Artist: RWD



Straight outta New York, Hayley Joyes discovers just why eclectic DJ/ producer/ remixer Drop The Lime is so darn fruity…

You could define Luca Venezia’s fashion sense as half bad-boy ‘50s drag racer and half ‘90s hip hop fresh-to-death. But don’t let this trendy allure lead you up the garden path, because the 26 year-old Italian American Brooklynite is fast becoming one of the most sought-after DJs/singers/producers around. With his bag of riddims including jungle, breaks, electro and dubstep, he effortlessly fuses tunes to create music that would revive Rick James (RIP) from his funky-ass grave.

As we sip on Red Stripe and discuss the philosophy behind The Lime, Luca confesses that jungle changed his life. “I was about 13 and my friend from London came over. We were listening to a tape recording of DJ Hype from pirate radio and I was like ‘What the f**k!’ At that time I was listening to Wu Tang and KRS-1 and what Hype was doing was sampling the accapella, using the same breaks and speeding them up. It blew my mind!” With an appetite for tunes at 155 BPM, Venezia went on a mission around Manhattan to find jungle. But at the time hardcore punk venues like CBGB’s were the hottest places to go. Little did these punks know that the next hardcore wave to kick off would be electronic. “The punk energy was similar to jungle.”

It wasn’t until college that D.T.L got fed up with the lack of venues catering for his underground tastes and gathered all his likeminded pals to put on raves in the forest, spawning his record label and club night, Trouble and Bass. Other members of the T&B family include crunked out dubstepper, Starkey, Mathhead, Star Eyes and The Captain, who all uniquely talented and motivated by phatty bass. The label has blossomed since its rebirth in 2006, after the guys bumped into each other randomly; Limey has put out slippery foot stomper, Like Thunder as well tunes by Boy 8 Bit, Curses and releases from all the crew. His long awaited EP Hear Me will be out early 2009 and is set to feature some pretty cool peeps...

It’s obvious from listening to his tunes that Luca has his finger firmly on the pulse, but we can confirm there is not an arrogant molar in his mouth (albeit a few gold ones!). Neither is there a hint of scenester know-it-all. Instead, talking about up-tempo anthem I Love NY with its crazy cartoon noises and repetitive shouting of ‘NEW YORK,’ it’s easy to see that Luca is a bit of a comic. “I think sometimes musicians forget music is about having a good time. It’s good to add a little trade mark here and there, so why not have a little fart sound,” he laughs. windy bass is a defining feature of Limo’s tunes, especially his collaboration with one of the smartest electro heads, Herve (AKA The Count). Spy Catcher, with its sly jungle kick and crunchy guitar chords has been on heavy rotation and is featured alongside a myriad of other artists on the Machines Don’t Care LP, out now.

For someone who rejects the Pat Butcher philosophy and refers to gin as his ‘poison’ it comes as no surprise that the only beverage this New Yorker drops a lime in is a Manhattan, straight up! Just like the man himself really...

Lime’s EP Hear Me is out early 2009. MySpace.com/dropthelime


RWD Magazine

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