DJ Diistortiion
Sonic Clarity
By Chris Archibald
Aka simplearc
28/11/2006

As is commonly known the DJ game is as competitive at the moment as trying out for the Australian Gymnastics team. And like aforementioned team, to stay above the crowd you’ve gotta have the skills and repertoire to back up all of the claims that got you that elusive gig in the first place. This is more so in Perth as the amount of clubs is small, with resident DJ’s and an often repetitive line up taking most of the spots on the weekly club circuit. Add to this the amount of touring DJ’s now making the rounds and it’s tough as Chopper’s tats.
Dj Diistortiion (AKA Glen Main) has taken all of this in his stride by not only hooking up with the best Breaks crew in town (Destination?) to get some great shows at World top 50 club Ambar and numerous others, but has also decided to add the guise of promoter to his list of talents. With a sold out beach side show on this weekend featuring the cream of Perth’s local talent, as well as budding East Coast hook ups, Diistortiion is certainly bringing his own version of clarity to the scene. In the Mix caught up with him recently and found him in a typical enthusiastic mood.

Most DJ names come from many different influences. What made you decide that you were err on the side of sonic displacement?

Ha. To be truthful Diistortiion was a name that I chose after tossing around a few different ideas. I actually have one of my mates to thank for it (Abbet). He had it as graffiti inside his van. I loved the double ‘I’ effect and decided to run with it as a DJ name.

Djing is a cut throat business. What made you decide to make the leap into the booth?

Once I started going to gigs and watching the DJ’s do their thing I was pretty much hooked. I was just fascinated by what they are doing up there, which seems a world away when your looking up from the dance floor. Now whenever I go out to gigs I’m not only listening to the tunes played, but also listening to what the DJ is doing. This gives me the motivation to keep practising new things behind the decks.

Your love of Breaks is fast becoming renowned around town with you getting regular shows at world beating club Ambar as well as other events. What is the allure for you playing this sexy genre?

I just love Breaks! The thing about Breaks is it is so diverse. There is up tempo Breaks, electro Breaks, party Breaks etc. So there is always something to play at the right time as well as listen to. That’s why I can listen to Breaks in all moods as well as play it all the time and not get sick of it. Plus there is always heaps of fresh stuff coming through.

Perth has a strong Breaks presence which was proven by Micah sitting in a high position in the itm DJ poll. What do you think makes Breaks so popular in this distant city?

More things than just one I’d say. The thing about breaks in Perth is although the music is rocking, the crowds here really get in to it too. I’ve brought new people into the Breaks scene and once they go to a sold out gig at Ambar they are pretty much breaks enthusiasts from then on in. It’s just a great atmosphere to be a part of.

You have recently branched out into event organisation with a corker of a show coming up on December 2nd. How do you feel your shows will differ from the regular run of Summer events?

Basically what I’m trying to do is to run a gig from a punters point of view. As much as I love listening to breaks in clubs it is also great to be able to take it out of the club environment and play it in various locations. It’s all about creating an atmosphere in the location you choose plus having great tunes to back it up. The thing that I’m lucky with too is I have a great core group who love their Breaks as much as I do, so what ever I decide to do to push these events I know I have a great support base to help me out.
Also summer in Perth is awesome in it’s self so celebrating this season with a beer in your hand and great tunes is something I quite happily put my time into organising.

You’ve hooked up with the Destination? crew for many of your sets. What would you say is the most important thing you’ve learnt form this experience?

Where do I start? Well before I meet the Destination? crew I must admit I was quite naive on how the whole industry works. Seeing the professionalism in how they run their nights and the manner in which they treat their guests is something to aspire to I’d say. Their success alone over the past year goes to show how on the ball those boys are. With multiple label signings and success with their tracks they have released, I feel privileged to be associated with them. Subconsciously I have learnt many things from them and I think it shows in my event organisation.

As a DJ beat mixing is an important part but more importantly is the ability to get the crowd pumping. Do you practice a set before you play or are all of your mixes and drops done on the fly?

When I first stated playing out I did go for the safe option and practise my sets, just in case I needed that little bit of help. But now when I play out I just play what I think is right at the time. When I mix at home I always do on the fly mixes so it only feels natural to do this out too. That’s when it comes down to knowing your tracks well and feeling the crowds vibe. I must admit when you’re pumping a crowd it’s surprising what you pull out on the fly and pull of perfectly!

As previously mentioned you are a hard core lover of Breaks. Can we expect any original Diistortiion tracks on the horizon or are you sticking to the DJ mantle for the time being?

Most definitely. Production is something that any DJ knows the further they get into the industry, it is a must to get your name out there and get regular gigs. U look at any big names at the moment and they are all excellent DJ’s as well as producers. And in some cases some are crap DJ’s but get the gigs because they are good producers! So yes, I definitely want to start making my own tunes but I guess it’s all about time isn’t it? With that in mind, DJing is definitely my number 1 passion and I want to perfect that as an art above everything else.

Many DJs have a certain shelf life as their sound loses its appeal by not staying fresh. What are some of the things you do to stay ahead of the game?

Fortunately Breaks is such an adapting sound that it progresses itself to stay fresh. You look at the break beat played a year ago and see how different it is now compared to then. It is continually adapting to new sounds which in turn keeps people interested in listening to it. With that in mind too, the DJ needs to adapt his way of mixing it to make the use of the changing sounds to keep the crowds interested. So I guess that separates the good DJ’s from the crap ones doesn’t it?

So with your events are you going to stay local or can we expect some regional and possibly national tours in the future?

Well that’s a great question to ask actually. Right at the moment I am in the process of working out a partnership with my cousin (Michael Muska – DJ Muska) who has moved to Victoria (Melbourne to be exact). He has started up his own promotions company with a mate (Nick Hamilton – DJ Tahli) over there called Touch N Base and has been holding a night called Mixed Messages at a few night clubs. So far they have had some big name Melbourne DJ’s play at their nights including; Nick Thayer, T – Rex and Boogs to name a few. So far the nights have been a great success and they are planning to move into bigger and better clubs. So on this side of the country I’m running my own nights under the Touch N Base banner called Guilty Party. Eventually we plan to join the two and exchange DJ’s to bring both cities something new. Early in the new year a website will start up showcasing the two nights held on other sides of the country and hopefully generate some interest behind it. So to start this off I will be heading over to Melbourne in Feb next year and doing some gigs to bring some west coast flavour to Melbourne.

So last question. With the amount of technology available to the modern DJ what direction do you see Djing heading to in the future?

Well, at the moment I think technology is moving faster than the DJ. With the amount of new equipment and programs to come out this year alone it goes to show how fast it is progressing. Unfortunately I think a lot of the new equipment is killing the art of djing by allowing any one to mix with the sound knowledge of using a computer. But it is refreshing to know that in the industry its self, DJ’s are keeping to traditional methods to mix and using technology to enhance this (effects, accapellas etc). Also the producers/DJ’s who use programs to format their mixes are not using it as a straight beat matching tool but pushing the boundaries of what the program can allow them to do ( live recordings, loops etc). So djing is definitely branching off in different directions but is still keeping its art form which is the most important thing I think. To most punters they won’t even notice the difference in beat matching or computer programming but as a DJ I must be able to recognise the skill involved to fully appreciate what I am hearing, so as long as this is still happening, I’m happy.

Thanks for your time Mr Diistortiion!

Thank you Mr Chris.