Interview
Pushing the aggressive side of experimental bass music in the PNW, iLL DiLL has solidified himself as one of Seattle's most serious DJs. Selecting from the grittiest tracks in rotation, Dylan's mixes offer a vibe that won't let up, as you're about to find out for yourself. In 2018 iLL DiLL was added to the resident roster at Q Nightclub's Field Trip and made quick work of laying down a stone cold foundation of leftfield low end bangers for the Seattle scene to build upon. And build he has. In collaboration with DJ Aquaphina, iLL DiLL launched Bad Luck Club, repping mixes and productions from like-minded producers who are up and coming in their explorations of bass territory.
What have you been up to?
Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, I have been busy networking and curating content as a co-founder of Bad Luck Club, which is a local music collective focused on the aggressive and experimental energy captured in bass music. We launched back in November and have been releasing tracks and mixes that carry a forward-thinking style and align well with that BLC vibe. I have also been working closely with the Field Trip team to bring some truly talented artists to Seattle, in addition to announcing a few Field Trip resident takeover bookings recently which are always a blast...love that squad!
How and where did you record the mix?
I recorded this mix live in my studio using a Traktor S4 controller and Traktor Pro.
Tell us a bit about the mix!
I was super happy with how this mix turned out, as I dug deep for some unique tracks that would complement the Bad Luck Club vision we are pursuing. Largely influenced by hip hop, dubstep, trap and halftime, I wanted to include artists that I see as up and coming experimental pioneers in the underground bass music scene. I also threw in "Take It Back", a Bad Luck Club exclusive by Just John and Kimati. I wanted to keep this mix high energy and blend tracks in strange ways to rearrange the listener's brain a bit 🙂
What are you up to next?
We have our first live Bad Luck Club showcase on January 26th at Substation for the EM2 Charity Ball, where I will be going back-to-back with my partner on the project, DJ Aquaphina. Super stoked to push our sound in a live setting for a good cause and my whole family is coming to support! On February 2nd, the Field Trip crew heads to The Wild Buffalo in Bellingham to start some shenanigans up north. Should be a fun one full of all types of music and I'll be moving in between house and bass throughout the night. We also just announced a Noise Complaint x Field Trip collab show on February 8th at the Kremwerk/Timbre Room complex for some 4/4 action. I'll be dipping into my collection of house tunes for this one, as Botnek is headlining the evening.
What are you listening to that you're not mixing with?
In addition to the more aggressive uptempo style of bass music, I listen to a lot of deeper low-end stuff (The Widdler, Truth, Charlesthefirst, Ternion Sound, etc) and hip hop here and there.