Ghetto Oasis: Bandikoot’s Jungle-Rooted Sound and the Energy Behind FREQ & FRIENDS

NOLA EDM: For people discovering you through FREQ & FRIENDS — who is Bandikoot?

Bandikoot: I’m a Baton Rouge based DJ coming up on my third year DJing. Loving the journey thus far. As far as my sound goes I often struggle trying to define it because it’s constantly evolving but I guess the best way to describe it as of now would be “Ghetto Oasis” a term coined by my homie Geno. Basically it’s an adult swim/ video game inspired fever dream featuring hard breaks, four on the floor, and genres ranging from jungle/DnB, club, techno, and house with splashes of Hip Hop and R&B. It’s very mood driven ranging from atmospheric , dark, groovy, energetic sometimes soulful, cheeky..beautifully chaotic. It’s pretty much a gumbo pot of everything that I love about music. 

Started during my childhood really. From video games & late night television programming such as Toonami & Adult Swim. I think what initially drew me to the genre was the pacing of the music combined with the visuals. It was intoxicating. You have this rambunctious style of music that you never hear on the radio paired with fighting sequences and mind altering visuals..I don’t know it just scratched an itch in my brain. I was very energetic growing up with a mind that was seemingly going 100 MPH so I think it was like the only genre that kind of moved at the same speed of my brain.And it just stuck with me. A couple of years passed and I accidentally bought a jungle compilation album from FYE thinking that it was a reggae CD. I listened to it non stop but I ended up losing the CD while evacuating for the storm. 

As luck would have it though, I rediscovered it a little bit before the pandemic through a new wave of jungle/drum and bass producers/DJs who were gaining traction on the internet by taking a more modern approach to crafting the music and legends who were receiving their flowers for their contributions to drum and bass/ jungle thus far. Artists such as Tim Reaper, Nia Archives, Pink Pantheress, 4AM Kru , Metalheadz, LTJ Bukem, and Nebula just to name a couple. This led me down a crazy rabbit hole allowing me to fully immerse myself in the genre , its history and the culture surrounding it. This all coincided with me seeing Malice of Macedon play jungle and dnb live at a Frequency event years later right before I decided to start DJing which gave me further confirmation that this was the route I should take seeing that it was the electronic genre I had the strongest connection with

NOLA EDM: FREQ & FRIENDS brings together familiar faces and new debuts. What makes this kind of community-centered lineup different from a standard club night?

Bandikoot: It’s a family affair . Featuring new DJs who have been a part of the community for a while now but are now stepping into their own as artists.  Standard club nights usually consist of several DJs on one ticket with some to almost no stylistic correlations. Although we all  play different genres there is stronger sense of continuity than I find at your average club event because we have been playing together for years and know how to tap into different pockets of our individual sound so that it fits like a puzzle 

NOLA EDM: Mid City Ballroom is an intimate room. How does a close-quarters space influence the way you build energy in your set?

Bandikoot: It makes the energy more palpable. Like how the reverb in the shower makes the music sound better ? That’s how the combination of a small room and sound system works in tandem which leads me to wanting to play more tracks with a ton of bass and sometimes reverb . I like to move through different BPMs throughout the night so with the crowd being so close I can pick up on where I should start, stay and finish much quicker. When the walls are small, the sound stands tall…Even though the space is close-quarters it gives way for minimal distraction between the listener and the DJ.

NOLA EDM: This lineup includes debut sets from Rougarougir and DJ Bela Forever. How does playing alongside artists stepping into their first FREQ night influence your energy?

Bandikoot: Ever since we started hosting guest slots for outside DJs, the environment at FREQ has never been the same. It helps bring out a sense of community at every show which we always have tried to foster, especially in BR where the scene is small but mighty. With new talent woven into every show it’s taking the usual genres of a FREQ night and throwing them into a blender, and we love that. We are pumped for Riley and Bela’s debut

NOLA EDM: When you’re preparing for a night like this, are you thinking about cohesion with the lineup or carving out your own distinct lane?

Bandikoot: Probably right in the middle. I definitely try to get an idea of what everyone is playing so that what I decide to play serves as a bridge from the previous DJ and the one after me. At the same time I do so while trying to stay within the context of whatever story I am trying to tell

NOLA EDM: FREQ & FRIENDS runs from 9PM to 1AM. Early energy feels different from peak hour. How do you approach pacing when the window is tight but the momentum needs to stay high?

Bandikoot: We always debrief before a show and delegate who wants what slots, whether that be opening or taking us home as the closer. Everyone usually will cater their sound to the timeframe that they select and we build off of the energy that precedes and follows. Our DJs have used the opener slot, usually disfavored to having a packed room at peak hour, as a chance to implement more experimental sets – I remember Malice opened a show playing ambient synth. The FREQ team is dedicated to not just the quality of an individual set, but building around everyone else’s to make a cohesive enjoyable experience. The energy ebbs and flows… my sets range all over the place to capitalize on that.

NOLA EDM: FREQ has been steadily building its own identity in the city. From your perspective, what makes these nights stand out?

Bandikoot: In a city where it’s increasingly hard to come by, FREQ has always been a guaranteed opportunity to come through and dance ’til you can’t anymore. It’s a complete labor of love – every detail,every track selection, down to the merch and visuals/photography. I am just thankful that we have seen it through all these years later, and we have a format that allows us to pay homage and our deep respects to the music that keeps us going