It’s another Rep Your session – the feature driven by YOU!
Here’s how it works; you get in touch with us via the usual channels and tell us about something you love in D&B. So far we’ve had a full-on jungle mix from forum user Law and a special dedication to Nicky Blackmarket’s label Kartoons by forum user DJ Jamie.
Anything is rep-worthy; genres, labels and today – a whole country!
Meet Daniel Rooney, a Perth-based chap who’s already developed an impressive bass connoisseur status for his 14 years on the planet. He asked if he could rep some Aussie artists. This is how it went down…
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Daniel and I’m a fourteen year old from Rockingham, Perth, Australia. I go by the name Exxcessivve for my mixes. I’m always thinking of ideas for music and testing out which tracks sound good together. Unfortunately, I can’t produce at the moment because I lack the resources, but I’m keeping a record of my ideas so that I can one day!
How did you get into D&B?
I used to be really ignorant when it came to electronic music: ‘this has no words in it! How can this be real music?’ Then I saw my dad watching a surfing video on YouTube and Granite by Pendulum was playing. It blew me away! On November 6, 2010, I saw Pendulum’s live show at Challenge Stadium in Western Australia. ShockOne was the support act. His DJ set changed my musical tastes completely; I’ve barely had any days that I haven’t listened to D&B since that night.
What’s the Aussie D&B scene like right now?
D&B is certainly rising in popularity after dubstep has become quite loved by teenagers. It’s a bit unfair that dubstep overshadows drum & bass when we all know it’s better. But it will make its way to the top, I’m sure. Radio stations like Triple J and RTR FM are really accepting of underground music. They’re helping D&B become appreciated like it should be.
What are the key places in Perth to hear it?
It’s really disappointing that people under 18 can’t see 99% of the D&B artists that come to Australia. I’ve only had the opportunity to see ShockOne and Pendulum, but I’ve heard that Club Villa, Metro City and the Shape Bar in Perth are the best places to go if you want to experience some great D&B!
Now let’s rep your country! Please tell us five key Aussie D&B producers and why they’re rocking right now….
Pendulum
These guys will always be “rocking” in my opinion! They completely revolutionised D&B. I know not everyone agrees that it was for the better, but even though they haven’t released anything for a while, I think they’ll always be on top.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeBZo1MM87U
Phetsta
He’s has been doing loads of shows in Perth for years and is one of the best things that’s ever happened to this city (nothing much happens here!). His Prism EP on Technique Recordings is very diverse and I think that’s a great thing to see from a producer. The EP is loaded: Prism is a massive track that has so much energy. Run You Down is a perfect dubstep track that’s very catchy, Dance All Night is a chilled dubstep track that I listen to when I’m going to sleep and, lastly, Disco Dog – a Noisia-esque track that all D&B listeners would love. He’s also a funny guy, if you follow him on Facebook/Twitter, you’ll see what I mean.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGBOnBd6IN4
Royalston
He’s currently signed to British labels Hospital and Med School and has released some solid tracks recently. His tracks are really recognisable by what I can only describe as thick drums. Be sure to check out his remix of Magic Fountain by fellow Aussie artists Art Vs Science.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qa_JB7ccks
Greg Packer
He wasn’t born in Australia, but he spends so much time here that I think we can almost consider him Aussie! I could probably go as far as saying that he helped start the Australian D&B scene. He brought over so much music and showed it to us when the internet wasn’t the primary way to share music. I think that he’s made Perth one of the drum and bass capitals of the world.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_kyYgMdjfw
ShockOne
One of my favourite artists/DJs ever. His latest track Chaos Theory is an absolute smasher and Crucify Me, the first single of his upcoming album Universus is one of my favourite tracks of all time. It really showcases his diversity and talent, the vocals on the song are brilliant and the song is so adrenaline driven. Seriously watch out for his album, it’s going to be epic!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-7mbqyLHLU
Where can people find out more about you?
If you want to follow me on Soundcloud and stay up to date with anything I might do, here’s my link: http://soundcloud.com/exxcessivve I also have a Tumblr blog, but I don’t exclusively post about bass music on there; http://exxcessivve.tumblr.com/ I love all bass music, and I encourage everyone to give a variety of artists a listen. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about the music I love!