Interview
with DJ Deuce
DJ Name:
DJ DEUCE
Birth Name:
Age:
21
Home Base:
New Castle, DE/Chester, PA
Single / Married / dating:
I am currently single
What type of Equipment you use:
Numark TT500's, Gemini Mixer, Skullcandy Headphones, Ortofon
Needles, Serato and a Macbook. It's not all about what you
have, it's how you use it. You can have the best equipment
in the world and still suck as a DJ.
How did you get into DJ’in:
I was about 12 years old when I first got interested. I
was hanging around my cousin and his best friend DJ Ambush
who were throwing parties (Club Youngbuck) in Chester at
the local YMCA. I seen how he rocked the parties and how
he had them in the palm of his hands and I said to myself
"that's what I wanted to do." I remember I had
to beg just help him carry the equipment, he would never
let me get a chance at spinning. A few years down the line
at about 15, my cousin and Ambush started doing a show called
Soul By The Pound. That's the first time I got to touch
the tables. Ambush would have me come over the house and
taught me the basics. He would never call for me to come
over, as I learned later, he wanted me to take it upon myself
to make my way there to see if I was really dedicated. That's
one thing you learn being a DJ alot of people talk a good
game, but only a few are real with theirs. Around this time
I really started getting into Hip-Hop, the whole aura and
realness of it took a hold of me and never let go. From
this point on I've just been trying to perfect my craft
and staying true to myself by staying true to the music.
How long ya been spinnin:
I have been spinning for about 6 years.
Do you remember your first gig: where and when?:
The first time I really had a chance to spin was at The
Gathering in Philly in the Rotunda. I'll never forget that
night, I was so nervous .I was blending my first two songs
together and it was going smooth, took my first song all
the way out and went to take the needle off the record and
took it off the wrong record. All you heard was dead silence,
I looked at Ambush like he had done it and dropped the needle
back on the record.
What’s the most difficult thing being a DJ:
The most difficult thing being a DJ is reading the crowd.
Playing the records is the easy part, playing the right
records at the right time to keep the party movie is the
hard job.
What’s your motivation / what gives you your drive
to do your spinnin:
My motivation is being able to look out in a crowd while
your spinnin and see everyone having a good time, and being
in control of that.
My motivation for being a traditional DJ is the respect
for the DJ's that pioneered the Philly scene...such as DJ
Jazzy Jeff & DJ Cash Money. I believe you have to earn
the title of "DJ." Playing mp3's from your iPod
doesn't make you a DJ, it makes you a jukebox.
What do you think of the Dj scene in your area: Is it
positive:
The Philly DJ scene of as now is a weird. It's the whole
music scene period. It's becoming more on the negative side.
Saying you were a DJ from Philly meant you had skillz. Now
you have cats plugging in iPods or picking up a Serato box
counting the bpms, calling them selves DJ's which is a slap
in the face to the real DJ's. We put our time in to learn
how to blend songs together, learn some scratches, and we
carried record crates up and down flights of stairs. I'm
not saying Serato is bad because I use it, but carrying
records is part of being a DJ, it's something all DJ's should
have done at sometime in their career in my opinion.
Who’s your favorite DJ , past or present:
My favorite DJ? Hmmm, I would have to say it would be a
three way tie. The first would be DJ Jazzy Jeff...When I
heard the story of his battle in New York when he defeated
the reigning champion on a pair of tables where the needles
were jumping, put him on the tops for holding down Philly.
The second would be DJ Ambush...He's a guy that stays true
to himself and to the music, who I've seen rock parties
to the point of people about to hurt each other.
The third would have to be DJ Fatcat...Fatcat can move a
crowd effortlessly. Skill wise I believe he could be one
of the best DJ's in Philly at this time.
What do you think of DJ competitions:
I think DJ competitions are great, but they're dying off.
DJ competitions are happening less and less, and it's said
to see them dying off. Battles are a foundation for improvement
in the DJ community.
Where do you see yourself in 5 yrs:
In 5 Years I see myself still DJing, but at my fullest potential.
I would like to travel the word as a DJ. I believe the natural
progression of DJing is producing and that's also what I'm
getting into now.
Any shout-outs or special thanks:
First God for waking me up every morning and allowing me
to touch the tables, My Entire Family, DJ Ambush, DJ Fatcat,
DJ Qlassik, DJ K-Swift, DJ Set Free and Undrcrwn, DJ Swoosh,
DJ Skeme Richards, DJ Obi-One, The old Certified Bangers
crew...DJ Mista Blaq and DJ Paralyzer, The Commission, The
Crate-Kickers Crew, Nu Millenium Sound, Skullcandy Headphones
and if I forgot anyone sorry, but you know I got love for
ya'll.
Any last words or thoughts:
Hit up my myspace at http://www.myspace.com/certifiedbanger
and also check out my myspace music page. You can e-mail
me at deucedadj@aol.com
for any info.
Keep the Tradition Alive...Peace!
Deuce Thanks for your time,
Keep safe, best of luck to you in 2008.
EKS Staff
