INTERVIEW: Dynooo [Mac Fly/Digsville]

Hailing from Ghent in Belgium, Dynooo’s Gum Dragon EP hit us like a slip on the Malvern hills: totally unexpected and embarrassingly public. It was a poignant act out of nowhere, and a strong collection of beats that piqued all kinds of interest from us. Cut from the same cloth as a lot of the new wave of beat producers (I’d list them if I felt like I didn’t give them enough props repeatedly on here anyways…), Dynooo has a strong and awkward sense of hip hop rhythm, absolutely beating out his boom bap rhythms.

After he ‘Rekuttt’ a track from Slugabed’s Planet Mu EP, we hounded him for some dubs and he obliged kindly, sending us an understated zip folder of some of the rawest demos – an act that never goes unnoticed round this IP address and one that is illustrated perfectly in Dynooo’s accompanying Sonic Router Mix – so we sought to seek him out and let him vent.

Sonic Router: Can you provide those who may not know you with a bit of background info on yourself? Outside of music who are you? What do you do on the daily?

Dynooo: I’m a 27 year old Belgian guy with a caffeine-addiction and a sincere admiration for beautiful women. I like 90’s action flicks, pattern designs, Harold Faltermeyer and stuff that’s often perceived as kitsch. My daily occupation is walking my good friend/pitbull named Cheese and running a concept store.

How did you first get into making music? What was it that infected you to do produce?

I wanted to make a demo tape just like the ones I used to buy at the local skate shop. Me and my best friend started a group and I got hold of a CD which had cracked versions of Cool Edit and Photoshop on it. I bought a mic and started rapping.

What’s your production set up like?

Haha; pretty much just a laptop, mic, mixer, some vinyl and a MIDI keyboard. I own a SP 303 but it’s been a while since I messed with it. I still use the same stereo system my parents gave me when I was 12. I don’t know, every time I’ve freed up some cash for decent studio monitors there’s just other bills to pay. Really wanna get a 80’s analog synth tho....

Where do you take inspiration from when making music?

Nostalgia. Anything unusual looking/sounding; could be something I see walking around, a dope record or cool imagery. I try not to get inspired by music just too much, locking myself in the attic works best for me.

Yours is a very contorted and intricate sound. How would you describe it in your own words?

Tough one. I’d say electronic beat music, although I got so many tunes that sound nothing like what’s out there right now. Let’s result to cliché’s on this one. Let the listener decide.

Your Gum Dragon EP was released on the Digsville imprint recently house in your own custom designed sleeve. Tell us a little about the EP, the ‘Fuh Real’ and Richard Colvaen collabos and the artwork?

It’s basically a collection of songs my friends thought were cool enough to release. ‘Fuh Real’ is a song I did with Swedish songstress Naboobia; it’s more of a r&b joint that didn’t end up on the radio as much as we wanted. I did a remix and so did Luigi.

The artwork is a visual representation of the record, electronic but organic, pure but processed, complete but chopped up.

My dude Vaen is from Luik (located in the French-speaking part of Belgium) just like Cupp Cave. We’re three people with a remarkably similar taste in music production. There will be a collab project, this summer I’m definitely going over there for a week or so. Cupp wants to see Mermaids together but I told him ‘no’.

He’s going to shoot me for this.

Is the visual aspect of your art something you’re concentrating on too?

Yes! Glad you asked… I’ve been trying to do more collage work. Designing the Gum Dragon sleeve certainly triggered my desire to do more visual art again. Finding the time is my biggest boggle. I learned that expression from Demolition Man.



What’s the scene for this kind of music like in Ghent, and in Belgium?

There’s none, basically. People are really close-minded, it’s like they just recently accepted unquantized instrumental hip hop and that’s it. Anything more forward-thinking apparently leads to confusion. Then again, I played at an arts academy a couple weeks ago where people were actually dancing and excited about the music, which has given me a spark of hope.
I don’t know what it’s like in other countries but there’s definitely a lot of envy here and the ‘crabs in a bucket’ mentality is mind-blowing (read: frustrating) sometimes.

Your own and run the Mac Fly shop in the city. Tell us about that...

Mac Fly is a small-scale store I started two years ago where you can get music, new/vintage clothing, magazines and accessories. Attached is a community of young music lovers, designers and photographers. On the blog you can read what goes on in and around the shop.

You also run your own Max Fly mix series too right? Whose contributed to it so far?

Let’s see; Jay Scarlett and Fulgeance are the more known names I guess. There’s a couple mixes that really stand out, like the ones from Jar Moff and the Skate & Destroy joint. I did two, as well as all the artwork.

In the mix you’ve submitted for us you hit an 80s boogie and jazz section. Is that something you’re deep into? Does the mix reflect a typical live set from you?

Not really, I usually play about 80% of my own music at live gigs, preferably heavy bass stuff. However I love doing mixes, that way I can showcase music I wouldn’t be able to play in a live situation, work that I think people should get to know about… I do usually sneak some Pretty Ricky, Freeez, Clay D or Mariah Carey in there. Taking things out of its context is fun to me.

Who else in and out of the beats/dubstep scene are you feeling right now?

I can honestly say both Cupp and Vaen are some of my favorite producers, as are Slugabed, Jar Moff, Dimlite, Mwëslee and 16 Bit. Good stuff is always coming from the Lucky Me camp -I’m reaaally looking forward to that American Men record. In other genres: Nite Jewel, Gonjasufi and Beach House. I just started listening to quite some older leftfield African music as well.

Tell us a little about the mix you’ve put together for us…

It’s a blend of all the stuff I’m currently listening to, including unreleased tracks by Kingfisherg, Richard Colvaen, Slugabed and myself.

What else is coming up for you in 2010?

I’m getting offered more and more live gigs (looking for a booking agent, by the way). The thought of going back to art school has crossed my mind; apart from that definitely new releases plus I’m on some compilations coming out soon-ish.



Have you got any words of wisdom for our readers?

When in doubt, dash.

::

DOWNLOAD: Dynooo - Sonic Router Mix



Tracklist:

1. Sotu The Traveller (Dynooo's Candy Wolf Rmx)
2. Dynooo - Cawf Drop
3. Dynooo - Coiiiin
4. Memory Tapes - Run Uut
5. Dynooo - Kemmet Gefixt
6. Kingfisherg - My Uncle Died Calculating Infinity
7. Dynooo - Sayyyeah
8. The Limit - Say Yeah
9. Sharon Redd - Second To None
10. Dynooo - Fuh Real Instrumental
11. 52nd Street - I Can't Let You Go
12. Jar Moff - Track 04
13. Richard Colvaen - Flashback
14. Jadakiss - I Want A Girl Like You
15. Dynooo - Will Flattened (with Richard Colvaen)
16. Neil Landstrumm - Eva
17. Ludacris & Trey Songz - Sex Room
18. H-town - They Like It Slow
19. Slugabed - Goose
20. Artful Dodger & Craig David - Rewind (Dynooo rwrk)
21. Beach House - Norway
22. Dynooo - Meatfish
23. Kingfisherg - Indian Mound
24. Goodbye Home Sweet Home

Link:
www.myspace.com/dyno
www.macflyisthenewblack.com

Photo: Kmeron
Mix Art: Dynooo