Rockezine.com interview with Dj Darkside on Nov 05, 2006

with Brent DeVos on Nov 05, 2006


		Please introduce yourself. Greetings to all the great readers of Rockezine.com and to metal and rock fans world wide! I am DJ Darkside aka Brent DeVos the underground metal/rock music specialist. I am 24 years old and live in New York. I am a college graduate and have been a music lover my entire life.
		How is working for an internet radio station? I work for the fastest growing multi-genre Internet radio station in the world, BreakThru Radio (www.breakthruradio.com). I have the privilege to bring the loyal BTR listeners talent from around the world. Working for an internet radio station (specifically BTR) is an experience like no other. BTR gives its DJ’s the freedom to discover talent, develop personal relationships with the bands and most importantly, make our own Play lists and play the music that we enjoy. As a pioneer for Internet radio, we don’t just play anything we come across; we have the opportunity to prove to the artists we discover why they should join the BreakThru Radio family and fill out our Play Release form. This is usually a somewhat easy task considering that we on average are now receiving close to 600-thousand listeners per day!
		At what time do you broadcast? “The Darkside” has recently become a weekly show on BTR and anyone from around the world can tune in any time each week 24-hours a day to hear some of the best underground metal and rock in a variety of styles and origins.
over 330-thousand metal heads and rockers tuning in daily		How many listeners do you have at a night? My metal/rock specialty show “The Darkside” is receiving high ratings in its own right, with over 330-thousand metal heads and rockers tuning in daily.
		Why did you choose to work for an internet radio station? In a word: “Freedom”. The Internet is one of the world’s last true avenues for free speech. No government, including the United States has yet to put any major sanctions on radio content on the Internet and I hope that things remain this way. Metal is one of the most expressive genres of music in the world. People unfamiliar with the genre are ignorant to the unlimited topics of discussion and themes that are used in metal works. This genre also produces many emotional extremes and swearing can often be incorporated. Not having to sensor or edit their art is also a huge plus when working for an Internet radio station.
		Can you describe the creative process of making this show? There are many things that I consider when putting together each Darkside show. My goal is to have something for everyone. There are so many sub-genres in metal and rock as well as degrees of heaviness and intensity. It is important to me that every show has a balance of different musical aspects. I also tend to play the songs that I am really “feeling” at that time. Song ordering is also important. The goal is always to keep the show exciting, flowing from beginning to end as well as keep the listener guessing in terms of what style or how heavy the next track will be.
		Which countries do you get the most reactions from in general? As I discover more talent in new regions the listener ship in that area tends to increase. I have many listeners from my home country (United States) but also have a large percentage of listeners from Europe in many great countries and hot spots for the metal scene.
		What is the biggest compliment you read concerning your radio show and what is the biggest bullocks? I receive pretty much only good compliments from around the world by bands and listeners alike. Usually the compliments are targeted towards the solidness of the show from beginning to end, the diversity of styles throughout each show and the work I am doing to support the underground scene in general. I am sure there are haters out there, not everyone can love everything one does right? However at least for the moment those out there that have not enjoyed the show have remained silent.
		Is there somebody you want to have in your show? This is a tough question because I would like to have on practically every band I have played and since this show is not about already established stars, it is hard to pin point one specific band.
		What’s the best album is your collection? This question is impossible to answer! My collection is somewhere between 450-500 albums and the best I could narrow it down is to maybe a top 50. When you are as passionate about music as I am and when you have the knowledge of all the great styles and bands that are out there, you begin to realize that there are many albums that touch your heart in that special way.
		If you had 100.000 euro to spare for the radio station, where would you spend it on? BreakThru Radio is only a little more than a year old, so many of us are constantly multi-tasking and work very hard to be cohesive and communicative with each other. I would at this point in our young company use such money to hire more specialized personnel, and assistants.
		What is the most overestimated band in the scene, which band is most underestimated? To me, what makes a band overestimated is that the media and the big record labels push a band that might be great, to unprecedented, undeserving super status. The first band that comes to mind is Linkin Park. I know many haters of this group; I actually have no problem with them. Their music is simplistic and the songs are generally short, but they are still mostly good songs (if you’re into this more emo style). What makes them overestimated is that there are hundreds of bands in the world with as much if not more musical talent and capability but are not given the same push. In many cases they aren’t even given a chance. This is where DJ Darkside comes in, to rectify this injustice. There are too many underestimated bands out there to even list, but the one trend I see is that some of them are finally breaking through the barriers. The fans, Independent labels and the Internet are working to bring a small local band from Finland (for example) to a global audience
		Anything left to say? I am and will always be passionate about music especially metal. I have the privilege to apply this passion in the form of a DJ and will do my very best to share these undiscovered, underexposed and unheard treasures with the world!
(Jeroen Habets)