Name, Location, What You Do:
Poldoore is the name, based in Belgium. Producer/DJ of atmospheric beats.

Influences:
Music from the 70’s, random YouTube finds, travel, nature.

Favorite Records at the Moment:
Currently listening a lot to Bonobo – The North Borders, Boards Of Canada – The Campfire Headphase and this Studio One Rockers compilation has been occupying my record player for a couple of weeks already too.

Best Digging Story:
Digging with Claas Brieler from Jazzanova in Toulouse (France), with a massive hangover from the event we played the night before, and pretty much being forced by him to buy certain records because he know they were terribly underpriced at that particular store. Claas is a legendary man.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
Mark Farina – Mushroom Jazz 6: one of the mixes that got me into making beats myself.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
I’ve always had a soft spot for 7”.

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:
Neapolitan pizza. Don’t know if you’d consider this junk food though… If that doesn’t count then I’ll go for hot BBQ chicken wings.

Most Memorable Gig Played:
Probably Belle Ile On Air; a festival that was held in an 11th century fortress on this tiny island close to the West Coast of France. The setting was jaw-dropping.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:
DJ Dez – New World / Brain (7”)

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info:
Shout out to everyone reading this and listening to my beats. Not too many gigs coming up due to the covid-19 epidemic, but I’ll be back soon. Stay hydrated.

Check out more on Poldoore here.

Dig Deeper!

Name, Location, What You Do:
Leon Michels, Rhinebeck, NY, musician/producer.

Influences:
Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Rouse, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, Lee Perry, Bob Marley, Sly Stone, Lou Reed, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Quentin Tarantino, Akira Kurowsawa, Paul Thomas Anderson, Egon Shiele, Basquiat, Van Gogh, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G, Madlib, J Dilla, Jay-Z, Richard Swift, my friends, my family, my dog, and on and on and on.

Favorite Records at the Moment:
Francois De Roubaix – Les Livres Rouges
Willie Griffin – I Love You
Live.e – LazyEaterBetsOnHerLikeness
Sault – (Untitled (Black Is)
Ozdemir Erdogan – Gurbet
Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony

Best Digging Story.
When I was 13, my neighbor knew that I was into music so he told my dad his partner was selling a bunch of instruments, and one of them was an electric keyboard. The guy worked at the Jewelry Exchange on Canal Street (which is still there). We walked down there to check it out. His partner brought us downstairs to his storage locker and there was a Fender Rhodes in a travel suitcase that he wanted $200 for. My dad paid him and we took it home. A couple years later I researched it and found out it was a Fender Rhodes Mark V Stage 73 + Midi which was apparently a prototype in which 3 were made for Chick Corea, John Novello, and Steve Woodyard. So I think I bought of one those guy’s Rhodes in the basement of a jewelry store on Canal Street.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
Impressions Of impression Pt. 1 & 2 by Danny Akalepse. It is a masterfully mixed and curated selection of music inspired by one of my all-time favorite groups, the Impressions, put together by one of my favorite Dj’s and humans, Danny Akalepse. Life-affirming music. I have a boombox in my studio which this cassette permanently lives in.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
7” is my favorite format. Collecting and DJing.

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without
I used to be a Haribo junkie. Starmix and twin cherries in particular. My kids are such crack heads when it comes to candy and junk food I’m no longer allowed to have it in my house.

Most Memorable Gig Played:
The most memorable show I’ve ever played was the very first show I played abroad with Sharon Jones & The Soul Providers in Plymouth, England in 1999. I was sixteen and I had convinced my parents to let me miss my finals and go on tour with a bunch of thirty-year-olds. The band was Gabe Roth, Victor Axelrod, Phillip Lehman, Martin Perna, Fernando Velez, Anda Szilagyi, and Sharon of course. There were about 500 people in the room and when we hit the stage they looked totally possessed. There were moments when they were trying to rush the stage to touch us. I just figured we were wildly popular in England but later found out it was essentially a rave and the entire audience was on ecstasy.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box or record you just go back to all the time.
There are always multiple James Brown records in my box, in particular, “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” and “Bring It Up”. No matter what record I play, I’m always surprised how good James Brown records sound next to pretty much anything.

Can you tell us how Big Crown Records came about?
Once Jeff Silverman and I decided to dissolve Truth & Soul, me and Danny Akalepse, who worked at T&S for a number of years started Big Crown.

With its diverse roster of bands, where do you see Big Crown Records in today’s music climate, and where would you like to see the label ten years from now?
My favorite labels have always been the ones with really clear identities. The type of labels where your gonna cop a record cause you just trust the label has good taste. Back in the day, that was sort of commonplace with labels like Stax, Atlantic, Motown, Apple, etc… they all had their own style and you knew what you were getting by looking at the label. I think by trusting our taste and loving everything on we release regardless of saleability or not, we are starting to develop an identity that people recognize. Not all the music we put out sounds the same or belongs to the same genre, but I do feel there is a common thread with all of it. In ten years I just hope we’re having as much fun as we are now. Danny and I basically handle all the in and outs of the label so having more people we trust and like, working for us, would be awesome.

I also hope we stumble upon a record that makes enough money to buy us each hot tubs.

How has the relocation from NYC to Upstate New York helped your process creatively making music/ records?
Prior to the Coronavirus and everything that is going on, I feel like I hit a stride up here with work. There is not much to do and very little distractions except for the occasional all-consuming house project, so I was able to work a lot. I still share a studio in the city with Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, and Tom Brenneck, so I would go into the city once or twice a week, work, and then bring it upstate and finish projects. In 3 hours of working in isolation in the country, I get more done than I would’ve in a whole day in the city. I do miss having people around that I can constantly bounce ideas off of though. Now is a different story. I’m basically in survival mode with three kids and no work is getting done.

If you could work with any musician today and make a record with them, who would it be?
For a long time, I always answered that question with Cee Lo because I do think he has one of the illest voices of my generation and he has had some career moments that are near perfect. A lot of times the most satisfying people to work with are artists I become friends with first. No matter how dope someone is if the chemistry isn’t right it’s like pulling teeth.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig/ Release info:
I wish I had a gig to promote but looks like its gonna be a while. I promise that there will be more El Michels Affair shows when we’re able to all be in the same room again.

Dig Deeper!

Name, Location, What You Do:
My name is Arlini Martini and I am originally from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, but currently live in Austin. I founded a doowop night called Where the Boys Are, and deejay a garage night called the ¡Big Beat! with Topper James.

Influences:
I grew up on a steady diet of punk rock, which influences me both as a person and as a deejay. I still maintain that DIY ethic, and play songs that are a little rough around the edges – like me.

Favorite Records at the Moment:
I recently purchased The Twilights “You’re the One”. It isn’t my usual sound, but when I heard the song I couldn’t get the tune out of my head. I swear, it even played in my dreams that night! I was super excited to finally add it to my collection.

Best Digging Story.
One thing I love about buying records is learning about, or even just imagining, the story behind that record. I love when I find a signature on the sleeve, especially when it is scrawled in old school cursive. It really personalizes the record for me, and I get to share in the history. A few years ago I came across a small collection of generic disco 45s, and each one was stamped with “Disco for Old People.” It cracked me up, but sure enough, whenever I play one of those records the older crowd moves onto the dance floor!

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
Jock Jams. Nothing else comes close. It was the first “mix” I ever heard on the radio, and to this day it gets me pumped up.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
7” for sure! Even as a kid I didn’t have much of an attention span to listen to a full album, and preferred mix tapes. Listening to 7” records allow me the opportunity to jump across genres and styles.

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:
I have such a sweet tooth, so I have a stash of candy with me at all times. I prefer things like chocolate bars over sour candy, so I am usually munching on Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, or Almond Joys…or Cookies ‘n’ Creme. Any kind of chocolate, really!

Most Memorable Gig Played:
Last year I deejayed Suavecita Souldies in Oakland. My friend Rene Lopez organizes it, and was gracious enough to invite me in December. I was able to deejay with an amazing female line up, and the crowd out there was extremely welcoming – and they never stopped dancing throughout the night!

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:
I usually end my nights with something people can dance and sing along to, so I always play The Undertones – Teenage Kicks.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig/ Release info:
I have several mixes coming out this month, and a few livestream gigs. I post event information and links on my instagram page @arlinim. And of course, I want to give a shout out to my favorite venues in Austin – Drinks Lounge, Velouria and the 13th Floor. We can’t be together during these times, so please visit their social media and show them some love!

Dig Deeper!

 Name, Location, What You Do:

Robohands, London, musician.

Influences:

I grew up on Frank Zappa, CAN, Captain Beefheart, and 60s psychedelia, then later on discovered late 50’s modal jazz and free jazz, listened to a lot of Miles Davis, Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Freddie Hubbard. Then a few years back started getting more into 70s library music, KPM, DeWolfe etc, which is inspiring me to make music these days.

Favorite Records at the Moment (what you’re listening to, what you’re feeling):

Other than the library stuff, I’ve recently been listening to some latin music, I really like Jorge Ben Jor, Toquinho and Dom Um Romao.

Best Digging Story:

I used to go to a place that sold vinyl and fruit/vegetables, found loads of good stuff there.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.

Brainfreeze by Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow, I respect the turntablist thing a lot.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?

LP

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:

I like a donut with a cup of tea.

Most Memorable Gig Played:

We played Lisbon last year, great city. Crowd were amazing. Not the biggest show and we did a pretty eclectic set, but it went down really well. One of those nights when you just get to freely express yourself.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box or record you just go back to all the time. Herbie Hancock – Headhunters

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig/ Release info: Shout out to King Underground for putting out my new record, officially out in January, and thanks to everyone supporting this project over the last couple of years.

Here’s a premiere of Robohands new single “Odysea”from the King Underground record Shapes out on January 15th.

Pre-order the record here.

Dig Deeper!

Name, Location, What You Do:

Neon Brown
Denver, CO
Producer/Composer

Influences:
Smokey Robinson, H.B. Barnum, Patrick Adams, Kashif, D Train, Jay Dee, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Roy Ayers, Sly Stone.

Favorite Records at the moment:
I’ve been feeling the new Madlib, Chris Swansen, Mad Honey, MF DOOM, Slum Village Fantastic Vol. 2, and a bunch of Brazilian psych.

Best Digging Story. 
When I lived in Brooklyn, NY, I was broke. Like dead broke. Like should I eat or buy a record? Can’t have both. That kind of broke. So I’d mainly shop at 6th Ave Record Shop in Park Slope, BK because that was the come-up spot.

I always wanted to go to Manhattan and dig at A-1, Academy, etc. but never had the $ for it. One day, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go to A-1 in hopes that they slashed all prices. Everything free! I found like 20 records from my list but of course, I couldn’t afford any of them. I left, head down like Charlie Brown.

About three blocks away from A-1 was a dude selling random shit. Laid out on this rug on the sidewalk was The Silver Apples self-titled album, the $ soundtrack composed by Quincy Jones, and Kool & The Gang Live at P.J.’s. Dude asked for $20 for all three. Made my day.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
For the past 6 years, it’s been J Rocc Live at the Sex-Machine. I put that mix (CD) in the car when my girlfriend and I moved from East Bay to Denver. It’s been there ever since.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
12″ for disco boogie sets, 7″ for soul sets.

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without: 
Red Vines.

Most Memorable Gig Played: 
Before COVID hit, me and my dude Chris (Red C) were doing this monthly called Pantones. It’s an all-vinyl, boogie, funk, disco night. We strictly play back-to-back, one record each. Chris always has the heat and he keeps me on my toes. Finding that perfect record to mix into a record you don’t own or have never heard can be challenging, but that’s why it’s fun. We had some really great nights at that party.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box or record you just go back to all the time.

Ned Doheny “To Prove My Love”
The Superlatives “I Don’t Know How”

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig/ Release info:

Big thank you to DJ Prestige for having me be a part of Big Ups. Much appreciated my man!
I wanna give a big shout out to my lovely lady Chelsea, my fam-a-lam, and all my friends. I love ya’ll!
Big up my guy Deca. We’re working on a new album at the moment. Be sure to check-in for updates.
To all the funky people that support my ventures, thank you! Can’t do it without you.
You can check out my music at iamneonbrown.bandcamp.com
Lots of good stuff there. Much more to come. 

Dig Deeper!

Name, Location, What You Do: DJ Boogie Blind formerly of the X-ecutioners and currently with the Lean Brothers and the Heavy Hitters DJ crews. I DJ open format serato gigs  as well as all vinyl sets too. Also, as of late been learning production plus I have and still do scratches on various artist tracks

Influences: My uncle DJ Artie Art, DJ Andre Spence and DJ Randy from the infamous Harlem World club and crew are the people who actually taught me how to DJ at a young age. RIP Roc Raida, of course my childhood friend helped me a lot with deejaying and gave me an opportunity as far as getting in the business side of deejaying. I mean to be honest, I am a fan of so many DJ’s that influence me I really can’t name ’em all & I don’t want to leave any names out smh…

Favorite Records at the Moment: My favorite record as in actual vinyl at the moment is th1rt3en. The lp is called A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism. It’s a fusion of rock and hip hop which features Pharoahe Monch, Daru Jones and Marcus Machado. My favorite digital or record I play in serato is Hiatus Kaiyote – “Get Sun”. That song is so dope..

Best Digging Story: I would have to say in 2018. I did an all 45 tour in Japan with Kogatoroo and Tus One. I got to DJ with DJ Koco on 4 gigs and I actually was diggin almost everyday. I learned the art of diggin’ on a budget lol. It gets super pricey in Japan.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ. There are so many mixes i love, but the ones that stand out to me is RIP DJ Dusk Top Ranking mix which is a super classic. Also, my uncle has a stash of Larry Levan live from the Paradise Garage mixes and some early Farley Jack master funk mixes when he was on radio in Chicago.  and of course one of my favorite deejays: DJ Teddy Ted of The Awesome 2. He used to get busy and you had to stay up to 4 am just to press record on ya tape deck for a 1 hour show!

LP, 12”, or 7” format? I like to play all vinyl, but sometimes people just want all 45’s ,which is cool for me but I’d rather play 7’s, Lps and 12s and mix it up a bit.

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without: The Maui Pepperidge farm cookies or habanero or hint of queso Tostitos.

Most Memorable Gig: Coachella 2017 with Pharoahe Monch was a vibe for sure and Vangaurd Festival in Copenhagen with Lord Finesse and Large Professor. The line was crazy and I got to DJ the after party.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:  I may have ran it to the ground a bit, but the Khruangbin “Maria Tambien” 45 for sure.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info: I wanna thank Flea Market Funk for this awesome opportunity. Salute Monk-One. Peace to all the people that show support to all of us worldwide.

Check out Boogie Blind on Instagram: @DJBoogieBlind

Dig Deeper!

Name, Location, What You Do:
My name is DJ Epik from Sacramento, California, & I’m a DJ, Producer, & vibe curator! I’m a constant student of the game, on a quest to find music that I haven’t heard, & my mission in life is to spread love, happiness, & knowledge through music. 

Influences:
My DJ influences are all over the map. Being that in from Northern California, Mixmaster Mike was an early influence, as well as other pioneers like Dj Premier, Spinna, Shortkut, Kenny Dope, Dj Numark, DJ Jazzy Jeff, & more recently Skratch Bastid. 

Favorite Records at the Moment:
Current favorites I can’t stop playing are Durand Jones & The Indications “Witchoo” 7”, as well as the new Moonchild “Starfruit” LP. 

Best Digging Story:
One of my best diggin’ stories has to be the time I got to dig in the dusty basement of the infamous Records On K St. in Downtown Sacramento, which was made famous by the DJ Shadow “Endtroducing” album cover photo. The place was well known locally for being haunted, & as much as I was happy to be diggin’ in that legendary basement, I have to say I was a bit spooked the whole time, being down there alone. 

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ.
I’m really diggin’ Kenny Dope’s “Full Spectrum” weekly series on Apple Music, because every week he covers a different theme/genre, & every time I learn something I’ve never heard before.

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
As much as I love and collect massive amounts of 7’s & 12’s, I gotta say you can’t ignore LP’s, because oftentimes it’s the album only cuts that are the hidden gems! 

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:
Hands down, homemade chocolate chip cookies! When my wife makes them, I turn into Cornholio from Beavis & Butthead! I can’t stop eating them haha. 

Most Memorable Gig Played :
One of my most memorable gigs was the Motown On Mondays Sacramento 5 year anniversary block party where I got to share the decks with Z Trip. 

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box: 
The Mighty Ryders “Evil Vibrations” 7” (issued by Dynamite Cuts), & Chateau “Feelings” 7”. If I’m playing a boom-bap set, Mobb Deep “Shook Ones” 12” stays in rotation, as I can mix that acapella on nearly any beat within a +/- 8 bpm range. 

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info:
Big shouts to my M.O.M. Fam from all over. All my friends & family in Sacramento that have supported me over so many years, & as well as my global twitch familia for changing my life over the last 2+ years! Much love & appreciation to my amazing, beautiful wife Jen for being so patient & understanding, as well my parents for always believing in what I do! Last but not least, thank you DJ Prestige for having me be a part of this!!!  Locally you can catch me at Lowbrau for Motown On Mondays every Monday at 9pm, & you can catch me on twitch. Wednesdays at 7pm PST, & Fridays at 10am PST. Hopefully coming to a city near you soon!!! 

Name, Location, What You Do:
My name is Zahra, I move between Toronto and London, Canada, where I am based. At this time I am a DJ, Producer, Community Builder, and Broadcaster. 

Influences:
That list is very long and diverse. But those who will always stay musically are – Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Sade, Quincy Jones, Larry Levan, Erykah Badu, and Nona Hendryx.

Favorite Records at the Moment:
Been rotating this incredible album by Tony Williams called The Joy of Flying, with all-star players like featuring Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, George Benson, Cecil Taylor, and many more great players.

Best Digging Story:
The Toronto Record Show in 2022 was serendipitous… I connected with a lot of DJs I had met over the internet during the lockdowns, like Jason Palma, Paul E Lopes, and K-Cut – who I had already known. Befriending them, while buying their records and talking about music, was a nice moment for me. But the story that happened there is this – Someone I was chatting with about what records I was looking for told me he saw a beautiful version of Prince’s Sign O The Times in one seller’s collection. As I was walking up to him, I saw him handing it off to a customer who was seconds ahead of me. It’s one of my favourite albums. All I could do was laugh about it… When I told K-Cut about it as vendors were starting to close up, he walked behind his stand and magically pulled out a pristine promo copy of it from another collection, gold stamp and all. I don’t even remember him looking for it. That’s my favourite type of record too, the ones that feel like historical artifacts. I was so grateful.

There’s another, shorter story, and it was in Istanbul. I was walking around an old part of the city and heard about this mysterious hidden alleyway that was semi-underground and full of shops and businesses. I found it, just by making a right turn in a busy side street and walking for a bit. I was transported to another world. Time traveling is real. And in these ancient-looking stores, where shopkeepers were selling old maps, antiques, books, and all kinds of things, I found a pristine copy of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Not a big surprise considering the album’s notoriety, but it was exciting nonetheless.

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ:
I can’t answer this one, man. So much greatness out there. Ha ha. One of my favourites is a mix by Louie Vega for Worldwide FM celebrating Larry Levan on his bornday. It’s called Lockdown Sessions with Louie Vega: A Tribute to Larry Levan // 20-07-20. It has some of my favourite tracks on it. I was listening to that whole mix on repeat for weeks, and it was especially impressionable on me in that time. The reason? Larry’s production is infectious. I was completely immersed every time. Louie also shared lots of incredible stories, soundbites, and memories of Larry… 

LP, 12”, or 7” format?
Again, really hard to answer. Playing 45s is like dancing at a party in itself – you stay on your feet. Overall, I like 12 inches. I like to take my time with mixing records together and transitions, particularly with house and funk music, and 12 inches give me that room. I love the way it looks on the turntable – solid, unquestionable. I also love those underplayed remixes and b-sides you find on the 12 inches. That’s partly the inspiration for my radio show’s name: Lunar Rotations – an homage to the radio DJs doing graveyard shifts and taking full liberties to play their favourite album cuts that they couldn’t play on daytime radio – where singles were favoured. And on that note, I love listening to LPs all the way through for a listening session. “Albums still matter” Prince once said. 

Junk Food You Can’t Live Without:
I don’t know if it’s technically “junk” food, but dark chocolate. Somewhere in the 70% – 90% realm. 

Most Memorable Gig Played: 
Most memorable gig… In 2021 I threw a party in a warehouse loft in London called Bass is Base. All deep house, disco, rare groove. I had two of my friends join as guest DJs, one of them brought his sound system he uses for his parties, which is called Lovedance. They hauled it all in, up a flight of stairs to get to the loft – I made myself useful by watching in awe. We had so many records in there, it was easily a section of a store. The party was amazing, I think everyone was surprised by how much fun they had. A lot of people I didn’t know came to that party, and it was a perfect 2-way introduction.

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:
“Nuyorican Soul” ft. Jocelyn Brown – “I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun”. If I had the original version, it would be that one in there as well. One of my favourite songs ever.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info:
I want to shout out everyone who has come into my life via music, whether by DJing, radio, industry events, through dance, or simply sharing a love for good music in any space or place. Big love to all record store owners and staffers of the world, especially the ones who take care of their vinyl. Their knowledge and love of music are endlessly inspiring to me. Big thanks to my extended musical family all over the world – I am so blessed to have them. And I have to show love to my second place of birth, where I feel I was born musically, which is Montreal. I lived there for 7 very formative years. The music I experienced at that time opened up a side of me I had not experienced before. 

I’d love to extend an invitation to my radio show, Lunar Rotations, and its beautiful community. They are my tribe, my Moon Tribe. The show streams Thursdays at 9PM ET on Twitch. I’ve turned it into a bi-monthly live event that takes place in London Ontario. Maybe we’ll be in a city near you soon?

Dig Deeper!!

Name, Location, What You Do: Todd Shima, Sacramento, CA., Teach Ethnic Studies, eat udon, and collect records.

Influences: I have too many influences and my inspiration comes from many sources. 

Favorite Records at the Moment: Magnum- Tell Me Why 7″. Soul Liberation Who Are You LP. Errol Stubbs- Spaced Out On Your Love 7″. Hiram and Direct- Turn It Around 7″. 

Best Digging Story: It’s the ones that got away. 

Favorite Mix and Why. Any Genre, Any DJ. I’d say The Best of Notorious BIG by DJ Mister Cee (without pic on J-card). Big’s first album is one of my favorites and it’s just a moment in time during that 94-95 period in time we’ll never get back. You also have to remember there’s no internet during this time so getting said tape and many others via mail orders from Tape Kingz was such a blessing, especially for me living on the West Coast.

LP, 12”, or 7” format? All the above. Prefer 12″ and 7″ when I deejay, although not a prerequisite. 

 Junk Food You Can’t Live Without: Pizza. And please, pineapple does not belong on pizza. And while I’m at it, cream cheese does not belong in a sushi roll.  

Most Memorable Gig Played: Not sure if it’s memorable. Back in 2005 or so (I don’t remember but I had Scratch Live 1st generation), I was gonna deejay before Jeru Da Damaja went on. Long story short, he needed a deejay for his set. He gave me his music i.e. mp3s and said just follow his lead. I deejayed his whole set, totally impromptu. 

Record That Never Leaves Your Record Box:  Man, I always like to refresh the record bag when I gig out. That said, I see these records in my bag often. Vin Zee- Funky Bebop. Jerry Knight- She’s Got To Be (A Dancer). Jimmy Ross- First True Love Affair. Cherrelle- Saturday Love.

Shout Outs, Last Remarks, and Gig Info: Shout out to my Pops for having a music room in the house when I was young. Shout out to my Moms for letting me store my records at her crib. Shout out to all the record dealers who know I like to spend money. Shout out to those who love me. Follow me on IG Shotgun Shima for all my gig info and random record zaniness. 

Shotgun Shima joins me & Monk-One this month at Shake! at Friends and Lovers in Crown Heights, BK.