>> Dexter interview D.I.E (clone, map-rec) This spring 2004, the duo Detroit In Effect will return to Europe to join the Clone Records label tour, definately not an event to miss. Ahead of time, substance took the occasion to catch up with D.I.E. to find out more about their mysterious project. Hello P-DOG, hello MAACO, first of all thanks for doing this interview with us. Together you two form Detroit In Effect / D.I.E., so where did you two meet? When and why did you decide to start producing together? MAACO: At a after hours club, I took P-Dog's job, ha ha ha. P-DOG: We meet at this club in Detroit called "3's A CROWD" in 1992 i was a DJ there first and the owner didn't want to pay me anymore so he got MAACO i came up to the club to get my records casue i was quiting, that's when i meet him, we started to talk music we clicked and we been partners every since. Some people might call your tracks electro, some booty, some techno, some electro bass. Is there any kind of term you think is most suitable? How would you describe it yourself? P-DOG: I can't speak for MAACO and that question is a hard one to answer,with "ME" and my solo tracks you can say that there all of the above!!!!! but MAACO he doesn't like those lables compared to his music. If you had to lable it im a MILLION percent shure it would be "OLD SCHOOL" in the since of JUAN AKINS, EGYPTIAN LOVER,MODEL 500. MAACO: Straight Detroit Techno, i sometimes feel my music comes from other worlds trying to communicate with the human race. Your tracks all have some charming roughness to it. How do you proceed when you do a track? Which equipment do you use? And where do you record all your tracks? At the infamous MAP Lounge? P-DOG: LOL LOL!!!!!! That's really funny ive never heard that before, but you know what i guest i can see that in a way. You see im "REALLY" in to HIP HOP!!!! If i had to choose between HIP HOP and TECHNO thats a no brain answer HIP HOP HANDS DOWN!!!!! I guest the 2 cultures of Music HIP HOP street/urban based and TECHNO ????? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!! lol lol. The "CHARMING ROUGHNESS" that's the really funny part, the CHARMING comes from MACCO see he's the family man he has kids. So his demenaor is that of him dealing with them, you can be HARD CORE with children, plus MAACO is REALLY!!!!! Passionate about TECHNO and His Music and you can hear it in every track he does. ROUGHNESS stems from me in my DJ Battles, Open Mic at clubs and the all around DETROIT mentality . See we don't think about should our tracks sound like this or that we JUST DO IT!!!! All the tracks we do are at MAP studios, MAACO has gone all digital when recording be me, I still use my trusty MPC 2000. MAACO: I use old gear, Thats funny because everyone say i should upgrade but than ask me, (how did you do That?) And yes, the infamous MAP lounge, My basement. As we know, Detroit has its electro scene, its known artists and clubs. So far, how recognized have you been by them? How much attention did your records receive in your hometown? P-DOG: LOL you know what this will shock at lot of people but we are not recognized AT ALL!!!!!!!! Our records get ZERO!!!!!! attention here in DETROIT, all the DJ's here play the same thing that they here on the radio here!!!! you have a few cats here who go agienst the norm but there are VERY few of them. Some will say that were not "CONSISTANT" with our tracks while others "MASS PRODUCE" there music, you know what, id rather stay this way and put out "QUALITY" music as we do instead of MASS PRODUCE!!!!!!!! we are RESPECTED here but to those who truly no good music, and to the artist that do this type music also. MAACO: We have received some attention, and we have moved records, but when i DJ parties, people don't seem to connect the two. I've been at places where people would go crazy over my records and have no idea the creator is in the same room. I think i like it because i get their true reactions. after all, I'M THE MAN YOU NEVER SEE!!!!! Do you think it is important that Detroit artists stay in the city to remain part of the music scene there rather than move to another city? P-DOG: Staying in the city to remain part of the music scene is important to a certain point DJ GOD FATHER ,DJ ASSAULT those guys don't stay in the city but that's no a bad thing at all. DETROIT is a hard city !!! I stay in the city and everyday i gotta worry about people breaking in my house (which has been done 3 times) and things like that MAACO has kids and he stays here but i whold love for him to move for the sake of his kids and a better invorment for them. Don't get me wrong I LOVE DETROIT !!!! and would never wanna be in in other city in the world!!! but if you have the PASSION for the music it's there and all ways will be but the CITY OF DETROIT is kind of like the BLUE PRINT or DNA you have in you. MAACO: l believe, where ever you go, you are who you are, either it's in or it's not! It took some releases on your label MAP Records during the years to be finally recognized here in Europe, slowly but surely. Now your last record came out on Clone Record in Rotterdam. How did this contact happen? MAACO: You know, l really don't know but i'm glad it did. P-DOG: the thing with CLONE RECORDS was "FATE" i was here in DETROIT at this records store DAMON RECORDS when our release "ONLY TIME CAN STOP A DREAM" was beging relaesed and i was putting them in the store. It was this cat from BOSTON who i don't remmber his name was there in the store. JEFF & CLAY the cats who work in DAMONS told me to give the guy from BOSTON a record, I did he looked at it and ask me were we the same DIE who made "GET UP" and I was like yes, he told me it was this guy in HOLLAND (serge Clone Records) who have been looking for our records for years. and had been trying to get in touch with us, so i gave him my contact information and the very next day i got a call from SERGE , you see i did all the Distributing by my self i had no EUROPE contacts at all the people here i see now didn't want DIE/MAP to make it out of DETROIT. But that phone call from SERGE change a lot of things we keep in touch but, when we wasn't getting and LOVE here in our own city and all the other things stated we stop recording. I ran into DJ GODFATHER and he was like he had his own Distributing company and he whould love to disrtibuting our stuff i blew him off casue at that time i was fed up with all this hating going on on us. But during all this time MAACO and SERGE had been talking duing bizzness. I was into my HIP HOP , DJ BATTLES and MIXTAPES. ran into DJ GODFATHER again he was like "what happen??" i really wanna start selling your LP's so i gave him like 300 records i had sitting around he sold those things in less than a month, EVER LAST ONE OF THEM. i reorde all the back catalogs and with in a couple of days those were gone. Little did i know SERGE had been making the Buzz over in EUROPE and him and MAACO had been making plans of a 12 inch release in EUROPE need i say the rest is HISTORY!!!!!!! Will you still continue releasing on your own label MAP Records? P-DOG: Yes, we still continue to release on MAP, but it's been awhile MAP presents MAACO AND P-DOG was like the last one we did on MAP. P-Dog, you are a known and respected hip hop DJ in the 313 area. So is D.I.E. just a side project for you? And tell us more about your involment in the Detroit hip hop scene, your work as a DJ there and your releases. P-DOG: for me to say D.I.E. is a side project would be DISRESPECTFUL!!!!!! when im with D.I.E. im with D.I.E. after all i made it up. When MAACO and myself do music i give it A MILLION PERCENT!!!!!! and nothing less, but i can never compare to MAACO!!!! trufully he doesn't need me at all !!!!!!!! Sometimes that bothers me casue at any time MACCO can be like "I DON'T NEED YOU" But weve been doing this so long and the bond is there i don't think he kick me to the crub. Here in DETROIT im mostly P-DOG "THE TURNTABLE BULLY" to tell the truth no one know's im with D.I.E. even thought im the one bring in the records to the stores and my name is on the records, probly becasue im alwasy in the HIP HOP section at the store. and im in DJ BATTLES here and in other parts of the states. aEven when i tell them im with DIE/MAP they still don't get it there like HOW YOU DO THAT MUSIC WHEN YOUR ALWAY TLAKING ABOUT HIP HOP and ect. I don't know i don't think they will even get the 2. they seem like it's impossible to do both. When DJ ASSAULT first started out he was a RAPPER him and ADE did HIP HOP!!!!! A lot of people didn't know that either, it's just that im more know for HIP HOP here in DETROIT and the people who do the music like GODFATHER & ASSAULT , they know i do DIE/MAP. Im relly in to the HIP HOP scene here i got over 10 mixtapes (you can check em out on my web site www.turntablebully.com) ive been doing thing s with PROOF & BIZARRE ( the group D-12 with EMINEM) and other artist here and in other states. Maaco, what other projects are you involved in aside from D.I.E.? MAACO: CYBONIK PROJECT,THE OTHER PEOPLE, and general recording and studio work for other artist. What is both your musical background? And what or who turned you on to dance/techno/electro/hip hop? MAACO: l started out playing drums as a kid, than fell in love with turntables, l'm a big fan of THE WIZARD(Jeff Mills) JUAN ATKINS. say no more!!! P-DOG: my musical background is "MUSIC" i love MUSIC all types "REALLY" my favorate is 1980's alltertive music like DEVO,THE THOMSON TWINS,THOMAS DOLBY,THE EURYTHMICS,THE CLASH,THE POLICE to name a few,in acutalty in this order. 1980's Alltertive HIP HOP DANCE/TECHNO/ELECTRO that was how i was turned on to that music in that order but i feel in LOVE with HIP HOP. DANCE/TECHNO/ELECTRO living here in DETROIT it has an influnce on you casue this is the placewere it started. and plus MAACO passion for it rub off on me. Can you tell us about your first musical and/or club experience? MAACO: As a DJ, VERY NERVOUS. As an artist, EVEN MORE NERVOUS. P-DOG: My first musical and/or club experience was at '3'S A CROWD and at my brothers club, And me and MAACO recording our first song togehter "THE ONE" the most memeroble has to be in 1998 "THE SOURCE MAGAZINE DJ/MC BATTLE PROOF of D-12 won the MC BATTLE and DJ LENN SWANN of 12 TECH MOB (also did the cuts on EMINEM LP THE SLIM SHADY LP) won the DJ part I didn't win but the CROWD remember my set some people still talk about it to this day. Which was the moment where you decided for yourself to produce music? P-DOG: that's a good question, becasue for me were i decided to produce music was like 3 LP's in to DIE/MAP!!!! You see MAACO is so good that i was worry that if i did something he wouldn't like it. it's like me tyring to fight MIKE TYSON i had no confidence till i had to do my solo 12inch "P-SOLO??? when it even suprised MAACO. MAACO: I had all these songs just sitting around, so P-Dog and myself thought: hey, let's put this stuff out and see what kind of noise we can make. We were happy to welcome you in Germany for your first European tour last summer and people with different musical backgrounds alike were amazed by your performance between electro, techno and hip hop. Now you come back to celebrate the first compilation release of Clone Records. What can we expect from D.I.E. on stage this time? P-DOG: LOL I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT YAL HAVE TO COME OUT AND SEE!!!! trust me it's going to be "FISH GREASE HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAACO: ha ha ha ,SURPRISE SURPRISE What differences, if any, have you noticed between American audiences and European audiences? P-DOG: European audiences have love and passion for our music. American's don't have that same drive unless they are really fans of your music or the music it self. MAACO: The love for the music hands down. And most important of all, have you really ever met these men you'll never see? Sound a bit complicated in itself, or? P-DOG: to tell the truth i really don't know or really met these guys "the men youll never see" we did the tracks with them but i don't know what they are doing now we don't keep in touch like that. So is there anything left here you want to tell us, ask us, let your fans know or just want to get rid off? P-DOG: JUST THANKS TO ALL WHO LOVE AND LISTEN TO OUR MUSIC, AND AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE WE WILL BRING THE "PURE UNCUT" DETROIT MUSIC. THANK YOU >> artist link D.I.E. / Detroit In Effect discography D.I.E. "The One" (MAP Records) P-Dog ft. Mister Johnson "The Sound Fury" (MAP Records) D.I.E. ft. The Men You'll Never See "The Unseen" (MAP Records) D.I.E. "The Men You'll Never See" (MAP Records) P-Dog "P-SOLO?" (MAP Records) D.I.E. "Only Time Can Stop a Dream" (MAP Records) M.A.P. presents MAACO & P-DOG "No Save" (MAP Records) D.I.E. "The Men You'll Never See Part 2" (Clone Records)