Zach Roddis did a mighty fine job talking with Skream recently. They discuss why Manchester is his favorite city, how music genres aren’t as segregated with the younger generation, the silliness of the term “post-dubstep” and where his mindset’s at for future music productions. Listen to this man..
Skream – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
Cheers to all of you that have been reading the recent features. I’ve entered a dj competition put on by Mixcloud and Insomniac Events to play a set at EDC Las Vegas 2012. This is a 30 minute mix featuring many artists from Disco Droppings; The Century, Rubix, HxdB and Mosca. If you’re interested, give the mix a listen, comment, favorite and pass it around. This is a major oppurtunity, and I feel that the styles showcased in my mix are not usually shown at events such as EDC. Want to bring something fresh!
Photo by Joe Dyer
– Jimi Jaxon
Back in 2005 abouts, I went to a summer music program at Berklee College of Music for guitar. I was not that good, and ended up being a bit intimidated by the other musicians, who could read music and wanted scholarships. The school was ok, but my favorite part of the trip was going to a record store called Newbury Comics. I didn’t know much about music at the time, but my roommate James from Japan had rad taste. He gave me some names, and I went down there and spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on CD’s. This was my first time hearing Bloc Party (Silent Alarm lp), Interpol, Arcade Fire, Muse, and such. That record store is INCREDIBLE, if you’re in Boston you gotta go. It just so happened that Bloc Party was playing in Boston while I was there, and I got to see them perform. Such a solid band. I got to see them a second time at Paramount Theatre in Seattle a few years later after “A Weekend In The City” was released and had a blast. I realized that I kinda forgot about them, and want to profile what they’ve done. Their first two albums very especially influential to me, so I’m focusing on those. The band is currently recording their 4th album. Get hyped.
Bloc Party – Facebook
– Jimi Jaxon
I sense strong vision and loads of fresh energy coming from this Australian duo. I talk with What So Not about the music community in their area, the idea behind the “Get Free” remix, their brilliant 7 Dollar Bill EP, out on Sweat It Out! and such and such.
DD Whatsup? How’s it down in Sydney?
WSN Yo dude! Sydney’s been awesome. Weathers great. Both Harley & myself bodyboard and the surf has been killer lately. Pretty much in the water unless we’re writing tunes.
DD I have some buddies down there in your area; James Arctic, Mirror State and Benson. It sounds like there’s some fresh diversity coming out of Australia, would you agree?
WSN Ah sweet, yeah I know Benson as well, good bloke! Yeah I’m loving so many Australian artists at the moment. Everything got a bit mainstream here for a while, but true vision & talent is starting to push through. Ta-Ku, Hermitude, Harley’s solo project Flume. At the other spectrum, bands like ‘Last Dinosaurs’, Parachute Youth & dance producers like ‘Peking Duk’ & Benson, all killin it!
DD I’m forgetting which artist led me to your remix of Major Lazer’s “Get Free”, it was posted on their twitter a little while ago.
WSN I know Nero did a tweet bout it?
DD Ah! Shame on me for forgetting it was Nero. At 54k plays on Soundcloud, it’s getting a lot of love and for good reason. Of the remixes I’ve heard of this track, I feel yours stands at the top. Did you guys know straight away what you wanted to do with the original? That drop is very unexpected..
WSN Yeah the response has been crazy. Our good friend Nina Las Vegas (DJ & Triple J Radio host) sent it of to the Mad Decent team & they loved it. I think they must have forwarded it to their crew, cause all these big names started posting bout it & playing it.
We started an original that day, which is pretty much the percussion you hear in the track. Hitting a creative wall, we thought maybe work on a bootleg instead. Dropped ‘Get Free’ over the top of the drums & it fit really well. I left it with harley that arvo & he came up with the most insane left field baseline for the drop. Kid is a genius.
DD Your “7 Dollar Bill” EP is crisp, clean and well balanced. It’s very dancey, with a nice amount of space between the various sounds. You two seem very in tune with your emotions after hearing “Love Theme”. I sense a lot of warmth in your productions overall. You use sounds that I hear in dance music currently, but there’s something special about the way you combine it all. Is an emotional element for What So Not a conscious direction?
WSN Harley has a very good grasp on chords, melodies & vocal bending, which often stimulates a lot of emotion in the tracks. I don’t know if it conscious, but both of us are very passionate about music. The most important thing for us is exposing ourselves to a wide variety of sounds, drawing inspiration & pulling it all together.
DD This “Mega Mini Boombah Mix” boasts 50 tracks in ten minutes, pretty mad! With so many songs included, it doesn’t sound at all crammed. You definetely have a gift for clarity when working with a lot of sounds. Is this something you’ve been practicing a lot to deliver?
WSN Ah thanks! I think a lot of that came from my years making complex mixtapes, bootlegs & mashups; layering various hooks, vocals stabs, beats, synth riffs & buildups to form a high density stand alone track for club sets.
DD What are your plans for summer and the rest of 2012?
WSN Well we’re playing all around Australia at the moment which has been amazing. There are plans in the works to venture overseas & we have some really big international remix offers on the table, which I think will aid in that coming about. We’re also planning to have our second EP complete within a few months
DD Last words? Hope to have you back on Disco Droppings soon!
WSN Thanks to everyone thats been discovering & enjoying our music! & thanks to all the blogs that are supporting us! (including Disco Droppings of course)!
What So Not – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
I have a fascination with sassiness. When I was in elementary school, music from Destiny’s Child, 3LW, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Brandy, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah etc. were on the radio. I liked their tunes when they came out, along with almost everything on the radio (I had no knowledge of electronic music), but these diva ideals stuck with me over the years, and I want to share them on Disco Droppings. This will be a weekly series called “Diva Dayz”. For all the independent ladies reading this, I hope these artists will encourage you. Their fierce attitude and personality seems to be lacking in today’s musical and social landscape.
This R&B girl group remains iconic and an inspiration to new school electronic producers, looking back to this golden age of modern soul and pop. Selling over 45 million records around the world, Destiny’s Child are one of the best selling recording artists in the United States. When the group was in its early stages, several members came and went, leaving Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams as the final trio. These ladies had outfits for DAYS. Beyonce’s mother would create clothes for the 3, with tweaks and changes to each so they were distinct and at the same time, worked together as a unit. I’ve included the tracks that get me so hyped, along with a hilarious interview with the group, sass to the max..especially from Beyonce.
– Jimi Jaxon
dd 