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DJ Name: D-Styles
Hometown: I pretty much grew up in San Jose. All my friends
are in San Jose. My first influence for scratching was TDC (Turntable
Wizards) from San Jose.
Trademark saying or philosophy: Follow
your own path. It's easy to get influenced by people you admire,
but eventually you have to find your own sound. There's so many
people trying to sound like their hero. It's cool, but after awhile
you have to search for your own identity.
You've gotten to practice your craft and do so on regular basis....get
into a routine of practicing on a daily basis. When I was battling
I used to practice all the time....sometimes from sundown to sun
up....I would lose track of all time.
DJ Crews: Turntable Troopers (w/ RPM, DJ Ruthless), ISP,
Beat Junkies, Gunkhole
How would describe the music you spin? I just play music
that I like whether it's rock, blues, or hip hop. I like to play
a lot of instrumental stuff.
DJ battle history: The biggest contest
I won was the 1992 Extravaganza at Santa Clara University. I remember
Quest, Positively Red, Sonny Abad, TDC...it was a good battle.
The last battle I was in was the 1993 West Coast DMC. That's the
one that Rectangle won, and Disk took second place. I don't think
you can battle for the rest of your life. You have to find what
you want to do. Battling is just an outlet. It's not going to
pay the bills. You have to find what your niche is.
First record you bought: It was either "Scratch Party,"
an old megamix...one of those one-sided records that came out
of New York, or it was Egyptian Lover, "Egypt, Egypt."
Most influential record in your life? Herbie Hancock's
"Rockit", McLaren’s "Buffalo Gals", Run
DMC's first album, all the Roxanne Shante stuff, UTFO...etc.
When did you first scratch? I learned to scratch first
in 1984. It was my dad's turntable. The platter was a little 45rpm.
It was a horrible turntable. You had to be real gentle. It actually
helped in the long run because I had to be real gentle with the
record. After that I learned to mix. In junior high I was doing
little house parties 1985-1986.
What made you want to DJ and to scratch? I heard it on
records. My neighbor had turntables and a mixer. When I actually
tried it, I realized it's not that hard. I could actually get
the sound. It was fun and it just felt right. It just felt natural.
Most memorable performance? Performing
with Q was a big lesson to me. Every night it seemed he was kicking
my ass and it forced me to grow up musically and mature. He was
so advanced and I had to really learn to have self-confidence.
I still fight with my self-confidence. He taught me a lot. The
ways solos went and just the freedom of music and all music curiosity.
There's not just one event. That was such a great time to me.
We had some good shows in Japan. Me and Q and Short had some great
shows in Germany. It sucks because none of it was videotaped that
I remember.
How do you transport your records to gigs? I only have
a few records that I bring. We make show vinyl where I press up
only 10 copies and I put all the sounds that I need on one record.
I'm only showing up to the gig with 10 records. I drive usually.
It's easier that way.
Do you play CDs ever at gigs? No. Sometimes we go off
of it as a skeleton track, but not to mix.
In your opinion who is the best DJ of all time? I give
it to Melo D. I think he's really versatile, really dope. QBert
is still untouchable. He's constantly innovating. He has power,
finesse. He has everything. I don't really want to say who's the
best.
Best way for folks to find out more about you inc. your discography:
www.djdstyles.com
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