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Exclusive Interview with DJ Dimsa

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Recently we had the opportunity to speak with DJ Dimsa. Read up on a lot of interesting things you may not have known about him.

Hello DJ Dimsa, nice to have you on MaxMuzik! As this is your first interview with us, let’s start off with a little background. How did you get into music? Please tell us about the beginning of your career as a DJ.
My passion for the music I play started way back in 1976 when I first heard Lonnie Liston Smith on pirate radio in London, from that moment I was hooked to the underground jazz Funk sounds from the states and Japan. At this time in my life I was a competition dancer and would mix tracks for dance routines. The mixes were soon picked up by friends which led to requests for me to DJ at underground parties in and around London.

For our readers who’ve never heard your music, explain your sound in 5 words.
Hmm in five words. All of my mixes have the Jazz Funk element with elements of Jazzy House & Deep House combined with Nu Jazz and the Smooth Jazz sound to create a mood/s. So the five words (genres) would be Jazz Funk, Jazzy House, Deep House, Nu Jazz and Smooth Jazz.

Can you offer insight into some of your musical inspirations? And who is your favorite artist from electronic music outside your own specific genre?
This is a huge question as there are so many artists that inspire me. I have already mentioned Lonnie Liston Smith fro the 70’s, but there were so many talented people around at that time: Roy Ayers, Grover Washington, Jimmy Mcgriff, Eddie Henderson, etc. As for today’s electronic scene artists that stand out for me would be the likes of Kevin Yost, Sven Van Hees, and not forgetting the talents of Mark Farina one of my favorite DJ’s of today.

DJ Dimsa’s latest mix – “Listen Up – Deephouse Mix (2013)”

You started to publish your radio show/podcast “Living Lounge” to Mixcloud and mix.dj back in 2009, and you cover interesting track selection. How’s your experience so far and how do you pick your tracks for the show?
I came across Mix.dj by pure chance while searching the net for Lounge style mixes, but couldn’t find what I was looking for and decided to post a mix on Mix.dj and received some great reviews and support leading to Dimsa becoming Mix.DJ’s Dj of the year for 2010, 2011 and 2012. I joined Mixcloud shortly after and was featured in the top 100 DJ’s for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 at #21 and now with 27,600 followers.
Picking the tracks for a mix for me is all about the mood, with the first track setting the scene. Then it’s just a case of maintaining that mood throughout.

Speaking of publishing online, some of your tracks have got more than 50K streams on Mixcloud and mix.dj sites! What was your reaction/thought when you saw one of your tracks passed 50K stream for the first time?
I have to say that I am overwhelmed at the response to the style in witch I mix. I remember getting excited receiving my first 1000 plays for a mix back in 2009. Now mixes hit a 1000+ plays in 24 hours with my current mix “Body Art – Adult Urban” received 3000+ plays in 24 hours on Mix.dj. I also have a YouTube channel which is the top performing platform for my mixes with 2,500,000 plays and with some mixes receiving a 100,000+ plays with “Cafe Paris – Lounge mix” close to 600,000 plays.

DJ Dimsa – “Le Cafe Paris – Lounge Mix”

Can you tell us more about your mission, the LOUNGE mission?
The Lounge Mission is a concept aimed at the over 30’s. There are a lot of lounge bars around the world with fantastic interior designs with attention payed to creating that chilled atmosphere. There are many factors that go into creating a good lounge bar, such as design, lighting, aroma, location are all important factors for a good lounge bar. To create the perfect chilled atmosphere, you need to please all the senses. My mission is to satisfy the audio senses to enhance the lounge experience. Lounge is mood not a genre and can expressed in many styles. My jazzy house mixes are designed to chill out to when played down low and an upbeat mood when you raise the volume.

Could you tell us about your music production process? Also your equipment and the setup you use in your live shows.
My recording studio consists of laptop and a mouse, that’s it. All my mixes are created with Mixmiester Fusion and for live performances I use the Mixmiester Control replacing the mouse. Mixmiester allows me to see the music (wav format) which allows me to be more creative. The best way to describe the production is “I just do my thing”.

DJ Dimsa – “Lounge Pursuit – Lounge Mix”

Speaking of shows, what are you touring plans for the rest of 2013? Are you coming to Canada as well? 🙂 Been looking forward to this question. A lot of people seem to think that I am an established DJ when in fact I am what we call a bedroom DJ, in other words I DJ from home. There is talk of me performing in Cancun later in the year. As for Canada and the rest of 2013, I am available.

What artists would fans be surprised to find on your iPod/music player?
Well you wouldn’t find any surprises on my ipod, it’s all jazz funk based.

Any final thoughts or parting words?
I would like to take this chance to thank all those who have supported me over the years.

Follow DJ Dimsa: Facebook | Twitter | Mixcloud | YouTube | mix.dj

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