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how does it feel to be part of a musical revolution?  this is new!

just make what you love.  that is all.  if people say it's revolutionary, cool, but as a musician you have no control over how your work is received.  just make what you love and stay honest, it's all you can do.  when musical movements spring up organically, it's a rare & beautiful thing. if you're fortunate enough to be around when that spark happens, go for it. participate but don't let it define you. appreciate the movement for what it is, know when it's not relevant anymore and has progressed from necessity to self-replicating machine (which will happen) and don't get caught up in too many rules. be free. it is inspirational to see things progressing in an open minded way though - i am extremely stoked about what killer tunes the next 10 years of music will bring us.

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what kind of music do you find yourself listening to nowadays?  anything that'll likely show up as an influence on future tracks?

have been listening to a lot of well-crafted but stripped down songs, or mosh pieces. no bloat.  i am very anti-bloat right now.  pete seeger, nine inch nails, have recently been on a quicksand / rival schools tip.  led zeppelin.  the boston area / deathwish / hydrahead thing - cave in, doomriders, converge, trap them.  that stuff resonates w/ me a lot right now, both the heavy and the melodic... something about the sound & the mood.  some new d&b a la current value for production & texture.

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when i first started music i was extremely mellow.  the more i go on the heavier i get.  do you find yourself pushing yourself towards more extremes?  if so,  why?

life is heavy, and beautiful. so yes, i'm getting both louder and softer.

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why did you stop making jungle & dubstep?

the international electronic musician / dj thing is a nice life, and i learned a lot, but it was a distraction.  drumcorps is the music i've always been trying to make, but never gotten around to.  it kept humming away in the background, that thing that's inside but can't get out.  now the time is right. the past year has seen an overall reevaluation of where i'm at... realizing one reason i gravitated to ragga jungle is that there are very important things to be said, things that you can't really express in dance music.  if you try, it gets lost.  i was trying.  it worked.  but ultimately without a living breathing sweating trembling person there in front, the sampled voice becomes another sound design element.  the only way to bring the fire is to bring it for real.  two options: be up front and vulnerable, or keep shaking your fist in the air behind your turntables but still have that barrier between you & the audience.  there's still an energy there that isn't getting out, an untapped connection.  so the next step is to just bring it and see where that goes.  go for it.  fuck up your life.  do things that make no financial sense but keep your soul intact.  why not?  things feel right this way.  much respect to the jungle/breakcore/rave people who've supported me over the years, it was an absolute blast, and a time in my life i'll always look on fondly.

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how long does it take you to finish a track?

as long as it takes.  five minutes or years.  it's ready when it's ready, and you know.  this new album has taken forever, there were a lot of new experiments.  doing something new is always a messy process and it takes a while to sort out.  things will be much faster from here on in.

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why don't you have merch?  i want t-shirts!!!

short answer: it's coming, patience...

long answer: we didn't have the means to produce something outstanding, and didn't want to just make some crap.  the world does not need more throwaway sweatshop-made shirts that feel bad.  waste of human & natural resources.  flirted with it.  there are about 50 drumcorps t-shirts in the world that are of questionable quality.  if you have one of these keep it, there won't be any more.  the new stuff will be nice, and manufactured as fairly as possible.  it may be more expensive.  will definitely be better for all of us, and will reflect the true costs involved.  in the meantime, some fans have made some awesome creative one-offs with sharpie...

another long answer: when you are playing in the electronic music scene, you fly on planes, and often take trains/subway/taxi.  this means you can't haul boxes of merch around.  you have to be light.  the infrastructure expects a dj with vinyl or cds - anything more is pushing it, and you're gonna run into problems.  i already had a ton of gear and a guitar, so that's out.  you're also treated humanely, so merch isn't your bread & butter like in underground metal / rock.  but part of the reason i'm moving back to the usa is that you *drive* between shows - and this gives us the opportunity to bring more stuff.  get heavy.  to connect w/ inspirational designers & visual artists, branch out, get at what it's all about in more ways than just the sound.  also to bring more music gear and make the live show more immersive.

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why are you leaving berlin?

berlin's done what it needed to do.  i learned how to produce, and i found my voice.  now it's time to climb out of the isolation & reach out.  the general feeling the past year has been "i do not like minimal techno, why am i still here?"  berlin has many great qualities, but they don't align with what i want to do anymore.  there will be a moving to berlin faq here in a little bit which goes into more detail, am constantly hearing from new berlin imports so i want to help where i can, have learned a few things.  looking fwd to seeing you guys in north america soon.

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how do you make that guitarglitch/brutalbass/granularslide/airymelodic/tightbreaks sound ?

ah yes, the technique question.  on this i will say that there are many great internet resources now, please check them out.  one general word for the starting out musician: forget the tech.  that is, know about it but don't get too distracted.  go for heart and technique will take care of itself.  this is music after all, not a mental pie eating contest.  you'll get there eventually... and when you do, it will be real.

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for more questions please see faq 2008

hi guys. a lot has changed this year & we're compiling a new FAQ which will be up in a few weeks - please post your newest questions here and will do our best to answer em. thx.

a new drumcorps interview is now online via australia's time off magazine. aaron talks about his roots and new creative directions.

always a pleasure to play bangface. best party in london hands down.

sometimes things just click. one of the best shows, ever, in many ways. if you were there you know. no one got good video due to the total darkness, but it's almost better that way. massive thanks to brandon & the 5lowershop crew for putting it all together, to animosity, realicide, and all the other music that evening, and special thanks to everyone in the house - both returning and new people who had to seek out the place - you gave us road-worn musicians a renewed faith in the power of music, friendship, and dedication ..... somehow the whole event reached that elusive golden mean between seriousness and pure fun. we will be seeing more of you soon.

As of mid-April, Drumcorps will be based in the USA (west coast very likely). Berlin's done what it needed to do and it's time to move on. As this Berlin chapter ends I want to send a special thanks to all European friends, independent organizers, and fans who have supported me the past few years, with you anything is possible. To take Drumcorps further it's going to get a bit more gear-heavy, and there are still two things the USA excels in: high speed pizza delivery and world class musicians. Looking forward to rounding it out in Europe Feb & March, reassembling the studio, and back to finishing off the album. Also looking fwd to jumping back into the fray, recontributing to the American dialogue instead of being a stranger, and playing some shows for you guys in places further out than SF & NYC. Best wishes.

drumcorps - truth and justice
podcast for electronicexplorations.org

drumcorps - no escape (unreleased)
nine inch nails - the mark has been made (nothing)
rotten sound - the effects (spinefarm)
converge - year of the swine / conduit (equal vision)
broken note - war in the making (ruff)
animosity - terrorstorm (blackmarket)
animosity & drumcorps - mobs over, rob me (manalive)
genghis tron - the feast (drumcorps remix) (unreleased test)
genghis tron - relief (drumcorps remix) (relapse)
this will destroy you - a three-legged workhorse (magic bullet)
nine inch nails - 2 ghosts 1 (the null corporation)

here's a mix of new jams, inspirations, & old favorites, all with heart. some of you have been asking for a high quality download version - so here it is, while bandwidth allows. please support all the artists and labels featured! thanks much to for rob booth for organizing, please visit electronicexplorations.org for rob's extended mix with commentary, podcast feed etc. take care of each other out there.

DOWNLOAD - MP3 (320k, 90MB)