{"id":3671,"date":"2021-10-13T10:02:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T10:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/?p=3671"},"modified":"2021-10-18T05:30:47","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T05:30:47","slug":"blog-interview-dj-abilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2021\/10\/13\/blog-interview-dj-abilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog interview: DJ Abilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spotify Embed: Worldwide\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/6rjVIr7vTATBysMSxSDlh0?si=b049c969d7134f95\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3674\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-200x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-40x60.jpeg 40w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Abilities1-credit-KaraMueller-1-scaled.jpeg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><b class=\"\">Congratulations on the release of \u201cWorldwide&#8221;,&nbsp;how does it feel?<\/b><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Thank you. It feels awesome, it\u2019s been quite a long time coming for&nbsp;new music. I\u2019m grateful for the response to \u201cWorldwide\u201d and excited for the whole record to be out.<\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\">&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><b class=\"\">You are a DJ from Minnesota, how did it begin for you?<\/b><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\">I found Hip Hop and it really resonated with me. I was an artist beforehand so I already was dialed in on expressing myself creatively, I explored break dancing and rapping as well but I had the most fun djing, so I decided to focus on that. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\">What did you listen to growing up?&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Metal early on, Metallica, Pantera etc. but I\u2019d say what resonated most growing up was early 90s hip hop and rock. Nirvana, Nas, Wu Tang, Alice In Chains, Hieroglyphics would be some examples.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\">What made you get into DJing?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>I love music and I love the sound of scratching, it\u2019s so abstract and different. It\u2019s an enjoyable use of time, getting to be creative with all of this wonderful art.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\">Was there a particular track that made you start scratching?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">No, but there was a particular show at legendary Minneapolis venue- First Avenue that sticks out, DJ X-Calibur was cutting it up and it was a clear moment I remember where I decided I wanted to focus more on scratching.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><br class=\"\">Who were your biggest influences for this?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\">So many wonderful artists from different genres of music and genres of art, but some that stick out in Hip Hop would be <\/span><span class=\"\" style=\"color: initial;\">DJ Premier, Q-Bert, D-Styles, Z-Trip, El-P<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\">You have a new album coming out this year, describe it in three words.<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">I hope this doesn\u2019t come across as arrogant but \u201cworth the wait\u201d comes to mind. I put a huge amount of time into this and I think people who vibe with my sound will certainly enjoy it.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><br class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><b class=\"\">What are your three favourite tracks from it?&nbsp;<\/b><br class=\"\"><\/span><p><\/p>\n<p>Honestly every track is my favorite, it\u2019s not a long record but I made sure every one hit me in a way where I felt it was really special and the best I could make it. It\u2019s just one thing \u201cPhonograph Phoenix&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\">What was the biggest challenge and triumph you faced recording it?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\">It\u2019s probably the same thing actually, and that\u2019d be the fact I wrote all the music (no samples sans the scratched vox + chopped up drum breaks)<\/span><span class=\"\" style=\"color: initial;\"> and had zero features. Many times I almost went with guests because it was so daunting and time consuming to complete, but I never did and I\u2019m grateful I saw the vision through.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\">Having seen videos of you battling, you scratch at breakneck speed and you use records of multi genres, what has been a favourite moment on stage?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\">Thank you. My favorite moment is when the crowd and I are all dialed in together, the group energy, the fun, the being in the present, it\u2019s a magical place. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\">Tell us a funny moment that you\u2019ve had on stage.&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">One time, I stage dove into a crowd that wasn\u2019t large enough and I literally leapt over most of them and landed on the ground.<\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\">Covid has affected the creative industry as a whole, what kept you motivated?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\">When this started I was determined to look back on the time and have something to show for it. Not sure exactly where that came from but thankfully it did, the last year was actually one of<\/span><span class=\"\" style=\"color: initial;\"> the most productive ever from a writing standpoint for me.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><br class=\"\"><b class=\"\">2020 was a time to reflect, what did you learn about yourself?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">That, while I can spend a great deal of time alone, I don\u2019t want to.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\">Did you pick up any new skills?<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">For sure, I got into modular synthesis.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\"><br class=\"\">What are you listening to at the moment?&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\">My favorite music genre of the past couple years is definitely Tech House. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><b class=\"\">What are you looking forward to next?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The record for sure. I\u2019m super stoked on my next video to be released too, I think it\u2019s going to turn out really well.<\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DJ Abilities - Worldwide (Official Video)\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PvzX493RDZ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb-107x60.jpg 107w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Thumb.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>DJ Abilities album &#8220;Phoograph Phoenix&#8221; will be available on 29th October 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Special thanks to Andy Kettle @ <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steamingkettlepr.com\">Steaming Kettle PR<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; Congratulations on the release of \u201cWorldwide&#8221;,&nbsp;how does it feel? Thank you. It feels awesome, it\u2019s been quite a long time coming for&nbsp;new music. I\u2019m grateful for the response to \u201cWorldwide\u201d and excited for the whole record to be out. &nbsp; You are a DJ from Minnesota, how did it begin for you? I &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,30,183,210,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-djing","category-music","category-synthesizers","category-turntablist","category-vinyl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3671"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3717,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions\/3717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}