ADSR Mix 009: Language

Aug. 29. 2014

Keep your arms and legs inside the ride.. this week we hand over mix duties to Calgary’s DJ Language!  Gettin’ hooked on breakbeat culture and dnb music in the late 90s, Language has been steadily refining his style and musical selections ever since.  Having held down residencies in Calgary and abroad, Language’s travel and musical experiences combine to create a unique musical mosaic.  We had a few words with the man and he left us 45 minutes of techy rollers and neuro funk tastiness.  

Welcome to the weekend warmup, please introduce yourself.
My name is Neilson Laing aka (Language) and I’m from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Were you really born in Bermuda?  What kind of music did you listen to there?
Ya, I was born there and moved when I was 4. I listened to mostly what my parents were into: The Beatles, The Stones and like 50’s-60’s stuff.  But I remember seeing a guy playing steel drums on the beach once and thinking that was really cool.
 
Let us in on a bit more of your musical involvement past, present and future..
I started Djing in Calgary in the late 90’s after going to a few raves and parties.  I remember going to see Drum & Bass Dj’s like Ed Rush, Decoder and the Vinyl Syndicate crew from Toronto. We got hooked up with Sean “Dj Slip” who was helping to run a vinyl shop that did a mail order called Fully Loaded. We used to get faxed releases and then fax back with our order, life before the internet haha. Then I started playing out with a few friends in Calgary, Josh B and Jonas Jordan.  We used to host a few weekly nights for a few years and play guest spots or whatever. Then the scene cooled off & I took a little break before moving to Korea and getting into the digital side of Djing.

What attracts you to dnb?
I love the range of music and the sound really. There are so many top notch producers these days and the range of people that attend shows is also quite diverse. 

How has traveling/ living abroad influenced your musical tastes and selections? 
I think it has just make me more aware of how global Bass Music is in general.  I think it’s also given me more ideas to draw from on the production side of things, as well as how I arrange the music in my sets. I like to cover a wide spectrum of styles and think of the journey a listener might take while tuned in. 

What were you into musically when living in Korea?
I was always really into Drum & Bass but also really got into Deep-Tech House and Techno while there.  I had a weekly residency playing at BricX in Itaewon late nights from 1-3am.  I really appreciated the opportunity to try something new and play new music that was sometimes not as familiar to me. Going digital was a big help in this respect, the portability of Djing and the instant access to new music made things alot easier.  

What’s going on these days?
These days I’ve been settling down after moving back from Korea and just keeping it real. Working as a early child educator and doing the day job thing. Not really been looking to play in clubs much or get fame as a Dj by any means.  Just mixing bedroom sets and posts for friends or myself really. I think the scene in Calgary is really strong and I know some of the old Dj crew & promoters, but getting back into it doesn’t really interest me at this point. I’m getting married to a beautiful lady in a few weeks and I couldn’t be happier. 

Give us a little rundown of the mix you have for us?
I recorded this back in 2012 at an afterparty for Pride in Calgary.  I wanted it to appeal to a crowd that might not usually be into DnB.  A blend of Tech-Rollers and Deep Vocal tunes with a message of equality, love and respect for all. This long weekend is also Pride parade and fest in Calgary so it’s kind of a throw back. 

Where can people find your music and selections?
I have a Soundcloud page that I occasionally post mixes up on about every 3-4 months as well as new releases that I’m into or playing at the moment.

Check me out:  
https://soundcloud.com/language-dnb  
http://www.mixcloud.com/Language_DnB

Language
Live from Calgary Pride afterparty- 2012
44:28

1) Data & Dynamic feat Cathy Brown- Compassion
2) Klute - We R the one’s (Ulterior Motive remix) 
3) Octane, DLR & Break- Murmur
4) Optiv & Maztek- Quarks
5) Psidream- Crossed Off
6) Rockwell- Tripwire
7) Kosheen- Yes Men (Decoder remix) 
8) Break- Dreader
9) Chris Su- Illusions
10) Dose - Beneath the Surface
11) Enei- No Fear (SpectraSoul remix) 
12) Amoss- Minus (Hybris remix) 
13) B Cloud- Deeper (Enei remix) 
14) 2DB- Ghetto Boy
15) Calyx & Teebee- Elevate this Sound
16) Craggz & Parallel- Hurt You
17) Dbridge- Love You Enough
18) Dj Chap- Midnight Love (feat Iriann Joyce)  
19) Dj Hype feat MC Fats- Peace Love and Unity (Basher remix)