Vajra, you are truly a DMC star. What music got you into all this, who were your childhood influences / idols / reasons for what you do so good?
“I grew up in a small town in Indiana. I was 9 years old when Yo MTV Raps first came on the air back in ’88. It was groups like EPMD, Eric B & Rakim and Public Enemy that made me fall in love with hip hop. I moved to Colorado back in ’97 and that’s when i met a friend who showed me my first DMC battle video. It was DJs like Q-Bert, Babu and Roc Raida that first inspired me to start getting serious about this art-form.”
How long have you been competing in the Battles, solo champs, DJing around the world?
“I started battling in ’99 – but it was in 2000 when i first competed in the DMC regionals in Lawerence, Kansas and Boulder, Colorado. I made it to the top 6 in those Battles and I was really happy with that. In 2001 I won my first regional and made it to the U.S. finals. It was kind of a surprise to me that I won – and I felt really outclassed in the Finals that year…but that provided extra inspiration for me to prove to myself that I belonged at that level of competition. I made it back to the U.S. Finals in 2002 and 2003 which I came in 2nd. In 2004, I made it back again and placed 3rd, but got tired of all the stress that came with competing, so that was my last battle I ever did. Outside of Battling, I have been doing shows, concerts, radio and clubs for the last ten years and have no plans of stopping. I have been fortunate enough to play in places like Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, and even London to do a showcase at the DMC World finals this year.”
Who do you think is the best Turntable Hero ever?
“The DJ I look up to the most is Q-Bert. He has never stopped progressing his art, and that continues to inspire me to do the same…”
How do you think the mixing styles has evolved over the years?
“Since Serato ScratchLive has come into play, things have changed dramatically – and not all for the better. Although this program gives DJ’s the option to become more creative with things like cue points, looping and effects, most DJ’s have just used it as an excuse to become lazy. You see guys all the time that have all their mixes pre-made ahead of time and they go up in front of a crowd and just fake it. Most of the guys who are getting the shine right now are not scratching, juggling, or being creative in any way. DJ’s like myself who love this art and are trying to do something new and interesting with the turntables are just being pushed to the side. Ten years ago, a lot of people were pushing for the turntable to be viewed as a legitimate musical instrument, now it is looked at as a gimmick or just played out – so the only way to get booked anymore is to conform with all the club jockeys and play a bunch of bullshit music. It’s a real shame… but hopefully it will come back around and become viewed as a respectable artform again.”
What title you have won over the years has made you most proud?
“I’d say that in DJing, it was when I won the DMC regional in Austin, TX in 2002. It was the first time I ever won a Battle outside of Colorado… and the feeling was incredible. Outside of DJing, the titles that make me the most proud is husband and father to my two amazing children!
What one record would you REALLY love to remix?
“Wow, that’s a good question! There’s so many to choose from – but if I have to pick just one, it would be Q-Tip – ‘Manwomanboogie’…just because it’s new, it’s dope, and I haven’t heard any remixes of it yet.”
What is the best hip hop, Funk and Jazz records ever made?
“I have so many favorites, but these are a few that come to mind…
HIP HOP
Tribe Called Quest ‘Midnight Mauraders’
The Roots ‘Do You Want More?’
Madvilain ”Madvillainy”‘
De La Soul ‘Stakes is High’
FUNK
Sly and the Family StoneStand’
James Brown well, just about everything he did!!!
The Meters ‘Cissy Strut’
JAZZ
Vince Guaraldi ‘Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus’
Steve Kuhn ‘Trance’
Your mix CDs are ALWAYS on in my house, which do you think is the best and how do you pick your tunes?
“Hey thanks for that! I have to say the ‘Showin’ Off’ is my favourite one I’ve done. I like the other ones too, but this one is the newest so I’m not as tired of it yet. You can hear all my mixes on my podcast page http://djvajra.podomatic.com and decide for yourself!”
Best American DJ of all time?
“SCRATCHING…
Q-Bert
MIXING…
Z-Trip
JUGGLING…
Total Eclipse
BATTLING
Craze
If one musician called you on your phone and said, dude, would you like to be my new DJ for my live shows – who would you most be greatly honoured to say yes to?
“I have a great respect for so many musicians, and there’s many I would love to work with. If Prince were to hit me up about being in his band, I’d drop everything and run as fast as i can to Minnessota!”
What are your thoughts on Flavor Flav and all this Reality TV stuff?
“I don’t really watch too much TV, but I can’t blame the guy for getting paid off for his personality. I haven’t heard about him in a while, so I’m guessing people got sick of him by now – and he should go back to being Public Enemy’s hype man again…
Best club you’ve ever spinned at?
“You know, I’m not one for ranking things, so this interview is very difficult for me! Doing the video showcase at the DMC World Finals this year at Indig02 was the best experience I’ve had of late. Not too often anymore that I get to play for a crowd that actually wants to see turntablism. Usually I’m just forcing it upon some ignorant club goers who would rather hear the new Brittney song.”
So touring with the likes of De La Soul, Run DMC and A Tribe Called Quest – what were the best parties you crazied at with them, what were the best gigs, give us one tune from each band that rock your world…
“One of the cooler moments I had was at the A Tribe Called Quest show in Atlanta. I was standing back stage talking to my wife on the phone, when all of a sudden a big crowd of people came back suddenly with cameras and lights and whatnot. I ended up getting pushed back into a corner, and when I looked up, I was standing next to P. Diddy! That was pretty unexpected. I’m not really a crazy party guy, but I have had some cool experiences hanging out with groups like Jurassic 5 & Dilated Peoples. Those memories are a bit cloudy though….. cough! Best gig I did was at the Marsatac Festival in Marseille, France. The crowd was 20,000+ and their were other great acts like M.O.P. and Mos Def performing. Really, I have been very fortunate to have done countless great shows over the years. A couple of tracks I will never tire of by the groups you mentioned… De La Soul ‘Supa Emcees’, Tribe ‘Lyrics To Go’ and RUN DMC – “My Adidas’.
Is there someone on the underground/new tip we should be looking at that you’ve spotted this year?
“On the underground tip, I’m feeling the whole Lightheaded Crew (Ohmega Watts, Othello), and J-Live is the best MC out right now in my opinion. I’m also liking Distrakt from Colorado Springs, he’s crazy!”
What are your current five favourite tunes?
“Q-Tip ‘Manwomanboogie’
People Under the Stairs ft/ Odell ‘People Riddum’
Termanology ft/ Bun B – ‘How We Rock’
Madlib, Roc C & Ohno – ‘Take That Money’
Common – ‘Play Your Cards Right’
OJ Simpson – a lost cause?
“Hope so! Hopefully he’ll be lost behind prison bars for a while.”
What is 2009 gonna bring for us from your world?
“There’s a few projects in the works. I’m doing an album with Othello from Lightheaded, an album with Distrakt, and a project with DJ Fast4ward called ‘The Dirty Southpaws’. All 3 should be out in ’09. Other than that, continuing to tour and perform, and lots more new mixes as well, so stay tuned!”
