Interview: DJ Adlib
German beat producer summa cum laude and Academy shipmate DJ Adlib just released his Haus & Garten LP for the Hi-Hat Club series on Melting Pot Music. We shot the breeze with him a bit.
To start, for full disclosure, what is your relation to the Academy?
I've been involved since 2006 as an audio editor for RBMA Radio. During each Academy, I take care of the event recordings, the radio editing team and the audio archiving. Stuff like that.
And so when you're not at the Academy HQ, what do you do in your free time?
Besides music? A broad variety of boring pastime activities like sports, gardening or cat-feeding. Endless possibilities...
You just put out an album. Tell us about that and what it is.
It's the sixth installement of the 'Hi-Hat Club' instrumental LP series and it's called "Haus & Garten". Released on MPM-Music [Melting Pot Music] from Cologne.
And you've got cats on the cover.
Yes, they're called Alter & Tofu.
You started out your music career as a turntablist. How far did you get into that scene exactly?
In between 2000 and 2005, we had this DJ crew called Noisy Stylus. The high points were winning three German, one European and a vice World Championship title. Besides a lot of DJ tools, we also did a fully scratched album. Low points? I never got one of those wrestling belts. Well, we once got one for four guys.
So from DJing, how did you end up in the production game?
It mostly came along with doing battle records and scratch tools.
What kinds of instruments, gear, etc are you using for your productions? What would your dream setup be?
Basically Logic, samples, bits of percussion and other peoples synths. I've also been tinkering around with the OP-1 [coincidentally made by 2003 participant David Erikkson] lately. Dream setup? A cabin in the woods.
You've worked with a lot of rappers. Dudley Perkins, Guilty Simpson, MED among others (who am I forgetting?) How do you usually go about collaborating? Are there any in particular you've enjoyed the most?
Mostly, I linked with people while they've been over in Cologne for different sorts of reasons (touring off-days or baby-making). I also used to be a tour DJ on different occasions. That's how the Frank'n'Dank thing came about. Dynas and Opio are the only ones I never met. Planet Asia on the other hand visits frequently.
And you've done some collaborations with Danny Breaks, correct?
I released an EP on his Alphabet Zoo imprint in 2007, and we did a track for the second 'Beat Dimensions' compilation.
How much touring do you enjoy doing? What are some of the weirder shows you've played?
Moscow was rather interesting for everything besides the gig. Like the machine gun armed security, password and fingerprint IDs at underground clubs, bouncers that beat promoters, absurdly rich, utterly poor and the beautiful subway I got lost in. I loved it.
Do you have touring plans for this new album?
I'm looking forward to get back into DJing, but I still haven't figured out how to put a live set together.
Transformer or flare?
Orbits.
D-Styles or Q-Bert?
D-Styles.
East coast or west coast?
Middle.
Badboy windchimes or Timbaland crickets?
Neptune buckets.
Snares or snaps?
Snares.
Mixtapes or production?
Production please.
Which is worse, posse cuts or interludes?
Posse Cuts. Really miss interludes.
Name five tunes in current heavy rotation for you?
Here's some...
- Pholhas - Dead Faces
- Black Spade - I'm Not Him
- Camel - Uneven Song
- Sandra Reid - Don't Tell Me Tell Her
- Moodymann - Wednesday Night People
