With established residencies at Triple Crown (Brooklyn), the Belmont Lounge (Union Square) and newly added Movida (West Village), along with having shared turntable time with the likes of legendary DJs such as Pete Rock, ?uestlove, Grandmaster Flash, Bobbito, Spinna and Qool Marv, DJ Center proves to be a DJ not be missed. Recently named URB's Next 100, stating that he seems to "turn up at (and turn out) every event worth your ducats these days," we sit down with DJ Center in between studio time and gigs to talk about his love for DJ culture, current successes and future plans.


GIANT STEP: You hear stories about DJs first becoming interested in spinning by rummaging through their father's vinyl collection or falling in love with an on-air DJ. How did you first become interested in DJing?
DJ CENTER: I discovered my love for DJ culture at a friend’s surprise 13th birthday party. Going to this party, I had no idea what I was getting into. Her family was friends with the Wonder Family, and one of Stevie’s sons was a DJ. I was already into Hip-Hop, but that night I saw how a DJ could use music to take people on a ride for the entire evening, bringing back all kinds of emotions, memories, and senses from their past. It was powerful. That was enough for me.

GS: From that initial fascination, do you recall the first record you purchased or the first gig you played thereafter?
DC: I'm thousands and thousands of records deep at this point, so saying the first would be hard, if not impossible. I do remember collecting the flexi-45s that came inside the newspaper back in the 1980s. Those were my early scratching memories. My first gig was most likely a house party, although I spent a lot of time in the bedroom practicing before I took my sounds out of the house.

GS: And it looks like that practicing paid off for you have toured the globe and currently have multiple residences in New York, where in March you started up The Music Lounge, a new monthly event at Movida, which only seems to get bigger and better every month. How has then been going?
DC: Like anything you build from the ground up and is left of "center", it takes time to build momentum. The good part is that something built right usually lasts for quite sometime. The Music Lounge evening was my first follow-up to the Rootdown party I helped bring out to NY from LA, the year prior (Dj Dusk RIP!). I've been blessed though, cause really The Music Lounge is a labor of love for me more than anything - providing a venue of deeper beats, live vocals, and that room for the improvisation to happen. The nights are unique and can never be predicted or duplicated. I was happy that folks were receptive to my concept.

At the Music Lounge, I've worked with J.Rawls, MiddleChild, Eric Roberson (ERRO), Renee Neufville (of ZHANE fame), and Maya Azucena. The next three months are going to be really lovely with the confirmed guests. This next Music Lounge (6/11/06) is going to be the Black Star edition with J.Rawls coming back and a special surprise, "KWEALITY" emcee on vocals.

GS: It seems like you have worked with a lot of great DJs. How did you come to meet them?
DC: Many of the guest artists, I've started to build with for the first time through the Music Lounge. Adam from Giant Step passed me J.Rawls contacts. I had been a fan of J's beats from the Lone Catalyst 12"s and through the work he did with BlackStar. When I heard the ‘Histories, Greatest Battles, Campaigns & Topics’ album, I knew we had to work together. Than he released the ‘Essence of Soul’ and it was time to start the Music Lounge. The artists that have been involved with the night so far have told me how much they've appreciated the vibe we've been putting forward. Renee Neufville said that the night was filling a void that had been removed from New York for sometime now. That really hit me. Often, when you're working on the inside you do not get to see how something feels from the outside. It's those daily affirmations that fuel the parties.

GS: Right, it’s like not being able to see the forest through the trees…or something like that. And you can even take that saying or idea and apply it to the technical aspects of deejaying, where there has been much debate about this in the DJ community and even amongst our own staff members, which will remain nameless, SERATO versus Vinyl. Which do you prefer and what is your take on it?
DC: At the end of the day, vinyl will always be my choice. The feel, sound, and quality are un-matched. There's nothing like flipping through a crate as you rock a crowd. However, I can't say that it's as clear an issue as some try and make it out to be. I myself use SERATO, especially when I travel. After 9/11 it's become very hard to travel with carry on items, and I've heard too
many horror stories of airlines loosing luggage. The concept of traveling with your music in a backpack is unreal. I make sure to archive my wax, saving it at the highest quality, so my sound will stay true even if I play off the laptop. Vinyl lovers will never stop digging for records and SERATO just makes me archive the tune as opposed to carrying it to the gig. That's the main difference for me.

GS: Do you think this will make deejaying less of an art form, with rare tracks not becoming so rare anymore and pretty much anyone with an iPod able to be a DJ now?
DC: iPod culture has had its own wear on deejaying. Lots of people who make playlists will now approach you in the club, thinking they can tell you how to play your set, but what good DJs do is not random. It's a science. A good DJ will tell you a story on the night you hear him or her. That essence cannot be digitized or bottled up and sold, so I'm don't fear anything for the art form in that respect.

GS: So what’s next for DJ Center?
DC: I'm getting ready to launch my website pushthefader.com, which will feature mixes and original production. I've been digging for records for years before I got into making beats, so it's been a natural evolution, especially as I expand my palate and soak up different genres. I've been on the road as part of a live Hip-Hop act, Open Thought. My DJ sets have changed a lot in the past five years and all these experiences have given me influence and inspiration with my tracks. I'm working on several remixes, edits and original productions right now, and a forth coming album in the future.

GS: Can you give us any insight on what this forthcoming album may sound like?
DC: It's still in its infant stages and I don't want to give the baby away...would rather keep the surprise a surprise, but it will be a soulful collage of the sounds that I've been in love with for sometime, but through my musical lens. The most important thing to me is to keep the music honest, push limits in the way Hip-Hop always has and to hopefully move your mind, body, and soul. Those are my ingredients for classic records.


Photo courtesy of: Patrick McMullan (www.patrickmcmullan.com)