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Going back to the days of breakdancing and listening to the masterful electronic works of Herbie Hancock, Locks along with his twin brother (The Infamous Twin) would be glued to the TV - in a small town in Northern Virginia. They sat, captured by the amazing moves done by the then "awesome styles" of the Breakin' Crew, lead by Ozone and Turbo. It wasn't long before he and his twin, in their red and white-checkered Vans, were out there on their own taped-up cardboard mat attempting windmills, headspins, and liquid moves that were in synch with the electro beats blaring from their Boom Box. As they entered Jr. High School, kid bikes changed to BMX Freestyle bikes and the electronic sounds once heard in great movies like "48 Hours" were starting to be recognized in the newly introduced synthesized sounds of Depeche Mode and New Order. This was about the same time Locks happened to meet Luis. Luis had just moved in town from a city just outside of Washington, DC. He had also been a die-hard BMX Freestyler and listener of the same groups of the late 80s and early 90s. So, needless to say, they got along quite instantaneously. Luis also had been an enthusiast of "House" music, along with other genres of Dance music, such as Dancehall Reggae and the brand new genres of Electronic music known as "Techno" and "Breakbeat Hardcore." He introduced Locks to these new forms of music, which were repeatedly listened to on Luis's "Dj setup" - a stereo unit, mixer, two cd players, and one turntable. He showed Locks how you could fade from one song to another even if it was from cd to record or vice versa. Locks was hooked. This was the beginning of what would soon become "INTELLECT"- one of the most sought after Drum 'N' Bass duos on the east Coast. As House, Techno, and Breakbeat Hardcore progressed, so did Luis and Locks (INTELLECT). They both began to increase their record collection. They practiced mixing record to record for years. As the new tunes would come out, they would learn them. House was always their favorite but as Breakbeat Hardcore started to progress to a newer form of Electronic music called Drum 'N' Bass, so did their favoritism. The faster bpms and darker/stronger samples accompanied by distorted basslines crept under their skin and seeped into their veins like a drug. Luis and Locks started to play out at house parties and local bars. This led to Luis's partnership with a fellow Dj/friend running a Wednesday night at a local bar/restaurant, called "Flow". This night went well, incorporating all genres of Electronic Dance Music played by local Djs and some out-of-towners. At this time, Luis and Locks decided to venture out on their own, adopting the DJ/Producer duo name of "INTELLECT." They started up their own Drum N Bass label, "CONTACT RECORDS," and started another weekly called "Phobia." Simultaneously, Luis and Locks (INTELLECT) started performing tag-team sets as well as solos at larger venues/rave events in Southern VA- primarily Blacksburg (thanks to Suneel and Miguel). This progressed to venues/rave events in the Baltimore/Washington/Northern VA areas and up and down the East Coast. This then lead to the joint venture between Intellect and Lexus King (Instinctive Grooves) called "Localize" - which again incorporated all genres of Electronic Dance Music played by local Djs. In addition, better-known Djs such as Feelgood, Dieselboy, Karl K, Jaeson Kennedy, Slant, Stress, Catalyst_DC, Sever and Myst- and the list goes on- played the weekly. A small example of venues and events Luis and Locks (INTELLECT) have played at include Fever (B-more), Buzz/ Sting/ Cubik, Mango, Epidemic, Sunday Night Sessions, multiple events at the Edge Nightclub (BottleRocket 2, M3 events, Vinyl, Solar, Return To Zero, etc.), multiple rave/club events in Blacksburg, VA, Chopstix & Cloud 9 (Richmond, VA), Direct Drive (NYC), Injection2012 (Philly), The First Derivative (Lebanon, PA), Logical Expansion (Roanoke,VA), The Perfect Crime (Raleigh, NC) among many others on the East Coast. A small example of Djs played with include The Usual Suspects, Konflict, Loxy, LTJ Bukem, Hype, Carl Cox, Dieselboy, J Smooth, Nigel Richards, Dj Icey, DJ SS, Fabio, Stakka, AK1200, Dara, Dieselboy, Double A & Twist, Ming & FS, Empress, Chris Thomas, Cassien, Concord Dawn, Bad Boy Bill, John Tab, Scott Henry, Faust and Shortee- and the list goes on. In the year 2000, a new friend to the DC Metro area, Mark G - promoter, DJ, and now production manager of the infamous Buzzlife production company - reinvented the Instinctive Grooves project set out by the well-known Dj Lexus King and Intellect tag-team duo. Mark was exactly what I.G. needed. With Mark G in the driver's seat, Instinctive Grooves took off with the support of a now larger local Dj group, forming one of Wash. DC's most influential and successful production/ management outfits the city has ever seen in its local underground music scene. He continued to show massive support to Intellect, which included bookings and promotion, and still does to this day. In the following years and up until the beginning of 2005, Luis, Locks, and The Infamous Twin - the newly reformed INTELLECT - were very busy in the CONTACT RECORDS studio producing their own Drum 'N' Bass tunes. With the addition of The Infamous Twin, the groovier side of Drum 'N' Bass - already apparent in the works of Luis and Locks - was reiterated but with a bit of his own class. The Infamous Twin is none other than the identical twin of Locks (hence the name) and a longtime confidante of Luis as well. INTELLECT, as a trio, secluded themselves into studio sessions after a demanding schedule of gigs in the DC area and elsewhere and most importantly a long overdue studio move. The transit, along with its updated formation, was essential in rebuilding the desired producing capabilities INTELLECT has mirrored in its recent releases. But as inevitable as a day comes to rest, so too did the pause of the trio known as INTELLECT. Currently, Luis and The Infamous Twin have taken a break. Locks has veteranly continued on his solo tour of production and Djing Drum 'N' Bass under his two affiliations, Contact Records and Instinctive Grooves. Look out for his soulful production being played by a few select DC area producers, plus some new mix cds in the works- PROMO was released in June of 2004. PROMO_2 is on its way. For now, INTELLECT is Locks, more appropriately, LOCKS OF INTELLECT. But, who knows what the future may bring. |
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