Philadelphia Dance Music Collective: First off, tell us a bit about yourself! We especially love the name... where did you come up with Voodoo farm?
VOODOO FARM: I am just a dude who spends all of his time making art and enjoying life. Mostly music and film, but I try no to limit myself to just those two things. I moved to NYC (from DC) about three years ago because like they say 'if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.' I feel very lucky to be living in the center of the universe- it's an infectious place to be if you are an artist.
The name VOODOO FARM was one of a few different ideas I came up with and decided on right before I moved. At the time, I was listening to Ween's "Voodoo Lady" (the live version from Chicago) like everyday so that word was stuck in my head. Aesthetically, I think the letters in 'VOODOO' look awesome together. "FARM" seemed like a perfect compliment because I have always envisioned a group of people combining their creative energies together to create something amazing-- those people are my friends/family and they help me every day of my life. Without the Farm, I wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.
PDMC: Not that the two have much distance between them anymore, but what do you enjoy more, producing or djing?
VOODOO FARM: DJing and Producing are two different art forms that are miles apart from one another. It seems like there aren't many talented producers out there who are also killer DJs (and vise-versa) but I think every producer's goal should be to find a way to put on an amazing show for their audience while challenging themselves at the same time. When I screw up on stage, I don't look at it like "oh man, these people are going to laugh at me", I look at it like "I just took a chance- it didn't work out- time to take another chance and blow these peoples heads off." Conversely, when I screw up in the studio- it usually turns into a new crazy idea that I never would have thought of before. People who don't constantly challenge themselves usually aren't remembered for anything other than staying the same.
PDMC: How long have you been a producer and/or djing? Any specific reason you got into this in the first place?
VOODOO FARM: When I was 12 or 13 my pops bought me a beat machine and a microphone. I produced/wrote/recorded a ton of rap music that still exists somewhere. (it will surface one day and probably embarrass the shit out of me at my wedding.) After that, I was the lead singer of a 5-piece rock/funk/rap band that played all up and down the east coast-- At that time, I was not producing ANY of the music… just writing the lyrics/melodies. I also started getting my feet wet by DJing different nightspots in the city for extra loot.
It wasn't until that band split that I started making beats again. One of my best friends kept begging me to join him to see this trance/electronica band he loved, and I kind of remembering making fun of electronic music… I finally agreed to check the band out and it changed my life forever.
There was such an intense amount of energy in that room-- i looked around and saw joy, carelessness, individuality, gratitude, satisfaction--- it seemed like every person was living their own dream but dancing to the same beat. I'd never seen so much pure happiness in one place. I left that venue, looked at my boy (with very dilated eyes) and said "I'm only making electronic music from now on."
It was really only in the last 14 months that I started producing on a serious level though. I taught myself Ableton Live in December of 2010 when I started working on my Adele remix… Now it has around 370,000 views and I have come a very long way since then.
PDMC: Your music spreads across a wide spectrum of genres. What's your favorite kind of music to work with and why?
VOODOO FARM: I would say that dubstep is the most challenging music I have ever tried to create-- so until that changes, it's my favorite to work with right now. There is so much shitty dubstep out there- and people assume it's easy-- it drives me crazy as a producer when people trash Skrillex and try to down-play his importance to music. Making something as complex, melodic, and hard-hitting as that is very very difficult. EDM producers aren't just musicians or DJs, they are also sound-designers and engineers.
With that said, most of the music you will be hearing from VOODOO FARM is electro-house and in the 128 bpm range. (Dubstep elements with a driving 4-on-the-floor beat) I want to make girls dance-- because what dude wouldn't buy a ticket to a show knowing that it's going to be packed with women? Moombahton, glitch-hop, and thugstep are other genres that I love and will continue to crank out.
PDMC: What (or who) were your main influences?
VOODOO FARM: I'm influenced greatly by eccentric artists- both living and dead. You look at the history of art and music… what do all the greats have in common? They were batshit crazy. I can just as easily draw inspiration from a great film as I can from hearing a great song or reading an interesting article. The John Frusciantes, Frida Kahlos, Anton Newcombes, Jim Morrisons, Pablo Picassos and Werner Herzogs of this world are what influence me on a daily basis.
PDMC: You've been doing this for a while now. What are the BEST and WORST gigs you've ever done?
VOODOO FARM:
WORST GIG: I remember driving a few hours to Myrtle Beach with my old band (all six of us crammed into a Toyota 4-Runner) We show up at the venue… errr dive-bar… and the bartender and 4 customers (all over the age of 50) are looking at us like we are from another planet. We begin setting up our equipment on stage when an extremely tall/skinny man (could have been Snoop Dogg's uncle) walks up with a big smile and goes, "Yo! I just bought this place yesterday… Who the hell are you guys?" Without saying anything, we all looked over at our manager at the same time with some pretty dirty looks. He tells Uncle Snoop, "Well, we've been booked here for several weeks… I guess the old owners didn't let you know?"
Uncle Snoop goes, "Nahhh, they got out of here in a hurry! I think they got caught up with the wrong guys… So look, I don't have any money to give you- but I love live music and you guys look pretty cool-- play a couple of songs for me, and I'll give you $50 bucks for gas and a fat sack of weed!" Naturally, we played our hearts out and earned 2 bags of weed.
BEST GIG: Never as funny as 'worst gig' stories- but I love coming home to Washington DC and playing for the people I grew up with. There's no place like home baby.
PDMC: 2012 is shapring up to be an even bigger year for dance music that 2011! What's next for Voodoo Farm?
VOODOO FARM: Voodoo Farm is going to continue to try to push the envelope using visuals. As far as I know, I am the only DJ/producer out there who is also directing/editing/animating his own music videos-- and that will not stop. To take things a step further, I am beginning to implement live-visuals to my show… Basically my boy has DVJ's rigged up to a projector so he can spin images/videos just like he would spin music--- and my last show included 3D-mapping projectors as well. Until I am a point in my career where I have access to $100,000 lighting systems, I am going to make the best of my resources to provide the best live experience possible. As Buddy Guy once said, "If people pay to watch you perform, make sure you give them their money's worth!"
You can check out Voodoo Farm on Facebook, Twitter, or Soundcloud, but if you're not already addicted to this remix... you're cray!
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/xhmDcw
YouTube: http://bit.ly/yDOXjo
Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/xsXiJg