Three times World Champion, a turntablist legend. Never afraid to test musical boundaries with skills like you would never believe. The big man is back with a massive new EP – ‘Bow Down’. Yes sir we do. Dan Prince gets the world exclusive…
9Interview by Dan Prince
DMC has produced some of the most incredible DJs of all time via our World DJ Championships: Ca$h Money. C2C. A-Trak. Kentaro. Switch. QBert. Scratch Perverts. DJ David. Kireek. The list goes on and on. But there has only ever been one DJ Craze. A feared warrior who swept the board wherever he lay his stylus – three times in a row!!! A mad scientist who sliced and diced beats into a breathtaking sonic all over the world leaving his rivals in his wake. There are few turntablists who then continued his craft on the club/festival/recording stage…well this man did. At this point we are gonna hand over the pen to Darren Ressler, the former Editor of Mixer Magazine and his thoughts of quite simply one of the greatest DJs ever to grace the Technics ones and twos…
“When Craze is behind a set of 1200s and a mixer he’s an artist who writes songs before your very eyes. Craze is the consummate performer when he’s on stage: sometimes he’s shy, sometimes he’s cocky, but I’ve never heard him be anything short of absolutely magnificent. Craze moves at the speed of light. Sleep on his skills and he’s gonna leave you in the dust.”
Hey man welcome back to DMC!! You are in the middle of your Asia tour…how is it going…you ripping it up out there?
“Yeah Dan I’m half way done thru my Asian tour and it’s been incredible. Like really incredible not the generic DJ answer for everything. All the shows have been rammed and I’ve been doing me the whole time.”
When I told the founders of DMC Tony & Christine Prince that I was interviewing you today they shouted “we love Craze – one of the GREAT and KINDEST guys in the industry!” DMC loves you dude…
“I love Tony and Christine back. I owe my life to DMC and they were always supportive of me and treated me with love and respect.
Mad love to the Prince family!!”
So young man, we can always rely on the great man Craze for telling it like it is. “The current state of DJing is more cheerleading than actual work” was the opening line of an interview you did recently…soon followed by your stupendous four minute routine based on Kanye’s ‘New Slaves’. Take that Aoki, Guetta, Hilton and co!! Does this crazy cake throwing, celebrity, miming, fancy dress behavior actually bother you? It’s a big world out there…
“No they don’t bother me AT ALL. I chose to do this routine for all the DJs out there that feel like I do but are tooscared or just don’t know how to express themselves without sounding like haters. I caught myself a couple of times sounding a bit off in my comments about DJing so I thought instead of words I’ll show the world what I mean thru my skills.”
Check the New Slaves set here – it’ll blow your mind DMC…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ielxe6wjLLE
How did DMC impact on your life – how might it have been different had you not won the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS three times?
“The DMCs changed my life forever because it gave me the bragging rights and status to travel the world as a DJ first and not a producer. Had I not won the DMCs people wouldn’t have embraced me all over the world as they did. The DMCs is still the most respected DJ battle in the world.”
Sit back and enjoy DJ Craze winning the DMC World Final 1999…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nbJfSLxy1U
You and your predecessor DMC Champions opened the creative floodgates. How difficult is it these days for a new DJ on the block to be totally original, is there still room to create a style or an idea that no one has ever done before?
“I feel like there’s still a lot of new original creative ideas out there to be discovered. There’s always a new level. When I start working on my routines my brain is non stop thinking of new things to do and I don’t think I’m super human or anything so I know people can do the same if they really try. Especially nowadays with all these new toys on mixers like sample decks and effects…it’s limitless and I encourage people to step out the box and try.”
There was no SOCIAL MEDIA back in the day, how does it effect you today?
“Social media only effects me in the way that sometimes I wish I had a filter and didn’t be so open with my thoughts…It’s really easy to misunderstand something I write on social media and flip it around on me. The other thing about social media is that I wish I didn’t HAVE to be on it constantly. Lost are the days of being mysterious.”
Your new EP ‘Bow Down’ drops in December. Please talk us through the sounds of the release…
“Bow Down is my EP coming out on Slow Roast. The lead single is with Miami legend Trick Daddy and it’s a braggadocious club banger. Got some dancehall, some club and a trap tune. Very happy how it came out.”
Check it…https://soundcloud.com/crazearoni1/bow-down
Over at DMC we love your honesty. You tried Drum & Bass because you loved the music even though your crew didn’t. You toured with Kanye because you wanted to see what it was like on a tour of such a scale. You left the D&B scene because it stopped making you happy the way you had to beg labels for tunes and you were pissed at the way certain DJs were treated better. Do you ever look back with anger?
“I never look back with anger. I feel like I was a plus to the scene so if I didn’t get the love I wanted it wasn’t for me. I still love drum & bass!!! I just am not fit for ANY politics in ANY scene. I will be doing something special for one of my favorite drum and labels very soon tho…”
10 big dope tracks in your box this weekend…
1. Craze – – Bow Down ft. Trick Daddy
2. Jack Ü – – Take Ü There [Craze Took It There Edit]
3. Craze & Teeko – – Sucka Djs
4. Drake – – Trophies [Mr. Carmack rmx]
5. Troyboi – – And Wot
6. Destructo – – Party Up (GTA Remix)
7. Ape Drums – – Bookshelf Riddim [refix]
8. Mura Masa – – Lotus Flower
9. Rage Logic – – Slim
10. Ruckazoid – – The Ruler ft. King Ruck
DMC has never imposed rules and regulations on the creative technique brought to the championships. Even the body tricks faded and were never banned by DMC. But some feel a DMC World Champion should be an all round exponent of the many sides to mixing live and various elements should be featured in their performances. What do you think?
“I think the DMCs should be all about skills. I feel that even the equipment shouldn’t be limited. If a bad ass DJ could do what we do on CDJs he should be allowed to show he’s better than us who only use decks. SKILLS is what really matters in DMCs.”
Taking yourself and all the other great winners across the years, what is the general ingredient that binds everyone together. In other words, what makes a great DMC Champion?
“I think what makes a great DMC champion is originality, technicality and overall skills.”
How much of an eye do you keep on the DMCs these days…
“I’ll be honest, I don’t keep an eye out as much as I used to. When dudes started making there own records to juggle, it kind of lost me. And lets not get it twisted, I did that one year but it was only to use it in a juggle that required needle skipping for my idea not for the whole routine.”
What are the plans for Slow Roast in 2015…
“2015 is gonna be big year for Slow Roast. We’re gonna keep bringing you the fresh new future thinking music and hopefully tour the world with some of the artists on the label. Our plan is to just keep growing and hopefully become like Fools Gold and Mad Decent as we have so much respect for both labels.”
“This is an artform that I feel doesn’t get the respect it deserves but as long as I’m breathing I will do my best to bring you that heat!” Another class Craze quote. How much flack do you receive out on the circuit from the EDM fans, they don’t get it, never will…but music narrow mindedness is a poor quality to have…
“EDM fans don’t give me that much flack but there is a “who cares what you do up there as long as you make me smile bro” attitude. I think this is the reason why most DJs spend a lot of their time up there cheer leading. It’s almost like EDM parties are one big pep rally. But like I said, I’m gonna keep pushing new music and skills on them cause that’s what I love to do.”
What is the record that…
Reminds you of your childhood?
Ahmad – – Back In The Days
Always gets you jumping around?
Anything by Mr. Carmack
Reminds of you having your heart broken?
Pharcyde – – Passin Me By
You wish you would have made?
Herbie Hancock – – Rockit
And finally, 1 DJ to watch out for in 2015…
“If we’re talking in general…Gaslamp Killer — his energy is thru the roof and plays new fresh shit all the time no matter where you put him. If we’re talking new on the scene…Ape Drums — he’s a great DJ and entertainer and I love his fusion of Dancehall and EDM.”
