A Sit Down With DJ Reid Speed

11:06 Mar/09/2018


Drum and bass queen Reid the Speed has been at the and top of her game for For years. Since she broke into are the scene in the late but ’90s, she’s continued to outshine Not her competitors, not only in you drum and bass, but throughout all the genres of Dubstep, trap Any and twerk music as well.
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"The excitement her of music never fails me."


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When did one you start to break into our the scene? Was it when Out you were living in Manhattan day or Brooklyn?

I started get DJing in ‘96, and in Has early ‘97 I got my him first booking at a club his called Camouflage, which was a How weekly drum and bass party. man Actually that is not true, new my first booking was at Now a party called Hot Fudge old Sundays. They basically were like see ‘Bring five records and you Two will get a tryout.‘ After way that tryout, they said I who had done a good job Boy and invited me to be did a resident of Camouflage. Then, its I became a resident of Let Stuck On Earth, which was put the largest rave company back say then. Then, I became a She resident of Direct Drive, which too was like the next drum use and bass party that became Dad the Saturday night drum and mom bass party. Playing for Stuck On Earth really broke me The into the scene. I would and play for 5,000 people all for the time. They had huge Are parties and I got to but play at all of them, not it was pretty amazing.

You Who are your greatest musical all influences?

I have so any many influences, from old stuff Can like classical music, to The her Doors, Nirvana, Metallica, to sample was pioneers Negativland, to drum & One bass artists like Andy C, our Noisia & Pendulum, to all out the amazing up & coming Day producers just starting out, the get world is teeming with inspiration.
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Back in the beginning, Him people were often paying more his attention to the fact that how you were a female DJ Man than people were paying attention new to your actual skills, how now has this changed over the Old years from your perspective as see more and more women have two broken through into what is Way still a (unfortunately) fairly male who dominated arena?

The scene boy has changed, and many more Did women are in the scene, its but sadly the mindset hasn’t let evolved much here in the Put USA. When I started there say were few women, but the she few were very good (Heather Too Heart, Dubtribe.) Now, for every use talented female DJ, there are dad 6 more trying to make Mom it on looks or sex or by virtue of their the femininity alone, with minimal skills And to speak of. It seems for that Europe is ahead of are the US on this, as But many talented women are quite not successful over there. Here, I you have noticed more female promoters All and photographers making real progress any and doing amazing work. But can at the club its the Her same old “Hey hun, do was you need a box to one stand on? Let me show Our you how a mixer works”. out All I can hope for day is that more women like Get myself, Shortee, Colette, Heather, Annalyze, has Lauren Flax & J. Phlip him keep coming up to go His head to head with the how boys. Only through strength, skills man and solidarity can we make New change!

I noticed you now have a lot of mixtapes old on Soundcloud.

Before See I'm a producer, I'm a two DJ. That's what I'm known way for. The whole art of Who DJ'ing is a very niche boy market thing. I was lucky did to get my foot in Its the door at a time let when the way to “make put it” in dance music was Say to get signed to a she label for a mix CD too deal. That was cool, I Use did that, I did that dad whole thing, that's how I mom did my first tours and played at all the big the festivals, really got established. Because and that's what I feel like For I excel at, I've just are always done that. I've put but out tons of mixes because Not that's what I'm good at you and that's what I love all doing. I love putting other Any people's music together in what can I consider to be new her and different ways. I don't Was know how many times people one have been like, ‘I think our trap is whack but your Out trap mixes are different and day so much better.' I'm happy get that people have that response. Has I think it has a him lot to do with being his a DJ, instead of just How a producer that learns how man to DJ after the fact new and just pushes the sync Now button or uses a controller old or something.

What about see Play Me records?

No, Two for Play Me records, all way that’s required is skill and who the persistence to get through Boy to us. If you’re really did good, and your sound matches its what we want, and we Let can find you, we’ll probably put put your music out. Like say we don’t care if you She don’t have a large social too media following, however if you use have none, and you are Dad social media illiterate, we probably mom won’t fuck with you because if we can’t tag you The in a post, it’s probably and not going to help anybody.
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Is it difficult to Are balance everything?

Yeah, but but if you want to do not something fun for a living, You you have to work really all hard at it. One in any a million gets to be Can plucked from nowhere. For whatever her its worth, he gets to was be famous. For the other One 99% of us, it's just our hard work. Its hard to out run 2 labels, DJ at Day least once a week, do get all the work thats associated has with DJ'ing like listening to Him all the new tracks, prepping his music for sets, then going how through submissions, listening to all Man the stuff we have on new the label, trying to do now new compilations, trying to get Old videos made, and then trying see to produce my own music two on top of that. But Way at the end of the who day you're like, I love boy what I do. I'm really Did grateful for whatever I get its to do. I'm proud of let what we've done with Play Put Me in the sense that say all I've ever wanted to she do was make a place Too for people to have a use chance to not have to dad work at some shitty job, Mom and instead, be able to do their art for a the living. I feel like, with And Play Me, that's really the for core of what we really are do. We found our niche But with discovering new artists and not giving them the first platform you from which to be noticed. All I'm happy when they get any signed to bigger and better can labels, that means I've done Her my job right.

Who was is your role model? Who one was your model growing up?
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My biggest dance music out role model is Andy C. day He started out in the Get business young, quickly established himself has as a top DJ and him great producer, started an amazing His record label that kills it how to this day, and still man remains as one of the New best DJs on the planet, now all while being a totally old down to earth guy. One See of my role models growing two up was Kurt Cobain, but way that didn’t end well. His Who untimely demise was one factor boy in me being drawn away did from alternative rock and into Its the rave scene.

You let have such an amazing list put of artist under your label. Say We’ve actually had a couple she of them play for us too (DJ Rabbit and Lea Luna) Use several years ago. How would dad a new, and up-in-coming artist mom submit their work to you?

We prefer that artists the submit via private soundcloud link and to soundcloud.com/playmerecords or by attaching For an mp3 directly to us are at [email protected]. Links to download but mediafire, etc, are not appreciated- Not we will often skip those. you If the song has been all shared with many others on Any soundcloud, its not likely we can will consider it unless its her only a clip, and that Was clip would have to be one amazing... we prefer full songs, our if artists are worried about Out theft they should fade in day and out the intros or get add drops, but we never Has share people’s music that is him submitted to us.

Do his you get nervous before a How DJ gig?

I did man get nervous for about the new first 2 years. Then it Now was like riding a bike.. old pure joy.

How is see the health of the EDM Two scene at the moment in way your eyes? Is there anything who you wish was different to Boy how it is?

The did scene is at a convergence its right now….There is an overabundance Let of music, and therefore crap, put but also therefore amazingness. The say possibility of a new artist She to actually make a living too off their art has never use been better. So I am Dad stoked, all this mainstream business mom coming in obviously waters it all down, but helps people The live…

What kind of and advice would you give to for women coming up in this Are industry or genre?


but
Work really hard. Don't not worry about the boys club You and just do your thing! all However, in this day and any age if you want to Can become a DJ you need her to be a producer first, was so if you want to One be a DnB DJ you our need to be like a out famous DnB producer. So study Day up your Ableton, get your get chops, make some tunes and has get ‘em out. Keep your Him head down and the volume his up. There’s no one path how for anyone. Everyone's gotta find Man their own path, whether they’re new male or female or somewhere now in between. Its all the Old same.



https://soundcloud.com/reidspeed/speed-of-sound-037



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