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EDJ Exclusive Interview - Alfonz De La Mota
by junglist247365, 05/08/10 01:32:54 |
Alfonz De La Mota INTERVIEW
Questions By: DJ Medicine Man
EverydayJunglist: How and when did you first discover Drum and Bass music and how did you become so involved with it? (promoting; producing; spinning etc)
Alfonz De La Mota: I discovered drum n bass back when it was called jungle id say like late 1993 at a rave feat "kings of the jungle". I got involved with dnb id say like 94 as a dj and 97/98 as a promoter of the drum n bass sound.
EverydayJunglist: How (if at all) have you evolved as a DJ over your career?
Alfonz: Well djing for all these years taught me how to read a crowd, the years also taught me how important the business side is and also how important it is to promote your self and promote the shows you play.. if you dont tell people your playing they might not find out.
EverydayJunglist:What are some of the tunes you always seem to keep in your record bag when playing out over the years? (ie: your classics)
Alfonz: I would say none stay in my bag for that long i like to stay current. id say the oldest tune i carry around would be some old congo natty tunes... shadow boxer made it back for a minute, the nine... a few old andy c rollers.. they all rotate, gotta play a classic every now and then.
EverydayJunglist: Describe your journey in the scene leading up to your decision to create M.I.A. Crew.
Alfonz: Well i started off going to my 1st rave like right out of grammar school i heard jungle and i began to seek it out, a couple years later my crew and i started to dj @ my buddy dj tetris's house since he had decks. We all assumed our own genres and i choose jungle... few years later i was djing at afterhours for raves and decided i wanted to throw parties, so after a year or so of throwing raves they got bigger, to the point we were getting 5-6 thousand people each party i got to play to those crowds it was fun, soon after the rave scene died in chicago, i started a record label released a few 12's kept traveling and noticed that chicago had no support for its local dnb djs, same case every where... a UK dj plays this week and the club is packed, next week its good locals and its dead and the clubs that were runnin kept it to a certain style of dnb, no real aggressive tunes... well after a conversation with m1d1 (combat records owner) we decided to create a dj army that would help us push the drum n bass sound in chicago's underground and club scene, that night we created the myspace page, decided that the harder styles are missing in action and that changed, we came on the scene very aggressive in the clubs and in the underground being very unapologetic about being a rough-neck junglist crew that only plays drum n bass and only supports real drum n bass djs.
EverydayJunglist:What are some of your proudest accomplishments as DnB promoter and leader of M.I.A. Crew?
Alfonz: As a promoter i would say getting thumbs up from every one on the outside looking in. I threw a 24/7 dnb campout with a good turn out, a few really packed 100% dnb raves and a good dnb monthly club night at smart bar. As for the M.I.A. side I would say establishing 3 branches in Chicago, Phoenix and Kansas City and growing the crew to 47 members nation wide and only 10 of these members are in chicago.
EverydayJunglist: Do you have any favorite places you like to get booked to play?..any crazy stories from trips on the road you would be willing to share?
Alfonz: Well i play philly every christmas or new year depending on the schedule.. crazy stories? i really dont have crazy ones from talking to other djs id say my experience is kind of typical, waiting at an air port for a stranger to pick you up in a city you dont know, hoping your hotel is payed for, waiting to be picked up from hotel, hoping the equipment is on point and the monitors are good and wondering if there will be people there.
EverydayJunglist:What is your primary focus in regard to your role in DnB music? Is it a balanced scale of production vs djing/promoting or are you planning on focusing on one thing in particular in the near future?
Alfonz: My focus is on the dance floor, i want to see packed dancefloors feeling the vibe of dnb as i do and as i see alot of people all over the world feel it. As far as production and djing im a dj 1st, i produce but my jungle skills are not as sharp as id like them to be, i release some tunes awhile ago but i need to catch up on the production tip.
EverydayJunglist: On to production, what programs do you use and do you have any favorite VST's or other plugins you favor?
Alfonz: i use logic, i use so many vsts! i cant nail this one down sorry!
EverydayJunglist: Tell us a little bit about the local Drum and Bass and Dubstep scene in Chicago..how is the support and are there many established monthlies and/or weeklies in the area?
Alfonz: In Chicago M.I.A. is the drum n bass scene, there are a few one offs here n there but on the regular basis we are the only crew that holds down 100% drum n bass, with the dubstep on the scene most other dnb promoters incorporated dubstep into their parties so most nights were dnb/dbstp, but when the dubsteppers wanted their own all dubstep nights it split the crowds at some long running dnb nights, and ive heard this was the case in alot of cities all over the usa. This is why I keep my nights/dj sets 100% drum n bass, i dont want people wondering what bpm will rule the night. if im involved it will always be over 170 i can guarantee that, And i think this is why our night has gotten the response it has gotten, junglist needed a place to meet and dance and we supply that. As far as the dub step scene its good, ive been to about 3 dubstep shows so im not the best person to ask but i have friends that throw these events and i know the big guys like rusko, caspa etc get huge draws in chicago, and there are dbstp nights at smart bar where i have my nights. Big tings!
EverydayJunglist: Would you share some details about some of the other talent in M.I.A. outside of the local Chicago scene?
Alfonz: We have a nice selection of big bad drum n bass djs all over, Of coarse mr medicen man, we were all diggin your mix and the site and the fact that your productive, we got heavy hitter audio1 in san francisco, also the south texas boys that hold down the liquid side of the M.I.A. ... so many styles and djs were better than basken robins we got more that 32 flavors.
EverydayJunglist: So M.I.A. recently acquired some new members including Danny the Wildchild and Phantom 45 from the Chicago area, how did this come about and what are some of your goals in regard to bringing together possibly more talent into M.I.A. from around the United States?
Alfonz: Well danny and phantom have been long time friends of mine and they have always support me and my endeavors, they were always crew i just wanted M.I.A. to be a force and be able to stand on its own before we made it official. As of 2010 danny and phantom are full fledged members of the M.I.A.. We want to develop a drum n bass pipeline, back in the days all the scenes were connected and net worked, We want to gather great drum n bass djs all over the country that will push the drum n bass sound no matter what style.
EverydayJunglist: Outside of Drum and Bass music, who is Alfonz De La Mota? Please share anything you are willing about yourself..hobbies; dayjobs; family life; other interests.
Alfonz: Well im married to my wife nicole and we just had a daughter Joanna and were very happy, who am i? Im a kid from the hood doing good, Xthug, Xgraff writer follower of the 4 elements and an every day junglist, i love to travel and enjoying the high life
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