RS: You mentioned the Playstation tour. I notice that drum and
bass, even though it's a small genre, ends up on a lot of movie and
game soundtracks.
DJ Rap: Yes, I've just licensed five tracks for Midway Games
actually, which is pretty cool.
RS: Why do you think drum and bass is so in demand for game and
movie soundtracks?
DJ Rap: I think it's perfect for animation. It's perfect for the
type of games that are out there, especially car games. Drum and bass
is dark music and a lot of the games are dark. It's the perfect
soundtrack for that kind of animation.
RS: How important do you think licensing music to games and movies is?
DJ Rap: Absolutely vital. Going back to games, they're so fast and
furious that you need to play them at 170 bpm, so I think that drum
and bass is perfect. I think licensing is very, very important,
especially with downloading, it's killing our fees so much so that
it's really important to have your fingers in all those pies.
RS: You've also been working a lot with Erick Morillo, you sing
on his recent album and your remix of "Dancin" is on Bulletproof. How
did all this come about?
DJ Rap: Since I've been DJing from 1988 onwards, it's been no secret
that I'm a fan of every style of music in the genre. Learning Curve
came out and I was the first artist ever to cross all genres and sing,
write and do all that stuff. I've received a lot of love for it and a
lot of hate for it. So that's my thing, I really enjoy it. You can
hate my album or like it, but at least you get a reaction and that's
pretty cool for me. When I did Learning Curve, I made friends with
everybody from BT to Morillo, every single DJ. I will continue to do
that - cross genres and mix-pollinate. I'm into hybriding in a big
way. I think it's very important because you can't afford to be so
purist that you don't recognize what's going on around you. How
pathetic is that?. After all, the music that got me into this was all
about being hybrid, that's what attracted me to this scene initially
in 1987.
RS: I notice a lot of the big names are working together with
each other right now, and it seems like you're leading the trend.
DJ Rap: I don't know about leading the trend, but I definitely
thought about it and am a huge pioneer and believer in it. I believe
in that 120% and I don't really care who was the first. What I care
about is that I've always done it and I'm a true believer that in
order for music to grow you'll need to do it.
RS: Now I'd like to ask you a little bit about your labels,
what's the different between Proper Talent and an Improper Talent?
DJ Rap: Proper talent is all about drum and bass and Improper Talent
is house, breaks and all other music in between.
RS: Very cool. I'm based in Nashville so I've got to ask you
how you found Ashley Power?
DJ Rap: How I found Ashley Power? When you're on the road, people
send you CDs or mp3s, so I pretty much received his CD that way. I
listened to it and just thought this guy's so very talented and has
his own sound. He's amazing, makes beautiful music and I was
interested. He's a talented producer and very good at everything he
does.
RS: Are you living here in the US full-time right now?
DJ Rap: Yes, I have been for three years. Los Angeles is my home.
RS: I notice a lot of European big name DJs and producers are
moving here to the US, do you think there is a migration for any
reason?
DJ Rap: All I can say is that I get a lot of love here and I have a
chance to have my business grow. Ideas that I have are welcomed and
it's the right place for me to be. I'm doing a bit of acting stuff as
well, so LA's where I want to be.
I think that Americans are much more open-minded and especially if they smell a dollar, they're prepared to put a plan together and help that work. Whereas I feel that in Europe it's a lot harder to get good ideas off the ground. I worked my ass off for fifteen years in Europe and didn't really get to where I got in just three short years in America. You go where you get the love, you go where you get the respect and you go where you get the money, it's as simple as that.
RS: Awesome. Anything you want to say to all the dance music
lovers out there?
DJ Rap: Yes. Keep innovating, keep being open-minded, keep
supporting your scene, and get out there and support the artists on
the tours. It's really important you do all that. Also, check-out my
website, www.djrap.com.
