Interview with Mullie Graf
on 90s Rave Culture, Vinyl Dreams and the Evolution of House Music
From the underground rave scene of 1990s Los Angeles to a steady stream of modern house releases, Mullie has spent decades immersed in electronic music culture. A DJ, producer and former sound engineer for large-scale events, his journey bridges the raw energy of classic rave culture with today’s evolving house music landscape. In this conversation, he reflects on the early days, his production process, influential figures and the excitement surrounding his upcoming vinyl release.
Hello Mullie, how are you today, and what have you been up to lately, both musically and personally?
I’m doing well. Musically, I have been very busy in the studio writing music for many labels, as well as getting ready for the big rush of DJ gigs that start up every spring into the summer. Personally, I have recently been married to the love of my life, Nic Aby, who also spins her favorite genre, Bass House. All of the work that I’ve been putting in musically is showing in all of the great releases that have been coming out lately on quite a few epic labels. Consistently, I have been releasing music on Electric Eden Records and Monday Mood Music. Some more exciting news is that for the first time in my career I will have my first vinyl release, with remixes by Natural Rhythm, on Roots Recording Company out of Texas called One More Chance, which is being pressed as we speak and is available for pre-order now.
Can you take us back to the beginning, when did you first start making music, and how did your journey into electronic music begin in the LA scene during the 90s?
In the beginning, back in the early 1990s, I hadn’t started making music yet. It started when my friend George Maistera and I would go out to LA to some amazing parties like Flammable Liquid, Magic Wednesdays and Citrosonic. We would go out nearly every weekend and I finally met my future sound system partner Jason Boyer, who introduced me to the world of sound engineering and also house music. I was then working as a sound engineer for large-scale raves and other events in Los Angeles. This is where I learned by watching some of the best West Coast DJs do their thing on the turntables. DJs like Doc Martin, Mark Quark, Mark Farina, Markem X, Aldo Bender, Mr. Bubble, John Howard, Steve Loria, DJ Dan and the Wicked Crew from San Francisco.
You were part of the Heartbeat Sound Systems, providing sound for large-scale events. What was that experience like, and how did it shape your understanding of music and the dance floor?
The experience was like no other. At one point we were deploying sound systems six nights a week. We would often take the parties back to our Huntington Beach house and do what we had been soaking up at all of our events. George and I would hone our DJ skills constantly and before we knew it we were lugging crates of records, playing the main stages for thousands of ravers and small clubs we started up like Xanadu and Sundaze. We had a great crew of stage hands who were also great DJs, like “The Almighty” Steve Massa, Johnny Nakudis, Matt E, Brian Kott and George, of course.
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