DC9 at Night Mixtape with the Experiment

Chris Parkinson DJs as the Experiment, a holdout from the better days of dubstep. Believe it or not, there were better days before the obnoxious drops and insidious wobbles took over the genre and it completely jumped the shark. Before cringeworthy pop vocals and money grabs, dubstep was as underground and unpretentious as it got. It was all about bass, space, minimalism and actual dub. For this week's Mixtape, the Experiment delves into the current state of the underground dubstep scene, which is starting to show life again in the underground now that the bandwagon has moved on to other hype genres. (Deep house anyone?)


DC9 at Night: How did you get started DJing? How long have you been at it?

The Experiment: I’d always been drawn to electronic music growing up. Never thought of DJing until I attended the Bass-zilla show in '08. As soon as I had heard that deep, dark dub sound I knew I wanted to be a part of it. After that show I started buying vinyl from The Recshop and Remix. Been going strong DJing for 7 years.

How is the Fort Worth DJ scene?

I wish the scene was a little stronger. One of our favorite venues, Froggys, closed and is now a hamburger and craft beer spot. We’ve had some good shows here but I think the real push is to just throw shows in Dallas since most people don’t mind making the trek.

How was this mix made? Is there a particular theme for the track selection?

The mix was made on Pioneer DJM 800 mixer, two-CDJ 900 NXS and two Stanton T80 turntables. No other software was used unless you count Audacity. The theme for me is usually dark and foreboding. Good rainy day kinda music.

Who are some of your favorite DJs or producers?

Too many to name so I’ll just go with some of the things I’ve been purchasing lately. Drew’s Theory: I love the sound from him the drum lines; they sound a bit like Matty G and that’s something I would like to see more of without it being trap music. Truth, Proxima, D-operation Drop and Kaiju are some of my favorites right now. As for DJs, I would have to go with Youngsta. He’s very skilled and always pushing the low bass music.

What is your relationship with Dub Commission?

Startied going to DubCo shows starting in '08 and supporting the dub scene. Once I could start handing out demos one of them landed me a guest spot at one of DubCo’s weekly nights and then I was asked to join the crew officially.

Do you still buy vinyl?

Of course — although I feel it will eventually make me bankrupt. The only thing I’m not a fan of with vinyl shopping these days is that most of the bass music I search for is sold online. I really miss spending four or five hours at a store crate digging

What is your most memorable music moment of the past year?

I’d say that would have to be opening for Plastician last year at The Green Elephant. I remember going to Dub Assembly shows there for quite sometime, so opening for someone I have followed for years at a venue I frequented was amazing.

Where do you like to dig for tracks? Any specific websites or stores?

I go to www.junodownload.com for all of my mp3s or wavs. I really like the subgenre filters. Sometimes they don’t work exceptionally great but it can help filter out a lot of the things you don’t want to have to click through. For vinyl either discogs.com or redeyerecords.co.uk. The only downside to having to order wax is summer is coming up so I’m a little reluctant to have them shipped.

How did you get into podcasting?

I started in '09 on everydayjunglist.com and stayed with them until they pulled the plug on the website a couple years ago. After that I was on Ustream for a bit trying to find a site that I could play anything. I chatted with Wil over at chew.tv and got set up there. Now you can find me at chew.tv.experiment every Sunday.

What other genres or artists do you like to spin or listen to outside of dance music?

I love just about anything besides country, but if I had to narrow it down I have some Dr Octagon on wax I’m pretty fond of. Before this electronic endeavor it was usually RATM or Primus and Les Claypool.

Tracklist:
1. Saule Malleus-The Flip Version
2. Jkenzo and Matty G-Flatline
3. TMSV-Haze (Lx One Remix)
4. Genetix-Dreadbomb
5. Jkenzo-Technoid
6. Proxima-Trapped
7. Loefah-Disko Rekah
8. Wasteman-Panic
9. Sqz Me-Crush It (feat Ill Chill)
10. Dark Harmonics-Quake

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