Detox Unit Talks Breakbeats & Breakfast Ahead of JadeStation

On October 26th, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman, and 5AM are set to present the deepest dive into bass music yet in 2019 in New York City. As we gear up for this Saturday’s spectacle, we took a moment to catch up with an old acquaintance on his recent exploits and experiments.

Joseph Roberts, aka Detox Unit, has been surging through the ranks of contemporary producers, and 2019 has been his biggest year to date. This summer saw him in headlining slots across the festival circuit in the U.S, including Solasta Festival, Yonderville Music and Arts Festival, and Quasar Festival. Lately he’s been in cahoots with Cullen Hassel, an Arkansas-based visual producer, and together they’ve taken the Detox Unit experience into vibrant and immersive new territory. They’ll be teaming up together once again this weekend, showcasing a bevy of new content, routines, and brain-splattering combinations.

Detox Unit at Yonderville Music and Art Festival (credit: Dark One Photography)

Detox Unit at Yonderville Music and Art Festival (credit: Dark One Photography)

For a producer with such  a dedicated, on-the-ground following, Roberts has released surprisingly little music. His series of “Recent Works” mixes is the largest view into his studio catalog, with his actual EPs being even sparser. This tightlipped, frugal approach keeps Roberts a step ahead of the game; You have to catch him live to catch the music. It’s partially why he’s so prized on the touring circuit, rinsing a revolving treasure trove of VIP’s, bootlegs, and spicy, unreleased cuts. Because of the intrigue around his project, we felt the need to poke and prod his brain a bit more. We last corresponded with Joe in 2017 after a Brooklyn performance supporting Jade Cicada. As JadeStation approaches, it felt like the proper time to finally catch up with him again, this time about breaks, production, life on the road, and breakfast necessities.

The Rust: What inspired you to begin producing and playing out break beats lately?

Joseph: It's always been something I've done on the side. Breaks, more specifically of the 123-138 BPM variety, have always resonated with me. When it's good it's equal parts hip-hop and drum n bass both at their wrong tempos. It’s the intricacy and wild sound design of bass music combined with the infectious groove of house. When I lived in Austin, Texas, it was quite common to catch me playing breaks all night at an after party. The recent push I've been making with the breakbeat sound has been something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and with the momentum I've got going it just felt right. There was a certain type of sound that was being pushed from 1999-2005 and I think our dance floors are missing it dearly. My aim with all this is to bring that style back with modern production for the discerning listener. I absolutely love all the heavy sound-design-laden, hip-hop type music we're all pushing right now, but that has always felt like head-nod, arm throwing music, whereas breaks have been a full body dancing experience for me. With all that said, I by no means intend to change styles, and you can expect plenty more heavy hip- hop infused bangers.

The Rust: What are the ingredients for your ideal drum break? Are there any sounds or instruments you’re especially fond of?

Joseph: Excellent question! A good drum break is essential to a groovy tune, and I spend a lot of time trying to source mine or make my own. Lately I've been trying to find old sample CD's from the early 2000s, before online sample packs were a thing. What I like to look for in a drum break first and foremost is vibe. It's hard to describe, but certain breaks just have this dusty airiness to them, and the drums hits will just flow one into another. It needs to have a certain level of crustiness mixed with attitude. Drum breaks that have little snippets of vocals in them are especially delightful, such as the classic "Think Break". Good groove and swing on the back beat snares is another thing I look for, they really help keep the beat flowing between the main snares and kicks. Lately I've been trying to create my own drum breaks to use in my tunes using simulation drum kits in Kontakt. “Obscure” is an example of a tune where I've done this. I still have a long way to go in this area - the vibey bit I was talking about earlier is especially hard to recreate, but I enjoy the challenge.

The Rust: Can you talk to us about the process behind the breakbeat tune "Vibrate" on your last EP? 

Joseph: That tune was actually a rather last minute addition to the EP. I had the release pretty much ready to go by the end of April, and sort of on an impulse decided I should include another track to make it more of a showcase of the different styles I can make. I probably put more individual focus on this tune than any other ones in the EP and wound up rewriting it a few times during May. It originally started out sounding far more like a psychedelic Detroit electro tune and went through a few iterations until it sounded more like a slow Nu Skool Breakbeat tune. A few elements in the track, including the "Melinda" vocal sample - which is just a recording of me pitched down - come from an old breakbeat tune that I wrote in 2016 called "Dimensional Sound" but never saw release. I did my best to make the track both a nod to the past and an indication of the future.

The Rust: By our count, this Playstation Theater gig will be your fourth in New York City. How are you feeling about this one compared to the others?

Joseph: This will be the biggest and best one to date, hands down. All the bells and whistles are being brought out for this one. Everyone on the bill is bringing their A-game, from the VJ's to the producers, the sound guys and production staff, right down to every wonderful person on the dance floor. It's going to be one for the books without a doubt. My other shows in NYC have all been great, but I feel this is the first one where we're really combing over the details down to the smallest bit to make sure it is a quality experience for all.

The Rust. You're from Scarsdale just north of New York City. Any words of advice, cautionary tales, food recommendations or other tips for fans traveling from afar?

Joseph: Scarsdale born and raised, I think I have some old friends from high school that will be making it out to the show. Playing shows in New York has always been an interesting feeling for me, as I didn't touch music production until I moved away, so it always feels like touching on an old chapter of my life - a chapter that had much better bagels. I highly recommend anyone coming in who hasn't been to NYC to go to one of those corner shop bodega delis and get a breakfast sandwich. Your life will be changed. Riding the subway is also something that should not be skipped, it is an experience in and of itself. 

The Rust: What kind of preparation do you do for your sets? Do you strive for a ratio between original productions and DJ selections? 

Joseph: Lately I have not been doing much prep at all in the traditional sense for my gigs. I essentially spend up until the day of flying out working on new tunes to play out at the show. I typically don't start working on my set until I'm on the plane and usually finish it up at the hotel the night before and morning of the show. It may be a bit last minute by some peoples standards, but I like it and it allows me to bring more new music to my sets than I would've otherwise. 

I keep my DJ setup very straight forward so set prep is just a matter of figuring out what tunes to play and when, and I figure out all the transitions while I am up there. I try to keep my sets mostly original, and for the past year I have been averaging about 26 tunes a set, and usually 22-23 of those will be original. The remaining ones will be homies tunes or some random producer I am hyped on, sometimes a cheeky drum n bass tune here and there. For this upcoming NYC show I will be doing an all original set. 

The Rust: You've had a busy summer. What have been some highlights? On the flip side, has your schedule worn at you all? 

Joseph: You can say that again. Between all the summer festivals, Burning Man, moving to a new house, and all these fall/winter gigs, it's been quite a ride. I would say Solasta was the absolute highlight of my summer, with Burning Man coming in at a close second. The homie levels at Solasta were just off the charts, and it was just an absolute pleasure being involved. This summer was also my first time at Burning Man, and I could go on for hours about that, but honestly you should just go and experience it for yourself. I've never been this busy in my life and it's amazing, but on the flip side stress and exhaustion have been reaching an all time high. It's really just a matter of learning how to prioritize healthy habits and time management in an ever-decreasing bubble of free time. I am still learning how to balance my life so it’s been a bit of a struggle keeping up with everything, but it’s all a part of the journey. A lot of creative inspiration comes from the struggle and it's one of the things that keeps me going.