From his first mix CD on U.K. label Sub Base Recordings on through to his sixth such domestic effort (The 6ixth Session for Palm Pictures), Damian “Diesel-boy” Higgins has become a household name on the club/rave circuit. In fact, the 28-year-old Dieselboy is without a doubt the most in-demand American drum-n-bass DJ on the planet.

Determined to keep his sets as cutting-edge as possible, Diesel-boy is relentless in his search for unreleased tracks to cut on dubplate months before they’re made available to the public. With a large number of contacts in the U.K. scene as well as the States, it isn’t unusual for producers to give Dieselboy a DAT of their tracks fresh off the computer for cutting.

It wasn’t always this way, of course. Breakdancing his way through his early teens and graduating on to early “techno” music, it was the dynamic-sounding breakbeat hardcore that captured Damian’s ear. The later years would mean steady gigs nationwide three to four times a week, the opening of a weekly party in Philadelphia (Platinum) and, of course, venturing into the production world. Having collaborated with U.K.-based producers Technical Itch in the past and releasing three singles for Palm Pictures, Dieselboy vows to spend more time in the studio and complete his first “artist” album sometime next year. In a recent interview with DJ Times, Dieselboy reveals a few spinning and studio secrets, which include an undying love for the correct EQ.

DJ Times: Do you remember your first gig?

Dieselboy: My first gig was at a small house party I threw myself in Pittsburgh in 1991 and I planned it start to finish. I made the fliers, the drinks, decorated the venue, gathered all the sound and equipment. Surprisingly, I didn’t rock the turntables that night; instead, I faded between three CD players while punching in pre-recorded samples from my friend’s sampler. It was very low-tech, but it got the job done and it gave me a real taste of what was to come in later years.

DJ Times: What’s your studio look like?

Dieselboy: Currently, I’m running Logic Audio Platinum 4.0 on a PowerMac G4 with a [Digidesign] Digi 001 interface. I’ve got Mackie HR84 monitors, a Roland PC-300 control keyboard and a Yamaha 01V digital mixer. I like having an outboard mixer because I think that a lot of the newer tracks coming out are being produced completely within the environment of the computer and the music sounds compressed, everything sounds pushed together and there’s not a lot of breathing space between sounds. Whereas if you separate everything, you get a fuller sound that’s much more three-dimensional and not so flat sounding. I still run everything through the computer, but I watch my levels on the sequencing program, so that when I run everything out to the mixing board I have a lot more headroom and the final mix doesn’t sound so compressed.

DJ Times: You’re also well-known and perhaps recognized for your flawless mixing and obsessive EQing behind the decks. Talk a bit about that aspect of the game and how that shapes your sound.

Dieselboy: Back in the early years, I used to study as many other DJs as I could in all different genres – techno, house, hip-hop, trance, whatever. I learned a lot by watching and picking up as many techniques as I could. When I’m behind the decks, I focus all of my energy into keeping the mix as seamless as possible while doing little tricks here and there and making sure that I keep a good flow going musically. I always push myself to keep getting better. As far as I am concerned, there’s always a lot to learn. It keeps you humble.

DJ Times: Share with us at least one of those “little tricks.” To what should a DJ be paying attention in order to keep it flowing seamlessly?

Dieselboy: I think EQ is very important. I prefer to play on mixers that have a three-band EQ per channel so that I have greater control over the overall sound. If I’m playing two records at the same time and all of a sudden a vocal sample comes in and I want to make sure it stands out, I’ll cut the mid and some of the high out of the record that doesn’t have the sample so that it stands out. Also, say some crazy bass sound comes in and I want that bass to stand out, I’ll EQ out the bass on the other record. I’m always making sure to emphasize the special sounds or samples on certain records by manipulating the EQ on the other record that I’m mixing with so that certain parts stand out and the mix sounds a lot better. I also notice a lot of DJs will be mixing two records with heavy bass and all of a sudden they’ll cut over to a quiet breakdown and sometimes it sounds awkward. What I do is I always make sure to watch the levels so that right before I mix out of a record and into a breakdown I get the bass turned down so that when it does go into that quiet breakdown it’s not so much of a jar to the ear and it slides in a little bit better. So I think paying attention to EQ is very important. Always make sure your EQ is set right the whole time you’re playing.

DJ Times: What’s your favorite mixer when you’re playing out?

Dieselboy: I prefer the Pioneer DJM-600 because it has built-in effects, sampler, and it’s got a good EQ. But if it comes down to just a straight mixer with no effects, I recommend the Vestax PMC-25 because if you turn everything off EQ-wise, it cuts all the sound. That’s my mixer.

DJ Times: Your mix tapes and mix CDs all seem very concept-driven. What’s the story behind The 6ixth Session?

Dieselboy: Usually I sit down, come up with a title and think of how I can build off of it. With this one, I originally tied the idea into the movie, The Sixth Sense. I really liked the idea of someone having a sixth sense or the ability to detect things through extrasensory perception. Maybe being able to detect good or bad tunes, that’s a sixth sense, you know? Maybe I’ve got a sixth sense for finding good tracks or knowing a good track when I hear it, whatever. It’s also my sixth CD, so that’s obvious. Plus, when you say the title – The 6ixth Session – it sounds like “the succession” or the next in a series.

DJ Times: I clocked the tempo in at 185 beats-per-minute! That’s smoking.

Dieselboy: There’s definitely a group of people who like it fast and there’s a group who will say it’s too fast. Basically, I sat down in the studio, put on “Messiah” (Konflict), got my head nodding and ran with it. For this CD, I just went in my record bag and pulled the tracks I was feeling at the moment. This CD definitely has some heavy moments, but I’m very happy with the way it turned out. The intro, the first couple of mixes is hard as fuck, but I figure people will be at the listening station, listening to the first three tunes and just be like boom, boom, boom. I got to get this one.

– Chris Muniz