Hi Switch, so you have taken part in the DMC Championships for quite a few years, you have just got better and better over the time spent behind the turntables. Cutmaster Swift tipped you for a major title a few years back and this year has been a pretty successful year for you by regaining your UK Supremacy title for the third time, winning the UK Team Championship with your crew the Bionic Stylus Crew and then onto winning your first World title, The 2008 DMC Battle For World Supremacy… how have you stepped up the game?
“I started out – not being crap. Talent helps…”
So 2008 – winning the UK Supremacy again this year… how did you prepare for the Battle for Supremacy competition?
“I did a lot of pre-planning for this year, I made a spreadsheet listing all my rounds and possible opponents to work out what I should use against who. I came up with new routines about a fortnight after last year’s Finals! So it was on my mind throughout the year and after winning the UK Title three times in a row, I kinda thought “if I don’t get the World Title now, then what? Would it be worth doing it again?” I knew beforehand I would be one of the favourites, but you never really know what your chances are until you see what everyone else brings on the day.”
What set you apart from your competitors this year from other years? How has your style differed from say, last year?
“I kept my approach of flipping well-known tracks by using their original samples, but strangely what helped me this year, was getting knocked out very early the year before. I could pick and choose my best stuff from this year and that, that I hadn’t shown people on the world platform. Style-wise, I’ve probably stayed the same, just trimmed down my material to keep the best bits.”
You are at Nottingham Uni, what the fuck are you doing there? Nice city, but my ex-bird is up there so not somewhere I’ll be checking out for a while?
“Ha – well I’m in the second year of my Design Degree at the mo, mainly ’cause as nice as it is playing out over the place, it’s hard to get enough money to make a living just out of that, so I’m doing the course to bring the money in basically. But even if it may not bring in as much as a normal job, I’ll always be a DJ. Even when I’m on a zimmerframe.”
Who have been your Turntablist heroes over the years? Everyone says Q-Bert…
“Well, my first exposure to the DMC’s was through all the UK Final videos, so my heroes would be DJs on there – the Scratch Perverts, DJ Tigerstyle, Skully… England’s traditionally had a very healthy scene so a lot of people brought something that made you go “I wish I’d thought of that” and made you want to improve. Woody particularly has been one of the most inventive DJs in recent years, he’s pushed so many boundaries and he did it in a period where everyone thought everything new had been done.”
What music is on your ipod that maybe we wouldn’t expect?
“A lot of strange cover versions, theme tunes, genre-bending stuff. My fave tune of the moment is a Chase & Status track from their album, starts off as an 80’s cheese thing then turns into a dubstep track without any warning!”
What was the moment when you thought, I want to win a DMC World Final, make a name for myself in this world and prove people wrong?
“My first world final in ’06 was just a “see what happens”, ’cause getting a national title was my only aim for that year, anything else was bonus. The reviews basically said Switch looked a bit out of place and they were right, but considering I got to the Semi Final just doing whatever, well the year after I knew I had to better that – up the ante and I got hungry for the big prize.”
Best Hip Hop Album of all time?
“Considering I supported Public Enemy earlier in December, it would have to be ‘It Takes A Nation’. It’s still the best selling hip hop album of all time, after 20 years you can’t get better than that.”
Which Turntablist ever has given you the best advice in your career?
“Good question. I would guess my former tutor DJ Tanz, I picked up a lot of general tips and good advice from him about not being too technical – what’s the point if the music sounds the same? Also a guy called Moyma who got me into trying the more melodic, slowed down scratching style. He’s really dope on the cut and he was a great guy to bounce off and show me more than just the fairly straight forward battle scratching style.”
How has the art of Turntablism changed in the time you have been rocking it?
“I think the skill level’s gone down – the guys at the top are killing it, but a lot of people below them aren’t really bringing stuff that you can even just listen to. I prefer watching DJs with that head nod factor than technically brilliant ones. And now that everyone’s able to press their own beats and sequences, it kinda means they don’t have to try. The element of choosing the right tracks to flip has gone out the window – and it’s the most important part of putting routines together. It’s the most difficult as well, that’s why this European style of hectic choppy samples has come about,. But ask anyone what their favourite routines are and they’ll be specific, when DJ Troubl flipped that Prefuse 73 track’, it’s not ‘when some random German flipped some random electro beats’!”
Your mother and father have driven you to all the comp’s you’ve done over the years – you started at somewhere around the age of 15 or 16 – how did that feel?
“It still feels great, there aren’t many people in Hip Hop nowadays whose parents fully back them and stuff. I wouldn’t have been able to get into DJing or Turntablism without my Dad getting my first DMC video, or setting up a £60 studio mixer with two antique turntables. And it’s great that they still come out to a few of my gigs, they still have a great time – and they get a lot of respect from the DJ & Hip Hop community for it.”
Cool.
So, you have spun at some amazing places around the globe. From China to the Public Enemy concert in Birmingham. I interviewed Flavor Flav two weeks ago, quite a character…what have been your best worldwide experiences musically?
“My best gigs have always been around Europe, the crowds there are always amazing, I’m doing Denmark again in the New Year which I’m really looking forward to. The best gig of my first European tour was in Macedonia, where the police crashed it halfway through, came back again then closed it down. The people wouldn’t leave for want of more tunes!”
Who should we be looking out for in the world of Turntablism? Who do you tip?
“I’d like to see my crew BSc doing well in the future, erm I don’t know about individual DJs – maybe Shiftee for the main title – but the French and Japanese are going to dominate for quite a while I reckon. There’s one guy from Japan, DJ Zoe, I don’t think he’s battling anymore but I’m a big fan of the way he puts his stuff together, it’s very unique and runs like a song. If he’s reading this, battle again man!”
Who is the biggest name on your mobile?
“A few peeps from 1Xtra, erm probably Ty? (don’t ask “who’s that”).”
So, where do you want to be in ten years time?
“Stranded in some European country because I overslept, missed the flight, have a massive hangover after a bloody brilliant night DJing at a great party…I don’t know just playing out nice and regularly, making up new shizzle, doing stuff with my various crews, keep going for as long as I enjoy doing it, which I know’ll be for quite a while.”
What record did you have your first slow dance to?
“I started DJing to get out of doing that sh*t! In any case I would have had enough drinks to forget what the track was!!!!”
Who were you worried about at DMC 2008 – which Battlers nearly filled your pants with shit?
“Most of the DJs I was worried about got knocked out early, so I walked away from that Battle fresh and clean. Going against Bunta from Japan was the hardest Battle, I was confident I’d win it but the judges nevertheless only just gave it to me. As soon as I got past that round – it was the Semis, so I was already further than I’d been before – I knew I could get it in the bag.
Hope all is cool Dan.”
