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Interview: Brent Crampton |
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Jan.2005 | Phocas.net
(see article)
by phelyne
photos by Amy Hunsberger, Shaun Williams & Todd Comer
I decided to interview a regional icon who is always
dilligently taking his craft to the next level. If you
thought you had heard a lot about this man, you will surely
hear much much more in the coming years. He is on a steady
track of successful musical ventures and has no plans to let
up. For those of you have not heard of Brent Crampton yet,
sit back and be as impressed as I am at this cat's passion,
dedication, and motivation. He will surely inspire you in
this in depth interview to follow your heart. Getting things
started, here is what Brent confided in me for this interview...
Please tell us about how music entered your life and why it
has had such in impact on you.
I have been djing for over 4 years. My first experience
with music heard from sources other than the radio came when
I started skateboarding, back when I was 12. I was real big
into buying skate videos at the time. Since most of the videos
were filmed on the west coast, I was being exposed to much
music that I would otherwise not have came across. I was
listening to groups like The Roots, Fountains of Wayne, Pete
Rock, and Gang Star. Lots of underground hip hop and
alternative that people weren't hearing on the radio here.
This helped me to develop an appreciation for music that
wasn't being fed to me by commercialism. And in return, it
ended my interest in music on the radio and MTV, lol. In
highschool I was always very passionate about music. I had
this ritual where I would listen to a song at the beginning
of the day over and over as to get it in my head, and then
play the song mentally to myself the rest of the day. This
would shape how I percieved things, and how I related to
others throughout the day. I also remember going through
some very emotionally rough times when I was an adolescent,
and to cope with it, I turned to music. I would express my
rage with music from Rage Against Machine, my melancholy
with Smashing Pumpkins and very emotionally diving feelings
with Sarah McLachlan.
So, would you say that music became a form of self
expression for you?
I have always used music as a way to express myself. This is
perhaps why friends and girls from relationships have always
told me I have issues with communicating verbally. I directly
attribute that to the music, since I use this as my media of
expression. I guess I forgot how to use words in the
process, lol.
So you are a Deep House dj. Would you tell us why you decided
to dj that particular genre?
Throughout my career as a Deep House DJ, other people in the
music industry have expressed to me an intense perplexity as
to why I play deep house. Mainly because the culture is not
here, and it's such a finely tuned genre that doesn't attract
many followers unless they have directly came across the
music in it's proper cultural setting. I mean, techno, dnb,
proggressive DJs in the Midwest can all attribute their
influence to the rave scene. But deep and soulful house
was never really picked up by the rave era. Deep house is
something that I almost stumbled upon by accident, but my
soul had been preparing me for the music all the while.
To further explain that, I have noticed that throughout my
life, I have been attracted to music with emotion,
sensitivity and an instrinic beauty to it. Having no
real music influence from my family setting growing up,
I have figured out that my father was one of my main
influences in attracting me to deep house. He did this
indirectly really. My father was never the type of person
to sit on the couch, drink a beer and watch football.
Rather he was out in the garden, admiring natures beauty,
or heading to the kitchen to lay down a great meal. So
the whole bull-headed testerone aspect in my life was
overlooked. I think this cultivated an interest in me
for things that are beautiful in life. And deep house
fits that category to a tee.
So, how were you introduced to Deep House?
Well, in highschool, the height of the rave culture hit,
and most of my friends started going to these underground
parties. I joined them back in 2000 and was instantly
appealed. The music, atmosphere, people and drugs were
so mysterious to me. And I've always been attracted to
things that are mysterious. So I became hooked. I decided
that I wanted to start DJing when I was at a party in
KC called "Where the Wild Things Are." I was up in the
VIP area where the True House Coalition was playing.
I remember the crowd being hooked and reactant to every
little EQ tweak. I suppose it was that Western influence
in me that was attracted to DJing because of the power that
a DJ held. Fortunately it has become something much more
important now.
Once you decided to take the step to learn to become a
dj, what do you remember about that time?
When I first started buying records in Omaha, there wasn't
much of a electronic music section in any store with
vinyl. At one in particular, the Anitquarium, I asked for
techno music, and instead they gave me deep house on the
OM record label. At first I wasn't digging it too much.
Along the way I ran into a used CD, San Francisco Sessions
by Mark Farina on OM. I bought that, was weirded out at
first because it was sort of this downtempo kind of banging
electronic music I was used to hearing at raves. But it
grew on me.
So, you started to learn that the rave culture had several
different types of music that drew fans. How did you
decide what you wanted to start off spinning?
When I first began DJing, I wanted to play all types of
electronic music. And for awhile, I did. But I realized
each genre is so wide and exspansive that I was just
watering down the music by not focusing on a particular
type. So I knew I had to choose an avenue to go down to
simplify and actualize things. Since all the DJs in Omaha
were a direct result of the rave era, they all played
harder styles of music. Naturally I felt that if I wanted
to play out with them, I needed to do the same. So
instead of being a trendsetter, I was going to follow.
There was a period in my DJing that I was trying to
decipher what my sound was. I had a very hard time
deciding what I wanted to go with. But what decided
it for me was that whenever I was in my room mixing
records, I always pulled out the deep house. Once I
realized this, I knew it was the avenue of music I was
supposed to pursue. Once I decided that, I felt a big
burden lifted off my shoulders and a wave of creativity
followed.
After you started to build your record collection,
practice to perfect your skillz as a dj, and network,
how did you finally break into the scene?
I made my debut into public performance when I started
DJing at coffee houses. I was the first DJ to take
deep house to coffee shops all over Omaha with the
"Deep Coffee House Tour" that I organized. I gained
attention from some important promoters in town from
that effort, and was asked to join the roster of
Ultramusique.com. At this point I was on the
same roster as notable local names like Myth,
Superstar Dj Lee and Wizzo. I was
automatically in the bar and club scene when this
happened. And things have really taken off since then.
Now I have reached a point that I can say my move to
stand out amongst the rest with deep house has really
payed off. I am currently the busiest DJ, as far as
electronic music, in the Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska
scenes right now. I have a weekly residency at the best
club (Bricktop) in Nebraska, called Rhythm, with
fellow resident, Dr. Zhivago. I have a Thursday night
residency at the Velvet Lounge, I play once a month
at bar 415. I DJ at the best contemporary art gallery
in Omaha for their receptions, Fluxion Art Gallery.
I also organize an art and music fusion event called
Colorsound. Because I DJ deep house, and dabble in
broken beat and downtempo, I am able to play in a variety
of settings from bars, clubs, art galleries, coffee
shops and various other events.
Overall, what do you think stands out the most
about your passion for music?
My philosophy on music is different than most. I was
adopted as a child and I know nothing about my real p
arents. So it's kind of an oddity that I got into
music as deep as I am into it since my adopted family
did not provide much influence in that area. Another
oddity is my intense desire for spirituality which my
parents did not influence either. I have always sought
out a spiritual path or insight, and this past season
in my life, I have been focusing on applying that to
music. Keeping in mind that I communicate through
music as a form of expression, I also express myself
to a higher power through music. In fact sometimes I
have a hard time with verbal prayers, but music has
been able to take me to a level that words often fail
for me when praying or praising God.
Well, I must say Brent, you truely are a unique person
and DJ, who deserves all success you have earned and
have yet to earn. Keep up the hard work, and you will
stay on the chosen path. Thanks for taking the time
to answer a few questions. I have one more for you.
Where can the readers learn even more about you, as well
as hear some of your Deep House mixing skillz?
I am sponsored by:
Syde-Sho.com,
OmahaNightLife.com,
TechnOmaha.com &
UltraMusique.com.
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