Retail DJ

Drlkt Freddie

Derelict:

–adjective

1. left or deserted, as by the owner or guardian; abandoned.

2.neglectful of duty; delinquent; negligent.

—Synonyms
2. remiss, careless, heedless.

Continued from Parts One and Two. . .

Why “Drlkt Freddie”? Does it have something to do with Zoolander? What’s the deal?
Van: I love Zoolander! But . . .

Jad and Van: Nothing to do with Zoolander. [laughs]

Van: No closed deals going on up in here!

Jad: Nope! [all laugh]

Van: I’ll take on “Freddie.” We were trying to come up with a name, and “Freddie” comes from Freddie Mercury. We are inspired by these classic, glam rock, arena acts musically, conceptually, fashion wise. . . They were beautiful beautiful bands that had beautiful voices and made beautiful music!

Jad: They were so eclectic across the spectrum. I mean, who else, other than Queen, has such a range of performances and songs? They go from rock and roll, blues, and heavy metal to arena rock. Then the performances themselves just rocked arenas around the world. Freddie Mercury was a true showman.

Van: That’s who we aspire to be.

Jad: Also, when Van was a little kid, his family used to call him Freddie.

Van: I don’t know where that came from, though! We couldn’t just stop with Freddie though, because that’s a very polished name. In addition, even though they were kind of underground in terms of style, everyone knows Queen. We needed something to address our underground roots and our upbringing in the clubs where the straights, and the gays, and the trannies were all hanging out and having a great time, all connected with the music and whatever was moving them.

The word “derelict” has a negative connotation, but we flipped the script and made dereliction positive. It’s an underground connection to music that is not widely accepted by the general public, especially in the United States—even in New York City. Europe “gets it” a little more, [and this type of sound is popular in Berlin, Barcelona, London, and other cities.

Jad: It’s also a form of expression. For example, when you go out, what do you want to be? Do you want to be a square, or do you want to be derelict and just let it all out? That’s what dereliction is.

Van: Letting loose and just being yourself.
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Drlkt Freddie (L-R) Van Scott and Jad Cooper

That’s something special, and what I’ve always wanted: to make people dance and feel the music no matter where they are or what they are.

That’s really the basic reason why I got into music and why I started DJing. I wanted to give the same feeling I get from a certain piece of music to other people. It’s about sharing. Now we’re getting hit up by various people from all around the world.

Continued from Part One. . .

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Jad Cooper + Van Scott = Drlkt Freddie

“Opposites attract.” It’s a popular saying that, while related to magnetism, translates directly into the world of human interaction. As cliché as it sounds, particularly when applied to relationships, it’s the best way to describe DJ/producer duo Drlkt Freddie. Made up of two industry veterans in their own right, Van Scott and Jad Cooper, Drlkt Freddie has the goods to move a crowd with their remixes and original tracks, but also possesses the ability to remind listeners that skill and talent are alive and well in a scene dominated by many lacking in both. Having re-worked tracks by Sia, Princess Superstar, and Larry Tee among many others, Drlkt Freddie is on a surefire track to becoming a household name, at least within communities who consider deep bass an alternative to a heartbeat.

In early March, Jad and Van chilled with us at Broadway East, better known as BEast, a bar, lounge, and yummy brunch spot in the Lower East Side. Accompanied by bumping beats in the background by resident BEast Disco Brunch DJ Richard Burroughs, we had the opportunity to find out What’s Good? with Drlkt Freddie. . .

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