In Dubstep's Fair City...

Two years ago, Jérémie Moussiad Kerouanton – aka DJ iZem – arrived in Dublin, with the intention of staying just a couple of months. Now, the Paris-born DJ is heavily involved in what he describes as “an exciting bass/dub/reggae scene” in the city.

“I came here initially to visit friends”, iZem explains, “but then I got involved in music, started organising events, DJing, meeting people – having fun! There’s an exciting scene in Dublin, and some really great producers. I’ve definitely been influenced musically by people I’ve met here.”
Born in Paris to a Moroccan father and a Breton mother, 31-year-old iZem is well-travelled, to say the least! Having lived in France, Brazil and Spain before arriving on the Emerald Isle, his musical style merges a diverse range of influences – dubstep, African rhythms, Brazilian cumbia and hip hop. Has urban music always been a big influence on him?
“I was into hip hop when I was a teenager”, iZem recalls. “It was quite big in France – that was my musical education. I started DJing around that time, but really defined my style about three or four years ago. I’m drawn to anything that has that kind of groovy sound – soul, funk, reggae, Brazilian.”
Let’s call a spade a spade though – ‘Irish’ and ‘urban’ aren’t usually two words that go hand in hand. What does iZem make of the Irish music scene generally?
“Well, the main scene here is indie rock”, he notes. “I do have an interest in indie – there are some really interesting bands and artists, but it’s not my main musical background. There’s some great underground producers here, usually more on the electronic/dubstep side of urban music, you just don’t hear much about them! (Dublin producer) T-Woc, for example is really interesting – he’s done a remix of my track ‘Quiver’ which is on the EP.”
Another act iZem has been working closely with here is Irish/Malaysian duo Madu. A fusion of reggae with Irish elements (Hothouse Flower Liam Ó Maonlaí appears on their debut From The Elder’s Yard), the band’s laidback, soulful sound is an example of how exciting musical diversity can be. Would iZem like to incorporate an Irish flavour into his own style?
“Definitely”, he enthuses. “I hope to release a few tracks that mix urban/bass music with Irish instruments – I think it would fit very well. I’m actually producing some tracks for a Brazilian rapper called Juliana Durães – who also features on the EP – and we did some gigs a few months back. I was playing reggae rhythm while Juliana rapped, and (Irish trad musician) Liza Delaney improvised on fiddle. It really worked well – Irish music should definitely be used more!”
Though he speaks no less than four (yes, four) languages, iZem has yet to master the mighty Gaeilge!
“It’d be nice to do a track in Irish while I’m here”, he smiles. “I’ve been talking with people about that. There’s a couple of Irish musicians who’d be up for it.” Watch this space…
In the meantime, iZem will be kept busy with the forthcoming release of debut EP Quiver, which he’ll launch officially in the Bernard Shaw on November 11. So far it’s been creating quite a buzz – with the ultimate seal of approval coming from BBC DJ Gilles Peterson, who recently played one of its tracks, ‘Do Avesso’. As well as this, iZem broadcasts a weekly show, Dublin Tropical on Groovalizacion, an online radio station he co-founded in 2008. “It’s a collaborative project that involves people from a lot of different countries”, iZem explains. “We take Latin and African influences and mix them with electroinc/cutting edge beats. Internet radio is a great way to spread music”, he concludes. “We try to showcase the local scene this way too.”

DJ iZem’s EP Quiver is available now from djizem.bandcamp.com. Listen to him every Wednesday at 7pm on groovalizacion.com.