Breakspoll returns for its 10th year anniversary party – breaking the rules by moving this internationally renowned party from a school night to the weekend!

Held at a brand new location, Breakspoll have assembled a wide array of the best breakbeat artists of 2010 to come together to celebrate breakbeat music in all its forms.

Counter Culture

7-9 Crucifix Lane, London. SE1 3JW

RB: Daniella Downs is one of the wackest artist names I’ve heard in a while, particularly considering your gender. Talk me through it, how did it come about?

DD: well, when I first decided I wanted to be a dj, I thought of this name “dj mirage” (totally after the transformer, btw). I thought it was fucking cool, although in retrospect it was probably cliché as fuck. Before I’d even played out, I found out some kid in Florida had that name, so I set out to think of a name that no one else would have. My ex was hanging out with me at the time, and I told her I wanted to think of a female’s name. something slutty, cuz at the time, I was quite the whore. That was the first thing she thought of, and while the Downs bit brings to mind mental images of special kids, I think it works all around.

I’m a bit slutty (although not for the last 3 years, as I’m happily engaged), and I’m plenty special. Amusingly enough, people have told friends of mine they’ve seen me play and that I’m a hot chick. I guess mission success on that one.  I thought about changing it, but wtf would I change it to? My real name? that is far more forgettable than daniella downs, which sounds like a girl ready for cock on film.  i guess weighing the options, I’d rather be thought of a whore for money than just forgotten.

RB: You are the manager at Dead Famous Records, one of the cooler labels in our scene over the last few years. Tell us about it, where has it been and where is it going? Lets pretend I want to tell my nan about it, how would you describe it?

DD: tell your nan that we’re like jazz, but sexier. did she even listen to jazz? I assume all people 40 years past my age listened to jazz.  If you’re telling someone your own age though, tell them that we’re like a more breakbeat accessible Lot 49 (as people associate techfunk with them). Obviously, they are the royal dons of techfunk labels, but in the past few years, they’ve been focusing more on straight beat music, which is all well and fine (and good on them, im sure it’s made them a fair bit of money), but their consistent absence from the techy breaks market I think has hurt breaks in general (no fault on Lot 49), as they put out better techy breaks than anyone I think. That coupled with the demise of Sinister, who I think were the most all around consistent breaks label in breaks’s history, have left massive holes in breakbeat.

All that said – we do house and techno too, but we make sure there’s at least one breaks remix on each package (sometimes 2 or 3), as there’s still a fan base for dark, dirty, acid driven techy breaks. Psybreaks are starting to make a big push this year, and we’re trying to feature that as well. I’ve always looked at Dead Famous (long before I came on board) as a techy/psy  (but breaks only) label, and nowadays, we’re just trying to continue that notion, while branching out with the times a bit (dubstep, house, techno and dnb). We were a breakbeat label, but are trying to bridge the gap like other techfunk labels because we DO like other genres of music, but at the same time, being true to what got us here in the first place.  I guess at the end of the day, tell your nan we’re like the Lee Richardson of breakbeat. That’s guaranteed to make her a fan I reckon.  Thanks for calling us one of the cooler labels in our scene over the years, btw.

RB:  Last week on AIM I suggested you are anal, and to my surprise you agreed. What is the first image that comes into your head when you read the word anal and how do you feel about being associated with such a tag?

DD: Dollar signs. Anal brings in money. Think about it. Why do straight men do gay porn? Money. Why do chicks get anal in porn? Money (well there’s probably a few that are just right whores and love it anyways).  There was such an influx of people releasing music in the past few years because the costs are dramatically lower in the digital age. A huge influx in released music means a huge influx in absolute crap that comes out. It’s inevitable, and has led some shops to regulate some kind of quality control.

I’m a control freak as it is, and im really anal about some aspects of Dead Famous. It’s a label that I had a lot of love for before I came on board, and I’d like to see it succeed. I started out writng reviews on nsb, and then did internet promotion for various labels for a good amount of years. All that shit taught me loads, and when I was finally given the opportunity to steer the ship, so to speak, I had been around things and watched from the inside how shit works. That’s the problem with a lot of people – they think they know what they’re doing even though they have no experience (and this goes with anything). Take your time, and do your homework. You’ll thank yourself later.

I remember having a discussion with Paul Sinister about 3 years ago and I had asked them to do their A&R (I had already been doing their promotions). He said no, and it led to my leaving the label. I look back at that, and He was right (despite me thinking he was a royal cock at the time). If I ever meet him again, I’m going to shake his hand for that, and im sure he’ll laugh at me. Same thing with Mark, Marvin & Fidz from Lot 49. I owe them a ton for the knowledge they taught me, and to a lesser extent, Shack, although for different reasons.

RB:  It is no secret to anyone from nuskoolbreaks.co.uk that you have expressed your opinions in some of the more tedious threads over the years, so in 16,000 frank words or less what bothers you?

DD: Oh man, lots of things. For starters, I love (hate) the people that hate on psy/acid/trancey breaks and call it trendy, but at the same time hang on the cock of Dubstep like they miss their neighborhood priest.  There’s a fair bit of those, and it’s so plain as day ridiculous. Not to say dubstep isn’t decent – there’s a fair bit of it that I very much like, but come on. Garage moves in trendier circles than everything else it seems, so while Dubstep may be the hot shit now, 3 years from, now, I firmly believe that most people will be over it, and it will go the way of speed garage after 1997, 2step, grime, whatever.

I also have made it perfectly clear that I think it’s ridiculous that house and techno are called breakbeat, just to sell to more people. It’s fucking BREAK BEAT. It’s not HOUSE. It’s not TECHNO. What seperates breaks from those genres are the drums. That’s what’s always separated it. No snare = no breaks. Sorry, but it’s the case. I love house and techno, but it just drives me insane that what has always separated breaks from all forms of straight beat music now is null and void. Nuskool breaks had some of the craziest drums possible, and while I see the humor in someone who loves techy plod breaks bitching about drums, really, it is what it is. I say it again – No Snare = no Breaks.

I think breaks fans are really just grasping at other trends rather than doing shit for their scene themselves. I’ve been told that I should have a column and just rant like Peter Griffin. You know what really grinds my gears though? Mayonaise. Really.

RB: have you ever rubbed another man’s rhubard?

DD: Not that I can remember, tbh. I did loads of mind altering substances, so to speak, in my younger days.  There were some sketchy situations where I really didn’t, and still don’t know exactly what happened, so all I can say is I don’t know. Let this be a lesson to you kids – mixing 15 different things together and blacking out might not always mean you had an awesome time. I was actually told I died once in a stairwell, and had to be rushed to the hospital. Crazy shit I tell you. I’m 31 now, and this was all like 8-9 years ago. There aint nothing like being told you died to wake you up, you know?

RB: So i hear you’re a fan of WWE Wrestling, if you could have one match where would it be, who would you fight and what would the stipulation be??

DD: That’s a really good question (and quite possibly the best interview question I’ve ever been asked).  If  I had to choose from today’s wrestlers, I would have to go with Nigel McGuinness (now Desmond Wolfe in TNA), as I love him. He’s the typical British cunt – complete with calling everyone wankers, and giving the 2 finger fuck you salute every chance he gets. He’s a great technical wrestler, and I think the promos between us would be fucking awesome. I could say to him everything I ever wanted to say to you twats.  You’d have to be his manager tho. He’d still go over, because there’s no way I could beat him, but it’d be funny watching me try. Really though, I don’t hate nsb..  On another different, but similar note – I highly encourage anyone who calls themselves a wrestling fan who’s never watched Ring of Honor to check it out. Hands down the best promotion in the states if you like actual wrestling.  Over here, it’s on from 8-9 on Monday nights right before raw, and that one hour of Ring of Honor crushes all 72 hours of WWE programming a week, although sadly, McGuinness (a former ROH champion) is now in TNA, and Bryan Danielson, who’s easily the best wrestler in the world today just signed with WWE. Still tho – if you like wrestling, check it out. SO worth it. (I could go on for hours about wrestling).

RB: If there was an earthquake and you were watching all your vinyl fall into the abyss, assuming you could only run with one in each hand, which two would you take with you?

DD: Good question. I’d have to say this white label I have by Johnny Vicious called “Blue Roads”, and it’s this shufflestep house remix of the Doors’ Roadhouse Blues. Love it. Also, my green vinyl copy of Mon a Q’s “Stay in Love”.  I would cry if I lost all my records though. I am such a collector of vinyl, and I love going to used vinyl shops and just digging through crates just to find old gems.

RB: Complete the sentence, When I was a yout ………………….

DD: I took loads of drugs and went to more raves than Jesus.  Part of me misses those days, but you get older, and wiser, and all that good shit. You should ask “When I was old………” to which I could easily reply “I sat in front of a computer for 8 hours a day at work, and then 3-4 more when I got home, then played halo odst before going to bed” By the way, my main goal in music is to make enough money to buy a full out Master Chief outfit. Help me out with that people. The good ones are fucking expensive!!!.  /nerd.

RB: What’s on the horizon?

DD:  For Dead Famous, loads of things. We’re trying to push some new artists in Fisso & Spark, and LuQas, who both have original releases planned for near the end of the year. We have a new techno artist named Home Alone, who does some seriously RAW fucking acid techno putting out a few tunes in January.  That package is one I’m really looking forward to, as I love the originals, and the remixes are coming from Kiwa, Kickflip, and either Robosapiens or Attack Release. We’ve got 2 Robosapiens originals lined up for December, with one being complimented by a stunning Hedflux remix.

Assuming we’re nominated for something at breakspoll, myself and our web guy Rican are going to launch such a massive campaign it hurts.  Although on the flip of the coin there, if we lose to someone who I feel hasn’t done half of what we have, im going to start a riot in the middle of the club.  Not really, but maybe, lol. Outside of that, I’m getting married before the year is out, and looking at coming over again for the ‘spoll as a honeymoon. Plus, i really want to go back to that one fish and chips place you, me, and implants went to that one time. That place was the fucking bomb. Don’t you love how ADD I am? I’ve basically changed the topic from every question you have asked.