Duke Shin

"Can you, like, give me some more info about what this interview is about?" asks an inquisitive-yet-polite Adam Dyment, aka Duke Dumont—who doesn’t currently have press representation. This might seem improbable, considering the high emphasis most self-aggrandizing DJs and producers put on elbowing their way above the competition to get noticed.

"I don’t have a live agent…I don’t even have a manager at the moment. I used to—about a month ago. You can have managers, you can have PR, you can have all that crap, but unless you actually make the music, it makes you look stupid." Dyment’s rolling now, thoughtfully dissecting the industry that seems to have so much promise for the 25-year-old producer of last year’s smash "Lean N Bounce."

"I see it all the time. I see their names in Mixmag or [other] DJ magazines, and it’s like, why the fuck are they on there? They haven’t done anything! I don’t want to be that guy. I want to make my record, and then work the business how it should be worked. I don’t want to be one of those music whores."

But don’t take his dire assessment of the current state of hype in electronic music as an overly precocious upstart hating on the establishment. The Duke has a plan.

"If you want to make a lot of money very quickly, then stay that way, but if you want to do this in ten or fifteen years time…you can’t do that!"

What Dyment is doing is working hard on piecing together enough tracks for a debut artist LP, with the end of the year set as a tentative goal. Having recently moved outside of London to cut down on distractions, Dyment will also be heading to L.A. to work with Dubsided label-mate superstar Dave Taylor (Switch, Solid Groove) before hitting Chicago en route to Miami’s Winter Music Conference.

"This is my first time over in the States…you know, Chicago and Detroit are my huge influences," he adds in a hushed tone. This reverence he holds for the seminal capitals of house and techno also covers his favorite artists and heroes. He credit’s Taylor’s 2002 "Ask Mr." release on Subliminal (as Solid Groove) as the reason for why he makes the music that he does. Although he has been working on his own productions for the last six years, it was winning the Diesel:U:Music Competition in 2006 that spring-boarded his aspirations in following in the footsteps of past winners like Mylo and Tom Vek. "That’s when I started working a little bit harder, and the realm of coming out to Chicago or Australia or wherever started becoming a reality."

The interesting thing about Dyment’s music is the dizzying array of influences he seems to carry. While the electro-house leaning "Lean N Bounce" and Debbie Deb-aping "When I Hear Music" might’ve put him on the map, a look through some of the tracks in his mixes paints a different picture. The muscularly sleek techno of a Michal Ho, the tech-breaky bounce of an Elite Force and the mutant rave-dub monster that is Modeselektor all rub shoulders in Dyment’s world.

"Modselektor is the best group in the world," Dyment interjects matter-of-factly. "Modselektor epitomizes why people should make electronic music…[sometimes] people get too carried away, too technical, and forget to put a little personality in their music…I’d say ninety-nine percent of electronic musicians don’t have that kind of ability to ingrain their personality in their music."

So what type of personality will Dyment put out in his own forthcoming releases? "I think when this record comes out, it’s a question I should answer then," he says again referring to his planned debut artist LP. "I’m at purely a demo stage, but my kind of influences and tastes change every bloody month." To compensate for his ever-changing musical tastes, Dyment plans on having twenty-five tracks completed before narrowing down to twelve or so for the album.

"I made [‘Lean N Bounce’] two years ago, and I think two years ago, for that time and that place, and my kind of influences, it kind of hit the nail on the head. But personally, it [now] sounds kind of dated… I think from a DJ point of view, we’re making music. Last year I did about fifty-five-to-sixty shows, and I think it’s experience—musically, your tastes mature."

Duke Dumont joins headliner Switch at Smart Bar, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0337, on March 21, 10pm-5am. $10.

(2008-03-18)

Also by Duke Shin

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Tip of the Week
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Tip of the Week
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Spin Control
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