DJ Spinna: Quite Possibly the World's Most Well-Rounded DJ

Written by O.G. Chino on Friday, 08 January 2010 23:37

I learned about DJ Spinna one day in '93 or '94, sitting at my desk at Def American Recordings going through boxes of submitted demo tapes, most of them I would erase and add to my blank cassette supply. Very few would be considered and put on rotation in my ride, one of those was a 5-song demo from a group out of New York City called The Jigmastas, the groups high-caliber MCs paid homage to the "Old School" and kicked the words "Jig" and "Jiggy" before it became a hood-household term, but what stood out the most was the music. There was an era in Hip Hop when rap groups were self-contained, all creativity came from within the group and its DJ was its exclusive music maker, The Jigmastas came from that era, and DJ Spinna is their music man. Not long after becoming an official Jigmastas fan, I moved to NYC and witnessed DJ Spinna live, I was impressed that the man behind the impeccable production was also a master on the wheels, backspinning, cutting, juggling, scratching, blending... I realized then that Spinna is one of the best and stands completely on his own. Too many DJs have reached their level of success through arrogance and self-promotion, not the very humble DJ Spinna, who's rise happened organically, recognized strictly for his skill, selection, and mostly - versatility. Spinna is not a Hip Hop DJ, he is a DJ in the broadest sense of the word, a top notch DJ of every club genre, he will make you dance no matter who you are or what you're into, whether it be Hip Hop, Funk, R&B & Soul, Reggae, House, Rock, etc... when Spinna's on the bill, it's a live party - guaranteed. When asked who my favorite DJ is, I'm quick to include DJ Spinna in my answer. When asked by Sofisticati to pick and interview the "Tastemaker Of The Month", I was quick to choose DJ Spinna.

O.G.Chino: Let's start with the standard question, a quick run down of how you were brought up in Brooklyn, your early musical influences, and when and what made you first wanna touch the tables...

DJ Spinna: I think I was brought up like most black kids in the early 70’s listening to your average Motown, James Brown, Stax artists etc. There is a little twist though having Latin American and Caribbean parents and heritage, there was also Calypso, Salsa, Merengue, Bolero, Descarga, Hatian Compas, Reggae, as well as Jazz and even some Blues from the likes of BB King. At family gatherings during the holidays I was the kid handling the music duties selecting the 45’s everyone would sing and dance to.

O.G.C: Do you remember the very first record you bought with your own money? And if I burglarized your crib, what one record would you want me to leave behind?

DJ Spinna: The ones that stick out the most are Yellow Magic Orchestra’s "Computer Games" on 45, and "Rappers Delight". I still have my beat up childhood copies. If you burglarized my crib I would have you electrocuted because there’s just too much in my collection that I cherish.
Image courtesy of Mr Mass™

O.G.C: What was your your progression as a DJ/producer chronologically? The order in which you developed your many styles of DJ'ing and your knowledge of musical genres...

DJ Spinna: Hmmm, well I’m definitely a DJ first. Having played records at an early age it was a natural progression. I started messing around with two turntables at age 11, by age 14 I knew what I was doing and had already started playing small local neighborhood basement and backyard parties... this was in the early 80’s. Back then it was mostly danceable R&B records like “Over Like A Fat Rat”, or Gap Band’s “Burn Rubber on Me”, or Alicia Myers "I Want To Thank You”, and whatever rap records were around at the time like “The Breaks”, or “Games People Play” by Sweet G, “Rockin’ It” by the Fearless Four. Roller skating jams were also huge and I started getting into cutting up break beats during this time as well, I was paying close attention to what hip hop DJs like Flash, DST, Jam Master Jay, and Jazzy Jay were doing on records, mimicking every cut, when Flash came out with “The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel" it changed my scope as a DJ forever. The thing that also influenced me as a DJ though was the disco movement, alongside the average soul and funk sounds in my household there was also disco vibes with groups like The Tramps, Brass Construction, Crown Heights Affair, Salsoul Orchestra, Chic and MFSB, so I guess the dance side of me was born in the 70’s as well. I couldn’t escape it, you heard it on the radio and in the streets at Brooklyn block parties, every second of a DJ’s blend mesmerized and intrigued me. When records like Kraftwerk’s “Numbers", Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”, Soulsonic Force's “Planet Rock” and Man Parrish's “Hip Hop Be Bop Don’t Stop” were born, it opened me up to the world of New Wave, 80s’ Electro, House and eventually Techno.

As for production, I was part of a few hip hop groups in the mid-eighties trying to get record deals before The Jigmastas were formed. That’s when I started hitting recording studios and learning how to make beats, I - like so many other DJs used to experiment with pause tape mixes which was a real bootleg way of doing edits and making beats, but I didn’t get my own drum machine until the 90's. When I finally got a chance to touch some real equipment, beat making came natural to me, there’s definitely a difference between making beats and being a producer, it took me about ten years of making demo tapes on cassette before I could call myself a producer.

O.G.C: One can barely keep up with just one genre these days, you have not only managed to keep up, but you have mastered spinning every danceable genre, which do you enjoy playing the most?

DJ Spinna: I keep things pretty simple, I play what I like. I probably get the most joy at playing diverse sets spanning the gamut of genres from deep funk, soul, (keep it real) hip hop, soulful house and beyond. That’s how I learned to rock parties though, playing music for everybody, it was never about being into one style of music.

O.G.C: Corny songs are fun to dance to these days, what's the corniest song you love to play?

DJ Spinna: Just about anything super Pop from the 80’s. The thing is a lot of those records that people think are corny were good at some point, they simply got played too much, “Don’t You Want Me” by Human League might be a good example of that, it works every time though, the crowd always gets into it. Nowadays with the big Electro 80’s resurgence a song like that is relevant for the current club DJ.

O.G.C: Is there a different method that should be applied when spinning each genre?

DJ Spinna: Everything that you play has to be gauged by the crowd. There’s some records you can’t cut off… it’s like a DJ violation, usually with Hip Hop you can get away with not playing the whole song - a verse, chorus then off to the next hit. But with other styles, especially in the dance world, it’s a big no no... you can piss someone off real bad by cutting off a sing-along song in the middle of a verse, usually women in particular are ready to take your head off if you cut off their favorite song too quick. It really depends on the tune.

O.G.C: Just like rap styles can vary by region, do you think there's also a definitive difference in DJ'ing styles?, for example in the US, is there a difference say between East Coast and West Coast styles of DJ'ing?

DJ Spinna: I don’t thing there’s a huge difference. The styles start to vary when you start breaking it down by genres, I know that Electro Funk like Zapp and Lakeside were way bigger in the West Coast for example, the same may go for certain hip hop artists.

O.G.C: Your take on the technology (digital) vs. purist (vinyl) debate...

DJ Spinna: At the end of the day I prefer vinyl over an mp3. I think digital DJ'ing is a convenience, it allows for someone like myself to be prepared for any situation. For traveling DJs, the digital realm is a lifesaver, however, I know some well respected world renown DJs that refuse to convert to the digital format, and I totally understand where they’re coming from. For me personally it’s too much trouble to lug crates around on planes anymore, a handful of records in a bag with my laptop is just fine. I still love wax, I’m a bonafide vinyl junkie and archivist, It’s part of my existence.

The real issue is how easy it is for someone to become a DJ. The new DJ generation for the most part has it so easy but they’re missing the real fun, which is identifying music with record cover art and labels. Anyone can become a DJ now, which in a major way dilutes the art.

O.G.C: In this age when aspiring DJs are skipping straight to mp3's and pushing buttons, do you think the "turntablist" or "battle-DJ" scene will ever flourish again to what it once was?, is the DJ competition era slowly coming to an end?

DJ Spinna: I think that era has seen its best days. I believe that there may not be much left to do, the champions of the past have done it all and at some point DJ’s stopped being creative and are basing their techniques on what was already done, in other words there’s nothing new to see. I think the turntablist era was more exciting before dvd’s and the internet, where you had to really go off of your own creativity and not sit in the crib for hours trying to figure out what Q-Bert or DJ Craze did on youtube or dvd.

O.G.C: If you had to challenge one DJ from any era to a battle, who would it be?... Would you win?

DJ Spinna: That’s a hard one. Everyone that I respect spends way more time doing the turntablist thing as a profession than I do, I don’t practice as much so I’ll leave that one out, hahahahaaaaa. But I will say that out of all the DJ’s that are as diverse as I am, I may be one of the best turntablists out here. You don’t find too many DJs that play real House music and Hip Hop equally well, and can also take doubles of a record and juggle them when the time is right, and can cut.

O.G.C: Your favorite DJ for each year... 1987, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010...

DJ Spinna: Well for battle styles, '87 - Cash Money, '92 - Mista Sinista, '98 - Total Eclipse. I don’t have any favorites for '04 or 2010.

O.G.C: You're having a party... What's your all-time dream DJ line-up?

DJ Spinna: Me, Theo Parrish, and Kenny Dope. That’s the full spectrum right there.

O.G.C: You have traveled the world many times over... You're hosting your Alien friends on Earth, what spots do you take 'em to?

DJ Spinna: APT on Wednesday to check Rich Medina, Monday at Cielo for Francois K’s "Deep Space" party, Timmy Regisford’s "Area Code" after-hours party on Sunday morning. Fly to LA for the "Do-Over" and "Deep" at the Vanguard on Sunday, and if the Alien is lucky he will be around in May for "Wonder-Full", the Stevie Wonder tribute event in New York with me and Bobbito. That Alien will want to move to Earth immediately!, his head will grow even bigger.

O.G.C: You are superb at rocking any crowd, but have you ever had a horrible DJ moment?

DJ Spinna: My first time in South Africa in 2001, live outdoor TV broadcast and the power went out on me, twice!, not my fault but it didn’t look good. And recently, not paying attention to an audio file, I loaded a track in Serato with only a minute left without realizing it, and the song ran out on me, luckily I had something cued already on the other deck and there wasn’t a big gap.

O.G.C: You're the most down-to-earth, approachable cat in and out of the DJ booth... Your advise on how to dismiss wack song requesters without getting a drink thrown at you...

DJ Spinna: Just say sure, yea yea I’ll play it! LOL, and never play it. The other way is to get on the mic and embarrass them, but that’s not really my thing.

O.G.C: Let's not forget you're not only Spinna the DJ, but you're also one half of the New York hip hop fixture - The Jigmastas. You and MC Criminal have been together for almost two decades, what's currently happening with The Jigmastas?

DJ Spinna: Oh I can never forget that!, a new album is in the works for this year. With the game being so different now compared to ten years ago when the last album came out, we’re trying to figure out the right approach for release. I will say that I’m trying to make it as classic as possible, ten cuts at best with no fillers.
Image courtesy of Mr Mass™

O.G.C: Outside of Jigmastas, you have produced and remixed for countless others. Some of the highlights of your production career so far?

DJ Spinna: Working with people like N’dea Davenport, Mos Def, De La Soul, Masta Ace, Pharoahe Monch, Roy Ayers and of course Stevie Wonder are some of my most cherished moments, I highly respect those talents, especially Stevie being my musical hero. Most recently, the "Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson" birthday celebration on August 29th of last year was the craziest gig I ever played In my life, being recognized and hired by Spike Lee and rocking for over 20 thousand people in my own backyard was unimaginable. For a DJ it doesn’t get any bigger than that.

O.G.C: Name some of today's artists that you would feel honored to work with.

DJ Spinna: Not too many new ones, but I’m really into Jay Electronica right now, there’s something about him that makes me excited to be a b-boy. He has a seriousness about him that reminds me of how raw Rakim or Nas used to be. I still have Common and Nas on my "one day" list as well.

O.G.C: The amount of work you accomplish to do both in production and keeping people dancing, would overwhelm most in the same profession. What's your discipline?, how is a typical DJ Spinna "off-day" spent?

DJ Spinna: I’m a family man with a second baby on the way, so it’s usually spent doing normal everyday things like cooking, shopping, or relaxing with the fam, which believe it or not can be a challenge for me. I’m a workaholic and usually have to force myself to take it easy. Overall I’m focused, I have too much to accomplish to be distracted.

O.G.C: Is Hip Hop really dead?

DJ Spinna: Sometimes it really feels that way, but Hip Hop can never be dead because it’s a culture, it’s just going back to the underground. The corporate world is killing it on top, but the realness will always remain in the underground, there’s too many artists out here that still love the art and just want to make records regardless of how much money they can make, and that’s how it all started. That’s the ONLY reason why I still make hip hop records, I love it too much to see it vanish in a destructive manner.

(Very diverse) Recent top 5

1. Music Fan First - Eric Roberson
2. Cuban Linx 2 - Raekwon
3. Milano Jazz Dance Combo - Milano Jazz Combo
4. Early - Georgia Anne Muldrow
5. Vertical Ascent - Moritz Von Olswald

Here's my all time favorite albums

1. Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder
2. Kool & The Gang - Kool & The Gang
3. Midnight Marauders - ATCQ
4. Computer World - Kraftwerk
5. Reflection In The Sea Of Nurnen- Doug Hammond/David Durrah

Words by, O.G. Chino

For more information and to get on Spinna's email list visit: http://www.djspinna.com/

A special thanks goes to Mr. Mass™ and Rene Passetti for their awesome pictures:
http://masscorporation.carbonmade.com/projects/2288524/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/passetti/