In addition to your production work, you have also been touring for over 10 years, going to almost every state and as far as Johannesburg, South Africa. You have toured both independently and more recently as part of the Chicago Sound Source artist roster. Has your sound changed at all from seeing so many different places? Do you notice anything different about touring with representation versus touring as an independent artist?
Touring never changed me because people don't realize that when a promoter books you, you get hired for your sound. I've seen people try to change their whole set for the crowd and it never works.
The thing with Dave and Adam [David Sabat and Adam Rivera of Chicago Sound Source], they really know where they want to see things go with the company. Most people don't know that I was the one that contacted Dave! A lot of people were like, "It's great they got you," but I contacted them.
I don't work with a lot of people - I've gotten burned before so I was always doing production, traveling, you know, by myself, without an agent or nothing. Just doing it. I would go out and a lot of times promoters would ask me if I could bring someone. Yeah, I knew a lot of people, but not on a level where I could bring them in, not like that. Now that I have a [music] family where everyone is dope, I can easily throw some names fast and bring them with. I'm real family oriented. I love having a family, being supported and supporting others.
But Chicago Sound Source is not your only musical family because in addition to your own company Underground Elements, you are also a part of the Masters At Work family. How did that happen?
In 2002, after I did "I Wanted You" and "Thank You" with Tony Humphries, Tony called me and told me that Louie Vega wanted me to release something on the label. I was shocked and honored, you know. So my first project I sent them was a joint I did with a guitar player named Bryant Ford. I met him at one of FLX's events when he was playing live on FLX's set. I already had the track done and he just came on and did his thing. Then I wanted to make it a little better so I called Glenn Underground and he put some live keys on top. Next thing you know I went back and contacted Byron Stingily and got him to sing a little something and there it was...
That was "Where Did It Go". Were there any others? Or are there any other MAW projects in the works?
I did that one and then I did "Ancient Forests" as a single. When "Where Did It Go" was re-released, "Ancient Forests" was on the other side...
Right now I'm focusing on my other projects because, you know, I've never done a mix CD in all these years. Never.
I've been doing production for years so that's really my goal now.
Like so many other DJs, have you converted to CDs and a laptop when you travel or are you strictly a vinyl man?
The only reason I'm playing a CD is if I'm playing unreleased joints. I LOVE WAX. CDs do seem easier for travel, but I don't know... Wax is wax. CDs - that's just not for me.
Because you are so prolific you must always have a million things going at once. So what else is happening for the end of 2006? What about goals for 2007?
Well, I just finished with a video shoot with me and XL. I'm also doing a video tour for "Let Love Enter". You remember that track? We just did a remix with vocals and a hook and everything.
I'm doing a "Let Love Enter Tour" where I'm traveling all over the world, filming parts of the clubs for the video. I've got a lot of support for that. I've got Belgium and France so far, and Utah, and Orlando for New Year's, and then I have Australia and New Zealand coming up. I'm hoping to have the video as a bonus for my mix CD.
And actually the video we just shot just got picked up by MTV-UK. That's pretty exciting and there are two companies overseas that have video shows that want me to send it to them, too. There's really no better marketing than that!
