ＱｕａｎｔｒｅｋとＨｅａｖｙ１の名前が列挙されてます。非常に光栄です。サポートされてる分まじで頑張らなければ！
NorthAmericanDnB.com recently spoke with one of the busiest people in the scene, a truly talented artist who has become an essential part of our scene. Many thanks to Stunna!
STUNNA
[BIOS/31/Fokuz/Defunked/Vampire/Telluric/Outsider/Bassdrive - Chicago]
NADNB: What Can you describe your style?
STUNNA: Musically, I started off making some darker, more abstract sounds but always with a nod to all the old jazz, funk, rare groove, dub and psychedelic sounds I grew up listening to. As I started collaborating with different artists, I added a lot more live elements (mainly keyboard performances) into the productions. A lot of the stuff I've made in the studio over the past few years has been on a more musical, smoother tip. But when I DJ, I make a conscious effort to try and fit in a wider spectrum of sounds. From the dark to the light, it's fun for me to connect the dots and show the listener how many of the subgenres within DnB can intertwine and interrelate.
NADNB: What were your early DnB inspirations and what is currently inspiring you?
STUNNA: Honestly, the first time I heard DnB, I hated it! Maybe it was actually just some crappy tunes, but I really couldn't get my head around the tempo, groove, anything haha. But as I started going to some parties in Chicago in the late 90s, I'd hear more and more DJs drop some cuts that had a lot of jazz, dub, and hip hop samples that I had heard before in my own collection of music. Some seminal pieces from Peshay, Flytronix, Full Cycle artists, and the Reinforced crew started to fill my collection and really got me motivated to attempt to make my own take on the music.
Currently, I'm mainly inspired and amazed by the number of great producers coming through who are making excellent music. It's totally a worldwide game now, no longer really just a London/UK thing. Lots of young names coming thru from Russia, Brazil, Slovakia, you name it. I'm inspired and motivated by the fast-paced nature of the music and culture itself, but at the same time, I always return to some my favorite artists throughout the years for vibes. Guys like Herbie Hancock, Alan Hawkshaw, Pat Metheny, King Tubby, Peter Gabriel, and Kraftwerk have a timeless sound with unlimited ideas to draw from.
NADNB: As a DJ, whose tunes are you currently supporting?
STUNNA: Ed Oberon, Will Miles, Naibu, Theory, Tyler Straub, Mr. Sizef, Unquote, Stray, Dirrrty B, The Square, Undersound, Jrumhand, Radicall, Smote, Subsid, Dave Owen, Glen E Ston, Chap, Amaning, Magnafide, Quantrek, Heavy1 Mr. Getz, Adam Form, M25, Invisible Landscape, Flaco, Method One, Subz, Bachelors Of Science, Clart, Stereotype, Calculon, Joe Syntax, Atmospherix, Sol.ID, arQer, Molecular Structures, Jaybee, Sinistarr, Random Movement, Crix, Submorphics, so many more. But one guy to definitely keep your eyes and ears out for: Mr. Joseph and his Fizzy Beats label.
NADNB: Are you considering starting your own label? And where is Amaning these days?
STUNNA: Actually had some plans to start one up maybe 3 years ago, but I've really wanted to get educated on the business side of running a proper entity before diving in head first. Lots of labels pop up seemingly each week, which is kinda cool considering I know there's a TON of great music looking for homes (and in the advent of the digital/MP3 age, we all know there's a vast new market and fanbase for this). But I've found that some labels fall prey to making empty promises and don't quite have their promotion, quality control, and financial backing quite squared away. I have quite a few friends now that run labels and it's a valuable learning experience for me to hear how they handle different aspects of the machine. I've always tried to expose new names on my radioshow and starting my own label would hugely reflect that. It would indeed take a lot of pre-planning and strategy to make it worthwhile for everyone, but it's not entirely out of the question in my future plans.
Amaning's actually back in Germany again after a quick stint living outside London. He's still working on tunes and is looking after his own BIOS imprint, too. Tom's been one of my best friends in the scene for the past few years, giving me one of my first vinyl signings, which, in turn, was BIOS' inaugural release 'Neverlove' - a collab with Finland's Contour. Actually, he and I have been working together on culling tracks for the next CD compilation for his label and also have a number collaborations in the pipe and may well be putting them together toward a larger project.
NADNB: What releases do you have coming up? I know of ONE THAT I CANT STOP PLAYING YOU BASTARD!!!! (From Random Movement)
STUNNA: Haha, bigups Mikey Random. Can't thank you enough for supporting 'Back In Time' and linking it to Marky. Although that track is coming in 2010 on Paradox's label Outsider for the third installment in the 'Age Of Outsiders' compilation series, Marky is also including it on a forthcoming mix CD, too. I have a few tracks on the BIOS compilation I mentioned earlier, some beats for Miami's Urban Chemistry label dropping right now, and a tune for Haze's next compilation on Red Mist. Happy to have a track I did with San Fran's Method One this past summer signed to Doc Scott's legendary 31 Records label. One of my personal favorites, 'Run,' is slated for NYC-based Telluric Recordings, a few more tracks for Phil Source Direct's Vampire label, and a couple more tunes that have yet to be finalized with labels. I've actually spent the better part of this summer not making tracks, but playing gigs around the U.S. and working on my 'day' job as in-house musician for mainstream House producer Mark Picchiotti. We've done some remixes for Beyonce, AC/DC, The Killers, Patti LaBelle. Not very Drum+Bass of me, I know, but you should see all the a capellas we have access to hehe. Anyways, I'm just in the process of upgrading my studio gear as I type this, so some fresh material will materialize again soon.
NADNB: imo or wompwompwomp?
STUNNA: imo, tbqfh
NADNB: Chicago or New York style pies?
STUNNA: Gonna go a little bit against the grain on this answer and say Chicago thin crust as opposed to deep dish. As much as people associate the Windy City with deep dish pies, I actually prefer a thinner crust from one of my favorite haunts in town: Bricks Pizza in Lincoln Park. Next time I'm in NYC though, gonna dig into a slice or two just to test the waters again.
NADNB: Where do you draw your inspiration for tunes from????
STUNNA: I've been a BIG fan of jazz and funk for a long time now... even run a night in Chicago dedicated to rare grooves called 'Good Fridays' where another DJ and I get to dig really deep and drop all the stuff that normally we never get a chance to play for an audience. To be honest, some of the stuff goes over people's heads a bit, but it's thru this night that I really get to hear some great drum breaks, spacey samples, riffs, everything, on a loud system. Mainly I draw from sources outside of DnB when I'm working on a tune. I listen to so much Drum + Bass as it is, so it's like I've already stored that information away to the point it's second nature. So, even though it sounds a bit cliche, to go outside that box and listen to things a bit removed from DnB helps I think to give a fresher perspective.
NADNB: Has there ever been a Stunna full album? If not, will there be?
STUNNA: No there's been no official full length album from me as of yet (apart from the countless number of tracks I made as learning tools and stuck as many as I could fit on a CD to listen to in the car!). It's always been something to look towards though. I'd actually enjoy making an album that touches a few points outside of DnB, too. I used to be a bit involved in the Broken Beat and Trip Hop scenes and made a number of tracks in the past, so delving into that territory would be really refreshing as a complement to making pure Drum + Bass tracks. I spent a few years touring with a pretty damn good funk band, too, so there would definitely have to be some live elements and guests thrown into the mix. Idris Muhammad on drums, Bill Summers on percussion, Dennis Coffey on guitar pleaaaaase.
NADNB: What are your favorite cities to play?
STUNNA: U.S. - NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver/Boulder, Miami, Orlando, and Bend, yes Bend, Oregon.
Europe - Bristol, Cologne, Berlin, and the craziest set/night I've played to date: Bremen, Germany.
NADNB: Whats it like to do an extended radio show every week?
STUNNA: Sounds completely absurd, but 3 hours feels like it's still not enough time to fit in all the great music that's doing the rounds! Seriously, I'm really lucky that producers consistently supply me with tons of fresh stuff week in week out. I really feel like it's my duty to get all these new names heard to a wider audience. It's instant feedback when I'm on-air and it's a great feeling to play a track a producer just finished and bam, it's being heard by well over one thousand listeners just like that. Everyone knows this genre is faster tempo-wise than the majority of other forms, but what's also moving at lightspeed pace is the rate at which people are making tunes, remixing, collabing, networking, and interconnecting to build a tight-knit community. I'm about to officially go into my 4th year on my 'Greenroom' show (even though I've been actively playing on Bassdrive since around 2003 or so) and I try to keep certain quality and vibe levels consistent each week. Bassdrive as both a radio station and community has continued to move upwards in listenership and talent on its roster. It's been a great forum to promote my own work, but even better platform for helping other names be heard, too.
NADNB: Which airport has the best food?
STUNNA: Best - Any airport with a Macaroni Grill.
Worst - One of the terminals (I forget actually which) at Miami International has ZERO food in it. Doesn't really help when you have a 5 hour layover, wompwompwomp.
NADNB: How are you able to collab with so many artists; what is your normal workflow in this process??
STUNNA: I had a computer chip implanted in the back of my neck as a young child, hence making me part cyborg, and in turn, enabling me to stay awake and alert with energy for months on end. Honestly though, mainly through AIM I've been able to trade files and work at a steady pace with other artists from all over the world. Usually it's a pretty seamless process putting things together from started to finish. A large number of the collabs have been made with artists I've never even met, yet we 'click' in the virtual studio. Contour was the first guy I tracked down for the specific goal of collaborating with. I'd heard a mix on Breaksblog by a DJ named Lekke who'd put together an all-Contour mix and I could just hear the music pouring out of him. Live guitars, cracking drums, and slick production - I had to work with this guy. Fast forward 3+ years, we've still yet to meet in person but have made 5 tracks together thus far and they're all some of my favorites to date. I've also made special trips to physically be in-studio with artists like: Method One, Tyler Straub, Bachelors Of Science, Amaning, Greenfly, Fusion, Stereotype, and Lenzman, but have learned that although it's fun and great to meet in person, it doesn't make too much of a difference to me whether we're in the same room as long as we can meet in the middle with final decisions.
NADNB: Favorite piece of gear in the studio?
STUNNA: Univox Mini-Korg circa 1975 ... sick.
NADNB: How's the scene in Chicago?
STUNNA: Truthfully, at the moment the DnB scene here is currently at the very low end of a high tide. When I got into the scene here, it was booming: tons of nights, lots of energetic crowds and promoters. But literally in the course of the last three years, with the advent of the Dubstep and Electro scene crazes, DnB has lost a lot of its steam. A few guys and gals have stuck with it and remained interested and active, but there really needs to be an influx of younger, hungrier kids with some drive and aspiration to reinvent the scene. As a few close friends have said to me: 'It's only gonna get bigger again after it's completely gone and people get back up off their asses and get things rolling again.' I've helped throw and promote a few shows over the years, pulled money out of my own pocket to keep things alive, but I'm really not someone that's best cut out to be a hardcore promoter. Chicago as scene on the whole though, is quite a hotbed for live music and the arts. I definitely appreciate it a lot more after visiting other cities that lack a bit in culture, nightlife, and a cool skyline
http://www.myspace.com/stunnachi
http://www.soundcloud.com/stunna
http://www.bassdrivearchive.com/stunna
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stunna/6246344626
Catch STUNNA live in 'The Greenroom' every Wednesday 2-5pm (Chicago) / 8-11pm (London) on http://www.bassdrive.com
http://forum.bassdrivearchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=616&highlight
