Nebraska native Mary Droppinz is no stranger to drawing from all aspects of electronic and dance music to craft her own sound. Her latest single, the Flowdan-sampling “Ignite”, is out now. I spoke to Mary Droppinz about her influences, her career thus far, feelings of vindication, and what’s next to come.

First off, congratulations on getting the new single “Ignite” out there. How’s it feel to finally reveal it to the world?

It feels good. I’ve been having so much fun playing it in my DJ sets and seeing everyone’s reaction. I felt like the original sample that was used really didn’t have its steam because it came out during the pandemic, so I’m just excited to re-gas everyone.

Has it been in the works for a while now? When was the inception of “Ignite”?

I have been releasing on the Altered States label which is Zeds Dead’s sub-label for the last couple of years now. I love Flowdan and with everything that he’s done in the last year, he’s been crushing it. So I just found this [sample], I think it was in April, and got the stem straight away and then just started getting on it to put my spin on it.

I dropped it for the first time at Desert Hearts at the beginning of May, that was when everyone got the first taste of it. Thankfully was able to get the sample approved and everything to push it out today so kind of a quick turnaround.

You mentioned the track is coming out on Altered States, Zeds Dead’s label, I wanted to talk about what kind of influence they’ve had on the whole process.

When I first started DJing I was playing house and techno then I got super into breaks and electro during the pandemic because everything started sounding the same. I‘ve been on this journey since then with it. 

When I got in touch with Zeds Dead group they expressed the desire to really see my music on their Altered  States label. It definitely influenced me in kind of opening that portal into the bass realm. For me, even though Altered Space is more like their breaks label, obviously Deadbeats is like the dubstep and bass side of things, I was definitely influenced in that in that route. Because I’ve really only been going to see house and techno artists, like I said that’s like the first type of electronic music that I got into so I just didn’t have that experience until that so they’ve been inspiring me in that realm for sure.

Was there a concerted effort to draw from a lot of different areas for this latest track considering the influence of Altered States etc.?

Yeah, I guess from being an artist I just love playing multiple genres. I started with the techno but then quickly started getting into the subgenres. I was playing deep house to dub techno and stuff like that for a little while. And then got into electro. I felt like all of those genres really inspired me every time I’m making music because I have a wide palette. So I kind of like pull little moments from each genre into my productions and think about it.

I’m also super into Jungle and so I’ve gotten a lot of influence from Jungle. They’re pretty wide-ranging, all the genres that I mentioned so I like to have my productions kind of like if underground became commercial. Like, finding ways to bring those underground [sounds] down, but in like a light that the greater population that’s not super well versed in electronic music can gravitate to and grab a hold of something that’s like “Oh, I get it.” So it’s my sneaky way to put fun, weird sounds into stuff, so that the normies can get down.

You mentioned Flowdan earlier on as well. What sort of other more specific inspirations were there behind this latest single?

Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred again.., I love what they’re doing in America, really pushing a new sound, Skrillex’s come back and they’ve had Flowdan on their track using the “Killers in the Jungle”. So, hearing that I was obviously, super perked up to find the Flowdan sample within the Zeds Dead realm that I could put my own spin on because I was like “This guy’s crushing it,” I absolutely love his tone, his accent and everything. It just encompasses the vibe I’m trying to give when I’m up there DJing. I love being high-energy and stylish and that’s like Flowdan.

“Ignite” Obviously is not the first single you’ve released in 2023 so far. You’ve released a couple others, including “Sandman”, which was #1 on the Beatport Electro chart. Does that feel like a vindication of what you’re doing? 

Yeah. “Sandman” was kind of my little moment of like, I want to play something that’s mythologized and like all generations could gravitate to with that Chordettes sample and then I wanted to do something like an element of surprise. It’s really like the secret of Mary Poppins, It’s like her little elements of surprise. You never know what you’re gonna get. That’s how I like to portray my music. You hear the sample and you don’t know what’s going to hit and then all the acid, electro drop happens and you’re like “Whoa, how am I here?” It’s like a reset in my set. If I’m going on and I want to like reset the vibe, I’ll drop “Sandman”. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from others that I’ve been playing it so that’s kind of like, what that’s done. So I feel like “Sandman” is a great example of combining that underground down with something commercialized and bringing us all together in one moment.

Do you think then, because it has been so well received, it speaks to a movement in the dance scene in the recognition of female artists and artistry that’s starting to show itself?

I think it’s it’s interesting timing. There’s a big movement of female artists really getting into the forefront in music now and getting an opportunity and building communities and having these fans as DJs and in electronic music. So I felt like regardless of what I was gonna put out, it’s a great sign for women in music to have a voice and a platform. I wanted to do it also like staying true to what my sound is and who I am as an artist, and I like to do things that change the game. Right now, especially in America, tech house has been the main genre here for so long. I think it’s tried and true, but it’s time that people are starting to open their minds and be open to like UKG (UK Garage), open to electro and breaks when hearing different sounds. So I’m just really stoked to be helping at the forefront of that in America.

You mentioned stuff like UKG. Going back to early in your career, what genres did you want to showcase and considering where you are now, is that where you kind of thought you would be a few years ago?

I actually did not plan for this at all. I was super into deep house and then every now and then I would be getting on my hard side and it was all techno. I think like seven years ago I remember hearing drum and bass for the first time and being like “That’s weird, I’ll never get into that.” Now I’m obsessive for DnB, jungle and all of that so I really had a true artist journey through electronic music. Your palate changes if you keep listening and keep growing. I didn’t really plan I’d be here.

It mostly started when I first started to produce because I started out this thing as a DJ. I was DJing for about five years until I was like “Alright, I need to make my own music.” When I got into production school at IO Academy in Hollywood, I just started making drums and I was like “Why does my drum sound different than everyone else in the class”. It was like mine weren’t four on the floor but I didn’t really know how to identify that at the time because I was just still learning everything. I’m from Nebraska and we didn’t grow up with electronic music. The Midwest is all country music. I’m still trying to figure it out. I love breaks and electro and the way that the drums are sequenced in that. Really when I started producing, I started realizing naturally in my veins and in my blood, I move at a broken beat. 

Finally,  what’s next? What can the people who have been anticipating the single for so long expect to come?

I would say what’s coming next is I have an EP coming out. I think it’s October. I’m really excited about this one because, as you can tell, the last productions that I’ve put out  I’ve sampled a lot or I’ve kind of recreated an old track and made it my own. This EP is all 100% original. I wrote the lyrics, I did the vocals, made the beats and all that, It feels like it’s a very true testament to like where I’m at with my production skills and my original sound, so I’m really pumped about that.

So it’s all It’s all like just your own creation basically?

Yeah, I’ve had it in me, I’ve wanted to do it, but I’m such a DJ. Like all the time when I’m in the studio, I’m like “How can I make this edit my own” or I get inspired by other people’s vocals, or want to flip other like old tracks. But I actually started the EP that’s coming out in October, in January, and I was going through a lot of personal growth. New health practices and fasting and a lot of these ideas have really come out in my raw form so I’m just excited to see how they do.

Follow Mary Droppinz on Instagram.