D Kay Interview

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D.KAY INTERVIEW

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Dnbforum recently caught up and had a chat with Austrian DJ/Producer D.Kay aka Mindmachine, just in time before the first release on Illskillz Recordings: Bowser/Soul Shaker (ILL001)
 
Re: D Kay

Personal

1. How old are you?
24

2. Where are you from?
Vienna, Austria

3. What is your real name?
David

4. How long have you been producing Drum & Bass?
This is year #6, so it s been a while.

5. Do you DJ, if so how long have you been mixing for?
Started djing the same time i started production, when i was 17. bought myself the shittiest pair of decks i could get.
moving to technics was childs play.

6. What are you Drum & Bass influences?
Really depends on the mood im in. at the moment the musical stuff is more my thing, but that can change any day.
Sometimes i hate it all, sometimes riddims kill me, im on and off. its wierd.

7. Do you have any other musical interests?
Im writing some other beats aswell, done some garage remixes with a mate, might do more.
would love to make music for porn movies, i would do some super liquid dnb and jazz hiphop.
fuck with style!

8. How did you become involved in the Drum & Bass scene?
Thru my mate at school, who gave me my first tapes, after that a trip to london to check it all out.
i went thru all the magazines, bought all those tunes and was a happy kid.
when i got back to vienna, i found out that the local record store had the same tunes in stock that i just bought.
bummer! but hey, i got to see london.

9. What did you do before Drum & Bass?
School. also worked as a writer for a couple of companies. good stuff tho, i like creative writing,
its like music. im good with languages aswell, so i might write a book someday.

10. What is the Drum & Bass scene like in your area?
Pretty good, going on strong. growing every year. sometimes u even get too many events on one weekend
so stuff cancels each other out. but other than that its well fat. theres something for every taste and
good djs aswell, u know u you are.

11. 2003 looks to be a good year for Drum & Bass, where do you see it heading?
Musically i cant say, anything can happen. a few people are taking dnb to other markets with their sound, so
expansion is at hand, we ll see. the further we can take it the better, if we stay tru to ourselves and dont bend to the imaginated will
of marketing research results.

12. How did you hook up with Rawfull to form Illskillz?
Met him thru promoting nights in vienna. he showed a lot of interest for the studio so we went in one day
and we done a few tunes, havent looked back yet really. we get along really well. we put out the early ones on x-factor and outbreak, moved on
to freak and dsci4. we re pretty excited about it.

13. Do you have a website?
www.illskillz.at

14. Other than dnbforum, what are your favourite Drum & Bass websites?
Dogsonacid is always a good laugh (good content too), the austrian forum www.drumandbass.at,
and all the other obvious once.

15. What are your favourite non-Drum & Bass websites?
Dont have any, really.

16. What was the first CD/Record you ever bought?
Hmm hard to remember, some klf tune and the first new kids on the block single. always
went for the vinyl, all the other kids bought cds, i was like, yeah vinyl sounds better. fooos.
 
Re: D Kay

DJ/Producing

1. Hardware or software?
Both. theres also software in hardware so it doesnt really matter.

2. What hardware/software (use as applicable) do you use to produce?
Logic, couple a tube comps, and a vintage synth. mackie desk. and loads of wires, good ones mind you.

3. Do you have any mastering tips?
Dont overdo it. make sure your mix is tight, mastering wont help if the material isnt good.

4. CD's or Vinyl?
Both, one at a time. watch the mix, theres always a volume difference goin on.

5. Can you describe your sound?
Broadband fullrange melodies.

6. What aspect of production do you find hardest, and how did you learn your production techniques?
Its not easy, pretty much learnt everything on my own, it takes a while. mixdowns are always hard,
cause u need to know exactly what u want and to get to the point where u can decide things like that,
it just takes loads of experience. time+thought is the key.

7. What projects are you currently working on?
Couple a remixes, doing a tune with lee, illskillz of course, and some breaks aswell. havent done a tune
on my own in ages really. i just love workin with people, i hate to be alone in the studio sometimes.

8. What future projects are in the pipe line?
Bad 12 forthcoming on soulr, its on the way by myself and spacequest by me+epsilon. pretty much everyone
is caning it now so it ll surface in a good way i hope.
we re just kicking off illskillzrecordings, so we will work on that as well as much as possible.
got a 12 for cia, metro (with lee), remix for total science comin out aswell.

9. Do you plan to tour soon? if so, where?
Im not touring, rawfull might do an illskillz tour, we ll keep ya up to date. probably beginning next year.

10. Are you working on any other genres other than Drum & Bass?
Little this little that, id love to do more, but i dont even get enough time in the studio for dnb, so its quite hard to
do other stuff.

11. Are there any Drum & Bass artists you would like to work with?
Theres loads i think, soulr manz, would love to do an anthem with dom hahaha.

12. Are there any none-Drum & Bass artists you would like to work with?
Hmm billy corgan probably. and i would get the jazzanova keyboard player to drop me some chords.

13. Is there a certain tune you would like to remix?
Alien girl would be tearin!! keep on dreamin hehe.

14. If you could get anyone to remix one of your tunes, who would you get to remix which tune?
Seriously no clue! its time for a remix tho.

15. What Drum & Bass tunes are currently at the front of your record box?
All the soulr stuff, nu:tone stuff, concord dawn, illskillz, hive, too many to mention.

16. How did you feel when you first heard someone drop one of your tunes at a club?
Pretty elevated, that rush when u think a cop busted u smoking, adrenalin rush.

17. Do you have a favourite "all time" tune?
Brown paper bag, shadowboxing, piper, system rmx, 4 da cause, extraterrestrial.
alien girl.

18. How long has it taken to get where you are today in the Drum & Bass scene?
6 years.

19. What is your favourite tune you have produced?
Really happy with "its on the way", it sounds grown up to me.

20. Turntables.. Technics or Vestax?
1210s mate.

21. MC's.. yes, no, or depends?
Depends, like with women, some u get along well with and with some u dont.
the mc needs to know the music nearly as good as the dj. and i dont think there is that many that really do.
gotta big up the djing mcs, u know hehe.

22. Dubplates.. 10 or 12 inch?
Neither.

23. Computer format.. PC, Mac, or both?
Kinda both, macs too good to abuse it with internet, thats really a pc thing.

24. Bootlegs.. yes, no, or depends?
Good ones yea. but no shitty remixes of commercial dance tunes like the first banjabi tune.
i heard an awfull dnb remix of it and really was ashamed of it, they even played it during the day
on the radio here and i was like, if people get the impression thats dnb, its over. seriously clangin ..

25. what do you think about the commercial success of Barcelona?
I dont know yet if it has been a commercial success. it went to the charts so thats a good thing.

26. How did you feel about the fact 'Barcelona' was delayed for so long?
Equanimity, i had to adapt no? if u get a lot of people involved, things take their time. its all over the place.

27. Now that you are reaching major success with you d&b tunes, do you think your attitude is the same towards the music industry as of when you first started trying to get out there?
My attitude towards evrey industries is fuck you if ure doing all to get money. do it half for money and half with heart please, otherwise u ll get us in trouble.
we need more passion that greed, and more common sense please.

28. What can we expect on the future on Illskillz Recordings?
We'll do our best to put out quality tunes, do nice art and get some remixes in. its our baby, so we ll take care of it.

29. Are you looking to sign any new up and coming artists to your label?
Yea maybe, we re really honest about this, if it hits us both u might be in, other than that, we wont do it.

30. Where should promoters look if they wish to book Dkay?
At the moment im not djing, due to studio+life overload, i know it could be a lot of money, but hey, i need to make music really.
get rawfull instead thru anger management!
 
Re: D Kay

Off topic

1. If you could move from your current location, where would you move to?
To a nice flat in amsterdam or a house in the vienna woods.

2. What car do you drive?
A french car.

3. What is your favourite film?
Blade Runner.

4. Any shouts or final words?
Big up people that think before they speak and before they consume.
big up those that speak out honestly and with common sense.
other than that all my drum n bass fellas in vienna, all the people i met online and those supporting the sound. thank you.

-

End of interview
 
Re: D Kay

Dnbforum want to big up and thank D.kay for taking time out for this interview, and wish him the very best of luck with the new Illskillz label!

Also a thanks to everyone that submitted a question! sorry would could not include all of them..

Cheers :)
 
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