Stephen Young , also known as DJ Theory is a underground trance DJ and producer from West Vancouver. We had the chance to talk to him about his inspiration for his music, the local DJing industry and how he got started with what he does.
What is the concept and ideology behind your brand / stage name?
Back in high school, me and my good buddy produced music together. We called ourselves “Theories and Philosophies”, and there really wasn’t any background or concept to it all. It was just something we liked, and when I started DJing, the name DJ Theory just kind of stuck with me. I’ve producing with it for seven years, and DJing for three.
How does the term “Theories and Philosophies” relate to your style?
I like and aim to be experimental, trying new things. I am always trying to build the “new” baseline and take innovation for this area to a whole new level. I love to mix down tempo with trance style.
Being a DJ today can be many things… What would you label yourself as?
I am definitely a mixer first, and mash-ups and anything else that’d different is second. Whenever I hear a mainstream song, I conceptualize it, and then try to do the opposite, you know, create something new. That’s what sets me apart.
What have you done that makes you proud of what you do?
I have two studio albums, and right now, I’m working on my third. The first two were sort of start ups, and this one has really got me proud. I’ll have a release party for the third album hopefully sometime in the summer, definitely somewhere downtown. In terms of specific locations, I got a few in mind like Tonic, or Republic, but that all depends on the club owners.
Where do you draw your inspiration from and why? Are there any particular people you have in mind?
I definitely draw inspiration from other musicians; they are always my greatest form of inspiration. My idols include: The Chemical Brothers, DJ Sasha, Future Shock, and other groups from the UK, France, wherever.
“Affectionate Poison” was the name of one of your conceptual albums. Describe it
That was weird, same with the inspiration behind it. My friend has this photo of him holding a green beaker, and he was silhouetted while the beaker was highlighted, and we thought it was sick. We photoshopped “Affectionate Poison” on it and it was just dope. At first, we thought of it as a hobby, but then it just stuck and we decided to solidify it into our first album.
Tell us more about your equipment, some features on it etc?
I use Reason 4.0 for my studio software on my laptop, M-Audio – Axiom 49 Key for my keyboard and some Sony noise cancelling headphones for my production work. For DJing I use M-Audio’s Torq and the Xponent control surface. I’ve been looking into the Stanton T-80 turntables for home use.
If your music could do anything, what is the one thing you would make it do?
The clubbing environment is the same shit time after time. People going just look for any kind of music as long as it fits in their favourite genre, and that’s it. I want to make the clubbing experience totally different, where the music I mix together is heard and experienced by the audience. Then the music would take them on a journey, and make them hear what I hear, what I feel with my hands when I mix tunes. I want my sets to be a story and I want the audience along for the ride.
Take us through your daily routine, and if not, then your daily work life.
In the day of producing, I get up, I hand out, and I like to have a few friends over. My friends give me new tunes, new ideas, and a lot of opinions. It’s great to have a community to help with everything; it’s kind of like have your own ears all over the place, listening for new sounds.
How did you learn?
You can be either a club/dance DJ or a production DJ. I started off in producing whereas most DJ’s start off with DJing. It was hard, but I guess you just have to grow some balls and talk to people who know how to do and just get it. I talked to a bunch of people, but the main thing for me was having people talk to me: through the internet. I found videos on how to DJ on Youtube, and I’m sure anyone can learn from their mom’s basement. All it takes is a drive to learn!
What is the most important element to your life?
Impossible question! Oh man, there’s so much that’s important in my life. I guess the ability to be creative; the ability to create something is something that can change your life.
What is your favorite quote?
Oh shit what does my Facebook say? Better go and change it after this interview!
“It could be worse” is what I always say. No matter how down you are, it could always be worse.
What are you next goals with DJ’ing? Where do you plan on taking it?
Biggest goal is to have my own night this summer. People want to DJ! I just got to find the right opportunity, a few friends, and just DJ the whole night.
Why do you do trance and electronic? Do you have a story behind it, or did it just hit you?
Actually I DO. One day, I was riding in my sister’s jeep, and I heard “Silence” by Delerium ft Sarah McLachlen (The DJ Tiesto Remix). It was and is still so sick and insane! 11 minutes of a ridiculous musical journey. Since then I’ve been stuck on it. I’ll probably rock it in the car on the way home.
Being a DJ in Canada, it’s totally different from the Asian, American, and European scene, where they get a lot of coverage, etc. What do you think is missing from Canadian DJ scene?
The subculture is totally missing. No one digs the culture! If I gave them one of my discs or anything trance and let them listen to it and ask them what it is, they’d be like “It’s techno”. The scene here is just all underground, and the subculture is just not there. All the clubs are still doing the mainstream gig. Some clubs would play it, but it’s really targeted to a niche audience. There aren’t enough mainstream venues holding this kind of music.
We like to get as many opinions on this as possible. What does HYPE mean to you?
Hype to me is exertion and getting excited, keeping it all together, getting hyped up before a show, psyched, the list goes on! You got to be up there, got to be totally excited and be ready to get it. That’s how the best mixes are made.
Check out DJ Theory’s beats here: http://www.myspace.com/theoryonline
Photography by: Nico Mak