Deadbeat - Bring Out Your Dead Beats
The dubstep scene ain’t all about Europe (and Australia, of course) with Canadian producer Deadbeat kicking it large with the best of them, including Rusko at Void this week. 3D chatted with the Montreal native.
We see you’re from Montreal, which we’ve heard is an awesome city for music. What’s the dub/electronic scene like- Is there a lively crew or is it still pretty underground-
There really isn’t much of a scene per se; bigger events happen every so often and there are some good weekly events, but generally speaking Montreal is more of a band and loft party town. The electronic music scene has gone down a lot over the years.
You used to work for a software synthesiser company – is the music production full-time now or are you still working a day job-
No day job, the music has been full time for six years now.
Was it working in the music software industry that spawned your interest in electronic music, or had you always been drawn towards it-
No, quite the opposite – my interest in electronic music spawned the job at the software company, really.
What non-musical influences help you to create music-
I do a lot of reading, enjoy good conversation with new people, do my best to keep a travel journal when I’m on the road. The usual stuff I’d say... Man, this is starting to sound like a creepy ad in the personals.
Give us five classic records you’d take to the grave with you… and why you would.
The Congos – Heart of the Congos: Lee Perry’s highest moment at the controls; a true masterpiece.
Rhythm and Sound – Mango Walk: The blueprint ’nough said.
Luomo – Vocalcity: The perfect marriage of mad experimentation and sexy dancefloor function.
Gas – Pop: Ambient bliss.
The Mole – As High as the Sky: wicked and bad from start to finish, a real tripper’s album.
So what collaborations are you working on at the moment, since you dropped your latest solo album, Roots and Wire, in October- Anything else happening-
I’m working on a DJ mix for a label called the Agriculture out of NYC, which will drop in the spring, as well as some remixes.
You’ll be joining Rusko here in Sydney – how do you plan to one-up him at your VOID set-
I’m just going to go and light it up and have a good time, as should everyone else reading this...
WHO: Deadbeat
WHAT: Plays VOID at Phoenix Bar & Spectrum
WHEN: Friday 6 February
MORE: voidsound.com