In Focus: Dash
One of the newest CaveLife DJ's to hit the scene is Dash. The protege of Rome Thrasher and Hazeyy, Dash is quickly making a name for himself in the Albany scene. We were able catch up with Dash after his set at Cave Life at the Fuze Box, this is what he had to say.
Where to find Dash:
FaceBook
If people know you as Dash, why are you considering changing your name already?
Well, a good friend of mine, Wayne, made this song one time while we were at his house called "Deeper Than Stroke". So, recently I've decided instead of going with regular moobahton for me, I'd go with deep house swagger. One of my favorite artists being Claude VonStroke I figured I would combine the two and get, "Deeper Than Stroke".
What got you into DJ'ing?
Rome Thrasher! Single-handidly A year ago I didn't know much about EDM and they started showing me some stuff and I automatically fell in love. It was crazy, it was like it was meant to be.
What were you into before EDM?
Well, I actually used to promote for Hip-Hop artists in Schenectady,. that's what got me started with the whole music thing.
Tell me about what CaveLife means to you.
Everything, everything, everything, CaveLife is everything to me. Its the way we live life and I feel like out here everyone has a certain clique, and its not exactly that but more of a way of life and how we do shit. It literally just started from us hanging out in a basement apartment all day, just doing anything that had to do with music. And that became our lifestyle.
How do you feel about the local scene that we're in?
I feel like there's people out here that are in the scene but only because it's "the cool thing to do." I feel that over time its going to start dwindling down to whose really about it and who really wants to do it. But, there's really so much love out here, Yeah, there's bad stuff going on, but there's bad stuff going on everywhere. The lover over shadows all of that.
Who are you biggest inspirations?
Porter Robinson because he's the fucking man. He's younger than me, out here doing crazy shit. Rome Thrasher, defiantly he's been a real inspiration to me. Hazeyy, the kid is 19 years old, making bangers. 12th Planet, he's a fucking animal, and he does pretty much everything that reminds me of myself and Rome. All of these people are doing everything in the scene that I really hope to do.
Do you have any future plans or goals?
Expand CaveLife to the fullest. The possibilities are endless. Less than six months ago we started this CaveLife thing and now for people to just adapt to it, it's awesome.
Tell me about the thought process that goes into putting together a set.
I've pretty much learned from the people around me. IT's a good thing to have a set planned, but its also a bad thing because a good part of dj'ing is being able to judge a crowd and what they're feeling. If you have a planned set list and they're not feeling it, you're just lost. I really hate going with a set list.
Why do you like to play moombaton?
Ass shakin'! Shake that ass! That's my answer "shake. that. ass.".
What was it like playing your first set?
Nerve racking. My stomach was in my throat. The best part wasn't even people telling me it was a good set, but people like Hazeyy and Rome saying like "Wow." That means more to me than anything because those are the people I look up to.
Do you want to get into producing your own music?
Yes. I have a long way to go before I can do that but yes, eventually.
Do you have any advice for anyone trying to follow in your foot steps?
Don't do it until you're ready. Playing your first show is like losing your virginity. IT's fucking scary, it happens once, but once you do it, you're like "Oh my god.".
With only starting to play shows a few weeks ago, Dash has shown that he came prepared to hit the scene. Continuing to grow and expand his skill set, he has already proven he's here to make a name for himself. With the full support of Hazeyy & Rome Thrasher, Dash is quickly on his way to becoming the next big name from CaveLife.