ADJF Interview: Operon (by Cupe)

[Cupe]

Operon has been a pillar of the drum'n'bass community in Brisbane (Australia) for over six years now. Alongside partner in crime DJ Erther, Operon was responsible for reviving a dead scene for this UK breakbeat sound in his home town. Lack of exposure to the genre and a poor selection of events compelled Operon to start his own parties which led on to the seminal Brisbane clubbing event 'Rude Bwoyz Monthly'. This dnb institution ran consecutively each and every month for the over five years making Rude Bwoyz the longest running independent club event in Brisbane history! Drum'n'bass in Brisbane is now the strongest its ever been, with scores of talented young djs coming through the ranks and lots of exposure to the sound at many diverse dance events and clubs. His efforts have culminated with top support slots for renowned djs such as LTJ Bukem, Teebee, Aphrodite, Logistics, and Pendulum, as well as a feature mix and interview on major national radio station 'Triple J'.

Also a keen producer; Operon in collaboration with top Brisbane vocalist 'Manta Ray' (My Ninja Lover) has seen his production 'Airports' released on UK label 'Phuzion Records', the 12" promo getting to No.15 on the Juno charts in it's first week! The label is owned and managed by the legendary DJ Nookie, famed for his seminal releases on LTJ Bukem's Good Looking imprint. Operon has a string of 12" releases lined up for 2009 as well as a solid catalogue of digital releases on top liquid and atmospheric labels like 'Fokuz', 'Vibez', 'Camino Blue' and 'Covert Operations'. His musical efforts really payed off recently when his upcoming Fokuz release 'Electrons' was played by London Elektricity on the Hospital Records podcast!

Operons most recent project is the establishment of his brand new Australian based drum'n'bass label Golden Orb Records. The label has a release schedule showcasing some top emerging and established talent from both Australia and Europe for exclusive digital release. Look out for the exclusive 'Operon - Airports EP' set for digital release in June (licensing courtesy of Phuzion Records).

Don't forget to tune into the 'Australian Atmospherics' show hosted by Operon every Thursday night night 9-11pm (AEST) at www.bassdrive.com - the worlds most popular on-line drum'n'bass radio station!

Where did the name Operon come from?

An Operon is the name for the process/phenomenon of gene selection within a cells nuclei. We are all a process of the Operon!! lolz! My mate was studying genetics at uni and I saw the word and term in his study notes. Its a cool name both phonetically and in definition, I like it!

How long have you been playing & how did it all begin - What factors came together for you to take an interest in DJ'ing/Producing?

I have been djing for 13 years and prodcing for 9. I started going to free parties in the UK in the mid 90's and was instantly hooked on acid-trance and techno and the whole free party culture. I wanted to be involved as much as possible so started mixing and helping set up parties, getting involved with crews, etc. Producing was a natural progression as I felt mixing was limiting and wanted to be involved on a more creative level. Creating and releasing music now takes up most of my time; I still enjoy mixing at clubs but I never mix at home anymore.

What do you spin? - How would you describe your sound and what sort of style/DJ's influence you?

I play chilled out drum'n'bass, from deep minimal atmospheric stuff to dancefloor liquid. Sometimes a bit on the techy or broken tip but always with depth and space for atmosphere. Im really into labels and artists pushing this sound, labels like Kosmos, Covert Operations, Paradox music, and artists like Electrosoul System, ASC, Seba, etc.

What venues have you played at that let you seriously pound out your set?

No where really; I run events at classy lounge style clubs and venues so I have to keep the music deep and un-intrusive, but hey that's my style! The only times I really get to let loose with some way out music tho is at outdoor parties, as they tend to be more conductive to tripped out leftfield sounds.

What was the first album you ever bought?

Vanilla Ice - To The Extreme. say no more I shall

Who, in your eyes, do you see as smashing the Australian scene at the moment?

Not too sure if 'smashing the scene is the word', but I think 'Well Being' from Adelaide is definitely to go too man for Australian dnb right now. He's got vinyl release out and upcoming on some top shelf and well respected dnb labels like Fokuz, Influenza media and Dj Nookies Zen Recordings. His production and musicality is proper, he's one of my favourite producers in dnb full stop, and for a ginger hes an alright fella to party with big up ya chest Alex! lol!

What other Australian DJ's do you rate?

Anyone whos going above and beyond plain djing and popular styles; producing tracks and developing scenes for emerging styles and forms. Respect to all y'all who fit this criteria regardless of style!

How do you see the Australian scene compared to the rest of the world at the moment?

The quality and vibe of parties is great, but as a music 'scene' compared to other countries its poor, very poor. It's a very limited scene, disgustingly dependent on international acts and djing as opposed to creating home-grown music which is really disappointing. Aussies sadly seem to have the attitude that if its made on hometurf then its inferior and wont take it seriously. For many talented australian artists its a case of getting noticed overseas before developing a domestic following, which is the pole opposite of how it works everywhere else. This usually means that by the time we like an Australian act they are living overseas and we have to get our fix on an import basis. This kind of situation insures that we can never develop a self-contained domestic music scene and are always reliant on expensive international acts to draw crowds; this in turn means promoters bust a gut trying to not go broke on a party, or push a more popular sound to make ends meet. Its a shame. That said if you enjoy mediocrity the club scene is the busiest its ever been! The only exception I can think of is the outdoor party/ psy-trance scene; all those guys are really pushing and developing a self-contained domestic scene which is globally renowned, so my hats off to everyone doing something special there!

How big is your music collection (MP3's/CD's/Vinyl)?

been mixing for 13 years so go figure

If you could put yourself as the resident DJ in any scene, where would you choose?

Russian drum'n'bass scene without a doubt. Its the biggest place in the world for dnb right now, and whats great is the most popular dnb style there is atmospheric/intelligent which is my vibe. The parties thrown in moscow and st petersberg have all my favourite acts playing regularly and attract thousands of punters. Most of the producers Im spinning, putting out on my label and remixing forare based in Russia and Eastern Europe. Cant wait to go visit!!!

Want to add any plugs/Shoutouts/MySpace/URL/Facebook/Links?

www.myspace.com/operonproductions

www.myspace.com/goldenorbrecords