Jon Kwest and Cam Jus come to the NY Deli this Saturday for Richmahton! RVA gets invaded by two up and coming Moombahton producers. Both of these producers have seen their productions take off on Beatport and Soundcloud, and their tracks and productions have been gaining momentum throughout the Moombahton movement. We asked them both some quick questions, so yo could better get to know these guys. Check the interviews below... and we'll see you this Saturday!
WHAT: RICHMAHTON! All Moombahton, All Night!!
WHO: Jon Kwest (DC), Cam Jus (DC), Bobby LaBeat (RVA, Audio Ammo), A.D.E.N. (RVA, Social Security)
WHERE: New York Deli (2920 West Cary St)
WHEN: Saturday, March 3, 10 PM
ADMISSION: FREE!! 21+
SPONSORED BY: RVA Mag, Social Security Records, AtticBoy.com, YD&HS
JON KWEST
How long have you been producing/DJing?
When i was growing up, hitting record stores was what kids did (along with arcades) so I was buying house, acid & hip hop 12"es since I was in elementary school. I started seriously DJing Hip Hop, House, UK Hardcore Breaks & young Jungle around 93 or so, but my first real gig was '95, I think, at a rave called Flow at the Bomb Shelter warehouse in DC playing Jungle. Crazy fucking night on a lot of levels. The party was supposed be on the third floor and the roof, but got bumped to the fifth floor for a Go-Go, which meant you had to go through the Go-Go to get to the party. So you had all these ravers making their way through crowds of ripped up jeans and Mickey Mouse/tie-dye t-shirts (as was the Go-Go style at the time), not to mention the double fatal drive-by shooting outside, which resulted in a short term electrical outage. All I knew was I got to open for Dieselboy, and I was hyped on that!
I started producing around '98/'99 or so, whenever I could snake time in the dude Ian Carey's studio (at the time a co-worker at the DJ shop Music Liberated, has since done MAJOR things on the House scene). It wasn't til Reason was dropped that I could really afford to produce in my house, at least to the level that met my standards of what I wanted to represent me. My first self-produced & mastered tune was a DnB 12" around '01, I think. [It] got pressed up on vinyl thanks entirely to my partner at the time, Joey Migraine, who also dealt out a lot of knowledge from his analog studio experience. My dude taught me everything I know about compression.
When did you start producing/DJing Moombahton?
I started producing Moombahton about 2 years ago. I ran in some of the same circles as Nadastrom back in B-more, but for whatever reason I don't think I ever met them dudes til Moombahton broke. My dude Quincy (@Uncle_Quincy of Uncle Jesse, and longtime friend since the days of Music Liberated) was on it way early. I followed him on Soundcloud, and was heavily digging what he was dropping. I'd been looking for a way to present midtempo-type music since the late 90's, but never really had the footing in the industry, or gumption to do so. Then I see my dude's on this new shit that could give me just that, so I had to hop on it. My dude was on the ground level with this Moombahton and, in my opinion, doesn't get near the credit he deserves.
What other genres are you gettin' down to these days?
I'm an old head. I find myself gettin down to the same shit in loops. I got hipped to midtempo dance joints by way of Body N Soul NYC back in the late 90's. Dudes like Francois K, who I'd been a fan of since he was remixing Kraftwerk, showed me there was still room for folks who just wanted to dance and have fun, no matter the genre buzzword. That party also combined elements of what was around me in B-more, like Pots N Pans-type Ballroom/Runway/Vogue/Tribal music, B-more Club & Underground/Garage house... even occasionally hitting on Hip Hop. Footwork is one of the few new ideas that really strikes a chord with me. [I] kinda feel like everything else is a new interpretation of something I grew with, which isn't at all a bad thing. I'm just glad that dance music is finally getting over the whole "one sub-sub-sub-genre for 6+ hours straight" thing. I'll always love underground Hip Hop, though. Always something valid in that genre; it just slims and gains in numbers from year to year, but the same could be said for any genre.
What do you think is in store for the future of Moombahton?
There is definitely a long-term future for Moombahton, whether or not its ideals get co-opted and reclaimed/renamed; there have been folks pushing midtempo for a minute, but they've never been met with this kind of all-encompassing acceptance. It can and does draw upon all that is dance music. A lot of dudes want to throw their eggs in one magazine-fabricated buzzword of a genre basket, and invariably end up going down with a sinking ship. Moombahton [asks], can you make it go a buck ten tempo-wise? Good! You've got a place in this. Nadastrom found a way to re-present a tempo to a community that was all too accustomed to straight amphetamine-tempo music for way too long. Some cats might use Moombahton as a way to get it in for a minute and catch shine, but they gonna die out quicker than they came in, bet!
What was your reaction to reaching the Top 10s on Beatport's Electronica chart and Juno's Electro House chart with The Last Don EP?
I always had faith in what I do, and have always understood there would be even more doubters that didn't, so hitting Top 5s on Beatport and Juno over some very certified acts was a bit of a wake up call. Sometimes more people appreciate what you do than the imaginary online world would have you think. To quote OC: "I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect."
If you could collab on a track with anyone (that you have not already worked with) who would it be?
I would have to look at my list of living heroes. Francois K, Nile Rogers, Masters At Work, The Basement Boys, Ralf Hutter & Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk, Kerri Chandler, DJ Premier, Mark The 45 King, Bob James, & any of the Detroit Holy Trinity: Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, & Derrick May.
What Hood/Crew/Squad do you represent?
Hoods I represent: first and foremost North Eastside--Harford Road til I DIE! No-Whore-East-Baltimore son son! South Philthy comes a veeerrrry close second--love that fucking hood!
Are you ready for RVA?!
Question is: RVA ready for me!?!
soundcloud.com/jon-kwest
facebook.com/KillerKwest
jonkwest.tumblr.com
CAM JUS
How long have you been producing/DJing?
DJing for 4 years. Producing pretty much since now. [laughs] I don't even call myself a producer yet. I feel like I'm more of DJ that put out some tracks. But I always have something I'm working on. So when I get good I'll definitely use the label DJ/producer when I tell people what I do.
When did you start producing/DJing Moombahton?
I made a moombahton edit about 4 or 5 months after Dave Nada put out the first moombahton EP. So I think 2010. Then a few months later I learned a lot, and started to know what I was doing.
What sparked your interest in Moombahton?
I heard Dave's first edit of "Moombah," and I liked the vibe of it more than the original. At 108 bpm, the track hits you harder on the downbeat and at the same time there's space for more percussion to be going on. It made me see potential in EDM records, being able to have a big dancefloor response at that tempo. I could also just vibe with dance music in a different way. It's slower, but the energy is still there. It's easier to nod your head and just groove along at 108 than 140bpm. I'm all about chilling so that's perfect for me. And I was already DJing with a lot of EDM tracks that had Caribbean/Latin/Tropical influences. So I was excited there was a new style out.
How stoked are you on making Beatport's Top 10 "Electro House" chart with the Badman EP?
Ridiculously stoked. Shout out to Rot10 Musik and their promo team, Vamos Promo. Really talented people put music up on that site under the same genre all the time, and we definitely crushed it for a hot second. I'm happy people like those songs!
What do you think is in store for the future of Moombahton?
I think the different niche sub-styles are more solidified now. I talk to people and they'll say they prefer stuff that's more Latin and house-y. And I know people that only like moombahsoul. Then there are a lot of fans of moombahcore and a LOT of people making moombahcore. But I think the tracks that get the biggest response across the board are ones that do a good job meeting in the middle and mixing really dope Caribbean rhythms with the tech/electro/core stuff. So I think that'll become the most dominant style, and what people will think of when they think moombahton. I also think the genre will grow in popularity. The fans are young, and more and more really good tracks keep being released. So it will be around for a while. That's as far as I can tell about where it's headed.
If you could collab on a track with anyone (that you have not already worked with) who would it be?
Pretty much any established EDM producer or producer/musician making dope music. Any sound engineers or people that are good at mixing. There's a lot I want to learn and get better at. Also emcees with interesting flows.
What Hood/Crew/Squad do you represent?
I mostly just represent humanity in general. And also everybody that hangs out in clubs and isn't spazzing or getting caught up by the nightlife. Also PG/MoCo Maryland, all of DC, Tropixxx, and SHAM.