TF Archives

The Pound Boys- People Keep Asking Us Do Americans Really Like Bush-

Author: Jonty Adderley
Monday, June 2, 2003
"We've had people coming up to us, strangers sometimes, saying 'it's great to meet you, but what the hell is wrong with your president- - In their second sentence! "

Regular travellers to both the UK and the world, Denver based house duo The Pound Boys (aka DJ Dealer and DJ Craig C) are no strangers to flying the flag for American house, though increasingly find themselves discussing wider issues.

"People have been asking us 'do people genuinely like Bush, are the American people really behind him-", Dealer told Skrufff's Jonty Adderley this week.

"We have definitely noticed more anti-Americanism in other places in the last few months, not so much that people were doing anything against us or were mad at us but you could definitely see the sentiments against many of the things our government was doing," he continued.

"That was the case even in Australia, which is very pro-US, but it's also like that even here in the States. Most people didn't want to be at War and lots of people don't support what this government is doing."

Based in Colorado, Denver, far from America's usual creative centres, The Pound Boys remain less well known than some of their bigger city peers, though as remixers to the likes of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Mary J Blige, they're increasingly seen in the States as A list producer/DJs.

Deale chatted to Skrufff as the pair finalised preparations for a short UK tour.

Skrufff (Jonty Adderley): How do you view touring outside the States, in a rock & roll style-

The Pound Boys: "Not at all, because we're still DJs. Touring for us is a promotional thing but also very useful for visiting record labels and clubs and also meeting people whether that's the ones who buy our music or DJs who play it. "The UK crowds are good, though, we've had some great experiences since we've started touring there in the last five years. People are much more educated about dance music there because there are so many more people that follow it more religiously than the States. That's not to say that there aren't people passionate about it here but R&B and hip hop still dominate. What's also wonderful about the UK is that if you're playing a good club and they like what you do, the crowds like to show you. The crowds are very energetic and don't hold anything back."

Skrufff: Do you see yourselves as ambassadors for US music or culture-

The Pound Boys: "Nah, that's too much to put on anyone, we do what we do and if people like it, that's great. We just do our thing and hope people like it."

Skrufff: In practical terms, being a pair of DJs, do you usually mix track by track-

The Pound Boys: "We usually play for several hours, doing tag team (track by track) but we can also play on four turntables and we have done that before. Typically nightclubs aren't set up to have DJs playing on three, four or five turntables, so it's not practical usually. It's hard enough to find a club with a sound system that works properly, with monitors and turntables, let alone with extra decks."

Skrufff: How much has the threat of terrorism affected your travel plans-

The Pound Boys: "It hasn't directly affected us yet. We were over in Australia in January and February and we knew the Iraq war was coming at that point but we didn't go close to the Middle East. It's been something we've been thinking about and since 9/11 the whole thought process towards travelling and flying anywhere has changed. These things are in the back of your mind, you can choose to stay at home or to keep on going with your life. The SARS thing is also something to think about but by the same token, what can you do-"

Skrufff: Have you been following the passage of the RAVE Act-

The Pound Boys: "Lots of stuff relating to that has happened, (Rudolph) Giuliani in New York City, , for example, has pushed lots of things through. There's definitely a strong club culture here in the States that's not goi
Tags