DJ FireAnt
BKC- Alright so what’s
been going on?
Anthony -uhm not too much.
BKC - Not too much.. Alright
well first off what’s your name ?
Anthony - I’m Anthony Hamer, I go by Dj FireAnt.
BKC- age?
A – 23.
BKC – 23, 23. How
long you been Djing for?
A – Probably just going on about 2 ½ - 3 years.
BKC – Okay, well when
you first started since it’s been pretty recent..whats been your biggest
obstacle for you when you started djing and getting your stuff out there?
A – Basically just like… going out and meeting the people
that were already out there djing.
BKC – Just trying to
get out there.
A – Yeah just trying to get myself out there and known so I
could get booked for shows.
BKC – Word. Well so
how did you get your stuff out there, like what media output did you use? Was
it parties, soundcloud, the internet?
A – Well I’ve been going out to the shows around here for a
long time and actually getting in with the local djs.
BKC – Just like
conversing and socializing
A – Yeah exactly.
BKC – What was
probably one of the best shows you played? What was the time you actually
started to realize you could do this more often?
A – I played Mac’s before (a local Lansing bar) and I got
one of the residents to give me one of his slots at like 12:00am.
BKC – What was his
name?
A – I’m pretty sure it was rocky. He gave me his slot and I
ended up being able to play for a crowd for the first time.
(Dj FireAnt at Mac's Bar)
BKC – How was that?
A – All my friends came and got down to my stuff. They had a
good time and cheered me on.
BKC – It’s always
good to have friends for that. When you first started out what type of
equipment did you use?
A – I started off with some hand be down equipment from
Young Munk (local lansing dj) who had gotten something new. Then I ended up
selling that and buying some actual decent equipment, a midi controller, which
was the first Vestax controller that I owned and quickly realized that I could
have more potential if I had nicer gear. So I sold that and bought some CDJs
ended up selling the CDJs just for the convenience factor for having a nicer
controller instead of a huge setup.
BKC – So is that what
you are working with now?
A – Yeah, so it’s like the fourth piece of equipment I’ve
owned now.
BKC – Wow okay, so
did you start off with expensive speakers?
A – No I’ve always had computer speakers that have a big
subwoofer. I’ve always been into loud bass-y music.
BKC – Right. Well
what transitioned you into electronic music. Was there a moment? Or what type
of music were you into before?
A – Before I used to go to a lot of metal shows and I’ve
always been into harder sounding music. Then I heard the first dubstep I’ve
ever heard 2008. I’d had a small collection of grime music before that, which
is where the sound came from.
BKC – Who was that?
A – It was probably distance, who was the first dubstep
producer I’ve ever heard
BKC - Always good. So
what caused you to transition though you just felt like it was time to switch
to that… it was just such a good sound that you had to start doing it your own?
A – Probably about a year after I heard Distance…. I’ve been
into electronic music before that. I heard Felix the housecat and quite a bit
of electronic music in my library. Distance really turned me on to dubstep and
once I got the equipment I just wanted to try my hand at it and see how it
goes.
BKC – Okay that’s
cool. Your initial inspirations would be distance… who else would it be? Who
just really inspired you to keep going with it?
A – Well, the first dubstep mix I ever heard was probably Caspa
and Rusko - fabric live mix, which Is hugely famous for being the first dubstep
mix to the public through a major venue. After that I just went out of my way
to try to find whatever mixes I could hear. Then seeing Zeds Dead at the first
year of DEMF in 2009 really inspired me to start djing.
BKC – You said those
names inspired you, How come they inspired you.. was it just that sound that
got you going?
A – Yeah probably seeing Zeds Dead live for the first time
really inspired me because they didn’t stick to one genre of music when they
dj’d ; they played everything. Hearing them mix it was a big inspiration
BKC – Okay, How about
now? What are some names that inspire
you?
A – Probably the most inspirational show I’ve been to
recently was Coki at The Works in Detroit. What he did with the dubstep mix…
was exactly what I needed to hear at that time to keep me inspired.
BKC – So I noticed a
few years ago, probably around the same time you started, there was a lot of Lansing
names that started djing and doing music…. Was that helpful to bounce ideas
around to each other? Did you guys communicate and work together or was
everyone just doing their own thing but it was random that everyone started?
A – I guess Dj Xaos (Derek, owner of X theory) probably
helped me out the most into getting into it. He sat me down and taught me how
to spin and beat match on proper equipment… like actual turntables
BKC – Helped you get
your sound to where you wanted it to be.
A – Yeah.
BKC – Were there any
other names that you worked with when you first started?
A – Me and Caleb (Beartrap) for awhile we used to tag team
every week at Mac’s Bar. That was pretty fun for awhile, just to switch up. I
had been a resident for about half a year at Mac’s and it was fun just to switch
up the sound. Just a new vibe.
BKC – Alright, Who do
you play with most now? If that’s who you played with back then.
A – I mean not counting going out… I play at my house with
Ben Newman (Dj Fahzee) we like to b2b at my house and just play a few tracks
back and forth.
BKC – How come you
like working with him?
A – Ben started out playing dubstep, he is transitioning
into playing more house music now, but he has always had a liking for dubstep.
BKC – Right, you guys
just have that common ground of interest with the UK dubstep sound?
A – Yeah, he used to like a lot of American dubstep to be
honest.
BKC – You said you
clicked with Dj Fahzee. How come you clicked with BearTrap?
A – BearTrap and I were just trying to go the same direction
with what we were playing at the time
BKC – What was that?
A – It was right when trap was just starting gain
popularity, so we played a lot of trap at the time.
BKC – So you were
playing Trap back then, has it changed? Trap has become almost a household
sound for a lot of people who “dj”
A – Yeah I don’t play so much trap anymore, not saying that
there isn’t good trap out there… it’s just like there is so much shit, same
with every genre, you just have to weed through all the shit to find the good
stuff.
BKC – So what type of
musical direction are you heading now?
A – You know what…. I’m kind of at a turning point I feel
like… my favorite has always been the UK Dubstep but I want to stay more true
to what’s actually popular. Playing an all dark dubstep mix doesn’t always get
the hype that I want, so I’ve been trying to play more garage, booty house, and
techno stuff
BKC – are there any
local dj’s that you would like people to keep their eye on or who do you keep
your eye on locally? Are there names out there?
A – Uhm, that’s a tough question…..I always enjoy listening
to almost everybody, nobody is a bad dj in Lansing.
BKC – Who would be
the top? The ones you most favor? Djs? Producers?
A – I don’t want to play favorites or anything, but I’m
always inspired by BearTrap. He always has a unique way of djing tracks. Derek
is probably one of the most solid djs in the area, even though people like to
give him shit, he is one of the most technically solid djs in the area.
Watching Derek dj is dfferent than watching any other dj…. He knows so much
more about djing tracks than anybody else because he is so much older and has
so much experience.
BKC – Now that we are
nearing the end of this interview, how often do you dj/post mixes/where can
they find your music?
A – I play at least once a week, be at either a house party
or a local bar. I’m really bad at marketing myself, I don’t post a lot of my
stuff on the internet and I kind of keep my mixes from being posted. You can catch
my playing around the Lansing area.
BKC – Thanks for the
time and interview. I’ll be seeing you play soon.
A – No problem. Thanks.
