BEHIND THE SCENES WITH MJ LEE

Interview and article co-written by Mike Beard (C.C.P) and Amy Octane

Jungle Bells season is quickly approaching and for the DNB heads in North America this party is quite a big deal! Four massive parties over three short days is no small task for your typical stateside promoter and we’ve had the honor to get inside the mind of MJ Lee with a history of his involvement in the scene, an inside look at what the dream of Jungle Bells has grown to be and his views on the vitality of drum and bass in Atlanta and beyond. It’s time to go behind the scenes with MJ Lee!

Give us a brief history of how you got started in Drum and Bass and your involvement in the scene over the past 30 years.

I just love the music! I was already throwing parties in the mid-90's bringing everyone from Deee-Lite, Orbital, The Orb, shit like that.

In 1997 I got introduced to TC Izlam and he made me his tour manager. I went all around the world with that guy and got exposed to all forms of Drum n Bass.

Then in 1998 I was running a warehouse behind the old Masquerade in Atlanta, GA with my partner Brandon Couturier. We decided to throw a Christmas themed Drum n Bass party and it blew up. So we have been doing it ever since.

What pushed you into your promotion career?

I was living in Seattle going to college there. I met a trio of brothers from Bulgaria. I was a goth DJ back then named Crimson Rain. And I was already hearing industrial bands that were switching to the more "hardcore" sounds of the rave. Groups like Meat Beat Manifesto, Future Sound of London, the aforementioned Orbital, stuff like that and I loved it!

Then these guys were talking about how they used to rave all night long back in Europe. I didn't know what they were talking about.

So they eventually ended up asking me for money to throw a party. Which I gave them and we ended up throwing the first rave ever in Seattle in 1992. Then that was it!

Two years later I moved back to Atlanta and was going to law school. But I could not get that party out of my mind. So I dropped out of law school and decided to start throwing parties again. And I have been doing it ever since.

Talk about the challenges and rewards you’ve had throwing events.

Well we primarily focus on Drum n Bass which is still a very underground genre in America. So of course there are challenges with that. When you are bringing the biggest names in the world and only 20 people show up. That sucks. It makes for a lot of missed meals.

But through dedication and hard work we have finally got Jungle Bells to a place where people all over America come to it. So it is going pretty well right now. There were years and years where it was impossible to make money. But we kept doing it anyway just because we love the music that much.

What effect did Covid have on promotion and events during and after? What are the most drastic changes you’ve witnessed because of the pandemic?

Oh it was crazy! We had just started generating a huge buzz for Drum n Bass in 2019. Because I could feel the buzz going through the scene again. I went out to a party thrown by the Elevate Crew and had such a great time that I got the bug for promoting Drum n Bass going again.

I had become disillusioned by the scene because for years it was 20 dudes standing around on the walls talking about how they could do it better themselves. No matter who was playing.

And who wants to be any part of that vibe. So we started bringing all the big Dubstep guys to town. All the while sprinkling in some DnB in with it.

So in 2019 we decided we were going to put some real resources into Jungle Bells and make it the biggest party in the Country.

Then 2020 hit and everything stopped. We lost all the momentum, and we had to start over from scratch.

As far as now, this is one of the most expensive years to throw events that I've ever seen. That is why you are seeing festivals all over the world closing up shop or suspending operations for the year. Concerts and tours are canceling right and left. Because everyone's prices this year are astronomical. We decided we had to keep the momentum going. We could not lose it again. So we decided we had to just had to bite the bullet, and pay all the extra fees and keep it going this year.

What is your perception of the stateside scene at the moment and what are you doing to help bridge the gap globally?

I think it is growing tremendously but this is still Drum n Bass we are talking about and it is still underground as fuck. But you have to give it up to kids like Justin Hawkes, Bensley and Reaper. These guys are blowing up worldwide and are right here in America. So I think you see less of the UK vs USA split like you used to. I think everyone realizes now what this scene could be. So now more people are working together, and that is amazing!

Compare and contrast your experience throwing events over the years. How has time changed your approach to the scene?

I think in the beginning it was about getting the message out there. But as I have gotten more years under my belt, it has become more about working together as a community and listening to our fans. Of course our budgets have gotten way bigger so we have to be more cognizant of the business side of things. Whereas in the beginning, you threw the party just to throw it.

What effect has the digital age had in shaping events and promotions?

It has allowed us to reach a broader base of fans of music, specifically in Drum n Bass. It also has allowed us to promote events in ways that the original flyering of events could never compete with. We obviously cannot put flyers in every city in America. But with the help of the digital age, fans in every city in America now know about us.

How was the entity of Jungle Bells born?

As I said earlier, me and my partner Brandon Couturier decided to throw a Christmas themed Drum n Bass party in 1998, It blew up, so now we are now in our 26th year of doing it.

How do you and your team sort the vibe in putting together multiple large events over a short period of time?

I think it all comes down to curation. Which through the monopolization of our scene by large corporations has become somewhat of a lost art form. When people read our flyer they know that the people behind that flier actually love the music. Because we bring people nobody in America is even thinking of bringing yet. So I think that is what sets us apart, people know we love the music!

Jungle Bells is ever evolving and continues to grow year after year. What do you envision this event to become in the near and distant future?

Well we are trying to turn it into a festival. That is our ultimate goal. That's why for the first time this year we are taking over the whole weekend. So people know we are not playing around. So from this day on moving forward, this is going to be a multi day event.

What are your feelings on the cohesion of the stateside scene and what could we collectively work on to push it forward?

I think we all just need to promote each other. A lot of these promoters and DJ's won't say a word about your party if they are not involved in it. Which is really sad for people who claim to love the music. That's why you always see me bigging up parties around the Southeast. Because to us it takes more than one DJ, one promoter, and one party, to make a scene. We need more Drum n Bass parties here. All that does is collectively help us all. So I think we are trying to set an example that if these parties are thrown correctly and with big enough lineups, this genre can be successful in America.

How do you see the picture of Drum and Bass in Atlanta and stateside developing as we move into 2025 and beyond?

Well we are trying to put Atlanta on the map for Drum n Bass. We want Atlanta to be in the conversation anytime stateside Drum n Bass comes up. Because we believe that in Atlanta, and including our Southeast partners and fans, we have one of the most loving and most welcoming scenes in the entire world!

Thank you for your time if there is anything else you would like to include please do so here:

We just want everyone to come out and experience the magic of Jungle Bells!! We are doing 4 parties over 3 days this year. All with incredible headliners.

This has never been done in America before for DnB.

So if you would like to join us for the magical weekend check out www.junglebells.org/events

“I’m kind of crying too. We’ve been doing this party for 26 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would turn into this. All the money we’ve lost doing this shit when nobody would come to nothing. It just really feels special to finally be making this much noise. But that’s all I’ve wanted to do was push this fucking music that I love so much. It saved my life. I was one of the biggest dopebois in Atlanta in the 90’s. Straight facts. But in 98 I put it all down and gave my soul to Drum and Bass. And I’ve been pushing the fuck out of it since. Because I know for a fact I’d be dead or in prison by now if I didn’t. And you can quote me on that.” -MJ Lee

We wish you the best on the Jungle Bells journey and beyond. No doubt it’s going to be another one for the history books, thank you for sharing your passion with us.