Issue 002 – United D&B – AGHQ Magazine

002 Interviews

Issue 002 – United D&B

AGHQ April 15, 2023 0

The Interview
By Calvin Cyrus

What does United D&B mean?
Soooooo, In 2010, All Florida crews were divided and there were no drum and bass events happening in Miami at that time. so, i (Disidente) reached out to Danny Bled to see if he would be interested in starting an event, since we had found a venue in Hallandale! Our mission was to bring everyone together for one night a month without any outside noise disturbing the night! So we decided to call the collective United D&B!

How did the collective form and when was your first event?
Danny & i met one night and brainstormed who could be in the group that was down for the cause of United D&B. it was a no-brainer to add Urban Chemistry from West Palm Beach to the roster (which included Markem, Impression & Mc Direct) as well as Jorge Aka The Engineer, John Aka SomeJerk, Jimmy aka Alphaxero, johnny aka Dalé!, and Puerto Rico’s Finest Rafa “Trixx” Fabregas! The first event was at a bar in Hallandale, FL, called Jake’s Bar.

Drum and Bass, as a genre, has had an ebb and flow since it’s introduction in the early American rave scene. What’s the current state of dnb and how do you view your role in it?
The current state of drum and bass is at a peak at this moment, but make no mistake, it had already had it’s peak back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s here in South Florida (Laundry bar days). basically, drum and bass is making it’s second comeback, as music recycles every couple of decades. We totally see ourselves at the forefront, as Danny Bled has been doing this for more than 20 years and myself (Disidente) for 10 plus years, working with some of the “best of the best” from the UK and USA.

You’ve moved your events to South Beach, to the storied venue Kill Your Idol. How has that been for you?
Kill Your Idol has opened their doors to us with open arms and we cannot be more thankful. even though it’s a free event, we have been able to keep the momentum alive, even with the pandemic that we had to face. We are there every second Saturday of the month and every month gets better and better!

Do you have any plans for the event, as far as expansion?
Yes, we are happy to be collaborating with BeatCamp & Culture productions, and of course our partner and brother SS (CEO of World of Drum & Bass), who we’ve been doing business with for almost 10 years!

Tell us about some of the artists you’ve helped bring through Miami.
We started with Dylan, Gein, Dj SS, Cabbie, BLokhe4d, TC, The FreeStylers, LTJ Bukem, Gridok, DJ Craze, Mayhem, Ak1200, Impulse (R.I.P) , A-sides, Andy C, Ed Rush & Optical, Taxman, Mr Mendez, Alex M, N-Type, Hatcha, Qbit, Task Horizon, Random Movement, Juan Basshead, Kryteria, Empire X, Custom Soldiers, Ian Bazehead, Semtex, Skylight from Puerto Rico, and so many more that we old-heads can’t remember and we’re sorry. You will be mentioned on part 2 of some interview we do Lol!

What’s next and coming up for your crew?
Our yearly presence at WMC (what is now known as Miami Music Week): World Of Drum & Bass, Hospitality & a surprise we can’t really mention at the moment. Watch Our Space on IG & FB!

Are there any artists that you’d be excited to work with?
For us, it would have to be this Hospitality event with Whiney, as it’s not my first hospitality in Miami. it’s always a pleasure to see Danny Byrd and Fred V, but I’m always excited to see what Beatcamp, Culture and World of Drum and Bass can bring to the table and allow us to collaborate with any artist they bring!

What events in the last 20 years have helped shape your own?
Infrastructure was a Thursday weekly that Danny Bled & Ben Matrix, alongside MC Dutchess, ran for 5 years in the heart of south beach in 2002. That shaped a lot of the structure that United D&B is run by, as well as Laundry Bar, that shaped the rhythm of things. Knowing Juan Basshead, personally, gave us a lot of insight of how to do the do’s and not the don’ts. That’s how we came to working with World Of Drum and Bass aka DJ SS, and the rest is history.

If you could go back in time and tell the younger you anything, what would it be?
Disidente: “Un Carajo, We did What We Did & We Are Proud Of It! Lets Do It One More Time!”
Danny Bled: “Dubstep Was A Fad.”

Any plans for 2023?
WMC, As a start, and we’re going to keep the good times rolling ‘til these wheels fall the fuck off!

Anyone you wanna shout out?
We have already shouted out a lot of people we respect that came and blessed our space. everyone that has been mentioned in this interview, we hold dear to our hearts, but in particular, we shout out Juan Basshead, Leroy Small aka DJ Ss, Marco aka Influx Datum, of course American Grime for allowing us this space to tell a bit of our story, Angel Candelaria aka Culture Productions, DJ Craze and the whole BeatCamp crew. Our Fans – the people that support us every second Saturday of the month, cause you guys are the real ones that keep it alive .