Slugabed, Epcot, Salva, MiMOSA, Nit GriT, Lippe, Loops Haunt, Akira Kiteshi, Sduk, Hovatron, Dibia$e, Lazer Sword, Doshy, Shlomo

A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU SIR!
Best of luck to you with your career!