DSX

www.dsxmusic.com DSX, which stands for The D & S Experiment, which stands for The Duck & Stone Experiment, is the musical lovechild of longtime friends Duck (b. Peder Mercedes) and Stone (b. Christopher Metropolis). The Brentwood, Tennessee based duo, both 22, first met 12 years ago in the third grade. The two grew up playing video games and watching television together. "I'm pretty normal, I think. He has always been the strange one," Duck admits, referring to his bandmate. "One tim...

www.dsxmusic.com DSX, which stands for The D & S Experiment, which stands for The Duck & Stone Experiment, is the musical lovechild of longtime friends Duck (b. Peder Mercedes) and Stone (b. Christopher Metropolis). The Brentwood, Tennessee based duo, both 22, first met 12 years ago in the third grade. The two grew up playing video games and watching television together. "I'm pretty normal, I think. He has always been the strange one," Duck admits, referring to his bandmate. "One time, he told his dad that he was spending the night at my house, but he really went to see a PG-13 movie instead. And then another time, both of us went to school without brushing our teeth. I still don't see how he talked me into it. Just crazy shit." "Dude, I remember that." Stone responds. "I was right there. I totally remember that."It's this sort of chemistry that has kept DSX around for three albums in four years, with another LP in the oven. Since 2000, the boys from DSX have been writing, recording, engineering, and producing their own brand of humid Southern rap, funk, pop, and rock solely on their own resources. From their humble beginnings as a novelty gag-group with lo-fi recording equipment, DSX has evolved into the lady-killing duo responsible for such groundbreaking tracks as "Funk tha Funk," "Shanghai Tanghai," and the Johnny Cash-influenced "When You Come Home From Work and Dinner Ain't On The Table (You Feel Like Breakin' Shit).""A lot of our songs have to do with women's rights and/or the lack thereof," explains Stone. "We've always felt that rap artists should take a stand and stop degrading women with their music by using such phrases as 'Bitch,' 'Hoe,' and 'Lazy-Ass STD-Packin' Skank.' Throughout history, women been through hell and back. I can't imagine what it would be like not being able to vote or to not know how to skillfully operate a motor vehicle, or to know what it feels like having to cook a large meal. Yet women have to deal with these issues daily, so the least we could do is let them know how much we enjoy it when they drop the dome." Although both members are superbly talented musicians and producers, they have always let the music take a back seat to the message of their songs. As the band explains somewhat modestly, "We've never really been concerned with musicianship. I've never really thought something like, 'Oh, I bet an F# would work better right there.' It's more like, 'Okay, how can I get this girl to actually take off her pants without making her think that I just want her to take off her pants?' And I think that's what makes us so popular."In a society that underestimates the importance of individuals unafraid to address taboo subjects, DSX has solidly embedded themselves in the seed of a musical institution.