DJ Se7en Interviews Crossworm

Introduce yourself to all the readers.

For those just discovering my music, thanks for listening. My name is Crossworm. I'm an independent solo recording artist from Windsor, Ontario Canada. It's a border city, southeast of, and facing Detroit, Michigan. I'm entirely self produced, and take pride in that. My music is a blend of Industrial, Hip Hop, and Punk. I call it dirtcore.

Where can we hear some Crossworm and pick up your releases?

My official website has an online store for purchasing digital downloads at discount @ www.crossworm.com I am sold out of all hard copies, but all future releases will be pressed and sold through www.thirteenpercent.com And of course, everything can be streamed for free @ www.myspace.com/crossworm

When did you start making music?

I started off as a drummer when I was 10 years old, and used to co-write songs with some friends in different bands. In my early teens I really wanted to learn how to produce music but knew absolutely nothing about beats, equipment, mixing or anything. But when I was 17, I just decided it to do it by any means necessary. I am 90% self taught.

I used to chop samples from my favorite CD's at the time, using Windows Wave Editor which came with Windows 95. I basically would piece together my own drum loops by recording multiple layers over each other. Using the pitch bending option, I was able to crate melodies from chopped instruments. I had no idea what midi programming was, and back then FL and Reason and all those programs didn't exist. I found a ripped copy of an old program called Mixman and that helped me begin slapping things together easier. For the tech savvy readers, I basically manipulated the loop program to trigger my own chopped samples, into a primitive form of midi automation. Kind of similar to what is now called Glitch Industrial. So that's how I started producing for a while. That's how all the beats were made in my first group "2KORPSE".

I started rapping because at the time it seemed like an ironically stupid thing to do for who I was. (a weird white kid from a small town out in the sticks of Canada). I guess I didn't realize I was months away from stumbling into a scene with a few thousand indie artists, with a similar story. lol

A few years ago I stepped it up a notch, and applied to a private Audio Engineering school downtown Toronto. It helped fill in many gaps and increased my ability to adapt and learn exponentially. I graduated class of 2007 and have continued to learn, and have since grown as an engineer, a songwriter, and an artist.

Who/What are some of your major influences?

I'm influenced by my own emotions first and foremost. The negative ones. That's what makes me want to write lyrics. Other than that I'm not really sure if I'm inspired by any particular artists. I think many people will say that my production sounds like I listen to Nine Inch Nails, played Nintendo as a kid, and listened to 80's pop. Which I can definitely agree too. Maybe those are subconscious influences that have effected my sound, but I don't know if there's anything or any band that makes me go "that was dope I wanna do that". Often times, a feeling I get from listening to a great song will get me hooked on that feeling. In turn I want to reproduce that from what's inside of me. If that makes sense.

In your eyes, who is your music directed to?

Good question. I feel like my music is dedicated to people who at times feel lost. If you've ever looked around at the way the western "free" world and society works, and thought to yourself, "that's complete bullshit"...then this music is for you. I would say that each album starts off almost like Alice woke up in Wonderland again, this time pissed off and in the mood for no bullshit. On that note, It was recently pointed out to me by a listener that every one of my releases has several Alice in Wonderland references. I guess if you crossed that story with "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", and "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein", you would get a closer feel of who Crossworm is. If you can relate to any of those characters, this is for you.

What would you say most of your lyrics are about?

There's a depth, and almost a vague, or mysterious vibe to a lot of my lyrics. I think my fans really enjoy picking out something new when they need to. Something that maybe they never got or heard in the song before. I think my stuff is really open to interpretation. I describe a feeling or picture with lyrics and I think whatever people take form that and relate to, is for their own. My music is an alternative to the run of the mill, superficial, shallow music that blasts over radio waves every day. And don't get me wrong...there's NOTHING wrong with mainstream music at all. Or listening to offbeat unknown music. I have my own guilty pleasures, but there is a time, a place, and a relevance for everything.

What are some "guilty pleasure" artists you're listening to right now?

Good one. There's all kinds of stuff I listen to that would seem way out of character, by listening to what I write. I don't know if I'm playing a lot of my guilty pleasures but right now I'm flipping through a playlist with some stuff like The Birthday Massacre, She Wants Revenge, HIM, The Everly Brothers, and John Mellencamp's "Uh Huh" record from the 80's. Also I just picked up this awesome album by this dude called CC Adcock and the Lafayette Marquis. It's some crazy Louisiana Blues/Swamp Rock.

How did you start Dirtcore, and what is the general meaning behind it and your work?

This is a topic I'm into in a big way. I think it was always there dating back to how I learned to produce, and the sound that came from it. I just didn't have a name for it that really fit. I used to call it Terror. Then 911 happened and I wasn't up for disrespecting that issue. Some shit isn't funny. I'm an artist with a sense of humor but I'm a grown man too. For a while I was calling my style Cold North in honor of the American view of the Country I'm from. Kind of like the opposite to Dirty South I guess. I dunno lol. But as I was writing Mouth Full of Dirt, I just stumbled over it and I was almost embarrassed I hadn't though of it before. Crossworm... underground....rapcore.... dirtcore. It just made sense. Since then I've really embraced it full throttle. It's always been a cliche to just make up a term for your music. But realistically I can say that I am my own blend.

To me other artists can call themselves, "industrial hip hop" or whatever, but the bottom line is there is a difference between being a melting pot, and just a regular mosaic. One is a blend the other is just patchwork stuck next to each other. Dirtcore is not just rapping over industrial beats. It's taking your vocal delivery into different worlds. Just the other day a friend of mine from the underground community described it as "an engineer's genre". That's one of the better ways to put it, because without the utmost attention to detail in your mixing and producing you can't possibly create a dirtcore record. I'm almost a snob about it. I guess rather than calling dirtcore a genre or a record label, I would say it's more like a certification process. I can't just give an artist a ton of beats and call that a dirtcore record. I would like to take on the traditional role of producer and be there in person to craft, carve, and shape that artist into the vibe of what it's all about, while still keeping what they're all about.

I also refer to my fan base as Dirtcore. We're our own situation all together. It's our freedom from the norm.

How did you come up with the name Crossworm?

I used to go by Mentally Corrupt. After I realized it was a synonym for 98% of shitty basement rappers, I decided to change the name. I was still in 2KORPSE at the time. I got a pen and a pad of paper out and sat there. Nothing came to me. So I decided to let whatever positive supernatural force was in my life at the time, take over. I wrote down the first word that came to mind. It was "worm". I felt like that wasn't enough and that it was probably in use by a bunch of people. The second word I wrote was cross, but I wrote it before the word worm on the page. It looked and felt right. There has been only one Crossworm since then. That was back in 1998.

Do you plan on growing Dirtcore at all?

Absolutely. I think every record I write myself is growing it, let alone some serious work I have in store. I would like to see the fan base solidify some more as well. Knowing who my fans are is important to me. Getting them to realize we are a unit, is also just as important.

Mouth Full of Dirt 2.0, Gut Rott, New Projects, what all are you working on these days?

I'm at a stand still with MFOD2.0 I don't know how I feel about that. I released versions of most of the songs as singles already. It feels like a collection of songs rather than an album and I'm not sure I want to really put that out there. I'm thinking of re pressing the first MFOD with a few bonus tracks on Thirteen Percent Records, and calling that done. Just so people can buy the first MFOD and make it worth the purchase after shipping. I'm too involved with the new shit.

Gut Rott is a monster. I'm hip deep in that right now. It's 100% produced, and I need to finish writing 2 songs. Then I'm going to start rehearsals for the recording sessions. I plan on doing this record at Menacide's studio and I want to be sharp as possible without wasting either of our time. But this album is a rollercoaster ride. it has some of the darkest, and dingiest production of mine to date. Yet I have some of the most uplifting melodic stuff I've ever done as well. There's a new Before I Wake type of joint that I have, and it's NUTS. 162 bpm. 5/4 timing. My breaths between lyrics are almost a flow of their own. Kind of like They Come and They Go, from the Ready to Burn album.

Aside from Gut Rott, there is some more dopeness on the way. I am debuting a brand new solo project of mine this year on Devilz Nite 2009. An album will follow that exclusive track. I am almost completely done producing that record as well. Also...I am personally producing a dirtcore record for an incredible underground artist. From the ground up. I was approached with the idea, and immediately thought it was a good idea. So this will be the first official dirtcore release from another artist besides myself. I'm not sure if that is something that should be kept on the D/L so I'll let people speculate who it is. Unless he makes it known on his own. Aside from that I've been commissioned by Rone Bone to produce a few beats for his next record, and I'm working on some remix stuff with Menacide. Speaking of remix, the track I just did for Ralph Watson on Londinium will probably lead me into working with him in the near future as well, be it exclusive production, or more remixing. He raised the bar with his video. Once the bar has been raised, it's time to step it up. That's where I'm headed. Seems like every day more is on the plate.

What's the status on your band 'Demerol'. Still together and making music?

Yup. All of us are in different cities for a bit, so we've become more of a songwriting project for now. Still writing and recording brand new tracks all the time though. The front man Lukas D, is working for Live Nation in Hollywood on sunset and that's keeping him anchored and plenty busy. Until the rest of us can get there, we remain unlaunched. But our catalog is getting bigger and that will come in handy very soon. Some plans in the works.

Give us your insight on the Devilz Nite series. What plans do you have for the future of it?

This really is Menacides baby and I don't want to make it the Crossworm show. I want to do it the justice it deserves and just strengthen the integrity of it. This year I approached Matt Molgaard at Fangoria about reviewing it. This is huge for the genre and I'm surprised Fangoria hasn't been included in many horrorcore releases already. This is a great step in the right direction. I notice that everyone want's to start their own compilation, mixtape or whatver. There's nothing wrong with that at all but it seems to me like projects come and go with no promotional value. While everyone's running around trying to be the big chief, not many are taking responsibility for promoting what's already happening. That's why I'm setting a challenge this year, to try and match my efforts. I'm personally promoting this release to at least 3000 wickedshit fans. It's going to take me a couple of days to do it, but people are forgetting this is an important promotional tool for the wicked underground. I'm not throwing a contest or anything like that. No incentives. That will only attract people who want something in return and that's not what this is about.

In the future, I could see Devilz Nite going in the direction of hosting. Kind of like Mixtapes or the UGH series. I was thinking of maybe doing something special with the 10th DN release which happens to fall on 2012. There's that whole "End of the world" gimmick that could tie into a great release, and possibly a pressed collectors edition. But I don't know if Devilz Nite should really enter that realm. Who knows right now.

What brought upon the decision of putting it in your hands?

Menacide brought this up to me a couple years ago actually just before DN2K7. At the time I thought it was a heavy thing to take on, and wanted to really think about it. Before Menacide and I knew each other he was one of the very few dudes I looked up to in the underground, so when he kind of took me under his wing and brought that to the table, I was more than honored. I was worried about filling some big shoes. After a while I realized he didn't want me to fill his shoes. He respects how I walk in my own, and I said ok I'll do it. And it wasn't really like he didn't want to do it anymore. He just really wants to focus on his own music. The dude has been pretty selfless and I think it was just time for him to focus on his art for a minute.

Will we ever see any new 2KORPSE music?

I hope so. I've been trying to make that happen for years. Krayz hasn't really been on a horrific element in a long time. After the last 2K record, he was the first one of us to go solo at the end of 2001. He put out a MEAN solo hip hop record on some Rockit beats and called it a day after that. I've been moving all over the North American Continent since 2001, and recently so has he, so it's been difficult to even be on the same page. But word through the grapevine is that he's got some new tracks in the works. I recently got a hold of him about a new 2KORPSE song for Gut Rott too. I hope that happens. I'm gonna push as hard as I can to see that. That's my dude from childhood man. We started this shit together. Early dirtcore began from the sound that two kids from small town Essex, Ontario had put together in 1998. I never even wanted to go solo. Life got crazy and we split. I'd love to see another record from the two of us. If it happens it might not be called 2KORPSE or have that kind of content but the spirit will be there. And it would mop the floor with the nonsense.

The Snuff Addicts; how do you feel about this project and how will it tie into your busy schedule?

As of yet I've been asked to be a feature on the project. I'm not a member of the entire group project, but I'm told I'm the first feature. I trust J Hexx wholeheartedly on this project and it's refreshing to see some sort of literary horror essence morph into audio format. There's a lot of room for that medium. I want to make my part in this project stand out, and really be a staple in what it's all about. It's my goal to be remembered, and to deliver a sickening element to the storyline.

Any collabs coming? Or any you would like to create?

Some collabs that are in the works, are with Trips and Renigade again. Individually. I just did tracks with J Hexx and Madd Maxxx. Both are devastating. Those are on the upcoming Mixtape Massacre and Presidents of the Wicked Underground Volume 2. I have some stuff in the vault with brother Menacide. I can say I will most likely get Ralph Watson aka Geist on a track, and I would love to see OMN999 of the Gravediggaz / Flatlinerz legacy on a track. There's a rumor that dirtcore has made it's way to him and he likes what he's hearing. So I'm going to approach that. I'm not really a whore about collabs. It's not something I stick notches in my belt with. I realize many underground cats see them as levels of achievement. Mind you this is ONLY my personal opinion, but for me I won't let who I've worked with become what I'm about. I think my own aura is best described by what I'm about as an artist, in audio form. I've actually never pressed a solo record with features on it either. Gut Rott will be the first.

If you could work with any 5 Artists or Producers, Dead or Alive; Who would it be and why?

Really quickly I'd say...producers alive... Trent Reznor and Dr. Dre. They are the innovators of their time and I love their work. Imogen Heap. That woman is a brilliant producer / songwriter and I've bought and enjoyed every one of her albums. Klayton aka Celldweller. Lemme see that's four. For a fifth... I dunno... I guess I'll say I'd like to work with Eminem and produce a record with him on MY sound/style.

What drives you to keep making music?

Ideas, emotions, and life experience. If I run out of ideas, or inspiration, or stop feeling. There's no more music. Unless of course my inspiration crosses over into another art form besides music. That could eventually happen.

If you could go back to any year and start your music career then; what year would it be and why?

I would have liked to see the punk scene in the mid 70's. Not that I really enjoy all that music, but being a part of something no one else ever thought would become popular, and seeing it function on a DIY level, and being able to talk about it first hand. That would be the shit. Other than that...I think I'm already doing that exact same thing in the wicked underground.

If you could accomplish only one thing with your music, what would it be?

Having a major mainstream artist cite me as being their number one influence/inspiration. It was never about fans, or selling records and merch. All I ever wanted was respect from my peers for being original. So far, I'm a success. I hope that continues. Even if I'm only an artists artist for the rest of my life.

How strong is the Underground in your opinion?

The line that divides corporate control over music, and the DIY movement is what keep the underground strong. It will always be strong in any genre. The more accessible your music is, the more likely you are to cross that line into corporate mainstream. If that's good for you...good for you.

In a positive way I see the underground as a few really great artists, fans, and associates, who have the potential to put a dent in music history. In a negative light I see these great artists surrounded by sub par, bitter and jealous, unoriginal crabs in the bucket. Like leeches who misinterpret the greatness of what is happening, trying to replicate it but failing. The problem is... anyone who steps into that world will most likely see that first because it takes no effort to see it. Those of us who are trying to build a cohesive empire are putting in the real work by helping to polish the scene one artist at a time. One show at a time. One record at a time.

Truthfully, where do you see yourself in music in another 5-10 years?

I'm a realistic person. Realistically....in 5 years...I see myself with a production/licensing and/or songwriting contract for a major indie. I see myself having a day job working in a post production house in L.A. In 10 years I can see myself working with my own production company on the side, with a day job possibly working for a major or major indie in A&R or Artist Development / Production. (If those departments still exist in 10 years. I doubt it.)

Last question! Any shout outs you'd like to give?

Aside from the Thirteen Percent Records dudes, Menacide and McNastee... This time I'm shouting out the artists that aren't getting their shine yet. The ones who feel like no one's listening. The guys who don't have people jockin them to press their records, or throw beats at em'. The hungry dudes, ready to up their game by any means necessary. The artists who's getting their tracks passed on. The same artists who get ignored when they promote their stuff. The underdogs. That's me too, don't let the internet fool you. I'm with you dudes. Evolution will save us all.

From Essex to Essex

Yesterday I stumbled on an absolutely great video/song by an artist from London, UK named Ralph Watson aka Geist. I took some times to remix this beauty and add some more dirt to it.

check out the original:



here is my remix: