Dieselboy says people who are interested in music that sounds futuristic should give drum-and-bass a listen, too.
Heavy bass on
Diesel powerPlanet of the Drums
features intense styles
'Call me Damian," introduced the drum-and-bass master known professionally as Dieselboy as we started talking about his new double album, "The Dungeonmaster's Guide," and the Planet of the Drums (POTD) tour that hits Honolulu tomorrow night.
Dieselboy created the tour back in 2000 with two other d 'n' b DJs, Dara and AK1200, to overcome the general lack of opportunity and respect for the dance music in the United States. The three have taken drum-and-bass to growing audiences every year since that first two-week adventure in 2002.
Planet of the Drums Tour 2004
With Dieselboy, Dara, AK1200 and MC J-Messinian, plus Bass-X and MC EnemyWhere: Studio One, 1 N. King St.
When 9 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $15 pre-sale available at Hungry Ear, Jelly's, University of Hawaii-Manoa Campus Center and Cheapo Music, and online at groovetickets.com
Call: 591-3500
"It's quite heavy," Dieselboy said by way of placing his personal approach as a DJ and producer within the genre of dance music based on the energy created by bass and percussive sounds. Born Damian Higgins, Dieselboy has been a pioneer in breaking down the artistic and sonic barriers between drum-and-bass and trance/techno. He's also experimented with combining d 'n' b with hip-hop and rap.
"Usually when I listen to drum-and-bass, it tends to be something of the mellower variety, like the stuff put out by LTJ Bukem. My stuff tends to be more for people who are involved in some kind of activity ... driving, or if you're working out at the gym, maybe if you're playing video games (or) you want to take your mind off something. It's an energy music. If you're driving a car, you'd want to watch the speedometer!
"For people who are open-minded musically, drum-and-bass as a whole tends to be somewhat challenging music ... people who appreciate a harder-style of music can get into it, but I think it skews towards a younger audience because young adults get a vibe off more intense styles of music."
Dieselboy's approach also includes using sound bites and longer narrative passages to unite the work of his favorite recording artists, DJs and remix specialists into concept albums that are more than the sum of their individual tracks.
"It's not just the CD, it's the packaging and the liner notes. I want to tie everything together so that it feels like you're holding a bit more special than 18 tracks," he says.
On "The Dungeonmaster's Guide," not that the music sounds like a "Lord of the Rings" soundtrack, but it's the sound bites and packaging Dieselboy picks that establishes the theme.
Taking his cue from the Dungeons & Dragons game, Dieselboy says that "The dungeonmaster creates a world for people to experience. He populates it with different creatures and whatnot. I'm creating this experience that people can enjoy and populating it with these different sounds."
A good dungeonmaster must be able to push beyond mere storytelling and cliché characters and draw on personal experience, newfound knowledge, creativity and a passionate love for the process of creation. The same applies to Dieselboy, who enlists other DJs in creating new musical experiences for hardcore d 'n' b fans.
"That's the parallel I try to draw. The whole role-playing game fantasy element is an aesthetic thing to give it some kind of character."
Dieselboy says frankly that drum-and-bass is still outside the music mainstream but adds that the audience for it is growing.
"You can't really hear it on the radio. You don't really hear it on TV. A lot of people just don't know about it, but if you have any interest in music that sounds futuristic or just sounds fresh and different and new ... it's worth taking a listen. You might like it. Go on amazon.com or something and check a few clips out and see what you think."
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