Acknowledged as the founding father of the DJ Collective .5th Platoon., Neil Armstrong
is known as a purveyor of good music, dropping gourmet goods for mixtape
aficionados, music connoisseurs and party people throughout the world. Born and Breed in NYC, He cut his teeth in the early 90.s
honing his skills in the realm of turntablism, the sect of DJing where
proficiency in kutting, scratchin, and beatjuggling define status. His time
spent in the trenches battling and mastering the art form allowed him to rock
shows alongside artists across the Hip Hop Spectrum - from De La Soul, The Roots, Company Flow and Biz Markie, to Kanye West,
LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Wyclef
Jean. As a member of the critically acclaimed 2 time Grammy award nominated jazz band - "Russell Gunn and Ethnomusicology", he further explored the idea of using a turntable as an instrument. His stint with the band brought him around the globe to places like the North Sea Jazz Festival in Den Hague, Netherlands . one of the largest music gatherings in the world, and gave him the opportunity to play alongside true musicians like Kenny Garrett (a member of Miles Davis' band) and Brandford Marsalis. Over the last 7 years, he has
made a mark in the subgenre of Hip Hop known as the .Mixtape. Culture. To these
mixtape projects Neil always brings his experience - from his eclectic music
tastes, to the ideas of artistic integrity - and he has gained notoriety for
smoothness, creativity and originality by making products that hinge entirely
on the ideals of good music and skills. This is what separates his mixtapes
from the rest of the pack. Everyone from the hipster set to
the industry heavyweights have taken notice. He made Rolling Stone.s "Top
10" Mixtape DJ's of 2005 list, was recognized by Vibe Magazine as one of
the next DJ's "on deck" to watch out for, had his cd's featured on MTV.com's Holiday Essentials Feature,
and gained honorable mentions in Mixunit.com's Power 30 List of "The most
influential players in the mixtape game". In 2007, he received a SEA Mixtape Award for the .best Old
School R&B. Category. His personal style has brought
him to a larger stage, as established entities in various industries of
entertainment have tapped him to do his thing on the 1.s and 2.s - to
set the mood and control the atmosphere through that universal language: music.
He has proven to be prolific at doing just that, whether he is rocking a club
in Miami for the upper echelon model set, getting NBA Players amped to do their hoop thing, killing the dance floor
at a lounge in San Fransisco, making people move across the world at a Shanghai
nightclub, or rocking a small loft party in the Lower East Side for Kangol. In 2007, recognition for his skills culminated with the
announcement of a sneaker collaboration between his crew and Adidas for their B-BALL EQUIPMENT REMIX
Project, the same company that pioneered the Hip Hop Artist Collaboration years
before with another DJ . Run DMC.s Jam
Master Jay. Almost 10 years later, the mixtape projects that he created
are still sought after and revered. This a testament to what Neil brings to the
plate, as longevity is one of the things that cannot faked or bought, and
something that few in this world of disposable DJ.s have. The
proof is in the pudding: the best word to describe Neil Armstrong is Classic. | |||||
| Discography | |
Special Mentions: Mixunit.com's Honorable Mention 2006 "30 In The Mix" List Justo's Mixtape Awards - 2006 Best Mixtape DJ Nominee Justo's Mixtape Awards - 2006 Best Blends DJ Nominee Rolling Stone's 2005 "Top 10" Mixtape DJ List Mixunit.com's Honorable Mention 2005 "Power 30" List Instructor for Scratch Academy Speaker for Red Bull Music Academy on digital music technology Chosen for the Red Bull Music Labs NY Session Cornerstone Mixtape #79 - Best of 2005 Special Exclusive Products with Undr-Crwn Clothing Press:
Reviews: Rapmullet.com - Certified Majestic Rapmullet.com - AOK part 4 - Oscillate Wildly Rapmullet.com - AOK part 3 - Filthy Rapmullet.com - AOK part 1 - Warmfuzzy Rapmullet.com - Bittersweeet Major shows: Common and Carmen Elektra's VMA Cookout NYC 2006 NBA Rookie PhotoShoot Oakley - Our Life Video Movie Premier Club BonBon - Shanghai China REMIX Hotel NYC /Rane Serato DMC USA Finals 2005 20th Anniversary NYC Adidas Fanatic 2004,2005,2006 John Legend Album Release NYC Adidas/Muhammed Ali line launch Las Vegas Kanye West/ Slick Rick @ The Hammerstein Ballroom X Mods event @ madison square garden Sway and Tech MTV Wake Up Show celebration party , NYC 2000 SOHH Awards Ceremony Rocksteady 2003,2002,2001,1999,1998,1997 North Sea Jazz Festival 2002 - Den Hague Netherlands Detroit Jazz Fest 2003 Cork Jazz fest Ireland 2001 Hampshire Halloween Snowboarding event -The session - Breaklanta Iv Atlanta African American Museum in Harlem College/Panels Speaker @ Harvard University of Wisconsin Hampshire College Siena College Stamford NYU Oberlin University of Illinois Harvard Amherst Mt Holyoke USC Stamford Boulder colorado University of Texas , Austin Haverford Syracuse Video Appearance on Tyson Beckfords show Appearance on Canada's "Much Music" - New Music Segment Online The Smoking Section Interview MTV.com Holiday Essentials Vibe.com DJ Playlists mixunit.com i-jonez.com blacktronica.com turntablelab.com vinylexchange.com scratchattack.com | |||
From the 5th Platoon Press Kit:
The acknowledged founder of the crew, Neil began as a freelance writer covering the NYC underground hip hop DJ scene for such magazines as Guillotine Online (where he also served as editor), Flavor (Seattle based), the
ITF Newsletter, and Subculture. His turning point came at the 1994 New Music Seminar, where he saw Shortkut of the Skratch Picklz rip it. Says Neil, "There
was a point where I didn't want to just be a fan of hip - hop, I wanted to contribute to it - and that's where DJing came in." He began to learn the art of battling and soon developed his own style,
which he describes as "slowed down head bobbin' beats". Eventually, Neil began to rack up an impressive performance
resume, with appearances alongside such artists as the Arsonists, Tony Vegas of Scratch Perverts, DJ POGO, DJ Cutmaster Swift (91 DMC World champ), Ras Kass, Biz Markie, Lord Finesse, De La Soul, Company Flow, Indelibles, Siah
and Yeshua, Skratch Perverts, Evil Dee (Black Moon), and the X-Men. All this while acting as the initial point of contact for
the crew - at one point, he was the 5th Platoon's acting manager, booking agent, accountant, etc. Neil plans to use his
skills to help develop tight- ass group routines for 5th in the coming months,and plans to start producing by 2000...
Battle Scars: Rhythm Method 95,96, DMC 97, Binghampton Battle 96/97 2nd Place, ITF 97 Team Routine Member...Pretty
Skimpy compared to the rest of the squad, but who knows what the future holds... By the way, if you step to me , I don't back down easy - you just might get dealt wit..... Odds & Ends: Lost a Dollar to Rob Swift in a battle, Known to try to burn his crew mates- tried to lite up
Do, Roli and Wali on many occasions, Turntables named bumshequa and sharlene. |