After hearing Pumpkin Patch spin at the NYC CFD, we had to find out a little more about the label behind the beats. And we’re not the only ones. Dgenetics Musics, comprised of four artists, Fiore, Old Gold, Pumpkin Patch, and label “head” Dgenetics, has been called the US answer to Modular, Ed Banger and Kitsune and has just been listed in the URB Next 100 issue. So we sat down with the executive producer–his stereo self, Dgenetics–to chat about his music, his team and his ideas about creativity.

Dgenetics: Holler.

ADB: Hey oh! So I’m listening to your stuff right now <3

Dgenetics: You love it?

ADB: Yeah.

Dgenetics: That makes me smile.

ADB: All of you definitely have distinct sounds. Do the four of you work together on songs? What’s that creative process like?

Dgenetics: We haven’t worked together on music as a group yet. I am the executive producer on all the projects so I tend to work with each artist on their music. Not in a hands-on way, just more as someone to bounce ideas off of because each artist is actually a very capable producer himself. So far the most collaborative thing we’ve done musically as a label is to have Fiore cover one of Old Gold’s songs “True Story”.

ADB: But otherwise it’s a pretty independent operation?

Dgenetics: Each artist making their own music? Yes. So far. But we definitely have plans to get much more collaborative. We’d like to start pairing up in different combinations to do new projects.

ADB: What’s the reasoning and plan behind that?

Dgenetics: The label is run as a tight-knit family. We’re not a typical label where the label just looks for great talent to sign and seeks to churn out release after release from new artists. We’re more of a collective. We don’t have plans to sign a new artist anytime soon. We’re just focusing on the core family. We’d like to do collaborations mostly because it would be fun.

ADB: Being a family, do you guys support each other (whether creatively, emotionally, or otherwise) and how?

Dgenetics: Yeah, we do. We communicate a lot. We send new music to each other for input. Basically everything we do, we bounce around to each other. We’ve also worked on a video together, which is in production right now–a video promoting the label and our Generation V wave of output– and in general, we’re just fans of each other and we talk each other up to everyone.

ADB: Sounds like a fun family.

Dgenetics: Yeah, we have a lot of fun. I think that’s a large part of why people are getting into us. We just make art that we love and we have a great time doing it and I think that comes across and turns people on.

ADB: Definitely. For a long time, that wasn’t really possible in the music industry.

Dgenetics: Because of The Man.

ADB: Exactly. How’d you break away?

Dgenetics: We didn’t have to. We’ve been completely outside of the system and independent from the beginning. That sounds funny, “the beginning”. We’ve only been around for 11 months.

ADB: Well, there has to be a beginning. This may sound cliché, but why do you make music?

Dgenetics: It’s something I love to do. When I work on music, I’m completely focused. I have no idea what else is going on anywhere. I sit at my work station for 10 hours straight without even going to the bathroom!

ADB: That sounds dangerous.

Dgenetics: It is. Music is just one of my favorite ways to express myself.

ADB: You talk about that expression and creativity in your description of the release of the Generation V label–about how web 2.0, instead of fostering people to express themselves, has kind of boxed people into standardized interactions.

Dgenetics: Yes. I’m not sure it’s actually the technology’s fault. I think rather, the technology has allowed for people to really break loose. It allows people to be what ever they want to be without really being held accountable! Maybe that’s not the best thing to promote, but the point is, people can do whatever they want on the Internet. But, largely, I think they’ve failed to take advantage of that. People seem to just resort to conformist behavior.

ADB: Why do you think that is?

Dgenetics: I guess it’s human nature. To want to belong. The fear of being different. It’s ironic. People look up to those who have the courage to be different and unique. But then they’re afraid of what’s “different” and tend to oppress anything that’s not like them. It’s a really interesting phenomenon.

ADB: It is… a problem even. Is your music trying to address that issue at all, whether actively or just through example?

Dgenetics: I think just through example. We’re ourselves. We certainly have tons of influences, but in the end, we don’t strive to emulate anyone directly…we’re just ourselves. And that’s what we’re trying to promote - that people should embrace their own personality and run with it. Everyone is incredibly interesting in his or her own way. We’re very complex creatures.

ADB: You for example are a boombox in a flesh faces world. How’s that?

Dgenetics: Unique. I get a lot of attention!

ADB: Better than a puppy dog?

Dgenetics: Nothing is better than a puppy.

ADB: Do you have any advice for people tryin’ to just be themselves?

Dgenetics: It’s not as easy as I make it out to be. I hope I don’t come across as callous. As far as advice, I think it stems from confidence and self-knowledge. My advice is to spend a lot of time observing and thinking, learning what you like, what you don’t like, about others and about yourself, and then being confident in your discoveries. Does that sound super pretentious?

ADB: I don’t think so. I was just thinking about taking your advice!

Dgenetics: That makes me smile.

ADB: I’m glad. Makes me smile too.