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 Cates & dpL are a east coast-west coast production duo that already have an album out on Shadows of Society Recordings and have recently been signed to the UK's Twisted Frequency Records. The duo have several big things on the horizon, including a collaboration with 4:20 head honcho Timo Maas. Haven't heard of them? You will, so read on.
i:Vibes: When/why did you first start working together?
A: dpL-We started working on stuff back in the summer of 2003, and that was the birth of Cates&dpL. We pretty much met at a club over a short conversation about inviting Cates to play a breaks night I stared at OHM (Portland, Oregon club). From hearing his showreel, I then approached him about a possible collaboration to do breaks, which was a field that was new to him in production. The first collaboration was a learning process for both of us, it showed us how much we could push each other, and learn from mistakes and achievements.
Cates: Dave pretty much hit the nail on the head there... I had given my showreel out to local clubs after finally getting to a point with my production where I wanted to DO something with it.... It was obvious from the first conversation Dave and I had that we would be working together for a long time...
i:Vibes: What other non-dance music artists are you influenced by?
A: Cates- Non-dance, well... Pink Floyd, Tool, Helmet, Nirvana, Melvins, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Mr.Bungle, Sepultura, Metallica, Floater, Deftones.......
dpL – That is a tough one, I am 31 yrs old, and I have heard so much, and I am still hearing new stuff…but if there was a small list, here it is : The Verve, Hum, Metallica, Janes Addiction, Soundgarden, Jimi Hendrix, Slayer, Stone Roses, and last but not least my father.
i:Vibes: Dave you have been Timo Maas’ tour manager for a number of years now, touring with him all over the world and playing alongside some of the planet’s most renowned dance music makers. Has travelling the world inspired the music you produce, or are you more influenced by your everyday life?
A: dpL – I toured with Timo Maas from 2000-2005 and it was insane, man. I have been to almost every major club, in every major city in the world. I have played at DC10 in Ibiza which is the best Club in the entire world, and I have played in the UK, Europe, and the US. I have seen so many places and people, and I have heard thousands of dj sets. I have seen all the top djs play and I guess this where I began to study what sounds worked in a club, which sounds didn’t, and what it takes to make a track that is club and floor worthy, but still maintaining a fresh approach. My main role in this production duo is to lend my knowledge of sounds and music to Cates. I bring new sounds for him to listen to, and from there we begin the creation process.
i:Vibes: Jon you are a widely known and highly respected DJ and producer in the northwest scene of the US with several releases to your name. Tell us a bit about your upbringing and how you got where you are today...
A: Cates - I came from a musical background, with my father's rock bands always rattling the house while I was a child.... My first love was rhythm, but there was no way my parents would let me beat the hell out of a drumset night after night for long, so they moved me to the Piano to get my first real dose of theory. After taking lessons for 5 years, the guitar that my father had rebelled against his parents with was calling to me.... Telling me to quit the piano lessons and piss my parents off by ignoring school, sports, and any other chance I had of being a normal kid .... all for the guitar and its glory. Between 7th grade all the way until well after high school, my main focus was servicing society by ROCKING. Being out on the front lines, liberating people with my music....While the paper-trail of my school career was traded for meaningless day jobs in the hopes that one day my axe and my band-mates would rule the world..... Little did I know that the electronic dance revolution had already stretched across the globe, and one New Years Eve in Kelso Washington, I learned exactly what part I would play in its path. Ever since, I have spent my life fixated on synths, sequencers, and computer tools for making and innovating the sounds I heard in clubs, warehouse parties, and record stores year after year. And I continue my reckless disregard of normal citizenship, just to remain immersed in the music I call home...
i:Vibes: Do you two ever find your ideas clashing, or are you in agreement about what you want a track to be most of the time?
A: dpL - We rarely argue about sounds, when we go through sounds we will look at each other when we have the right one, its just a feeling kind of thing. In order for us to do a track, remix, or whatever it may be, we have to agree on it, if one doesn’t believe in the project or has doubts about something, we will push forward and take the next step.
Cates - Yeah, well... I find myself being kind of a "let the cards fall where they may, and fine tune them later" kind of producer. Which, in the beginning, I had to constantly explain myself.. But now, Dave is used to me and all my hippy dippy musical eccentricities, and I am used to him constantly looking for the shorter breakdown, the bigger bassline, and THE SOUND that puts an exclamation point in our songs.
i:Vibes: Many producers are taking to the decks because they are realizing the financial benefits of being an international DJ. Do you see yourselves touring and pushing your sounds to a global audience via DJing and producing, or are you more interested in concentrating on just producing?
A: dpL – We would like to do both, the ideal situation would be for us to tour on the weekends, and during the week produce/remix. This is our goal to make it so we don’t have to have part time jobs, and just focus 100% on music. Some money would be nice.
Cates - Both djing and producing...Mixing records has always been fun to me and is a good way to play out new material, get new listeners in a global market, and blow off some steam...
i:Vibes: With Traktor 3 and Ableton Live, it seems like the entire premise of DJing is about to be redefined by this stunning technology. Do you prefer turntables and cd players or do you bring a laptop to your gigs, editing and remixing on the fly?
A: dpL – I prefer two cdjs and 2 turntables, I don’t like to see people using laptops, its not entertaining, nor is it 100% real.
Cates - 2cdjs 2turntables for me please.... Once I have a shitload of money to blow on useless shit, I will get a laptop to run realtime VST components through the mixer, but until then :p
i:Vibes: What have you guys been digging lately? Any up and coming stars to keep our eyes open for?
A: dpL – That is a tough one, I have been only listening to our stuff lately, studying it inside and out and staying away from outside influences. However, Glenn Morrison from Release Records is great. Loco Dice is also going to be the biggest star in 2006 for sure.
Cates - Manoj's mother, along with Lemon8, Sub6, Evil9, and 4:20...is it time yet?
i:Vibes: Both of you have taken a very grassroots approach to pushing your sounds through MySpace, countless bulletin boards, and local radio shows in the northwest and Boston. Do you find this approach to be as successful as promoting yourself through a label?
A: dpL - Well, I am an Advertising Major, and when this outlet of media is offered to you at no cost, it’s the best. We can go global with our music, and we don’t spend a dime. It allows us to reach the exact demographic we are looking for, and it also gives us a better outlook on what is hot and what is not.
Cates - Um, agreed, Its great to present ourselves the way we want to...But I think a label would be sweet...
i:Vibes: What advice do you have for amateur DJs and producers?
A: dpL – Clone Cates…lol. Make mixes every month, hand them out to friends, clubs, promoters, non dance music listeners, to anyone really. Study your mixes, and see what parts of the songs you like, that can possibly help define the sound you are going for. As for producing, study your programs, learn them inside out. Study what other producers are doing, and see what new programs are out there that can help you get the sounds/music you want.
Cates - Never stop working... Its when you take breaks that you don't get ANYTHING done, and its when you allow yourself the distractions of bullshit drugs that you flush your carreer and your respectability!
i:Vibes: Lastly, what can we expect to hear from you guys in the near future?
A: dpL - Lots of music that is amazing !!!!
Cates - Arm-pit farts, and lots of trips to Detroit with our lady friends. Oh yeah, some stellarly intellectually stimulating ozone replenishing beats, and us sayin "YEAH" cuz we finally don't have to work bullshit jobs any longer!!!
Thanks so much for your time, good luck with everything!
More news on the duo:
CATES&DPL have been getting more and more notice from labels and global dj's like Hernan Catteneo, Timo Maas, General Midi and Way Out West. As of right now, the duo has already completed one remix for the TWISTED FREQUENCY RECS. label, Brisker & Magitman Feat. Electra "Feel Me" (CATES&DPL-feel my bizzare remix), which is also hosting a Force Mass Motion Remix on it as well, will be released prior to the 2006 WMC, and will be in heavy rotation on Proton Radio, and from the above mentioned Dj's. After completing their first remix, 3 days later, they were approached to do a remix for the famous ACDC label, and have also been approached by the Renaissance Label for remix duties as well. It has been busy times in the studio for both CATES&DPL who have recently aquired a remix booking agent from the RELEASE RECORDS label based in Toronto, and the duo will be in high demand in 2006 as their remixes and sounds have finally reached the point where labels and artists are seeking the CATES&DPL sound on their records.
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