Junglists! Welcome to the first installment of “5×5” on Attitude Adjustment with Moody Moore on Different Drumz!
“5×5” showcases stateside DnB talent with a mini mix of 5 favorite tracks and 5 questions to answer. My first special DnB rockstar guest, the one Stunna, kicks things off with a soul moving mini mix of all original tracks. He follows-up with thoughtful and heartfelt interview answers below.
Big love to Stunna! Check episode 27 of Attitude Adjustment to hear Stunna’s mix and more! https://soundcloud.com/
1. MM – To what do you attribute the continued success of the Greenroom and how have you been able to keep it going strong for the past 12 years?
STUNNA – Well, since I was an upcoming D+B producer around the same time I launched the program, I was in constant contact with other burgeoning producers and labels, and therefore wanted an outlet to showcase all of my friends’ productions, that, at the time, were mainly unsigned/forthcoming material. ‘The Greenroom’ has always had a common thread running thru each week’s broadcast: it’s a place to check out brand new material buy some names you might not be familiar with… yet. Even though I don’t actually run my own label, I’m fortunate to be sent a load of material each week by gifted producers that are eager to get their sound out to the masses. I try my best to listen to everything I get sent and also try to keep a dialogue with each producer as they progress their craft – whether that be critiquing their work or linking them with like-minded labels that may be interested in their music. I think this train of thought translates well when I do my broadcasts, too. I think die-hard fans of Drum+Bass music are very eager to hear brand new material and not necessarily stuff that every one else might be playing at the moment. When I was starting out at production, I was very thankful that there were a number of online radio outlets in which to debut material. It’s definitely a good feeling to hear your music played on the radio and I try to keep that enthusiasm alive each week when I debut other producers’ work for the first time on my show. I’m not quite sure if that’s technically the definition of ‘success,’ but feeling good about one’s self and others definitely defines success in my book.
2. MM – How would you describe the “personality” of the stateside DnB scene compared to overseas?
STUNNA – I actually think each city in the U.S. has its own unique personality (as does each overseas scene, respectively), but they both share so many things in common, too. I truly believe that this music is an international language that we all speak and whenever you visit or play a new town, there’s a common bond shared between everyone from the DJs to the fans, dancers, promoters and venues. Drum+Bass is a bit of an anomaly within the entire electronic music spectrum. It’s undoubtedly one of the few musical forms that contains such a wide palette of sounds, emotions, and beat structures; not to mention, its need for a properly tuned-in sound system to showcase all of its sonic glory. All that being said, I think the true ‘personality’ of both stateside/overseas scenes is pretty much unified, as a well-rounded fan of this music has many interests outside of this particular musical form and thus, tend to really be open to hearing quality music wherever it may have been made or who produced it.
3. MM – What was your favorite stateside gig? What made it special?
STUNNA – Honestly, can’t really pick just one (there have been many throughout the past 15 or so years). I just really like to travel around and see friends when I can, so I guess my favorite gigs are when I get to reconnect with producers I know, have made tracks with in the past, and, of course, when I get to meet listeners of my radio show. To be honest, one of my favorite shows was about 10 years here in my hometown of Chicago. Quick story: so I’m sitting in my studio talking to some friends online in town and everyone’s talking about an upcoming show at one of the nicer venues downtown: House Of Blues. Pendulum has just launched a tour debuting their live band and they’re booked to play HOB in less than two weeks. Other DJs around town are asking who the opening act is going to be, etc. Just as I’m reading the local D+B forum, a message pops up on my AIM. It’s the manager for Pendulum and he’s told I might be a good source of info for tracking down a local DJ to support. I give him a list of great local DJs that shred it every time and he then asks one simple question: are these guys going to play all the big anthems and get the crowd into a frenzy? I say, ‘yep!.’ He counters with: ‘that’s exactly what we don’t’ want, haha. We need someone to build the crowd up but never take it over the edge… that’s what our band is going to do when we take the stage.’ I then offer up my own services with a few of my mixes to demo, and I’m set to play as support. Turns out the show is an 18+ entry night (most Chicago shows are 21 and up), so I grab that as an opportunity to play to a whole new section of listeners that have either: never been in a club yet to hear D+B, or think Pendulum is the only sound of Drum+Bass music. What made that show special to me was that I got to play at one of my favorite venues (soundsystem-wise/hospitality-
4. MM – What are the qualities you look for in a production collaboration partner(s)?
STUNNA – Life’s too short not to have a good time/smile on your face whenever you do something. So I usually tend to gravitate to other producers that share a love for having fun and are enthused about putting in some work. I actually like working with producers that bring things to the table that I can’t. I come from a semi-formal music training and gravitate to being more musical and harmonic in my productions than not. I love it when I connect with producers that sometimes tend to be more abstract and minimal in their approach, and I think the blend of both worlds always makes something a bit special in the end. I’ve worked with tons of different guys/gals throughout the years (in person and online) and I learn something new every time (musically and culturally), and that is what I really enjoy about collaborating and doing remixes.
5. MM – What do you think the DnB scene can do to be more supportive of female and LGBQT artists?
STUNNA – Having its true core birthed from the House music scenes of Chicago and Detroit in the 1980s (which were basically formed as an oasis for LGBQT music fans to comfortably assemble, dance and bond), Drum+Bass has always, in my eyes, been a unique form of music for outsiders that didn’t necessarily ‘fit in’ to other scenes, etc. I’ll admit that D+B has always been a bit male-dominated through the years, but I’ve definitely seen a rise in the number of quality female producers and DJs in a more global scale. This has added to the diversity of crowds in a lot of scenes, and I believe when diversity teams up with the common thread and love of a particular type of music, you get more acceptance through tolerance. That is (and not to sound too cheesy), we all love this particular type of music and its subgenera, and, at the end of the day, it’s not what you look like, who you’re attracted to, or where you come from that matters. It’s all for the love of the music! =)