Miami Talent Spotlight: The Deuce Crew
We have been big fans of The Deuce Crew here at Miami Nights for some time now so it's only appropriate that we start our new weekly Miami Spotlight segment with the foursome crew that has been ripping up the local club scene with their brand of Disc Jockeying. Bringing a new flavor to the music scene with their own edits and unique music selection the scene was definitely overdue for a group of DJ's that were willing to break from that indie/electro norm and do it so well. Of course there are some other DJ's in Miami that are breaking new ground but we will get to them in later Miami Spotlight segments.
You can catch the crew all over the Miami club scene from Buck 15 to PS14 and even Ft. Lauderdale (be safe my friends). The Deuce Crew was nice enough to do a little Q&A session with us and provide an edit they produced, some of their mixtapes (banging shit!) and a top 10 music list. Read on for the goodies.
Q:Tell us a little about your boys and what you are up to lately.
A:Mike Deuce is the leader of the pack. Mainly by force and threat though. One of the main reasons DEUCE CREW was started was to get Deuce out there DJing, since Treasures (Alex) and R3K+ (Ricardo) were able to get their foot in the door to a few places through their band, Animals of the Arctic (plug!). We started DJing together at house parties and small personal events, throwing down whatever the fuck we wanted. Then we decided we wanted to hear the tracks we were spinning through better sound systems, and wanted to get people bouncing to what we thought they should be bouncing to. The latest thing that's happened has been recruiting DS363 (Dadeabass), which we are beyond fucking thrilled about. So DEUCE CREW is 4 of us now. Kinda' like the Apocalypse horsemen, but not quite as bad-ass.
Q: Miami is presently overrun by DJs in this indie market segment. What do you think differentiates you guys from the rest?
A: We think the main difference between us and other DJs is that we want to smash people's heads open with new tracks instead of comforting them with the familiar, safe, over-played tracks that they're used to. It's like we're force-feeding a child medicine. You know what's good for them, although they're reluctant to swallow. Then again, nobody REALLY wants to swallow. They just wanna suck. We think there's too much good shit coming out of too many places to hear nothing but Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Bravery all fucking night. Not to say they're bad tunes or anything. We just think it's time for a changing of the guard, so to speak.
Q: People often give Miami party goers a bad rep for expecting a given play list and not being able to appreciate new music, or music that they don't recognize. Do you agree with this? What's the solution?
A: I think we are an optimistic bunch, and just as we got hooked on this music, we believe other people will as well. The real challenge is the reprogramming of what the crowd expects to hear when they go out to a club; and although people can be fickle, we think that there's enough of a need for new music that people will definetly respond. We don't think people give our "scene" enough credit. There IS potential, it just has to be directed properly. The solution: more smashing of skulls.
Q: In this day and age, increasingly advanced tools are available to the DJ, from beat counters to computerized tools like Ableton Live that automatically beat match tracks, that make it a lot easier to perform the technical side of the live performance. Do you think technicals are still important skills to a DJ, or is track selection and programming now the only thing that matters?
A: I think it mainly depends on the DJ. There's a million different types of DJs, and all use different formats for what they do, but we believe, as a collective, that track selection IS the most important aspect of DJing. It goes along with what we mentioned earlier.
Q: Give us a preview of what you like to play. What are your current top 10?
TOP 10:
1.My! Gay! Husband!-Carli Simon "Why" (M!G!H! Remix)
2.Bag Raiders- Fun Punch (Whitenoise Remix)
3.Justice- D.V.N.O. (LA Riots Bootleg)
4.M.I.A.-Boyz
5.Bonde dol Role - Marina do Bairro
6.AL Ripken- Turn Up the Bump More
7.Chromeo - Fancy Footwork (Guns And Bombs Remix)
8.Riot in Belgium- La Musique
9.Digitalism-Pogo (Shinichi Osawa Remix)
10.Dragonette-I Get Around (Van She Vocal Mix)
- - -
Goo goo g' joob
UGH..
Anyways, I have to admit the Deuce Crew gets the crowd going (I remember a particular night at The Attic - I think opening night). I can't wait to hear them play at Martini Bar in So. Miami.