...Continued from page 1

May Profile: Thin Men Doug DuVall, Apolesse, Shaun Slaughter (The Telepathic Drum) Contact: Doug D / Apolesse / Shaun Slaughter Audio: Click here to listen! Watson & Slaughter - Unknown

Who inspires you and why?
DougD: I am inspired by artists who are not afraid to take a chance on something different - People that push the envelope and are not afraid to fall on their face. Those are the ones that keep music fun and exciting and that inspire me. As far as a particular person, there are way too many to list.

Apolesse: Doug and Shaun - cause this is one of the most difficult and rewarding things I've had to do. Together we all learned what it's like to be a team. LOCAL TALENT getting signed - JV, Maetrik, Brett Johnson, Darren D, Soulbreed, Solskei, Red Eye, Shawn Anderson, Demarkus, That Kid Adam! Proving yet again that Dallas has THE BEST TALENT IN THE WORLD! How can anyone live in this town and NOT be inspired? Craig Richards - Lee Burridge's better half and one of the most experimental 'genre-free' DJs to ever grace this planet.

Shaun: I get inspiration from many different areas. Everyday life inspires me. The interaction that you have with people that you may never see again can bring on some the most inspirational thought. As far as producers go, I am awed by Terry Francis, Tony Thomas, and Layo & Bushwacka. The intricacy of their tracks mesmerizes me for hours. Locals that never seem to let me down and definitely push me to do more are -JV-, Sean Anderson, Darren D, and my partner Doug D. These guys are set to take the world by storm.

What do you see that other music artists do that annoys you?
DougD: DJ's and music artists that have a narrow mind about music and trash other genres really fucking annoy me... The reason that it annoys me so bad is that I used to do it, and looking back, I sounded like a complete jack ass.

Another thing that pisses me off is DJs that have tracks out under their name that someone else produced. Why in the hell would anyone want credit for work that they did not do? That completely fucking blows my mind. There are a lot of DJs with tracks out that if you put them in a studio alone and asked them to produce just a drum beat, they couldn't do it.

Apolesse: Genreism is one of my big pet peeves. Genre's are a great way to organize music but to define yourself or one of your favorite DJs or artists as a certain genre is limiting and ultimately sets you up for big disappointment. Even more than that though is the tendency of certain camps to refer to themselves as 'intellegent' inferring that anything else isn't. In truth it's because they don't understand or prefer other styles and in either case snobbery like that just shows someone's LACK of intelligence. Snobbery is a very EXCLUSIVE thing and allows a lot of territorial behavior (genreism being one) and protects it participants from competition and threat. Sophistication (in its true sense) is an INCLUSIVE thing and requires an open mind above an intelligent one.

Shaun: Hate on any other genre than the one they make or play. My mom always told me "If you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything." I used to think that was stupid, but as I get older I realize why she said that.

Name two or more of your favorite Tracks.
DougD: All of Darren D's new stuff (the Darijuana EP) it is absolutely sick! / Orbital - Halcyon Live / C&M Productions - True House

Apolesse: Essa - Under Construction (Reset Reconstruction) on Paper / Basco - Torque on Psssssst! / Succulent - The Nature of Things on Greyhound / The Mingers and Mister G - The Mingers Do Church / Kevin Beber - Juvenille Deliquent on Marine Parade

Shaun: Now: The Sweetleaf Grinders - Jungle Juice/Love Me(Eye For Sound) / Tony Thomas - Darker/Spirit of House(Wildlife) All Time: Spooky - Little Bullet / Orbital - Bellfast/Chime

Any gigs/residencies or future releases coming up?
DougD: Every Thursday @ Orchid (over a year old and still kicking strong)

Apolesse: THIN THURSDAYS!! / The Living Daylights on Sundays with Zuul23 and Tim Cox / The Deadly Nightlights with Zuul23 and Tamara

Shaun: We have put so much into Thin Thursday's that we don't have much time for other residencies. As far as releases, each of us are working individually on tracks and plan to get together soon for another Thin Men track.

What was your favorite event to play at? And why?
DougD: I love them all... But I would have to say that a couple of our opening sets (Timo Maas @ Red Jacket, Tiesto @ Lizard Lounge) and our gig at the Satellite Party at WMC were my favorite. Mostly because we all had great sets and the crowd response was overwhelming.

Apolesse: Buh Clan afterhours at the 41st street lounge in Austin, Texas. There was always good choons going, Guantlet on ps2, Counterstrike in Neru-san's room and someone wonderful to curl up in an easychair with and have a great conversation. There was never more than 15 people but almost half of those were DJs and you'd hear everything from synth-pop to drum and bass. This is my folk music and those are the kind of experiences I 'speak' about when I DJ. Besides that ORCHID of course. For all the same reasons.

Shaun: We have had the opportunity to play with some amazing talent. It would be hard to pick just one. We've played with Timo Maas, Tiesto, Phil K, Dave Seaman, Parks & Wilson, John Creamer, and I still think that some the best memories I have are playing at Orchid with the other two skinny fuckers. The energy and vibes are hard to match.

What is the best thing about DJing?
DougD: The rock star status and the tons of cash we make of course!!! Actually, the best part is all of the people that I get to meet that share the same passion for music. And, those perfect nights with a great crowd, good sound system, great music, and an excellent vibe... Nights when everything seems effortless.

Apolesse: That moment when two records become one. It's the same moment the crowd and the DJ are one… You and everyone else on the dance floor are one… The closest thing to a communal mind any of us may ever know. Unity. If only for a fleeting moment. Well, that and all the drink tickets and the gorgeous men folk to kiss on! Oh wait I almost forgot. YOU.

Shaun: Being able to express yourself through music, and getting a response from a dancefloor. When you look out and see the floor bouncing it is amazing.

What do you think of the current state of the Dallas Scene? What do you think we could do to improve it?
DougD: I think that Dallas has a great scene at the moment... There is so much happening with dance music in Dallas right now. More and more Dallas talent is surfacing by the day. When I hear people bitch about the scene I pretty much just tune them out, because from what I have seen there is something for everyone, you just have to go find it! I love the scene in Big D. I think the variety within the Dallas scene is a part of what makes it great.

Apolesse: As far as the talent within it- - - GREAT! PHENOMENAL! WORLD CLASS! As far as the attendance, suck ass!

DJs HAVE to support other people's gigs and get their finger on the pulse of what's going on! If you look at the most successful DJs and producers in this scene you will notice a trend. Most if not all go out to other gigs besides their own. Everytime a bedroom DJ brings me a CD and asks if they can get booked I wanna scream. It'll be the only time I ever see most of them. How selfish. 'I'm only gonna go out if I'm booked and only to my gig, but I'm gonna sit back and BITCH about how bad Dallas sux'. . . HELLO! Clue-phone! It's been ringing off the hook for years! IF PEOPLE WON'T GO OUT THERE WON'T BE ANYONE TO LISTEN TO YOU! IF THERE'S NO ONE TO LISTEN TO YOU WHY SHOULD ANYONE GIVE YOU A GIG? Sheesh! It's simple economics. Supply and demand.

Shaun: I love our scene. It is at the stage where the cream is starting to rise to the top. For a while it was a revolving door of new DJ's and producers with no consistency. You are starting to see the people who are truly in it for the right reasons. They are the ones with the passion for what they do. It's not about "how cool am I"; it's about churning out good music. The crowds in Dallas are starting to figure out who these artists are.

As far as improving it, I think support is the best way. If you enjoy a DJ go see them when they play. If you like a venue, support it when you go out. If you like a local producer, buy their records. If you don't, they will wither away and become just a fond memory.

Do you want to thank anyone?
DougD: Thanks to everyone that has been apart of the Thin Men's journey over the past few years: The entire Ridgeback Crew (Darren D, Brillo, Ntrain, Tim Cox, Lance Cashion), Slow Motion Music, Pipeline Music, Roger and the gang @ Orchid (best venue/bar in Dallas), all of our fellow Dallas DJs and producers, all of the venues that let us use their decks, Wes @ Techsun Records, Noel Keith (for showing me what house music is), Gator, Stan, Miles, Elevated Beat, Deep Nova, Disco Agents, Ash, Chai, DJ MERRITT, Fernie, etc.

Apolesse: Annesta and Alienswede for hookin' up such a fly interview! Oliver Twisted for helping us get signed! Thin Men for finally hearing the Thin Man sing! (Sorry the Fat Lady was out!) JV & Red Eye for the great oportunity to work with them… Anyone I may have missed you know I love y'all. Buh Clan for the Agckedah Buh.

Shaun: My wife, Brandie for putting up with me and supporting what I do. Roger and the Entire Orchid staff, Brucie, Edwin Watson, Merritt, Darren D, John Walker, Tech-Sun Wes, The Deep Nova Crew, Ridgeback, Sean Anderson, -JV-, Redeye, Rob Vaughan, and of course Adrian Braun and Doug D. And thanks to those of you that grace our dancefloors. You are the reason we do what we do.

Do you have anything else to add?
DougD: Additionally, I would like to remind everyone to support our troops in Iraq as they fight to remove an evil regime and neutralize any and all threats to the freedom that we all take for granted. If it wasn't for those men and women, we might not be free to do what we love to do.

Apolesse: The truth is like chocolate cake. It is not the paper and ink on which the recipe was written, it is not the ingredients from which the cake was made, it is not the technique that was used to make the cake. What is chocolate cake?

Back to page 1...