i:Vibes sits down with a legend of the US drum'n'bass scene and his name is AK1200. Find out what he thinks of his contribution to the US drum'n'bass scene and what he thinks of the scene now.

AK1200 aka Dave Minner is somewhat of a godfather in the US drum'n'bass scene. He has been around since the early 90's and has spearheaded the drum'n'bass scene. His contribution to the music is sometimes forgotten or minimized. He is at the forefront of the scene with Dara and Dieselboy. Ak1200 took time out of his busy schedule to speak with i:Vibes.

i:Vibes Where were you born? Real Name?

AK1200 Orlando, Florida, USA - dave minner

i:Vibes Were you exposed to music at an early age? When did you realize that you had musical talent?

AK1200 I was always heavily influenced by music, growing up with several friends in bands and stuff, and I was always picking up instruments, I can play bits on most anything.

i:Vibes AK1200 Means ?? Why did you choose it?

AK1200 I didnt choose that name, it was given to me, and it just stuck. it was meant that back then, I was playing so fast.

i:Vibes Why did you move from the United Kingdom to the United States? Do you hold dual citzenship or you now an american citizen?

AK1200 Hahaha, where did you hear that one? I was born in the USA, and have never resided anywhere else.

i:Vibes So in 1989, you started spinning breakbeat, is this true and how did you gradually evolve into spinning drum n bass?

AK1200 In 1989 and 90, what was then breakbeat, is what became drum and bass, I simply followed its course.

i:Vibes As I look at the deejays around in the drum n bass scene, no one has
been around as long as you, do you consider yourself the American Drum N Bass Godfather?

AK1200 I am the one credited as the absolute first guy in the US, I am sure there were others who were into the music at that time, but I just happened to be the first one to establish mutiple contacts, and make a name for myself. I consider myself the wiseman in this scene, because I have studied it for so many years and made it my life, literally. I have put more of myself into this music as a whole, than I ever thought was possible. I have been in every possible position within the dnb scene, and know all there is to know about traditional jungle culture.

i:Vibes Are you looked up to by upcoming American Drum N Bass deejays? Do you like it? Why or Why Not?

AK1200 I think for the most part, I am respected, I don't know if any dj's actually look up to me? Alot of times I am the easiest target to be hated on, because I am right there. Alot of times, people just come up and don't know the background or the history, and feel that they should be there instead of me, and they haven't even bothered to realize exactly what led me to this point in the game. It took a long long time getting to where I am , alot of years worth of constant effort. But I am friends with a huge number of american dnb dj's, and we all get along great, and whenever I can do something to help them in any way, I try to do that, especially with some of the producers here.

i:VibesWhat was the scene like in the early days?

AK1200 The scene was vibrant in the early days. There werent much of a crowd, but the crowd was so hungry for anything they could get, I think that is a big reason why the dnb community is more dedicated to their music than people of other genres. There is a certain loyalty to this music that you dont see otherwise, except for maybe people into hip hop, I guess in that sense, dnb is more like hip hop than it is other forms of electronic music. anyway, the scene was young, and the UK artists were eager to get their tunes out to america, so thats why it was alot easier for me to get a head start so long ago.

i:VibesWhat made the scene grow into what it has become in the U.S now?

AK1200 The persistence of the dj's around the country who demanded to be heard and literally made it impossible for promoters to not book them for their parties, and of course the dnb enthusiasts who supported those dj's and made the promoters notice that they were all in the small room listening to the dnb dj rather than the main room dj's. Also, the constant touring of certain UK dj's who came here on the regular to perform for an evergrowing crowd.

i:Vibes Has your sound evolved over the years? If it has, what changed?

AK1200 I dont think my "sound" evolved over the years, I think it has just adapted. I have studied and played every form of dnb at one point or another, it was just wherever my head is at the time, you know, what i am feeling the most...

i:Vibes What is the deal with you, Dieselboy and Dara? How did you guys meet? Is there anything that resulted in the three of you becoming close?

AK1200 Well, we were never really close friends back when we first knew of eachother, but we were 3 people who all had the same goals. We never played together because promoters back then would never want to spend any real money on a dnb room, and since we all were pretty much considered headliners, it rarely happened. At one point we all happened to be signed to Moonshine, and when they did the tour, they had a few nights where all 3 of us were on, and one night in New Orleans, we all came up with a plan to be able to play together and use all of our influence to really make a statement for the state of things. That's when we formed Planet Of The Drums.

i:Vibes What have you learned from Dieselboy and Dara that you have applied
into your own life (be it music or life lessons)

AK1200 From dsl, I learned that settling is never good enough, we have to constantly apply ourselves to the fullest. From Dara, I learned that life is what you make of it, and its much better finding a positive angle whenever you can.

i:Vibes Do you think their is any real difference in the UK Drum N Bass Sound and the US Drum N Bass Sound?

AK1200 I think at this point dnb has become so spread that there isnt even a US or UK issue. There are people in every corner of the world who are making an equal impact to the sound of drum and bass.

i:Vibes Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?

AK1200 I really don't know the answer to that.

i:Vibes What keeps you going?

AK1200 My love for the pureness of this music, my hope that I can keep making a difference.

i:Vibes What's your view with the whole mp3 fiasco that seems to be in the
news? Do you think it is is good? or bad? and where do you see it going?

AK1200 Well I can tell you that the facts dont lie. The fact is, since file sharing became so common, numbers are way down. In the pop world, numbers are down 10%, while the electronic market is down 60% sometimes more. Labels are shutting down or running out of money. At some point, thiis could all dry up. People say that by them downloading one or two songs encourages them to buy albums and they buy more music than ever before..... that is bullshit, they need to quit lying to themselves. Why would they buy something they can download for free? I think it had many uses but has now become completely exploited.

i:Vibes If you could change one thing about drum n bass or about the scene, what would it be?

AK1200 I think i would be a much happier person about this scene, if everyone were to take the time to learn the histroy of the music and its culture rather than jumping in headfirst and becoming a critic. People should learn about the things that they assume. There is a certain pride that comes with being a junglist, and we all stick together, and alot of people skipped class on that end of the scene.

i:Vibes If you were to say quit deejaying tomorrow, What do you want to be remembered for?

AK1200 Just that i was someone who put everything he had into the movement of this scene.

i:Vibes thanks ak1200 for taking the time to answer our questions for this interview. We wish him well in the future.