In the heart of the American electronic music scene, a beacon of unassuming sounds of soulful drum & bass shines bright on the West coast. In a scene saturated with House, Dubstep and Jump Up, an outlier still stands strong in the form of JUICE, a drum & bass brand that aims to cater to fans of the melodic, deep and soulful sounds of the genre. For two decades, JUICE has been a fixture, a testament to the dedication and passion of its founder, Chemynne Perlingieri. From its humble beginnings in Bend, Oregon, to its current home in Portland, JUICE has not only weathered the storms of change but has thrived, becoming an internationally recognised platform for the soulful side of drum & bass.
Chemynne’s journey is one of resilience, creativity, and an unwavering love for the music. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, she has faced challenges head-on, carving a space for herself and for the sounds she champions. Through JUICE, its accompanying live stream, and her booking agency, BassRoutes, Chemynne has fostered a vibrant community, brought legendary artists to the US, and nurtured local talent. On the cusp of JUICE’s 20th anniversary, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Chemynne to discuss her remarkable journey, the evolution of the drum & bass scene in the US, and the challenges and triumphs of promoting a niche genre with global appeal.
You had a late-night last night doing your JUICE Live Stream, how was it?
It was great! It’s always a bit hectic with the family in the evenings, getting dinner and everything together before starting the stream, but it’s also energising. The community is extraordinary, and it’s what keeps us coming back.
Where did it all begin? When did you get involved in working in the US electronic music scene?
Juice Drum and Bass itself started in Bend, Oregon, which is a small city in the middle of Oregon back in 2005. At that point, I had already been a keen follower of drum & bass for at least a decade and Jungle as well. I did listen to other genres of electronic music long before that. Living in central Oregon, we really didn’t get much musical diversity and hardly any headliners were coming to town. Back then, even Portland didn’t get a lot of play. Basically, the bigger artists would play in San Francisco and then they’d head to Seattle, skipping right over Oregon. I just wanted to see this change. I wanted to put Oregon on the map for drum & bass.
My design studio at the time was doing well, so I had the foundation to test out a show or two. And truthfully, back then, I had no idea what I was doing. I had recently designed a brand, menu, and advertising for a local club and restaurant. The owners are wonderful people, and they knew that I was an avid follower of drum & bass. They gave me a chance to host a night on the last Saturday of the month, knowing that drum & bass wasn’t really well known, but they were both big fans of electronic music. They used to have breaks, and deep house shows there on the regular. I am still grateful to them for that opportunity.
At the time I think I’d only planned to do a couple of shows, but it turned out that there was a real need to give a forum for local and regional people as well as getting international producers there. People would say, “Where’s Oregon? I’ve never been there. Sounds beautiful.” And it is beautiful here. So I deeply embedded myself into the scene to bring some unique bookings to the area, and the rest is history; JUICE grew from a monthly for years and then relocated to Portland in 2009 and continued forward.
JUICE DnB October 2023 Jungle Session (video by Thijs Boonstra).
What sparked the initial idea for JUICE? What were some of the early challenges you faced in establishing a drum & bass night?
I observed that most nights were generally not focused on the soulful sounds of drum & bass and I just wanted to celebrate that style. Simply put, I just wanted to see that type of drum & bass make it to Oregon. I wanted to help create and be a part of the movement. Brand development was my longtime professional focus, so in a way, I just saw JUICE as another design challenge: a client to grow. The idea behind the name was that the music really nourished and energised. Drum & bass IS the JUICE of life!
In some ways, running a night early on in Bend was easier than it is now because I had venue support, and extra income to throw toward shows. There was a need for the niche, so I tapped into that to grow our base. Moving to Portland later on brought tougher challenges. It was a terrible time economically 2008-2010, so money was tight, venues didn’t want to support a lesser-known style of dance music, and overall, just required a LOT for me to prove that our night was “worthy” of being in their space. Most venue owners didn’t even know what drum & bass was, and certainly didn’t want to take a chance on us. Most agencies wouldn’t give me the time of day to book artists, so I had to rely on creativity and building a professional reputation amongst artists. Word of mouth has always been key for us.
JUICE has been running for 20 years. How has the night, and the drum & bass scene in Portland and the US in general, evolved during this time? How have you adapted to changes in music consumption, promotion, and the overall cultural landscape?
Well, we’ve come a long way, and I’m proud of having established us as a cornerstone in electronic music here in the Pacific Northwest. I think our scene here in Portland is pretty strong with several different nights running for a while. We all try to support each other’s endeavours too. Drum & bass has definitely grown stateside, but there has definitely been an ebb and flow. I remember at times people telling me that drum & bass had no future, especially the sounds we pushed. I think people were always bringing up the likelihood that we’d fail, rather than acknowledging that we were building something special and doing a damned good job of it.
As for adapting to changes, one thing I’ve learned is to keep reinventing! Never get comfortable with anything. Keep staying creative, trying new things, and different methods and platforms for reaching your audience. I’ve definitely put my design & marketing skills to good use in the process. For instance, when the pandemic hit and venues closed, at first, I was mortified. Both my agency BassRoutes and JUICE Drum and Bass are my jobs, my income. That week that lockdown started, I began working on new merch designs, and a month after that we got on Twitch. We did something that we weren’t seeing anywhere else: offering to actually pay artists to do guest sets for feature livestreams. Bringing in local, regional, and international talent—all remotely—we literally kept our monthly going exclusively through these features and donations.
During that time we also donated to over 25 different organisations who support equality programs, LGBTQ rights, the local environment, Portland culture, and youth music programs. Much to my surprise, JUICE actually grew over the pandemic. And with regard to the agency, I just kept learning and networking, starting early work and planning for Visas so we’d be ready once things opened back up. Even though everything screeched to a halt, I just kept going. I didn’t want to give up on all that I’d worked so hard to build.
Chemynne mixing in-studio last month for JUICE Drum and Bass’s weekly “InBetween Sessions” on Twitch (photo by Thijs Boonstra).
You’re known for your dedication to the soulful side of drum & bass, particularly jungle and liquid. What draws you to these styles, and how have you ensured they remain relevant and continue to thrive within the scene?
Growing up, I was raised on a lot of jazz through my dad as well as a healthy dose of R&B, soul and reggae, which led me through the doorways of early electronica and downtempo through artists like Peshay, Big Bud, PFM and early Good-Looking compilations. I heard so much jazz through those sounds, and it was like the ultimate combination of my upbringing, and the sounds of “now”. My parents also focused on learning instruments, so into middle school I took piano, guitar and flute lessons. As a teen I was a rebel with a cause, drawn to the rougher side of ska and punk music, so gravitating to jungle felt natural; like a sound that was already familiar to me. Jungle has always felt like my “roots.” Though I spent most of my professional life as a designer, music has always been a constant. It is still surprising to me that I ended up dedicating my professional life to it. Helping international artists to get their visas and tour here via BassRoutes, along with continuing to push the sounds through JUICE ensures that the music stays fresh and relevant here in the states. Twitch has also been a big part of sharing these sounds over the last almost 5 years on that platform.
How would you describe the JUICE community, and what role has it played in the success and longevity of the night? How has the weekly stream contributed to building and nurturing this community?
Our listeners are literally from ages 17 to 60+. Attendees at our quarterly shows range from early 20s to over 60. They are students, professionals and creatives of all sorts, some are in the music industry, many aren’t…it’s a very diverse group of people. Our vibe, energy and venue Holocene encourages coming as you are, in all your uniqueness and flavour. What I also love about our in-person events is that you’ll find a lot of women and folks from the LGBTQ community on the dancefloor—it’s not just predominantly guys which we do see a lot with drum & bass events. All are welcome, safe and appreciated.
We encourage the same on our weekly “radio show” stream. We don’t discuss politics or stressful subjects. We keep chat light, often sharing cooking tips and recipes, info about other shows and tours around the country, etc. A lot of producers hang out in our stream too, where we can ink others to their music in chat. It’s a place where you can smooth away the wrinkles of the day as we say. While it’s a bit crazy that we’ve dedicated three nights a week to this since 2020, we’ve come to realise that we’re a staple for listeners around the world. Some are getting their kids ready for school, making dinner, or working out at the gym while listening, winding down with us after work. It means a lot, so we just keep showing up.
I’m proud that we have built this amazing community on Twitch to almost 10k followers. I’m also very grateful to my husband too, who handles the tech side of our streams. He’s an amazing DJ and splits regular mixing time with me weekly so we’re able to keep up with our slots consistently without shouldering the full load of a 4-5 hour session each time.
JUICE has hosted legendary figures like LTJ Bukem and was the only US night to host both the ’30 Years of Metalheadz’ and ’30 Years of Dread Recordings’ tours. What do these milestones mean to you, and how do you feel about JUICE’s influence within the broader drum & bass world?
We’ve really had some amazing artists here over two decades. I’m actually still trying to archive old files and pull together a full list of everyone we’ve hosted. I don’t even think I’ll have this list complete by our anniversary! At this point, there are only a handful of drum & bass artists (on the soulful side) we’ve not yet had a chance to have here.
Being the only night in North America to host last October’s show with a 30-Year showcases in the same night was pretty amazing. It was a tremendous amount of work and planning to make that happen, but I’m grateful to Goldie, AntTC1, Ray Keith and Nookie for coming from such great distances to our humble night and supporting the endeavour. I remember at one point during the evening sitting down on the stairs of the stage, heaving a big sigh of relief and thinking “we’ve arrived.”
It took two decades, but we have really established ourselves as a destination event for attendees and have been told we’re a bucket list spot to play for artists. That means so much to me. I don’t ever really think about the influence we have in “the rest of the world.” I’m often surprised to hear people know about our night at ALL when I’m working on bookings with other promoters for BassRoutes artists. I’ve always got my head down and am working so incredibly hard at growing this brand and elevating the sounds, I really can’t believe sometimes what an impact we’ve already made on the scene. I just want people to know that there’s a sweet little night out here in Portland that pushes the soulful sounds of drum & bass, and a humble agency that works tirelessly to get artists here.
The 20th-anniversary celebration is a huge achievement. What can people expect from the event, and why did you choose S.P.Y, Seba and BCee as headliners? What does this milestone represent for you personally and professionally?
Expect great vibes, exceptional sound, ambiance, and headliners start to finish. Khariszma out of San Francisco is super talented. We’ve not yet had a chance to host S.P.Y or Seba, and I’m always trying to get people through who we’ve not had here before. This event soft launches BCee’s 20 Years of Spearhead Records tour, and with Seba’s new album Oni, and a bunch of S.P.Y’s tunes on Spearhead, the lineup developed into a wonderful synchronicity of artists.
As BassRoutes handled both BCee and Seba’s visas (and their incoming spring tours), it’s just a pleasure to have them here as guests, rather than “clients” to show them how special our shows and community are. It’s like I finally get to say, “this is what I DO!” I’ve been so busy lately working on tours for BCee, Seba, Ray Keith and Nookie along with putting this event together, that honestly I haven’t really stopped to think about it. I suppose when it’s all over I’ll just be stoked that we did it!
Personally, I’m just grateful for the support from my husband and our tight crew on event nights, and glad that I’m still somehow able to make events happen and get the music out there. Professionally it feels like a huge accomplishment to head up one of the longest running drum & bass nights in the US, growing a brand from a tiny spot in Bend to an internationally recognised vehicle (which sometimes drives faster than I can keep up with).
JUICE DnB 18th Anniversary Session (video by Thijs Boonstra).
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in promoting drum & bass in the US, and how have you overcome them?
Truthfully? Being given the time of day as a woman-owned business in the scene. Suffice it to say I’ve been blown off by most everyone at some point or another. Some people circle back years later when they see I’m still at it. With others, I’m still trying to get emails answered from larger agencies, festival managers, etc. Despite JUICE’s amazing track record and international reputation, and BassRoutes’ roster of top-level artists in the industry, I still get ignored by people in the field. I’ll be polite here and not call anyone out, but yeah, we’ve not yet been able to host a few artists at our night still, due to this ridiculousness.
Not being treated like an equal (despite having two degrees and a ton of professional experience), can be frustrating. I’ll say I’m still working on overcoming that, mostly just with continual effort. There’s a lot of ego out there around which to navigate.
What advice would you give to others trying to build a scene or promote niche genres?
This is where my phrase “perseverance, dedication, longevity, tenacity, growth” comes in. Never give up. If you believe in it, then do it! Network with other like-minded people. Take risks. Try new methods, new ideas. Keep your head down, chin up, and keep working at your goals regardless of who is telling you that you can’t do it.
Looking back over the past 20 years, what are some of the most memorable moments or highlights of your time with JUICE?
I suppose some of the highlights are when our shows do better than losses or just breaking even hahaha! Running events is rarely lucrative, especially when you pull out all the stops every time for excellence in production and hospitality.
Seriously though, there have been some wonderful moments—like hosting Big Bud in 2006 (and then having him stay with us for a week) as well as hosting ASC, and Kubiks & Lomax early on. Those were big deals for our #biglittlenight. I was star-struck when Marky absolutely shred it on my personal Technics. We’ve had Lenzman through twice; Redeyes has played some amazing performances here too. We loved hosting Total Science and ASIDES and had the pleasure of having DRS & LSB through twice (most recently last summer), both incredible shows. Emma G and Tali smashed it here, and we were also blessed to host Dub Phizix and Strategy… wonderful (and hilarious) gents. And we’ve had some artists like Reid Speed and Spinscott who are just brilliant.
Once an artist lost their wallet at the Portland airport as they were leaving (back in the day when we used to pay artists in cash!) and some amazing person turned it into security. TSA found our business card and called us, and we ended up collecting it on his behalf and shipping it to the artist at his next stop in Puerto Rico!
We’ve had some memorable moments on Twitch as well. INJA was one of our guests during the pandemic, and he did an explosive live DJ/vocal set (longer than we expected) that absolutely blew us all away. It was the kind of energy and positive vibe we all needed at the time. We also had a special set from UK artist Magnum and his daughter TKD Gal, who was 13 at the time: our youngest guest ever to mix for us. She absolutely stole the show.
JUICE DnB with Goldie in 2022 (photo by V.A. Davis Photography).
Where do you see the drum & bass genre going in the future, and what role do you hope JUICE will play in shaping that future?
Drum & bass will go wherever it needs to; and reach more people as time goes on. Despite the doubts of many, drum & bass is here to stay—especially soulful, liquid, atmospheric, and jungle sounds. It’s been 30+ years and it’s clear that the movement is growing. We already hear it on car commercials, cooking shows and through sports outlets. My sole motivation here is to get this more under-represented side of the genre introduced to more listeners. We literally have new people pop into the stream every week saying, “I’ve never heard drum & bass like this.” I love that!
Will the type of drum & bass I promote ever be “mainstream”? I don’t know. I think in many ways it will always be underground music to some extent. As long as I have the energy to keep pushing the sounds, I will…and I hope that JUICE Drum and Bass will continue to be a major player in North American drum & bass culture.
If you were talking to a young up and coming drum & bass producer and DJ, what advice would you give them to get on one of your line-ups?
We don’t generally host events which are mixed genre, neuro, or heavy drum & bass, so don’t send us those sets. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just not what we play. If you’d like to play our night or be a guest on a feature livestream, send us a current soulful set. This means we want to hear what new soulful tunes you’re listening to, what moves you. If we haven’t met before, research our night a bit. Check out our socials or come hang out on our Twitch stream to see what we’re about. Also, please don’t email or message me to “talk to the main guy” or “the dudes in charge.” I AM the main guy.
Chemynne’s story is an inspiration to anyone who has ever dared to dream big and pursue their passion against the odds. Her dedication to the soulful side of drum & bass has not only shaped the scene in the US but has also resonated with fans and artists worldwide. As JUICE Drum and Bass enters its third decade, we can only expect great things from Chemynne and her unwavering commitment to the music.
