Twitch DJ Profile – Lion Dee (Slovakia)
We are big fans of Lion Dee. Twitch is such an interesting social space, and we encounter such a wide variety of personalities on this platform that it’s almost impossible to get bored. It’s a place for people with a real community and we like that. What we really like about Lion Dee is that he’s one of those DJs who doesn’t take no for an answer, and by that we mean he just gets on with it. It doesn’t take anything away from other DJs because we love the banter, fun and chaos of other DJs, but with Lion you know what you’re going to get. Straight drum and bass with heads down.
And a nice collection of Lego. Hailing from Bratislava in Southwest Slovakia, his approach to playing music focuses entirely on track selection and delivery and he plays exactly the type of DNB we like, so he was always going to be a favourite of ours. In this instalment of our Twitch DJ profiles, we bring you a man like LION DEE!
Yesssssssssss Lion, BIG UP. Welcome!!!
The first question we’d love to ask you is about your name. What exactly does Lion Dee mean to you? What’s the story behind it?
Hi Dan. Thank you so much for reaching out to me. My DJ name came about quite easily. I was born under the sign of Leo, so Lion and Dee is like my name Dominic. It’s true that sometimes I’m as fierce as a hungry lion 🙂 (Laughs)
Remind us not to upset you then Dee!! You’re a huge Lego fan. The creations you proudly display as part of your steam set must take a lot of time. What do you like so much about Lego?
What I like about Lego is the creativity and the fact that you can develop your imagination. You’re right, some of the projects I’ve built take quite a bit of time. But lately I don’t have time for that as I’m doing a lot of livestreams. I have one project in the box (US Ambulace, Ford) but when I will finish it I have no idea. But I’d like to get it done by May.
Although we’ve seen you play on digital media, you’re basically a die-hard vinyl advocate. Tell us about your introduction to both vinyl and drum and bass?
I’ve been close to music since birth. My dad was a musician and my mom collected vinyl at a young age. I got into drum and bass more or less through jungle in the 90s. After that it just went with time. Of course, I also listened to other styles of music like hip hop, breakbeat, house, 2 step etc. I have been DJing since 2001.
Watching you play on stream; it seems like you use playing records as a form of therapy. Your mind is deeply immersed in the process of playing music. Would you say that’s true?
It can be. It’s always freestyle and sometimes I really think about what to play. I just try not to repeat the same tracks so often.
We love it when you go hard to the beats. How hard is it to find music you like to play on vinyl? Do you have a “go to” online store for buying music?
I deal with vinyl through a friend who has www.drumandbassvinyl.cz. Mostly he can get hold of old releases that are missing from my collection. I also used to go to Vienna to shop but haven’t been there in three years.
What a great excuse to go to Vienna! A quick Google search showed that there is apparently no shortage of DNB events in Bratislava and of course “Let It Roll” is in the neighbouring Czech Republic. The scene there seems to be healthy at the moment.
I never get the feeling that there are too many of these events. But I don’t go to them. I don’t really want to go there anymore. I’ve never been to “Let It Roll”. Big events don’t attract me. I only played once in Bratislava when “Let It Roll on Tour” was on.
And do you get yourself to many other events, and if so, which ones?
There was a time when I used to play a lot of events. But that’s in the past. Every now and then I’ll play if someone invites me somewhere.
Fair enough. So, tell us a bit about how you found Twitch?
My friend DJ Geshi once shared it on Facebook, and I asked him what it was. So, I signed up there and started my first attempts to stream.
It’s a friendly platform, right?
It’s really cool. There are very friendly people there and there’s quite a lot of support from them. Thank you all in advance!!
So, when you do play live, your sets on Twitch are a reflection of your live style?
You could say yes. Although I play our parties more or less from payers. Turntables are pretty scarce in clubs anymore and not always in good condition.
And where do you hope to go with Twitch in the long run? Is it more of a creative outlet or something you want to take further?
I’m interested to see how it goes from here. I think it’s on the right track.
We’d love to have you come play in the UK. Do you have any plans for that in the near future?
Not really. But I’d love to come and play there at some point if someone invites me. A vinyl party would be best. I would really enjoy that.
(Listen up UK promotors! This dude would go down well here!!) What parting words do you have for the Twitch community and the world of drum and bass in general?
Thanks for the interview. Oh, and be sure to follow me on my Twitch channel. 🙂
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
https://www.instagram.com/dominikliondee/
