Drop the Lime, A.K.A. Luca Venezia may be a native New Yorker, but his outlook on dance music draws from styles on every continent. From producing, to DJing, to starting his own record label, Drop the Lime’s distinctive basslines, fusing UK dance beats with US ones is known to make dance floors throb from Australia to China. Now, Venezia is making his second trip to Terrace Club this Thursday and bringing his fresh “Cowboy House” style. Drop the Lime is currently touring and working on his album, and will be dropping his newest single, “Hot As Hell” this November.
Q: Can you describe the concept behind the music of Drop the Lime?
A: Basically dance music that combines all sorts of genres- it can be dubstep, it can be electro it can be house, techno, rockabilly. And I just try to really bring things together that all share the same attitude and energy, and usually revolving around bass. If there’s a good bass line, then I’ll try to combine the two genres no matter what.
Q. How did you get involved in the electronic music scene? What were your influences getting started?
A: Definitely my first influences were two-step music from London. I’d say that that had a big influence on me. And then I started to listen to actual New York house and Chicago House like Nervous records and Strictly Rhythm records. All those styles blended together and created what I do now, so I’m still very influenced and inspired by all of those and trying to apply it to modern ways.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about where you see your music going and styles you want to work with?
A: I just finished my album and my new single is going to be coming out this November, called “Hot As Hell.” And everything is very rockabilly and surf inspired dance music. So I’m playing a lot of guitar again- I was in bands before I was doing the whole DJ thing. And I wanted to incorporate the human element to the very dominantly electronic styles of club music…I’m really incorporating a lot more of that kind of 50s rock sounds into the club style of today.
Q: If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
A: In our scene, everyone is so open-minded and friendly and adventurous. I’d say that working with people like Diplo has been really awesome, and people like Bart B More. Even working with people who are like Spank Rock or Ninjasonik, who are more on the rap side, has been a lot of fun…it’s cool to work with people where we all share the same passion for music but we all make a different style of music, so when we get together we’re really making something exciting.
Q: You’re a producer in addition to being a DJ…how are the attitudes like towards making material?
A: When you’re producing a remix, you think of it in terms of DJing it, and you apply the suspense that you want to create on the dance floor, and the impact that you want to have on the crowd on the dance floor. But when you’re producing a song, you’re putting a little more emotion into it, rather than party energy. When I DJ, I also sing and I’m doing a lot of live things like looping, I almost approach DJing as if I’m producing…I’m still creating live.
Q: You also have your own dance label, Trouble and Bass. How has the experience been working with that?
A: It’s unbelievable. It’s our fourth year now so we’re still really young, but it feels a lot lot longer. Me and this DJ Star Eyes started out throwing a small party in a 200 capacity venue under the Brooklyn bridge, and it just expanded….Basically we were combining UK dance music with US dance music, so like grime and dubstep bass lines combined with US house music or electro, to create this different kind of style that didn’t really exist.
Q: Do you have any particular venues that you enjoy?
A: The Prince in Melbourne, Australia, Fabric in London-incredible, Razmatazz in Barcelona-all these places have a kind of warehouse vibe but they’re solid and strong with amazing sound systems and professional clubs, and I think that’s how they keep them so fresh. When you go to a warehouse party, everyone feels liberated and you feel like you can let loose…you’re not posing for the party you’re just enjoying the party.
Q: What can we expect from your show at Terrace this week?
A: Everything. It’s going to be a party. I want people to have fun, I want to have fun. I was there-maybe it was two years ago, but it was bonkers. It was so much fun. The vibe was amazing. It’s the same kind of house party warehouse vibe and people really let loose and have fun.
Q: Will we be hearing any of your new material?
A: I’m going to showcase a lot of new material- a lot of new album material. I’ll do a lot of the weird surf rockabilly house music. I don’t really know what to call it but people are saying Cowboy house and Western house. It’s crazy, but people are really feeling it. We DJ and people want to go to parties with DJ because they want to have fun.
Interview conducted, condensed, and edited by Lisa Han ‘13
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