Where are you from? What is the music scene like in the area you are from?
I am from Lichfield in the UK. The UK is very influential in all aspects of dance music from drum & bass to house to garage to UK / happy hardcore, gabber and more, we have a deep history of rave music!
How did you come up with your DJ name?
My friends came up with the name as I ‘stomped my feet behind the decks like the rabbit from Bambi’ when I DJ’ed. 20 years later it is still my DJ name!
What animal best personifies your music and why?
See above haha!
What are you trying to convey with your music?
I have always enjoyed progressing a set, whatever style I play I always want to end in a different place to where I started, I think it is very important to take the crowd on some kind of journey and open their ears to something different whether it is brand new, classic, underplayed and underappreciated or just something totally different. I like to get faster and harder as the set goes on.
Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re on stage?
I have never been interested in being ‘on stage’, I just love DJ’ing and the excitement of DJ’ing comes from sharing the music and finding a dancefloor that loves the music as much as me, I do not make music and do not care about a DJ logo or photoshoots or any of that stuff, just give me decks and a crowd and a set longer than 60 minutes! I am old skool, I just love mixing and seeing a crowd go crazy.
What moment do you cherish the most so far in your career as a DJ/artist?
Playing at Westfest (the UK’s biggest indoor party) was pretty special, seeing thousands of people in the crowd. I have been lucky enough to play in USA, Japan, Canada and all over Europe but Japan was pretty cool, people coming up to me with CDs from my label and asking me to sign them was insane!
What was the first song or album that you remember listening to?
I remember it clearly, I was in my bedroom in 1996 and DJ Vibes played at a big festival here in the UK called Tribal Gathering, BBC Radio One broadcasted his set and he played ‘My Little Fantasy’ by 4 Tune Fairytales, it was a huge moment for me as I had never heard that kind of sound before. 21 years later I still love it!
What are your major influences?
I do not make music but as a DJ I have been heavily influenced by Brisk, Vibes, Sharkey, Slipmatt, The DJ Producer, HMS, Scorpio, Kenny Ken, Nicky Blackmarket. My favourite artists and labels are Ruffneck, Chosen Few, Coolman Records, Tellurian & Cenobite, The Destroyer, Hellfish & Deathchant, Noisekick, Drokz, Akira, Catscan, DJ Promo and Predator.
Where do you see yoursrlf in a year from now?
Hopefully playing at something big in Holland, now I have played there a few times I just want to play there every week!
djthumpa@hotmail.com
www.facebook.com/thedjthumpa
www.soundcloud.com/rebuild_music