Within the ‘90s, rock was rock, hip-hop was hip-hop, and by no means the twain did meet. Then, on the flip of the century, a 73-minute, genre-bending bomb exploded onto the music scene, shattering notions in regards to the limits of creativity and collaboration. Uneasy Listening, Vol. I, a joint file from like-minded DJs P and Z-Journey, broke style conventions by mixing rock ‘n’ roll mainstays like Rush and Pat Benatar with dance and hip-hop cuts from Madonna, Redman, and The Pharcyde.
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Welcome to The Conduit, a podcast that includes candid conversations with skilled musicians who give listeners the unvarnished reality about being an artist within the music trade. In in the present day’s episode, host and LA-based DJ, producer, and musician Dan Ubick (aka Constantine “Connie” Value) sits down with Zach Sciacca (higher often known as DJ Z-Journey) to debate the musician’s pioneering work as a key participant within the mash-ups motion.
“It wasn’t like I got down to turn out to be a DJ,” says Z-Journey, whose Uneasy Listening arrived on the scene in 2001, simply as samples, remixes, and mashups have been gaining credibility as a sound type of self-expression. “It was very a lot about me having this music and desirous to share it,” he continues. “As soon as I spotted that I might put it collectively and I might expose individuals to the issues that I appreciated, the DJ factor got here into play.”
Broadly often known as each the godfather of mashups and “America’s Greatest DJ,” an award he obtained in 2009 from the DJ Instances, Z-Journey can also be famend for his technical skills and manufacturing expertise. Through the years, he’s collaborated with revolutionary artists like Nas, Beck, Public Enemy, and DJ Shadow, remixing songs from artists as assorted as Bob Marley and the Butthole Surfers. In his interview, Z-Journey shares the brightest pearls of knowledge he’s pocketed alongside the best way: “One factor I discovered via the arc of my complete profession is take possibilities,” he says. “Be dangerous, attempt to push boundaries. Don’t all the time play it secure. There’s a time to play it secure, there’s a time to lock in.”
Z-Journey additionally touches on his favourite genre-bending tracks (see Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock”), why artistic consistency trumps large milestones, and the best way to discover like-minded artists touring an identical profession path. His recommendation to aspiring DJs? “Each gig, go into it prefer it’s your first [and last],” he says, including, “put your coronary heart and fucking soul into it since you by no means know who’s watching.”