Junglists! Welcome to the second 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 special DnB rockstar guest, the mighty Mizeyesis kicks things off with a soul moving mini mix of all original tracks. She follows-up with thoughtful and heartfelt interview answers below.
Big love to Mizeyesis! Check episode 30 of Attitude Adjustment to hear Mizeyesis’ mix and more!
MM: Tell us about the moment you knew you were on your way to becoming an international dnb rockstar.
MIZEYESIS: I’m not sure I had a moment when it was aha, I’m international now… My first gig was 2004 in Hartford at the Municipal Cafe for an event called, “100% High Octane”. I had spent two years before this gig, perfecting my craft before I would agree to any lineup. A lot of promoters felt I was very good, and consistent so would throw me on good lineups by major promoters in New England early on.
I also started a night and crew in Hartford called THRESHOLD Sound at that time. In the area of New England, we were some of the few that were booking Ragga Jungle acts or drumfunk, or experimental jungle and bass music. With promoting those sounds, I frequented message boards like Subvert Central which put me in touch with other junglists that had similar tastes worldwide. Particularly in the UK.
2007 I lived in the UK for several months, living with family. However, being active in the scene there, attending nights in London, Oxford and Cambridge. When I came home, things pushed further and I wasn’t just an opening dj, or even just local. I lived in CT and sometimes was playing in Maine, NYC & New Hampshire in one weekend. I started to get booked in Philly, Bmore, even Miami for the WMC in 2008. I joined a number of crews in NY and New England as well and from that point, consistently had a busy schedule.
2009 I started to take my djing a bit more serious and got past my hangup on studio mixes. I would have live sets recorded or radio sets recorded when I did guest spots, but never sat down to construct a mix. When I did, it was a mix I put out in early 2010 called “Into the jungle, can I get an Amen” which is archived oon my mixcloud btw. I got tons of great reviews on that mix and I would say that kind of started people getting to know me as a dj.
I began doing tons of guest mixes, articles, event started to work for Satellite in 2011 and was doing mini tours in the Northeast with UK headliners, or Bass Music headliners as well. I caught the attention of a few friends who I didn’t realize were observing my progress, and recruited to start a show on Jungletrain.net as the sounds I was playing, reflected the overall climate of the radio station.
Most of the producers on many of the labels I played already knew me. I booked Breakage in 2006 for THRESHOLD Sounds anniversary, and met many others like Equinox, Chris INP, Double O, Mantra, Theory, etc through these social networks. There weren’t many junglists playing their styles or their sounds at that time here in the states. And especially there weren’t many women who were playing those sounds on labels like Scientific Wax, Foundation X, and other breakbeat oriented jungle bits. So we all kind of stuck together, even the folks here in the US that have been playing these sounds for sometime.
2012 I went to the UK for a second time and was shocked at how many people knew who I was. I only went for a trip, not to play, but the next year, in 2013, I was booked for Rupture in London @ Corsica Studios and had my first international gig. After that trip, I started to work diligently on my production and at the same time, was working here back home with TC Izlam/Hipstep, Satellite, Jungletrain and also joined, MIA DNB based out of Chicago. When I returned, I was recruited by DNB Girls of Canada to help expand the group as US Manager for the group thus creating DNB Girls and the amazing 20 members we have today.
I had a lot going on in 2014-2015. I sold my home in Northern CT, and moved to New Haven in 2014 to focus more on music and be in a community that was more conducive to that lifestyle. Then in 2015, I fell extremely ill and needed time to focus on my health, which took a lot of out me. While I was healing, I really pushed production and djing as it would help my healing process. In 2016 I put out releases with Skru on Hexagon Digital (UK Label out of Derby UK headed by Zebedee). AwakeFM a talented producer and myself met on my first gig back from illness in Utica NY forming a friendship and put out the Convergence EP on Omni Music.
2017, I finally finished my full solo EP on Faction Digital Recordings, “Seven Systems” which got so many amazing reviews. And then followed that with a number of releases, my most recent collaboration with Rainforest Guidance on his “Rise of the Warrior EP” on Monochrome Recordings.
This year I was also booked in Panama at Tribal Gathering 2018. I fell in love with Panama, GeoParadise who throws the festival, and vice versa. I joined GeoParadise this year and currently am assisting in organizing next year with booking acts, particularly women for GeoParadise’s plan of 50% inclusion across the board.
I guess you can say, it’s been a progression, a very long progression lol.
MM: How would you describe the “personality” of the stateside DnB scene compared to overseas?
MIZEYESIS: Our nights are smaller over most majority of the country. In the late 90s-early 2000s, jungle/DNB was HUGE in the US. After the rave act, and that fiasco in 2002, things started to die down. And let’s face it, more clubs sought after House and Techno as at that time, it could be disassociated with the stigma of the rave scene. Most DNB nights are pulling on regularly 40-50 people if lucky. When there are major headliners or shows, that’s when we have higher numbers.
Major cities started their own smaller scenes, and smaller cities followed creating all of these small pockets throughout the country. This kind of exists everywhere all over the world, however, here in the US we just have less individuals receptive to jungle/dnb but even that’s changing. In the past few years I’ve seen many kids who have come to love these sounds, now playing jungle, halftime, and experimental jungle bits which has allowed for a more diverse scene, rather than just the mainstream jungle/DNB we’d hear at some of the major festivals.
Jungle/DNB is homogeneous to the UK so, everyone gets it, they know about it. We have a lot of people over here that are not keen to these sounds and find them too aggressive. However, I have a theory on that. People respond to bass. In the US we are not able in many places to have the caliber of sound that they would in many UK clubs. NYC, LA, and other major cities you might, but when it comes to smaller populated places, as we have a HUGE country, we can’t. I think with some of the new sound systems and people realizing that sound plays an important issue in understanding this sound, is when things will change, and it’s starting to. And I don’t just mean having it loud so you can’t hear other frequencies either, the sounds are not balanced throughout, however, with Hennessy, Voit, and many production companies making their own sound systems, or hiring top tier sound systems for events, that’s changing as well.
You think about this and compare this to some of the laxer laws of the 90s in comparison to now, I feel if somehow many promoters in the US were to get sound where the bass could be comfortable and patrons can feel that frequency, they will understand this music. Human beings love bass, this no matter what we think, is the original bass music (along with miami bass lol).
MM: What was your favorite stateside gig? What made it special?
MIZEYESIS: I have had a lot of favorite stateside gigs as I’ve been djing a very long time. I would say I enjoyed playing Respect in 2017 with SPY and Reid Speed; 6Blocc’s MC Cypher where I saw the vastness of the LA scene and its amazing talent; as well as Yeska Beatz label party thrown by BC Rhydah. Elements in Boston is always a staple for me and I love playing there as well as Konkrete Jungle in NYC.
One memorable gig, was a show in April 2017 I had with my side project, The Amen Ra Trifecta (a trio of myself, Elijah Divine and Meszenjah) thrown by New England Junglists. We were blessed to play on the Hennessy Sound System for this event which is MASSIVE.
MM: What are the qualities you look for in a production collaboration partner(s)
MIZEYESIS: It’s not something I seek out per say, it kind of happens. There’s always a mutual respect and appreciation of each others sounds, dialogue and you find yourself and the other person bouncing stems or projects back and forth. I’m always down to work with other people on production and make something amazing.
MM: What do you think the DnB scene can do to be more supportive of female and LGBQT artists?
MIZEYESIS: Pay attention, there are so many firecrackers making moves right now, really pushing production, playing international gigs, playing each weekend, pioneering! Why aren’t we all up on that?
Facebook has created so many blank spots with artists that its become hard to keep up with everyone, not in a way I experienced with Myspace or message boards which is unfortunate. I think more of us pushing out there what so many amazing women are doing right now, highlighting the various female based collectives without feeling like its a burden, we’ll definitely have progress.
I think attitudes need to change as well. In our industry as a whole with music, we have a long way before we stop misogyny, sexism and all the ills against women and the LGBQT communities. But many of us are working together and creating networks of our own. In NYC right now you have nights like “Femme Turf” which I was blessed to play at XOXA in NYC, or many promoters putting women like myself on as headliners. If they are skilled enough to do so, why not? Why should that ever be a problem?
Rave & club culture which we do need to acknowledge jungle & DNB comes from this was about joining us all together under the vibes of music. But there was always that underlying thing where many men felt threatened by women or LGBQT communities particularly in jungle & DNB. Recently, this is beginning to change for the better, and it’s awesome to see. I’m happy to see so many women and folks of the LBGQT communities get their shine as well.
Music, while we personify it with its creator is also something that personally affects each of us. However, the personal effects of the individual, as long as morally adept, shouldn’t take away from how talented or skilled they are. Me personally, I don’t like to get too personal with every artist I admire. I know a lot of people want this, to understand where the inspiration comes from… But it should stop there. We gotta remember, artists are people too. Other than their music or craft, to me, nothing really matters unless its an extension of their work. Let them live their lives, focus on their music…give them space.
Some might not agree with me. I try to keep my personal things solely with my closest friends but with FB and everyone wanting close interaction with you, it gets so hard at times when you are sharing something that’s meant for close friends and family, with people you don’t know chiming in. That’s one thing which kind of needs to go back to basics and I think, with that, and us looking at the music more, we’ll begin to really progress, if that makes sense.
We gotta get back to the music, and how it unites us and in my travels this year, I’m seeing this.
For more on Mizeyesis, please visit:
http://www.mizeyesis.com | http://www.soundcloud.com/mizeyesis | https://www.facebook.com/pg/MizeyesisDJOfficial
Saturday of every month from 2-4pm ET/7-9pm GMT for “Attitude Adjustment” with Moody Moore on www.differentdrumz.co.uk