I've been producing and hosting an FM broadcast radio show in Toronto for the past five years this April 10th. To shed a little more light on the project, I had friend and local DJ Mr. Brown run through a few questions about it, in hopes that I don't sound like a prick interviewing myself...

When was it you realized that you wanted to make love to the darker side of DnB?
I think it started right from the get-go. Toronto's DnB scene has always had a strong focus on the dancefloor friendly, ragga influenced, jumpy styles, and I always found the darker more aggressive tunes move me more. When 'darkside' dnb headliners would come through the city it was always a treat, so maybe I'm just trying to keep hold of that feeling...

Tell us about your first broadcast on CIUT. Did it go off without a hitch?
HAHAHA. My first show was a nightmare. I had practiced every mix and every voiceover and every drop a million times, but when I showed up, everything hit the fan. It just so happened that the station's listener pledge-drive was taking place that week, so although it was my first time hosting a show, I was no exception. Forget the timing and stuff that I had planned, I had to nervously call upon my first-time listers in the hopes they would support a show they'd never heard... But here we are, five years later, so I guess things have picked up a bit.

Best moment as a DJ on the show?
There have been so many. So so many. I think the best moment as a DJ or not, running a project like DCS905 Radio, is the feeling I get when an amazing tune pumps through the monitors, and I know that THIS MUSIC is being shared with so many people. When things are vibing in the studio and we're all having a good time doing what we do, those are the best moments.

You've had an impressive roster of DJs through the DCS905 camp, what qualities do you look for when enlisting peeps into your army of darkness?
Skill. Reliability. Commitment. Passion. Drive. Punctuality and above all dealing with live radio. In the past five years we've had a bunch of great guys (and girls) help out by supporting the DCS905 brand, but among other things, scheduling becomes a big issue. Right now it's just myself and three other DJs that meet and exceed any expectation that could be put on them when it comes to the work they do, and generally the people they are. Big shouts to my boys DJ Faktah, Illweather, & Scott Free!

Tell us about your production. How long have you been at it, have you got any releases out? What other kinds of beat do you make?
I do a fair bit of work in the studio myself, I've been working on beats for about seven years now, and graduated from an audio engineering program in 2004. I did a bunch of work with digital label 'GUN' in the USA in 2006 including A&R, promotions, etc... Recently I've been working with Aconit [GER] through AIM on some technoid DnB that does well on the dancefloor, and just today I started a remix project for Eleventh Sun's Mortal which I'm really excited about. I also write 4/4 techno and hardcore under the alias Hexagon... Working outside the confining rules (guidelines, standards, whatever) of DnB is great for the brain.

What non electronic music can you say inspired you to get into this?
As a kid I wasn't too interested in music, my tastes were changing almost monthly, and my CD collection reflected that... Before High School it was mostly ska & punk, evolving into metal and industrial, and through the group of friends I was hanging out with, I was exposed to a lot of hip-hop. Then someone produced a DnB CD while out one night, and that was it. "Where do they play this live?" was the question that seemingly turned me into who I am today. Some older friends decided to take me to a rave at the tender age of 14, and I've been stuck at 174bpm since.

What guest mixes have you had over the years on the show?
Tons!! Really too many to list here, but some of my personal favourites have been: (in no specific order, and I'm sorry if I missed you!) Masheen, Catacomb, DJ K, NC-17, Everfresh, AKS crew, KJ Sawka, Trilogy Sound Crew, Fortress (Subtone & Stalker)... The list is always growing... Over the summer months, we'll be doing some crossover shows with the guys at Prophecy Radio (CIUT's Sunday night DnB show) as well, so look forward to Marcus Visionary, Gremlinz, Mr. Brown & Prime all touching down, and us on their show!

Why is it that you prefer to mix live on the radio as opposed to pre-recorded mixes?
IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT IN TORONTO!! We start the party every Saturday night, so given the opportunity to really 'play' on the airwaves creates a really cool connection to our listeners. If they want a reload, they call it. We have decks & CDJs setup in (the newly renovated) CIUT broadcast booth, so we make sure they get used to their full potential!

What is your opinion of how dark music is perceived in Toronto?
I'm really biased. Probably too biased to answer this question in a fair way. I think that with DCS905, we fill a niche that was/has yet to be filled here. The darker side of DnB, and all music really, is rarely part of  'pop' music, or even most mainstream DnB, so it would be silly to think it's the biggest and best thing out there... But for me, it is. So that's what I do. If you don't like it, change the station, don't book me, whatever... Music is my passion, so its perception doesn't mean dick all to me, I do what I like.

What is your shoe size (for the ladies)
My latest pair of ultra-sexy all-black Nike Shox MR2's are a 13.

DCS905 Radio is available worldwide @ http://www.DCS905.ca/radio/ where you will also find a number of archived mixes, info on the residents, and other goings-on with the darker side of Toronto's DnB.

 

Related Links:

• Kmag On Bassdrive Radio
• Soul In Motion In The UK
• Rinse Awarded FM Licence
• Welcome To The CanaDNBa Blog
• Toronto Drum And Bass Awards

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