DJ Troll

DJ Troll

Cincinnati, OH

1989 - Present

Troll aka Brian Arnberg, began DJ’ing in 1989 after being exposed to 80’s alternative, synth-pop, industrial, new beat, and acid-house music. Troll is a pioneer in the Jungle/Drum and Bass (DnB) sound in America. As an underground staple to the Midwest rave movement, Troll has played all over the U.S. and has held residencies in clubs such as DV8, Elevation, The Warehouse, and Clique. Known for his quick and precise mixing skills, his sets typically incorporate a wide variety DnB to get the dance floor moving.

In the beginning, Troll explored the early rave sounds at various nightclubs and Culture 7 Records. Soon after, he began incorporating a lot more of the faster tempo, break beats and sped up vocals into his sets—a style that was later termed as UK breakbeat and hardcore until DnB became a genre in it’s own right.

In 1990, Troll got his first taste of turn-tablism from Mike Bollinger, whose uncle owned the 80’s underground dance club “The Clubhaus/Metro.” Veteran DJ’s Mindcandy, Daisy and Will-B-There, who were rockin’ the early club and rave circuit, gave Troll lots of support and the inspiration to push his sound further. In 1992, Jason Brooks (DJ Nauti-Groove) offered the moniker “Troll” to Brian because of the dark-side DnB he was playing.

In 1992 – 1994, Brian with a few friends hosted a series of events in the Cincinnati area such as “Optic Fusion,” the “Phase” series, and the “Positive Vibes” series. During this time, Brian met Ria Matlib (DJ Mowgli). Ria at the time was highly motivated by the Jungle sound. The two of them agreed on an arrangement; Mowgli would MC for Troll, and in return, Troll would teach Mowgli how to spin. For nearly 2 decades under the “Sweat” association, the two of them have been tearing up dance floors across the country.

Troll was a founding member of the legendary CBS (Cincinnati Bomb Squad) along with other founding members Damon (San Diego), Mowgli, and Xian. Other CBS members included Melloman, Perry Ellis, J-Cru, and Sunmiazaki. Troll was also the DnB specialist at Clubhead Records in Cincinnati.

In 1997, Troll and Mowgli teamed up with Bob-A-Dob (Clubhead Records) to form the first DnB weekly event called “Rinse Cycle.” Rinse Cycle hosted many artists such as A-Sides, Dieselboy, Danny the Wildchild, Sine, and Titonton. A year later, Troll and Mowgli set up another weekly DnB night titled “Sweat”—a name associated with their ongoing collaborations.

Year 2000 sparked a collaborative effort with many other DnB artists for a new weekly event titled “Gravitybass”—Troll was one of the residents. Other regular performers were Mowgli, K-Frey, Jeremiah, Spahn, Twilightsleep (a 5 piece live DnB band), Firecat, TNT, and Batre’. For many years, “Gravitybass” has hosted many distinguished artists such as Total Science, DJ Lee, Embee, Facs, and MK2.

In 2005, Troll became a resident at Clique Lounge, playing the “Sweat” night with Mowgli. He also hosted a retro new-wave/synth-pop night with Jay Downs and Will-B-There titled “BackBeat.”

In 2013, Troll along many other DnB artists will be featured in the first American DnB documentary called “The American Jungle.”

For the last 20 years, Troll spends his daytime hours as a creative in the design and advertising industry. He has created cover art for Fuze Recordings out of London, which is ran by the highly respected DJ, Producer and label owner “A-Sides.” He has produced some original DnB with MK2 (Nashville) and Terry D (Cincinnati).

Troll has put out many mix tapes/cd’s over the years. Some of his early recordings reflect his early synth-pop, house and hardcore/breakbeat roots. His more recent mix compilations reflect the different flavors of DnB. Many of his sets can be found online at Soundcloud.com under his real name “Brian Arnberg.”

| Facebook | Soundcloud |