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If you have at all been paying attention to the land of moombahton over the past year, it will of been impossible for you to not have heard of Des McMahon. His E.P., ‘Ginger Problems‘ was a huge release on the scene this year with tracks such as ‘Albino Ass Slap‘ providing a massive but still clean moombah sound. Preceding Ginger Problems he released an E.P. with Tittsworth and his friend Rez entitled ‘Juicy Jorts‘. He is now exploring trap and other innovative dance genres. Des McMahon is definitely someone to watch!

1.   In one sentence, describe your music.

A contrast between the dark and the light put into sound.

2.   What genres can we expect from you this year?

A little bit of everything as always. Right now my catalog of unreleased tracks covers everything including moombahton, dubstep, trap, drum & bass and a few tracks I don’t even know how to categorize.

3.   Your E.P. Ginger Problems was, in my opinion, one of the biggest moombahton releases this year. How did you get into moombahton and who are your favourite Moombahtonistas?

I was lucky enough to be living in Washington D.C. during the time moombahton was born and began to emerge as a major genre in dance music. One day, my good friend Rez told me about a genre he heard Laidback Luke play that originated from D.C. The first track he showed me was Munchi’s “La Brasilena ta Montao” and it took me by complete surprise because I never heard dance music like that before. A few weeks later we went to a Moombahton Massive at U Street Music Hall and after that I was completely hooked.

If I had to choose, my favorite moombahton producers would be Munchi, Gent & Jawns, GTA, Valentino Khan, and Nadastrom.

4.   Could you elaborate upon your background in trance and how you first began producing?

I originally got pulled into dance music through trance when I was 13 years old. By the time I turned 16, I wanted to start producing my own music. At the time, I only wanted to produce trance, but I knew once I learned all of the tricks and techniques that I would eventually dive into different forms of music. The main thing I can emphasize today is that even at the age of 16 I knew I wanted to produce music and not only one genre. However, I chose one genre at that age to learn the craft and practice of production. In 2008, I moved to Washington D.C. and then everything started to change. I was introduced to dubstep and all different kinds of bass music. By 2010, I was completely bored of trance and where it was going, so I decided to move on. Now here I am today.

5.   Could you give us a few of your inspirations in life and music?

My inspirations in life would be my friends and family, coffee, and the idea that we as humans are part of something way bigger than what we currently perceive.

Musically my inspirations have been Sean Tyas, Skream, Tom Colontonio, Munchi, Nero, Brookes Brothers, Zero 7, Nujabes and a load of other names that would take up a whole page if I kept going.

6.   Any producers to expect good stuff from in 2013?

Definitely my buddy Rez. I know for a fact he’s sitting on a ton of unreleased work a lot of us are waiting to get our hands on. LeDoom is another guy who’s putting out some pretty insane tunes. Lastly, I’d say Au5 who has been making some incredible stuff over the past few months.

7.   Your thoughts on trap?

I think a lot of people have a love/hate relationship with trap. I do myself. If you love it, it’s because you love the 808. If you hate it’s probably because you’ve heard too much trap that all sounds the same, which is a lot. The trick, as with anything, is to have something unique and different that doesn’t follow the formula that everyone uses. The formula works for the first few months while the hype is up and then if it gets used too much it becomes saturated. But, I like trap and I enjoy playing it in my sets. There will always be good product and bad product, so I choose to focus on the good.

8.   On a final note, what’s your last piece of advice for aspiring producers and DJ’s?

Be patient. Always challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Remember that haters are a good thing and that one of the most important things with your music is the reaction you get on a dance floor.

Check out Des McMahon: