How
do you approach your DJ sets?
Depends on the time and place. When you are out there,
rocking FOR the crowd, you are a servant of the people. So
what you play is NOT dictated by the crowd per say, but you
need to make the crowd happy. So when I dj for “current”
club situation, you just want to make the people dance. When
people come out to see me for a “show” type deal,
then they come to see me do my thing, and I what I enjoy doing
is those “original” sets – where I go back
and forth between the original sample and the song that sampled
it, and stuff that’s on my Sweeet and Bittersweeet tapes.
I do this one party in Brooklyn on Saturdays at this place
called the Buttercup Lounge – soul classics, r&b,
and hip hop flipped. As far as “setting” up my
sets, I learned how to DJ from Daddy Dog, Roli, and Vinroc.
They DO NOT BPM their records, so I never did neither. I am
more into mixing then just dropping in records, so I guess
I organize records in my mind by relative BPM. I physically
organize my records alphabetically and by genre…
What DJ's would you pay money to watch?
Ned Hoddings (DJ group – excess, D-styles,
Toadstyle, Mike Boogie, Ricci Rucker), Kid Koala.
What was the dopest DJ battle you've
ever seen, and what was your own most memorable battle you've
been?
Dopest Battle I’ve seen in person, ITF advancements
NYC, maybe in 1998. It never came out on video. It ended
up being my crew vs. members of the Crash Dummies, who ended
up becoming the Allies. Do Boy won that one, but he missed
his flight, and didn’t get to represent at the US
finals. He probably would’ve went all the way. I think
Develop won that year, and went to the worlds. Dopest battle
I’ve been a part of – well an overlooked fact,
is that I really didn’t battle very much, even though
I was part of a battle crew. So, my choices are pretty slim,
and I would have to say ITF in 1998, when we had to battle
the Beatjunkies in the worlds for the team championship.
What’s the weirdest place someone’s
ever recognized you in public?
Den Hague, Netherlands at the North Sea Jazz Festival,
and the Outback Steakhouse in Bayside Queens, New York.
What innovation or idea are you most
proud of?
I don’t think I’ve innovated much as
far as technique. Almost everything that everyone does has
been done by someone else. What I did with Bittersweeet,
I’m pretty proud of – soundtrack to a relationship,
from beginning to end. Some people at Rocafella records
heard it, tripped out, and asked me to do a tape for them
and Roc music (that’s the label for artists that aren’t
classified under the Hip Hop/Rap genre).
Are you a hands on teacher or a ‘ring
your neck and belittle you in front of the class à
la Bobby Knight’ style of teacher at the Scratch Academy?
A lot of the time I wanna send people to the corner
with a dunce cap. But I am that very nice positive reinforcement
kinda guy in the end.
How hard has it been to reach the
point where you can call hip-hop your 9 to 5?
If I really think about it in a certain way, I’ve
had to sacrifice so much. When I look at my “normal”
peers from high school and college, most are married, about
to have kids or have them already, with a steady paycheck
and a relative sense of stability. The way my life is right
now, there is no way I can ever have that “normal”
life, and sometimes I do wonder what it would be like if
I went down that “normal” path. The grass is
always greener my friends…. On the plus side, me and
Daddy Dog snuck into three movies in a row the other day,
on a Tuesday. It’s a good life…
Where
was your last real job?
I was the director of technical operations for a
dotcom. Alas, it is now defunct.
How does you degree in Chemical Engineering
help you today?
Ptthh, man, I wish I could be all positive and say
something like “it was all about the experience”.
But the experience sucked. For the most part, I do not use
anything specific that I learned in my major in my daily
life, but if you make general observations, there are differences
between those who went to college and finished, and those
that haven’t, so I guess getting an education didn’t
hurt. Luckily I got a free ride and didn’t have to
pay for my degree. Worse case scenario, I do have something
to fall back on….
What would you say was your first
success?
The 1st show that I got for the 5th Platoon. We performed,
Company Flow, Arsonists, Siah and Yeshua, and the X-Men,
for Fat Beats in NYC. It was backpacker central, back when
it was just hip hop…
What is your favorite late night food?
When I was a healthy dude, an EAS meal replacement
drink. Now, Twix.
What city got the best groupies?
That’s a toughy. I’ve never really had
the opportunity to research that particular subject; I’ve
almost always been in a relationship when I’d be out
touring. Ain’t that just the way… IF I had to
choose, I’d say NYC.
There's a ton of whispers about a
conspiracy behind the DMC organization. Do you agree with
this? What's your insight or opinion?
I wouldn’t say “conspiracy”, because
for the most part the politics are out in the open. Bottom
line, almost every battle is going to have politics or a
level of favoritism. It’s unavoidable, because the
community is so close knit and relatively young. Basically,
it’s almost impossible to get a completely impartial
judge. It’s also almost impossible to get a fair judge
as far as skills. With the DMC, I’ll say this. On
the WORLD Level, there does seem to be a lot of messed up
politics. One of my crewmates I. Emerge experienced a lot
of Anti American sentiment when he went over to compete
in the worlds. The treatment he got, the people from the
UK and the other countries did not seem to get. I can site
specific examples of this if need be, but rather not in
the interview. The DMC, what they do in the end, as well
as the ITF, for all the bitching that people do about it,
I’m happy they are around. It may not be the greatest,
but at least they are there, and its better then it used
to be. These competitions provide a forum for DJ’s
to flex their skills.
Tell us about Russell Gunn and Ethnomusicology
and your role?
Russell Gunn was the trumpet player on Buckshot Lafonque
– Brandford Marsalis’ Hip Hop funk jazz fusion
project from back in the day. Russ went on to do his own
project called Ethnomusicology, which is also the name of
the band and the albums. He incorporates a DJ, which is
usually me these days, but for the 1st 2 albums, it was
DJ Apollo (from ISP fame of course). The 1st 2 albums got
nominated for Grammies, 2 years in a row. The DJ essentially
plays a similar role to a percussionist. We all get solo’s,
and with the band, I’ve been able to travel the world.
1st time I played with them Branford Marsalis actually came
out and did his thing with us.
So
what would you say that you are most proud of in your DJ
career at this time?
That I’m still around and the only source of
income I have is from DJing, that my crew is still intact
after 8 years (longevity is rare in hip hop), and my mixtapes.
People are always trying to figure out a way to “make
it” as a DJ. Usually people will have to follow a
certain formula to get recognition/loot. For people who
want to make mixtapes these days, that usually means making
those exclusives – like a Kay Slay, Clue, Whoo Kid,
etc etc. I didn’t go that route with my stuff. I did
something kinda left field, kept the skills involved with
my tapes, didn’t sound bite my name in every other
song. Like I wrote above, a bunch of people at Rocafella,
in particular Jay-z and Damon Dash’s assistant had
heard my tapes. He bought all my tapes, and played them
for various folk at Rocafella. They ended up contacting
me to do some stuff for them. Within a week of them contacting
me, I got to meet Damon Dash. You don’t have to go
the normal quote unquote “sellout” route. Eventually
your skills will be recognized, if they should be.
What is your favourite mixtape you
have done so far?
2 Original. It was one of the quicker tapes to make,
but everything just clicked. It involved a lot more scratching
then the other tapes, and is entirely hip hop based, where
my true background lies. I think I have this rep for playing
a lot of soul and R&B classics, but I still love hip
hop the most.
What is the process from beginning
to end for you creating a mixtape?
1)Make a concept/idea 2)Start writing down songs,
sound bits etc that you think you want to use 3) Sit with
a four track and experiment until all the blends sound supercrisp,
and your cuts are super sharp 4) Reap untold benefits.
Your tapes have a concept behind
them, what separates you from the rest of the cats in the
game?
What separates me from the others is that I have turntablist
background. Let me put it like this. Turntablists –
real hardcore dj’s who have competed, or have immersed
themselves in that aspect of taking the turntable to the
level of instrumentation – we were all taught by Mr.
Miyagi. All the other DJ’s out there, they’re
members of the Cobra Kai. It’s the difference between
endo and oregano. The other thing that separates me is that
I go where not many other turntablists are willing to go.
Because Turntablism is so complex for the most part, only
those directly involved in it really can appreciate it.
I guess I try to bring it down a notch, so that the “average”
person can get into it a bit more. I also tend to deal with
multiple genres, and not all DJ’s are into that, or
have the records to do that….
What do you want people to walk away
with when they finish listening to one of your tapes?
I want them to have heard something that makes them
satisfied. I want them not to get bored of it. I want them
to think that they heard something that they can’t
hear anywhere else.
Are you getting into any production
work?
You know what, I would really like to, but I’m
not done with this turntablist stuff, or the mixtape stuff
that I’m into right now. Also, can’t afford
the nice shiny “production” equipment.
What
should we keep our ear out for from Dj Neil Armstrong in
2004?
More tapes – I’m planning to do a series
called the “A.O.K – All out Kings. It will be
a series where I hit a bunch of the other genres of music.
I’m slated to do two things with Rocafella/Roc Music,
but I don’t think it will ever be released for mass
consumption.
When all is said and done what do
you want people to remember about you and your music?
Well, 1st off, I’ve become known for my mixtapes,
and the mixtapes aren’t “my” music. I
use other peoples “poetry” to express my own.
I want my tapes to be classic, to be played 10 years from
now. I try to pay homage to people that inspired me on the
mixtape tip, like DJ Goldfinger, Ron G, Double R and G Bo
the pro. It would be nice if people 10 years from now still
remember me and my crew. I also would hope they walk away
with a new found respect for me. Money comes and goes, but
respect can only be earned.
Favorite song of all time: Hip Hop:
Scenario
Classics: All Night Long – Mary Jane Girls
Soul: As – Stevie Wonder
Rock: Under the Bridge – Red hot
New wave: How Soon is Now - Smiths
Favorite track to skratch with: “Yo Stop Frontin”
from the Super Duck Breaks
Favorite track to juggle with: SWV routine
Favorite battle break record: Super Duck Breaks
Favorite skratchin sound: ahh
of course
Producing equipment: nada nunca
Mixer: Rane 56
Turntable: Technic 1200
Any shout outs?
To my squad, the almighty 5th Platoon. To all those
that have supported and helped us along the way.
Related Link:
5thplatoon.com
