Listen to the Band: My Hollow Drum

By Nate Jackson Wed., Dec. 3 2008 at 12:32 PM

Categories: DJ culture

To less-adventurous hip-hop fans, the realm of the DJ appears to be a fully- explored frontier. Sure there are plenty of great ones out there, but after one has mastered the art of programming beats and scratching vinyl with surgeon-like dexterity there's not much more to learn right? Don't tell that to the talented ten pack of beat-smiths known as My Hollow Drum. Armed with a collective sound that boasts everything from dark psychedelia to Golden Age break beats, the last thing these guys have in mind is keeping a conventional sound.

The group is definitely on the come-up, garnering praise in revered music mags like Filter and URB...and now us, yay! The group are currently in residence at the Crosby on the first and third Thursdays of every month. The Weekly recently caught up with young producer Co. Fee, one of the members, to discuss the inspiration behind the organized chaos of this innovative groove clique.

OC Weekly: Who's in the band and who does what?

Co. Fee: We are a 10 person crew/collective made up of DJ's and producers. Half of us are from Orange County area and the rest of us are from the Chino/Chino hills area.

OCW: What motivated you to start the group?

CF: Chad aka Yuk. who is also a member, noticed that his friends In Orange County and in Chino were listening to and creating the same type of progressive beat music that is emerging out of L.A. and Europe. He decided we should all come together and collaborate, that was the birth of the crew.

OCW: Who are your biggest influences and why?

CF: It may not always be in sound, but the spirit of the psychedelic movement is a large influence on us. Also the many artist that perform at L.A.'s Low End Theory have had a lasting effect on us. The beat showcases there along with the live perfrormances motivate us even more to push ourselves and our craft.

OCW: What's the best thing that's happened to your band? What's the worst
thing that's happened to your band?

CF: The best thing to happen to us are the many gigs we've had in the past year. From the weekly gigs at the Crosby to being able to DJ at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for Dublab. Also the time we all got to perform at The Low End theory was real special night for us.

Probably the worst is the challenge of having all 10 of us in one place at the same time to plan events and talk about future plans. We've still been able to manage that pretty well though.

OCW: There are millions of bands and solo artists creating music now. Why
should people listen to you?

CF: We are apart of a new movement of producers who want to push the envelope and challenege listeners. Alot of people may not get the music at first but once it grows on you your hooked.