An Interview with Newark DE Mashup DJ DJ Bis by Maurice Gomes

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Tuesday, 12 February 2008 10:46

Like all DJs, DJ Bis in...

Like all DJs, DJ Bis in order to be successful must maintain a delicate balance. It is his job to lead the crowd, and yet he’s locked into what the crowd wants and what the venue requires. It is his job to explore genres of music to find unique tracks, yet he’s limited by what the producers market. It is his job to provide people seeking nightlife the best time out, yet he is limited by the type of nightlife the city can provide. If you think DJing is just about playing the music you love in front of people, then you are missing the bigger picture. No other job in the world do you get paid the most based on your ability to be a trend setter and a trend follower at the same time. Having the love and the skills is one thing, but a lot of hard work is needed as well if a DJ plans on “…growing and becoming more than just local...human jukeboxes.” Recently DJ Bis spoke with Glowsticking.com to talk about the work that he loves, its strengths, it weaknesses and what drives him night after night to get behind a pair of decks.

If you could attach a number ratio, how much of your set is what the crowd wants and how much is what you want for the crowd.

Probably 50% If I get a chance to do it probably 50% unless I’m working with a client that requires it otherwise.

How often do you get the chance?

Lately I’ve been very lucky I usually do what I want. Shaggy's is one venue that is different, they have specific requirements. Really in Delaware, almost everywhere does it. I've been working in Shaggy's…and they are the only one right now that really requires a specific format

How locked in are you? It’s not as far as giving you a set of music, like play this track and then this track?

Not that specific. Timing is a very specific thing when it comes to some clients, specifically Shaggy's. They would like to have a genre played no more than maybe two three songs and then switch. The idea is to have customers come in and hear a variety of music and not stereotype the venue as catering to one type of music. People that like to hear hip hop will hear hip hop and then people that like dance music will get their share. People that like dance hall will get their share. Never have anyone leave ‘cause they said "oh they only play house music here, or oh they only play house music here or oh they only play old school," that’s the whole idea behind it and I really like that

Oh you do?

I like the concept ‘cause its variety, that’s why I do what I do. But it does make it difficult for the DJ to be able to program a fluid set. Its work. Its hard work, DJing.

Many of the styles of music you are involved with, Trance, Reggeaton, House, Mash Up, and Rap, they are all currently enjoying a huge boost in popularity. Out of all those styles which would you say have come the farthest from obscurity?

Reggaeton. Reggaeton has come out of obscurity, has gain great popularity and if…the producers that are working that genre don’t get their stuff together it can actually end up…going back into obscurity.

What are they doing that they are going to cause its downfall?

Well being that it’s a genre based out of one rhythm. Not to say that genres with one rhythm like House music can’t survive, they can obviously. Electronic music is lots of four on four beats and stuff, Reggaeton is dempo and that whole thing can get old. But it’s all in the producer’s hands and the record labels and the marketing that goes behind it and what kind of artist support the genre receives in order for it to stay up and be lively a few years more or for a lifetime.

So right now you think it is staring to get a little stale?

I personally think it does get old for a DJ to have to play only Reggaeton. I find that some DJs from Puerto Rico, they really enjoy it. They see it a lot differently than any other nationality. In my personal way of working and my pace I probably couldn’t do Reggeaton or be a just specific to it. I think right now…it has reached its climax and it is important that the producers in charge of that scene of that music take charge and change it up. I guess they are going to have to fuse it with American culture and American favorites. It’s already been done, its already being done. But its just going to have to continue to grow. You hear it and you see it right now. A lot of new promo Reggaeton that I have been getting, very original, lyrically and musically, but it’s almost too different and people just have the hardest time taking to new things. …People will have to become a little bit more open minded to new stuff. Otherwise they're going to be listening to the same thing for a while and then they complain it got old and it never changed. Well, they didn’t embrace the change when it came.

For someone that is so passionate about many different types of music, have you ever felt constrained by not playing what you really wanted to play in any past or current gigs?

It hurts me having to play a whole night of a specific format…it’s a shame because there is a lot more music that people can enjoy. I guess the number one thing is I get my enjoyment and what I love to do from peoples reactions, so if you get a good reaction out of playing Baltimore club alone that’s a good night, that’s a good feeling that’s what keeps you going. I do like to have variety, I don’t like to be limited but when its a limitation but I get o play a variety like at Shaggy's its not a problem. Varity is key for me

You said on your web site that you like to "diversify [your] portfolio" are there any genres that you're getting into now but you have not spun out yet?

Hmmm. No not really no. Baltimore club is a music that I’m kind of trying to do more research on and kind of get into a little bit more. Because I think it’s starting to develop in ways that I did not expect. and it could some how eventually infiltrate into the whole electronic music scene more, I see it more as an urban genre right now but it could infiltrate into the electronic music scene and actually grab a hold of people’s interest, it could be a big genre. We could start to see more remixes done in the Baltimore club style. People could start to develop and ear for it and we could start to see more Baltimore club DJs pop up. Before it was just a side thing, I don’t know, with my line up and my whole programming it wasn’t a very important thing but now I’m starting to try to make it important and trying to play it more and get people to hear it more.

Baltimore club is usually more associated with the rap and hip hop scene, even though it does have very strong techno elements. If you think that that is the new up and coming genre do you think its going to move rap and hip hop people to techno or techno people to rap and hip hop?

That’s my hope, I believe its taking a turn into the electronic music scene, so that would mean that urban listeners will probably get more involved in the electronic music scene if they decide to follow that genre. So I think it’s a good thing for hip hop and a good thing for electronic music, because you can see more of a fusion between those too cultures and those two scenes.

What genre do you like to listen to the most?

House Music

Disco house...Deep house..?

Just upbeat fun, I don’t like dark music too much. Tribal house with a good vibe I don’t like dark tribal, I play it but I don’t like it as much but if I had my choice I would pick good fun high energy house music

Can you name any DJs or producers?

Stuff by Hadaras...Richard "Humpty" Vision there's a lot of really really good producers that I enjoy their work

What genre do you like to spin the most?

Ummm. (laughs) Probably, the urban genres, hip hop reggeaton reggae, dance hall, Baltimore club, and lately Mash Ups. …I have a lot of fun doing mash ups…

Is it just the variety of it?

Yea its the variety of it and the fact that you can fuse things people listen to now and also involve people who listened to music that was popular in the 90 , 80's or even 70s. When you get somebody in a bar that’s maybe 50 years old and they get to hear a song from the 60s or 70s or maybe [something they] listened to in college, the Beatles or something like that, to a whole new beat or maybe possibly a song that is popular right now or maybe mixed in with lyrics from that song and you get them to look at you and be like "what the heck is this" and they start nodding or just going to the beat even if they are not dancing you know you are capturing their attention and that’s really cool.

Now that most of your gigs are either with the Latin crowd or the college or bar scenes - do you miss spinning techno?

Yes, I miss spinning dance music, that’s always been my first interest. The reason I like dance music so much is because it’s a music that doesn’t depend on a fad, it doesn’t depend on style, it doesn’t depend on a specific trend. Dance music is totally about the soul of the music, it doesn’t require lyrics it doesn’t require more than just an essence that goes with the rhythm and that is so powerful. That is what has lead music since ancient cultures, its just rhythm percussion. That’s why I love dance music and that’s why I would like to stick with it. ...People can fully let go, they don’t need to be dancing with a partner...or grinding on somebody to enjoy it, it’s a music for you and your soul and you take as what it is for you. The DJ may see it as one thing but you may see it as something completely different. Pop music tells you what you should be doing, what you should be thinking, tell you what you should be buying - electronic music doesn’t do any of that. Electronic music lets you go on your own little trip... it lets you wander in your own space, on the dance floor, spiritually and mentally. It’s pretty cool. I wish more people would embrace that whole idea.

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