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| 563 :: Part 2 |
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Yeah, I’ve heard that the laws had got tighter. Obviously it’s not good news, but what can we do? We’re only playing music. Good music. A music that very few other stations play. That’s all we’re doing, and in the bigger picture I don’t really see why what we’re doing should warrant such a harsh punishment, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
So have you ever entered any DJ competitions? And if you have, how did you do? If you haven’t do you have any aspirations to go that route?
Nah, I don’t really consider myself anywhere near on that sort of level from a technical point of view. I let the tablists do their thing, and stick to what I’m good at – rocking parties.
Apart from yourself, which DJs do you feel are really on top of their form at the moment and are progressing the artform? Could you say why you rate them?
Personally, I think from a playout perspective, Kam (Beyond There / Mr Bongo) and Tufkut (Beats In Progress) are both heavily underrated. They both really know how to rock a crowd. And technically there are people like IQ, 2 Tall and Blakey that are doing good things.
What are your thoughts on the whole Turntabalism thing? Do you think that it is getting too elitist and maybe going up its own arse, or do you think that it is simply healthy competition and people going deep into a subject they love? Would you class yourself as a Turntablist or would you prefer to be seen as a straightforward DJ?
Ha ha. I consider myself a DJ. I’m into the whole Turntablist thing, but don’t have the skills to pull it off, or the time to really work that hard to get a routine together.
But yeah, I kind of think things are just getting too technical, to the point that the only people who can really, fully appreciate what’s being done, are other DJs. Not to say that what those guys are doing isn’t amazing, just that I think the musical aspect is kind of being overlooked slightly and overshadowed by the technical aspect. That’s one of the reasons why I rate Blakey. He seems to concentrate a lot more on Hip Hop records, rather than exclusively using battle breaks.
I really want to see some of these ‘tablists bring back body tricks. That’d be dope.
So we know you lock it down on the airwaves, but can you give us the details of any club nights you play at on the regular, and what can people expect and where are they?
I don’t have a residency at any specific club night, but work based around bookings, which is cool, as it means I get to play to different crowds and in different towns / cities. I’m always up for bookings, so if anyone wants to book me, they can get at me via my website – www.runtheline.com.
When I play out, I tend to just really try and rock the crowd, you know. Just dig deep in the crates and bring out some proper party music. But it really depends on the crowd I’m playing too. I usually pull out some mid-nineties tracks, and some Golden Era tunes, nicely blended, quick mixes. Throw in some lesser known remixes here and there, you know. I have a couple of little routines based around some of the vocals in some of the tracks, which link nicely together.
I just like to get the crowds jumping. Move them away from the bar and the edges of the room, and get them dancing.
What records are ever-present in your record box, ones that you know people will appreciate, they are guaranteed to do the job on the dancefloor?
Just the obvious classics. Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “TROY” always drops nicely, although I like to mix between the remix and the original to break it up a bit. Other 12”s that are always in my bag include MC Serch’s “Back To The Grill”, Biggie’s “Party & Bullshit”, some Main Source, Tribe, Lords Of The Underground, Gang Starr, Nice & Smooth, Mobb Deep, some old Wu-Tang and Akinyele.
I have heard that you have around 6000 records. How much space does that take up in your house?
Ha ha, yeah, I guess I have somewhere between 5 or 6 thousand records. It’s been a while since I counted them all. They take up a fair amount of room, but they’re kept pretty tidy in crates and racks.
It was far worse when I used to share a flat with Ghost. He has a similar amount of records to me, and our combined collection just took over the entire flat. There were records everywhere.
How on earth are you able to organise them all and know what you have?
Well, I’m kind of anally retentive like that, and have them all alphabetically. I know it sounds geeky, but with that amount of records, you need to keep them in some sort of order. So, if I’m in the mix, and I want to mix a specific track, I’d know exactly where it is and wouldn’t have sort through all my crates trying to find it.
Which records are your most valuable? Perhaps you could tell us about the most expensive, but also ones which mean the most to you?
I have a bunch of Japanese imports that I value quite highly, such as the Pete Rock & CL Smooth “Unreleased” 12” and the OC “Word… Life” DJ Celory Remix 12”. And I have a Tommy Boy promo copy of the DITC album that never got a proper release on Tommy Boy, which is quite sought after. And I have a Tragedy 12”, signed by Large Professor, which means a lot to me.
Everyone and their Dog seems to be some sort of DJ these days. Would you have any advice for people looking to do this, (apart from don’t of course!)? Is there anywhere people can go to learn all about this stuff, or do they simply have to teach themselves? Would watching videos help, or should you develop your own styles?
Oh man, yeah, there’s a lot of competition out there, and everyone seems to be a DJ, you’re right.
As far as advice goes, I’d probably say, just learn to mix, get that down. It’s so underrated and overlooked within Hip Hop, but makes the difference between a shitty DJ and a dope DJ. Also, know your records, and having some skills on the cut is always a good thing. Just practice, you know. I know it sounds obvious, but I guess it’s the most important thing. Practice, practice, practice.
There’s nothing wrong with checking out those tutorial videos, just as long as the DJ puts their own spin on things once they’ve mastered the basics.
Where do you like to pick up your vinyl? Do you have a special shop that you frequent because it has good service or a special selection, do you shop around all over, or are you lucky enough to get it all sent directly to you?
Ha ha, well, I guess I’d better mention Mr Bongo first, considering I work the occasional Saturday there. Bongo’s is always my first port of call, and I normally spend a couple of hours in there every Saturday.
I also hit up Major Flavas, Scenario, MSM, the secondhand spots, record fairs and online record stores pretty often. I’m a total fiend for it, to be honest. I’m out every Saturday record shopping and midweek I hit up the online stores whilst at work, just always buying records.
I do get sent a fair amount of records too, but nothing beats going out and digging for records.
Have you ever tried to DJ on those CD mixers? Or mp3 mixers? What do you make of that? Do you think that it is just something different and another tool to use? Or, like me, do you think that for now they just don't really work and to keep it real you still need to be using records?
Nah, I’ve not actually used them, but I’ve seen them in use, and I have to say, I really can’t see them ever taking over from proper turntables, at least not in Hip Hop’s case.
Like I said earlier, I got caught up in the whole worry of CDs taking over vinyl way back when. We were told vinyl would be extinct and that CDs were the future, but it’s still going really strong.
You just can’t replace records, as far as I’m concerned. The whole thing about buying records is so different to buying CDs or downloading mp3s. When you buy a record, just due to the size, you feel like you’re getting something of worth for your money and then there’s the artwork, which I don’t think ever translated well onto CD format, you know, the size of the full cover prints of 12”s and LPs. The smell of the vinyl, the sound of the crackle when you play it. That’s what makes vinyl special.
Although it isn't such a fear as it was 10 years ago, do you ever worry about the future availability of vinyl, or new releases at least?
For new releases, yeah, I can see it posing a threat, but we’ve been worrying about vinyl dying out for well over a decade, so I don’t really see it happening any time soon. And of late, it appears to me, that vinyl has seen a bit of a rise in popularity.
Where can people hear you play and your stuff, especially outside London?
Well, there’s my mixes that have been out, but I believe that most of those are sold out now. Other than that, people can catch me gigging when and if I’m in their town. Last year, I was fortunate to play a number of jams outside of London, and I hope to continue to get out there a bit more this year.
What do you make of the internet and what it can do for little known crews? Are you a technical bod, and are you gonna do your own website?
I’m online almost all the time, so I’d say that the net is definitely a good place to build up a rep. In fact, I’ve made a lot of links that way, and got my name out a bit further and got myself a fair few gigs through the internet, so it’s definitely a worthwhile tool.
Yeah, I have my own website - www.runtheline.com – that’s been running for a couple of years now. Currently, it’s just a holding page, but I’ve been working on the content for a while now, so soon it’ll be up and running proper.
What is going to be keeping you busy over the next few months?
Other than playing out and the radio, I’m currently working on a new mix CD, “What’s Real?” So I’ve just been getting records together for that and sorting out the mixes. It’s still in the early stages, but hopefully it’ll be out in the shops in the next couple of months. It’s gonna be different to the mixes that I’ve dropped before, but that’s about as much as I’m gonna say about it for now. Just keep an eye out for it in a few months. It’ll be well worth checking for.
Other than that, I have some artwork that’s keeping me busy. There’s the regular work I do for Undercover Magazine, and I’m doing the Artwork for Ghost’s new EP, so all in all, I’m keeping busy for the next few months.
What are your plans for the longer term?
In the long term, I’d like to get more gigs. It doesn’t get much better than playing out, so hopefully I’ll be on the gig scene a bit more in 2004. On top of that, if the new mix CD does well, then there will be follow ups to that, maybe a few more “Run The Line” and “Yoga 4 Health” mixes and then there’s always the radio as well, so make sure you keep tuned into Itch FM.
I ask everyone about politics, because I think it is important that we have knowledge of what is going on, but most current Hip Hop heads decline to answer. I guess they don’t want to upset anyone. Do you have anything to say on that? Any issues you think people need to open their eyes too?
Yeah, without wanting to go deep into my own political agenda, I do think it’s important for us all to be aware of what’s going on, with regards to politics. That’s about it really, just that folk need to keep up to date, and read up on what’s happening.
You were playing this St. Agnes Place gig. Can you tell us some of the story behind that? Why is it a cause you want to support?
Basically, I was in contact with this guy Ben P, who was putting this jam on with another guy, Baggie. Ben asked if I’d be up for DJing, which of course I was, and I put him in contact with Ghost and Kashmere, who I knew would be down to do a PA.
The jam was dope. There was a real good turnout, and the crowd really seemed to enjoy the performances. There were PA’s from Skinnyman, Extremists, Big P, Skeme and Estelle as well as Kash’ and Ghost, and I DJ’d a set in the bar and filled in between acts in the main room.
In terms of the cause, it was a jam to help out the squatters in St Agnes Place, who have been under threat of eviction from Lambeth Council. As far as I’m concerned, it was a good gig to be involved with, as it raised awareness and funds for the cause.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Just to remind the readers to keep their eyes peeled for the new mix, “What’s Real?”, when it drops and to keep tuned to Itch 10.15 FM.
Is there anyone else you would like to mention?
Yeah, thanks to you and the site for your time. Shout out to Ghost,
Kashmere and Receptor Records, Tufkut (Beats In Progress), Skeg & Rob at
Breakin Bread, All the Mr Bongo crew, Itch FM management, DJs and
listeners, Undercover Magazine, everyone who’s supported me by checking
my tapes or coming down to any of the jams I’ve played at, and Suze for
the photos.Thank you very much for finding the time to let the readers know a bit more about yourself. Best wishes and good luck for the future.
Back to Part One
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Visit 563 on the web: www.runtheline.com :: Email: [email protected] |
| Intro |
Early Doors: 1979-1985 |
False Dawn: 1985-1990 |
Underground Years: 1990-1995 |
The Renaissance: 1995- 2000 |
The Future: 2000 & Beyond |
Artists & Discographies |
