Dubstep // Current

10 questions with soundFLUX by ian aka dj daniella downs

DD: Today I have quite a good read for you. Interviewing someone who has pushed breakbeat in DC hard, and now has added producing and running a label to his repertoire. Jay is pretty outspoken, and has loads to say. A very good read. Enjoy!

DD: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. You've been a staple in the DC breakbeat scene for quite some time. Tell us about your beginnings?

SF: As a young boy growing up, I was introduced to Funk, Soul and more than a couple encounters with Jazz that led to me playing the trumpet through middle school, high school, and the occasional small gig where I was introduced to playing by ear versus strictly reading sheet music. It was then that I realized music was much more than a mere pastime or song on the radio; music to me makes the world go around, the universal language. From the Freestyle music era that lit up the airwaves and radio dials in Florida to the chest rattling bass emitting from the low-riding masses, I relished in it all. I still remember the first time I was introduced to Techmaster P.E.B. I thought my ears were going to implode. As Breakbeats began to take more of a foothold, I was instantly drawn to the funky vibes that accompanied them and a eternal union was instantly formed. My first experiences in a DJ booth occurred during my tour with the Marines in a small dank North Carolina gentlemen's club rightfully coined The Cave. With such a vast spectrum of music demanded throughout the nights, mixing consisted very little of the club blends typically associated with EDM. But of course, with a contract to fulfill and the world to see, I was deployed several times to parts of the globe I never dreamt of seeing and time-off consisted of traveling to the nearest urban environment to dine on the local music scene. In 1995 while stationed in Washington, DC I was introduced to the Capital Ballroom and Buzz; needless to say I was blown away. Upon my Honorable Discharge I chose to return to the Chocolate City in 1998, set up camp and called it home. It was also in 1998 that I was finally able to begin honing my skills behind a set of Technics with a crate of old House and Breakbeat records. In 2000, I met my wife at Nation and to this day she still supports my passion for the craft of mixing and present day production projects. Soon after, Friends Collective formed and we began hosting small one-offs, weekly's, and the occasional opportunity to perform at larger events in and around the metropolitan area such as Thriller hosted by DC Skillz at the DC Tunnel.

DD: You are the head of Breakbeat Energy - a local production crew / dj collective that was responsible for the successful Digital Invasion parties @ the Uptown Tavern. How did that collective form?
...click link to read more:
http://www.buzzlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125808&highlight=soundflux
...new release to hit stores on October 28, 2009 click link for full preview:
http://soundcloud.com/breakbeatenergy/let-the-hammer-blowDD: Today I have quite a good read for you. Interviewing someone who has pushed... more