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 Regarded by many as an auteur in the drum and bass scene, Danny Williamson, more popularly known by his DJ name, LTJ Bukem, is considered one of the earliest proponents of this genre.
A classically trained pianist and trumpet player, Bukem's characteristic style stems from his love of jazz and soul. He often describes his sound as groovy drum and bass. Influenced by jazz greats such as Chick Correa, Herbie Hancock, blues legend James Brown, and jazz fusion artist Lonnie Liston Smith, he knew exactly the kind of music he wanted to produce from the very beginning. He started spinning records in the 80's and
by the early 90's, he gained fame as a DJ/producer, releasing classic jungle tracks such as "Demon's Theme", " Apollo", and "Atlantis". Seeing the need to have an environment of pure artistic creativity, Bukem launched Good Looking Records. The concept of the label evolved around his very own idea of music production. He saw this label as a stable of like-minded musicians who can freely express their music. He understood that any musician needs complete artistic freedom to fully achieve their potential. Goodlooking Records and sister label Looking Good soon emerged to be two of the most highly respected labels in the industry.
Fifteen years after the inception of his label, Bukem still considers drum and bass as an underground genre, despite his success and popularity and commercial exposure of artists such as Roni Size and Goldie. According to him, most record labels are wary of signing drum and bass artists due to the risk element involved. Because of this, artists only have three routes: to sell out and go through the commercial route; give up on music; and lastly, for the few lucky ones, make music freely on their own terms. His labels attempt to give these artists the option to go for the latter route.
When asked about advice for aspiring DJs/music producers, Bukem replies, "You have to have a belief in what you're doing. When I started, no one understood what I was doing. Do not be afraid to be different...if you love the music and believe, people will see what you are doing...it shows in your music. You'll have your great days and bad days, but despite all that, you have to persevere."
Bukem's future is looking good. After a much needed two year hiatus, Bukem is back with "Switch", a track that features a sultry female vocal, opening with a jazzy, smooth classical guitar sound. His newest release is with MC Conrad, "Bukem in Session featuring MC Conrad-Live at the Exit Fest 2007", a DVD released in September 2008. This first edition of a series presents the duo headlining Exit Fest in Serbia, one of Europe's largest music festivals. These two projects have been showing the natural progression of his music from an ambient sound to dance music. He has also been writing tracks extensively for his next solo project, "What Price Art".
LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad are going to be in Cleveland this coming Thursday, October 9th, at the Mercury Lounge. Misterbradleyp and MC Infinity are also going to be on decks. Tickets are available at Grand Poo Bas in Lakewood and at the Mercury Lounge. Tickets are $5 before 11pm and $10 after.
By Paula Purpera
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