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1st
EDITION
Phillee
Blunt and DJ Stylus aka the Vibe Conductor discussing some relevant.....and
irrelevant stuff. Enjoy! |
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PB
- So, Mr. Stylus...let's get right to the heart of it. Why should
people come out to hear you play?
Stylus - Because outside of my crew
and IllVibe, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone with more range
than me. I try to throw as much in there as possible while still making
it all make sense. And my DJ'ing philosophy is to play for:
- women
- dancers
I play what makes me want to dance... with women. I like to take risks
but I always play to the room (the 'Vibe Conductor' nickname isn't
something I came up with myself). Hopefully you'll all be open to
allowing me to stretch out, I have a story I'd like to tell the Philly
crowd.
PB - That's why we're bringing you here.
Do you feel that your D.C. roots have a direct influence on what you
do/how you do it?
Stylus - It keeps me hungry because
no one pays attention to us down here. Who would have thought that
Memphis would blow before D.C.? It also has shaped my high standards
because of the amazing body of work generated by Washington's creative
community (known and unknown). Being from D.C. is a source of a lot
of pride. I feel like I'm part of a continuum of artists that stretches
from Duke Ellington to Chuck Brown to Me'shell Ndege Ocello to Raheem
Devaughn. Oh, are you asking whether I'm gonna
rock some go-go? The answer is HELL YEAH.
PB - Dope. Oh, I heard you say this on
numerous occasions...where does the term "bama" come from?
Stylus - It's just a D.C. thing
that I probably say too much but no one minds because I've got the
ill delivery. Deal widdit, bammas! In general it means a corny or
socially maladroit person but can easily be thrown about as randomly
as the word "dude". The ctual etymology is shrouded in too
much debate to get into here.
PB - Fair enough. During your off-time,
if there ever is such a thing in the music business, what types of
things do you get into? Other hobbies and so on?
Stylus - Off time! Ha! uhh... soccer,
beer, lampin', lunchin', sneakers, indie flicks, enjoying the company
of my peoples, gettin' my read on, planning dream vacations in my
mind... Actually, D.C. has hella culture. Our social diet augments
serious partying with theatre, art and the like. It's a good place
to live.
PB - So I've heard...and that leads me
to my next question. What other outlets do you have as a DJ in addition
to the party atmosphere?
 Stylus
- Been doing radio for about 12 years with my crew The Soul
Controllers (www.worldsflyest.com). We're celebrating our 15th year
of existence this year and have touched everything in radio from college
to internet to commercial to satellite. We're currently part of the
Decipher hip-hop block on Pacifica's
I'm also a founding member of The Poem-Cees (www.poemcees.com) and
after 8 years, 3 HBO appearances, 2 albums, a couple of EP's and umpteen
chitlin circuit shows, we're still together. I've been getting my
production chops up too outside of Poem-Cees. Check for me on previous
and future releases by vocalist Tamara Wellons(www.tamarawellons.com).
PB - Damn...You STAY busy...which is great.
What's in store for you in the immediate future? In 5 years?
Stylus - In the immediate future:
new Poem-Cees joints, first label release(s) as a producer outside
of Poem-Cees, getting turned down by RBMA for the 4th year in a row
but going on to global party infiltration and most importantly the
SOUL CONTROLLER 15TH ANNIVERSARY BLOW-OUT! 5 years? Might be some
more professional writing. Check back in 2011!
PB - HAHA...yeah RBMA is a trip. Lil Dave
got in, but he bribed someone...just kidding.
OK, from the "transformers" cartoon, which of the characters
best fits you?
Stylus - Smokescreen, cuz Subaru
rally cars are the shiznit.
PB - If I had the chance to drive a Subaru
rally car, or just a WRX for that matter, I'd probably have it wrapped
around a tree in the first 5 mins. But, I digress. When, exactly,
did you decide "I'm never gonna stop being a DJ"? Was there
another career that you seriously considered before this?
Stylus - I've got a day job, but
it isn't what I went to school for. DJ'ing really is my life and everything
else I do is the support system for it. Once I decided that it was
something that I had to do to be a whole person regardless of whether
it paid the bills the question became moot. That realization probably
came within the past 2 years although I've been on the decks for almost
15.
PB - Well said. Thanks so much for taking
the time out to do this interview. Philly is really looking forward
to hearing you play i'm sure. Until then, here's a link to your site
and previous work for the public to snack on:
May 6th BAMAS!!!! i'm korny.
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