Euro Starz feature - Published in Undercover Magazine, 2005
The full q&a interview this feature is based on can be found online at spinscience.org.uk.
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3 is the Magic Number
As De La immortalised on their classic ‘3 feet high and rising’ LP, 3 is indeed a magic number. Three is also the number of DJs involved in a new project shaping up to be one of the most interesting projects to come out of the often stale and much debated DJ battle scene. Three is the amount of countries these three DJs come from. And three also is… well no actually three isn’t anywhere near the number of world titles these guys share between them. The three in question are Tigerstyles (from the UK and world winner of every title in 2003), Rafik (from Germany, member of the Lordz of Fitness crew and ITF 2004 world solo and team champ) and Pfel (from France, member of two times DMC team winners C2C) and this project sees them coming together to perform live on stage and bring to the public a whole new take on what can be achieved with turntables, mixers and a whole load of gear.
It all started a few months back and culminated in January this year with a showcase at London’s top venue, Fabric. So how do three DJs from three different countries hook up to form a new collective? Rafik chips in: ‘Tigerstyle and myself were hanging out in Düsseldorf when he was on tour with Blade a few months back and we were working some stuff out together. It was working quite well and we got drunk one night and thought about doing some stuff together. And then I think it was at ITF Germany where the others also spoke about it and we then looked at doing something all three together, along the lines of a triple showcase type thing.’ Indeed Tigerstyles and Pfel then also discussed the idea when they met up at DMC and ITF in the latter part of 2004 and not before long this new project sprung to life. What’s most interesting about the coming together of these young and talented artists is that the battle scene they’ve all been a part of over the last 5 years is what brought them together and the same battle scene is what they’re keen to distance themselves from under this new grouping. As Tigerstyles points out ‘you sort of meet people along the battle scene, find out who you can work with, who you can connect with and if you have a similar style and direction with what you want to do outside of battling. Now what we want to try and do with this project is take it to a next level, away from the battle thing, but keeping some elements from battling and combining them with a more musical approach. Everyone’s on about the musical tip at the moment and it’s true if cliché. We just want to make stuff that’s really entertaining to look at and listen to as well, not just three guys on stage scratching to a beat.’
Whilst their first live appearance as a collective last month did not show the full potential of what they have in mind it did serve as a perfect way to introduce themselves to an eager public and showcase some early work and ideas which will be expanded on further in the coming year. Tigerstyles was originally booked to play a solo set but as time drew nearer realised that this would be the perfect occasion to unveil their new collective work and give people a taster of what’s to come. ‘It’s not really the complete version of what we can do together yet. It’s like a little preview, we’ve got one track we thought we could show tonight because it’s aimed at the party crowd and for the rest of the show we’ll be doing our respective solo stuff’ Rafik explains. Indeed the focus on the night was more on their individual routines and material, including Tigerstyles’ latest mind bending and craze inducing showcase, yet the makings of a strong and entertaining common showcase was already plain to see. With a strong electronic slant to most of the showcase it was already much more then a bunch of scratch DJs showing their latest routines to the crowd and closer to a tightly put together selection of individual routines and tracks bound by MPC beats and with a definite crowd appeal that most found hard to resist.
Looking at their live set up it’s hardly surprising to hear them explain their want to draw themselves away from the battle scene and towards the clubs. With 5 turntables, 4 mixers (including two of the excellent Pioneer 909 with built in effects), 1 MPC, a few effects modules and a wah wah pedal it’s hard to not see the musical possibilities that these three are opening themselves to. As they explain ‘that’s the setup we’ve got right now, and we’re pretty happy with it. Now the focus is on turning this project into a performance where we can bring loads of tracks to the stage and find different ways to perform them. Hopefully once that’s done we can try to organise a tour.’ Even though the first show’s focus was on their solo work and routines, something that inevitably brings it back to battling, they’re all keen to stress that this is a temporary thing. ‘We’ll definitely be putting more weight and focus onto the collective work then the routines once this project takes off. At the moment the routines, solo stuff, are a main part of it because we have more of them, but believe us there’s a lot more to come!’ And now that they’ve set up base at Tigerstyles’ home in the UK, commuting there regularly to work on the project, it’ll hopefully not be long before you see those three rolling to a club near you and bringing the house down with a show that will keep the scratch fans drooling, the club heads dancing and the rest thinking ‘what the f*ck is this!’
The new project is by no means the end of their respective solo careers either, something they’re all still working hard at in between commutes to the UK. Tigerstyles has just finished a yearly stint as Blade’s DJ and is now concentrating on this and other solo projects including his awaited ‘Zero’ break record, which should see the light of day this year. He postponed the release after hearing Rafik’s new break record and has gone back in the studio to bring it up a notch. He’s also promised to force himself to release a mix CD in 05, something else that’s overdue. Meanwhile Rafik’s also busy getting out his aforementioned new break, ‘Sucker Punching’, which is the second release in the Lordz of Fitness break series entitled ‘Workout Essentials’. On top of this he’s also hard at work with a jazz and funk band from Germany, called ‘Cosmic Delivery’. Following in the tracks of the many DJs who have in recent years joined bands as an integral member and not just a stage prop, Rafik is hopeful that they’ll be able to go into the studio and lay down some tracks for an album this year. He’s also considering battling again, even if right now he’s unable to make his mind as to whether or not he’ll defend his title. Finally Pfel also has a busy schedule with C2C heading for the studio this year and expected to come out with their long awaited first album, which should see the light of day in late 2005 on their label, On and On records. Already you can catch them on the new single from label mates Hocus Pocus, ‘On and On pt2’, which features Ty on one side and C2C on the other bringing a heavy slice of turntable funk to the unsuspecting public. He’s also working on solo tracks and showcases, working at a DJ school in Paris and contemplating another stint on the battle scene this year, but this time in the hope of adding a solo title to those of his team.
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