Toronto, Can, Pure Phunk & 2 Wars

Breakbeat.ca Northern Coverage:

D-monic

Record Label Affiliations: Pure Phunk, 2Wars

D-monic Interview March 2005
Interviewed by Somsay.


D-Monic Profile

Age: Old Skool
Height: Tall enough
Weight: Heavy enough
Average heart beat per minute: Fast Enough
Bed time: Late enough
Colour of ear hair: Brown
Nose Hair length: Varies by day

Favourite Pop Chune: “Lean Back” by Terror Squad
Favourite soap brand to clean your dirty socks: Tide
Records: Too many to mention
Band: I’m allergic to guitars
Models: Kathy Ireland (back in the day)
Synths: Virus
Favourite breaks track of 2004: “Gimme The Boot” - Unknown


The Interview

Tell us about D-Monic and how the hell did you get into such dope breaks?
Prior to getting into underground dance music, I was a top 40 DJ, but ever since I can remember I’ve always loved hip-hop, funk, and dancehall. One day a friends took me to a ‘rave’ and I heard these wicked up-tempo tunes being played sporadically between the house and hardcore.  It was love at first sound.

Where did you get that name "D-Monic" from?
The story is actually quite uninteresting. It all stems from a misspelling of a nickname I had in high school. Everyone usually expects some weird, gothic tale with such an evil sounding name…  although some people say that I’ve grown into the name with a certain level of evilness.

When did you start your excellent Canadian Breakbeat record label? And how did that come about from?
Pure Phunk Recordings first release came in the fall of 2003 after many months of preparation. The label came out of a natural progression of my own career.  I was an established DJ, I had run one of the best record stores in the country, I had worked at one of the best vinyl distributors in the country, I knew a lot of upcoming artists that were struggling to get their stuff heard. Starting a label made sense.

Can you please tell us the Direction of your label, "Pure Phunk's" sound? Where do you plan go with it? Sticking to Breaks or what?
Breaks are what I love, so breaks is where we’re going.  Our sound is one that’s clearly aimed at the dancefloor.  Uptempo party tunes that will drive a crowd crazy. Our other main focus is to feature only Canadian artists in an effort to give them the worldwide exposure that they deserve.  In a very short time we’ve built an amazing roster of artists, and we’re not letting up!

How is the underground scene in the Toronto in your opinion?
Still going. Nowhere near what it used to be, but the people that are still in it are in it for the right reasons. The scene is strong, and the music is still great. One day hopefully we’ll return to the days of the massive all night raves, but for us ‘older folk’, the all nightclub scene is just as fun.

Where have has you traveled to so far? And where was your favourte gig and why?
I’ve played a bit in the US, and briefly in the UK, and naturally everywhere in Canada.  At the end of the day, I have no real desire to play outside of Canada.  This is my home and there’s no other country like it. My favorite spots to play right now are Victoria and Halifax.  Beautiful cities with partygoers that are up for anything and are the farthest thing from jaded. So refreshing.

Does Canada really have the population to make our scene a stable breaks scene? What do you think about us?
In the major centers, yes… but in the prairies and places like that, it’s tough.  As far as the bigger cities go, we’re doing fine.  Generally, all breaks parties in London, UK draw maybe 200 people per night.  In Toronto we get about 300+ at most nights.  That alone should show that we’re on the right track.

Do you have a normal job on the side of breaks?
Not any more.  Breaks are once again my full time job.

Did your parents ever come out to see you spin?
My mom did once… and only because it was a free daytime gig. I’m still waiting after 12 years of playing records for my dad to come out and party…

Did you study music in school? And do you use music theory in anyway for your breaks?
I’ve always been musically inclined. My earliest memory of music was a grade 1 Christmas presentation of the Little Drummer Boy.  I had to be the Drummer Boy because no one else in the class could keep the beat.  I studied music and learned to play the guitar later on and had always taken music as long as I could right through high school.  Music has always been a part of me.

Do girls call you more frequently since you started playing out? If so do they talk to you or do they just giggle and hang up?
You know what? No.  And that’s always been a pet peeve of mine. Back in the day I’d hear all these DJ’s talking about how they only started spinning to pick up girls… WHAT GIRLS!  I never got any girls from being a DJ!! I later found out that had I been a house DJ, there would have been plenty of girls… Breaks… it’s a labour of love, I tell you…

What computer platform do you work on? A PC or Mac and why?
Mac. Always and forever.  I don’t like viruses, spyware, or crashing. I also like computers that are intuitive and easy to use. So… Mac it is!

Do you see breakbeat music moving into a mainstream position soon?
Yes. What most people don’t realize is that all popular music is breaks with the exception of house, trance, and techno.  All music is built on a broken beat.  Rock, Pop, hip-hop, you name it.  Listen to it… it’s a broken beat, and therefore technically ‘breaks’.  Currently you’re hearing a lot more breaks tunes being played on TV in shows and in commercials.  That’s a good thing.

What current projects are you working on and would like to talk about?
We’ve got some big things in the works, but I’m a very secretive and superstitious person.  I don’t like to reveal things too early in case they fall through. You’ll just have to keep your ear to the ground to find out what these big projects are.

Who were your first inspirations that originally got you into Breaks?
Mark Oliver and John E.  Two of the Toronto scene originals. I used to hear them play all the time at parties back in the day. They were the ones that played the most breaks in their sets.

Is it really about the music in the Toronto or its really about the drugs?
Drugs are not as prevalent here as they are in some cities.  The Toronto breaks scene is known world wide as a bunch of people that can drink their own weight in booze… so drugs? Not so much.

Do the Mafias control the parties?
I can’t say that I’ve ever really noticed.

Can a Canadian vinyl pressing ever be as hotter (louder) than a quality UK pressing? Is it all in the Mastering of the lacquer?
Will Canadian pressing ever match European pressing? No.  Is it all in the master?  Yes.  Canadian presses using UK masters have produced good results, but nothing beats the UK press. I’ve done the tests, I’ve run the comparisons, and I know what I’m talking about.  North American manufacturers don’t know dance music.  They don’t know DJ culture. If you notice in the past albums would come out on vinyl with 7+ tunes on a side! That’s what they know… put the most music on as possible despite the sacrifice in quality.  You still see it with domestic hip-hop. At least 3 cuts a side.  The guys in the UK have been doing dance music a lot longer.  They know how to get the most bass and the most sound into those little grooves.  And at the end of the day, vinyl production in Canada has no demand, so there’s no incentive or reason for vinyl manufacturers to improve.

What is your opinion on these music program suites (Fruity Loops, Reason, etc..), do they output real quality audio that would be efficient for any of your productions?
You’d be surprised how many big, big, big producers have given up their outboard gear and gone full on with software suites. I’m not going to mention any names, but if I did you’d be shocked.  You can get the quality you want out of anything if you know what you’re doing.

What movie star do you look like?
I’ve never really thought if it? Deniro?  Maybe?  Hopefully?

Can you tell us about the Ravers in the Toronto... any funny stories to share?
Since I spend my time in club most of the time these days, I don’t see too many ravers anymore. Too bad, really… I kinda miss them. They were always so amusing… and scary…  some people just shouldn’t do drugs.  I remember at one party a long time ago this fun-fur clad candy raver came up to me looking quite distraught.  While trying to swallow his bottom lip he says to me “I need your help”, I’m like “OK, what do you need?”, he stares at my chest and says, “I can’t read your shirt!  I need help reading your shirt!”  It was a solid white T-shirt.

Tell about how life is being a producer in Toronto in your opinion? Supportive surrounds? Negative?
The Toronto scene is very supportive of their producers. The Toronto producers are very supportive of the other producers as well, which is good to see. There’s no real competition. I think they’ve realized that once one gets bigger, they can call get bigger.  It’s good to see.

Have you ever found your music on any mp3 servers such as Kaza? And if so, how does this make you feel and how does this affect you?
I have and I hate it.  Independent producers and label owners can’t take the ‘Moby’ stance and think, “I’m honored that someone wants to listen to my music”.  While it’s all well and good that people like the music, if they steal it, there may not be much more music left! The major labels can afford to take this kind of loss, true… but the independent labels can’t. They count on every last sale to make ends meet. Most independent labels fold after the 2nd release because they can’t make back their investment. The smarter labels are moving forward and selling their MP3’s online with companies like Beatport and Trackitdown UK.  If you know people are downloading your stuff, then bring it to them at a price anyone can afford. If people can’t afford $1.00 for a song…

Are there any candy ravers left? And if so... would you touch their pants?
I have a pair of fluorescent orange fun fur overalls at home.  For halloween in 1999 I dressed up as a candy raver.  I must admit, they were very comfortable. Sadly, there aren’t as many candy ravers left these days…  but I would touch their pants… they’re so soft!

How did you feel when you first DJ-ed in front of a massive crowd? What was the experience like? Shaky? Natural High?
Big crowd, small crowd… I still get nervous. It takes me 2 or 3 tunes to get comfortable still after 12 years of playing professionally.  I still remember playing to my first HUGE crowd.  3000+ people. I saw the room from the floor and it looked busy, but once I got up on stage and saw just how many people there were I was terrified.  Thankfully, I got over that quick and played a great set that night.

What do you think about 2wars...is that competition for your label Pure Phunk? Or is that a step to making the Canadian scene bigger? Any wars?
Any wars?  Yeah… 2 of them! AND a revolution!  But seriously, 2 Wars is not competition. In fact, 2Wars & A Revolution Records and Pure Phunk Recordings have just recently merged.  We’re now going to focus on bringing Canadian breaks to the forefront of the worlds breaks scene. That really is the goal of all Canadian breaks labels, but now that the 2 biggest ones have joined forces we can do a lot more damage!

Shoutouts:
Huge respect to all those that have supported throughout the years!

Words of wisdom to other aspiring DJ/producers:
Do it because you love it…

Links:
www.purephunk.com
www.dmonic.com
www.2wars.com
www.promorecords.ca
www.dubblesidedvinyl.com
www.womped.com
www.2thebeat.com