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Drum and bass has been a thriving part of American dance culture for several years now. And few who follow the scene would dispute that it's got the DJs to prove it. Like Dieselboy, who is about to release his sixth domestic mix CD - and first for Palm - entitled, appropriately enough, The 6ixth Session. Recording artists of merit have been harder to come by in the States, however, Dieselboy, whose three Palm singles, " The Descent," "Render," and "Invid" have been heralded as among the strongest American drum and bass releases to date. Five of his productions are gathered together as a bonus CD to The 6ixth Session, serving to introduce Dieselboy the artist while confirming his status as a DJ. Add in that Dieselboy also promotes his own club night, and has worked as both a record buyer and graphic designer within the scene, and you know you're dealing with one of America's most passionate drum and bass headz.
Born 28 years ago to parents who know him as Damian Higgins, Dieselboy (an online pseudonym that stuck) grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. His childhood, though he didn't realize it at the time, was like a training course for his future career. Drum lessons for five years. Breakdancing. Playing the records at high school dances. Stocking up on synth pop by Depeche Mode and New Order, house by Lil Louis, and then industrial dance by the likes of Nitzer Ebb. The record that most affected him, though, was a famously mental - piece of hardcore Belgian techno entitled "Anasthasia" by T99. "The first time I heard it was in a record store, because someone had recommended it to me," he recalls. "The moment they put it on and I heard that synth stab, my life was changed." In Pittsburgh, Damian jumped into the rave scene in '91 when it was just getting started. In other words, he threw his own parties. These parties brought him to the attention of a couple of techno Djs at Carnegie Mellon University's local radio station, who had a six hour time block on Friday nights, but not enough records to fill it. Higgins jumped at the chance to broadcast. "Through that show they taught me how to play vinyl, and how to beat match. Then I slowly started playing clubs in Pittsburgh and branching out, playing a little bit of techno, a little bit of house, but mostly breakbeat and hardcore." 'Hardcore' was the precursor to what came to be known first as 'jungle' and then as drum and bass, by which point Dieselboy had found his niche. "I've always been into percussion because of drumming, so I was into the crazy drum work, 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."
Fortunately, Dieselboy had the requisite energy to stay ahead in a constantly shifting scene. As his reputation for seamlessly mixed DJ sets spread, Higgins moved to Philadelphia for easy access to bookings on the Eastern Seaboard. He put out two mix CDs for Suburban Base USA, then started working at Philly dance culture mecca, 611 Records, as their buyer for drum and bass records and designing graphics. He also started his own Thursday night event called Platinum, now two years old and a requested stop on every British DJ's itinerary. "Some of the best nights we've had there are the best nights I've had being out at a club anywhere," he says proudly. "The energy is just amazing: it's like, this is what drum and bass is. " As his club night took off, Dieselboy recorded a third mix CD for 611's own label, then two more for Moonshine. In the meantime, he had been putting ideas together in the studio and as his reputation spread among UK producers, he accepted an invitation to fly to Bristol, the drum and bass heartland, and co-wrote the track "Atlantic State" with noted producer Technical Itch. Palm Pictures heard the music, liked it, and signed him to a solo deal. Higgins returned to Bristol to make the tracks that have formed his debut EP - "The Descent", "Render" and "Invid". For "The Descent", he could not resist paying tribute to the synth stabs from that old T99 record that had first captured his imagination. The result was a track that fits in perfectly with the tech-step subgenre of drum and bass, which matches raging beats and mad percussion with the filtered synth sounds of techno. Of his growing production skills, Dieselboy notes, "Because of DJing I have an idea of how to make tunes that are effective on the dancefloor, I know how to put drops in and how to build it up. I know what I like to hear so I try to put that into my music."
As for The 6ixth Session, like its predecessor it's marked by a determination to be as current and cutting edge as possible. At its point of compilation, none of the tracks were commercially available. Even by the time of release, Higgins expects only a few of the cuts to be in the stores. Still, the listing reads like a who's who of current talent. Andy C ("I always get inspiration from him"), Bad Company, Future Cut, Technical Itch - and of course a couple of Dieselboy cuts. [One of these is a remix of 'Invid' by rising west coast star E- Sassin. Higgins is desperately keen to see the American scene move forwards and out of friendship and solidarity has formed his own 'Planet of The Drums' posse with fellow traveling Djs Dara and AK1200.]
"It's a big deal in drum and bass to get the new the new the new," Dieselboy explains of the culture's constant drive for innovation. "It's taken me years to finally get to meet a lot of these producers and artists and have them trust me to give me new material. Which is why when people come to hear me they can expect me to drop the latest stuff. Plus, I bust my ass. I'll call a record store and say 'What have you got that's new? Overnight it to me,' or I'll overnight my DAT tapes to the dub plate place [dub plates being limited edition acetate vinyl pressings] and have them overnight it back to me. I bust my ass 110% to have the newest music possible. If I play a tune that becomes an anthem, then when it finally does come out, I retire it." Clearly the challenge for Dieselboy the producer is to make tracks that Dieselboy the DJ would not want to retire. On the evidence so far, consider him up to the task.
