I had the opportunity offered to me, to interview DJ Revolution. I threw him a bunch of questions over Email and he has got back to me with his answers to them. I would have done it over the phone, but I don’t have the equipment to record a phone conversation and also the Time Zones would’ve meant doing it at 3am or some rediculous time of night. Anyway, Enough of excuses!

Here is the interview:

What are your feelings with the way DJing has gone since the digital platforms (Serato & Torq) came out?

I love it. The Hardware/Software that has revolutionized Dj’ing has enabled me to do things that were impossible before its advent. Some people would look at the fact that now anyone who has 500 bux and a laptop can claim to be a Dj as a drawback. This would only turn out to be a drawback if you didnt have skillz before u started using it. If you in fact has skill and real life pro experience before the new digital stuff came around it shouls make you that much better than a ‘wanna-be’ Dj. If it doesnt, than you are just being lazy, and rest a ssured if you ever have the misfortune of playing before me i will do my best to make you look even worse.

What made you change your mind in order for you to switch to being a Torq User?

It was simple. Torq was just a better tool that gave me FAR more options than anything else.
I don’t want to go any further really to sell the product for the company because they recently decided to leave me hanging when i asked them to support me like i have supported them. They are all take and very little give. They really dont support Hip Hop or for that matter the DJ community in general the way they should. I sold that shit for them and really launched it into the market and the see it differently. Honestly, i just recently switched back to using Serato at some gigs where its more convenient because it was never about Serato being a bad product.
I actually really liked it and had a great relationship with the owners/founders of the company.

What features do you like on Torq?

Again, as much as i like torq im not going to go into it because im very disappointed with how M audio has been pimping everyone that has really gone above and beyond the norm to push the product. We’ll see if another credible DJ can sell their product for them because i am done. Even though serato basically did the same thing, at least they were cool people and really had a genuine love for the Dj community.

Do you still travel/tour with a bag full of records?

Ha, nah. I dont even bring ANY backup vinyl in case of a crash. Im confident in my skills and my ability to interact with the crowd if something goes wrong. Its part of being a good DJ.

When you’re listening to another DJ’s set, what do you look out for in the set in order for you to decide whether he/she is good or not?

First thing is i check out the crowd to see if they are really enjoying it. At a club or event thats the most important thing. If the DJ isnt mixing records on beat….or dropping the records in on time in the right places thats enough for me to say they are wack. Your job is to keep the party moving, not to distract them by busting up a groove with a horrible mix or loud scratching over a rappers verse or some shit. A Dj wouldnt have to scratch at all in a set for me to think thet were good. Just rock the party. However, if you are doing stuff for a mixtape or cutting on a persons record in a studio session the things i look for change dramatically. Thats when you get put under my microscope becuase you have all the time in the world to make your shit perfect and if its not you either dont have what it takes to be good or you are again just simply lazy.

Before you play a live set in a club or concert, do you do anything to determine what music you wish to play out, or do you just play what you feel like and hope the crowd digs the set?

I read the crowd before i really decide what im gonna play. I Check out the ratio of women to men and what songs they are reacting to, even what they are wearing will help determine what you can get a way with in a set. This to me is an edge. Doing this is a skill that a pro develops over many years. Of course i have certain groups of songs i like to mix together in a set but being able to get in and out of those routines or set mixes can be the difference between killing it and just keeping the party going. With this new digital shit i find myself trying new things almost every time i play out.

Being the DJ for the Wake Up Show, how much exposure did the show do for your career as DJ Revolution?

It helped me tremendously in the beginning. It plugged me into the industry which gave me a priceless education. The show introduced me and my uniqe way of Dj’ing to millions of people and enabled me to break new artists which might have not gottena chance to get heard otherwise. Being in that position also gave me the opportunity branch out and do things on my own. After the momentum of the show died down around 2000 or so i had learned enough and gained enough experience to do things on my own but still be connected to the show. I put out albums, scored movies, toured the world. After around 2002 i would go to places as big as New York or London or paris or shit, even in LA where cats didnt even know the show was on the air anymore. It was a wake up call about the future but also it gave me confidence that i was doing the right thing building my own brand. Of course i learned how to really do that from watching Sway & Tech do it for many years before me.

Do you follow the Battle scene, if so which competition do you prefer out of the ITF’s and the DMC’s?

Well to be quite honest i really stopped being into the battle seen when people really stopped putting hip hop into their routines. I was judging a lot of battles a while back and found that all these kids not putting enough soul into the shit because the music they were using to cut over and juggle was just like some abstract break beat shit. Kids were just standing up there hunched over the tables scratching like maniacs or doing crazy juggles with drum and bass music. There is nothing wrong with that, i actually dig that shit….but its just not what i want to see when people are doing something that came from Hip Hop. I need to bob my head and feel the soul of the DJ thats rocking the decks. I miss the New Music Seminar days. The Supermen Battles. The DMC comps were dope but lost me a while back. Now dont get me wrong they are still great outlets for Djs to get recognized for the skills and i love watching and listening to it to find out whos doing what.

Who is your all time favourite battle DJ?

hmmm….i would have to say Roc Raida. Followed by Dj Scratch

How do you feel the way the Battle Scene going with the influence European Countries have on the competitions?

I love it but it just brings me back to the point i made earlier about the lack of Hip Hop in the battles. Drum and bass and techno is huge out there and has had a big influence on what up and coming Djs like. Thats great. its supposed to do that. However, the particular style of DJing that they are using to battle each other is something that is unique to Hip Hop. They learned it from Hip Hop Djs and the culture. Why is it absent in the routines?

With your new LP coming out, what do you set out to achieve?

To reconnect the Dj with the MC. These days its all about superstar MC’s. I love that, but where is the DJ. The Dj took backstage a long time ago and for that the music has taken a turn for the worse. I was saying the same thing when i put in 12′s we trust out. Just imagine if Kanye West gave A-trak a 10 second scratch feature on his new hit record and showed it in the video. That would change the way Dj’s were viewed instantly. Most rap albums have little or no scratching on them. Its an afterthought. Background seasoning. Well, made a rap album the DJ way. I set out to show people what the music can sound like when a DJ that loves to push the envelope musically puts an album together from beginning to end. I think a did a good job.

With the artists you have chosen to work with, what characteristics do you look at to decide whether they should work on a track or not?

I looked to see whether or not the artist could complete my vision for the song or, whether the artist could be themselves on the record and fit within the context of my album. I only worked with people i respect as artists and that i am a fan of.

What is your take on Rap Music at the moment, what do you like and what do you dislike?

I dislike Lil’ Wayne. I dislike T Pain. Other than that its still the same shit. Good stuff and bad stuff. Just happens to be more bad stuff than good. We need a renaissance movement to balance it out. I think there is a lot of new up an comers to spark that off. I have some of em on my new record.

Who is your all time favourite rapper, and why?

Rakim. There has never been anyone to touch his style, skill or his presence. Untouchable

During your tours to New Zealand, have there ever been any stand out DJs you saw playing?

Of course. Sir-vere, P-Money, Alphabet Head, Raw…plenty of other cats. New Zealand always represented.

Which city do you find better to play in, Auckland or Wellington?

I had one of the best shows ever out in Wellington, but to be fair on that same tour i had
an awesome show in Auckland as well. They were both great in different ways. I’ve been hoping to come back to Auckland soon. I havent been in a while and i love the place.

I am glad I got this opportunity. Props to the man Matt for hooking this up, I cannot thank you enough! I hope all you readers enjoyed this interview. I will try my best to hook stuff like this up for Scratch Dat! as much as I can

Shot!

Posted September 9th, 2008 by Joe Turksta

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