Miami Nights

R1: Probably just being able to feel that energy from the crowd when
you're really doing your thing.

JK: Least favorite thing about live DJing?

R1: Just the monotony of doing the same thing, playing the same crap,
trying to find a new order to play the same 200 or so songs... And
having a bad night where you're just off and can't find a groove is
always the worst.

JK: For future reference, what is the most annoying thing that someone could do
during your set?

R1: People do such annoying things all of the time, but I think the worst
is when someone won't leave you alone until you play a song.  The best
way to make me NOT play a song during the night is to keep bothering
me for it.  If it's a hot song then trust it's gonna get played, so
have a drink and relax.  Also many times people don't realize just how
hard a DJ has to concentrate when they're working in front of a big
crowd, and that it might not be the best time to ask them "how does
your computer work?".

JK: What is your stupidest request to date?

R1: Well a lot of people like to request "keep it real" 90's hip hop
during the peak of the night at big commercial clubs where those songs
would totally tank and kill the room.  It's like, I understand that
you like Black Moon but I ain't playing that shit after 11:30 so
you're gonna have to listen to it in your car before you enter the
club.  Also every DJ has to put up with people requesting "Hip Hop"
while you're playing Biggie or some completely obvious hip hop song.

JK: What are your pros and cons towards DJing in Miami?

R1: Miami is dope.  At least in the bigger and more commercial clubs the
pro is that you really get to mix a lot of commercial house and dirty
south hip hop into your set. It might very well be the funnest city in
America to DJ in because of that.  Nowhere else are you gonna get such
a great reaction for a Lil Boosie track and a David Guetta track from
the same crowd.  For me, by far the biggest con is that smoking is
allowed in the clubs here.  Miami seriously needs to play catch-up
with the rest of the country on that one, it's ridiculous.

JK: What has been your favorite city to DJ in?

R1: Probably Miami and Sao Paulo, Brasil.  NYC can definitely be the best,
if you get the right club and crowd... But that's not consistent any
more.

JK: What has been your best gig to date, and why?

R1: A couple of years ago I got to DJ the afterparties for Prince while he
was on tour.  Not like big club afterparties, these were just for
Prince, the band, and the few people they invited.  I was playing all
funk, soul and disco classics for people like Maceo Parker, John
Blackwell, and Larry Graham, in a room of like 25 very select
friends-of-Prince.  Watching Prince raise his fist and give me a nod
of approval for dropping songs like Mandrill "Fence Walk" and JB's
"The Grunt" is definitely a memory I will hold onto forever.

JK: Worst gig, and why?

R1: Any DJ worth his or her weight has done countless thankless, penniless
gigs while trying to build their skills and a name. I can definitely
remember practicing all day on a funk and soul set just so I could
carry crates of records to a shithole bar with 3 people in it and play
all night for less than cab fare.  Those nights could still be fun
though if a couple of friends showed up and appreciated what you were
doing.  Honestly, the worst gigs are just those nights where you never
find your groove and feel like you're sucking from beginning to end.
With most jobs you can be in a bad mood and not want to be there, and
nobody will care... When you're responsible for setting the mood for
an entire club, it's a different story.  When you're not on point
everyone will tell you about it.

JK: Do you have any haunting fuck ups/train wrecks/equipment malfunctions?

R1: Too many.  Equipment malfunctions are always frustrating but usually
not your fault so all you can do is shake them off and try to
continue.  An off mix can ruin my night, no matter how good the rest
of the set was. I'm definitely my own worst critic when it comes to
that.  I need to get better at just sucking it up and realizing that
NOBODY cares except other DJ's.  Even I could care less when I'm out
and hearing some hipster train wreck one nu-rave classic-to-be mix
into the next... Seriously!  It's all good homie!  Drunk people are
very forgiving as long as you play that new Timbo for them.

JK: What DJs or producers do you look up to?

R1: The DJ's who have most inspired me over the years include Kid Capri,
Kenny Dope, DJ Spinna, Stretch Armstrong, and many others.
Production-wise I like Just Blaze, The Neptunes, and classic producers
like the Bomb Squad and Pete Rock.

JK: What's the best record ever made?

R1: That's impossible to answer.  Maybe the best hip hop record is
Biggie's "Ready to Die"?  Probably for my money that's it.  Soul and
Rock records I couldn't begin to pick a single favorite.

JK: What's something you're into that people might not know from your gigs?

R1: Well I started out as a Breakdance Battle DJ, and for years I focused
only on playing funk and breaks.  It was what I collected for many
years and still do, but to a much lesser extent.  Turns out you don't
make that much money DJing breakdance battles and it's mostly a bunch
of dudes and girls wearing backpacks...no offense ladies.

JK: What is your favorite genre or type of party to play?

R1: My favorite party is one where I have the trust of the crowd to kinda
take it wherever I want to.  This happens way less often than you'd
might expect in clubs where the music is primarily Top 40.  I'm not
talking about taking it far into left field, just to be able to play
some things that people maybe aren't used to hearing in those style
clubs.  Favela Chic at Mokai is definitely a party in Miami that I
feel very comfortable DJing, and I get a sense of that trust from the
crowd.  People aren't giving me crazy looks all night for playing new
rock and dance music along with baile funk and miami bass.. It's
great.
 

JK: What is your most prized possession?

R1: Well, I have a lot of collections that keep my bank account in check.
Records, boomboxes, gear... I think my most prized posessions are some
of the prints that have been given to me by photographers that I've
worked for.

JK: What was the last awesome thing you bought for yourself?

R1: I buy a ton of awesome shit.  I buy 2 of most things that I like, it's
become a serious problem now that I have some money.  The most awesome
thing I got today was a pair of Troop Ice Lamb sneakers from the late
80's.  Also my homie Obi hit me off with some insane Versace shades
that are currently on ICE.  I pretty much buy everything that I wanted
when I was 12 but couldn't afford.

 JK: How has being a DJ affected your opinion of going out, or listening to music
in general?

R1: I rarely get to go out and I'm not a crazy partier, so when I do end
up at the club as a patron it's usually just to hang with friends or
check out the DJ.  DJ's can't help but be critics and we're always
listening when we're out. It's usually really helpful and inspiring
for me to go out and hear other DJs, regardless of whether I'm feeling
them or not.

JK: What, if anything, do you listen to when you're not out or DJing?

R1: I listen to a lot of disco and soul, but I also listen to club shit
and whatever I'm feeling at the moment.

JK: What's your dream gig like? Any location, any supporting acts (dead or
 alive), anyone in your crowd, anything else you'd want to include…

R1: I'd go back to the 70's and DJ at The Loft, Paradise Garage or Studio
54.  Club life was such a better experience back then...The crowd was so
much more diverse and fun, but based more on being an individual than
being able to buy bottles. Even the celebs and personalities of that
time were so much more appealing, I feel like going to those
clubs must have been a real event.  I'm always jealous when I hear or
read about those parties and the DJ's who played them.  And the music
was undeniably, undeniably better.
 

JK: What is your drug of choice?

R1: Sometimes I drink half a Red Bull but that's about it.  Rarely i'll
sip on a cocktail when I'm feeling extra Trill.

JK: What's your point of view on the current DJ scene in general?

R1: It's seriously on some wack shit.  But whatever, Serato changed
everything so quickly. At 29, I consider myself to be a relatively new
jack DJ in the grand scheme of things, and I'm always humbled by
people who have been doing this for years longer than me.  The fact
that kids have instant access to all this music that took so many DJs
decades to track down and discover on 12"s definitely brings out the
grumpy geezer in me...Not long ago if you couldn't find the record,
you couldn't play that song, and that was kinda the best.  It really
made it so in order to be a successful DJ, you had to have a
tremendous knowledge of music, and be constantly on the hunt for those
records.  Also, the fact that mixing is now something you do with your
eyes instead of your ears is a little concerning... The "initiation"
phase of DJing where you are forced to be wack for a lot of years
before you get respect (and good gigs) has been replaced with an
overwhelming cloud of general "wackness".  But I try to keep my hate
in check and as long as people stay humble I can't be too mad.  Serato
has revolutionized the game and I definitely wouldn't trade it.  I
just think that in a perfect world you should have to pass a DJ 101
test before you can buy it.

JK: DJing seems to have taken the place of the garage band for kids today, and
 the idea of being DJ AM has become more appealing than being Mick Jagger (if
 that's even still appealing at all). What's your opinion on 'one stop shop'
 DJs who buy Serato and are eager to jump ahead of the learning process for
 the hype?

R1: Well, I'd rather be Mick Jagger any day.  Nowadays DJing is really
pretty easy to get into, and of course I can see the appeal.  The same
way I guess some kids look up to AM is the way I used to watch "Juice"
and be like, "that is what I wanna do".  Damn I sound like an old
man... I feel like I should probably make a Justice reference real
soon or else...
(The Serato thing I think I sufficiently hated on during the previous answer)

JK: What is your lamest claim to fame?

R1: Um, DJing.

Feel free to ask Ross all the inner workings of Serato via stalkspace, and check out the man in action tonight at Set!