Music

[Interview] Bit Deff Explains New “Crystals” Album, Talks about Pass the Good Benefit 2016

Bit Deff Interview - Florida Music Blog

Jacksonville electronic producer Kyle Piety, otherwise known as Bit Deff, is making his Pass the Good Benefit debut appearance this month at Vortex Spring, Florida. Along with his PTG5 set as Bit Deff, Kyle will also be playing with his side act LAVA, which is best described as a combination of orchestral instrumentation fused with modern day bass.

We talked with Bit Deff about his latest album “Crystals” – a lengthy concept project with each song representing a different stone and emotional tone. Read the interview below and be sure to catch Bit Deff performing at several events around Florida this fall.

For those who aren’t familiar with your music yet, give us the background history on how you came to create electronic music.

I first delved into electronic music back in June of 2008. My friends and I all threw a bunch of parties and listened to a lot of different types of trance, specifically psytrance. I started getting into the rave culture and later was inspired to create my own music. After several years, multiple projects, and various genre-hopping, Bit Deff was born in 2012.

Your name “Bit Deff” derived from a hearing impairment that literally left you a bit deaf in both ears. How has this has affected your ability to make music?

My ears suffered from a high amount of fluid at a very young age. This caused a lot of hearing issues for me growing up. I didn’t fully start communicating until I was three and half years old. The doctors told my parents they thought I had a mental disability handicap because I wasn’t communicating, but my parents thought otherwise.

Later I had corrective surgeries done on my ears where they inserted small tubes inside my ear canal to help the fluid process out of my ears. After six years of speech classes and natural aging my hearing improved, though a lot of higher frequencies are not as loud to me as they are to others. Hence why I’m a bit deaf.

Your new album “Crystals” features a very unique theme, with each song representing a different gemstone. Two of my favorites are “Tanzanite” and “Rose Quartz.” Explain the concept behind those records.

I wanted “Tanzanite” to have a nice exotic feel to it since the stone itself has that same feeling. I wanted it to take you through different emotions all leading to the right place – a sense of peace and a higher level of communication as well.

To me, “Rose Quartz” is all about unconditional love and the serenity behind it. I wanted the song to take you from a slow mellow beat and leave you in the end with more of a happy and uplifting vibe. To attain more of that emotion, I had the song change tempo from slow to fast throughout most of the song.

Which gem songs from the album are most meaningful to you and why?

I would say “Rose Quartz” and “Jade” are my favorite songs on the album due to the energy building from nothing into something. I like the evolution of the songs.

Do you use crystals in your daily life for any specific purposes? If so, which ones and how do you use them?

I do use crystals in my daily life. I use them as an exchange of energy. It’s lessons are teaching me as I am teaching it throughout events in my life. I use them as storage containers of memories and expressions of my love. I tend to gift them to a lot of different lands that I visit – oddly enough they’ve all been Indian grounds. I gift them to the land because the land gifts me its presence. I honor that and want to respect that eternally. It’s a symbiosis relationship.

Have you ever been gemstone mining? If so, tell us about the experience. If not, is that something you’ve ever considered doing?

To be honest, I haven’t had the real chance to go crystal mining, but I plan to in the future.

Listening to your previous projects “The Odyssey of Tranquility” and “Voodoo//Doll”, there are strong hints of Ott and Beats Antique that come through in the music. Where do your influences come from?

“Voodoo//Doll” was inspired by my first visit to Suwannee Music Park for Purple Hatters Ball. I was experimenting with psychedelics and had such a wild ride throughout the weekend. I literally heard the branches of the trees echo into the woods around me. I can’t describe the bass I felt lurking through those woods. I felt like I was under a spell, like a voodoo doll, but in a good way.

“The Odyssey Of Tranquility” was a different approach for me. I wanted to showcase something that was relaxing but upbeat in motion. It was my intention to help you in astral travel and find yourself, as the source to all the answers that you always ever were.

Both of these albums wouldn’t be possible without the influence of Spirit, nature, love and truth. I’d say my musical influences would be Shpongle, OTT, Tipper, Amon Tobin, Bonobo, Tycho and a few others.

How does “Crystals” differ from your last two releases?

I think “Crystals” differs from my other albums because it’s more based on a tangible theme – something that you can hold while listening to the music. I wanted to have nature be a part of your experience.

You’re performing at the 5th Annual Pass the Good Benefit this year at Vortex Spring. Is this your first time at PTG? What do you have planned for the show?

Yes, I’ll be at this year’s PTG5 at Vortex Spring down in Ponce De Leon, Florida. This will be my debut with this festival and I’m pretty stoked to play. I’ve been watching the festival evolve over the years. I’m happy to know my hard work is paying off and getting me opportunities that I have been leaning towards for a while. I plan to give you one of the best and most soul touching vibrational experiences throughout the weekend, literally giving you a bit of everything in flavor.

Pass the Good 2016

What other events do you have coming up?
September 17th I’m at Earthdance in Maddox Ranch, Florida. October 1st I play at Woodstock Orlando. And I’ll be at Zen Awakening Festival in Orlando from November 18th – 20th.

I’ve seen you on stage several times over the last couple of years and you often have featured guests doing live instrumentation. Who are some artists you’ve shared the stage with and how have they enhanced your performance?

The main person that I like to collaborate with on live instrumentation during my sets is Leo Kulishevskiy. He is an amazing violinist and I just love how he adds all the extra pieces to the music I write. It’s amazing to see what melodies he plays- very original with classical tone of technique. I later started a band with Leo and Jeremy Nix of Alchemystic named LAVA. LAVA is actually playing Pass The Good this year as well.

lava

Tell us about some of your biggest career moments as Bit Deff, such as collaborations or most memorable gigs.

I think one of the wildest moments in my career was at Fractal Beach in Miami this year. I was originally supposed to play at 3am on the beach stage, but the city had issues with us playing at night. My set was moved to 5am and I was the direct support for OTT’s sunrise set. I was in disbelief and couldn’t thank Spirit enough for the alignment of my work.

We’re looking forward to seeing “Crystals” performed live this month at Pass the Good. Is there anything else you want to let our readers know about before we go?

Yes, I would like you all to know that you are all creators and remain infinite and beyond all the spaces in-between. I trust in you, believe in you and I love you all. I only wish to create what your heart truly desires. Blessings!

https://bitdeffmusic.bandcamp.com/

To Top