DJ Teenwolf - Sound In The Signals Interview
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I guess the first question is can you let our readers know what you’ve been up to since you left Ninjasonik?
Geez, where do I start? I've been doing a lot. Kind of fell back from DJ'ing and remixing. Mainly been focusing on producing more original material. I'm working on a couple fronts. Some of my time I have been experimenting in writing/producing pop music for mainstream artists (both domestic and internationally) and in the meantime I've been working with a handful of indie artists whose music I appreciate. It's been pretty intense. I work virtually everyday from early in the morning until very late.
You released solo mix called Wine And Cheese in the fall of last year. What made you decide to that particular mix and what was some of the inspiration behind it?
I hope you like the name of the mix. It was intended to be a joke because the music selection seemed pretty cheesy to me; I usually DJ hip hop and stuff. Anyways, the mix was actually produced for a private event during the September 2010 Fashion Week. It was used as background music for this pretty big show. I think it came out pretty cool. I didn't know much of the music before I made it. The people who hired me kinda just dumped a hard drive of stuff into my lap and told me to make a mix. I like the results though so I posted it.
I was listening to some of your remixes and your remixes of MGMT and Weezer are a couple of my favorites you’ve done. What made you decide to pick those songs to remix and what was your goal with each of those remixes?
Well, that MGMT song was just a monster track. Loved it from the first time I heard it. It had a weird beat though, so I tried to make it easier to drop in to a DJ set. It's crazy to think about how long ago I made that. I think it was in like early 2009. The Weezer track was also just a rad song that I always loved when I was a teenager. The music video for that song was epic. That remix is really old too. Made it in like 2006 when I was still DJ'ing with my old "dj group" Sound Advice. We made a bunch of kinda cheesy Baltimore Club edits of old songs. I even compiled a whole mix called "More Flannel" with a bunch of club versions of 90's rock songs. It's posted on my website. Kind of dated now, but still a fun mix.
What do you think your favorite remix or piece of production work has been?
Wow, too much to consider. I still think that first Ninjasonik mix (titled rather bluntly "Ninjasonik: The Mix") is a classic. It was just a wild blend of sound. We didn't even know what we were doing then. The idea at that point was we were going to be like a "dj group" with our own songs. McFly had never rapped or performed before, except as a DJ. That mix really set in motion some crazy stuff. Other than that, I love all the early Ninjasonik stuff. It's all just so minimal and weird. We were just joking around the whole time. That was why it was interesting.
What got you interested in DJing and when did you decide to dedicate yourself to trying to make a career out of being a DJ?
I got interested in DJ'ing by listening to a lot of underground rap music. I wanted to sample records and make grimy beats because it just seemed dope. Hard to explain. I never really wanted to be like a party rocker DJ though until I met my good friend Cory a.k.a. DJ One Shot Deal. I met him a Radio Shack on Grand Concourse in the Bronx in 2001. I was shopping for cables to set up my newly purchased MPC 2000 and we just started talking about music and stuff. We kicked it a few times and then one day these girls I was friends with at my college asked me to DJ their house party, because they knew I had turntables. I asked Cory to DJ with me and after I watched him, I knew that was what I wanted to do. He was doing all this crazy shit. That was when it was still all vinyl too; no serrate or laptops. He was scratching, blending, and juggling. It was insane. Anyways, after that Cory and I became the guys who DJ'd mad parties around my college. Then I started doing bars, clubs, etc. And it was all downhill from there.
DJ/Producer’s always have opinions on what equipment works the best or they have favorites. What are some of your favorite pieces of equipment? Do you use any one thing you can not live without as a DJ?
As far as DJ'ing, Technic 1200's or better please. Production, all you need is a computer these days, but I like having some hardware around. MPC 2000XL and some real synths. I'm not too picky. I enjoy using machines/software I have no experience with so I can learn them on the fly.
Ninjasonik was very much a group project. Would you like to find yourself in that situation again working with a group or do you think you’ll try to stick it out as more of a solo artist?
Groups are great. I actually have started a few new group projects already. Got a jazz/fusion project called The Mean Jean Oaks. It's like psychedelic rock, soul and electronica; totally free-form and experimental. I also got a poppy-indie-emo-electro group called Cosmo Memory (we are actually releasing an album this month on Galactique Records). There is also this dope dance music project with some producer friends of mine called Meth Bus, where we make hard-hitting club music to grind your teeth to. Finally there is a disco/dance music project with my friend Tal M Klien; its called Dragonbeaver.
The point is, I love working with people. It is always a good feeling and it allows you to create stuff you might not have been able to do alone.
Ninjasonik had (and I guess still does) a fairly large amount of buzz when you were in the group. There have been a lot of rumors and speculation on various blogs as to why you left the group. I was wondering if you could let our readers know why you left the group?
Let's just say there has been a lot of spin regarding what happened. And that's all it is: spin. I wish them well. We got some music we all made together being released soon.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
Thanks for the interview. Check out my website djteenwolf.com for links to some of the stuff I'm working on. Check out Galactique Records (http://www.galactique.net/) and download the Cosmo Memory album. And follow me on twitter if you want to keep up with some of the stuff I'm doing (@djteenwolf). Also peep my sound cloud (soundcloud.com/djteenwolf).
I guess the first question is can you let our readers know what you’ve been up to since you left Ninjasonik?
Geez, where do I start? I've been doing a lot. Kind of fell back from DJ'ing and remixing. Mainly been focusing on producing more original material. I'm working on a couple fronts. Some of my time I have been experimenting in writing/producing pop music for mainstream artists (both domestic and internationally) and in the meantime I've been working with a handful of indie artists whose music I appreciate. It's been pretty intense. I work virtually everyday from early in the morning until very late.
You released solo mix called Wine And Cheese in the fall of last year. What made you decide to that particular mix and what was some of the inspiration behind it?
I hope you like the name of the mix. It was intended to be a joke because the music selection seemed pretty cheesy to me; I usually DJ hip hop and stuff. Anyways, the mix was actually produced for a private event during the September 2010 Fashion Week. It was used as background music for this pretty big show. I think it came out pretty cool. I didn't know much of the music before I made it. The people who hired me kinda just dumped a hard drive of stuff into my lap and told me to make a mix. I like the results though so I posted it.
I was listening to some of your remixes and your remixes of MGMT and Weezer are a couple of my favorites you’ve done. What made you decide to pick those songs to remix and what was your goal with each of those remixes?
Well, that MGMT song was just a monster track. Loved it from the first time I heard it. It had a weird beat though, so I tried to make it easier to drop in to a DJ set. It's crazy to think about how long ago I made that. I think it was in like early 2009. The Weezer track was also just a rad song that I always loved when I was a teenager. The music video for that song was epic. That remix is really old too. Made it in like 2006 when I was still DJ'ing with my old "dj group" Sound Advice. We made a bunch of kinda cheesy Baltimore Club edits of old songs. I even compiled a whole mix called "More Flannel" with a bunch of club versions of 90's rock songs. It's posted on my website. Kind of dated now, but still a fun mix.
What do you think your favorite remix or piece of production work has been?
Wow, too much to consider. I still think that first Ninjasonik mix (titled rather bluntly "Ninjasonik: The Mix") is a classic. It was just a wild blend of sound. We didn't even know what we were doing then. The idea at that point was we were going to be like a "dj group" with our own songs. McFly had never rapped or performed before, except as a DJ. That mix really set in motion some crazy stuff. Other than that, I love all the early Ninjasonik stuff. It's all just so minimal and weird. We were just joking around the whole time. That was why it was interesting.
What got you interested in DJing and when did you decide to dedicate yourself to trying to make a career out of being a DJ?
I got interested in DJ'ing by listening to a lot of underground rap music. I wanted to sample records and make grimy beats because it just seemed dope. Hard to explain. I never really wanted to be like a party rocker DJ though until I met my good friend Cory a.k.a. DJ One Shot Deal. I met him a Radio Shack on Grand Concourse in the Bronx in 2001. I was shopping for cables to set up my newly purchased MPC 2000 and we just started talking about music and stuff. We kicked it a few times and then one day these girls I was friends with at my college asked me to DJ their house party, because they knew I had turntables. I asked Cory to DJ with me and after I watched him, I knew that was what I wanted to do. He was doing all this crazy shit. That was when it was still all vinyl too; no serrate or laptops. He was scratching, blending, and juggling. It was insane. Anyways, after that Cory and I became the guys who DJ'd mad parties around my college. Then I started doing bars, clubs, etc. And it was all downhill from there.
DJ/Producer’s always have opinions on what equipment works the best or they have favorites. What are some of your favorite pieces of equipment? Do you use any one thing you can not live without as a DJ?
As far as DJ'ing, Technic 1200's or better please. Production, all you need is a computer these days, but I like having some hardware around. MPC 2000XL and some real synths. I'm not too picky. I enjoy using machines/software I have no experience with so I can learn them on the fly.
Ninjasonik was very much a group project. Would you like to find yourself in that situation again working with a group or do you think you’ll try to stick it out as more of a solo artist?
Groups are great. I actually have started a few new group projects already. Got a jazz/fusion project called The Mean Jean Oaks. It's like psychedelic rock, soul and electronica; totally free-form and experimental. I also got a poppy-indie-emo-electro group called Cosmo Memory (we are actually releasing an album this month on Galactique Records). There is also this dope dance music project with some producer friends of mine called Meth Bus, where we make hard-hitting club music to grind your teeth to. Finally there is a disco/dance music project with my friend Tal M Klien; its called Dragonbeaver.
The point is, I love working with people. It is always a good feeling and it allows you to create stuff you might not have been able to do alone.
Ninjasonik had (and I guess still does) a fairly large amount of buzz when you were in the group. There have been a lot of rumors and speculation on various blogs as to why you left the group. I was wondering if you could let our readers know why you left the group?
Let's just say there has been a lot of spin regarding what happened. And that's all it is: spin. I wish them well. We got some music we all made together being released soon.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
Thanks for the interview. Check out my website djteenwolf.com for links to some of the stuff I'm working on. Check out Galactique Records (http://www.galactique.net/) and download the Cosmo Memory album. And follow me on twitter if you want to keep up with some of the stuff I'm doing (@djteenwolf). Also peep my sound cloud (soundcloud.com/djteenwolf).
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