Labwerx was formed in 2008 when 3 rising DJ’s from Atlanta, Hipnotikk (Chris Tanner), Durty Harry (Harris Hasan), and G Money (Greg Ashburn), realized they had a similar outlook on music, and what good music was. Realizing this, it was only logical that they should start collaborating on projects and help each other mutually to reach their goals. Later that year, Fix8:OSCill8 (Matthew Petersen) joined up with the crew after being a regular guest DJ on Labwerx Radio. Along with the bi-weekly radio show, the Labwerx crew has held down a monthly residency at TNS Bar in East Atlanta Village throwing the “AWOL” parties, and have shared the stage with some of Atlanta’s heavyweights, proving they can hold their own.
Hipnotikk
Style: Dubstep/Thugstep/DnB
I started DJing when I was 15 in Traktor DJ Studio 3 with my mouse, making trance mixes and rap mashups, many of which I still use today (not the mixes so much). There are seemingly random events in my life that tell me that DJing/producing is probably what I’ve been “meant” to do – blasting my boombox out of my window pretending to be a radio DJ, seeing what would happen if I played a bunch of mp3’s over each other, and finding it really cool that they lined up sometimes [the days before itunes], even trying to scratch on an old record player in a classroom – it all points to DJing in a way. It just made sense.
After I refined my musical tastes, I finally found drum&bass and dubstep. Both of the styles I can get into more than anything else because of my drumming background. Rhythmic drums invoke a certain groove in me because of those years spent feeling and learning rhythms, and growing up in the South bass-heavy music I think becomes ingrained in you in a way. It just made sense. See the pattern?
Durty Harry
Style: DnB/Breaks/Hip-Hop
I started mixing around the begining of my junior year of high school when i was 17. The first programs i used to digital mixing were Virtual DJ, frooty loops, and acid pro 5.0. After highschool during the summer after senior year i lost touch with my intersts in it untill halfway through my first semester in college.
Where: I was born in Cartersville, Georgia but i grew up in Dunwoody,GA.
My parents were born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan and moved to the U.S. about 30 years ago.
Mixing is all about techniques, and everyone has their own style and favorite techniques. I currently use Serato Itch 1.05 and a Vestax VCI-300 and there are currently no effects in Serato (altough Vestax is soon releasing the VFX effects controller). This forces users to get a little more basic with mixing or more creative. My mixing focuses on heavy pitch bending, hard cutting, fast beat juggling, scratching, and lots of fader work.
MBP (formerly Fix8:OSCill8)
Style: Electro-house/Tech-house
Started listening to lots of edm in college, though I always loved it as a kid. A few months after listening the way I breathe air, decided I want to learn how to blend the sounds I heard together.
How: After almost a year of mixing I am still crazy about it. My style incorporates 3-4 deck mixing and lots of interesting tricks I have picked up through practice, word of mouth, my own thoughts and by listening all the time.
Daddy’s Money
Style: Electro-House/Dubstep
(bio coming soon)
DJ Exzile
Style: Breaks
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, John W. Rickman III aka. Exzile has been into music since the early 1990’s. He was 10 years old when he started listening to Hip Hop and Booty Bass music. He craved for more music each day until he was old enough to start mixing in night clubs and bars. He got his first residency at the age of 20 in March 2000 at Area 51 Night Club in Lawrenceville, Georgia, as the house DJ where he mixed and re-mastered CD’s, vinyl and controlled audio amplifiers for live playback, and also controlled lighting for high volume clientele on the dance floor. From there his passion for music and genre jumping accelerated. He then got his second residency in October 2002 at The Atlanta Ice Forum, where the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team practiced, mixing Top 40 mainstream music with Electronic music such as Trance and Break-beats while people ice skated during public sessions on Friday and Saturday nights as the House DJ, taking his career to unimaginable limits. As his non stop drive for the quest of finding newer and better music to mix with, He landed his third residency in January 2004 at Jillian’s Entertainment at Discover Mills Mall where he controlled the dance floor mixing DVD music videos, with high energy dance music such as House, Break-Beats, Trance, Top 40, Hip Hop, Rap and 80’s all together for high volume clientele, and Rocking the House!!! October 2006 Exzile comes out with FearStyle Recordingz his future production company in the making, along with his first Promo CD called Negative Aggression Phaze 1 “Fear What You Feel”, and was also booked for Cyber Raver 6.0 at the Jungle Night Club in Atlanta that month as well. Following his dream and never giving up starts meeting some major contacts in the music industry that will help him in the future of this business. As you can see there’s nothing stopping Exzile from achieving his dreams, goals, ambitions, desires and passion for what he loves to do and his way of surviving life.