Mr. V takes to the booth tonight. We hear he has a couple of new tracks, but we also hope he'll spin out “Somethin Wit Jazz," the track that brought back the hip-house soul movement. He was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions...
Standard Culture: How do you feel growing up in New York influenced you musically?
Mr. V: I'm an 80's baby! My golden years were 82-99... I was listening to the birth of hip hop, my mom was a salsa/soul/disco head, cable tv delivered MTV when they actually played music, and New York City nightlife was flourishing... The city was incredibly alive.
You’ve been regarded as a DJ with great range in your sets. How did this evolution take place?
I guess you can blame that on MASTERS AT WORK (Louie Vega & Kenny Dope).
I did his lights for about six years and would travel around with Kenny, so it must’ve rubbed off, or on, at some point.
Where did the inspiration for the fusion of hip hop, poetry and house come from?
I was always a HUGE fan of hip-house... When it first began it was the norm and then hip hop got less about dancing and more hardcore so the whole movement faded away. In 2004 I wrote “Somethin Wit Jazz” and the movement came back a little but and has progressed to where it is today.
What are some of the most memorable cities and venues you’ve played at? I can only imagine how many frequent flyer miles you have stacking up...
South Africa is by far my favorite. The energy, vibe, people and the love for music, especially soulful house, is surreal. Paris, Italy, Hong Kong, Bali Indonesia, Australia, I mean I can go on and on...
With a hectic travel schedule and loads of studio projects in the mix, what do you like to do on your time off?
Relax as much as I can and go out to hear other DJs and producers...I love to see what's moving people out of my music range.
Sole Channel Music has released some amazing music the past several years. What does the future hold for the label?
Next year the label turns 10... We still have a way to go, but we have killer remixes of "Jus Dance" coming. Follow us on our site to stay updated on everything!
You’ve always been one to embrace technology and incorporated Traktor into your sets early on. Tell us about this.
Honestly, with Traktor, I hated the interface but ultimately fell in love with the seamless editing and loop function, quantization techniques, sync features, and of course the EFX.
What are you “bombs” for Summer 2013?
You’ll have to wait for the show to find that out...See you there!
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