The Roll Of Honour 1985 – 2009
What is your earliest memory of a DMC Mixing Final?
“The 1997 DMC Championship which I won and was the first one that I ever entered. It was in Rimini in Italy. Travelling with my mom, flying into Bologna, arriving in Rimini and setting up my decks in my hotel room to continue practising, meeting all the other DJs as well as so many of the previous Champs who flew in for the Summit – and then winning!”
How did you decide on your own name as a Turntablist artist?
“My brother used to write graffiti a little bit, so I, as a copycatting younger sibling, used to sketch on paper. So I’d come up with names for my tag – even though I never went out and tagged for real. That’s how I came up with A-Trak when I was about 12. I started scratching shortly after so it became my DJ name, and it has stuck ever since.”
Who is the best technical Turntablist of all time?
“Craze.”
Please list the most important five records that you have ever used as a Turntablist…
“I guess there’s many ways you can answer this question because “important” can mean many things, but I’ll answer it from a personal standpoint: records that made for important A-Trak routines, in my opinion.
1. Biz Markie ‘Nobody Beats the Biz’
2. Missy Elliott ‘Get Ur Freak On’
3. ‘Toasted Marshmellow Feet Breaks’
4. A-Trak ‘Gangsta Breaks’
5. ‘Space Dust’ b/w Steve Miller ‘Take The Money And Run’ from Ultimate Breaks & Beats Vol.16
What track that when you hear up on stage spun by a rival, do you always think, ‘oh god not again’
“Certain records really got used to death. Battle records became especially flagrant because it didn’t require any original thought for the DJ to pick them. I’d have to say ‘Superduck Breaks’ — which is a compliment to Babu for making the ultimate battle record that got used and abused to an extreme level.”
What has been your best ever display on the wheels of steel?
“I think my best routine was my showcase at the 2001 USA DMC Finals when I did my Missy Elliott juggle.”
What is going through your mind as you are waiting to step up on the biggest stage of your life moments before you hit the stage?
“Typically I would think about the key moments in my routine and replay them virtually in my head. And then I’d psyche myself up…”
Best Hip Hop record ever made?
“That’s too hard, Hip Hop has gone through too many phases over time. I could say Grandmaster Flash ‘The Message’ just as well as I could say Gang Starr ‘Full Clip’ just as much as Kanye West ‘All Falls Down’…”
Which one Turntablist over the years has performed the ‘one piece’ of magic in his set that you simply had to look away in absolute disbelief?
“To me its guy’s like Mixmaster Mike in the ’93/’94 World Finals with Q or DJ Swamp in the 96 US Finals, that really made me think “you, sir, are an alien”. Guys that were truly possessed in their performance and sounded like no one else.”
How many weeks/months before the big night do you start planning your set?
“I think typically I would dedicate about three months to practice specifically for a DMC Final. I’d have a few bits and pieces that I came up with earlier in the year and then I’d start piecing it together in the optic of a six minute routine.”
How many records do you own?
“I think about 5,000. I’m not a huge record collector.”
What did your parents think back in the day of your chosen career profession?
“Well you all know my mom was there in 97 in Italy. When I first started scratching, there was some convincing to do – simply because they couldn’t understand what I was doing and I why I was interested in turntables. But as soon as they saw that it was something special for me they became very supportive.”
The DMC World Mixing Finals are 25 years young/old this year – how do you think the art of this craft has changed over the years?
“I would break it down like this:
The first ten years (mid-80’s to mid-90’s) was flashy showmanship. Then for a good five years it was a case of extreme technical advances. Every year something drastic was invented, recontextualized and flipped around. And ever since – in the current decade, I think DJs have been fine-tuning the blueprint that was set out then. But I may be biased because I’m centering this view on the era when I was battling.”
How did winning the DMC title change your life?
“At the time when I won the 1997 DMC World Finals, the whole world would hear about those results. It was when Turntablism was really starting to bubble again, so there was a global consciousness there and my victory single-handedly put my name on people’s lips around the world. I suddenly started getting bookings because of it and it’s an accolade that people still give me to this day, a dozen years later. Winning the 2000 Team Battle with Craze also meant a lot, because I think it solidified a certain standing that we wanted to cement with the Allies.”
What country/city that you have visited after winning the DMC title has really blown your mind?
“I’ve been touring ever since I first won the ’97 battle so it’s hard to just pinpoint one country, but there is one specific case that comes to mind here. The battle in Rimini was in June. That summer DMC Korea was launched. The owners decided to invite the newest champion – me, to their land to help popularize what DMC was about. So that summer when I was 15 I flew out to Korea for my first trip to Asia, accompanied by my brother. You can imagine the culture shock. I have very fond memories of that trip.”
What one Turntablist would you choose from 1985 to the present day – any category – would you like to battle against?
“That’s a hard question. Maybe DJ Noize because…
1. His style is so different from mine.
and…
2. If he hadn’t chosen not to defend his title in 97, he would have been my competition. For the record, Noize and I are friends and I’m not calling him out here! But since you ask…I’d be curious!”
Can you breakdance?
“Absolutely not. Can you?”
And finally, please give DMC a message of love for pioneering this amazing artform we have…
“Dear DMC…you’re really swell. Love, A-Trak.”
