Interviews – SoulChampion

Dubstep pioneer Joe Nice discusses Dubstep origins in North America, new music, representation & more in this exclusive hihf interview

March 29, 2023

This week, Baltimore is in for a real treat. The folks over at Headnod Entertainment are throwing one of their most impressive shows to date at the 8X10, featuring some legendary names that you don’t normally see paired up together. Names like American Grime, Rational Soul, and local talents Crude Sound and Basse will be laying down some infectious bass lines, setting the tone for headliners Commodo and Joe Nice.

It’s a very special occasion, indeed. This will be Commodo’s first time back in the DMV in nearly eight years. He is an act that brings rarity and unfathomable wizardry to the live stage with his low-frequency excellency. Playing before him, however, is one of the most important figures in dubstep. Born in Great Britain but raised in Baltimore, Joe Nice is without a doubt one of the biggest catalysts for the dubstep scene in North America.

Joe Nice began playing dubstep at the beginning of the millennium before the genre even had a name. He started one of the first dubstep radio shows of its kind (Gourmet Beats, which is now his label that he founded in 2015) and co-founded the first official dubstep night in North America (Dub War NYC), introducing a wide-eyed audience to a new and exciting form of music that had never been heard in the states before.⁣

Ahead of his return to Charm City, we were fortunate enough to spend some time with Joe to discuss a wide range of topics, including the early days of dubstep in North America, the influence Baltimore Club Music had on him and his DJing, the importance of representation in the US festival scene, new music on the way, and so much more. This is a very powerful conversation that we hope you take the time to read.

Full story at hihf

The Return Of Kemal

December 3, 2019

Interviews

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Kemal

Few artists leave at the very top of their game.

No chance to get stuck in a creative rut and stagnate. No chance to compromise that original fierce vision they had when they began and start to sell out. No chance to fizzle out and just fade away.

Kemal Okan is one of those rare artists.

From 1999 to 2004, he was one of the most prominent and pioneering forces to stir neurofunk’s primordial soup, hurling in his own ingredients procured from a 90s youth growing up in the Glasgow techno scene. Be it solo, collaboratively or as one half of Konflict (with fellow Glaswegian Rob Data), his consistent subversion of dynamics, arrangement, texture and drum programming led to a whole legacy of cuts on labels such as Moving Shadow, Renegade Hardware, Timeless, DCi4 as well as Konflict’s own label Negative Recordings and Cryptic Audio.

Regarded as one of the most experimental and innovative artists who pushed drum & bass’s darkest and most uncompromising designs during the turn of the century, Kemal’s output had a huge influence on the direction of heavier, tech-based drum & bass… To the point his productions are still lauded 20 years later and tracks such as Star Trails, Gene Sequence and of course Messiah are seen as categoric anthems and still have massive dancefloor impact to this day.

But in 2004, he left. No explanation or warning; he disappeared. No more productions. No more gigs. There were rumours he felt the genre itself had got stuck in a creative rut. There were other rumours he’d become jaded with the business side of the genre. There were also rumours that the hedonistic side of club culture was challenging his own beliefs and approach to life. Either way, there was no official announcement and a near-mythical level of appreciation has developed around him ever since.

ZION RADIO INTERVIEW – JoeNice with Ivo Balen Baki: June 12, 2017

August 2, 2017

Interviews

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Architecting vs. Finding a Cultural Identity: An Interview with Dubbel Dutch

November 3, 2016

Interviews

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Marc Glasser, aka Dubbel Dutch to many that do not know him personally, has been a stalwart of the underground music scene since his first proper releases as a producer in 2009. Since his initial prominence, he’s worked with dancehall legends, from remixing Vybz Kartel and leaving a memorable stamp on Popcaan’s debut record, performed around the planet, and released music with labels such as Mixpak and Unknown to the Unknown. Glasser’s respect and admiration for global music styles, including dancehall, cumbia, and South African house, combined with a knowledge of classic UK funky, jungle, and hardcore tropes, help begin to explain his appeal to listeners around the world.

Shake! gave us at DRAW the chance to interview Glasser for takes on his influences, the dynamic nature of the electronic and club music scenes, and his life as a traveler. The timing for Shake’s show with Dubbel Dutch on November 4th, with Doctor Jeep and Fens warming up, couldn’t be better, because we’re bringing his Mixpak cohort, Murlo, to Good Life next week on November 10th.

Interview by DRAW Boston (somekid & Insha)

DRAW: First off, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions from us. To start off, outside of the musical tastes you grew up on and became associated with at the beginning of your career, what are other specific sources of influence for you — be it environments or a type of media? Are there specific creators who have been a source of inspiration for you recently?

DUBBEL DUTCH: I like watching these “10 hours of waterfalls” 4K nature compilations on YouTube while I work. They remind me of those giant 70s era “moving” waterfall pictures you see hanging up in Chinese restaurants in NYC. Psychedelic drugs and meditation are a big source of inspiration for me outside of media, they let me access ideas that are less ego driven or all about me and give me a sense that anything is possible. Recently I’ve also been into the deserts around Los Angeles. I’m inspired by them because despite the extreme conditions, everything adapts and finds a way, and there’s an unrelenting struggle of hope and survival that’s at the center of everything I do.

Read the full interview on Shakeboston.com