'American dubstep king' 12th Planet set to reign at DeLuna Fest

DeLuna Fest is getting the royal treatment in the form of 12th Planet, also known as John Dadzie, a dubstep and drum ’n’ bass DJ from the mystical land of Los Angeles. As one of the innovators of the field and as a mentor to the likes of Skrillex and other DJs exploding from the scene, 12th Planet is bringing the bass to the beach with his peers Diplo and AC Slater. Amidst recording his latest album, Dadzie took the time to catch up via email and share his thoughts on the explosion of dubstep.

Q: Being one of the innovators of the field, you have been called the American Dubstep King. So as king, what has the rise in popularity of dubstep in the last few years in America meant to you?

A: I think the development of dubstep in America is awesome. I remember when there was about a handful of people in USA who had even known what the buzzword was, and now there are legions of followers.

A: As your home base is Los Angeles, and as L.A. is considered the dubstep/electronica epicenter by many, how do you think that dubstep/electronica was influenced by exploding out L.A. in particular? Was it necessary or something that was just waiting to happen?

A: I think the explosion has a lot to do with just the general size of L.A., and also being close to Hollywood and all the major record labels has to help. In L.A., we have a 100 square mile radius to promote to, so that gets the numbers up for attendance. But, in retrospect, I think it was just waiting to happen all along.

Q: Are there any artists playing at DeLuna Fest, or in general, that you are champing at the bit to collaborate with?

A: I can't wait to party with my DJ comrades Diplo and AC Slater. Hopefully they are playing the same day.

Listen to some of our favorite 12th Planet tracks

Q: I heard you are in the studio this week. Can you tell me what you are working on right now? New album in the works, maybe?