Slynk

DJ Cola gets inside the funky head of Vancouver’s finest

Interview by DJ Cola

 

Slynk is from another planet and he has the title “The Funkiest DJ” on it. If Slynk went to school he would graduate with a degree in ghetto funk with honors. I caught up with him to talk about his worldwide domination on the 1’s and 2’s, his bootlegs, remixes and his “Surprise Set” mix from 2012 at the Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia inside their Fractal Forest…


Welcome to DMCWORLD Slynk!  Where are you in the world and what are you up to?

“I’m back in Vancouver chilling in my studio after a long few months of summer festivals and various gigs around the world. Finally I can get back down to writing music!”



First I have to talk about your Fractal Forest DJ set in 2012 (see slynk.net).  It’s called a “Surprise Set”.  You weren’t scheduled to play at all at the festival that year.  You were just partying with everyone else!  Would you care to tell us the story about this special night?

“Back in 2012 I was still living in Australia, but I decided to make the trip all the way to Canada to party with all my homies at Shambhala! I lined up a few gigs after Shambhala so I had all my DJ gear with me. I walked into the Fractal Forest on the Friday afternoon and bumped into the stage manager. He asked me if I wanted to play in the Forest the following night because The Correspondence couldn’t make it. Apparently one of the guys was injured or something? I instantly accepted and ran back to camp to tell my mates haha! Timothy Wisdom offered to come on stage with me and explain to the crowd about the unfortunate cancellation of The Correspondence show and introduce me. It’s all on YouTube. Check it out!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trp3RIwyziU

The Fractal Forest set reminds me of Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold’s Essential Selection Vol. One from 2000.  I’m referring to Fatboy Slim’s mix of course, not Paul’s.  I remember exactly where I was when I was handed the CD from a friend to borrow. Your set is like that moment.  It’s  like a college marching band finding out they are going to cover a song by Michael Jackson for the big game for the first time– but seriously; Motown, Funk, Dub, Reggae, Drum and Bass and even Count Basie influence your mix.  In it you have a remix of Fatboy Slim’s track “Mad Flava” and there is a track by Krafty Kutz on there called “Bad Boy Bass”.  These are two masters at making breaks.  Along with them who else have you admired over the years? 

“I haven’t heard that CD actually! I might have to check it out. A Skillz has been one of my heroes for years. A local DJ in my hometown by the name of “Grozny” was rocking all his Insane Bangers stuff on vinyl every weekend at this club. This was way back before I even started DJing and it was my first time hearing music mashed up and sampled like that. I couldn’t get enough. Before that I was listening to and loving a lot of other creative sample based stuff like Avalanches, Resin Dogs, Ugly Duckling and Propellerheads. Hip hop was especially interesting to me and I loved researching into where guys like De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Run DMC and Beastie Boys got their samples you know? It was like I could imagine them sitting in the studio sampling this stuff.” 

Your track “His Name Is Slynky (Intro)” is a powerful “drop” in the Fractal Forest 2012 mix.  It introduces you to the crowd.  There are several drops you play in the set.  Who is Tom Drummond and how did these drops come about?

“Tom Drummond is this awesome dude from Perth in Australia that I wrote a bunch of tunes with. He’s super talented, solid ideas and a cool guy too! It’s weird that you would mention him while we’re talking about intro skits LOL. Those intro things are usually just something fun that I made to start my set off with to introduce myself. I’m usually too shy to get on the microphone so I let my music do the speaking for me.”

You work with acapellas in your DJ sets and you must have just killed the crowd that night back in 2012.  Like when Mark Morrison and “Return Of The Mack (Acapella)” comes on I dance along to it at home in my headphones!  On your website you have tutorials on how to extract acapellas from songs (http://slynk.net/tutorials).  Would you give us some technical insight on how you put acapellas in your DJ mixes and tracks?

“I’ve been using popular acapellas in my music since the very beginning. When I got my first gig as a DJ I quickly realized that, in general, crowds are more responsive to stuff they are somewhat familiar with and less responsive with stuff that is completely new. I started mashing up my favorite funk songs with popular hip hop and rnb acapellas as a way to sort of educate people about the hidden gems that 70s funk music has to offer. Those mashups were very simple and it was all experimental back then but people seemed to enjoy their favorite acapellas in a fresh new funky way.” 




How did you get involved with the Shambala Festival in Canada anyway?  You’ve played there several times, 2011, 2012, and 2013. 

“The first Shambhala I played was actually in 2009. I’d just released my debut EP on Goodgroove Records around then. I honestly have no idea how I scored a set at Shambhala! But I got on a plane for my first trip overseas ever, and played my first festival ever. It was a big year for me! I was nervous as funk man, but the Shambhala VIP people were very accommodating and I got a half hour massage before my set to chill me out a bit haha! I guess they liked what I did that night and invited me back again and again.” 



Is Canada your new home now?  What’s special about the scene in Canada, Eh?

“Yeah I’m living in Vancouver on Commercial Drive which is a super nice area. Fresh produce and beautiful restaurants all the way up and down the street. I’ve been all around the world and I haven’t felt more at home anywhere else. I’m not sure what it is about Canada. Maybe it’s the silly accent, maybe it’s the over-polite attitude, maybe it’s all the special friends I’ve made here that makes me want to stay!”

You played in New Zealand and Australia in 2014.  You’re from Australia originally.  I guess they want you back!  I know the scene there is something else.  What are your thoughts about being a part of it now?

“Haha! Yeah I did a little AUS/NZ tour earlier this year. I’m planning to go back again early next year because I’m playing a big festival in NZ! I’m not sure if I can talk about it yet, but it’s been a dream of mine to play this festival for a while now. Happy to be invited.”

You’ve had releases on the labels Adapted, Goodgroove, Manmade, Jalapeno, Disco Cakes, Jungle Cakes, Bombastic Jam, Ghetto Funk, Resoul Records, Bombstrikes, Grits ‘n Gravy, Breakbeat Paradise, Roca Records, and Big M.  Tell us what your studio schedule is like working on so many professional projects.

“Oh man. It’s an absolute mess. Seriously. I am actually in the process of tidying up my project folders and sample banks in an attempt to streamline my music making process. I was lucky enough to get a few tips from my good friend Mr. Bill about how to go about organizing my shit. And he’s a good person to be talking to about this stuff. He’s super organized and is about to release his second album this year. Truly inspirational. If I could be just 10% more organized I’m sure I would be way more productive.”

Winning the Breakspoll Award in 2014 for “Best Free Track” for Uncle Louie’s “Full Tilt Boogie (Slynk and Stickybuds remix)” must have been an honor.  What is the story behind it? 

“Stickybuds was on an Australian tour back when I was still living in Brisbane. He was crashing at my place and we decided to try writing a tune together one night. Fast forward about 6 hours and we’d basically finished it. Sometimes the ideas are flowing and you’re feeling super inspired that it feels like the track is writing itself. We held off for a long time on releasing it so that A Skillz had a chance to include it in his mixtape because he was really feeling the tune. After his mix came out, people were really excited about the song and when we finally released it, it just took off on soundcloud. I didn’t even know there was a “Best Free Track” category for Breakspoll until we were nominated to win it! It was all a big happy surprise and my first music related award.”

In March 2011 you were ranked #1 on the Juno Recommends Chart for the Breakbeat genre with the Slynk vs Ed Solo’s remix “I Wish” by Skee-Lo out on Disco Cakes.  What inspired you to remix that and how did it find a home at the label Disco Cakes?

“I love the original track and wanted to remix it so that it would crank hard on the dancefloor. That’s basically all the inspiration I need haha. I was asked by the guys at Disco Cakes if I had any new tunes in the works that I was looking to release and I sent them the “I Wish” remix. They were digging it and asked for the stems for mastering. I sent them away and forgot about it. I didn’t hear anything from them until I saw the artwork for the release on Facebook with the tracklist mentioning “Slynk vs Ed Solo”. I was confused because nobody mentioned to me that Ed Solo would be essentially remixing my remix but also excited because Ed Solo is a dope producer and I really wanted to hear what he did with it. It was as much of a surprise for me as it was for everyone else.”  

An original track you made called “Wiggle It” is out to help “Bass for Autism”.  How did you get involved with them?

“The guys at Bass For Autism contacted my manager and asked if I would be interested in being involved with their project. I thought it was a good idea for a good cause, said yes and got busy writing a track. That’s about the end of the story haha.”  


 

In 2013 you had a European tour playing in Norway, Germany, Cyprus, Scotland, The UK, The Netherlands and Austria.  On your website you said it was a dream come true.  Tell us about the experience….

“It was my first dose of real world touring. I’d never been to a non English speaking country before and I was really nervous but excited to explore the world and meet crazy people from a different walk of life. I’m sure you can imagine it was like a dream come true. Everybody wants to get out and see what the world has to offer but not everybody has the chance to do it. Touring all around the world like that is a real privilege but it is hard work. I remember my transit from Norway to Cyprus was one of the hardest days traveling I’ve ever had. It was dark, raining and cold up in Norway and then I got on a bus and 3 planes and 24 hours or something later I landed in Cyprus where it was bright and hot as funk! It took me a day or two to bounce back from the time and weather changes.”  

 

On October 11th 2014 you played at the Tribaltech Reborn Music Festival in Brazil…  

“Yes! Tribaltech was incredible. It was my first time to South America and it was beautiful. The weather reminded me of back home in Australia. REALLY hot. I loved hanging out with my homies from Funk The System and funking up big crowds!” 

In your interview with Dastardly Kuts, on freebreaksblog.com from 2013, you say “I like anything that makes you smile.  I’m not into anything dark or evil sounding.  I keep a fun happy vibe to my sets.”  Don’t you think it is time to crown yourself the “Fun-est” DJ on the planet as well as the funkiest?  Where did the title “The Funkiest DJ on the planet” come from anyway?

“I have done quite a few gigs with my good friend Timothy Wisdom in the past year and he ALWAYS calls me the funkiest DJ on the planet. So when it came time to redesign my website this year, my graphic designer, Dan Harder, thought it would be a great idea to add that line to the top of the page! Honestly, I don’t consider myself the funkiest DJ on the planet, but that is my goal and my mantra haha!”

Your free EP “Funk Fascination” on soundcloud says in the description : “You might have noticed I have a fascination or, let’s be honest, an obsession with all different types of funk music.”  In the interview from freebreaksblog.com you say your dad’s taste in music influenced yours.  Tell us about growing up with your dad and the funk music he listened to…

“Dad has always had a huge music collection. In fact, so does my Grandma but her music taste sucks haha. I don’t even know how to describe what she listens to. It’s horrible. But I’d still go digging in her collection for samples. I bet there is some nice jazz in there somewhere! Dad exposed me to a lot of motown, funk and hiphop music growing up (as well as a lot of typical “Dad” rock). I found myself wanting to learn piano as a kid because I wanted to be just like Stevie Wonder. I feel massive amounts of nostalgia when I hear Stevie Wonder – Treat Myself, which was one of my favorite songs of his. The beautiful harmonizing melody sends shivers up my spine and I completely escape from reality for a moment of complete happiness which is kind of what the song is about. My Dad knows exactly what I’m talking about. His afternoon ritual when he finishes work is to put on a record and chill on the couch with a cocktail and just loose himself in the music. Nobody gets more excited about music than my Dad. He’s always tracking down the best pressing or the best mastering of his favorite record and comparing them to each other at top volume of course haha! When I was very young, around 5 years old I think, my Dad used to play Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tears Of A Clown all the time which would send my brother and I into a linked arm dancing frenzy. It’s funny because the song is a very depressing song but to a young and innocent boy all I heard was a super funky and happy tune that I absolutely had to dance to RIGHT NOW.” 



Also in the Free Breaks Blog interview, I read you learned how to make music with a Playstation One.  On your bio it says you started making music at 12 years old.  It also states you spent a lot of time teaching yourself how to make tracks. What was your progression from a Playstation One music game to Ableton? 

“I begged my Dad for that Playstation game. I filled up 4 or so of those memory cards with different song ideas and stuff. I loved it. There was too many limitations with it though. I wanted more flexibility. I wanted to share my songs with my friends. I didn’t know you could make music on computers until my brothers friend showed me a program called Rebirth. It’s basically just 2 synths and 2 drum machines which you could sequence using a step sequencer. Really basic stuff but I had to turn every knob and figure out what everything did. I was hooked. My brothers room mate heard I was into making music on computers and showed me a program called Fruityloops. I distinctly remember saying to him, “this program is going to keep me busy for the rest of my life.” I started writing original hip hop beats and drum and bass tracks but eventually I started experimenting with sampling more and more. I read online that Ableton was much better for working with samples and I gave it a try. I never took any class or course on music production. I just taught myself through experimentation, reading online, or asking other producer friends.” 


 

When did you learn to scratch?  Have you ever entered a DMC Championship?

“I have never entered a DMC comp. I know I scratch a lot during my DJ sets and what not but I don’t really consider myself a very good scratcher. I’d need a lot more practice before I could even think about entering! Like production, I taught myself to scratch. My friend in high school was given a set of shitty belt driven decks for his birthday one year. He played around with them for a few weeks and eventually got bored of it. Fast forward a few years and I’m catching up with him at his place and notice his decks in the corner covered in dust. I asked him about them and he just straight up gave them to me. I got them home and got right to work experimenting and trying to understand scratching. I must have been about 18 or 19. I’d practice till my arms hurt, then I’d rest and practice more. I’d record myself scratching and listen back and try to improve on my mistakes. It’s something that I’m still trying to learn.”  

 


What made you eat a banana on reaching 10,000 Soundcloud followers?  Now you have over 20,000.

“I asked my fans on Facebook what I should do to celebrate. I got a bunch of comments like “release a new song”, “play a party in my town” etc… But one chick said “eat a banana” so I did. I hope that one chick is happy.”


 

I like to dissect genres.  Can I get your definition of what “glitch hop”, “ghetto funk” and even what “breaks” means to you?

“Well breaks is much faster in tempo than glitch hop or ghetto funk typically at around 120-135BPM. There is many different sub genres of breaks, but the defining characteristic is that syncopated drum pattern we know as the breakbeat. That “kick, snare, kick kick, snare” pattern. Old funk songs would often have a section of the song where the musicians would take a rest and the drummer would power through. A drum solo, or a breakbeat. DJs in the 80s and 90s started juggling or looping these breakbeats while their MCs would throw down on the mic, giving birth to hip hop music. These breakbeats are heavily sampled in breaks tracks. Ghetto Funk is like dubstep influenced funk and or hip hop. Take those crazy heavy screaming basslines from dubstep, mix them up with some nice funk samples and some hip hop hype and you’ve got a Ghetto Funk track. Glitch Hop has been evolving over the past few years, slowly moving from music like Prefuse 73’s album One Word Extinguisher released in 2003, which is what I used to consider Glitch Hop, to stuff that is less “glitchy” and frantic and something that more resembles dubstep at a faster tempo. Since Glitch Hop and Ghetto Funk are typically a similar tempo and Glitch Hop producers are making their music more and more funky, the line that separates these two genres is slowly becoming more and more blurred.”  

 

What are your top five tracks in your record bag right now?

“I hate questions like these. Too hard to choose!”

 

What was your summer track of 2014?

“Everything that they play on Wefunk Radio.” 



I read somewhere when you aren’t DJing your other hobby is rock climbing and snowboarding. Those two things are very popular where I live in Colorado.  If you ever want to visit I’ll give you a place to stay in exchange for teaching me Ableton, okay?

“You got yourself a deal! Thanks for the great questions. Peace!”

***

Would you like to see Slynk scratch and eat a banana celebrating 10,000 soundcloud followers on youtube?  Then don’t walk, do the running man, to the links below… 

http://www.slynk.net

http://www.youtube.com/slynkdnb

http://www.facebook.com/evanslynk

http://www.twitter.com/evanslynk

http://www.youtube.com/slynkdnb

http://soundcloud.com/slynk/shambhala-fractal-forest-2012

http://slynk.net/mixtape/slynk-shambhala-fractal-forest-live-2012-surprise-set/

http://www.daniomanagement.com    

https://www.facebook.com/daniomanagement

Biography of author:

Evan Hundhausen received his MFA in creative writing from Naropa University in 2001. He currently writes about DJs for DMCWORLD.net and Colorado Music Buzz.  Visit his blog at : http://www.djcola.net