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I always thought the download sites would help because it would bring music to people worldwide all at the same time and the average person that wants a track can go and buy it. You don't have to be a DJ or own a turntable or what have you.

I'm sure overall it helps! At least the tracks are available somewhere and people don't have to trade or download illegally. But the online stores are still mainly made for DJs. You have to figure out what you like. If the variety is so big like it is on a site like Beatport, a regular user is so overwhelmed. They only have to click 2 or 3 times on a track that has nothing to do with what they want and they give up.

I do the same thing. I get overwhelmed going on there. It can really be a pain in the ass unless you want to buy and play the same things everyone else is playing.

And you know what's up! Imagine going on there and you have no clue! You know that eventually if you keep digging, you're going to find a good track. Other people think I have been clicking 3 or 4 times and I have been listening and I hate these songs, they're going to think that this store isn't what I am looking for. I think iTunes helps though, because they don't have all the sub-genres, which of course brings us back to what sells most in regards to dance is people like Jay-J, Kaskade, even Tiesto and Oakenfold because those are the names that are everywhere. Those are the few faces that are really out there. No one puts themselves out there. The DJ hides behind the turntables. No one ever really knows who the producers are unless they are also a DJ. The vocalists in most cases sadly enough are too ugly to be presentable.

...Or they're not even mentioned in the credits on the releases to begin with.

And that is of course another problem in itself. I personally could care less how someone looks as long as they can sing. Unfortunately most people that spend money don't think that way. No one wants to see certain people.

You have people like Osunlade that has a face that people recognize. He has a look that stands out. He enters a club and everyone knows it's him. Every time I play in Chicago there are ten DJs that I know but I don't even recognize them. It's their prerogative but that's the point I'm trying to make. That's what's missing. There's no identity in this music. As far as DJs go, there's Steve Aoki and DJ AM and that Samantha Ronson chick. (This has nothing to do with being a House DJ, just a DJ in general). Those are faces. They don't just have 1 or 2 press photos like most DJs. (If the average DJ even has that). It's also because they take their business side of their shit a bit more seriously.

They also have a bigger team of people working behind them as well.

That comes with it of course. Everybody has to figure out what they want to do, what their mission is and ideally how can they make money with it. When it comes down to it, you have to pay your bills. There are a few people I know that have solid day jobs and it doesn't kill them. Then they do all their other stuff on the side and that's great because they can keep their freedom. But, if you pay your bills with this you gotta really start thinking. It's like a sales job; you have to sell something that people want.

How do you feel about the LA scene? I lived there for a few years and it wasn't really for me.

When I came here for the first time, I hated it! I went to a few places and it wasn't all that. It was about '99 and it was artists like Richard F. and that type of House.

Like all of the US Hard House type stuff? Like DJ Irene and that?

Yes! That's not my thing at all. Every scene has its own right to exist; it's just not my thing. The only thing that really that keeps your head up high in L.A. is DEEP with Marques Wyatt. He's bringing talent on a weekly basis like no one else is. At least for the House I like. I mean you can go to Avalon and they have big, big commercial names. It's a different crowd and not the music I like. There's a lot going on. You have a lot people throwing their own parties because they don't get booked anywhere. There's a good Deep-Tech House scene and that's alive because they're not the regular type Househeads. In order to have a party that survives you need people that are willing to spend money at the party. You can't have everybody ask for guestlist.

Since everyone thinks they're industry it's hard a hard thing to get around. Everybody knows somebody, or works somewhere or dates someone or something. How is a night supposed to survive when no one wants to pay for anything? People don't wanna pay cover, people don't wanna buy drinks. Then they expect top-notch talent too? What the fuck?

Exactly! You can do that when I have the party in my living room! Bring your own 6-pack, I don't give a fuck. I'll play music; I'm not even going to charge you. But when you come to a club and you know someone is putting work into it? Come on! If you're a cleaning lady, I don't ask you to clean my house for free! If you're a car salesman and I need a car, I don't say well I drive cars all the time, I'm car industry!

I used to have the same problem with people that would shop at the record stores I worked at. I would mark the prices down super cheap and people would still have the audacity to ask for a "DJ discount." I would say I don't go to Burger King and ask for "Hungry discount."

Right! Ideally, if you really are a DJ and you call yourself a DJ, you make money by playing the records you purchase, at the end of the year, count that against your taxes! That is your DJ discount!

A record store isn't the most profitable thing to operate from the start. Everyone wants a hook-up and now there's no money to be made for the store that was supplying the tunes from the get-go. Where do you see vinyl going at this point?

I still have all my records. I moved 10,000 plus records all the way here from Germany. A lot of records I have, even if I hear a second of it, it brings back memories. So a lot of it I am keeping for the sentimental value. I think that's how vinyl is mostly going to continue. There are always going to be collectors.

I do think though for the labels, that means they need to step up their game. Now days you can't just hope people are going to buy your shit and that's it. You have to work for it. It never used to be that hard. You might press some records up front, then promote the release and then sell it to the stores. Maybe you would press up 1,200 copies and that would keep you busy for a few months.

Beatport gets probably a thousand new releases each week. If you're lucky someone charts your shit on one of the download sites and that way you move some units otherwise you get lost in the shuffle unless they feature your release or you have your own chart.

If you're still doing vinyl, I think you need to give the people a little more than they're used to. I'm toying with that idea for Deeper Shades Recordings but it's not going to be for a while. I've seen so many labels bleed themselves dry by paying outrageous fees for remixes or they only have the money to produce 2 - 12" and that's it. No distributor is going to be interested in that. They need to know that if they take on a label that they are going to be consistent. They know that if they don't make money, I won't make money. Distributors have been dieing left and right. I'm curious to see if most people are just going to end up distributing their own shit.