Akin a huge welcome to the pages of DMC.
Firstly a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on becoming the Technics/reloop DMC World Portablist Champion 2023!!! Let’s begin by taking you back in time though, what is your earliest memory of any music as a child?
Hey Dan, thank you for having me. Exciting times for sure. The first music I remember is Bir Mumdur İki Mumdur by Uğur Altınses and Can Hatice – both old Türkish songs.
When was this?
Wow. Well it was before kindergarten! We just arrived in Austria as migrants!
How old were you when you started to take a serious interest in DJing?
I think I was about 22. My brother Anel showed me how to mix with vinyl, then I tried to mix and imitate the scratches from the songs we knew – Sir-Mix-Lot, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Grand Mixer DST etc.
Early tracks you fell in love with?
Man a long time ago! I can recall loving Snap ‘The Power’ and even an old Elvis Presley song – my tastes were varied from an early age!
Who were some of your inspirations/heroes in the beginning?
I saw Mixmaster Mike with the Beastie Boys – 3 MCs and one DJ… totally incredible. Then I discovered Qbert and the Invisbl Skratch Piklz… DMC battles, teams scratching – it all just blew my mind. And the rest is history.
Can you remember any particular DMC Champion sets that blew your mind?
DJ Uncut was out of space!!!
What did your family think of your choice of career?
My family had no problem my career choice. I am blessed with my lovely family! My dad doesn’t like it so much because it doesn’t bring enough money in to live really well – similar to Qbert’s dad story!
You have entered many different battle categories in recent years – what is your favourite category and why?
Good question. My favorite category is pure scratching of course – because it is the most difficult and I have to be honest, it’s really like an instrument for me.
Who have been your toughest competitors you have battled?
For me, they were all good! Anyone who makes it to any Final is a tough competitor! In the Finals, it’s all about the questions… ‘who has a good run’? Is the beat good for me? Am I too stressed? Am I in a good flow? So many factors to consider!!
The Portablist competition has taken the world by storm – it’s the ultimate cool. Did you think you had a good chance of winning this year’s Championship?
No I didn’t expect to win. My goal was to get a free reloop Spin, maybe a top 3 ranking! After I won the Elimination Round I was surprised. But I thought that was just luck to be honest. And then I won and life just still for a moment as I realised my lifetime dream had come through!!
Where you happy with your winning set?
Yes I was pretty happy with my set. Those 2 extra days we got extra time was nice, I re-recorded my Final set which was better than the one I had done previously. So I was happy with that aspect.
What is the ultimate DMC dream?
The ultimate dream was to get a world title in a pure scratching category (Scratch or Portablist). And I got it!!!
What is the one piece of advice you can give to young aspiring turntablists reading this who want to follow in your famous footsteps?
Stay positive. Have fun. Analyze what you wanna learn. And practise practise practise. It took many years to be a really good turntablist, so don’t give up! I’m proud of myself. I never give up.
Okay so you are in charge of the World DJ Championships for one day. What changes would you do?
Hmm I would create a DMC Champions League where only DMC World Champions (single) can enter! And a big prize of up to 30,40 or 50k Dollars for winning. So maybe we get some legends back in the battle! Like Craze said, “put 50k on the table and I’ll enter!”
Who would you REALLY love to battle against? Any DJ dead or alive…
There’s nobody that jumps out. But I would love to jam with some good scratchers like Q, D, Mike and all the other legends. All finalists and winners from the DMCs!!!
Any shout outs?
Shout outs to every single one who supports our community and keeps Turntablism alive! DMC, all the sponsors, all the turntablists and everyone else involved in the scene. Big Up!
Thanks for having me!
Peace out.
A.K.A
