Dance music has been the biggest part of
Dylan Rhymes' (otherwise known as Marvin Beaver - and yes, he's heard all of the jokes) life from a young age. Inspired by early hip-hop and electro a la Kraftwerk and Doug E. Fresh, Marvin purchased his first set of decks at 15 and caught the bug in a bad way.
While working for British Airways after leaving school, a chance meeting with a nu-beat-writing co-worker who was selling his equipment to go traveling led to Marvin's first "studio". Supplemented with the now legendary Roland TR808 and TR909 drum machines Beaver started, as most people did in dance music in the late eighties, by putting out a few acid house white labels. Before long the talent was noticed by owners of the seminal Wax Factory imprint, Ron Wells and Chris Simmons, who began to release more of his material. Dave Pearce's Reachin Records also bought into the young producer's skills, fuelling the fire and enabling Beaver to set up a commercial studio with his mate Justin Drake in the early 1990s.
Leaving Peace Division to focus on his own material, Beaver invented the
Dylan Rhymes moniker (a reference to Bob Dylan) and set about working on a breakbeat track for Junior Boys Own. The result was 1996s "Naked & Ashamed" which, due to a Smirnoff ad campaign, became one the label's biggest tracks (no mean feat considering JBO's pedigree). Since then he has cemented his reputation as one of the leaders of the electro, breakbeat and tech house scenes, through his output on Kingsize Records, Meat Katie's Whole9Yards and Lot49 labels and his own Blue Black imprint.
Besides original work, Beaver has also remixed the likes of Deep Dish, Infusion, Dave Gahan, Overseer, Unkle and Puretone while he has collaborated with Meat Katie, Christian J, Force Mass Motion (as Silencer) and Anthony J Gorry (on his 2004 album, Dead Famous).
On August 22nd,
Dylan Rhymes will be touching down in the Northeast area finally after years of attempts at pulling a show together. His two Northeast shows consist of August 21st in Vermont at
Club Metronome and August 22nd in Boston at
Club Rise.
Marvin was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us. You can also find a new mix from
DJ Kares who will be opening for
Dylan Rhymes in Boston, along with a mix from December that was compiled from DR. Enjoy!
[Melee] What is your name and what do you do?
[DR] My name is Marvin Beaver and I'm a record producer + DJ
[Melee] How long has DYLAN RHYMES been producing/djing?
[DR] I have been producing dance music since 1989 but have only been using the Dylan Rhymes moniker since 1996.
[Melee] What do you use in the studio? Do you rely on software or more on hardware to get the sounds you want?
[DR] I am pretty much software based but I use a mic pre to record certain sounds + vocals through to give it a lil bit of analog warmth
[Melee] Do you have any sort of vintage or strange equipment to make your sound?
[DR] Not any more - My studio environment revolves around a Mac and some speakers. The strangeness just comes naturally ;)
[Melee] Where have you toured in the world? And what place stands out from the rest as being the best gig to date?
[DR] I have pretty much been to all continents but I guess one of the best gigs has to be Burning Man which I played at for the first time last year. Unbelievablevibe there. Nothing quite like it anywhere else. People told me how amazing it was but I reserved my judgement and I was completely blown away!
[Melee] I know that you had your first experience at Burning Man recently and your planning on heading out to the Playa again this year. Tell me about your thoughts stepping onto the Playa for the first time?
[DR] I was very anxious after hearing so many amazing stories that it wouldn't live up to my expectations but I was so very wrong. It is a wonderful place. Its so isolated and the terrain is unlike anywhere else that it has a very mystical feel about it. The people were so cool and the events and art were incredible. Most definitely a high point of my life.
[Melee] Can you please explain to the public in your opinion the definition of "techfunk", and over the years have your sounds changed or stayed the same, and how?
[DR] To me Techfunk is a term which covers a whole load of genres which lets you be eclectic in your choice of music you produce or play. I like many different styles and my productions over the years have supported this but they have a constant which binds them together and that is the simplest way to describe it. I like to think I have progressed over the years but I am constantly pursuing the perfect mix. Never being 100% happy with your work makes you strive to do better.
[Melee] What are your thoughts on emergence and prevalence of digital formats in club music? Where do you see digital media ending up in the next few years?
[DR] I am 100% supporter of the digital age in club music. It is there for people to use and it is instant. Perfect!!! I see digital media ending up being almost 100% of all sales as Vinyl + Cd will become collectors only formats. All clubs will harbor equipment that will allow the dj/performer to bring only their hard drive and plug and play. This will be the not too distant future in my mind.
[Melee] What can people expect to see and hear when they attend an DYLAN RHYMES gig?
[DR] I think they get a chance to hear music from different genres with a bit of attitude and they get to see a dj who appreciates his job and is enjoying the music he is producing and playing.
[Melee] Who are your influences at the current moment?
[DR] I really like Martin Eyerer's stuff. Big fan of his + I am into a lot of the Popof productions. Both quite minimal for what I usually play but these guys are doing it with more balls.
[Melee] What other forms of music do you enjoy when you're not focusing on your production?
[DR] I never really listen to dance music when chilling so I tend to reach for stuff like Air or Depeche Mode. Good songs with great production. Lot to learn from listening to great songs
[Melee] Any advice to bedroom djs/producers?
[DR] This is your time. You are in the same place as me with a laptop and the internet. Get producing and get your music out there. The world is a tiny place and you can be anywhere in moments.
[Melee] What can people expect from DYLAN RHYMES in the years to come?
[DR] I'm going to strive for better productions and keep up with the scene as long as people like what I do then expect more tunes
[Melee] Would you like to share any final thoughts with the readers?
[DR] Thanks for taking an interest and hope to be in a club near you soon ;)
Audio:
DYLAN RHYMES - DECEMBER 2007 MIX SET
DJ KARES - FAH-Q MIX (AUGUST 2008 SET)
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