Homebase: Seattle, WA
Affiliates and Websites: www.soireesea.com | Uniting Souls

1. What future do you think the Pacific Northwest will have in drum & bass and 2step?
Well, I think Seattle in particular has really carved itself a solid niche with it's souped up DnB scene. We've got heavy club nights and hyper talented locals that really keep it vibrant, at least with what I've experienced playing and visiting other cities. I think all that lacks in the community is more focus on original production, but as of late that's been rolling along as well. As for garage culture, we've got one of the strongest and longest running stateside "cultural islands" here in Seattle and by cultural island I mean a community far removed geographically from the primary hub of the music, the UK. It really seems that, because of the vastness of the United States relative to the claustrophobic megalopolis that is London, it's far harder to push truly underground music that doesn't originate here, resulting in pockets of heads that are down for the sound and rep it heavy within their own city's sphere. As for Seattle, we push it hard. There are bare few other cities that are as progressive and involved in this music and we definitely rank near the top. I hope that we can grow as our community deepens and we educate more people to the sound, making Seattle a major counterpart for garage culture stateside. Nah, fuck it. We just want global domination.

2. What artists inspire you?
Hmmm ok. No order, but I'm deep into all KINDS of stuff so, here's a snapshot of the inside of my head:

Audio: Krinjah, Gen.Malice, Timbaland, Wiley, Menta, Don Cherry, Jazzanova, Bugz In the Attic, Miles Davis, Flashbulb, Horsepower Productions, 16Armedjack, Remarc, Wookie, Art Blakey, DnD, John Tejada, Si Begg, Jaco Pastorious, Blame, Search+Destroy, Horace Silver, Adult, Georgio Moroder, Barrington Levy, King Tubby, list goes on and on and on.

Visual: 123klan, Sam Flores, Dalek, David Choe, Kinsey, Ricky Powell, Saul Bass, BuroDestruct, Jazzstyle Corner, Shepard Fairey

Text: Kafka, Gibson, Negroponte, Huxley, Kerouac, Vapors + Vice mag, Stephenson

3. How did you come up with your DJ name?
It's actually my given first name, Child of the late seventies and globetrotting parents, what can I say.

4. Any mix CDs in the works for you?
Always I recently dropped "Lights.Out" which is a heavy heavy heavy documentation of the current evolutions in garage culture. It's a dark, broken testament to all things future.dub and will be available for download soon from my website - http://rama.werunshit.com - peep it!
Next in line is gonna be a serious mashup of nuskool ragga jungle and dancehall for the summertime, windows down, bass speaker cookin' crowd. I love playing this stuff and it seems to get overlooked by the Drum and Bass community on the regular. Many people involved forget where the music came from and now with the resurgence of mashed up amens and bass drops I can put the oldskool down and bring some new fucking DRUMS back to the party. "CityLock vol. II" coming soon to a bass cabinet near you.
Respect!

5. What are your all-time top tunes?
How about my current top 25 in my jungle + garage sets and we'll leave it at that, no particular order:
Squeeze RMX - Krinjah - Dub
Big Bad + Heavy - Krinjah - Dub
Furlong RMX - Krinjah - Dub
Soundbwoy are you sure? - Krinjah - Dub
Runout - 16Armedjack - Dub
Over U Body - Topcat - ??
Jungle Buddy Bye - Johnny Osborne + ?? - ??
Dude RMX - Diamond Geezer - Dub
Gangsta Call - Lukie D on Jungle Rock Riddim - ??
Rude Bwoy Thug Life - Ce'Cile on Cure Riddim - Germaican
Riddim Selekta - nkogliaz - Dub
Wicki Dicki - 9mm - Dub
==
Buss Boglin Clocks - Si Begg vs Coldplay - Dub
Warning - Dubchild - Dub
U Can't Test Dis - Oris Jay + Ms. Dynamite - Dub
Wot U Call It? - Wiley - XL
Ride Wid Us (Deep Roller Mix) - So Solid - ??
Wickedest Ting - Pay As U Go - ??
What Dem Girl Want - Commander B feat. Maxwell D - ??
Fat Girls - Debasser - ??
Hey Mami - Fannypack - ??
Not Wise - Dr. Venom feat. Carly Bond - True Tiger
Working Class Childrens - Beyonce vs Loo + Placido mashups - unreleased
D.T.I. (Terra Danjah RMX) - Skepta - Dice
Girlfriend (Menta RMX) - Gemma Fox - P

6. You're working hard to bring the 2step sound to the Northwest, what are some things you'd like to tell people about this genre?
Put Away... Your stereotypes.
Back when 2step had a brief flare up here in the states, or, at least when American press actually gave a fuck and thought it would sell magazines, it was flossy bassline music for the Gucci and cocaine set not that it's wrong cuz I'll still rock some classic joints and Sticky's version of Champagne Dance still gets a floor full! Those tunes are still bumpy, but what Americans heard was Craig David and Daniel Beddingfield (GAH!), and when those fads blew away, so did most stateside interest. What a lot of heads in the states missed out on was a thriving, hyper London-centric music scene that covered far more than bubblegum and was tied at the hip to Drum + Bass/Dancehall/HipHop/Breakbeat culture. Shit was HOT!
But, what has evolved over the last few years is truly a different monster. Garage is very much an umbrella term now that covers everything from pop-friendly 4x4 to the grimiest, smelliest most minimal tribal breakbeat throb anybody has ever heard. There's a hyperspeed re-evolution in this music, so much so that many of it's creators don't even know what to call it yet, but much of it is still sold in UK shops simply as "underground garage". My personal tastes definitely lean towards the darker sounds of dubstep, sublow, grime, eskibeat or whatever the hell you want to call it this week, because of my background in Drum + Bass culture What I'd really like to see is the expansion of this music to all those junglists out there that think they're too 'ardcore to listen to anything else. There's definitely cross over appeal there as well as with the electro, breakbeat and hiphop crowds.
So, basically if yr down with basslines, dancefloors and wanna check the freshest and newest speaker rattlers around you should really make yr way to a proper garage night then!

7. Where can we hear more 2step in your area? I understand you have a couple of regular club nights.
Ah, perfect. The last question leads us right here. Currently I maintain two residencies in Seattle for garage, and they also happen to be the only two club nights representing the sound. First and foremost is the longest running garage party in the NW, SOIREE. Starting as a one-off party in South Beach during WMC three years ago, SOIREE has become the base and pillar for pushing progressive UK sounds in Seattle and I've been the resident for god I dunno. A long time! The current incarnation runs every 2nd and 4th Saturday at the Mantra Lounge - http://www.mantralounge.com- @ 210 S. Washington Street. It's a nice little club with a monster sound system, a raucous crowd and a bartender that likes to breathe fire. It's a great night and I always look forward to playing at it.
The other night is Bus Stop, which is a Wednesday night weekly at the Mirabeau Room -http://www.themirabeauroom.com- @ 529 Queen Ave. N. This night is more of a street level party bit where myself and the other residents can get grimey with some UKG, but we also rock dancehall, hiphop, and old school electro. We keep it fresh and broken. Definitely a hot night for the heads that want some jiggy business, but don't wanna go to some cliche, washed out hiphop night. It's a brand new club with attention to detail, people should def check it.

8. What's the craziest situation you have encountered while DJing?
Uh I can't really comment on that. Let's just say I've seen/experienced some bizarro stuff.

9. Any advice to up and coming DJs?
1. Don't fall victim to trying to sound like everybody else. There's already a grip of sheep DJs that do and the market is way oversaturated as it is. Play what you dig and what moves a dancefloor. Nobody cares that you can play the latest Renegade Hardware EP just like everybody else. Boring. Try something fresh.
2. Practice and pay your dues before you play out. It seems like kids get some records, jock some promoter for a slot, and proceed to wreck right and left. Spend time in the lab so you don't suck. There's a lot of shitty DJs, and you don't have to be one.
3. Have fun. If yr in it to get laid, make money, or get famous, sell yr turntables immediately and rethink a career in narcotics distribution or politics.

10. Any favorite quotes, last words, or shout outs?
Hell yeah. Shouts to my girl Malia, all my boys that help run 'tings including the 2stepsound.com + garridge.com crews, extra respects to Zions Gate Records, Uniting Souls + Jungle.One for all the support, and most importantly, big big big ups to the heads that wreck the dancefloor every night. Nobody ever forget that this is all about dance music and those that have lost sight of that need to check themselves!