Interview with Frank Kozik – FormatMag 2009
Frank Kozik’s cute, pack-a-day smoking animals have now become iconic in the vinyl toy scene. But before anyone had even dreamt of the possibility of a thriving toy collectors market, Frank was one of the most in-demand rock poster illustrators in the world. Making the jump from rock and roll freak to plastic toy geek may seem like a stretch, but Frank has been a collector his entire life. Read on to find out the origins of his incredible powers.
“I have no claim to know what I’m doing, but I know that it is contrary to what everyone said I should do.”
Format: How was it making the transition from poster art to vinyl art? Was there some kind of stepping stone between the two industries?
Frank Kozik: Yeah, maybe six or seven years ago, I was approached by these advertising guys to do some work for them. They came to my apartment and saw all these toys, so I explained that it was something up-and-coming that I was trying to get off the ground, but there was not much access to China at that point. And the people that I knew in Japan weren’t ready to divulge their sources. So they told me that they actually wanted me to design some toys for them for their vending machines. I did that for about two years. Basically it was a combination of Kubrick mixed with other kind of stuff. It was nothing to be proud of, like it was strictly commercial work, but what I did was learn the process of finding contacts in China, and how not to do stuff. It was a pretty good learning experience.
After that I hooked up with Kid Robot. At that point, I already had the ability to design toys cinched. It made making toys with Kid Robot and other companies that were much more successful because there weren’t a lot of mistakes or problems. I had almost zero manufacturing problems because I already knew how to make my own toys. A lot of guys take a 2-D idea and don’t really understand the limitation of making a 3-D item. I would just send the files over and they were correct. That really commercial gig was my training ground, if you will.
Format: So are you working in the music industry anymore?
Frank Kozik: No, I did that for almost twenty years. I did a million posters and got involved in every level and even had a record label, but life goes on. I stopped enjoying it. We did manage to launch a new genre of music with a somewhat successful label, but nobody wanted to hear it really. We were the first guys to do the whole stoner, psychedelic rock thing, like Queen of the Stone Age and High on Fire. I did all the first records.
The label was interesting, but I had about fifteen employees, and it just became an insane hassle. We had distribution problems and stuff like that. By that time I was forty. It’s like, you know, it’s time to get out of the music scene when you’re forty. That’s a young person’s gig.
Format: Have any bands come to you to make a vinyl toy for them?
Frank Kozik: I’ve dealt with tons of bands and it’s not the most pleasant experience. It’s complicated. Unless you want to be a total rampant asshole, you have no control over things in that business because you’re dealing with so many different parties. You have to take in the fact that you’re dealing with other peoples’ intellectual copyrights, other people, their public image, their management, their record label, their promoters etc. When you deal with a band, you’re dealing with fifty people and they all have colliding interests. It can be a major pain in the ass. I like doing my own toys because the only person I have to deal with is me, and I never argue with myself, so there’s no reason for me to go and do a band toy. They should just do their own toys. I do my own stuff; I like to do my own stuff.
Format: Do you have toys that do better in one market than in others?
Frank Kozik: Yeah, sure. I play the field. I have a wide range of interests. Basically what I do is offer four kinds of toys. I offer cute animal toys that are a little weird, like smoking rabbits. Those are popular pretty much everywhere, except for the hardcore kaiju collector scene which comprises about a hundred people. So that’s what I consider my mainstream toys, the kind that cost about $6.00–the little bunnies, and the mongers. I love them because I collect that kind of stuff myself. I’m a big Hello Kitty collector, and I like weird little animals, so I like them a lot. They’re also easily the most popular because they’re accessible to everybody, mentally and economically. Everyone likes a cute little animal, and everyone’s got $6.00.
So then there are the Western toys, which are the things that cost you $20-$80–the 8″ size. They seem popular everywhere. I do a lot of stuff with Kid Robot, Qee, Adfunture, Muttpop, etc. Those are smaller editions, and a lot of them tend to retain after market value. I do all the colorways for all those companies, stuff like the 10†Labbits, full sized Dunnies, and the Dr. Bombs. Once again, those sell well everywhere because I do the exclusive thing.
The next level up is a really different genre. I do the made-in-Japan kaiju influenced toys with Wonderwall. Stuff like the Ika-Gilas: squid monster in the business suit. That’s me riffing off of classic kaiju. Those do ok everywhere. They don’t do outstanding, maybe because they’re little expensive; they cost $200 and up. There are more collectors for those in the US or Europe because the Japanese collectors want the authentic stuff. I will also occasionally collaborate with guys like Real X Head but those also do better in the US.
And then I do the high-end stuff, like art pieces They draw on the techniques of the toy thing. I’ll deal with really expensive high-end bronzes, rabbit furniture chairs, busts, etc. I would consider all the clothing part of that, because most of that is at a pretty high price point. That stuff tends to sell well too with the higher end toy collectors and real art collectors. I sell more and more of my political busts to people that own actual art galleries and boutique stores, rather than toy collectors. The hardcore Kozik collectors of course want them all, but those pieces were really intended for the art people. That was my purpose for them; I wanted to introduce my work to another world. I like to hedge my bets and see my stuff everywhere. By and large, everything I have done has done really well. I’ve probably made over 300 or 400 releases since 2001 and they’ve all sold through on a store level. Most of them have retained after market value, with the exception of a few, but maybe that was because they made too many of them. I have no claim to know what I’m doing, but I know that it is contrary to what everyone said I should do.
I do tons of stuff, and they sell all over the place. Just go to the Kozik Flicker pool and you can see tons of photos. There’s no real statement involved. I like toys, I thought it would be a cool thing to get in to, and it ended up being successful. I get more offers to do toys than I can fill. I get to select what tickles my fancy. There’s a certain level of forethought, but it’s more of me going with my gut instincts in the different genres. I like mixing genres over too. Cohesively, if you collect my toys, a $5 toy looks pretty good next to a $2000 one. It’s a world unto its self.
Format: In the future, are you planning to make your toys more interactive, like the Bob the Slug from Kid Robot?
Frank Kozik: I’ve been trying to push that but nobody’s really gotten down with it. Kid Robot has some stuff like that, and they do a full series like the chumps with twelve different characters, but they didn’t make, like, the jail. I keep trying to push that kind of thing, like a piece of furniture, but it’s so complicated, so I thought maybe we could do it by cross platforming, like you could swap parts with a Kid Robot toy. It’s kind of happening a little bit. Someday I hope to sell an inclusive circus theme or something, where you could get a tent and all the characters. I’m interested in doing things like little toys for collectors, but at the same time, I’m not making representations of my paintings or my weird clothing line. It’s a reverse; I’m trying to design these things to just be their own things, like a collectible toy. I do want to have as much play value as possible. I want people to pose it and take interesting pictures, and be like, “oh I can put it in my Castle Gray Skull†kind of thing. That is the long-term goal, but financially, it’s huge: a ten million dollar investment. The one guy that’s been able to pull it off is Patrick Ma from the Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo (IWG). He’s done a rocket ship, UFO, and all the animals. That guy is doing it.
– See more at: http://www.formatmag.com/features/frank-kozik/#sthash.iTpfwa16.dpuf
Vinyl Cast Eight (Peter Gatien, Kidrobot, Keiko, Toys Are Us, Coot)
Peter Gatien Dunny release for CIRCA, Toronto
You might remember his movie portrayal as Michael Alig’s mentor in the biopic Party Monster, or maybe you’ve been one of his New York megaclubs like Limelight or Tunnel. In order to celebrate the new Kidrobot designed room at Gatien’s latest megaclub in Toronto, Kidrobot has eternally idolized his image in Dunny likeness. He doesn’t actually wear the eye patch anymore, but according to a close friend, the lips are pure Peter.
Kidrobot minishop/bar at CIRCA Club
Kidrobot is spreading its vinyl wings and delving in to new territory with their first club design at Circa. The story goes that Peter Gatien’s son is a big fan of Kidrobot and bugged his dad forever to have him get Paul Budnitz, founder of Kidrobot, in on his nightclub empire. Aside from the minishop, the Kidrobot bar features a smorkin labbit conveyor belt, dunny projections on the tables, wall murals and more. According to Paul, the best way to describe the room is that “it’s like Lucky Charms come to life.
Keiko, the Director, from Junko Mizuno’s Pure Trance
Pure Trance was a revolutionary manga for being one of the first to openly challenge female body image by tackling issues like anorexia and bulimia, illustrated through the use of the Pure Trance life Sustaining Pill which causes a condition called hyperorexia or severe over eating. Keiko is the director of the Over Eaters Treatment Center 102 and her origins are unknown. This is probably the hottest figure I’ve ever set my eyes on and no doubt it will sell like wildfire, for its challenging societal values of course.
Coot, by Wilfrid Wood
Coot gets in on shock value and evens the score for those who might be critical of unrealistic female proportion like the anime styled figures on the above-mentioned Director. He’s so big, naked and hairless, that he could possibly come in peace, except the ray gun he’s toting looks like it could possibly fry your balls off, or maybe it just makes your clothes disappear. Who knows? Ask artist Wilfrid Wood, at www.Wilfridwood.com for an answer. The figure stands 7″ high and is available only in 400 pieces.
Toys Are Us: A Revolution in Plastic
Toys Are Us is one of the first of a new wave of vinyl toy docs. The first part is a shortish half hour introduction to the toy scene set at the San Diego Comic Con. It provides some nice eye candy for those who might have never been to a toy/comic convention, while the real meat of the doc is made up with a kick ass extended interviews. Highlights include Mars-1 divulging on his theories of alien life, a look at Patrick M’s (Rocketworld) lesser known FBI and CIA approved Kevlar studio, and a not to be missed tour of Frank Kozik’s private toy collection. Also featured in the extended interview section is Brian Flynn from Super7. Toys Are Us is available for $19.99 through Filmbaby (http://www.filmbaby.com/films/2030)
Brangelina x Palladium Boots x Shipwrecked Seafood Bar & Grill
It’s moments like these that confirm that my life is on the right track. Brad Pitt was spotted in some of my favourite Palladium kicks (Pallabrouse baggy), at THE SHIPWRECKED SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL in Airlie Beach. Hell to the yes! Who ever knew all these great things could merge into one massive piece of awesome? I hope I still have this much style when I’m 50. I also hope they got better service than Trip Advisor “Lauraloo” who slammed the grubby grill house with this shocking review. Or maybe she was just miffed that she missed a chance to catch Brangelina.
Reviewed 22 January 2014Let me start off by saying that the waitstaff here are lovely & rather good at their jobs & the atmosphere is great. It’s such a shame that the food is abysmal.
I had the sizzling prawns & the ‘Bugs Coral Sea’. Prawns were an underwhelming bowl of butter with some prawns but OK. Bugs Coral Sea was atrocious, overcooked, dry bugs with no ‘citrus butter sauce’ to moisten them up, rice was sticky & overcooked (a theme perhaps) mandarin & semidried tomato salad reminded me of a Sizzler salad bar.
My partner had the reef & beef, which was ‘alright’, though for $36.5 you expect a little more than ‘alright’.
Cocktails overpriced, the mojitos are pretty poor, also they took forever to come out from the bar. Nobody offered to refill our water.
Left completely unsatisfied & $140.00 poorer. There are so many great places to eat in Airlie, this isn’t one of them. Such a shame, as it’s in a great place & has a lot of potential.
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories Box Set
Just in time to for a post-Grammys victory sweep, the limited Daft Punk Random Access Memories Box Set is now available for order for a price just shy of 300 dollarydoos.
Here’s what’s included:
A. The Deluxe Box Set Edition is presented in a cloth-bound box (333mm x 333mm / 13” x 13”) stamped with the Random Access Memories logo in gold foil on the cover. All individual contents are separated by vellum dividers printed with a circuit pattern texture inspired by the gloves of the Daft Punk Robots.
B. A special edition 180 gram double vinyl with gold and silver foil labels. Includes an 8 page saddle stitched booklet containing album artwork, credits and lyric sheets.
C. A 56 page cloth-bound, hardcover photo book of images from the RAM recording sessions and film shoots, featuring a foreword by Paul Williams.
D. A special edition 10” collector’s vinyl containing an extended interview with Giorgio Moroder taken from the original session recordings for the song, “Giorgio by Moroder”.
E. Two sets of Robot helmet design schematics with individual components separated onto 8 layers of unbounded transparencies. Each set is contained in a clear presentation pouch.
F. A pair of full body Robot design schematic posters (304mm x 608mm / 12” x 24”) printed on heavy weight matte finish poster paper.
G. A 70mm motion picture film strip containing 5 sequential frames from the “Lose Yourself to Dance” original production dailies, mounted in a heavy weight matte stock with an open back. Each film strip is one of a kind.
H. A pair of gold and silver plated, metal encased, reusable USB drives containing the following*:
AUDIO:
VIDEO:
SAS: Manip Á Zagreb – Gerard De Villiers
Does anyone remember these trashy international spy series by Gerard De Villers, that were actually sponsored by gun and mercenary companies with their ads in the back pages?
My friend flashed me one the other day and it brought back deep memories of grade 4 in Paris where we had this dimwitted caretaker at EAB (Ecole Active Bilingue), who was sort of like a lunch lady/babysitter who would escort us to and from class and the park where we had recess in the Parc Monceau. I don’t know why he thought it was a good idea to tote around books with scantily clad gun toting babes around grade schoolers. I never understood it back then, but for some reason the memory of this title stuck with me, and I probably asked my mom what it meant, which probably received blank stares from her but revealed that ‘manip’ in French means uhhh, some sort of coup? and Zagreb is, well, a place in Croatia.
From the back of the book jacket, taken from Amazon where this, and many of his titles are still available!
BASIC TRANSLATION:
The CIA can be curious and extravagant. Why would they move Malko, who is in the midst of a weekend his juicy lover Alexandra, and turn her into a super spy weapons dealer…. OVER LUNCH!
Arms purchasers are not often chill citizens, and if they realize that SOS is actually one of the best agents in the CIA, they’ll risk unloading their primary ammo…ON HIM!!!
The Serbs and Croats have hated each other throughout antiquity, and Malko has been tasked with engaging in the most EXTREMIST of the Croats, those who still remember Ante Pavelic, and the secret society of the Oustachi, created and directed by the Croat state who from 1941 and 1944, worked for Nazi Germany!
It is precisely these Oustachi that he is in charge of infiltrating. He must infiltrate their ransk, identify members of this dusky clan, discover their sponsors… But, who says secret society implies absolute savagery and an absolute hate for the life of your eventual enemy?!
La CIA a parfois de bien curieuses extravagances : pourquoi donc avoir ainsi dérangé Malko en plein week-end amoureux avec la pulpeuse Alexandra, pour le transformer, l’espace d’un déjeuner en … marchand d’armes ?
Ceux qui achètent et vendent des armes sont rarement des citoyens de tout repos et si ses interlocuteurs découvrent que SAS est en réalité l’un des meilleurs agents de la CIA, ils risquent fort de dépenser leurs premières munitions … sur lui !
De toute antiquité, les communautés Serbes et Croates se vouent une haine farouche. Et Malko a été chargé d’entrer en contact avec les plus extrémistes des Croates, ceux qui se réclament de la mémoire d’Ante Pavelic, qui, avec le soutien de la société secrète des Oustachi, créa et dirigea l’Etat croate indépendant qui, de 1941 à 1944, collabora avec l’Allemagne nazie.
Ce sont précisément ces Oustachi qu’il est chargé d’infiltrer. Il doit remonter la filière, identifier les membres de ce groupuscule clandestin, découvrir leurs planques, leurs sponsors … Mais, qui dit société secrète implique une totale sauvagerie et un absolu mépris de la vie d’un éventuel ennemi.
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What Does Our Addiction to Smartphones Say About Us? – YouInc
411 – Do You Need Information?
Smartphones emerged from the failures and impracticalities of the PDA market, like the epically failed Newton, ironically developed by Apple during their dark ages. Further evolutions like the Palm Treo didn’t really pick up in Canada until the beloved Crackberrybestowed execs with glowing screens, tactile keyboards, and the ability to work on Microsoft Office docs all day and night.
As a business owner, the choice of smartphones is becoming a matter of personal preference, with screen size, resolution, camera quality and the ability to customize the display being deciding factors.
611 – Do You Need Help?
According to a study by the email marketing service, Constant Contact, 66% of small business owners currently use mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, to run their businesses. Mobile apps are playing a large role in how small businesses manage their operations, with 82% using built-in or downloadable calendar and time management apps, and with 74% using apps like Intercom or Zendesk. And if you’re in a pinch, they even make phone calls!
911 – Or Do You Need A Ride To Rehab?
In a study of 1,600 managers and professionals, Leslie Perlow, PhD, a Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School, found that 44% of participants said they would experience a great deal of anxiety if their phones were lost and not replaced within a week. Within a week? Geez. Peak anxiety hits at stage two of the grieving process, once you get over the mountain of denial, which could take between an hour or a day, depending on how badly you need your baby back in your life.
For power users, technosis will sometimes set in. That’s a noticeable dependency on a steady flow of information and technology. Symptoms include imagined buzzing in the pants, sometimes in the wrong pocket, or even when your phone is not even on your person, like Phantom Limb Syndrome. Authors like David Greenfield, PhD, say that computer technologies can be addictive because they’re psychoactive. That is, they alter mood and often trigger enjoyable feelings.
Like any addiction, there are the terrible lows. Like the crushing blow of waking up fully dressed in bed with the lights on after a wild night and discovering you’ve lost your precious, and you realize it’s your phone you love more than anything in life.
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Are you addicted to your mobile phone? Do you set boundaries about how and when you use it? Share your comments below – or write a blog about it here.
Brandy & Coke – History of UK Garage
I’ll sometimes catch BBC 1XTRA’s UKG show but the beats they play sound nothing like those of the golden age gangstas in the video above. Step back to a time when Artful Dodger and So Solid Crew were doing something radically different from the House and Drum ‘n Bass sounds that were dominating the charts.
Jilly’s Gentlemen’s Club Seedy Underbelly
I volunteered my Saturday morning to help out with an ACTRA Co-op production the other day being shot for the Reel World Film Festival. I did it to support the team, but the real hook, I must admit, was to get a crack at exploring the generally off limits areas of our location for the morning — Leslieville’s notorious Jilly’s Gentlemen’s Club.
I can’t say it was my first time inside (not that I remember being there lol, but I’m sure my curiosity’s been piqued over my few decades of living in TO), but it was definitely my first time exploring the basement and change rooms. We all have this idea that a strip club’s, ahem, gentlemen’s establishment, rear ends, might be a little rough around the edges, but nothing could have prepared me for the raw and dingy unfinished spaces, save for the change room space, that is every bit as grimy as you would expect.
Q&A: DJ Maxim explores life beyond the Prodigy – AUX Magazine – 2013 Year-end Issue
The Prodigy have had massive influences on the field of dance music, but what set them apart from the handful of emerging groups in the mid-‘90s was not just their use of a hypnotic female vocalist, but a proper MC with a larger-than-life style and personality. That man would be Maxim, formerly known as Maxim Reality, the dreadlocked nutter with gold cat-eye contact lenses, witch doctor makeup, and ankle-length skirts. His disregard of trends and eternal forward-thinking are part of what have kept his career and solo ambitions alive, with albums like Experience (1996), Hell’s Kitchen (2000) and Fallen Angel(2005).
While a new Prodigy album is slated for 2014, Maxim has been busy working on his DJ and production skills, collaborating with old-school reggae heads, and touring with MC Cianna Blaze, ready to take North America by storm with his rough and ready mix of trap, hip-hop, and pretty much anything in-between.
How did you start as a musician before joining The Prodigy?
I’ve always been into music since I was 14 where I would MC on reggae sound systems. When I was 17 I entered into MC and freestyling competitions. I didn’t win any, but it was a start. Years later, I was performing in a club in London and this American rapper was performing and invited anyone to battle on stage, so I went up and everyone cheered for me and not for him, so I pretty much won. A friend of mine, The Prodigy’s first manager, remembered that. They were looking for an MC to be the voice and he referred me, and that’s how the band started. It’s ironic because it’s come full circle for me. I’m getting MCs from today, and from yesteryear, bringing them into now to perform tracks written today. In some respects, I’m digging into an archive, going back in time. It’s an experimental time for me but I kind of enjoy it.
Who are some the older artists you’ve been in touch with?
I’m working on a bunch of them, but there are a lot of old-school singers that I kind of grew up on, like Echo Minott, who I’m trying to get a hold of. A lot of U.S. producers, like Diplo, are looking back to the old school reggae artists; it’s coming to the forefront a bit there. It’s a good thing. People don’t realize that Reggae has a big influence on what they listen to today.
How do you feel about Diplo’s recent statement claiming to be a savior to Jamaica?
Haha, he’s not really the savior, reggae’s always been there, but respect to him. I’d like to see more people doing it.
How do you feel about Snoop Lion’s go at it?
It’s good, he’s doing his own thing. I wish that more hip-hop artists would be more adventurous and do other music styles. I saw the Eddie Murphy “Red Light” track, it’s actually really good, but I don’t think I can take him seriously since he’s a comedian, but he’s got a good voice.
True, but he did have a string of R&B albums in the ‘80s! What drew you to MCing rather than DJing?
I’m still a vocalist, but I got into DJing by playing backstage after Prodigy shows in the dressing rooms. We’d have after parties, gatherings of friends playing backstage. The extension of that was taking it to the stage and DJing. The first proper show I actually did for real was a year and a half ago. I really enjoyed it because I’d prepared, obviously, and it made me look at it in a totally different way.
You’ve got some solid mixes with other rappers and reggae artists like Stylo G on your Soundcloud. How did you go about putting them together?
The Soundcloud is like an outlet of what I like to do. I predominantly play hip-hop, so when the trap scene started to take off, I liked the 808 drums vibe and beats. I grew up with a reggae background, the fusion of trap and reggae MCing is what got me liking it. I know a lot of MCs so that’s my forte, blending MCs and lyrics.
That’s great you’ve got “Listen Up” by Toronto’s Thugli on your last U.S. mix.
Yeah! I like his style, I really like his style. My friend just showed me that one. I don’t know if he’d be up for collaboration but I’d be up for it, so somebody should tell him!
You used to rock gold cat eye lenses and skeleton makeup; can you talk about your style influences?
I have my own style and I’m not scared to try new things, or do things which people see as not the norm. I don’t mind challenging myself as far as style goes. That goes for me musically too. I don’t like to stay in the confines of a certain style, or, you have to use these sounds or sound like this to be in a certain group. One of the things I found quite entertaining is that I’ve seen a few MCs wearing skirts these days on stage and if you look at the archive, I was doing that in ‘95-‘96, but now it’s a new trend!
I just found your tune “Scheming” on YouTube from 2000 that has a lo-fi R&B sort of sound that everyone’s playing out these days, so I get what you’re saying, it’s just so way ahead of its time.
Yeah, it’s funny. Certain things that I was doing 10 years ago are appearing now. Not to say I was at the forefront, but I do music my own way and certain things come around. I think people today are a bit more freethinking and they express themselves like that. People just write music now and I kind of like that.
Yeah, boundaries are definitely being broken down. You’ve been working with MC Cianna Blaze. How did you discover her?
She was an MC before I met her and we’ve collaborated a bit. Being an MC myself, I realized I needed a voice on stage and didn’t want to do the obvious drum and bass thing which is to get a male London-style voice. It’s more of a show. She’s a real performer. We’ve written an arsenal of tracks that will be coming out quite soon actually. I think she’s actually taking over the show to be quite honest, because she’s such a good performer. I didn’t want a hype MC, that’s a bit boring to be honest.
How do you feel about the EDM scene in the United States?
The EDM scene is quite healthy in the U.S. now, innit? The U.S. to me is sort of like the UK scene was 20 years ago when we had the party scene. Parties going off left, right, and center, music coming out constantly. I remember when we [the Prodigy] came to the U.S. in ‘96 and ‘97 and we were bringing dance music to America, there were little pockets of music going off in different states but it didn’t take off as it has now. I feel proud that I kind of planted a seed there, I was part of a movement. Not that the UK did it all, but we injected something.
I feel the UK is starting to embrace the EDM term a bit more.
Yeah, it wasn’t a term that was accepted at first. From the early ‘90s even with house in the UK, via Detroit, there’s always been just ‘dance music.’ To be manipulated and changing it into a different title, hard heads don’t like it. They just call it dance music, because you just dance to it.
Is it a better term than “electronica”?
Haha, I remember big corporate companies trying to sell us electronica in the ‘90s, and we were like, “No it isn’t, it’s dance music.” But call it what you want, there’s a scene there and it’s thriving. I like a good party; I like to hear adventurous and creative music being played in clubs. I want to be turned on by creative and dangerous music. That’s what gets me excited and goes home to the studio. When I hear a DJ from the States dropping tracks, like the Thugli one, I’m like, wow, that’s a tune. I play that tune in my car. That’s what excited me.
Can you share any backstage party stories?
Haha, no, I can’t let you in on those because they’re confidential, but I remember the first time I was asked to DJ and put on the spot, I went to Liam for advice on how to play, having never played before, I was like, “Give me some tips!” The only thing he told me was “don’t forget your headphones!”
Haha, so were you beat-matching on your first time out?
Yeah, literally with a night’s practice, but I’m up for anything. The one thing I like about DJing is that when you play live, sometimes there are mistakes. That’s the whole point of it being live, like when you freestyle, it’s spontaneous. I’m no DJ, I’m no Grandmaster Flash or DMC world Champ, so there are a few mistakes in my set, but that’s the beauty of it.
What’s in your DJ set up?
A CDJ 2000 and mixer. There’s no live syncing in here, it’s all live mixing and scratching.
Can you say anything about the new Prodigy album?
I can’t say a great deal, but the new album is coming soon. Next year. It’s going to be the bomb!
Rollergirl
Rollergirl is the alias of boogie, funk and roller skates obsessed Adam Rich of Athens, Ohio. A few months ago, I received a simple pitch email on his behalf. It was short and humble like many I’ve received, but embedded deep within the font was lurked a neon animal waiting to explode. And so I clicked. And so I found love. A love of Daft Punk, filter house, and classic disco samples.
“There’s a big douchey pop-EDM crowd at I went to Ohio University where I studied, and it sucks. So I’ve tried to be the anti-thesis of that, throwing house parties and not being afraid to get my Mac soaked in beer,” he told me during a quick FB chat, just minutes after I had received his pitch email, which sent me into hardcore FB stalker-mode. I had to know more.
His most recent self-titled album brings sassy, salty French fried filter house, as addictive as your fav golden arches snack packs featuring melt in your ear canal samples from Billy Ocean (can’t stop listening to this tune), the Mary Jane Girls, Lionel Richey, George Benson, and yes, of course Chic featuring the incredible “Let’s Get Our Roller Skates On sample.”
The mid-2000s French Touch frenzy still holds a special place in my heart (and I hope it does in yours), so pop this in the player to start your 2014 with a bang.
