Drop the Lime
What Happened to Rock ’N’ Roll? It Evolved.

By Dominick Scala

I consider myself one of the lucky fools that grew up around exposure to a variety of musical elements, or genres, if you will. Of course, living close to New York City aided in broadening my spectrum. My initial “electronic music” experience was at the Limelight in NYC, which left an interesting taste in my mouth (although that could have been the ecstasy). This was the early ’90s, a time when you would hear rumors of these Rave parties that were popping up in towns nearby for one night only in supposedly abandoned buildings with DJ’s spinning this new, beat-driven electronic type of music. All you’d need is a jug of water and an address, and you could dance into tomorrow. As I look back now I think the underground NY “club” scene was filtering down into Jersey and beyond. Those parties now seem to be part of an evolution, musical — almost tribal. I eventually went back to my rock ’n’ roll roots, but electronic music has spiraled into the aural abyss with the countless styles and artists who create them.

Drop The Lime aka Luca Venezia is the NYC native who not only produces and DJ’s but also runs the dance label Trouble and Bass. Venezia grew up spending summers in Italy. By the age of 9, he was recording his own songs with a drum machine and a guitar for his schoolgirl crushes. He went on to sing and play guitar in bands until eventually finding his passion in electronic music. His inspiration comes from ’50s doo-wop and ’60s soul, along with an attraction to song structure. Oddly enough, he put out his more experimental music early on (instrumental sound collages) almost fighting his true nature, by not wanting to be too “mainstream.” Up until 2005 he composed mostly breakcore music. In 2006 he released “We Never Sleep,” an LP that seems to tap into his influences, and comprise more of his vocals. Venezia’s music had exploded into a more ‘house’ style combining chopped up breaks, focused heavy bass beats, with epic lyrics in the bluesy ‘cigarette and scotch’ tainted vocals. Since “We Never Sleep” Venezia has put out nine EP’s incorporating styles such as crunk, ghettotech, grime, new rave, dubstep, electrohouse, and others.

His label, Trouble and Bass, is more like a collective between DJ’s Star Eyes, The Captin, AC Slater and of course, Drop the Lime. As a whole they seem to constantly avoiding musical trend traps such as those in the recording process, and stay true to themselves in that dark kind of creepy goth-industrial feel. They always look for ways to expand their sound. Trouble and Bass is what NYC underground has always been about. It’s grimy, dirty, un-mastered sounding and always a party.

Currently on a world tour, Drop the Lime will perform at 8 p.m., on Jan. 16 at The White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., in Miami. Tickets are $10. Visit whiteroommiami.com.

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