Ever since CGNY heard Dean Paul de Leons Droid Behavor podcast last year, we've been keeping a beady eye on this LA born dj. Part of the DB family, he plays next on the Droid night with Brian Sanhaji. Dean kindly gave us this weeks CGNY guest mix too - an exclusive from Dean. You don't want to miss this!
CGNY: Tell us about growing up in LA. What kind of music were you listening to and loving?
Dean: Growing up in LA was the sh*#. When I first got into the underground/rave scene in Los Angeles I was listening to Hardcore. I also started to DJ this genre of music. Then I got into hard trance, acid house, and acid techno. Which evolved into techno.
CGNY: When and how did you get into djing? What was your first piece of professional gear? What was your first gig like?
Dean: Thirteen years old: Mars radio and Powertools. I ended up at a rave and the audience was listening. Every weekend and every party was different.
I got a Gemini techno master mixer and tables. Mixed ‘Two sides of the moon’ and mailed it out. Two weeks later I got a call from an Oakland promoter and got booked for Black Light Project. Had a blast and been hooked ever since!
CGNY: How did you become involved with Droid Behavior and Raiz?
Dean: In 2000 Moe aka booked me at a party called Technopolis. That’s where I meet Vidal. Moe would play in SF often, where I lived at the time, and we would hang out and talk techno. After I graduated from art school in 2005 I moved back to LA from San Francisco and joined the team
CGNY: What’s the L.A scene like for techno these days? I know we have a lot of great producers/dj’s coming from there - Silent Servant, Drumcell & Truncate to mention just a few but as far as a clubbing scene is concerned, is it thriving?
Dean: Techno scene is great! Lots of great underground locations and it seems people are taking a chance and booking artists that are well known in the world but not big in LA. Some weeks in LA are crazy busy with talent. The city is blessed with a lot of local and international talent coming through. So much that a lot of people have no clue what’s going here and the type of talent playing here. There are some clubs that offer great talent but seems the music just fits in the underground scene more than in the clubs.
CGNY: What or who would say most influences your sound or frames your productions when you go to work in the studio? What do you use to produce and what is your ‘essential’ piece of equipment?
Dean: In all honestly I love the trip of PLASTIKMAN, but artists that influence me right now are: Mark Broom, Phil Kieran, Richard Devine, Jonas Kopp, MODZ, Luis Flores, Truncate, Raiz, Drumcell, and Aphex Twin. My essential piece of my studio is my computer. I am currently building my studio with more hardware and looking to build a modular system.
CGNY: Where have been some of your favorite places to play both here and abroad? You recently had a couple of parties in NYC – first time playing here – how was that? Ready to come back?!
Dean: NYC was great! Amazing people and great venues! I had a blast and can’t wait to come back! It was nice to see how NY has a growing Techno community. I had some amazing times at Interface. Minneapolis knows how to party! Cozumel was beautiful. Great people, amazing food, and you can’t beat a party on the beach under the moonlight.
CGNY: You’ve already played alongside some heavy hitters in the music scene such as Chris Liebing and Gary Beck. Who are the producers/djs you admire or would love to play with?
Dean: The list is long. And I have a lot of influences from various artists.
CGNY: Any advice for young djs/producers trying to get into the business? Things to avoid?
Dean: Don’t be cheesy and stick to what you love!
CGNY: An alien lands from another planet and has no clue what techno is! What track/album do you hand over as a learning tool?
Dean: I would show them the Plastikman archives. And Speedy J’s audio visual dvd Umfeld.
For more info about Dean please vist www.droidbehavior.com
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Below is a link to Deans exclusve guest mix for CGNY! To download right click and 'save as"
http://www.audspaces.com/Mixes/NYclubbersguide.mp3 - track listing below
Track Name/ Artist
1. Into My Here-Alland Byallo
2. Shenzhen-Jay Pace
3. Lost (Original Mix)- Deep Control
4. Just Can't (Take It)- Matt Tolfrey
5. Sansula (Jonas Koop's Dubfreak Remix)- Dominik Eulberg
6. UC 33-Glitches
7. Robot - Original Mix-Redshape
8. Dogma - Pan-Pot Remix-Andre Winter
9. Don't Want (Original Mix)- Couch Lock
10. Dynamic Arrangements (Original Mix)- Eduardo De La Calle
11. Cell Injection (Zahn's Last Minute Remix)- Drumcell & Audio Injection
12. Eager (Original Mix)- Klankarbeit
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