DJ Mace - Drum and Bass Producer Interview

September 2003

Interview with DJ Mace, drum and bass producer and Planet Funk label manager.

How old are you?

22

How did you get into the drum and bass Scene?

I've always been into music from a very young age; I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Barry White and anything with soul to it.

I then started listening to Rap and hip-hop like Slick Rick, Notorious BIG, Ice Cube and all those old skool dogs until I came across the acid house and rave scene in 1990 listening to mix tapes from Sterns in my hometown Worthing with DJ's like Carl Cox, Kid Batchelor, Fabio, Kenny and a whole load of others.

After this I just followed and grew up with the music until the present day of drum and bass which I love and respect all styles of the music.

What did you do before you started djing/producing music?

I've always been about music. Music is all I know. I had my first release at 16 on Mix n Blen' and before that I used to mess about with breaks and beats and mix tunes, I got my first pair of decks at 12 and progressed into the studio by the age of 15.

Since you've been producing you've mainly released your material through Mix n Blen', how did you hook up with Kenny Ken and the Mix n Blen' crew?

I made a track called "Reminiscence" at my mates studio who is now 'Nu Balance' on Trouble On Vinyl and just sent it to a few selected DJ's in the scene and Kenny signed it up for Mix n Blen 002 (Watch out for the remix soon on Mix n Blen).

How about the Creative Source release? How did that one come about?

I sent Fabio this tune and he kept playing it on his show and in the clubs, so I linked him at Swerve and let him take it for Creative Source.

You have your own label "Planet Funk Recordings", can you tell us a little about it?

I've always enjoyed making all styles of drum and bass and I mainly release my harder tracks on Mix n Blen' but for my more soulful liquid tracks I release on my label Planet Funk Recordings. I set Planet Funk up to release music from artists worldwide hence the name of the label, so far we have had 2 releases with 3 and 4 coming in October and December followed by releases from Ed Funk, Greg Packer, Dice, Supply & Demand, Peshay, Mace, S-Man, Sol & Xample, Kenny Ken, Jay Breaks, The Outfit to name a few.

What are your musical influences?

I draw influence from life.

I had my first release at 16 on Mix n Blen' and before that I used to mess about with breaks and beats and mix tunes, I got my first pair of decks at 12 and progressed into the studio by the age of 15.

DJ Mace

What software / equipment do you use to produce your music?

• Emu sampler
• Emu Synth
• Roland Module and Keyboard,
• Digitech FX
• TC Electronic FX
• Allen & Heath 24/8 Mixing Console
• Alesis monitor 1 and 2
• Panasonic DAT
• AMD Athlon XP 2600+ PC running 2 Hardrives (System) and (Audio) 1gb DDR RAM
• Cubase SX
• Too many instruments and plugins
• Logic 5.5
• Soundforge 6.0
• Wavelab 4.0
• Voxengo

How long do you spend in the studio a week (on average)?

3-4 days, sometimes more.

Do you currently produce any other music except for drum and bass?

Hip-hop, watch out for releases coming soon.

Which other producers / artists would you most like to work with?

High Contrast and Dillinja.

What recent releases on the drum and bass scene are you rating at the moment?

Too many to mention but I've been busting…

• Clipz - "Trumpet"
• Peshay - "Jammin"
• Ratpack - "Rizla" (Greg Packer Remix)
• J Majik - "Share The Blame"

What was the last record you bought?

Jazz Classics Collection

Do you have a favourite tune of all time?

• LTJ Bukem - Appollo
• Ice Cube - Today Was A Good Day

Is there any one tune you would really like to remix?

LTJ Bukem - Appollo

How often do you get out clubbing?

When I'm DJing or Swerve / Movement.

Do you have a favourite event or club night?

Swerve and Movement and SS Formation night every year in Miami is tight!

Do you have any other interests or pastimes outside the music scene?

I'm a lazybones so I like to chill in front of TV with a bag a green, help my friends in the studio, chill with Mrs Mace and enjoy my food and the countryside.

It's Sunday afternoon and you are chilling out at home, what is on the stereo?

Pure old skool hip-hop.

What are your plans for the future and what do you have in the pipeline at the moment?

I have a release forthcoming on Interphase which is Greg Packers new label as well as a remix on V Recordings and a hip-hop / drum and bass track with some vocalists from Canada which has had a lot of interest, Suv has also done a mix. I will be doing another 12" for Fabio next year and lots of bits on Mix n Blen' and Planet Funk.

For further information about DJ Mace, Planet Funk Recordings and Mix and Blen' Recordings please visit:

www.mixandblen.com