We Speak Music
Producer Dr. Apollo pushing the boundaries of Drum & Bass globally
Music producer Dr. Apollo hails from Los Angeles but has embraced the very British sound of drum’n’bass. A classically trained musician, Dr. Apollo counts Quincy Jones and Drumma Boy as mentors and his new single ‘Remedy’ features legendary UK ragga star General Levy. Here he talks about working with his idols, finding new sounds, and how Renaissance art can inspire dance music…
Tell us about your musical style?
“My production style is about creating dance music that feels like a brand new experience – inspired by all my favourite artists, from Renaissance art to modern EDM, from heavy metal to hip hop.
“I love pushing DnB into new directions while remaining true to its authentic UK sound. Creating a cinematic soundscape is also a very important aspect of my music.”
The more it feels like you are entering a different world, the better.”
What are your latest releases?
“‘Elevate’ recently came out on Ram Records, and my EP, ‘Genesis of the Singularity’, dropped on Drama Club Records, Boogie T’s label. My latest release is ‘Remedy’, featuring the legendary MC General Levy. He did the song ‘Incredible’ with M-Beat that rocked the jungle world back in the 1990s and became an anthem for today’s DnB fans, young and old. It truly is an honour to have a song with him and he’s been an inspiration since the beginning of my drum’n’bass journey.”
What’s your connection with the London music scene?
“My debut album, ’The Simulation’, is the first full-length LP from an American on ProgRam (Ram Records/BMG), which is based in London. All my music is heavily influenced by the originators of DnB, as well as the London tech house and garage sound. Right now in Los Angeles it feels like DnB is bigger than ever and I feel lucky to be a part of a scene that understands the importance of UK culture. Brands like Insomniac, Respect, Play Me and Timeless have been pushing the movement out here for over 20 years now. I try to take a trip to London whenever I can. It’s one of my favourite places. The mixture of history and culture with modernity and technology is unlike anywhere else on earth.”
What inspired you to become a musician and producer?
“When I got my first drum set, I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was in bands for many years, releasing songs and playing all over the Sunset Strip and LA. It always felt like we were waiting for producers to finish our music, so I took it into my own hands and started to teach myself how to produce.
“I fell in love with dance music and started making house/electro/dubstep every day, and after only a year I won the Insomniac Discovery Project and played at EDC in Las Vegas.”
It then took a few years to truly understand drum’n’bass and all its sub-genres before I could even try to make something worthy of the DnB scene. I feel very blessed to live in the heart of the entertainment world, which has taught me so much about what it takes to become a successful musician.”
What have been your best music projects?
“The best is always yet to come. Great projects come out authentically and have to be true to my sound. Drum’n’bass is such a forward-thinking genre that I’m always trying to level my sound design and create something that has never been heard before.”
Remedy feat. General Levy: https://music.playme.to/drapollo/remedy
Genesis of the Singularity: https://outnow.io/t/drapollo
Elevate: https://open.spotify.com/track/6A9fAtxoGnJZwAf1HThbGf?si=90f1635b68344e8e
Featured photo credit: Kim Hardy
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
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