Mario Bee has been active in Buffalo's lively dance scene since his Buffalo State days. He has played at nearly every Buffalo venue you could name at the top of your head- Soundlab, Social, Dukes, The Vault and more. He's also experienced some pivotal career highlights like opening up for some low-key dance artists like
Skrillex and
Diplo, and in this short interview Buffablog (aka me, through a cell phone) converses with the man behind the moniker in order to get a glimpse into the side of his occupation you wouldn't get from attending his set, that you wouldn't internalize from shakin' it on the dance floor, not-so-soberly. In between the accidental hang-ups, job shifts to show up to, and long-winded tangents, the following was finally scrapped up for you curious readers.
Mario Bee Ladies and Gents.
BUFFABLOG : So, what's your real last name?
MB: Burks. B-U-R-K-S
BUFFABLOG: Whats your favorite venue to play at?
MB: Hands down, Sound lab, just because it's a basement bar, it gets very dark, it's equipped with proper sound and lighting, it reminds me of a UK club, it's the perfect atmosphere for the kind of music I like to play. I also have an emotional attachment to it because I played my first show there.
BUFFABLOG: Speaking of which, when and how did that come about in particular. How did you get your first gig?
MB: I had a show on the Buff State radio. In 2007, I reached out to D-Star, he had an event at sound lab and I sent him a Facebook message and asked him if I could DJ with him. My name was DJ Dizzy at the time, 91.3FM radio. I played with him and Teen Wolf who was known as K-ross then. It was pretty surreal, my parents were there, I was so nervous. I practiced so much, I was working at the time and I had spent all my money on records.
BUFFABLOG: Let's go back into time, give us some background on your history with DJing.
MB: My mom, my aunt and my uncle would listen to a lot of electronic and techno sounding music, freestyle house that was popular in the 90s, and euro-dance house, that sparked my interest. In like 2005, my friend Warren got me interested in scratching, I was into hip-hop culture at the time, and that was sort of my gate-way into the physical aspect of djing. I asked my dad for a dj-set up for my high-school graduation gift. Then I really started practicing on it all summer, I went hog-wild, on the internet a lot, researching things and purchasing records The internet really carried my passion. By the time I got to college in the fall all I cared about was DJing. A lot of the music I was getting into I couldn't buy locally, it was mostly from the UK.
BUFFABLOG: So the UK has had a strong influence of your style.
MB: Yes, I even went to England for a study-abroad program during school and when I was over there, I participated a lot. I went to a lot of shows and was experiencing things. I saw a lot of Dubstep shows, I was buying a lot of early dub-step, Caspa, Digital Mystikz. I paid attention to a lot of record labels too, Deep Medi, deep-route dub-step, sub bass, minimal production and maximum tuning. I got into Zomby. I really tried immerse myself into English culture.
BUFFABLOG: What do you listen for when deciding what tracks you want to put on and how does crowd interaction come into play?
MB: Mood. Dark moods. Spontaneity, something that is going to throw off the crowd but still going to keep them listening. I want them to be intrigued. I also listen for aggressiveness, so that the listener is challenged. The crowd interaction is crucial. I'm not opposed to melodies, but I don't really DJ melodically, I listen for atypical compositions, stretched out verses with a sample that you only hear once, deep rolling bass-lines. I'm attracted to tribal sounds, jungle-esque scenery, things that will make the crowd feel primitive.
BUFFABLOG: And what do you do when you gather that the crowd isn't feeling it?
MB: Crowd control is a huge thing. Sometimes it's very hard to appeal to everyone, so I'll sometimes I'll stop a song midway and when I'm not sober enough I'll say something in the mic, whether it's a joke, or "everybody say yeah", that kind of thing. I try to put something in every set that's for everyone. I'm caught between pleasing everyone and playing whatever I want. As a DJ, when you get into a specific mood or atmosphere it's hard to stop and play a top 40 song, I can't do that.
BUFFABLOG: Interesting, so what message would you say you're trying to send out to the crowd personally. What are some of your principles as a DJ?
MB: I want to carry to them the sounds of an overlooked culture, since I have an obsession with the UK, to make the crowd understand the main-stream music they listen to has roots. For instance, in regards to dub-step and artists like Skrillex. People recognized who he was after they found out that he was in a band, they latched onto the genre when they found out he was in a popular hard-core band and people associate dub-step with Skrillex, but there is a more pure form of dub-step that is more underground. I like to expose the audience to that, to tracks from people like Mahla, Coki, Zomby, Krome Star, Digital Mystikz, people I mentioned earlier. I like playing things that are actually at the heart of what people are listen to.
BUFFABLOG: Last question, what's your favorite thing about playing in Buffalo?
MB: People are loyal to Buffalo, socially, if people are set out on one specific thing they're gonna support it until its bad for them. With little to no introduction to new things, the Buffalo crowd is very dedicated and loyal and receptive and ready to be groomed for something new.
He'll be playing this Friday at Soundlab for the Only Comrades
official launch party. If you choose to attend you can expect a night of black attire and dim lighting underneath some deep sounds being channeled by this guy & others.
