BKC – How old are you?
BT – 22
BKC – 22 and so
you’ve been djing since when?
BT – I’ve been djing since I was 18
BKC – Now did you
start djing or producing first?
BT – I started producing first
BKC – Why did you
start djing after you started producing?
BT – I guess I started drinking; started partying and saw
other people doing it, thought it was cool. I don’t know I guess it was just
something I kind of just started doing. I just saw it was another way to fuck
with music because I was already producing. I never really knew what djing was
and started becoming friends with people who were into djing. Through that I
learned that djing wasn’t just playing all your stuff live not actual mixes.
Once I figured it out I knew I was already listening to music all the time
anyways so I might as well learn how to mix it to together and make it into a long
concise mix. I started seeing how much special treatment dj’s get like free drinks
and I was 18 so that definitely seemed cool.
BKC – For when you
first started, what was the hardest obstacle for you to overcome? Getting your
stuff out there? Playing shows?
BT – To get going the hardest thing was …..I guess what held
me back the most, and continues to hold me back the most, is active gear. I
didn’t even have a headphone que for a long time when I dj’d I was just running
off the waveforms on virtual dj. I would just look at the waveform and see it
was quiet here and quiet in this song so I would try looping it. I would have
to learn my tracks through their waveforms and not actually que it up in my
headphones.
BKC- Oh wow okay so
when did you figure out that probably wasn’t the best route? When did you
switch up your technique?
BT – Once I had enough money really. I saved up and got that
Stanton sds dj 4 which has turntables that run off a thumb drive that you load
your songs onto. Just kinda realized you can throw your shit down more on the
fly and can fuck with it way more when you can hear the other track like you’re
supposed to ya know haha.
BKC – I know you have
different personas of music names, what caused that?
BT – I think its cause I’m into so much shit really. I can’t
just put everything under one name because then there would be...
BKC – No basis kind
of?
BT – Yeah there would be no basis for any progression with
followers. Some people would come check me out for my 8-bit whatever but then
they say “oh this is just some trap shit” or “this is just some witch house”. I
felt like that would deter them from wanting to check out the thing they are
trying to hear.
BKC – Which one now
is your main focus?
BT – I’m focusing on Bear Trap now for sure
BKC – What type of
media output did you start off using?
BT – Are you talking bear trap or just in general
BKC – Just in general
BT – Okay in general I was hanging out in 414 in the
basement in Lansing. I was a volunteer key holder so I was running shows and
stuff like that. There was a lot of punk bands playing; so I got most of my
first followings and getting my stuff out there through that. I would play at
the open mic night or would open for a touring band.
BKC – What equipment
did you start off with?
BT – I started off with a zune mp3 player haha
BKC – hahaha how did
that work?
BT – I would make backing tracks on my computer, put them
into my zune, just auxiliary that into the PA, then kind of like runaround with
a microphone on stage.
BKC – Why has trap
music been your primary focus lately? Has it just been the sound you’ve been
feeling?
BT – Uhh In a way… Im kind of sick of laser bubble trap
that’s super popular right now, which when anything gets super popular like
that… we saw what happened to dubstep, everyone
got super into it thus creating brostep. Ya know after you use something
too much it turns into a blown out fucking pussy and no one wants it anymore
except for “certain people”. It was cool when it started off because it had
this MS Paint ghetto attitude to it which I liked a whole lot. I’ve always
liked low bass frequencies, I’ve always liked old Miami 80’s hip hop with just
an 808 beat behind it…. 69 boys always thought that shit was awesome. Since I
thought that sound was so cool, I was always wondering why it wasn’t in music
anymore and then I heard Trap.
BKC - Meshed the in
between of those sounds?
BT – Yeah I remember hearing Uzie when it first hit and
loved the minimal aspects. Uzie’s music also had that ghetto bass and super
hard hitting snares.
BKC – You kind of
already touched on this, but what type of music did you listen to before you
were into electronic music?
BT – I was listening to a lot of ska, punk, and a little bit
of metal. Then I caught onto bands like Realiside, Adam and his package…just
started seeing people using electronic beats to make up for the lack of a band
while still maintaining a punk thing. That was kind of the bridge for me.
BKC – Would you say
that was what kind of caused your transition into electronic music… just
hearing people replace instruments with electronically made sounds?
BT – Yeah.
BKC – Who did you
play with most when you first started?
BT – Liiiike when I started djing?
BKC – yeah djing or
even producing. Did you have someone to bounce ideas off of or were you kind of
doing your own thing?
BT – I kind of would send it to friends but then quickly
realized that friends are just like “ooh that sounds tight” no matter what it
sounds like. They just didn’t know any better because they are not producers
themselves so they can’t really critique you on your timing or your sequencing
or fading… they just don’t know. They can’t tell if a level is down or up so
they hear a sound and tell you it’s cool. Some of the first people I dj’d
with…well I guess I wasn’t exactly djing but they took me under their wing
would be Andy Lynch and Jeff Housington from Leak. Andy and Jeff went by the name Disco
Girlfriend and they were resident djs at Neon Tuesday (event at lansing bar
Mac’s bar) back in the day…. About 4 years ago. They would let me hangout on
stage with them….. try to explain what djing was…show me what genres of music
they would play.
BKC- What type of
genres was it?
BT – They really liked their minimal house, but they would
still play some dubstep. This was when “Pro Nails” by Rusko just dropped. They
would mix in names like Borgore into their usually minimal house sound.
BKC – Including them
what were some initial inspirations for you when you first started? Who locally
or large names did you have your eye on?
BT – Locally I really liked what Neon Tuesday had going on.
Granted Neon Tuesday was really different from what it is now
BKC – How is it
different?
BT – It was way more dance floor based, the dance floor used
to be so fucking packed. The vibe was just great with everybody full on
dancing. I remember there would be neon Tuesdays where Pretty Boy would be on
stage djing and you would just have this halo of people just dancing/grinding
all around him. He would drop like some Bloody Beatroots and everybody would go
nuts. Now I feel like people are more reserved and not down for that mayhem.
BKC– What type of
artists are inspiration for you now?
BT – Right now I don’t know…. Anyone who is in the new
sad-wave movement; I’ve been really vibing on that.
BKC – Could you drop
a few names?
BT – Uhhh Little Pain, Young link, Lil ugly mane, Lil sad….
I cant really think of anything else right now, but anything that is that sad
emotional hip hop shit. The esthetic is sad it doesn’t have to be exactly
emotional but they are still talking about leanin and shooting choppers.
BKC– You mentioned
names that I honestly haven’t heard of before. How do you find this music? What
do you use to find your music?
BT – I guess just friends on the internet. I have like
somewhere around 3,200 friends on facebook right now. I got involved in the
witch house scene and just started adding everyone who was part of that because
I knew the underground shit was being funneled through there. It was a constant
stream of new artists and sounds which helped me stay on top of the game. Social media can keep track of the trends not
blogs or the wide internet… its focused in the social media because the trend
is created by the people listening to it.
BKC – To go back to
the question are there any local names you favor?
B – I really like Craig’s stuff. (the bartender from Mac’s) I
love catching Craig he always has the best sets and is a super cool dude. He’s
been around in the scene for awhile. I follow AKDJ a lot too because again
awesome attitude and he spins vinyl. I love paying respects to the vinyl cats
because it’s an art form on a whole other level. He plays ghetto tech which I
love and he is the one guy I could be like “kill the bitch by assault” and he
will just start beat juggling kill the bitch.
BKC – Yeah I caught
one of his sets and really didn’t even know he was local. I was really
impressed with his style and the selection of music he chose……. Speaking of the
local scene I noticed you haven’t played many shows with X Theory or other
groups of djs/producers. What would be the reason behind that?
BT – (he smiles) I don’t know I just get this overwhelming sense
of bandwagonedry… I know that’s a real douche thing to say, but I feel like a
lot of the time people get associated with a dj group and then you are part of
this “crew”. When really were just a small city and we could do great things
with the talent we have in town but when we try to fall into a group or crew
and say we are better than others it…
BKC – Cuts people
out?
BT – Cuts people out, causes drama, and then people get
pissed about not getting the better time slot in their group… basically it creates
a hierarchy that doesn’t need to be around with in our small community. I feel
if you are going to do something like that sure give it a name but do it light
heartedly, don’t make it a business model.
BKC – Would you say
that attitude has gotten fueled by the fact there are so many people who have
gotten involved into “djing or producing” when in reality they may not be up to
par?… Like back in the day you would have to work a lot harder to get to the
noticeable level.
BT – Oh yeah for sure. That’s another really interesting
thing too, is that the whole idea that everyone is a dj now because there is a
universal awareness that you can do that now. Like “oh we can make music on our
laptops now and be the next skrillex or deadmau5…” ya know yeah there is just
an over flood of people trying to be the “it” when in the 90’s the dj was some
guy burnt on a acid with a huge record collection. Im not saying that that is
the motive for everyone but it is for some.
BKC - What type of musical
direction are your going towards now?
BT – With bear trap right now Im trying to take things with
a more future trap direction. More melody based calm stuff you can vibe to.
With my album coming out “soul mates” on Placenta Records (out in a few weeks)
my goal is to mix motown sampling with trap percussions, drums, and 808’s…..
just create like a mixing pot of music. Take the east coast method of sampling
with hip hop percussion paired up with production from the gorund up…synths
like what the west coast likes to do.
BKC – Alright so now
that we are getting near the end of this interview, Where can people find your
mixes? Where are you playing? How can people get in contact with your sound?
BT – Basically you can go to soundcloud.com/beartrapz and that’s
were most of my new songs will be posted. I got one free album out right now
“808 or Get The Fuck Out” and then there is a link to another one that is all
my old songs from a year ago. There will be a link to a buy or download for
Soul Mates on Placenta Records.
