Welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
At the moment I’m at the airport in Denver. Flying to Guadalajara Mexico for Anagrama Festival x (as long as I don’t die of hunger before then).
When did dance music first start appearing on your radar and how?
OMG IT WAS DAFT PUNK! haha.. 2007.. I was SO young! But yeah, Homework was the first electronic album I’d ever purchased. I still get super fond about the album. “Fresh” was like my ALL – TIME favorite song for a decade or so. There was just something about the repetitive groove that made me fall in love with the music. I never looked back.
Was a career in music always going to be your mission in life, was there any other path a possibility?
I’d always written and produced music but when I became an adult my family and extended family needed money so I went to work building cellular phone towers across America. I basically lived in hotels and wrote and produced music with a small portable studio in my off time. I went on to other corporate endeavors but left it all behind about 5 years ago (thank goodness) – I’ve been full time music since then. Was the best plunge I ever took. I knew music was what I wanted and gave up everything for it.
Early DJ/producer influences?
SWITCH. SWITCH. AND SWITCH. PERIOD. OH…and Todd Edwards. A VERY special shout out to blog haus heroes Treasure Fingers and Bit Funk. I have been a fan for YEARS (and still am).
Tell us how you first hooked up with Nurvous… that’s a pretty amazing label to have your first releases on!
Oh man.. that was WILD. First off when you’re a nobody it’s really really hard to get any records signed to any label that’s actually a real label. I got really lucky. I had written a record that was one of the more forward thinking records I’d written (at the time) and my friend Cassian gave me an email to Andrew at Nervous. I reached out and told him I was casually going to be in New York the following week even though I wasn’t. He agreed to the meeting and THEN I bought my plane ticket haha… I was SO nervous (no pun intended). Then again it takes a bit of balls to physically fly somewhere to meet someone but it paid off. I actually got to give the record to him in person. He has such a solid ear for music and instantly saw the potential but gave me the time of day to A&R the changes he wanted to the track (that actually made it better) and then over the next few months it was signed and I had finally graduated from just uploading songs to Soundcloud and hoping people liked em. That single was called Love Like No Other and after it came out it put me on tour for almost a year.
You’re also one half of 909 Til Infinity with MANIK – how did you hook up with him and how do you collaborations differ from your output as option4?
On twitter actually. He hit me up when I was in LA meeting a new manager. He was in the process of recording a new album and invited me over to the studio after my meeting. I had nothing to do so I jumped at the chance. Always had been a fan of MANIK’s (Chris) work. After a bit of Jamo and him running into a couple blocks he just turned around and asked me if I wanted to mess around and make a new record. Within 3 hours we had fully written and produced GET UP and it blew us away how good it came out. We stayed in touch and then.. after a couple more studio sessions over the next couple months.. we decided to make it a real project because the music we were making was so dope. It’s COMPLETELY different than anything we’d make on our own so it’s fresh. The whole goal of the project is to make dance floor torpedoes, nothing else. We got some big stuff coming out this year. I couldn’t be happier with the project. I love it.
We’re assuming Souls of Mischief were a big part of your musical upbringing, which other hip- hop acts would you rate alongside them?
Haha well played: I see what you did there. Yeah.. they were rad. I think however I identified most growing up with ATCQ and Mos Def. Actually anything off Rawkus. I was the biggest Rawkus fan. Then I discovered electronic music and the rest is history. I just became obsessed with house and techno full time and lost touch with almost every other genre.
Tell us about TheHundred… why did you start it up and what does it look like today?
Well we just started as a small collective trying to bring underground music to our city of Denver. It’s tough when you’re in a small market to get the acts that you really want. BUT we were able to start a movement of counter culture that people cared about. We didn’t know if it was going to succeed or grow… we just did it. 5 years later we throw hundreds of shows a year and can pretty much book anything we want now. It’s been.. SO fun to watch the scene grow into what it is today. More importantly it’s been rad to create a community where people feel accepted and safe. Those friendships will last a lifetime. Even when we’re old and can’t dance no more!
We know it’s early days, but what’s your prediction for what will be biggest track of Miami?
OOOOOOOOOH………..ummmm hard to say.. that’s a tough one.. I’ve only been right about this once time (I called BREACH – JACK back 4 years ago) IF I were to guess what will splash the hardest? I’d wager maybe that new Jesse Rose is pretty hot.. New Walker & Royce stuff is on fire too. They’d be my picks.
What are the big 5 tunes in your box this weekend…
1) We Don’t Stop – M.in & Mouvo
This track is an undeniable BANGER. The vocal is catchy, the breaks aren’t too long.. the groove is mint. It’s a perfect transition tune for when you wanna turn the corner in a set.
2) Man O To – Nu
New one out on Crosstown.. this is such a dope track to open or close with.. it’s a tad long but gets the job done. When the percussion comes in around 4/5 minute mark it’s gorgeous.
3) Lazer Gun – Ogris Debris (Addesse Versions Rmx)
This thing is a just a really unique groover of a track. Been playing out really well in my sets. It stands out because of the melodies and syncopated hat rhythms. It’s a winner towards the end of a set.
4) Get Hot – Supernova
Peak hour tune… dope vocals.. and the most beastly of cowbells. It’s a heavy hitter!!
5) Globalia – Ivan Pica
Love this thing specifically for the ravey roaring bass line. Big sucker of hyper dub bass lines haha.. This thing kills.
And finally, what is coming next from you studio wise…?
I’ve got a bunch of stuff in the works~ excited about a couple of records I have at the moment that I haven’t started shopping yet. HOWEVER I can say we got a new 909 tune coming out with Waze & Oddyssey’s label Street Trax that I think will be a pretty big success. Also have a single coming out with my bud Worthy over at the Dirtybird camp I think will be a fun one to release. Meanwhile I’m just focusing on the studio as much as possible at the moment. It’s gonna be a good year!
909 Til Infinity – Like That is out 31 March on Psycho Disco!
Pre-order here: http://www.traxsource.com/title/767191/psych-101
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/option4music/
