Artist Interview with Reid Speed: From Underground Raves to the Virtual Stage

We caught up with drum and bass DJ, producer, and label head Reid Speed ahead of her upcoming live set with Wave. As a longtime Wave collaborator, Reid reflects on her groundbreaking career in electronic music, shares valuable mentorship advice for the next generation of emerging DJs, and talks about her experiences performing on our platform.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a drum and bass music DJ originally from New York and now a longtime resident of Los Angeles. I produce, DJ, and own two record labels called Play Me Records and Play Me Too. I am also actively involved in fostering the next generation of drum and bass artists in the US.

Take us back to how you got started in New York City, in the late 90s.

I got started going to raves. I started shopping at a drum and bass store called Breakbeat Science when it first opened and ended up working there. This store was pretty amazing. It was America’s first drum and bass record store. I used to play music for people over the phone (before we could order stuff on the Internet). They would call on the phone and I’d play the records for them through the headphones and I started mailing my mixtapes to my customers, and that’s how I started getting bookings outside of New York. 

In addition to being a DJ, you’re also a label boss. Tell us more about your label.

Around 2008, a friend named Marks of Sonic was doing well digitally and had a successful label. He came to me about starting a second label—he’d handle the business, and I’d do A&R. He didn’t stick around, so my husband and I kept it going. For the first five years, we did everything ourselves—artwork, mastering, finding artists. We got lucky as dubstep was breaking through in North America, and we became one of the top dubstep labels here. We also focused on a multi-genre approach, including drumstep, trap, twerk, and moombahton. We put out some of the first records by artists who became big, like Dillon Francis, Must Die, and Eliminate. One of our artists, SSKWAN, just signed with WME and Skellytn, just signed with Redlight/ UTA, and seeing the next generation take the torch is a full-circle moment.

Mentoring the next generation of electronic music talent is important to you – tell us more.

My goal with the label has always been to help artists succeed and ideally make a living from their art, so they don’t have to work jobs they don’t love. While I sometimes wish we could be the ones to bring them greater success, I’ve realized that our strength is in discovering talent early and helping them bring their vision to life. The most rewarding part for me is using our connections to help young artists achieve their dreams in music.

What’s your experience been like working with Wave and performing live in the metaverse? What standout moments can fans expect in your Wave set today?

It’s incredible to transport everyone to an alternate realm—I really love that. From the first time I wore the mocap suit, which was cool but limited, I’ve seen so many changes. Now we have advanced mocap technology and more interactive features that I’m excited to unleash for the crowd. It’s come a long way since we last did this, and I’m thrilled to do the show with you all. I also loved the creative names you came up with—like the “light speed tunnel” or when we’re “beamed up by the aliens.” I’m definitely partial to the UFO beaming us up—it takes us right to the bass station, my favorite place to be. 

How does an IRL live set compare to a metaverse set?

I just love playing music—it’s a cathartic co-creation with whoever’s there with me. Even when I’m separated from the audience, I enjoy the interactivity of the metaverse or a livestream setting. For me, it’s like I’m just a vessel, and the music speaks through me. It just comes through me and tells me what needs to happen and that comes from the energy from the crowd, from the audience, from who’s out there, like we build the thing together, we build the vibe, and we take the journey together. Each experience is unique and shaped by who’s there with me.

Today is a unique kind of set that you’re doing. Tell tell tell the people what that’s about.

I’m gonna do an all Play Records set. It’s like the first set I’ve ever done that’s only music from my own record label – some of the best stuff that we have right now, and this is very unique for me, and I’m really excited to do this, but I’ve never done it like this before. I feel like that hits at the heart of something that Wave is really trying to achieve where we want to be a platform for the next generation and for every kind of artist. There’s a synergy with the passion I feel for this.

Alright, some quick fire questions. Drum and bass or Jungle? Jungle.

Festival stage or Virtual reality set?  Are you allowed to say both? Can I say underground? Yeah. Underground. 

Twitch stream or Live DJ set? Live DJ set. 

Classic vinyl or Digital decks? Digital decks.

Digital crowd energy or Personal focus? Digital crowd energy. 

Backstage networking or Fan interactions? Fan interactions

New York City underground rave scene or LA festival scene? New York City underground. 

Club nights are music production sessions? Production sessions. 

Reid Speed is a part of WAVE MAKERS, a program that celebrates groundbreaking musical talent and highlights artists pushing the boundaries of creativity in live music. To learn more about WAVE MAKERS and upcoming Waves, check out our Instagram or signup to join our Closed Beta.