Features

For those that don't know give them the run down on who you are Spinna.

I am a DJ/producer from Brooklyn NY. I have been making records since 1994. I started my career with a hip-hop group called Jigmastas and remixing various artists like Das Efx and De La Soul. My name was a staple in the underground hip-hop community in the mid 90's. By the late 90's I started to venture off into other genres of music producing and remixing house, broken beat, nu jazz and soul artists.

In comparison to your last solo effort Intergalactic Soul the new album see you refocus your energy back into creating a more unified hip-hop sound. How has your experience working with other dance and electronic genres influenced your hip-hop production?

It's all inclusive. I don't really view my approach to producing multi-genres any different from each other. I try to remain true and unique to anything that I do. If it's a hip-hop track it can be raw, or musical the same way a house record can be. I have a song on my new album called Melody that is just as musical as any electronic record I may have done in the past where I'm using fender rhodes and the moog to layer samples. It's all about being soulful and funky.

What's the concept behind the title Sonic Smash?

The idea is simply to smash your ears sonically, provide a futuristic hip-hop listening experience without being too crazy with it. It's the traditional Spinna sound.

Your cover features a close crop on ear plugs. Have you ever had any hearing scares?

Actually yes, from time to time after DJ gigs I get the ringing of the ears. It's quite scary for real... but that doesn't have anything to do with ear plugs on the cover.

The song Lyrics Is Back calls for a return of focus on lyricism on what is essentially a producers album. Do you think the focus on production in recent years has outweighed the focus on quality lyrics?

I honestly think that both hip-hop production and lyrics have been mediocre overall in the last decade. You have some MC's that are exceptional and some producers that push the boundaries and try to deliver something different. But that mediocrity is what pushed me into venturing into other musical territories. I started seeing that a decade ago. Now it's time to bring the realness back. People are tired of the BS and the doors are wide open for good music all over the world.

What was your selection process for MC's on Sonic Smash were they all people you knew/had worked with or did you call out?

It's about half and half. Most of the new collaborations are people suggested by label head Sucio Smash. Sputnik Brown, Fresh Daily, Homeboy Sandman, and  PCasso are label mates on High Water Music. Torae is becoming a new force on the underground, Breez Brewin and J Treds were around during the height of the mid 90's underground craze. Elzhi is one of my favorite MC's in recent years and I made that call to him personally.

Did you have particular MC's in mind when producing the cuts for Sonic Smash or would you wait until you locked in someone before working on a beat?

I had MC's in mind for sure. There were  some artists that I really wanted to get on SS but for whatever reasons it didn't work out. Some of the beats were made specifically for the artists with the MC's present in the lab while I constructed the beat from scratch, like the John Robinson, Sputnik Brown and Senor Kaos beats. That always creates a better chemistry for the songs. In other cases I would send artists beats that I felt fit their voice, vibe, or song and that I felt was missing on the album.

What are your thoughts on the new developments in DJing like Ableton? Are you into these new methods or are you still rocking vinyl for live gigs and touring?

I use Serato and love it. I've witnessed the Ableton way of DJing and I see why it's great but personally I love using turntables. I can't see myself using only a computer to rock a party.

One of the biggest challenges with an album of this nature is maintaining a sense of cohesiveness, how did you tackle this?

I just do me. It's as cohesive as my vibe. Each track has it's own character which is purposely done but my sound is my sound regardless. Plus when I make albums I always try to create a story, a beginning, middle and end to hold the listener and keep things interesting.

A lot of producers these days dabble in a bit of rhyming, you ever considered it?

I actually used to rhyme on early Jigmastas demos. I don't like my voice in playback. But on occasion it does cross my mind. If I ever decide to do that I'm going to be hard on myself. Not every producer/MC out here is exceptional.

Where are you with your two groups Jigmastas and Polyrhythm Addicts? Can we expect anything from these two camps in the future?

I'm currently rapping up the new Jigmastas album. I personally feel it's going to be stellar.

It's scheduled for 2010 which will be a decade since Infectious was released. As for Polyrhythm Addicts, I doubt highly that another album will be done. Everyone in the group is on solo quests and it's really hard to maintain a group of grownups with different personalities and work ethics.

With the 2000's all done what do you think they'll be remembered for in music?

The dirty south era... gulp!

Finally any shoutouts, final words?

Support real hip-hop. People complain that music sucks nowadays all over the world, particularly hip-hop. When someone such as myself makes something worth listening too you should support it  and spread the word to keep the movement alive.

Dj Spinna's Sonic Smash is out now via High Water Music, stay tuned for the new Jigmastas ablum in 2010 and for more on Spinna just check his website, djspinna.com or his twitter.