The First 5 with Dig Dug
Berkeley, California’s own Dig Dug is a producer currently signed to the New York City indie label, Uncommon Records. While he goes by Dig Dug, he also uses the moniker Agartha Audio which doubles as a collective composed of musicians and artists in San Francisco’s Bay Area. Inspired by anything sci-fi, Dug’s been described as “Herbie Hancock meets The Swamp Thing”, amalgamating keyboard prowess with bottomless samples and nasty drums.
The list of artists that Dug has worked with is too long to list. He’s produced soundtracks for videos by Energy Skateboards and AllOut Productions, as well as supplying instrumentals for Element Skateboards and Texaco. Better yet, he recently produced the soundtrack to the Emmy-nominated documentary, “Fruits of War”.
Dig Dug’s latest project, The Hollow Earth, is dropping under Agartha Audio on March 23rd. Go to the Uncommon Records website for more information on purchasing the upcoming album.
1. Tell us something no one knows about you.
I can’t let loose with the real juicy sh*t, but here’s a little minor league tidbit: Every day I conduct little mental experiments, kind of like controlled imaginations. I’ll try imagining strangers as old friends, and notice how their vibe responds. Imagine colors around people, or peep plants and try to mentally imitate their way of reaching up to the sun. I do all kinds of weird sh*t like that.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
I want cats to get into the groove first, and once the groove opens ‘em up, I want to brainwash ‘em with all types of sh*t. I’m halfway playing, but I do feel strongly that music is fundamentally therapeutic and spiritual. I want you to be a better person, probably a weirder person, and would like to imagine my music as a force for making that happen. The groove comes first though.
3. What is one of your biggest regrets?
That I didn’t continue f*cking with music after my DX7 got dipped in 1991. Had like a 10-year hiatus (big up to FSC crew and my twin brother Theo for getting shit rolling again). And on that note, my other biggest regret is not still having our weekly jam sessions at T’s crib.
4. What’s one of your greatest hip-hop memories?
My first tape, a Dangerous Music Too Short tape with Freaky Tales A side, Dope Fiend beat B side. I Xeroxed a skull on the cover on some orange construction paper. Also, seeing BDP and Jungle Brothers at the Berkeley Community Theater in ‘88 or ‘89, those dudes rocked the most live sets, and the vibe was supernatural.
5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In outer space, touring the muhf*ckin’ star system. I wanna be in a spaceship bumping a walkman with unraveled tape coming out my pocket.
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