Reid Speed isn’t new to the dance world. Beginning her career as a clerk at New York’s legendary Breakbeat Science, Reid emerged in the early 2000s as one of the few female faces in the drum & bass scene, becoming an instant underground hero with her girly looks and New York attitude. She has released a few major mix CDs, appeared in Triple Five Soul ads, DJed for Jamie Kennedy’s show, and received ink in major publications like Urb. But with the changing music scene, Reid did the unthinkable. She moved from New York to Los Angeles and started making a name for herself as a breakbeat DJ. The change has worked and Reid continues to be one of the most booked female DJs in the US, switching styles from breaks to DnB, depending on the occasion. But it’s her commitment to the scene and culture that has truly kept her relevant in these fickle times. A down-to-earth personality and unquestionable skills and charisma on the decks are just icing on the cake.

UB: How long ago did you move to LA?
Reid: I moved here in 2002.

UB: What prompted you to move to LA?
Reid: New York had really gone through some tough times with the cabaret laws and then September 11th and the rave scene had not been what it had once been. Here people are more open about multiple genre DJs while in New York you are more stereotyped as one thing. And plus I had just met Alex and we had been together for a year. So it was a combination of three things at the same time.

UB: So how do you feel the move has changed your career or even your outlook on the scene as a whole?
Reid: Well it gave me a great new outlook on the scene because there are so many more people here and there are so different scenes here that didn’t even exist back in New York. The rave scene here is still very big and very strong. The club scene is big and strong. And almost every type of music has its own scene here, which is a really good thing to be around. And I guess the whole proximity to television and movies and all that. I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten to do the Jamie Kennedy show and all that stuff. Not that that is something that I had ever aspired to but when it happened it just seemed like a good thing to do. I think that only helped. LA just has a really good scene. People are really passionate about music and they seem to remain passionate even if doesn’t make them as much money as they would want it to.

UB: So your new mix FngerBngr. What was the vibe you were going for with that mix?
Reid: Well it started out as a me and Josh mix and I just spent so much time and wanted to go in different directions then he did with it so I decided to start it again. I just wanted to do something really filthy and dirty and nasty. That was pretty much the concept. It’s a free giveaway mix.

UB: So you just won a remix competition?
Reid: Yeah. Josh [David], Matt and myself did a remix of the Krafty Kuts track “Bass Phenomenon”. The prize was for it to be released on Against the Grain and it’s out now. You can get it on Beatport. Or you can get it on my myspace page. We’re really excited about it. We’re working on more stuff too. We have a remix of Kriss Kross.

UB: Kriss Kross as in “Jump”?
Reid: Yeah.

UB: So pretty much most tracks are coming out digitally for you?
Reid: Yeah I think a lot less is getting pressed. Financially it’s hard for labels to pay for vinyl. It’s sad but true. I mean, it’s not the way of the future. We can love vinyl forever but it’s not going to make it a better format. It’s not faster; it’s not easier to carry. Look at how much more music you can bring if it’s digital. It’s exponential.

UB: So you have some other tracks coming out?
Reid: Yeah. My friend Jen, her and I have a track coming out on Simply Jeff’s label. Origin and I have a track called “Flow” with a remix by Napt.

UB: What else are you working on?
Reid: I’ve been working with Josh and Matt a lot. I worked on some stuff with Flinch from Natural Causes and Infiltrata.

UB: Are you producing breaks and drum & bass?
Reid: I haven’t worked on drum & bass in a long time. I would like to get back to it. I’ve just been more focused on the other stuff. I’ve been really feeling drum & bass right now though. Before that I wasn’t really feeling it but in the last four months it sorta flipped. I think dance music right now is saturated with a lot of really good producers. A lot of really good stuff is coming out whereas about a year ago I don’t think there was as much good stuff. It’s making things exciting again. People aren’t scared to mix the genres anymore. They can make a drum & bass track one week then make breaks the next. There are parties where they play drum & bass one week and electro the next.

UB: Have you played at that party Tilt they started?
Reid: Yeah I just played there. It was fun. They are trying really hard to make it happen. I respect what they are doing.

UB: So what’s going on with the Breakdown brand at the moment?
Reid: Well we started a radio show and we’re starting to have more guests. We turned our attention away from the parties and more to making music right now. I don’t really have an affinity for throwing parties. I’m not a good promoter. I’m good at playing fun music and I love to write music. It takes a different type of energy to throw parties. It’s not creative. It’s more numbers. I love making music. It challenges me a lot more than standing outside of some party until 4 in the morning handing out flyers.

UB: So you get a travel quite a bit.
Reid: Yeah I get to travel a lot in the US and Canada.

UB: How do you feel the scene is nationally?
Reid: It’s very varied. There are some places that you wouldn’t expect to have a scene but there are. But then in some places like New York even, it’s been harder for them to get things restarted. But I know in Chicago there is still a good following. In DC there’s still a following. But a lot of drum & bass has lost its audience to electro, breaks, other stuff, and non-electronic music. But here we have such a big rave scene so we have a never-ending stream of new people. The Rave Act really affected a lot of places though.

UB: Would you ever go back to a label situation? Would you do another mix CD?
Reid: I would love to. But I don’t think there is much of a market for it anymore. It’s such a crazy industry. You can have all sorts of stuff at one point but as soon as you don’t have that label support anymore you don’t have all the resources. It’s really hard to get people to do stuff for you when you don’t know them. The music industry is so different now. Now you give away your mixes and you get booked at shows.

UB: So what are you listening to right now?
Reid: Lots on new drum & bass. Simon Bassline. I’m so bad with the names. A bunch of electro stuff. The Villains.

UB: What else is next for you?
Reid: Go DJ in Europe. I really want to do that. I have to make more tunes so I can get there! Once people like playing your tunes you can go anywhere.

Myspace.com/reidspeed