DJ R3K Says Techno Sucks

But there's still excellent electronic music being made constantly. I

guess if you're talking about the house music on South Beach, then

yeah, techno sucks. A lot of people don't really dig anymore. They're

just Xeroxing. I think any style of music can be amazing though, as

long as it comes from a pure place. And I can always tell within 30

seconds of a song if it's a total piece of shit or not.

NT: Alright it doesn't suck, I'm just not into it, but how do you get

you play in general, and is there an audience for it here already?

There are fundamental qualities about music that I think everyone can

appreciate, like when you hear a steady kick drum with a nice, bassy

thud-thud, or a catchy synth or guitar hook, or a vocal call-out like

"Ain't nuthin' but a hoochie mama!" You just feel like singing (or

yelling) along, whether you listen to this music regularly or not.

Certain sounds carry an energy that your body and brain and soul just

naturally react to, no matter where you're from. I feel anyone can

enjoy a good song of any genre. Especially if you're super hammered.

Then every song is fun and beautiful, except for the one that's playing

in the background while you're vomiting. Even then though. Everything

I play is danceable, from post-punk and post-disco to electro-house or

baile funk. Depends where I am, and what I'm feeling. Generally, I

think the audience is here, being that good music is good music to

anyone. They've just probably never heard most of the shit I'm dropping

for them, unless they're DJs. DJs know everything. I can still get them

to dance though.

NT: Where do you do shows, and what you think about that shit?

I try and do shows and parties at fresh places, being that most of the

venues down here are not very interesting anymore. I'm always on the

lookout for new places whether they be clubs, bars, warehouses,

galleries, etc. Anything fresh, no restrictions. Luckily the two nights

I'm spinning at now are new venues, still virgin, which is rare in

Miami! Bella Rose is on 16th and Washington and The News Lounge is on

55th and Biscayne. Both awesome places to spin. I feel very lucky

right now.

NT: Do you only DJ? Or do you produce, create, or play music too?

No, I write, produce, record and perform as This Heart Electric, and

with Animals of the Arctic, along with countless other projects as

well. I've been fucking around with music since I was 14, and I'm 24

now, and it's the only thing I care about. Besides the people I love.

But making music is love too.

NT: If somebody has a really stupid dance move...

Absolutely. If they are oblivious to it, even better. It definitely

means they're getting loose. I actually prefer watching "non-dancers"

dance. I feel like you can learn more from them than watching some

fucking club pro who thinks/knows how hot they look dancing.

Non-dancers definitely break more ground, hands down. I generally tend

to like people who don't give a fuck.

NT: Why don't more DJs yell over the PA while they spin records? Do they

that? I don't really go to clubs, but I like that type of shit.

Now that you mention it, I think I might go to Radioshack and get a

cheap megaphone for next week. I think sometimes people just need to be

shouted at, just like TV evangelist shows. You could be saying "I love

you like a pony loves ice cream," but if you yell it through a

megaphone at the top of your lungs it will still translate into

something like "Fucking annihilation nuclear George Bush!" It's

instant hype. People vibe off of your energy, and sometimes, people

just need to be given a pep-talk, so to speak. I think the reggae DJs

never let go of the

talking-over-the-music-mid-song-and-throw-in-a-siren-as-you-ask-people-how-they're-doing

thing though. I love it, personally. It's totally punk rock.

NT: How do you set yourself apart, or keep shit interesting?

I don't think it's up to me to set myself apart, I think that's other

people's job. My job is to play the music I think needs to be heard,

the music that I enjoy. If people dig you, they set you apart from the

general DJ pool. My number one rule is that I have to be having fun

with what I'm doing. The day I feel like I'm catering is the day I'll

put down my headphones. I guess that means I can never be Tiesto, or

some other piece of shit. Which I am totally comfortable with.

NT: What events do you have coming up?

Let's see... so much! We have a revolving door of guest DJs at

Psychic Tuesdays, mostly friends that own amazing records picking

different "themes" every week (astral projection, schizophrenia, etc.).

We change the look of the place weekly too, so you're never eating

leftovers. It's pretty crazy fun. At Nightdrive we're having The Remote

Controllers, Flux Forces/Creature Tweaker Council Pre-INC Show, and a

Ladies Night in the next couple of weeks. And there's tons of stuff in

the oven. It's so much! It's all on our pages though. No cover at

either one, by the way. Ever.

NT: What are your musical influences, besides the type of shit you play

cool?

I pretty much play all of my influences! I like so much, I don't even

know where to start. As far as Miami, there's amazing shit coming out

from down here that not many have heard, like Dino Felipe, Treasures,

TEEPEE, Electric Bunnies, Ha Ha Help!, Flux Forces, Amanda Green,

Panicbomber, etc. Miami is a pool of diamonds man. Beautiful stuff.

This is definitely a magic city. I'm very proud of my home and my

friends and everything we're all doing together.

NT: What's your web info? How can people reach you for booking? Anything else you wanna promote?

myspace.com/psychictuesdays

myspace.com/nightdrivemoroders

You can also find our groups on Facebook under "Psychic Tuesdays" and "Nightdrive." It's all there! Let's have some fun before 2012!