Damian Higgins, AKA Dieselboy, hails from Pittsburgh, PA, a far cry from the streets of London and Bristol, England, where the genre first started--but like many, he got his start playing techno and breakbeats. With an interest in percussion, he naturally gravitated toward the freshly evolving drum 'n' bass scene in the mid-'90s. In 1996 and 1997, Higgins mixed Drum and Bass Selection USA and 97 Octane for the Suburban Base label; this eventually led to him putting out A Soldier's Story and System Upgrade on Moonshine Records, one of the United States' widest-reaching electronic labels. 2000 saw the release of the aforementioned 6ixth Session on Palm Pictures, and in 2002 he released projectHUMAN on his own Human label, partnering with producers like E-Sassin, Stratus, and Hive. Higgins' track selections and productions are always parallel to the fast-paced evolution of the drum 'n' bass scene, but they lean strongly toward the dark tech-step imagery of producers like Technical Itch and Bad Company UK. He's also still influenced by the raved-up and progressive anthems that fit with the large venues where he regularly plays, though--so don't retire those candy beads and glow sticks just yet, kiddies.
The challenge for Higgins is maintaining his broad appeal without adulterating his music. His seat at the top of his genre puts him up there with the DJ Dans and the BTs of the world, but he risks spreading his work too thin by aiming for too much mass appeal. Luckily, though, he helps maintain his credibility by playing smaller clubs as much as mainstream arenas. In the past, Dieselboy has played in much larger Seattle venues, so this is a chance to see one of the country's highest-profile drum 'n' bass DJs in a much more personal setting. Be ready for some hard-stepping, intense beats that clock in at well over 138 bpm--phew! NICOLAE WHITE
badHUMAN Tour: Dieselboy w/MC J-Messinian, Bad Company UK, and DJ Slantooth, Thurs Feb 13 at Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $15.
