“HANG THE DJ” #9
Mr. Daz Blackburn (official governmental I believe), is an intensely passionate music lover,..and liver. Elitist, yes in an (charming way)…knowledgable, yes…souIful, DAMN RIGHT. Daz is one of the funkiest DJs I’ve ever heard. I met Daz during the first year I ever starting going to clubs in LA around 1990ish…he, and a couple of others were the reason I REALLY started paying attention to DJs and what really goes on inside the booth. I first heard him either at Brass or the spot I was promoting called “Lava Carro” I don’t remember which one (For the full story of those days gone by click here). He was a resident at both and he really left an impression on me musically, it was really heavy.
Certain songs still remind me of his sets from those days. He introduced me to several songs and sounds I had never heard before at that time…I remember he would always open up at Lava Carro with a Young Disciples record off the “Road To Freedom” album, (“As We Come” was (and is) so amazing)…such dope music could be heard in clubs back then and people would DANCE their asses off to Acid Jazz, Breaks, Classics, underground Hip Hop, early soul house…first time I ever heard “Boooo” Sticky feat. Ms. Dynamitewas from Mr. Blackburn at some little crowded spot in Hollywood and I ran up to the booth and was like, “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??”…I hadn’t heard anything like it.
I find myself thirty for moments like that now…very few dj’s make me run to the booth with that question these days…although there are a few for sure who I’ve recently interviewed.
These are the reasons I LOVE listening to DJs who dig deep and break new records and live the culture of their sound…DJ Daz did exactly that. He was an influence in regards to my quest for fire…djs like him made me want to be up on everything before the rest of the the common folk.
Boys and girls, meet The Umojah Hifi OG, DJ Daz…
How did you start?
“Started collecting hip hop and house vinyl in the mid 80’s then listened to Gilles Peterson on Jazz FM who influenced me heavily on Rare Groove and Acid Jazz, moved out to Los Angeles and met up with DJ Marques Wyatt who gave me an opening spot at his new acid jazz club “Brass”.”
What was your first gig and when? Were their any memorable moments that night good or bad?
“My first gig was a set at Thierry Guetta’s (Mr. Brainwash) club called La Vie En Rose in West Hollywood. I remember playing the No Name remake of “I’ll House You” called “Girl, I’ll Hump You” to a bunch of French people. They looked puzzled?!?!”
How long have you been djing?
“21 Years”
What genre are you “known” for?
“Mostly 70’s soul blended with boom bap hip hop beats, cultural reggae and dancehall, and classics.”
What do you/would you love to play you don’t get booked for or that you’re not known for?
“I like to take the groove deeper by playing rarer soul and hip hop album cuts but have rarely found a scene in Los Angeles that allows for this although there have been some legendary clubs I’ve been involved with here.”
Whats a couple of your new favorite artists or songs in the genre(s) your known for and especially genre(s) that you aren’t know for but really dig?
“I still dig the old sounds. There’s always something from the past to discover. But as far as new music I like Jay Electronica, Sa-Ra, Bilal, Jose James, and Ta’Raach”
If you weren’t djing what would you be doing?
“I work in film post-production now, primarily because it pays better and I have more free time on the weekends to go out drinking.”
What is your hobby or interest when you’re not djing that people don’t know about? (if its something that you can send a picture of pls do, i.e. art, photography, etc.)
“I’m always thinking about art (in all its forms) but I think I did music because I’m pretty bad at break dancing”
Whats in your dj bag (aside needles, headphones, vinyl, and slipmats)
“Criterion collection dvd’s to throw on the screens at the club”
How do you deal with requests? (if you have any pictures of napkin requests pls shoot me one)
“I say yes so they’ll go away and when they come back and ask again I’ll say I don’t have it. It’s a good way of letting them down easy.”
Top three re-occuring request situations? (i.e. “can you play something I can dance to”?)
“1. Can you play some Hip Hop as I’m playing KRS-One
2. Can you pick up the energy as I’m, playing James Brown
3. Is there an after-hours? No I’m going home to bed”
Who’s the “character” in the club that annoys you the most? i.e. club promoter, birthday girl, makin’ it rain dude, Jamie Foxx on the mic doin his “stump the dj” bit, etc.
“A tie between the white girl that looks like I killed her cat when I tell her I don’t have the record she wants to hear or the dude who’s trying to push his rap cd on me to play it. I say I don’t have a cd player on my lap top”
Your story about people asking you to play “hip hop”…when you’re playing hip hop?
“I guess like Mos Def say… “We are hip hop…you, me, everybody” Hip Hop has always tried to break into the mainstream. I just think it’s a young mans game now, and if they want some Ricky Rozay and Weezy that’s all good. It’s just my rap heroes are always gonna be Chuck D and Big Daddy Kane.”
Worst gig you ever had?
“I have to say the Queens of Comedy after party was a tough gig. My records were skipping all over the place and the crowd was already mad at white people lol then I wen’t to my weekly club Chocolate Bar and these little dudes were going all “mobb deep” on some of our patrons. Luckily it was outside after the club was closed.”
Weirdest moment djing?
“Had a drunk girl try to make out with me and she sat on the turntable when the record was playing”
Best moment djing?
“The Sade “Love Deluxe” after-party at The Universal Amphitheatre and the Lenny Kravitz 5 platinum party at Les Deux.”v
Tips – biggest and smallest or any short story about getting tipped?
“Getting tipped a dollar to play a hip hop song, playing it, then the same dude asking me to play it again while trying to hand me another dollar.”
The Good, Bad & the Ugly of the current club format/scene right now? (pertaining to whatever scene your in, i.e. big room, underground, lounge, cool kid whatever)
“The Techno Hip Hop has got to stop!”
Least favorite thing the dj opening before you or going on after you does?
“I worked with a dude that would listen to what I’d play then come back the next week and play those same records, leaving me to have to change my set up completely”
What would people be surprised to know about you?
“I do it out of love but I ain’t no sucka so watch what you say…I am more humble now so my inner peace is where I stay”
Who are some of your favorite DJ’s that you think people should know about who people might not know about on a mainstream level (name the DJ and what city they’re in)
“Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay (London), Carlos Nino (Los Angeles), and my crew Umoja Hi Fi (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Fiji)”
Whats your poison? (drink of choice in the booth)?
“Jack Daniels”
What will you be/or want to be doing 5 years from now?
“Kids and a wife”
CHECK OUT DJ DAZ’S LATEST MIX:
(click on the image to download HEAVY SOUL Vol. 1)
as well as the rest of his podcasts @:
http://dazdillinja.podomatic.com
OR FIND HIM ELSEWHERE:
Twitter: @DeejayDaz
A little background on DJ Daz’s UMOJAH HIFI COLLECTIVE…
“The Umoja Soundsystem, a DJ collective, was established in 1993 in Los Angeles by DJ’s Tomas and Daz originally as a club night called Umoja Jazz & Ragga Lounge, and later as a conglomeration of likeminded DJs including Culture D, DJ Jun, MC/DJ Cokni O’ Dire and DJ Destroyer.
Every Monday night, from its original home at Martini Lounge on Melrose Avenue at Larchmont (previous home to the legendary LA club night Brass), resident selectors Tomas and Daz’s newly christened night Umoja Jazz & Ragga Lounge featured guest DJs including Mark Farmer and Al Jackson (of Juju), and presented the roots of hip-hop music in the form of original jazz and funk DJ sets, augmented with classic reggae jams. In addition, poets and fledgling jazz musicians were invited to participate. Eventually, a regular band, who dubbed themselves the Umoja Quintet (headed by accomplished Black Note jazz bassist Marcus Shelby) became a regularly performing act at the night.
After a few months, it was decided to move the night to the former Gaslight (now the Opium Den) bar on Ivar street near Cahuenga Blvd in Hollywood. The night ran successfully for almost two years every Monday, and featured guests including Funkmaster Flex and DJ Stretch Armstrong. The synergy spawned future club nights from the Umoja crew including B-Side, Goa Dub and the still-running Chocolate Bar with DJs Daz, Higher,T-Lee, Shakespeare and Auerltio.
Although now scattered througout the United States, each member continues to represent in clubs, on the radio and internet and underground DJ events-–Cokni in Dallas, Daz, Jun, Destroyer in LA, newest member Stevie G in Washington DC and Tomas in San Francisco. Umoja (Swahili for “unity”) reflects the diverse array of music styles the soundsystem plays (abstract house, downtempo, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, electronic, drum & bass), unified in the spirit of dub, experimental and beat driven music.”
source: umojahifi.blogspot.com
LAsuperPromoters.com 