My girl Suga Shay, a bangin dubstep DJ in her own right (recently opening for 12th Planet and Starkey) interviewed Excision after his latest show in Philadelphia, and got some pretty deep insights. If you don’t already know, Excision is a heavyweight in the dubstep world, cementing his spot at the top with his wildly popular “Live From Shambhala 2009” mix. He is currently on tour with Downlink and Antiserum, so be sure to check out their tour dates, and if you’re in the NYC area enter LostinSound and Mr. Bugsly’s contest for free ticket giveaways! Here’s the link- it takes less than 1 minute to enter:
Enter here to win 2 tix to Excision at Best Buy Theater NYC
How would you describe dubstep to someone who’s never heard it?
Lots of sub bass combined with a slow grinding beat, or an energetic
fast beat, and a bassline that will give you energy to move your feet
and quite possibly make a gnarly bass face.
How long does it take for you to make a new tune, and being as though you
are pioneering a new sound how do you know when the tune is finished?
Sometimes less than 24 hours, sometimes more than a month. It’s not
done until it sounds exactly like I hear it in my head.
What new dubstep producer/DJ should we keep an ear out for?
Downlink is the next big producer coming out of North America, and by
far the most talented sound designer I know personally.
What goes into the decision making process when it comes to signing
new artists to Rottun?
If it sounds dope, and it makes me want to bounce around like an
idiot, I’m signing that shit. Unfortunately in order to get the point
where my brain will even allow me to enjoy listening to a tune, it has
to be properly produce with a solid mix or it doesn’t really matter
how fun the patterns and vibes are.
How much do you think record sales are affected by YouTube and
Soundcloud rips, and do you feel it hurts or helps the artist and genre
as a whole?
I think it hurts sales, definitely. But as a whole I think it helps
far more than it hurts. It will definitely take away from the money
we make as a label and a producer, but the exposure from this is huge!
I don’t think artists used to blow as fast as they can nowadays, and
the internet is definitely the driving force behind that process.
Do you have a special nickname for the dubstep you produce? (Brostep,
Liquidstep, Metal Step, etc.)
Some people say the music we make isn’t Dubstep. I’m not one for
labeling, and especially since I’ve been experimenting with so many
different tempos lately, I just tell people I make Bass Music.
How would you like to see dubstep advance as a genre and culture in
North America?
It’s already taken hold with the pop music executives. A mainstream
version of it will definitely become more present in Hip Hop and Pop,
but I think Dubstep in it’s current form will continue to expand to a
larger audience and everyone currently involved in Dubstep will
benefit from this. I don’t think anyone can “ruin” Dubstep as long as
people continue to try to create their own unique style instead of
copying other people, it will have a long life.
