Interview – Reggie Dokes (Psychostasia Recordings)

Here at ISM, we like to give coverage to artists we respect and admire. It’s been a while since we last had an interview up, so here is the next installment. I caught up via email with DJ and producer Reggie Dokes, owner of Psychostasia Recordings, to talk music, the “D”, and being in a DJ team with one of the sons of The Pips! I would like to thank Reggie for the helpful and humble way in which he conducted this exclusive interview, it was a pleasure to do. You can find links to his myspace and label website at the bottom of the page. Here’s what the master of the deep had to say…

ISM: Reggie, I thought it might be cool to kick things off if you told us about a record or piece of music that had a big impact on you, either on the music you make, or that shaped the taste of the music that you listen to, or just something that changed the whole way you looked at or felt about music?

RD: The first record that really touched me in a special way was a track called “Martin Circus“. You see back in the “D” when I was a teenager about to enter high school, music coming out of New York and Europe was called “Progressive Music”. I remember my friend letting me listen to this track and I was hooked ever since. The next move for me was getting some turntables and teach myself how to DJ. That particular track cost $50.00 dollars and my dad (RIP) bought that shit for me because he knew how bad I wanted it. This type of music coming from New York and Europe had a great deal of influence on me in terms of what I began listening to and eventually playing. Music like; Yazoo, B52’s, Devo, and other different types of music would be played in my DJ sets at the age of fucking 14-16 years of age. It was tough playing this type of music in the beginning at parties, but some people eventually caught on to the vibe.

ISM: I presume you’re referring to Martin Circus’ track on Prelude, “Disco Circus“? Amazing record! How did The Electrifying Mojo fit into your musical education? It seems like most people connected to electronic Detroit music cite him as a massive influence. Were you one of his devout listeners, taping the show and tracking down the records you heard?

RD: Yes it was “Disco Circus” on Prelude. Mojo was amazing. He would play symphony music as a intro or while giving his speech on the world and various affairs, and then drop some Prince or Parliament Funkadelics. He was very eclectic with his track selections on the air. Mojo put a lot of people on the map. Other DJ’s really did not venture into the various genres of music he did on the air. He was a tremendous influence on me and others on the DJ scene. I was a devout listener, it was a true education for me in music, and taking risks creatively.

ISM: So you were born in Detroit, is that right? But as I understand it, you now live in Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Would you care to tell us a little bit about your roots?

RD: Yes I was born in Detroit and raised in Detroit. It is only recently that I moved to Atlanta (two years). I have been married for 12 years and we have two lovely children that love music.

ISM: What led you to leave the city you were born and raised in? I’m from London, and my knowledge of Atlanta is limited, but I can only assume that it’s a very different city both culturally and musically to the Motor City. Has the change of location affected your music or outlook on life that you are aware of? How do you feel about Detroit nowadays in general?

RD: It was time for a change. In addition, I wanted to show my kids that the world is bigger than Detroit. Atlanta is a very different city than Detroit. I think every city has its own personality. Don’t get me wrong I love Detroit, but in life you have to make some changes. Shake things up a bit. Change your outlook. Make a paradigm shift! This move for me has allowed me to become even more creative. The house scene is very small like it is in Detroit. I have connected with Kai Alce and others who are making great contributions to the house scene. Detroit is in a very painful place right now. However, my people in Detroit are fighters, and so with that, there is hope, and where there is hope, there can eventually be a renewing of the human spirit.

ISM: So were you into music from a very young age? What kinda stuff did your family and parents play when you were a child?

RD: Yes, I was into music at a very young age thanks to my father and first cousin. My father was a musician and taught music for twenty years in the Detroit Public School system. You cannot believe the record collection this man had. He passed it on to me, and I cherish it highly. I grew up listening to Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Curtis Mayfield.

ISM: Much of your own music is very slow and psychedelic; what particularly led you to make a sound that differs quite markedly from much traditional Detroit electronic music? Also, to my ears, there seems to be a strong nod to African rhythms and textures, is this related to music you grew up listening to?

RD: Yes I agree, my music is very slow and psychedelic with African influences. In the beginning, I really was not concerned with the dancefloor. I am really into the downtempo stuff. So it is only recently that I have started to produce music for the dancefloor, I don’t know why, but it just happened that way. I truly appreciate anyone who says my music is different from what you traditionally hear. Thanks. I have always felt that it is important to be different and think outside the box and challenge people musically. Think outside the box, push the envelope. Get people to respect your creativity. Eventually someone will catch on to what you are presenting. The African influence on my music comes from me having a great respect for Africa and its many contributions to music and the world in general. Lastly, I am an African American man who is proud of his heritage and culture.

ISM: I understand you were taken under the wing of one Derrick May and used to DJ a lot on the same bill as him? Can you tell us a little about how that came about and what influence he had on your career? How did you get into DJing in the first place?

RD: Derrick May influenced me a lot with DJing. He saw me DJ at a club in Canada, then we bumped into each other at a party in Detroit. The rest is history. He took me to Europe and parties in North America to open up for him. Needless to say, that shit was very intimadating. He was very gracious to me and showed me that you can make an honest living at this shit. I have seen a lot of DJs, and by far Derrick is one of the best out there. Technically, he is amazing. I have seen him pull some shit off behind the boards and I was like “damn”. Back when I was coming up, the whole DJ culture as it related to house and techno music was really respected. I remember seeing these guys, not just Derrick, Juan and Kevin, but others spin records with three and four turntables. The crowd truly respected the DJ back then, because there were only a few that were truly doing it on a consistent basis. Then everybody and their momma started buying turntables and it kind of lost its mystery or mystical nature. Only the few and chosen could move a crowd with some records. Anyway, I just thought DJing was so cool. I remember spending my allowance on records and not doing homework to make a mix tape for my friends in highschool. Damn those were some good times. My parents could not afford the 1200’s, but I had some Technics, with the straight arm. I remember putting a penny or nickel on the arm to keep it from skipping on the record. I had two DJ buddies, Greg Freeman and Will Guest who is the son of one of the Pips. You know Gladys Knight and the Pips. We called ourselves “Audio Sounds”. We became very popular in the city of Detroit, playing parties for $75.00 for the whole night; 8-1:00am. We thought we were paid in full; rich.

ISM: Haha cool! I’m sure not many people outside of Detroit would have known that a son of one of the Pips was a DJ! With regards to Derrick May, I completely agree that he is on another level entirely to most DJs. The frst time I saw him play I was about 19 years old, he played for one and a half hours, and it totally blew my mind. I am convinced he was pulling Jedi Mind-Tricks on the decks! The records kept jumping and he just kept pulling on the pitch control and bending them back into time, it was just sensational. No DJ set I’ve heard since has had such a profound effect on me.You must’ve been DJing for a long time now; I’m a firm believer that becoming a good DJ is something that takes time, both to amass a good collection, and to learn how to programme records and find a style. Describe to us a what a Reggie Dokes DJ set might sound like?

RD: A DJ set of Reggie Dokes would be eclectic, soulful, a journey that begins with a very downtempo vibe, and ends with an upbeat pace or ending. I have been a DJ since I was fourteen years old. DJing is my first love, however, producing has become the love that has replaced DJing. DJing is on the back burner for me, however, I will play some records when asked, and if it is the right situation. I have plans on setting up some dates in Europe in the New Year, if my schedule permits.. There has been some inquiry, and I just love some of the European party scenes.

ISM: Perhaps you’d like to tell us about Psychostasia Recordings? Amongst other things, when will we see some new material, we have itchy fingers here!? But also, what you have planned for the label, what you hope to achieve with the music, whether you have any new artists coming through.

RD: You know it has been tough for a lot of labels in putting out music. I am just trying to save these pennies man. Anyway, I plan on releasing The Uknown Artists EP2 before the New Year. Following that will be a release with new artist “Pinky”, it will be an exclusive release with an online shop in Europe called “Interstellar Sounds.” They will ultimately be responsible for selling this release to the American and European community at large. I am showing my appreciation to them because they were one of the first to really support my sound when I was selling shit out of the back seat of my car in Detroit. I have some big goals with my music. I plan on venturing into video games and hopefully scoring and submitting my music to major and independent movie companies. I also have plans on doing another album in the New Year.

ISM: I know Interstellar Sounds well. I’ve ordered off those guys many times in the past, they have a great ethos and seem to genuinely love and support good music. It’s cool to know that there are forthcoming releases planned for the label, but at the same time it’s admirable that you’re not churning out releases for the sake of it. Quality over quantity will always win out. With regards to moving into scoring films, I think your music has many qualities that will lend itself well to that medium, it’s certainly highly atmospheric, timeless, and at times spine-tingling.

RD: You know a few years back, the man Larry Heard said the same thing. As electronic artists we have to show the world, that we can create music that is quality, moving emotionally, soulful and yes timeless.

ISM: I saw on your myspace site recently that you are releasing a 12″ for Philpot Records, which is great news. It’s been one of my favourite labels for some time, combining solid dancefloor ethos with plenty of musical content and soul, elements all too often missing in much modern dance music. I particularly like the fact that the name of the label is a nod to Larry Levan (Philpot was Levan’s real surname), showing some respect for the roots of this music. Tell us a little about the project…

RD: Absolutely, I must say that Philpot Records found me, and I was willing to do a project for them because it appeared they were about putting out good music that challenges and inspires the listener. The EP project is very dancefloor friendly. It has three tracks, one of which is licensed from a Japanese import album I did years ago with Cisco Music called “My Electronic Mind“. It is House music all the way, and I cannot wait for it to come out. Please support!

ISM: Along with, I’m sure, plenty of readers here, I will be keeping my eye out for that. Do you have any other projects in the pipeline for any other labels? Will there be any more music forthcoming for Prime Numbers, for instance? The inclusion of one of your tracks and also one by Napihedz on the recent 12″ they released made it an essential pickup…

RD: Prime Numbers has been good to me, so I intend on having a long term relationship with them. They are coming out with a mix cd that will include one of my tracks. Stay tuned for that in the near future. I am open to releasing some material with other labels, but it is very important to me to keep building my label; Psychostasia Recordings.

ISM: One of my favourite tracks of yours is “The Skin I’m In“, which was released on one of the Third Ear/Detroit Beatdown 12″s. To me there is so much emotion in the track that it makes a mockery of the misguided notion that electronic music can’t be truly soulful and have real feeling. Is there a piece of your work that you are proud of above all others? And if so, why?

RD: I love that track I did for Third Ear, because it was my first house track that came out on a good and reputable label. Plus I like Guy, he is business all the way. The track that stands out for me would have to be “Black Thoughts”. I had my daughter on my knee when I did that simple track. But I was in a very emotional state of mind. I was determined to make a name for myself and push my music, in addition, my daughter was very young. Lastly, Theo Parrish is the one who put that track on the map with his famous mix cds. I remember initially he did not like that track, but something moved him to eventually put it on a cd. Because of that, I was invited to Europe to DJ a party by myself. Damn, thanks Theo. Much love to you and the family bro.

ISM: How did you first get into music production? Was it a natural progression from DJing? Had you always played instruments or was it more a case of you were playing house and techno and thought, “I could do that?” What kit did you start out on, and what kinda set-up do you use these days?

RD: 2001 is when I started to get into music production, actually my first record came out then. I have played drums, guitar and violin in my youth, but I only stuck with the drums up into my young adult hood. I guess you could say it was a natural progression from DJing to producing, because I knew what I wanted to produce and hear. I started with the MPC 2000XL with the eight outs, then moved to the Yahama Motif 6, and now I deal with some of the music programs like Ableton and Reasons 4.0. I was very resistant to getting with the latest technology in music production, Pirahnahead convinced me to do it.

ISM: You also have a project that involves you and Pirahnahead – who many ISM readers will be familiar with through his releases on labels such as Mahogani Music. Tell us about the NapiHedz set-up….

RD: NapiHedz is a collaboration between me and my boy Pirahnahead. We just work together very well. Plus I like the fact we incorporate live instrumentation in our productions. He is very creative and open to my eclectic ideas. We balance each other very well. I love and appreciate that brother a lot. I hope he reads this. I have plans for NapiHedz in the New Year.

ISM: What kinda artists and music make you tick these days? And in particular, from outside the house and techno spheres?

RD: Absolutely, I love Kanye West, Timbaland and the Neptunes. I like Estelle, Eric Roberson, Common, Cold Play, Maroon 5, Nas and The Dream (R&B) for those that don’t know. I like a variety of music because I feel it influences me in a positive way when it comes to producing a track.

Reggie Dokes Myspace
Reggie Dokes Discography

Psychostasia Recordings Website
Psychostasia Recordings Discography