DD: I am looking outside, it’s sunny and I’m hearing your song “EtherWaves”. Feels pretty goooood. What are you doing at this very moment?

Well, I am sort of multitasking. Juggling in between creating tunes,drawing and writing. Contemplating on a theme for an EP/LP I would like to work on.

DD: Any major inspirations or leaps in your creativity lately?

Everything inspires me really. From blogs to forums, random stuff. I am kind of an info junky. Oh, and listening to TONS of music as well will get the creative juices flowing for me.

DD: How would you describe your work as an artist?

As far as music, I like to do what you may heard other people refer to as “sketches”. Whether it is a drum pattern, a note from a synth, or a sample, any of those elements can dictate the direction of the tune for me. Some good old messing around with the settings in the software and getting wild with experimentation will do the trick for me as well. Sometimes I’ll just throw some random stuff in and “mold” and shape the sound like a sculptor would do with clay, finding out what sticks and what doesn’t. I probably have close to 100 of these “sketches”.

DD: Which artists are you most influenced by? What would you say to them in person?

Man, I would have a list for days….Lets see, the ones that have opened my mind in terms of what is possible in the world of sound creatively….

Amon Tobin, Secede, μ-Ziq, Funckarma, I am probably forgetting some more, but these are some of the artists I listened to before I even thought of taking an interest in music production seriously. I would first like to shake their hands for the stunting stuff they put out over the years. I would like to see what type of gear they work with out of curiosity.   

BLAKBODY on Soundcloud

 – Jimi Jaxon

DD: I enjoy following you on Twitter, you are very lively. If your voice could be heard by a million people, what would you say?   

LOL! Yeah people tell me all the time they love my tweets, My mother told me to never hold back my words so I don’t. But to answer your question I would tell the world to follow me on twitter @dantelewis and to STAY GOLD!  

DD: For the most part, this is an electronic music focused blog. I think it’s good to jump around a bit, What about Hip-hop connects with you most?

Yeah I noticed your blog was electronic music focused and thanks for doing this interview Jimi… Hip hop has always connected with me since I can remember, I have always loved hip hop. But I never thought it would provide a living for me so I’m grateful for that. I think Hip Hop is a genre of music that has no rules, so I think that is what drives me to it the most. But I want to be a big time POP music producer with 50 #1 hits and 8 grammys…. Wishful thinking I know but I work hard enough for it to become a reality….  

DD: What’s the music community like in your area? Do you have a stronger presence online?   

Well I live in Norfolk, VA and I’m the Head Engineer/Producer at DNA RECORDINGS in Virginia Beach, VA shout out to my boss Darren Flowers for the Opportunity (follow him on twitter @deeeflow) As you know a lot of talent has came from this area Timbaland, The Neptunes, Nottz Raw, and Lex Luger is making his mark now. I would say the music scene is good its not as saturated as other markets I just wish we supported each other a lil more… Its def a Producer town tho and its a lot of talented cats out here like my boy Click n Spark (follow him on twitter @clicknspark) it sounds foreign now but he’s a hard working kid, you’ll know the name soon enough.

My online presence is not how it use to be, I owe my career to myspace i made a lot of connections and money using it to my advantage… I wanna take this time out to thank Tom…. THANK YOU TOM! But I’m getting off my ass and trying to build it back up now tho.. The internet is a valuable resource that all musicians need to utilize. We live in a digital age and everything is online. I need my name and music all over the net! and it will be..   

DD: Of your tracks on Soundcloud, which was your favorite to produce?  

THE NEW SCENE! Thats fucking high end Hip Hop!!!! First song I’m playing when I buy my Range Rover.   

DD: Last words?

What was a airplane before it was built??? A dream that one day man can fly!!!!  What was a Rocket Ship before it was built??? A dream that one day man can walk the moon!!!  So to make a long story short FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!!! Oh yeah… Shoutout to my big homie Dave, @ms_lecter my lil homie @micahmoney (ginger coming soon all songs produced by me) and the Virginia Beach Yacht Club (@myron_vbyc and @mikegenua_vbyc). #STAYGOLD  

Dante Lewis On Twitter and Soundcloud

– Jimi Jaxon 

Playing at the official Bumbershoot After Party, see him at Bumbershoot After Dark

DD:  Your recent remix of Girl Unit’s “Wut” is ridiculous! What have been some of your favorite remixes to produce in the past?

My favorite but most intimidating was percolator by Cajmere because it is my favorite dance track. I really like the way that Warpaint remix came out.  I tend to like them all its hard to choose favorites.

DD: Have you shared the stage with Craze and/or Jokers Of The Scene before? What are you thoughts on the diversity of the lineup?

Craze is a cool guy, yeah i’ve hung out with him before a couple of times. I dont think i’ve met Jokers of the Scene but of course they might come up to me and tell me i know them from somewhere!!  it always happens like this, right?

Find him on Twitter

– Jimi Jaxon