Planet Rock
Origin: None
PLANET ROCK is the collaboration of Los Angeles’ Dom Corleone & ASAA (aka NEOTOKYO). The turntablists-turned-beatsmiths explore the entire macrocosm of club music, from Jersey club drum patterns and Trillville-esque bed creaks to acidfueled, afterhours drum and bass. Each no stranger to the LA electronic music scene-they’ve received radio airplay from Diplo and have steadily increased both creativity and notoriety enough to win grand prize in Insomniac’s Discovery Contest, sending the duo to perform in Las Vegas at Electric Daisy Carnival. The two have played alongside acts such as Diplo, Dillon Francis, UZ, Huglife, Vindata, gLAdiator, GTA, CRNKN, Harvard Bass and more.
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We absolutely love hip hop and anything with heavy bass and that’s why we came together as a duo. As solo artists you could hear different influences in our sound. Dom specializes in making high energy hip hop influenced 808 bass and Arthur (aka Neo Tokyo) specializes in making an inspirational future R&B 808 bass sound, so we were able to combine our powers together to bring people something that they can be really excited about. We really like making music because we are able to bring something to the world that makes us and our audience happy.
Home Town: Los Angeles
Currently Living: Los Angeles
Origin Of Name: From the popular song by Afrika Bambaataa, “Planet Rock” that pioneered the 808 bass dance music scene
Weapon of Choice: Internet
Source of Power: 2 Live Crew, DJ Premier, Buraka Som Sistema, Shy FX, DJ Qbert and A-Trak
What advice would you offer someone thinking about entering the Discovery Project competition?
We can give people one piece of advice: just do your best and stay true to you.
Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process for your Discovery Project entry that made you feel like you were creating something pretty damn special?
We felt that our track was starting to become really inspirational which inspired us to submit it because after all, EDC has been a very inspiring experience for anyone we’ve ever met whose gone.
Are there any dots to connect with where or how you grew up to your musical output?
We both grew up surrounded by hip hop whether it be a rapper with a DJ on stage, a DMC champion and everything in between. It also helps having parents involved in the funk generation.
What’s the strangest part of your job? What makes you shake your head in wonderment about being a DJ and producer?
A really weird thing about being a producer is that lots of people will really enjoy a song you’ve made that you don’t particularly like. Even though you may not like the song, it’s really inspiring to hear words of encouragement on something you are questionable about.
Tell me about your most memorable night out as an artist or as a fan.
The most memorable would have to be playing at EDC this year. It was great seeing friends perform and when it was our time to shine seeing our crowd continuously grow over time. Looking at our friends genuinely happy for us made it such a dream come true.
Do you have any memorable moments from past EDC’s or any other Insomniac party?
We were glad we were able to see DJ AM one last time in 2009. It was really amazing seeing him and Boys Noize doing their Michael Jackson tribute.
What is your ultimate career dream?
A Grammy would be awesome!
Are you impulsive with your work or do you have a sketch in mind before you start?
It all depends on the vibe when producing. For DJing we always have something in mind but we usually look to see what the crowd is responding well to.
How important is it for you to experiment and take on the risk of failure?
You will never be able to live out your dreams if you can’t bring yourself to doing that, plain and simple.
Do you have a list of people you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
We would really love to collaborate with some like Feed Me because we really appreciate the artistry of sound design and we strive to one day becoming master Jedi in that field.
If we pressed Shuffle on your iPod while you went to the bathroom, what would you be embarrassed to come back to us listening to?
We are very proud of our music collection, thank you.
What sound or noise do you love?
808 booms and chords
What gets you excited when you think about the future of electronic music and club culture?
The fact that popular music and electronic music are starting to go hand in hand. It has invited a whole new fusion of sounds that excites us about what we have in store for the future.
Do you have a secret passion?
Dom likes making pasta sauce and Arthur likes building speakers.
How would you describe your sound to a deaf person?
We would show them a nuclear explosion going off.
What do you remember about your first DJ gig?
Our first DJ gig as Planet Rock was at the Key Club for a sold-out Dillon Francis show. We were a bit nervous because we had never played a show of that caliber. Despite our nervousness, the excitement had us pumped. The show was packed from wall to wall with everyone going nuts. This was the first time we were able to play out our first productions together and we were glad the crowd loved it.
Do you have a favorite all-time mixed CD or series?
Goldie’s FabricLive 58
Winning Mix:
EDC Las Vegas set:
