What inspired your stage name?
Back in the late 1980’s-early 90’s, people knew me as “Buda” when I wrote graffiti. So when I started DJing I wanted to have a tough, kung-fu sounding DJ name like, “Grandmaster Flash” so I put “Deadly” in front of Buda.
Were you a DJ first, or a producer?
Well, I tried to make music on a 4-track recorder, with a guitar and drum machine, and had a punk rock band, but… I guess I would really have to say DJ because I started scratching up my parents records after I saw people breakdancing, and that was really my first step into music.
How did you get into the scene?
Really I had to help make the scene in America. That was 1991 and things were just starting over in UK and Europe a few years earlier, and we wanted to make raves and techno big over here. In my case, Pittsburgh, PA. So we got our friends together and threw a party. People responded and that led to other things like writing for magazines, fanzines, owning record shops, DJing, producing, etc.
What was the first record you ever purchased?
I think Kiss Alive 2 or Dynasty.
Who was your biggest inspiration in the early part of your career?
The early PCP and Dance Ecstacy 2001 sound. All the stuff that Lenny Dee had a hand in, The Under One Sky/Groove crew, Caspar Pound, Woody McBride, Zekt, Underground Resistance, Plus 8.
Would you describe your first DJ gig?
I was 15 and playing in a bar in Shaler, PA with my friend Sean Payne. It was before rave or techno. His Dad was a DJ and we were just introducing scratching/mixing to the crowd for the first time. I totally messed up! But Sean started breakdancing and the crowd forgave me.
What was your favorite party you’ve ever played? Why?
Probably Catastrophic’s New Years 1993/94, in Washington DC. Not a lot of people talk about Catastrophic these days, but their raves in D.C. were the most insane, gigantic, illegal events. The Baez brothers were sons of a diplomat and could get away with all kinds of stuff. So it was the first time I ever played out of Pittsburgh, and it was a massive 5000+ crowd in a warehouse. I laid it on super hardcore going into midnight and me and the crowd went nuts. I wasn’t nervous at all, strangely, I just laid down the law that night! Also the sets I played at Even Furthur, the same night as the legendary Daft Punk show and the year previous.
What was the funniest moment during any of your performances?
Well it wasn’t’ my set, it was my buddy Controlled Weirdness’s set at Morph 1. This guy who DJed a few of the parties in Pittsburgh back then took too much of something and decided he would just walk up to the decks and start playing in the middle of CW’s set! Like he ducked down to get his next record and then this nutter just jumped on the decks! There were some other stories, but I gotta wait for the statute of limitations to expire before I say!
What important changes have you witnessed from the time you got into the scene, until now?
Well, it’s more corporate. That is good and bad. It helps bring more money into the scene, but can homogenize things. The trick really is for everyone to organize their own corporations to compete, and that should make things better and better, I think. We’ll see.
Did you ever think you would be touring the United States? What do you think the Trauma Tour will be like?
I’m only playing two dates, but I am writing a journal of the whole tour, to document it. I’m not sure what it will be like, I just know it hasn’t been done yet, and so I want to preserve the memory.
What made you want to start producing Hardcore music?
I just wanted to express myself through that creative endeavor. After you DJ a while, you naturally want things to sound “your way.”
What is your favorite track that you have produced?
It’s a toss up between Style is Terrifik, Esto es Los Angeles, and My Theory
What advice would you give to up and coming Hardcore producers?
I’m not sure if I can give the best advice here, because my path has been a long and circuitous one. If you are looking for advice on how to get from point A to point B fast, I’m not your guy. If you want stories about planting seeds in the underground, maybe that I can give advice.
Have any of the other artists on the Trauma tour ever inspired your work? If so, how?
Lenny Dee was doing 25+ years ago what we are doing now. I often find I’m playing stuff or interested in stuff that Lenny was on the case of months or years previous. I should say that many of the new artists from Italy are very inspiring to me now, too. I think it’s a golden time for hardcore, right here, right now.
What are your top 3 favorite tracks of all time? Why?
Party People – Marc et Claude
We have Arrived – Mescalinum United (Aphex Twin Remix)
Vortex-Final Exposure
What was your favorite track of 2015 (that wasn’t your own)?
Mad Dog’s Good Ol’ Times
Are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up you want our readers to know about?
Well, The Hard Data magazine and website is all about the harder dance styles, so I’m pushing that hard. We need a communication node! I might be coming out with some comics soon, too.
What artists would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t already?
The Traxtorm/Next Cyclone crew, and after all this time I’d like to work on some stuff with Lenny Dee finally if he ever stops flying around the world long enough for me to catch up with him!
If there’s anything we haven’t asked, what else would you like to say to the readers of The Hard Data?
Share The HARD DATA with your friends, and write and take pictures for the magazine and website. When I look back at all the years, I notice that the one thing that really makes a scene pop is when it has a ‘zine or two that people can bug out with. Don’t take it for granted, make it better by contributing!
Check out Deadly Buda’s special mix for the Trauma Tour:
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