DJ as Star Eyes
Label Manager of Trouble & Bass
Editor-in-Chief of THUMP - Vice's Electronic Music Channel
What advice would you give to yourself 12 months ago?
You can reinvent yourself as often as you like.
What is your hustle?
DJing, running a record label, making electronic music, writing, editing, composing other peoples’ love notes and OK Cupid profiles, drinking on corporate dimes, and occasionally flipping iPads and Blackberrys to a Saudi Arabian man with a wandering eye in Midtown.
What is art?
Something that makes you see or feel the world differently… or at least makes you think.
Who do you consider a mentor in your life?
Drop the Lime, who is in Trouble & Bass with me, is an inspiration. He’s not afraid to take risks, he’s insanely prolific and future-forward, and an insanely talented producer. Plus, he has a great sense of style and a taste for the finer things in life.
What lesson did you learn the hard way?
Don’t ask, don’t get.
If you could provoke change in the music business, what would it be?
A lot artist managers are a pain in the ass - I sometimes wish they would go count their dollars somewhere else for a minute, and let artists actually concentrate on making the stuff they want to make. This “Clear Channel”/big business mentality of having the same 40 artists playing every festival and planning bookings by Facebook numbers and YouTube views is getting boring and tired - especially as we all know those views can be bought.
What topics do you love to debate at parties?
I’m less interested in debating now than when I was 16. By the time I’ve had a few glasses I’m usually the one tearing up the dancefloor, throwing puns, getting gossip or hatching plans. Trouble, after all.
Your greatest achievement so far?
Being able to remain relevant in electronic music over a 20-year span.
What music do you listen to at home?
Lately, A$AP Ferg “Shabba” on repeat.
E-40 “Sideways” or “How I’m Feeling Right Now” to cheer me up.
In your life right now, what is one thing that baffles you?
People who send you an email then text you 30 seconds later to tell you they sent you one.
What technology do you carry?
iPhone 5 and its goddamn charger, thin Sharpies, gum and a sixth sense.
Art Direction: Beatrice Hurst
Photography: Isaac Rosenthal