June 2012
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May 2012
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“I think I’ve proven myself. I worked hard; I got to know how everything worked....”
– Miss Nine
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Miss Nine
The night after our interview at the Perry Hotel in South Beach, Kristen Schrot invited me to watch her perform at SET Miami as Miss Nine. She texts me to meet up with her in front of the club around 2 am, just before her playing time. Waiting for me in a sleeveless black T-shirt, denim cut-offs and big red boots (an original design by her friend, international fashion model Evelyne Verpaalen),...
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“When I’m in the studio, it’s just the computer, the software, my ideas, and me...”
– Structure
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Structure
Although artists and listeners alike have dubbed it a dying genre, pure drum and bass, I’ve found, is far from dead. You just have to know where to look.
In the city of Philadelphia, Mike Harrington is hard at work producing his own breed of D’n’B. His listeners know him better as Structure. Entirely self-taught, Structure has been producing drum and bass since 1996, although his passion for the...
April 2012
12 posts
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Pillager
If you come to Infusion Hookah Bar and Lounge on a Monday night, expect to hear a different kind of musical set. Mondays belong to Pillager—you’ll recognize the name if you’ve ever heard him spin at Basscamp on Thursdays at the Vault.
Having already experienced Basscamp, I was expecting the same kind of high-energy, fist-pounding electro and dub step. Pillager—known as Eric Olsen by his...
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“Music needs to envelope you, and if you’re not in it, you’re not listening...”
– Eric Olsen (Pillager)
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Listen
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“This is a special thing, you’ve made something on your own and there’s a result....”
– UMEK
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UMEK
Slovenian DJ and music producer Eros Umek has been wooing crowds with his pioneering techno/tech house style for over ten years. He is considered one of the founding fathers of Eastern Europe’s electronic music scene and his record label, Sixteenofive, is one of the world’s fasting growing techno labels.
In 2011, his unique sound and relentless musical successes earned him the title of Beatport’s...
“What we have individually is the same thing that brings us together”...”
– Parker Robinson and Masson Rager (respectively)
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Parker Robinson + Masson Rager
Anyone who claims there’s no future for genre blending has never met Parker Robinson and Masson Rager.
The crowd that has amassed tonight to hear them perform at the Vault’s Loft is proof in itself that the days of musical cliques are dying fast.
I’m amazed by the diversity of their audience: blacks, whites, frat guys, hippie chicks, raver kids decked out in neon and sequins; in the center of...
March 2012
36 posts
Listen
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“You make a tune, and you feel it. Its raw, its exciting. Feels new.”
– Andy C
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Andy C
I’d heard about Andy C long before I started listening to drum and bass. Considered by many a pioneer in the D’n’B scene, his name came up often in my conversations with other DJ’s of the “turntablist breed.” So when I hear it called out in the press tent at Ultra, I make my move and introduce myself.
“Mandy, my love,” he says in a delightful London accent. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
Press...
“When I’m DJ’ing I get energy from playing my stuff and from the crowd, because...”
– John Dahlback
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John Dahlbäck
His songs have topped electronic music charts worldwide. He earned a record deal at the age of 15. I listen to his tracks on my iPod, in the club, and on Sirius XM’s BPM station.
Waiting for John Dahlbäck in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, I am little nervous. I expect him to come out of the elevator surrounded by agents and in a hurry to get to some show or other.
I’m...
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“You’ve just gotta follow your heart, follow your brain, make music and see what...”
– Mister Black
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Mister Black
Don’t let his tattoos and his stage name fool you—Mister Black is probably one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met (I hope I’m not ruining your image here, Corey.)
The only thing wicked about Corey Nielsen are his bass drops and the energy he generates in a crowd when he performs. Just stop by the Vault on a Thursday to watch him spin at Basscamp and you’ll see what I mean.
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The...
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Spiff
Spiff is New York City-meets-Miami. Born Arnaldo Mieles in Brooklyn, his speech alternates between 1000 BPM and the slow, Latin meander of South Florida. The latter he probably picked up during his time attending the University of Miami and DJ’ing clubs on South Beach.
“Miami really helped open my eyes to the industry and what it was like, and it got me excited about pursuing this,” he...
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“The one thing that always gives me goosebumps, no matter where I’m at, is the...”
– Spiff
williamnewton asked: You should have gone to the silent disco... if you didn't..! We haven't met but I think we will soon.
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Ruckus
In case you were wondering, the name is a throwback from his breakdancing days when he was known as Causin Ruckus. When he’s not wearing his Skullcandy headphones and standing behind his battle-set decks, he goes by Gary McClain.
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A drummer since childhood, Ruckus began learning how to scratch and beat-match in high school with one turntable and a mixer.
“Like kids play video games, I...
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“You can hear the crowd starting to get excited, their hands are in the air, and...”
– Ruckus
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“IslaVerde,” Flaco’s first...
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Adrien "Flaco" Smadbeck
I thought I knew what drum and bass was before I met Adrien “Flaco” Smadbeck. Until that point I still thought of it as just really fast break beats and deep bass lines.
Sitting next to his decks—the same ones he’s had since he was 18—the 27-year-old DJ and producer opened my eyes to a genre more diverse than I’d ever imagined.
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Flaco began learning how to beat-match when he was 13, using...
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“There’s something about playing brand new music for a huge group of...”
– Adrien “Flaco” Smadbeck
“I bring what I want to bring. I’m not gonna tone it down just because...”
– DJ Vi
Vijay Seixas
DJ Vijay Seixas is a busy man. I’m watching him zoom around Spannk, the nightclub he co-owns with his friend Jimbo, preparing his equipment for the night. It’s Tuesday, so he’ll be playing 101 Downtown’s Techno Tuesday.
For Seixas, who DJ’s Monday through Saturday, the week is just getting started.
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He’s buzzing with energy, but when he finally sits down to chat Seixas has the cool...
