DJ Spin Easy - The Heat Is On
Harlem resident DJ Spin Easy loves Australia. So much so that he’s back again, heating up religion at Fanny’s. 3D played catch-up.
You’re known as a real entertainer on-stage – is interacting with your audience really important to you-
Very important – the DJ is the foundation of hip hop, as well as for parties. I feel all DJs should provide some form of entertainment in addition to playing music – be it turntablism, talking on the mic, b-boying or dancing with the partygoers. It makes for a show in the club more than having a human jukebox.
How have Harlem/New York influenced your sound-
In NYC people are fast, so you play only the heat! And you change songs every 90-120 seconds to keep the energy high. Except, of course, the current big club hits; I play those longer. Also we have access to a lot of rare records that we like to play.
You’ve opened up for some legends like Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Busta Rhymes – what other heavyweights would you love to work with-
While it was an honour working with them, I would like to work with some more international artists. The hip hop scene is expanding and the quality of international artists is improving and I love it! I’m working on an album now and I’d like to collab with the Hilltop Hoods, Savage, Yung Sid, Scribe, Cabal, Mr Catra (Brazil), and Promoe (Sweden) to name a few…
What are some of your best memories from your last visit here, and what’s on your to-do list in Australia this time around-
First of all the beaches: best in the world, so if you need me I’ll be on the Gold Coast. Also a youth organization called One Tribe outside of Brisbane did an Aboriginal performance and taught me how to throw a boomerang! I really want to get in touch with the less fortunate in Oz – that’s really important to me.
As for the nightlife, Darwin is off the hook… Discover Club – wow. I also wanna see more Oz nature; y’all have mad animal species there.
How familiar are you with Australian hip hop – any favourite artists-
Hilltop Hoods are cool, they can flow, but I need to get more heat from Oz. Oz hip hoppers holla at ya boy!
Do you have any productions planned-
Fo sho! I’m working on an album concept now – it’ll have a lot of heat and there will be something for everyone. Outside spinning, I am writing a book with a very well-known writer in the States talking about how I left corporate America and moved to Brazil, met Snoop there, toured with Dogg all over the world, and then toured by myself all over the world. It’s coming along real nice. It’s tentatively titled My Life is a Paid Vacation. I will also be syndicated on radio on every continent. It will be called DJ Spin Easy’s Top 5 in NYC – a 10-minute mega-mix delivered bi-weekly. I will be heard in South Africa, Canada, Germany, Oz, NZ, the Philippines, Brazil and Argentina. And with my Australian other half, I’m helping open a line of jeans called Boon-dah – Portuguese for beautiful ass – hitting stores in Oz by Xmas.
WHO: DJ Spin Easy
WHAT: Plays Religion at Fanny’s
WHEN: Saturday 11 October
MORE: djspineasy.com