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At a rumbling persistent 155 bpm, Ghettotech comes throbbing from the streets, into our hearts. Hip-Hop blends with Techno and gains a sense of electronic style, losing the ever present scratches presented by both Jungle and Hip-Hop turntablist. This is the future music to get down and dirty with and the man who pimps it is Disco D. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Disco D moved to Ann Arbor, MI at the young age of six. Disco D grew up for years listening to different types of music played on a local Detroit radio station named WHYT 96.3, but a trip to summer camp at the age of ten influenced him the most. "I was a really bad kid at camp and got into all sorts of trouble. My counselor listened to groups like N.W.A., 2 Live Crew, and the Geto Boys. I dubbed all his tapes and that’s what I listened to religiously when I got home and my parents weren’t around." Growing up playing both Jazz and Classical Saxophone, Disco D knew he wanted to major in music as a young teen. In the end, it was his own parents who steered him away from the idea. Only a year later he found the inspiration that changed his life. "My parents had just gotten divorced and so I was hanging out with my best friend Aaron, who is 4 years older and like a big brother to me. He was into electronic music and raves, and I didn’t have a clue about anything he was talking about, so he decided to take me to a rave. It was at the Packard Plant, which used to be a notorious spot in Detroit. So we walk in and I was like "OK, this is cool." And then we walked down the hall to the bootie room. It was Gary Chandler and DJ Godfather on four tables. Where the main room was all sound and light this booty room had two ghetto ass speakers on poles and maybe one light on the DJs. They were just going back and forth, doing the most insane shit. Everyone in there was going crazy. I had no idea about DJing or what the music was but I fell in love with Djing on the spot. I knew I wanted to DJ right then and there. The next time I saw either Gary or Godfather again I was up there tag teaming with them." With no knowledge on where to even begin, Disco D started showing up in record stores, grabbing stuff off the shelves and just listening to everything. "I would buy anything that sounded good to me--of course stuff with dirty lyrics, a lot of ghetto house but also some minimal techno--and just mash it all together. I didn’t know there was a right or wrong way to play records, so I would play stuff on the wrong speed and just throw the most opposite records together. I still have the same attitude today – I’ll do things like put a minimal techno record at 45 rpms and play a Jay Z a cappella over it. Soon after I would listen to Gary Chandler and Wax Tax n’ Dre on the radio and then look for a lot of the stuff they were playing as well. When it came to DJing, I knew I wanted to do it the first time I saw it, but I never expected it to become a career." The next step was inevitable when in 1997 Disco D started on his first producing project. "I think every step evolved from that first night. I wanted to DJ after going to my first rave, I wanted to produce after I had track ideas that people weren’t doing, I wanted to start a label after I felt that other labels weren’t pushing the sound right." A sound that’s described by Disco D as, "Ghettotech, pure and simple. Stuff to shake your ass to." Producing mostly alone, with the exception of certain artist like DJ Zap, Disco D has been working on collaborations involving urban artists. Working with artists like 8Ball and MJG, Twista, and Princess Superstar, Disco D recently created a link between the two styles of music that influence him the most. "Ghettotech is a solid middle ground between urban and electronic music. I think it could really bridge the gap between the two styles. I would love to stick some Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, or Outcast over some Ghettotech beats." Disco D has already made great strides to bridge that gap, especially with his latest Twista project, which he confesses was a big dream of his. Currently working with a large variety of producing equipment Disco D makes it clear he wants nothing to do with sequencing through a computer. "I sequence everything on the MPC 2000. I use a gang of keyboards and mix everything through a 01v into Pro Tools, where I do my final edits and mix downs." In the end, he says it’s simply what you’re used to using. "When the music is good, its great – When it’s bad, its horrible." But music isn’t everything in Disco D’s life. After getting burned on a bad management deal he started to attend college, majoring in Business. "I go to school two days a week at the University of Michigan. When I was 17, I vowed I wanted to be in control of as much of my career as possible." That’s only one of the things that Disco D has taken control of. After finding dissatisfaction at the way his label was pushing his style of music, Disco D decided to start GTI Records, Ghetto Tech Institute. "I want to break down the walls between Urban and Electronic music. I want to make Ghettotech a household name." Disco D is the essence of Ghettotech. He’s raw, straight forward, and coming at you from every angle. This kid’s got a definite plan for dance music’s future and it got Ghettotech written all over it. Web Site: http://www.gtirecordings.com by Brent Csutoras |
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