Doctor Stone has been on the underground DJ scene since late 2002, with a growing reputation as a tight, dynamic house DJ. His versatility to play almost any genre of music, along with his flawless mixing skill, has featured him at exclusive parties such as Gauloises, Citrus Lounge, Digital Grafiti, to glitzy private functions thrown by the French Commercial Attaché to South Africa, socialite James Blond, Christian Dior and Vixens (Reality TV Series).

Doctor Stone or as Adrian as we know him, is well known locally for his unique house, techno and progressive style but his secret for success as a DJ/producer is something to be admired. “Firstly thanks for the opportunity to speak my mind with your community of party fiends! ;). I think the thing to which I can attribute most of my success as a DJ, is my passion for presenting predominantly unique, underground sounds within various genre disciplines in my performances,” says Adrian. “I guess that I’m primarily driven by an undeniable need to express creativity in all that I do, and this comes through in the music I play. I feel obligated to promote that which is off the beaten track, so to speak, in a die-hard effort to avoid the romance of my craft being compromised by commercialism.” We are well aware that there will always be those gigs where a DJ is required to play more commercial sounds but the question always remains at what point does he sell out to the point of entertaining instead of educating. Adrian’s take on it is, “I will always opt for the remix less played while also subtly introducing tracks which expand the dance floor’s perceptions of what is actually awesome. What is the point of going to an event or club to hear what you can listen to on the radio or on your local music stores chart topping dance music compilation? I prefer to give people a fresh, emotive journey through a mix of different soundscapes.”

These days DJ’s need to experiment with their music. What the public hears is in the DJ’s hands but you don’t necessarily want the public pigeon holing you as they naturally do. Creating aliases is one way a DJ gets to be whomever he wants allowing him the freedom to express himself/herself via various creative outlets. Eventually a DJ would create an entire following under a different alias without the public even knowing that they listened to the very same DJ a few weeks before. Take Tony Cha Cha for instance. One large popular day event held in South Africa bills him as one international and bills him again as E-Craig at the same event giving the impression to the public that they are hosting two separate internationals. But it’s not only for live sets DJ’s use aliases. Adrian says, “The different aliases are for both production and performance purposes. One must look at building a DJ career in much the same way as you would build a brand. Brand loyalty is achieved through consistency. So, if people see Doctor Stone’s name on the line-up for an event, they know what to expect without being disappointed. “Danny Diamond” is an alias reserved for more commercially motivated work, which I have not yet had the need for. Collaborations also pose the necessity for aliases, like Flaw64 for example, which is the alias for the production trio with DJ Gavo, DJ Thalia and I.”

Thalia and Dr Stone are one of the hottest couples on the dance scene at the moment and their photos together appear on various flyers and posters dotting the counter shelves and the net. We asked Adrian what it was like having a DJ as a partner and he said, “It’s totally awesome to have a fellow DJ as a partner. We share the same passion for what we do, and have similar goals which we work together on to achieve. We understand the challenges that come with being a DJ, and show the exact needed support for each other through all the ups and downs of our journey. We have featured on many line-ups together, and have recently experimented with performing alongside each other in the DJ booth, and it works beautifully! Our newfound love for each other, along with our shared passion for the music, have spawned the DJ and production duo, “The Rockit Scientists”. When we play together, our chemistry behind the decks translates into a fun and energetic blend of tech house, progressive & techno tracks for some serious tekkie squeaking!” And who’s who’s biggest groupie? “Lol...we take turns!” Says Adrian. “When Thalia has a gig, I’ll go along in dancing support and visa versa when I play. We are both HUGE fans of each other’s music.”
Since the beginning of your career how has your sound evolved and do you think you have stayed true to your roots? “Well, right in the very beginning, I played whatever I could get my hands on really, and experimented with many sounds, ranging from house to electro, to breaks, to techno, progressive and even trance. It wasn’t too long though before I found myself comfortably nested in the warmth of deep house, which became my signature sound for a long time. But as we all know, the dance scene evolves and changes in the same way that any other industry does, and it is important as a DJ to evolve and progress with it in order not to get left behind,” says Adrian. “After deep house, I moved on to minimal techno that was encrusted with my deep influences and sounds. Since then, my performances have matured to include the sophisticated sounds of techno, progressive, deep tech and tech house, all of which share a golden thread of intelligence which I really love. The one thing that will always feature in my sound is my obvious love for all things deep and sexy, which has been with me right from the very beginning. So, yes, I have stayed true to my roots in that regard.”

As any DJ needs a point of reference, Adrian says his biggest musical influences over the years have been the likes of Lee Burridge, Daniel Portman, Mark Knight, Deadmau5, The Chemical Brothers and Trentmoller internationally. Locally there is Troydon, Helmut J, Chris Palmer, Bruno Morphet and Ryan Sullivan. Giving us a heads up on who he believes we should look out for on the dance circuit Adrian drops the names of The Beat Prophet, Levon 'Lvs' Nathan and the CandyFlip duo. Internationally he says keep an eye out for Franky Rizardo, Paul Lyman & Genetically Modified Beats (G.M.B.).
From his ‘Coast 2 Coast’ and ‘Mozambique’ tours to having played at countless exclusive underground parties, holding a residency at Citrus Lounge and hosting the show "Doctor Stone's Aural Clinic", where to next for Adrian? “There are a few things on the horizon for me,” says Adrian. “On the production side of things I’m primarily focussing on collaborations as ‘The Rockit Scientists’ and ‘Flaw64’. The stuff we’re working on in studio is fantastic, and I’m very excited to get these gems out onto the dance floors all over the world! Between my 9 to 5 job, producing and hosting The Aural Clinic and gigs, it’s tricky finding valuable studio time to get everything done! We hope to have our first digital releases out by the end of the year. I’m also working with some amazing guys on a new event concept that is designed to cater for the more discerning party animal who craves parties that are driven by a passion for fun. All that I can disclose at this stage of the game, is the name, ‘House Society’ – remember it – it is going to be awesome! Apart from that, it’s DJing as per usual, for both Doctor Stone and the Rockit Scientists.”

Adrian currently hosts the show ‘Doctor Stone's Aural Clinic’ on the South African based web radio station, ‘Dance Web Radio’. Commenting on how important web radio stations are as a platform for music Adrian says, “One of the biggest advantages of web radio stations I would say has to be their international reach whereby people from all over the globe can log in to listen to your show. This creates an international platform for exposure and networking opportunities.”

“Another big advantage is that web radio stations have far lower overhead costs, allowing for freedom from commercial obligation. This is great because the content has more freedom to be what it wants to be without the influence of advertisers or corporate sponsors! So, if you want to hear the best underground beat broadcasts, you are most likely to find them online.”

“I think that mainstream radio stations are making more space in their programming for dance music, but only in rather small increments. What stops underground dance radio shows from hitting mainstream airwaves in South Africa? Money. Advertisers don’t see us party people as the majority. You do get some fashion and lifestyle labels who look at us as a target market, but none to really write home about. As a result, underground dance radio shows are predominantly fuelled by passion – not money. But who is to say that there isn’t a shift in our appeal on the horizon?”

“The underground is undergoing a revival of sorts. Through exposure to more underground dance music, the masses will learn more about what they have been missing out on, and hopefully demand the more discerning sounds of the underground. As the demand grows, we will hear more of our favoured beats pulsating through our fm radios.”

“Mainstream radio stations across South Africa have slowly begun to warm to the underground dance scene with the inclusion of dedicated dance radio shows. The forerunner in this regard is 5FM with their late night weekend shows which cater for us party animals that can’t find the right CD to play in our car on the way to or from a party. But this is still just scratching the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. I’d like to tune my fm dial to a station that’s going to guarantee me 100% underground beats and related info on artists, DJs and events all day long!”

“There have been a few ‘pirate’ radio stations around, but their reach has been limited without the funds required for proper broadcast transmitters and related licenses. It is for this reason that underground dance radio shows like mine have made a home for themselves online under the umbrella of a variety of web radio stations. It is safe to say that they will serve long residencies there.”

“Unfortunately, the less than adequate bandwidth available in South African makes web radio less accessible for the average underground dance music enthusiasts here at home. A large part of web radio station listeners reside in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Hopefully it isn’t too long now until South Africa can also feature on this list with the introduction of more affordable and reliable bandwidth packages. Wouldn’t it be nice to tune into any web radio station in the world at your office desk without your boss having a hernia? Hopefully these days are right around the corner!”

 

As a DJ the view on pirated music seems to be a grey area. We see many DJs loading their DJ demos online and bypassing licensing laws. We ask Adrian what he would do if he was running a music company and needed to tackle the issue of music piracy. “Pirating music is a crime,” says Adrian. “There’s no real argument against that. I feel that when DJs upload demo mixes, it is imperative that they include track listings to credit the original artists whose tracks they bought, or were given on promo. This works as another marketing tool for the track artists at the same time for people to hear their tracks. DJs who don’t release track listings with their mixes clearly do not give credit where it is due, and don’t respect the fact that they would not be where they are if it wasn’t for all the talented artists that produced the tracks they play. South African DJs are amongst the worst in the world for selfishly building their ego-driven careers without properly acknowledging the artists. The debate as to whether this is piracy or not sits on a knife edge. I don’t believe that distributing DJ demos is piracy if they are not sold for commercial gain, but rather as a demonstration of what type of music they play, and how they can mix tracks together. There are so many things that music companies have done in efforts to combat music piracy, but at the end of the day, there is nothing that’s going to stop it. If there was a more hefty consequence, like cutting off of hands perhaps, coupled with more effective piracy tracking methods, maybe then people will stop robbing the artists?”

What is it like being a white DJ in Africa? “I really love it – but not because I’m white – because of the music! African tribal rhythms have always featured a lot in my sound, and I guess that I have Africa, my home to thank for that,” says Adrian. “I don’t think it really matters if you’re white, black or psychedelically technicoloured as a DJ – it’s all about the music at the end of the day. I have fans from all races, religions, languages and walks of life from all over the world, and the music is the common ground we all share.”

The recent incident at the Loveparade in Germany where 21 people lost their lives was a massive blow to the credibility of dance events around the world. We asked Adrian what he believes the impact has been on the dance community locally and internationally. “My most heart-felt sympathy and condolences go out to all the people whose lives were impacted or lost in the tragedy. It was a real shame that it happened, but I don’t think that the repercussions are going to be very wide-spread. Obviously, The Love Parade festival has been severely scarred by the tragedy, and I’m pretty sure that similar events hosted throughout Germany and possibly even Europe will be subjected to more stringent safety and logistic checks, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” says Adrian. “The tragedy has most probably made promoters and event organisers more aware of the importance of logistics that take every aspect from entrance to exit of any event into account. We learn best from mistakes, and it was unfortunate that The Love Parade tragedy had to be the lesson in this regard. Party-goers are probably also compelled to be more aware of the running logistics of an event before buying a ticket.”

It’s a subject that keeps rearing its head time and time again in the dance scene. It’s the talk that the dance scene is on its way down, or the dance scene is crippled, or it’s dead. We here at Mr spencer HQ believe the dance scene is thriving! Just look at all the new events happening every week. Also the standards of events have improved dramatically and let’s not forget the black dance scene which is pumping. I think people tend to forget that the black dance scene is much bigger than we think and those that think the dance scene is dying believe dance music is restricted to their own little island. But for those that do think that the dance scene is crippled in SA, like a few members on the Mr Spencer forums, what’s Adrian’s opinion? He says, “The dance scene in South Africa has been through a bit of a tough time over the past few years, but it is by no means doomed. Everything is based on supply and demand, and if promoters can accurately tap into what people want, then the support will follow. One of the most crippling aspects of the local dance scene is that everybody is out there doing it for themselves, If you were to think back to when the dance scene was in its prime, you will remember how everybody was brought together by the love of the music and the vibe, with a big yellow smiley face as its global banner.”

“There are too many riffs between opposing promoters and even genres. I say make love, not war! People don’t want to assign themselves to club politics when going out to party – they want to have fun and feel the love. The industry has lost its personality, and it’s high time that events, clubs and even DJs are more driven by passion than by money again!”

If you have a fresh ear and would like to hear Doctor Stone`s work, the best place for you to get hold of his music is to follow this link www.doctorstone.co.za where you can register for updates on when and where you can go to get your fix of dance music medicine.

Thank you Adrian.