- Joined
- Mar 27, 2007
DOA: Back in May of this year, Lemonde and yourself put on one of the premiere events at the O2 Arena; what were some of your personal highlights from the Summer Slam event?
Dillinja: We've spent the last few years touring the system around the UK, so the event at Indigo2 was special for us because it was the first Valve event we'd done in London for a long time. It's really hard to find a club that will let you bring your own system in, so we put a lot of effort into finding the right venue. Indigo2 is perfect for us because it feels more like you're at a show than a club, which is exactly the vibe we were going for. My personal highlights were the stage set up and the crowd, which was a really nice mix of people into all styles of Drum & Bass.
DOA: How did you guys pick the acts that are lined up for this event?
Dillinja: It's really important for us that our line-ups are made up of DJs that play a range of styles across the board, and also MCs with different styles. We didn't want to be just another night with the same line-up and same sound all night long. Valve events are about playing the full spectrum of Drum & Bass on a system designed specifically for that. You'll hear all kinds of flavours at our events, from dubstep and jungle through to harder stuff.
DOA: There's currently a Valve DJ & MC Competition going on, where the winner will get the opportunity to spin the first set from that night. What are you looking for from the entrants?
Dillinja: We want to see something fresh, some new talent that will bring something different to the table. Someone who isn't afraid to diversify and incorporate different sounds into their mixes. That's what Valve's about, so that's what we're looking for. For the MC competition, we're looking for someone with a fresh sound too, someone that knows how to compliment the music rather than just shout over it.
DOA: We got word from Lemon back in May that you two have been working hard on your next album. We understand that you guys are keeping a lot of the details on lock, but is there any info you can give the people - a release date, track titles, anything – to help whet their appetites until release?
Dillinja: We're busy in the studio now finishing material off for the next album. We're making a load of new tracks as usual, and will then test them out to see which ones have the most longevity and originality, and which ones people like the most. That's how we normally approach it and we'll stick with that formula for the new album. It's about making albums filled with classics rather than a pile of bang outs.
DOA: Lemon also said you guys the album will be a reflection what you guys wanted to do, your influences and such; would it be fair to say that this is a more personal album than some of the others you've put out in the past?
Dillinja: Definitely, because we're not aiming this album solely at the dancefloor. When you do a straight dancefloor album, things have to be done in a certain way, like drops have to be designed so the DJs can mix them in etc. Our new album will have a few DJ-friendly tracks on it, but it won't be strictly for the dancefloor. All the music I've made during my career has reflected my influences to a certain extent, but in this new album, all the influences and different styles of music that we love will be even more prominent.
DOA: Do you have any plans for any solo albums?
Dillinja: Not at the moment. I'm just working on the LP with Lemonde, and continuing to update the sound system with new speakers and amps ready for our events, and album tour.
DOA: Your style has evolved with the times (and arguably set a lot of trends), and every time a new track comes out from you, you can predict a multi-page thread dissecting your newer tracks against your older material. Do you ever get caught up in the hype and those conversations of "old versus new"?
Dillinja: Every now and then I'll read the forums and listen to what people think. Sometimes they say they prefer my older stuff and I understand where they're coming from, but what they've got to understand is that you have to move with the times. When I play my older stuff out, sometimes the crowd just stops dancing and stands there looking at me! You can say what you want, but there isn't a DJ on Earth who wants that to happen when they play out. When you play at clubs where the crowd are quite young and may only have been listening to Drum & Bass for a couple of years, the old styles don't always work. Even from a sound point of view, the mixdowns and breaks on the older tunes may not sound as fat, so it won't fit in with the newer tracks. Having said that, though, I'm working on music that bring the old sounds back, but with new breaks to modernise it and bring it up to date. Music that will bring Drum & Bass forward rather than backwards.
DOA: About five years ago, you released the My Sound compilation, and mentioned that there'd be another edition of this. Do you have any plans on putting one out anytime soon? If so, what tracks would you put on it?
Dillinja: It needs to be done, but I haven't made a start on that yet. When I do, I'll definitely be going right back into the archives again.
DOA: What kind of hobbies, outside of Drum & Bass, do you get into in your free time?
Dillinja: I don't really have much free time, but if I did, my hobbies would be really nerdy, like building power amps and speaker boxes.
DOA: If you could pick just ONE track that you think completely describes your sound, which would it be and why?
Dillinja: There isn't one track that completely describes my sound because I'm into all different styles. I've never done one tune that reflects everything I'm about. But if I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be the original "Deadly Deep Subs", just because I love all the breakbeats and the complex patterns and bass.
Dillinja: We've spent the last few years touring the system around the UK, so the event at Indigo2 was special for us because it was the first Valve event we'd done in London for a long time. It's really hard to find a club that will let you bring your own system in, so we put a lot of effort into finding the right venue. Indigo2 is perfect for us because it feels more like you're at a show than a club, which is exactly the vibe we were going for. My personal highlights were the stage set up and the crowd, which was a really nice mix of people into all styles of Drum & Bass.
DOA: How did you guys pick the acts that are lined up for this event?
Dillinja: It's really important for us that our line-ups are made up of DJs that play a range of styles across the board, and also MCs with different styles. We didn't want to be just another night with the same line-up and same sound all night long. Valve events are about playing the full spectrum of Drum & Bass on a system designed specifically for that. You'll hear all kinds of flavours at our events, from dubstep and jungle through to harder stuff.
DOA: There's currently a Valve DJ & MC Competition going on, where the winner will get the opportunity to spin the first set from that night. What are you looking for from the entrants?
Dillinja: We want to see something fresh, some new talent that will bring something different to the table. Someone who isn't afraid to diversify and incorporate different sounds into their mixes. That's what Valve's about, so that's what we're looking for. For the MC competition, we're looking for someone with a fresh sound too, someone that knows how to compliment the music rather than just shout over it.
DOA: We got word from Lemon back in May that you two have been working hard on your next album. We understand that you guys are keeping a lot of the details on lock, but is there any info you can give the people - a release date, track titles, anything – to help whet their appetites until release?
Dillinja: We're busy in the studio now finishing material off for the next album. We're making a load of new tracks as usual, and will then test them out to see which ones have the most longevity and originality, and which ones people like the most. That's how we normally approach it and we'll stick with that formula for the new album. It's about making albums filled with classics rather than a pile of bang outs.
DOA: Lemon also said you guys the album will be a reflection what you guys wanted to do, your influences and such; would it be fair to say that this is a more personal album than some of the others you've put out in the past?
Dillinja: Definitely, because we're not aiming this album solely at the dancefloor. When you do a straight dancefloor album, things have to be done in a certain way, like drops have to be designed so the DJs can mix them in etc. Our new album will have a few DJ-friendly tracks on it, but it won't be strictly for the dancefloor. All the music I've made during my career has reflected my influences to a certain extent, but in this new album, all the influences and different styles of music that we love will be even more prominent.
DOA: Do you have any plans for any solo albums?
Dillinja: Not at the moment. I'm just working on the LP with Lemonde, and continuing to update the sound system with new speakers and amps ready for our events, and album tour.
DOA: Your style has evolved with the times (and arguably set a lot of trends), and every time a new track comes out from you, you can predict a multi-page thread dissecting your newer tracks against your older material. Do you ever get caught up in the hype and those conversations of "old versus new"?
Dillinja: Every now and then I'll read the forums and listen to what people think. Sometimes they say they prefer my older stuff and I understand where they're coming from, but what they've got to understand is that you have to move with the times. When I play my older stuff out, sometimes the crowd just stops dancing and stands there looking at me! You can say what you want, but there isn't a DJ on Earth who wants that to happen when they play out. When you play at clubs where the crowd are quite young and may only have been listening to Drum & Bass for a couple of years, the old styles don't always work. Even from a sound point of view, the mixdowns and breaks on the older tunes may not sound as fat, so it won't fit in with the newer tracks. Having said that, though, I'm working on music that bring the old sounds back, but with new breaks to modernise it and bring it up to date. Music that will bring Drum & Bass forward rather than backwards.
DOA: About five years ago, you released the My Sound compilation, and mentioned that there'd be another edition of this. Do you have any plans on putting one out anytime soon? If so, what tracks would you put on it?
Dillinja: It needs to be done, but I haven't made a start on that yet. When I do, I'll definitely be going right back into the archives again.
DOA: What kind of hobbies, outside of Drum & Bass, do you get into in your free time?
Dillinja: I don't really have much free time, but if I did, my hobbies would be really nerdy, like building power amps and speaker boxes.
DOA: If you could pick just ONE track that you think completely describes your sound, which would it be and why?
Dillinja: There isn't one track that completely describes my sound because I'm into all different styles. I've never done one tune that reflects everything I'm about. But if I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be the original "Deadly Deep Subs", just because I love all the breakbeats and the complex patterns and bass.
