Published: September 30, 2007 9L27 AM EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior
(Juniorscave.com)

New Music Spotlight:
DJ Mr. Ice

	This is a perfect mix of club / dance meets hip hop. Club music tricked out by the turntables, and funked out with hard hitting beats.

According to Wikipedia Online Dictionary, “Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad set of percussive music genres that largely inherit from 1970s disco music era” (2007). Wikipedia also states that “such music was originally borne of and popularized via regional nightclub scenes in the 1980s. It is constructed by means of electronic instruments such as synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers, and generally emphasizes the unique sounds of those instruments” (2007). Well, DJ Mr. Ice has taken club music to another level. Known for his RB/ Hip-Hop Style, Dr. Mr. Ice has decided to embark on the club scene with the introduction of his club music album. According to him, “this is a sound that is undeniably unique. The hard hitting beats of that club sound, phattened up with the turntable skills of the street DJ” (DJ Mr. Ice). I will let you be the judge for yourself as we picked DJ Mr. Ice’s brains in a recent Q & A.

Q. What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?
A. Coming up with stuff that's fresh and different but still sounds good. My previous CD's were all Hip Hop / R&B (you can check them out at http://cdbaby.com/all/djmrice). But now I'm making club music. Not just ordinary club music, but club music funked out with Hip Hop and R&B. My new style has turned out to be very accepted in the club music genre. So the exciting thing for me now is coming up with new mixtures that can make you move.

Q. What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?
A. Well, like I said, I was mainly into making Hip Hop and R&B, but that genre of music is so hard to break into. You have to be honest with you're self and wonder if your music is good enough to make it. But when you're music is selling, and being played on radio stations and in clubs, you know your stuff is hot. The politics of who you know, how to get on and all that stuff is REALLY discouraging. Don't get me wrong, I never gave up; I'm still working with Hip Hop and R&B artists. I always loved club music, so I took my interest in making music to that genre. The good thing is that I am able to twist the club music into something fresh.

Q. What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).
A. I have a publishing deal in Europe, Belgium actually. And my last CD is doing pretty good. It was tested marketed on the radio stations over there and it did really good. Then they bounced it around in some clubs over there and the response was all positive. So now it's being tested in the stores. Meanwhile, I'm working on my follow up, cause if they like what the last one sounded like; my new works will definitely rock the house.

Q. What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?
A. We didn't really have any unusual experiences like that yet. We did a talk show, live on radio, and performed on an outdoors stage, but nothing really unusual.

Q. In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived); affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
A. Club music is really popular here in the New York / New Jersey area. Most of the popular clubs play only club (I guess club music is also considered house) music. I also do a lot of mixed CDs (underground, of course). And mixing old school joints with new club beats brings out the dance in you. You can't help but bounce with the beat. New Jersey & New York aren't the only places into club, as I found out, they love that stuff over in Europe.

Q. When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
A. About ten minutes before answering these questions.

Q. As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
A. I think that didn't change. I don't listen to more nor less music now; it's about the same. What did change is the type of music. A lot of the new rap cuts out there just ain't gettin' it for me. I don't want to sound like I'm putting anything down, but the rap game ain't the same. I listen to a lot of Jazz, Reggae and club now. I still listen to R&B and Hip Hop, but mostly older stuff. This new rap age is cool and stuff, but personally, it's only the beat that most people like. Fire the rapper and sell just the beat, you'll get more sells. Don't get me wrong, there are a few rap acts out there that are on point, but there are also so many that just don't do it for me. Jazz and club I still listen too all the time.

Q. Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)
A. Lately, I've been jammin' a lot of the older stuff. You gotta love it. Like I said before, all of my mixed CDs are older stuff. That's what everyone wants from me, the older stuff.

Q. Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?
A. My main man Grandmaster Flash. One of my favorite recordings from Flash is an actually and underground mix. Where he took a bunch of cuts and did his thing.

Q. What's the saddest song you've ever heard?
A. A Reggae song that I just heard, "I'll Cry With You".

Photo used in this story provided by DJ Mr. Ice.


Work Cited
No author given, "Electronic dance music." Wikipedia. 19, September, 2007.
Wikipedia. 30 Sep 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_music.

_{"I have to give you much props!!! I didn't expect for it to turn out that good, honestly, I thought that is might be a little cheesy, but you did a really good job. A very professional presentation, keep up the good work"- DJ Mr. Ice}