Exclusive Interview: Dbot

This week we have our dude, Dbot, in the Artist Spotlight. Dbot has played all over the city of Chicago, at some of the hottest clubs. He began his career playing at top establishments out in Dekalb at Northern Illinois University. He has had the opportunity to play alongside internationally know artists. Dbot is also a part of the United2Nite/House Music Saved My Life crew.

What made you want to start DJing?

Djing was always something of another world to me really. I got into house music at a pretty young age and as I got older and started going out to clubs, it had this serious quality about it. My experience, up until I bought a set of CDJs, was merely being a member of the audience, watching the DJ do his thing. Also it’s a way to express ourselves. There was always a unique draw towards what was going on in the booth. Definitely enough to get me curious about what it would take to really pick it up and I thought  that I had a pretty good ear for a quality track, so when I came up with enough money to even consider it, I went all in.

Who is your biggest influence?

Considering how fast dance music evolves and tends to change, I think it constantly goes back to all of the Chicago DJs such as Mixin Marc, Alex Peace, JJ Flores & Steve Smooth. More than anything, I think it goes back to Daft Punk. I remember when my brother came back from the store with Homework and I had never heard anything quite like that.

What’s Your Favorite Record Of All Time? 

I think if i had to pick just one track, one that comes to mind is Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s take on Laurent Garnier’s track, the classic, Man With The Red Face.

What is your favorite party in Chicago?

Anything at Spybar really, I think they just get everything right from the music to the overall vibe of the club. I’m also a big fan of the Roof On The Wit Sunday sessions, complete pandemonium in there, just the perfect spot to cap off your Saturday night out.

Who do you want to collaborate with?

I’ve got a long list of people who I really admire and would love to get in the studio with. I think it would be a real treat to work with the Hot Creations’ label boss, Jamie Jones. It seems like everything off that label has been absolute fire so I’ve been playing a lot with that sound right now.

What’s the most embarrassing thing thats happened to you at a show?

Early on in my DJ career, about when I was in college, I definitely took too much advantage of the free drink tab I got and was DJing absolutely hammered. It was around peak hour when it started hitting me and I wasn’t really realizing what I was doing and I tried cueing up the next track on the turntable that I was playing the current track. It instantly killed the vibe at the worst possible time. Definitely not something I wanna repeat.

What do you like to do when you’re not working on music/djing?

That’s tough because music is always involved at some capacity. Things like, when I’m not playing shows, I’m still out at shows enjoying music with friends. When I’m at home, I just like to kick it and play around with my different synths and instruments I got around, that’s pretty much all I do.

What is your opinion on the current EDM scene?

It’s great that dance music gets the credit that it’s due. It always seemed like it was on the outside looking in when it comes to pop culture. I think there’s a sense of quality that some people miss because it used to be their thing and they feel like it’s been devalued a bit because of it. I would say now that EDM is more prominent than  ever it’s become more of a stereotype more than anything else. I used to think that EDM was a good way to generalize the kind of music I listen to because it encompassd a whole bunch of stylizes in an endless pool of blossoming genres and sub genres. But lately it’s what people are using to describe those hard hitting, progressive bangers that all sound the same, but somehow still dominate the Beatport charts. Now that it’s filled with such a negative comentation in many different circles, I try to distant myself from under that umbrella.

What do you think will be the next big thing in EDM?

It’s hard to predict what the next big thing will really be, considering we live in a day and age where anything that goes viral on the internet can impact where dance music is going. I’ve been really into the deeper and funky house sounds so I hope that part of the scene develops a little bit. As far as where it’s going, I think it’s really a bid whoever has the balls to take the current formula and introduce different elements that people find interesting and enjoyable, and the rest will take it’s course and then you’ll have the next big thing.

Is there any upcoming releases/shows we should keep an eye out for?

I’m currently working on a new mix series that I’m going to launch in conjunction with my revamped website and blog. I’ve got a lot of tracks that I’ve been tinkering with in the home studio. I’m really hoping to get those to a level where I’m comfortable enough to get them out there. Other than that, I’m definitely excited about the new stuff going on with United2Nite. Esspecially looking forward to the reboot of the House Music Saved My Life parties, they’re a real blast to be a part of!