Dieselboy
Remember the first time you heard jungle? The swooping flutter of the drums, the sick crunch of the bass, beats slicing ‘n’ dicing your brain with their lightening-quick, Ginsu-knife intensity and maybe you thought it was the illest thing you had ever heard. Or maybe you didn’t. But get ready to toss whatever preconceptions you have of drum ‘n’ bass out the window. Dieselboy, the most successful drum ‘n’ bass producer in the States, tying with LTJ Bukem for “Best Drum ‘N’ Bass DJ” at 1998’s Global DJ Mix Awards, has come up with a new sound, a new concept for a mix CD, and a new label that may revolutionize how American drum ‘n’ bass is produced today.
Dieselboy, aka Damian Higgins, explains exactly why he decided to launch his own label, HUMAN. After all, Higgins’ last mix CD release, The 6ixth Session (Palm Pictures) was not only one of the best selling electronic music albums in the States last year, at over 80,000 scanned, The 6ixth Session is also the best selling drum ‘n’ bass mix CD in the history of electronic music. Although it came out in late 1999, it continues to sell strongly to this date.
Called “The most in-demand American drum ‘n’ bass DJ on the planet” by DJ Times, Dieselboy’s impeccable mixing skills consistently earn him gigs all over the world, from Hong Kong to Helsinki to Cape Town, South Africa. His success, the product of an intense work schedule (“I’m a workaholic,” he sheepishly admits) and unparalleled devotion to developing the drum ‘n’ bass scene in America and overseas, could have easily led him to roll out another straight ahead mix CD for his devoted fanbase. But Higgins decided it was time for a change.
“Usually when I get hit with some strange idea, I’ll be in the shower, or staring out an airplane window,” Higgins laughs, “And so it was with this one. I wanted to do something different than just a mix CD. I’ve done six mix CDs, and on the last one had two exclusive remixes of my tracks, special remixes just for The 6ixth Session. This inspired the idea for project HUMAN-getting people whose work I respected to remix tracks they liked.”
Project HUMAN, to be released on March 19th, 2002, is the first full-length release off of HUMAN, and gives a taste of the brave new world seen through the eyes of Dieselboy. Higgins, along with top-flight producers such as E-sassin, Stratus, Hive and Danny C from Twisted Anger, remix choice material from all types of electronic music, from filtered disco house to trance to west coast hip-hop. “Somewhere along the way I was like, why am I just remixing drum ‘n’ bass tracks?” explains Higgins. “Why don’t I get remixes of other styles of music as well? I wanted my CD to be varied, have influences from other genres.” Pulling in tracks like “Subculture” by LA hip-hop group Styles of Beyond, and “Pistolwhip” by renowned trance producer Joshua Ryan, he pulls apart the originals, weaving in his trademark fierce rolling basslines and spliced drum patterns. “I figured that if I started HUMAN, I could build a label that would be on a par with some of the best UK labels, because in general, US drum ‘n’ bass labels don’t get a lot of respect-people look at drum ‘n’ bass as an entirely UK phenomenon. I want to do a label that wakes people up, shows them that America does have good drum ‘n’ bass producers, and that they do make good music.”
And you can be sure Higgins knows his stuff, having been involved with the scene from its early days. “In ’91, at the University of Pittsburgh, I started throwing small house parties. Through these parties I met some DJs who brought me on board, let me play on their radio show, gave me an hour a week.” As styles of music began branching out, Higgins found his calling with music that had breakbeats in it, such as breakbeat house and UK hardcore, which eventually got faster and faster and eventually evolved into jungle and drum ‘n’ bass. “I’ve always been into percussion because I used to play drums, and the whole ethos of drum and bass is to push new sounds and new techniques in the studio. The music evolves so quickly and that’s why I like it so much.” This part-time hobby quickly evolved into a full-blown obsession, as Higgins started created a series of classic underground mix tapes. “Things were going well for me as a DJ, so I decided to jump in with both feet, and try to pursue this career as opposed to sitting behind a desk. Things just snowballed from there.”
Pick any metaphor you like, but it’s clear that Higgins has mastered the art. But as opposed to hogging the spotlight, his new goals are far more altruistic. He’s devoting time for the third annual Planet of the Drums tour this April, with his Planet Of The Drums Kru—drum ‘n’ bass mavens DJ Dara and AK 1200 and newcomer MC J-Messinian. “I realized that there was strength in numbers, and as a team could bring a lot more respect to the American drum ‘n’ bass scene.” This, in addition to the fact that after project HUMAN, Higgins is releasing singles from artists like E-sassin, Hive, Andy Sine and his own crew, Weapon, proves his devotion to building a collective, not just an image. Comments Higgins, “Drum ‘n’ bass is gaining more and more relevance in the world of electronic music. And for me Project Human feels a little more organic, a little more analog, and that ties in with all its different influences. And now, I think I can start helping promote other artists. I think it’s the next phase of my career, and a contribution I should be making to the American scene.”
