When British-born DJ Aphrodite, the irrefutable "Drum 'n' Bass King," comes to D.C. on Friday for his CD release party, listeners can expect, in the words of the King himself, "good groves, lots of energy, and great bass lines."
For the uninitiated, Aphrodite sums up drum 'n' bass as "the most energizing, upbeat genre of electronica." Allmusic.com provides a little more insight: "It is among the hardest of all hardcore techno, consisting of nothing but fast drum machines and deep bass."
Aphrodite was coronated after spinning records for 17 years. In 1988, the "Summer of Love" for the English club scene, the King got his start at Club Aphrodite, from which he takes his name.
"That year, '88, more drugs were taken in England than in the '60s and '70s put together," reflects Aphrodite. "Parties were bigger and better organized. And all the raves revolved around acid house."
As a DJ, Aphrodite has evolved with dance music. Starting with acid house in the '80s, Aphrodite (Christian name Gavin King) began to spin hardcore break-beat, which he says sped up naturally to the drum 'n' bass which has enjoyed prominence in the club scene since 1994.
"Drum 'n' bass won't ever be pop music," Aphrodite says. "Dance music has so many genres these days that every now and then one creeps out into mainstream, but mainstream music requires formative vocals, and that's something that drum 'n' bass is missing."
While he thinks lack of vocals are a force in keeping drum 'n' bass in the underground and strictly in dance clubs, he does identify other facets to the unpopularity.
"Radio holds it back," Aphrodite says of the genre. "American FM radio here is pretty poor, compared to London. In London, there are 20 or even 30 pirate stations that have something out on the air all the time. And you can't do that here. You always come across a Clear Channel, which will thrust commercial music and commercial adverts every five minutes."
On Aphrodite's 50th American tour, he is focusing on independently owned clubs. In D.C. he will play at The Nation.
"The Nation is one of the best rave clubs in the U.S.," said Aphrodite. "I've played there 10 times, and it's always been good."
While the idea of crushing dance music may not sound appealing to all crowds, Aphrodite's depiction of the genre suggests a diverse musical journey and a great night on the town.
"I've got my own sound," says Aphrodite. "I'm not afraid of vocals. I'm not afraid of samples. To me, DJing is all about having fun and ensuring a good night out. There is no deep message in my music."
The diversity in Aphrodite's music raises questions about the process he undergoes when composing his tracks.
"You just have an idea," Aphrodite says. "I have more ideas than I do time to get them down. Ideas aren't the problem; it's finding time in studio. Each track takes a few days to produce. You either start with a vocal idea or sample idea or melody or bass line, and you start from there and see how you go and find the groove and build on the groove."
Aphrodite's body of work suggests he has found many a groove. The King has produced over 200 tracks during his career and is celebrating the release of his 50th album this Friday. But for Aphrodite, it isn't enough.
"For me, I haven't achieved the kind of gold I want. I always want my music to be better. I'm always looking for new stuff to play. In '96, '97, I started becoming established as my own person. I saw people coming to clubs just for me. The career goes up and down."
But stateside, it wasn't until the millennium that drum 'n' bass really exploded in the club scene.
"About 1999, 2000, I was getting big crowds over here," recalls Aphrodite. "The scene started going down a bit over here because of things like the rave act, which really gave it a kick in the teeth, and the drinking age limit doesn't help either."
DJ Aphrodite's performance this Friday at The Nation features a $1,000 costume contest and opening acts DJ Twist and Delphi. More information can be found at buzzlife.com.
