DJ DISTANCE - Dogs On Acid

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DOA: You’ve been seen a pillar of the dubstep by many heads who think that your sound has helped lay the foundation of what's going on in the scene today. How did you first get involved with dubstep?

DJ Distance: I first became involved through going to a night called FWD held monthly at Plastic People in East London. The music we were making back then hadn’t even been labeled "Dubstep". When I first started going to FWD, I was very much a fan of artists like Oris Jay, Zinc, Slaughter Mob, Horsepower, Markone and Wookie, and this was the only night where you could hear these tunes being spun. Through FWD, I met Mala, Pinch, Slaughter Mob, Skream, Search n Destroy, Youngsta, Kode9 - pretty much everybody who was involved in shaping the sound to what it is today. We all used to turn up with CDRs and swap dubs. For me, this is where it all started.

DOA: What is it about the sound that moves you and motivated you to go in deep with your own take?

DJ Distance: It was just so refreshing and at the time UK Garage was the big underground sound, so these dark kind of Garage beats really stuck out. When I heard more and more of it, I realised I could have a go at this and bring anything I wanted to the table. There wasn't a strict right or wrong with the tunes. If it was the right tempo and bass-heavy, DJs were happy. Some people were laying down 4x4 beats, break-y ones, 2-steppy ones, so it was very open. It also had a massive tribal element to it back then, which I loved. It was all about who had the best bongos in their tunes (ha ha) and the heaviest sub.

Before this I was a massive Rock and Metal fan, so I felt I could bring elements from those genres to the scene without any prejudice.

DOA: Many fans remember when the Dubstep Warz went down on Mary Anne Hobbs' show on Radio 1. Take us back to that night – what was it like representing the sound on a stage that grand?

DJ Distance: It was an amazing night which I will never forget. I don't think it had really sunk into any of the producers and DJs involved what was happening. There we all were, just a bunch of random people who had been writing beats in their bedrooms on shitty PCs, now on Radio 1, doing live DJ sets. It felt quite surreal.

I didn't sleep a wink that night I was buzzing so much and couldn’t really comprehend what had just happened. Got to big up Mary Anne for believing in the sound enough to do that show. I think it painted an important picture of what the sound was about.

DOA: Your output has been released on seminal dubstep labels like Hotflush, Tempa and Boka, as well as being featured on Planet Mu and other labels outside of the dubstep realm. Do you have any track or release from your catalog that’s a particular favorite? If so, why?

DJ Distance: My first album, My Demons. It was the first time I felt I was writing tracks exactly the way I wanted to. Before that it felt more as though I was experimenting with production to develop my sound. I was truly happy with the tracks on My Demons conceptually and in regards to the production quality. I believe a lot of my influences shone through on that album.

DOA: Your Chestplate imprint has been building solid releases since 2007, with the most recent being "No Warning". Tell us about your latest single and what heads can expect from Chestplate in the future.

DJ Distance: Well, the most recent release features"“No Warning" and "Jungle Fears". "No Warning" is suited more to the club; it's very energetic with a heavy distorted bass, where as "Jungle Fears" works both in a club and on the iPod. "Jungle Fears" is probably more subtle and I went in deep on programming the drums.

I am looking to sign artists to the label for the first time, so if anyone wants to submit beats email demos to djdistance@hotmail.com. Chestplate will still be home to most of my productions but I just feel bringing in new artists will make the label even stronger.

DOA: Any plans on a new album from you?

DJ Distance: Me and Mike have already spoken about a 3rd album on Planet Mu, and we have begun to compile tracks. Expect some 170BPM bits on there.

DOA: Who are some of your favorite new producers in the scene?

DJ Distance: Really feeling what Tunnidge is coming with right now. Icicle and Kryptic Minds are making some great Dubstep. Commodo, TMSV and Science are some new guys to look out for.

DOA: Where do you see dubstep going in the next few years? Do you think the mainstream can be more accepting of dubstep as time goes on?

DJ Distance: I think the mainstream is already quite accepting to the sound and It all helps to bring a new audience to the scene and ultimately make Dubstep bigger. I think Dubstep will continue to grow and you will probably see more and more artists collaborating with big names outside of the scene.

I do think artists need to keep pushing ideas in their production, especially some of the newer artist coming in. As soon as we all start writing to a formula and using the same snares and mixdown techniques, Dubstep will become a boring place.

DOA: We got a special mix from you – tell us a bit about what we can expect.

DJ Distance: Well it includes a load of new tracks from myself plus the latest Chestplate release and a lot of dubs I’m spinning at the moment. Kept it deep, dark and moody

DOA: Any shouts or final thoughts before we wrap this up?

DJ Distance: Well, I won't do shouts because it will be a long list and I'm bound to miss someone out. I do really want to big up everyone who comes out to shows and still bothers to buy music though, respect goes out to you. You can expect big things coming from Chestplate in the near future.

Tracklist:

01. Distance - Beyond (Kryptic Minds Remix) [Dubplate]
02. Deleted Scenes - Reasons [Dubplate]
03. Distance - Feel Me - [Planet Mu]
04. Mr Larger Feat Alyse Blaze - Tell Me (Distance Remix)
05. Distance - Jungle Fears [Chestplate]
06. Cyrus - The Calling - [Dub]
07. Icicle - Minimal Fink VIP [Dubplate]
08. Distance - Devastator [Dubplate]
09. Distance - iLL Kontent [Dubplate]
10. Skream - Untitled [Dubplate]
11. Distance - No Warning [Chestplate]
12. Distance - Reboot [Dubplate]
13. Distance - Menace [Dubplate]
14. Distance - Malice [Dubplate]
15. Distance - Twilight [Chestplate]
16. Tunnidge vs Distance - Blame [Dubplate]
17. Vivek - Pulse [Dubplate]
18. Benga - Nutty Bass [Dubplate]
19. Tes La Rok - Them [Dubplate]
20. Distance - Drawn [Dubplate]
21. Distance - Koncrete [Planet Mu]
22. Skream - Mood2Fuck [Dubplate]
23. Tunnidge - 7 Breathes [Dubplate]
24. Distance - Clockwork [Tectonic]
25. Dustmite - Game Over (Distance Remix) [Smog]

>>> DOWNLOAD THE MIX <<<

DISTANCE | CHESTPLATE