"I’ve already been at this party for an hour and a half. The room around me swells and boils with the shirtless bodies of hundreds of people. There’s little room to breath inside the packed out Drunken Unicorn and even less to move, but the crowd undulates and writhes like one sticky, sweaty organism.
The scene around me is already chaos when the riff starts. It’s a thundering heavy metal breakdown; akin to something you would hear at a Hatebreed show. I instinctively raise my arms to protect my face from the inevitable violence of flailing limbs, but thankfully the crowd around me isn’t interested in moshing. They seem to be waiting. Like caged bulls burdened with foolish human riders, they steam from their nostrils and stamp their feet in anticipation of the sound that will signal the opening of the gate. I realize that the breakdown, in my mind the moment of truth at a show, is to these people a mere preamble. At this realization, my heartbeat doubles. What the hell is about to happen?
Then the beat drops, and all hell breaks loose.
Let me rewind a bit. Dylan Eiland, AKA Le CastleVania, has been a friend of mine for several years. I met him when he arrived at my home with some mutual friends severely trashed on his (I later found) signature Bombay Sapphire and proceeded to quickly befriend me. I’ve always had a place in my heart for other enthusiastic fellows and I guess he felt the same way, so despite our differences in styles, we bonded quickly.
At that time, Dylan hosted a regular dance party at the Drunken Unicorn on Saturday nights, and he was already 6 years into his career as a producer, DJ and musician. I lost track of Dylan’s life after a while, due both to my erratic work schedule and his increasingly busy tour schedule. But I knew that his career was doing well and was satisfied to see him when I could.
When I was asked to do an article about him and his success for Purge, I jumped at the opportunity. The only thing better than writing for your friends is writing about them. I caught up with Dylan at the Drunken Unicorn as he and his fellow performers were setting up for the night’s FUCK YESSS Dance Party which Dylan hosts the first Thursday of every month.
The lanky, mild-mannered DJ explained to me that while he is far from his career goals, things have really taken off for him since last we down to chat. Having founded his AlwaysNever label imprint a few years back, Dylan now works not only behind the mixers, but in all arenas of the music scene. A DJ by trade, Dylan works now as a producer, a label head, an event coordinator and in marketing of all of the above. Needless to say, Dylan is a pretty busy guy. With a year-round tour schedule that consists mostly of one-shot dates around the world, Dylan spends a lot of his time at airports.
“Touring alone is tedious.” he admits when I prod him on the subject. “I mean, I don’t have a band and no real reason for a road crew. I do it all myself. It does get pretty lonely though, especially when no one speaks English.” While he does have his grievances with the long hours, he knows that it’s the way to get the job done. “It’s way more work than people realize; even when I’m traveling I’m working.”
In this business though, traveling is essential, as networking is the name of the game. DJ’s create the vast majority of their fan base through live shows, so the need to stay mobile is apparent, even after 11 years in the game. “It’s a double-edged sword. I mean, it’s lonely, but I get to see the world.”
I would say that’s a definite truth. Since his touring kicked into high gear, Dylan has visited dozens of countries and every continent except Antarctica. “Australia is definitely my favorite place to play. I love the people there. I always have a great time.”
Touring aside, Dylan has a lot of work to do while he’s in Atlanta. His label alone keeps him busy. He is currently pushing a release from Atlanta party posse Rrrump and putting the finishing touches on his own EP, ‘Nobody Gets Out Alive”. (which after attending his Fuck Yesss party, I have a good idea of where he got the name) Nobody Gets Out Alive will be Dylan’s 2nd release, a follow up to his wildly popular 2007 EP release ‘Trouble Tron’. With his efforts focused primarily on remixes for other artists so far in his career, Dylan has been left with little time to perfect and promote his own works, but he plans on changing that as well in the coming year, with a full-length LP now on the horizon.
Dylan admits that he has a lot on his plate, but that’s the way he prefers it. “The only way to stay ahead of the pack in this business is to stay as busy as possible.” With a label, an LP, a heavy touring schedule and potential mash-ups with members of Blood Brothers and The Mars Volta all on deck, I would say that LeCastleVania is staying well ahead of the pack. The only question is when will the constant rocking cause Dylan to take a pit stop. I asked him directly.
“This is my life, it’s what I love. I’m not slowing down any time soon.”
Like anyone else, I love to see my friends succeed. In fact, that’s what Purge is all about, promoting our friends. So, with that in mind, be sure to check out Le CastleVania’s new releases coming at you soon, and if you have a first Thursday free, make sure you see the spectacle that is the Fuck Yesss dance party at Drunken Unicorn. A few years down the line, you’ll be glad to be able to brag to your friends, “I saw him when he still played small club shows.”
Good work, Dylan. Keep those bodies moving." - Winston Ward / PURGE ATL
Le Castle Vania on Facebook
When party people and club goers want to get their asses shaking in Atlanta, they need look no further than the DJ/producer collective known as RRRump! While the trio of Mayhem, Drew Van Atten and Justin Bright is rooted in slightly different dance music backgrounds, RRRump!’s common groove is the desire to get dance floors moving with nu disco jams and electro bangers.
RRRump! has become a mainstay on the Atlanta scene as part of the monthly Fuck Yesss indie electro dance parties at the Drunken Unicorn, where a young, vibrant crowd lines up for waits of longer than an hour to get inside and hear the resident trio alongside Le Castle Vania and monthly guests. Fuck Yesss was recently named the Best Club Event in Atlanta by Creative Loafing critics and readers alike, thanks in large part to RRRump!’s beat-driven contributions.
The characters that comprise RRRump! have been mainstays on the Atlanta club scene for several years. Mayhem is known internationally for his drum ‘n’ bass skills as well as for being the head of SLR and 404 Audio. As the leader of the Cleaning Up the Dirty South (CUDS) crew, Drew Van Atten has brought numerous world renowned techno, house, dubstep and IDM acts to town and has spun at clubs such as the Mark, Halo and the now-defunct Bazzaar. Justin Bright, also a CUDS member, has been spinning hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, house and electro for the past decade.
Outside of Atlanta clubs, RRRump! and its members have performed at events on both coasts such as ¬The Glass House (LA), Rock and Roll Hotel (DC), 4th and Swift (Nash.), and many more. And tunes from the trio’s Always Never/So Sweet release it can be found on iTunes or on blogs such as Missingtoof.com and others.
No matter where they are spinning or what they are producing, the members of RRRump! continue to get parties started for the sake of starting parties. The booty-clappin’ electro heavy beats come directly from the heart and go directly to the feet and rumps of those looking for fun on the dance floor without the pretense of megaclubs and velvet rope elitists.
RRRump on Facebook
$5 for 21+, $7 for < 21, 18+
Doors @ 11 pm
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