Interview: Five Minutes with DJ 3000
In what has been a year of global disruption on a catastrophic scale, 2020 will be rightly remembered for many negatives. This year will also be marked as a phase in time when many of us extensively self-reflected and evaluated our lives, morals, priorities and our goals. For some techno artists and many cultural industry players, the gift of time to dedicate to the art of creativity isn’t a reality when there are bills to pay. Therefore lockdown represented an opportunity for many creatives that hold down regular 9-5’s to reset and rediscover creative flow without the normal everyday external distractions. This is the case for Motech Records founder and Detroit techno veteran, DJ 3000 who presents a smart collection of tracks on the new Don’t Stop EP, out September 25th on Motech Records.
This, DJ 3000s first autonomous release since Outnumbered EP which dropped in the Autumn of 2019, features three exclusive quintessentially Detroit bangers and arguably some of his strongest creative output in recent years. DJ 3000 adds: “the lockdown granted us all time we wouldn’t usually have, so it was good to be productive and put my new studio through its paces. After making a bunch of tracks, these three I feel resonate the most right now.”
We shared some questions with DJ 3000 ahead of the EP’s release next Friday, 25 September.
The title “Don’t Stop” seems like great advice for the times we find ourselves in. What has been keeping you inspired to create during the lockdown period?
Having loads of free time helps a lot with creativity. I made about 10 to 12 songs in the first few weeks of the lockdown. I usually don’t have a lot of time for the studio so lockdown has been good for me because I can just focus on creating. I think when you have time to create and not be distracted by other things in life, good things happen. When I’m super busy, the first thing to get put aside is music so I’ve really been enjoying my time making beats.
Do you have a favorite track off the new EP? If so, why?
I think ‘Undertow’ could be my favourite because it sounds like something I could have made 10 plus years ago or today. I also like it because it’s just a simple raw groove that doesn’t have much of a thought over arrangement or anything, it was just made and recorded on the fly.
You say you’ve been putting your new studio “through it’s paces”. How would a typical day in the studio play out?
I will be honest with you, I don’t get to spend a great deal of time in the studio, but when I do I try to capture ideas and rhythms in bunches. So If ideas don’t come to me fast I step away and try another day. The new studio I built in my house does have a nice feeling that I didn’t have before with other set-ups I had in the past, so my production has been great as of late. I always leave my equipment powered on so whenever I feel inspired I can just step into it and create and I never force anything. There are times where I don’t enter my studio for 1 or 2 months but then other times I can be in there 1-7 days in a row and make a bundle of tunes and have them all ready to release. So it all just depends.
Are there any particular pieces of gear or software you’ve been particularly enjoying?
I don’t have any single piece of gear. I haven’t purchased anything new in a long time. I’ve used the same set-up for the last few years and I can always find new ways to make music with it. I do keep up and research new equipment that’s being released but until I find the need to add to my studio I just use what I’ve got. I think it’s important to learn what you have and squeeze every ounce out of it until you think you need to add to it.
What kind of relationship do you have with the internet? How does this inform your artistic expression?
I don’t go on the internet that much because the internet is a crazy crazy place! My artistic expression comes from my daily life with friends and family and just things that I’m into. Over the last few years I’ve slowly been stepping away from the internet more and more and just living life and making music when I feel inspired.
What are you most looking forward to when things return to some form of “normal”?
My life is kinda normal right now because I live a very simple life. But I would say being able to see friends and family more is what I’m looking forward to the most.
What can we expect from you and Motech Records in the near future?
I will be releasing more of my own music this year on Motech. Over the past 2 years, I’ve been a bit slow on releasing my own music, so this lockdown granted me the free time to finish it all. As for Motech, we release music every month so that continues as usual…
Don’t Stop EP track Listing:
1. Don’t Stop
2. Reckless
3. Undertow
Get a taste of it below:
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