DJ Perplex Q&A

You've not been on the scene for too long, yet you've been able to gain a status as one of Australia's finest. Your support tour list is building with big credibility and you're trying to play out as much as possible. When do you find the time to put a DMC show together-
Well in between I guess… It's been a busy year. I've been building up to this, being constantly involved with DJing and doing music full time. In a way, I basically started building my new DMC routine as soon as I got back. Having seen the level it's been taken to overseas, particularly in Europe, I had no time to waste!

You have an album due out soon. Have you been able to produce as well as add your own turntable styles to the repertoire-
Yep I'm working on an album with DJ B2O. It's a turntablist-based band with offshoots into battling, club DJing and music production. The album will be a mix of both our DJing styles. Hip Hop at the forefrount but with electro, crunk and D'n'B flavors as well. It will obviously have a heavy scratch component. We are very interested in furthering the development of scratch music and the idea of using the turntable as a production tool.

When did you realise that this was something you wanted to be a part of-
Around 2000, when DJing was really popping off. I loved the way Hip Hop DJs did their thing, so skilful and so precise. I really got into it through listening to DJs on the radio. Some of Melbourne's greatest were on the air back then and it really had a big impact on me.

DJ Babu made a landmark phrase in '95 with the 'turntablist' tag. Prior to the tag, DJs from all aspects of the industry were thrown into one bag by the mainstream media. How important do you think this has been for people to distinguish the difference between an everyday DJ and a turntablist-
I like the word and I use it often, but I don't like being typecast as just a 'Turntablist DJ'. I'm more versatile than that with production work, club and mixtape DJing as well as radio gigs and TV appearances. At the end of the day, I think it should come down to being a good DJ and not about distinguishing the differences between the two.

You literally work for months on end to showcase six minutes of your abilities. When do you feel you've decided on what is the final set for a show-
One of the hardest things is knowing what to use and then knowing when the routine is finished. You can keep building on what you have forever, but there needs to be a cut off point. This is where experience plays an important part, knowing what's already been done and visualising what you want your routine to look and sound like.

Now that you've appeared on the world stage, do you have a better gauge as to what is required to capture both the judges' and audience's attention- What was it like representing Australia-
Repping Australia overseas was amazing. It was good to have worked towards something like that and get the opportunity to follow through on it. At the world final, the crowd seems to play a bigger role in who does well. There was an amazing line up of all time greats on the judging panel when I competed. So I felt confident that the right decisions would be made. The downside is that you couldn't slip anything past them!

Touring the European circuit must have been a buzz. Do you have any memorable experiences from the overseas gigs-
The best part about touring Europe was hooking up with DJ's along the way. I met lots of people living on the other side of the globe and we were on the exact same tip!

Returning home, is it always good to play to the local Aussie crowds-
The scene in Australia does not have the same numbers as they have in Europe, but the Ozzies are not as nearly as spoilt and are more appreciative.

Dates
Rouse Hill Final - Thursday 19th July / The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill
Sydney Final - Thursday 26th July / Gaelic Club, Sydney
NT Final - Thur Tags

• dj perplex
• dmc world championships