dj t-bird
"I know you got soul, if you didn't you wouldn't be in here..."--Bobby Byrd
"If it doesn't have soul, it's not even worth it."--Dj T-Bird
Soul is a thing, not a quantitave thing... It's a quality of the music, something that moves you, not merely the genre. Groups like Kraftwerk find soul in the machines...
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Raised on soul, jazz and gospel (which is often has characteristics of the other two genres) I was exposed to music early and encouraged to participate in performances at home, church and school. In high school, I learned music theory and became familiar with playing keyboards. I was afforded a great opportunity to put theory to practice by apprenticing with the church organist during choir rehearsals, and eventually playing piano in Sunday services. During this time I'd also seen a band that would prove to be very influential in an unanticipated way. The band was Kraftwerk, and the year was 1980.
Although I had a great love for electronic music, I focused on writing jazz until the early 90s. In 1990 (through what seemed like fluke at the time) I learned to spin on my first DJ gig--Fred Segal Santa Monica. At that time, Acid-Jazz was the buzz in the underground and my Jazz background served me well. I scored a residency at L.A. Acid-Jazz staple Internationalist, and later began my own night, Jazzid Up! with other friends in the scene.
Through the years I made the transition from playing keyboards live, to only using them in the studio--DJing has become my means of performance. As a DJ I have performed in LA, NYC, San Francisco, Miami (for Winter Music Conference), Las Vegas, San Diego, Spain and Switzerland. I have played beside DJ greats Mark Rae, Marques Wyatt, Swedish Egil, The Dope Bros. (Professor Angel Dust & De Lippo 0f Bongo Lounge), Rockers Hi-Fi and Mark Hill of Artful Dodger.
What the future holds is never certain, but my plans include lots of recording (both remixes and original material), touring, and hopefully moving into a place where I can make more noise...
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
I have two weekly residencies: Thursday @ The Room Sitges and Saturday @ El Cafe De La Plata in Aiguadolc (Port of Sitges.) I also play 2nd & 3rd Fridays of the month @ Torre Rosa in Barcelona. Playing out is an essential element of what I do--gotta connect w/the folks! I particularly enjoy playing outdoor festivals (e.g., Annual Abbot Kinney Fest, Venice Carnevale) and I love playing in Spain--music really does communicate regardless of language differences. I have to say though, that probably the most special moment I've had dj'ing was about a month after 9/11. I had a 2-step/uk garage dance club called "Pull" along with 2 other fantastic djs, Markman & Ameno and our partner Dimitry @ 360 Lounge in Hollywood. We had played a fireman/policeman's widow benefit earlier in the week along with NYC's Drive-By Crew (Djs Dinesh, Reid Speed & Greg Poole plus The Whistler on mic duties) and legend Mark Hill of Artful Dodger @ Manhattan's 95 Leonard (not far from WTC ground zero.) At the end of the night a man came to us with tears in his eyes explaining that we'd shown him the best time he'd had in a while and he'd JUST moved from NYC...
Your musical influences
I'm influenced by so many people and trends--sometimes TOWARD the people/trend sometimes AGAINST them. I'm always seeking out the soul in whatever i put my hands to, whether it's broken-beat ala bugz in the attic, jazz-hop ala dj smash, house that marques wyatt might dig, dubnotic mad professor type tracks or anything, really.
What equipment do you use?
Controller keyboard & various music software, occassionally turntable for scratches--THAT'S IT.
