Chainsaw Interviews

# 01 Wed, Sept. 5 / 07

DJ Socool

aka Emily S.

    So Ms. Socool, you've been active in the local radio community for some time now. You're also responsible for work on several original tracks, played the Soundwave festival, and you've been voted "Best Newcomer DJ" by North West DNB.com. So lets find out a little more about you.

Are you a coffee drinker or a tea drinker?

    I'm six of one, half a dozen of the other.

How did you first get into spinning wax?

    It all started when I took up position as a DJ Ho to DJ Soo, who was actually spinning drum'n'bass back then. Because we were so immersed in that culture, it seemed quite natural for me to give it a spin, as it were, given my lifelong love of searching out and performing music.

Do you/ did you ever play another musical instrument?

    Yep. When I was a likkle one, I had piano lessons. My sister and I used to compose songs using our trusty Yamaha PSR-75. I also played alto sax in a jazz band for awhile. Following that came the guitar obsession teen years, a time when I attempted to learn like every Radiohead song and formed various bands with friends (we usually got as far as the act of picking a name for ourselves and jamming a bit).

How did you get involved in community radio?

I lucked into my involvement with Shadow Jugglers radio on CiTR 101.9fm. Back when I was a true newbie DJ, I played my first actual gig on that very show. MP Coast to Coast, who created Shadow Jugglers in Montreal in 2001, was keeping it alive out here in Vancouver. We were finding that our collaborations in event production went well and that we shared similar musical visions, so eventually she invited me into the crew, much to my (continued) delight.

What is your setup at CITR?

    We have the usual Techs plus a decently shoddy mixer. Oh, and in the lounge, a pop machine that's full of beer.

Who would you love to see yourself opening up for?

    A couple of times now I've warmed up the speakers for the Daega Sound System, something I consider to be quite an honour. In the future, I would be thrilled to share a bill with artists like DJ Distance, DJ Shadow (a girl can dream, can't she!), Krinjah and Paradox.

    The dub sound (dnb, jungle, dubstep, dub, etc.) seems to be prominent in the music you play. Can you explain why so many people feel that dub sound?

    For me, it's a sound I've been increasingly drawn to. Local selectors like DJs MP, Wood and Dabbler have played a big part in that. Plus the Radiodread album by the Easy Star All Stars, which is a reggae/dub cover of the entirety of Radiohead's OK Computer, really had a big impact on me. If I had to guess about the rising appreciation for that yummy dub sound, I would say perhaps it fits well with the laid-back West Coast style. That, and honestly, it's just more fun to dance to.

Any regular nights in Vancouver you would encourage people to check out?

    Mixdown Tuesdays @ The Bayside Lounge (1755 Davie @ Denman) is a free weekly lounge night in which DJ Soo and I lay down the best in downtempo, triphop, dubstep, hiphop, funk, reggae, and whatever else tickles our fancy.

    For drum'n'bass, I would recommend Fixed Fridays @ The Met and Midnight Tuesdays @ The Republic.
As for dancehall and reggae, Brukout @ Shine on Wednesdays is the place to be.
The Lighta! Crew put on some excellent parties, I really recommend looking into those.

What is in your cdplayer/mp3 player right now?

My MP3 player is loaded up with DJ mixes and live PA sets from the likes of C64, CPI, Food, Photek, Lemonjelly, Dangamouse & Taal Mala.

Any heads up on upcoming artists that should be given credit / have caught your attention?

    Watch out for Lola, a dnb DJ based in the Okanagan with mad style. Also, my sister Whitney has caught the bug and has been mixing up a storm. For production, HxdB has recently gotten back into the game after a long absence, and is making drum'n'bass and dubstep that's darn good.

Are there any websites that you spend way too much time on?

    Oh yeah. I'm guilty of hitting the refresh button on dubstepforum.com multiples times per day.

What is important for you when playing a live set?

    Ideally, I would play a set of music that both I and the people listening enjoy. I recognize that playing the opening slot for 5 people can be just as rewarding as playing the headlining slot at a packed party. I try to find a balance between focusing on technical skills and connecting with the crowd. And finally, I am always much happier when my monitor is on the left side.

How are your juggling skills?

    Beats, balls or shadows? : )

Where would you like to see the electronic music community go (or where would you see it 5 years from now)?

    Five years from now the kids will have grown up using music programs like Ableton Live and Garage Band, and will have a level of comfort and intuition with the software that us old fogies will have to respect. For example, there's a 12 year old in the UK producing dubstep right now that is pretty good. You know, even now, producers are making epic music using just their laptops and some headphones, and I think there is going to be a DIY revolution where people sit down with their computers and make the music that they want to hear.

Do you have any other hobbies in your spare time?

    DJing, producing music and promoting events was filling up my spare time just fine. Now that I'm heading back to school, spare time will be less easy to come by and I'm really hoping I'm going to be able to find a balance.

Any advice for people getting into playing / producing music?

    I think the best DJs/producers are the ones who don't try to sound anything like previously established sounds.

CD's and Serato: Killing the scene, or taking it to the next level?

    Well they certainly open up the world of mixing music to a lot of people that might otherwise have sat out. That's because vinyl is more expensive than CDs or digital tunes, and is generally more difficult to find. Plus it's a neat idea that all the CDs you've bought over the years are now in your DJ repertoire versus having to start up from scratch when beginning to collect vinyl. But see, the thing is, digging for vinyl is a fundamental part of DJ culture, and I wonder if missing out on that could be a loss for those who have embraced it in its new forms. But then, quoting from the documentary called Scratch, digging isn't gonna make a bad DJ good, but it's gonna make a good DJ better. I know that I've found stuff on vinyl that I'd been hoping to find for ages, and it's just the best feeling. Myself, I am all about the vinyl and will only use Serato or CDJs to play my own productions (and would prefer to press dubplates instead but those are mighty costly). I believe that vinyl sounds warmer and more rich than CDs or digital files, and is worth the extra effort. But to those who have followed a different path that is supposedly easier, I say - all the power to them. If they're in it for the love of the music, that's what matters, not the format they play off.

If you could visit one city/country in the world, where would it be?

    I sure wouldn't mind going back to Jamaica! Oh and I'm dying to go to a dubstep party in the UK.

How do you see yourself improving over time?

    I am continuing to work on my scratching skills, and am learning more about production with each tune I've written. I'm not too worried about the 'how' just as long as I actually am improving in some way.

Thanks for your time. Do you have anything else to say to all the swingin cats out there?

    Keep on swingin, my friends.

Be sure to check out Socool on The Shadow Jugglers Show

with hosts MP, Bias, and Soo

on CITR 101.9FM Saturday nights from 7-9.