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DJ Swamp Interview

DJ SWAMP
BECK'S VIPER-ISH DJ, WHO SPITS FLAMES FOR FUN
words by jabberwalkey

Challenging fire wherever he goes is something to expect when you see one of his DJ performances. Some might call it devilry! But pyromaniacs are fun to watch as long as they don't set you on fire like Pepsi did Michael. By 1996, Swamp was the national USA champ in the DMC doing bombastic body moves and slicing phat beats from behind the decks that flame-broiled the competition. Emerging from Cleveland, OH to becoming a finalist and win the World DMC was a dream come true for him because it was his first year entering. As far as production, being Beck's DJ would explain some of the creepy soundscapes and mystic phrases that come from this camp, even though some of his new stuff sounds "Popish”. Flavorsome in the delivery, this Scratch Master brings good old-fashioned heaters regarding production on his solo album titled, "Never is Know." And don't forget to listen closely because you might here Bill Gates. Having a portfolio filled with artists ranging from Hansen to Crystal Method proves he has the mind of a mad composer. Spinning for almost 20 years now should put him in the 2 turntables and a microphone hall of fame making Swamp America's Scariest DJ. His latest tour was with Tomahawk, a punk band, shows that sinister behaviors go good together if applied properly on stage. Recently Funk Master Flex and Swamp starred in a scene for the movie titled "Clockstoppers" which is a sci-fi about stopping time. It was filmed at club "Giant", in Hollywood. Expect to see more of him in film for the future. Unlike a lot of artists these days there are no guest appearances on Swamp's solo album but it does have some verses by himself, even though getting people would have been easy but that's not his style. Having a open door policy with musicians is one good reason why you'll probably see him touring 20 years from now and who knows what crowd rocking tricks he'll pull then.
After getting lost in LA (it was my first time there) for about an hour, I finally found Swamp’s secluded house in the hills and after scooping him we went to eat at a bomb Mexican joint and talk.

Jabber: So how did you get the part in that flick Clockstoppers?
Swamp: Years ago this guy Ralph Saw hired me to do some scratch's for a remake on this Star Wars track and now years later he's doing Clockstoppers so he has me come in to do a battle and the actors are going to mind it in the movie. I'm like all right cool! I'm getting paid whatever. Well months later after that the director saw me doing all those hand doubles and was really into me so he gave me the scene and for three days I was a star so that's how it went down.

Jabber: What's your opinion on file sharing?
Swamp: Oh, well I don't really have one. My whole theory is just keep music first and it will some how take care of me. I'm not trying to be like, I deserve this, and because of that, half the time people do hear about me from the internet. So, that would be hard for me to be like, that should not be there, shit I might not be getting paid if it wasn't there. You know what I'm saying. Just keep music #1!!

Jabber: What was the last record you bought?
Swamp: Let me see, that would be Missy Elliot In the Darkness, it's a banger!

Jabber: If you were asked to do a reality show on MTV or something like that would you do it?
Swamp: I would never turn down the chance to be on TV. Man I want DJ Swamp to be a household name some day. The sooner the better.

Jabber: Now you've been on the road touring consistently for years. So what's the worst experience that's happened with a promoter?
Swamp: One time this girl who was a rave promoter just booked me so she could hookup with me. She was nasty and I just felt completely set up, you know. I won’t go into to much detail but you can imagine, heh.

Jabber: What do you enjoy most: scratching, making beats, or rapping?
Swamp: It's different at all times depending on my mood. Sometimes I'll be DJing like a motherfucker and get sick of it so I'm like fuck that I want to rap. Then after being in that rap mode for a while I'll switch up and start making beats but after so long I'll get a headache from all the bass tones, so I think musically it's just finding that equal amount of time that fits for you, because to much of anything can get old, so I would say all of them for me.

Jabber: Let's talk about how you got that award from Knowledge Magazine?
Swamp: When I performed at the Winter Music Conference in 2001 the people at Knowledge saw my show there and then later inquired about some of my stuff. So I sent them my Never Ending Drum and Bass loops record. So sometime later I got a review for 5 out 5 and that was the first time an American Drum and Bass record ever got 5 out 5 in the UK jungle magazine, Knowledge, I was really happy about it.

Jabber: You were a Hip-Hop DJ first right?
Swamp: Yeah, I was DJ for this rapper K-Chill and Lazy Bone from Bone Thugs and Harmony was our hype man so we used to open up for mad cats in Cleveland like Ghetto Boy, Real Roxanne, and X-Clan. This was in the early 90's.

Jabber: How did you hook up with Beck?
Swamp: That happened from a few different angles. One was that he saw me perform at the World DMC on TV while on tour in Europe. At the same time I had sent some stuff to the Dust Brothers trying to work with them, so they had suggested to Beck to get me plus Beck was already hip to me. So they got a hold of me and they brought me out to jam with them to see what I was all about. I was so ready I had something for any Beck song he wanted to do so he was like, cool I'm going to take you out on the road for like two weeks, and that ended up being four years.

Jabber: So what's up with your firing breathing performances?
Swamp: That's just an act, something like KISS, except for turntables. But I really do like fire. One time I even went to the hospitable for burns after a show.

Ouch...Thank for your time Swamp......Jabber out!!

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