DJ What the Bleep

Reggae / Drum n' Bass

Bowling Green, Ohio, USA

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About

DJ What the Bleep - Ragga Jungle/Drum n' Bass

There is something about jungle, ragga vocalists and MCs, and the spirit of Jamaica that attracts me to this culture and music. When I listen to a song that speaks of suffering and suppression in a government of corruption and greed, I feel the pain in the voice. I sense the genuine nature of the stories and emotions.

My goal as a ragga jungle DJ is to pass on the vibe and message. My aim is not to become famous, but simply to foster the understanding and appreciation of ragga jungle worldwide. I do not respect the mindless objective of some DJs to use their job to attain sex or drugs. DJing is an invaluable role in the progression of music and should not be treated otherwise.

My goal as a ragga jungle DJ is to pass on the vibe and message. My aim is not to become famous, but simply to foster the understanding and appreciation of ragga jungle worldwide. For this to happen, I believe it is a necessity to DJ with limited distractions and absolutely no mind-altering substances to cloud my consciousness. Music, specifically the stories of Jamaican culture, is a very powerful source of emotion. I feel that if I were to be intoxicated in any way while I DJ, it would be an act of negligence. I am responsible for the emotions of those who listen to my music, so I am also responsible for the purity of the message. The gas mask that I wear when I DJ symbolizes this stand against substances.

When I perform for others, I can only hope that they approach my sets with an open mind. Not so long ago, even I couldn't even begin to comprehend or respect jungle. I realize that this is the case for many people, so I instead focus on the vibe, encouraging a positive attitude that lets listeners dance without losing their individuality, creative conscience, and intellectual curiosity. If some one who hears my music enjoyed what they heard while at least beginning to understand the depth of the message of ragga jungle, then I have done my job.

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My DJing career started after experiencing my first rave at an after-party for Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) in 2004. Awed by the ways the DJs would blend the music creating unique flows of music, I sought to learn how to DJ myself. I soon began to pursue the knowledge of the art of DJing by meeting new people in the rave culture, and as a result, I found myself spending time with Mike Sanderson, who shared the same interest of learning how to DJ. We together learned how to use DJ equipment and beatmatch.

Just a few months later, in the fall of 2004, I bought my first pair of turntables. Over the following half-year I played several Internet radio shows on lazystation.com and then later, darkfm.com. I was then booked for my first show at a small party in Detroit, similar to my very first rave; an after-party for DEMF in the same small venue in Roseville, exactly one year after my first exposure to rave music.

After finally learning what it was like to DJ for an audience, things began to explode. I recorded demos, promoted myself, and began to make connections all around the midwest, leading to many bookings and a growing reputation to play a good set of drum and bass. Keep in mind that when I started mixing, I had only a collection of about 30 records of techstep drum and bass. When I first went to look for records, I knew I liked the speed and energy of drum and bass; it was the most captivating sound I had heard since my introduction to the new music. However, as my skills moved forward, my taste in records evolved and I developed a liking for the intellectual and emotional edge that ragga jungle offered. The complicated drum beats added intelligence, and the vocals created stories and human emotion for listeners to relate to.

Now, over 50 full-size rave events later, I am proud to have played at events such as the World Electronic Music Festival (Tweed, Ontario), Camp Out (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 9th Circle weekly (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Blitzen 2 (Cleveland, Ohio), Triple Canopy (Cincinnatio, Ohio), and Frequency Festival (Dubois, Pennsylvania). Also, I now consider myself a regular to many midwest cities, including Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Detroit, and Cleveland. I spin two weekly Internet radio shows on jungletrain.net and dnbradio.com that bring my music to hundreds of jungle listeners around the world. With no end in sight to the continuing opportunities to let party-goers hear the sounds of ragga jungle, I am looking into the future to playing at Koncrete Jungle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, guesting on the San Diego Shakedown in San Diego, California, and more.

Note: My name is not derived from the thought-provoking quantum-physics movie "What the Bleep Do We Know". I was named Bleep as a raver at my first rave event, and it went from there.