Intervju-DJ Yoda

Dj Yoda je eden najbolj inovativnih in posebnih britanskih didžejev; sloves si je pridobil predvsem s tem, ker je v britanski hiphop vpeljal humor. Hvalijo ga zaradi izvirnosti in zabavnosti in je verjetno eden redkih didžejev, ki lahko uspešno zmiksajo pop osemdesetih let z newyorškim hiphopom. Yoda je predstavnik nekonvencionalne šole skreč miksmasterjev in vrti razne zvrsti, največkrat hiphop, ki pelje občinstvo od newyorškega podzemlja do soula, reggaeja, popa osemdesetih let in celo televizijskih tem.

Doslej je izdal tri dele serije miksov z naslovom How to Cut & Paste. Njegov Mini Mix so poslušalci pred kratkim izglasovali kot najboljši petminutni miks oddaje Annie Mac na postaji Radio One BBC. Nedavno je končal turnejo avdiovizualnega nastopa, s katerim je segel dlje od vseh skreč didžejev doslej – v živo je rezal DVD-je. Zadnje čase je pustil skrbno pripravljene mikstejpe in se posvetil produkciji prvega albuma z naslovom The Amazing Adventures of Dj Yoda, ki bo v kratkem izšel pri založbi Antidote.

V Ljubljani je nastopil v okviru Festivala pomladi

Najbolj znan si po svojih miks cd-jih. Kako si jih začel snemati in kje si dobil ideje za »Cut & Paste« serijo miksov?

Miks cd-je oziroma »mikstejpe« sem delal že leta pred »Cut & Paste« zadevo. Na začetku sem snemal mikstejpe samo za prijatelje in zase. Potem sem naredil 50 kopij in jih prodajal v lokalni trgovini v Londonu. Potem je to bilo 100 kopij, pa 300 … Pa 1000, 2000. Ko sem prišel do te številke, je tipček, ki vodi založbo Antidote, kupil enega od teh miksov in rekel, da bi bilo fino, da posnamem enega še uradno, torej legalno, da bi odkupili pravice za vse komade. In tako nekako je nastal prvi del »Cut & Paste« serije miksov. Vendar pa tudi poleg te serije ves čas snemam razne miks cd-je, naredil sem enega na temo gangsta rapa, en reggae miks, en nu jack swing miks … Res jih rad delam, tudi zdaj, ko pripravljam album, mislim na nove mikse. Vedno jih bom snemal.

In »The 80’s edition« (zadnji, tretji del »Cut & Paste« miksov)?

Kot sem rekel, delam veliko miksov specifičnih zvrsti glasbe. Včasih naredim miks ljubezenskih pesmi, karkoli. Ampak pri »The 80’s edition« sem dodbil idejo, da bi naredil miks vse možne muzike, ki sem jo poslušal v otroštvu, ko sem odraščal. Inspiriral me je tudi Spinbadov miks, ki je bil nekaj podobnega, ampak v osnovi sem hotel zmiksati plošče, ki sem jih kot otrok poslušal. In tudi veliko – predvsem hiphop – didžejev te poskuša prepričati, da so v otroštvu poslušali Run DMC, mogoče funk in podobno. V resnici lažejo, poslušali so pop muziko. Torej zame je to tudi način, s katerim poskušam biti iskren, iskreno povedati, ob kakšni muziki sem odraščal.

Bouncing Cats - HipHop in Afrca

“Bouncing Cats”, a film by Nabil Elderkin is an inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdancing. Abraham “Abramz” Tekya’s Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.) is a project that could empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. The film features narration by Common and interviews with Mos Def, Will-I-Am, and K’Naan.

Uganda has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child. In the South, children face the threat of poverty and disease. In the North, these threats are enflamed by a brutal, mindless war inflicted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (L.R.A.) that has divided families, displaced millions, and led to the abduction and mutilation of tens of thousands of children resulting in the deterioration of identity and culture.

Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of

Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. In 2006, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. orphan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, B.P.U. has recently expanded to include permanent classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Abramz teaches classes three times a week to more than 300 kids from all parts of the country. Many of the children are homeless, victims of war and poverty, and few can afford proper schooling yet they walk from miles away to attend the B.P.U. classes. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the seminal Rock Steady Crew visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn North, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip-hop and desire to learn amongst the most squalid conditions.

Bouncing Cats follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change. The film features narration by Common and interviews with Mos Def, Will-I-Am, and K’Naan.