You may recognize him from his national tours, his consistent appearances at major festivals like Bonnarroo, SXSW, and the Jazz and Heritage Festival, from his work with hip hop artists like Gotham Green, Devin the Dude, and Freddie Gibbs (just to name a few), or from his performances with artists like Nas, RJD2, Rusko, Lupe Fiasco, Jurassic 5, and the legendary Dr. John (again, just to name a few). Perhaps you’ve caught one of his bass-heavy shows at The Republic here in Nola, or maybe you saw him on television’s “Last Call with Carson Daly,” one of many residencies the Los Angeles-based DJ can claim. And if you don’t already know about Quickie, you can Ask Ya Mom An ‘Nem.
The first time I saw Quickie Mart in concert was at a Galactic show at the fabled Tipitina’s in New Orleans on Halloween weekend of 2008. Quickie Mart, also known as Martin Arceneaux, threw down a soulful mix of jams in between Galactic sets as the crowd grooved to the funky bass lines. This year’s Halloween festivities have the prolific DJ and producer busy once again with shows across the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans, including a set at Voodoo Music Festival on Friday. Be sure to catch him in New Orleans while you can, Quickie Mart has some serious projects in the works that are sure to put the Louisiana native’s turntable and production skills in high demand. PlayJones caught up with him recently to talk about these projects, his roots, the New Orleans scene, and bass music culture.
PlayJones: Where y’at, Quickie Mart?
I’m in Los Angeles right now, I moved here at beginning of 2007. I still have a bunch of family in Louisiana, in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lake Charles – so I’m in New Orleans a lot. From now until May I’ll be playing at least a show a month in New Orleans. I try to stay in Los Angeles during those hot summers though (laughs).
PlayJones: How did you get started DJing?
The very beginning, man… I was in and out of the house, on the streets a lot. I lived on the streets for three years in high school. Me and my friends were into the rave scene, we’d pretty much travel around, hustling at parties, you know. Getting into that at a young age, I was already longing for something different by the time I was 17. I was still into music, but I wanted a way out of that hustling lifestyle. I’ve always been drawn to music, I played piano for awhile as a kid, guitar, drums – never really stuck with anything until one crazy night in Houston when I was 17. I made a little bit of money at a party, and the next day I took the money and spent it all on vinyl. That was 13 years ago.
PlayJones: You’ve come a long way since then; have you ever had a breakthrough moment in your career where you realized you made it as a DJ?
Definitely, I’ve been doing it professionally since 2004 now, so literally that first year that I made a living off deejaying was amazing to me. Over the last two years, I’ve been making the transformation from DJ to artist. Going to festivals, playing all of my own tracks, and seeing the crowd’s reaction to MY music, you know, that’s when it came full circle for me.
^Quickie Mart at VOODOO EXPERIENCE 2010
Especially with dubstep. I came up spinning drum & bass, the first three years I was deejaying. For one, drum & bass is a specific taste, and two, and I know people disagree with this, but to me dubstep is kind of a second renaissance of drum & bass, definitely more popular, and I think that’s great. Drum & bass is so crazy and hectic, it seems like dubstep kinda put the leash on it and made it where a lot more people can enjoy it, you know? That sound intrigued me, I was into it for a few years and then finally developed a sound of my own that I was comfortable with a couple years ago. I still play all kinds of music, but that’s the sound I’ve been pushing recently.
So yeah, it’s definitely come completely full circle for me. From the very beginning, going through all of these phases. It was cool to see the rave scene come full circle, from when I was coming up in the late 90s to today, it just completely came back around and its even more popular – even though no one wants to use the “r” word now (laughs). To me, its just a rebirth of that scene.
PlayJones: But you also produce a lot of tracks for hip hop artists and have worked with Gotham Green, Freddie Gibbs, Devin the Dude, Wax, and even Nola bounce rapper Ricky B – what are some of the differences between approaching a hip hop set and a solo performance?
It really depends on the setting, you know? At Voodoo last year, Freddie and Gotham jumped onstage with me. I started the set with a little funk and soul, went into hip hop with those guys, and finished it off with dubstep. It’s different for every show. Like my show at the Howlin’ Wolf with Afrika Bamabatta on the 27th. That’ll be mostly hip hop, I’ll do a small set then me and Gotham Green will do our Haze Diaries stuff.
^”Tell Me Something” – Gotham Green & Quickie Mart ft. Freddie Gibbs & Jes Hudak
People get confused because I do so many different types of music. Mashups, funk and soul, hip hop – people don’t know what to expect (laughs). I have fifty-year-old fans out here in L.A. that like my funk and soul stuff that would come to a dubstep show and be like, “what the fuck?”
PlayJones: Talking about many different types of music, how do you think new technologies like social media and websites like Soundcloud and Beatport have affected the way you connect with your fans and with music?
It’s changed a lot. Interacting with fans on these platforms can be weird (laughs), but it’s also really cool. We’re using Soundcloud to host a remix contest for Voodoo Fest right now, and we’ve gotten fifty submissions from all over the world. It’s funny though, because the winner gets tickets to Voodoo, and my favorite submissions so far are from like, Romania. There’s a guy from Germany, a dude from Hungary – his remix is amazing.
These new technologies are definitely great for getting your music out there. It’s changed the game so far as how people listen to music, from Youtube to Soundcloud and everything. It’s cool because electronic music is evolving so fast right now – dubstep is a subgenre itself and then you can get into a like a million things from there, people are putting spins on all different types of music. I still love hip hop, the kind I like isn’t as prominent any more though, so you still have to search for it. My whole thing right now is bringing that bass sound into the hip hop culture. I feel like the genre will head that way, and, subtly, already is heading that way.
PlayJones: You’ve played gigs all over the United States and internationally, but what’s it like playing a show in New Orleans as compared to other cities? What makes it unique?
Well, for one, it’s home, and Louisiana is my biggest fan base. Whether it’s Shreveport, Baton Rouge, the flats, New Orleans – there’s just a feeling here that can’t be regenerated anywhere else, you know? Just the way we party, the lifestyle, the attitude – it’s just different from anywhere else. Playing a show there encompasses the vibe of what the city is like. I know so many artists around the world, their first time playing New Orleans just captivates them in every way – from the crowd, their experience, the food… it’s like DJing in Europe or something, but it’s home for me. That’s the only thing I can compare it to. Maybe San Francisco gets close, but, honestly, when I go back home I feel like I’m leaving the country.
PlayJones: I know what you mean! You’re a very busy man this Halloween weekend with all of your New Orleans shows, but are you taking any time off to check out any other artists around the city that weekend?
I’ll definitely check out The Cool Kids show on the 26th , I’m good friend with their DJ and was on the road with them for awhile. I got a few shows around the Gulf Coast, in Baton Rouge, a little Gulf Coast run this weekend. I haven’t been home since June, so I’m excited.
PlayJones: Word. Last question, you got any shout outs for anybody?
Honestly – my team, man. I got a remix album coming out in February, the EP drops in November. It’s all bass and dubstep remixes of Slightly Stoopid, Galactic, the Revivalists, the Vettes, Wax, who just signed to Deft Jam Records, it’s got Freddie Gibbs, Irma Thomas, Morning 40 Federation – all official remixes through their labels. DJ Blaq Starr, Her Majesty and the Wolves – all different genres. It’s really exciting, taking people and artists I’ve worked with for years and years, spinning all of this into the bass sound. We’ve been working really hard on that and are excited for it to drop in November. It’s called “Space Monkey Radio.”
Be on the look out for the Space Monkey Radio EP this November. If you can’t wait that long, you can catch a sneak preview of the bass-fueled madness on his bandcamp page here. For all the latest news and sounds, check out Quickie Mart’s Facebook page, Official Website, Youtube Channel, Soundcloud page, and Twitter account, and be sure catch Quickie at one of his shows below. Low-end, late-night mayhem is guaranteed!
October 21st – The Office – Baton Rouge, LA
October 22nd – Cafe NYC – Lafayette, LA
October 24th – The Quarter – Gulfport, MA
October 27th – The Howlin’ Wolf – New Orleans, LA w/Gotham Green
October 28th – Voodoo Music EXP 1:00pm – New Orleans, LA
October 29th – Maxim Party @ Jax Brewery – New Orleans, LA
October 30th – Bass Church @ Dragon’s Den – New Orleans, LA
November 3rd – The Hotel Cafe – Los Angeles, CA w/ Jes Hudak
November 6th – Zanzibar – Santa Monica, CA
-Taul Paul
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