Wednesday Spotlight: Decimate
Written by Jason Euler | September 9, 2020
Decimate is an LA-based artist already making plenty of waves for himself in the international bass music scene. The unique blend of twisted synths and off-kilter arrangements keep each beat fresh and every track sounding new. That is why we felt confident handing over the curation duties for an upcoming Spotify playlist takeover set to drop this Friday.
We had a chance to catch up with Decimate to be featured in our Wednesday Spotlight Series, where we had an opportunity to discuss everything for leadership, mentorship, the LA club scene, and the best piece of advice he has ever received from a mentor.
I’m excited about your Spotify takeover playlist you’re curating for us. What is your mindset going into organizing these tunes that are dropping this Friday?
I guess the company name speaks for itself. I’m looking forward to connecting with young aspiring artists and showing them a thing or two. I am super passionate about what I do so any chance I get to talk about it a lot, I’m on board!
For my playlist takeover, I decided to go with picking the tunes that are fresh and hot in the dubstep community right now. Tunes that have been recently released and caught my eye in one-way shape or form. Some of these guys are my homies and some of these guys are some fresh new talent that I haven’t heard of until now. This playlist is a little taste of what I like. I hope you enjoy it!
It is fantastic to see tastemakers still doing what they love despite clubs and venues being closed. Any tips for fellow cratediggers and DJs to finding the best music for streams and playlists?
I use SoundCloud as a source for finding new music, along with my community obviously. I have a lot of my friends who send me fresh music to listen to. If I have one tip for my fellow crate diggers it would’ve to go follow Savage Society Records, because we are always releasing fresh new music from fresh new acts.
What effects do you think the last six months will have on the bass music scene near your home in Los Angeles when it comes to live music?
Personally, I think it’s going to be a long time until we see the live music scene come back to Los Angeles. But as far as the bass music scene as a whole, I think it’s thriving right now. If you’re a smart artist, you would be seizing the moment and creating as much content as you can. I’ve been seeing a lot of new artists come up during quarantine and I think it’s a great thing for our industry. That being said, I really miss playing shows, SO WEAR YOUR DAMN MASKS!
Every city and every scene is unique. What struggles do you think LA will have as the club scene begins to rebuild itself? What advantages do you think LA has, being a global hub for music, that other large cities might not?
I think LA’s biggest struggle will be the fact that it is so populated that it would be an easy breeding ground for the virus in the club scene. But once the vaccine is out, I think things will start to get back to normal a lot quicker than we think. LA’s biggest advantage is also its biggest struggle, the population. Because LA has so many artists and promoters and industry etc. I think it will go the HARDEST to get things back to normal at that time.
Has your sound changed throughout the time you have not been playing shows? If yes, how so? If not, how come?
Yep, of course. My sound is constantly evolving. I used to think that you had to make a certain synth that you used over and over to create a sound but later realized that’s not the case. It’s just the way you put everything together that gives you a distinct sound. Since quarantine, started I actually switched from Reason to FL Studio and it was the best decision I ever made. It’s been super fun and easy to continually switch up my sound in that DAW. It’s been a fun time, to be frank.
What were you doing this time last year? Not to bring up sensitive subjects, but what plans did you have for 2020 that got put on hold?
Ahhh such a bittersweet subject. This time last year we were all getting ready to go to Lost Lands! Damn, that was such a fun experience playing some music with the boys at that sound camp. Literally almost shed a tear right now. Man, we had so many plans so many shows lined up things were starting to look pretty promising for my project. I haven’t let what happened to deter me from my goals though and I’m staying optimistic throughout this whole experience. I think that’s what drives me to continue writing so much music.
The pandemic has done nothing if it hasn’t taught us to adapt. What steps are being taken as you look towards 2021?
Some things I never thought I would have to do is become an online entertainer, such as live streams. It’s something that I now feel obligated to incorporate into my artistry moving forward into 2021. So expect more live shows as I figure things out. This time has also taught me a lot about marketing through Instagram. My marketing manager and I have been spending a lot of time figure it out and it’s kind of fun too. I thank 2020 for that.
Every producer does things a bit differently. If you had to describe your workflow using only five adjectives, what would they be?
If I had to pick 5 probably Quick, Efficient, Unorganized, Intricate, and Fresh.
Music is a fundamental form of communication. What do you want your music to communicate with your audience? What aspects of yourself are easy to share through music, but not through words or writings?
I guess when I write music, I ultimately use it as a form of expressing myself and my emotion. To be honest, it’s how I get my anger out. If you have ever listened to it you would know that it’s pretty aggressive. I guess the only reaction I really look for in my audience is a, “wow that’s dope.”
What was the best piece of advice a mentor or teacher has ever given you?
I owe the best piece of advice ever given to me to Papa Choppa, AKA Blankface. He once told me, “stay patient but be consistent.” Ever since then, that’s what I’ve been telling my babies. It’s the best advice because when your an aspiring artist all you want to do is post your tunes for people to hear impulsively. Taking time to think out releases and roll things out is the best investment in yourself. I’m always thinking 20 steps ahead by the time I’m releasing one track.
What do you hope to give back to the community by joining the Kinekt roster? What makes you a unique mentor compared to the other talent on the team?
I hope to share all my knowledge from production to industry, whatever my student’s goals may be. I really love sound design and have an arsenal of techniques ready to be taught. I think that’s what makes me so unique is my passion for making weird noises. For the people who really want to learn more about the creativity aspect of making dubstep, hit me up. You won’t be disappointed.
What makes you excited about being apart of the Kinekt mentorship program? In your own words, how would you describe what Kinekt is all about?
I guess the company name speaks for itself. I’m looking forward to connecting with young aspiring artists and showing them a thing or two. I am super passionate about what I do, so any chance I get to talk about it a lot, I’m on board!