On a hot and calm Friday afternoon, we sit down to have a discussion about records, stereotypes, and musical culture with Lucas McFadden, producer for Jurassic Five, record collector extraordinaire, responsible for some of the most memorable soul and funk mixes of recent years and fundamental reference for that which we like to call (even though we know its not right) “DJ culture.” A luxury hotel in Barcelona serves as the perfect backdrop.

Have you purchased any records in Barcelona?

Cut Chemist: Yes.

Have you found anything?

CC: Hmm… No. It’s difficult to find records. I haven’t found anything in the stores, so I’ll be trying to find some private collectors. Keb Darge, who has a residency as a DJ here [in Barcelona], will give me some contacts.

Do you know anything about Spanish funk-soul?

CC: Not too much, just a little. A friend of mine gave me an internet address with some audio samples. Right there I heard some things and wrote down what I liked so I know what to look for. But, since I know so little, it gets a little complicated.

From your point of view, how has the internet affected digging?

CC: Its affected those people who sell records more than those who buy them. If they have something they don’t recognize, they can search for it and find out what it cost… You find sellers with plans like:
-“What do you have right there?”
-“Oh, nothing!”
They don’t know the record but they guard it behind the display case to find the price online.

What do you suppose the internet has done in terms of recognizing records as a listener?

CC: It’s much easier now. I don’t use computers like the young people now, but for them it’s much easier to search for information. But I think it’s much more fun to go to a record store with a portable turntable and do your searching there.

When did you start DJing?

CC: I was 11 years old. It was 1984, the era when hip hop was getting really popular in the United States. Everybody was breaking, DJing, etc. I did it all but was better at DJing, so I dedicated myself more to that. Later on I met Charlie Tuna and the rest of them a few years later and we formed a rap group. DJing and producing was where I fit in.

Do you think DJing has helped you out with the ladies?

CC: Hahahaha. Errr…No! Its more magnetic for the guys, they always go up and ask about records. The rappers are the ones who the girls go up to. We (the DJ’s) are like the computer nerds.

Getting back to the theme of digging, what do you think of represses?

CC: I used to hate them, but now I like them because I don’t want to use my original copies. So when they get repressed I buy them.

Would you use the repress if you didn’t have the original?

CC: I used to be really strict about that. I had a code of ethics regarding that. “If you don’t have the original, you can’t sample it.” But I’m starting to worry less about that. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older. I like them. If you spin it right, mix it right, it’s good. You know JRocc, from the Beat Junkies? He uses represses and cuts them up real good. Why should that be bad? I want to do that, use represses and do it like he does.

You could have doubles whenever you wanted…

CC: Exactly. That’s a plus.

What are you first, a listener or collector?

CC: A collector. Absolutely. For some reason when I was around 11 years old, I wanted everything they had on the radio. Well, yeah. I wanted to hear the songs when I desired it. So I got into collecting them, and I wouldn’t listen to them that much either, but I was happy having them. I didn’t become a serious listener until much later.

And do you remember those first records you would buy?

CC: It’s a little bad; it was those K-Tel compilations of the radio hits. I didn’t want to go and buy all those records because it would get expensive. So I was buying represses man! I was a toy. But, you know, it was the easiest and least expensive way to get the songs I wanted to hear. I didn’t start buying hip hop records until 1984. At that point I looked for them on 12”; I didn’t want compilations or full albums. They had the instrumentals, alternate versions, they where louder, and easier to cut up. At that point, I realized I was looking for something much more specific.

You’ve DJ’ed in front of a lot of different audiences; have you noticed any differences in them? Is there any you prefer?

CC: Honestly no. A lot of the world is the same today. Perhaps Japan is different from the rest. They’re more calm and quite. They listen and when you’re done, then they applause. It feels like you’re at a classical music concert. Cuba was good, cutting in front of people that have never seen a DJ, to them it was something new. They would ask: “What are you doing with those records?” But, apart from those two places, the rest of the people are very similar, they like the same things.

In your city, Los Angeles, are you used to playing large audiences?

CC: Yes, but more so at Jurassic 5 concerts, whom I’ve toured with all over the U.S. But, by myself, I’m more comfortable DJing at smaller clubs. It’s what I like more because that’s where I come from.

Do you plan your sets according to the size of the audience?

CC: Yes. [When it’s a smaller venue] I don’t practice, its more freestyle. I like that because I don’t have a set prepared and don’t have to worry about fucking it up. The crowd senses that and everything is a lot looser.

In your sets, do you use mostly rap records or is there room for other music genres?

CC: In tonight’s set (note: set was Saturday night Sonar 05) I’ll be playing a lot of the work I’ve produced over the years, like the remix I did of “The Number Song,” the remix I did for Major Force, and some J5. I’ll also be playing the newest track I’ve made, which is a remix for Jem, a pop singer from Wales. I’ll play some electro, some Brazilian music, and some tracks from my next album, which will be coming out soon. I’ll play different things.

Do you think that’s the roots of hip hop; uniting different styles in a single manner?

CC: That’s my idea. To play themes of different sorts and unite them however possible. Show people that you can play this and that and it’s still fresh. It’s not just about rap. It’s about everything.

Can you tell us something about the new album?

CC: It will be different. It’ll have something from Brazil, some samba, some abstract instrumentals, slower rhythms… It’s very eclectic. It will have plenty of scratching and a lot of sounds I’ve never used before. I’ve added to the repertoire. [To make this album] I used a computer; I no longer use a sampler, but work like I was: cutting and pasting and chopping the samples. It simpler and has 24 bit [sound]. My sampler was 16 and I would have to convert the bits. I wanted to keep it as clean as possible.

You signed with Warner right?

CC: Yes.

Has anything changed with respect to your previous situation?

CC: Nothing has changed. Until my album comes out, I’m quite calm. I shouldn’t even really be here today. I honestly wanted to be exposed to a larger audience. Get my music to as many ears as possible. I want to tell the people: “This music is fun; you can have hits on it.” I don’t want to keep being underground. If doing this means I can DJ in front of 10,000 people, perfect. I am going to do it. I think this music should be accepted by the entire world, including the underground. When J5 started; we where part of a small circle now we do shows with Dave Matthews. The people like it. It doesn’t become a strictly hip hop audience.

It’s true that a lot of different people listen to hip hop nowadays; perhaps not in the United States but here in Europe…

CC: It’s different in the states. Although there are more people listening to hip hop now than 10 years ago; the audiences in the US are less open minded than they are here…

They are?

CC: Yeah! Absolutely man. It’s bad that a person doesn’t really get interested in something; they have to know someone who’s heard it before they show any signs of interest. I don’t want to talk bad about my people, it could be I get home and things have changed… Even so, there are times that they surprise me. I’m like: “They’re not going to like this” and then they appreciate it. I tell myself: “They’re confused, great!” For example, J5 was popular in the UK before the US. I think the main reason was we had a record deal there before having one at home. We signed with Play It Again Sam before Interscope in the US. After Quality Control debuted, we did tours.

Getting back to production and talking about J5. What is the reason that the majority of the 12” singles from the last J5 album weren’t produced by you and Nu-mark?

CC: I used to ask myself the same thing. I produced “Quality Control” which was a single but after that I don’t think I had another. We made “Thin Line” and “A Day at the Races” but they where never released (only promo versions), which was disappointing. “Linguistics” was released but I never knew who produced that. We weren’t even at the recording sessions. “If you only knew” wasn’t made by us but it was a good track and deserved to be a single. Nu-Mark produced “Hey” which was released then there was “Hey” by Sa-Ra, which was dope. We wanted everyone to give J5 a different touch, that’s why there where different producers, to change the sound a little.

You come from the west coast of the United States. From my point of view, production in the late 90’s (from people like you and Peanut Butter Wolf) seems to have an influence from earlier New York music. What’s your opinion on this?

CC: Since New York had already used that manner of production I don’t think we needed to keep producing in that manner also. To us the sound had a certain mystique, since it wasn’t something that existed around here. Here, there was NWA and Too Short therefore we were interested in what we didn’t have. It’s just like New York having a west coast sound now, we didn’t try it because we where used to it. In any case, that’s not what interests me now, I’ve done that already. My new album is completely different; you can’t really trace it back to a single determining influence. I think the same thing happened to Shadow; it’s something European. He uses a wide spectrum of samples. It’s a lot from the east coast, west coast, the south… So, it’s difficult to say where it comes from. For me, it’s important to do that, to mix things up. Even so, I’m still influenced by New York music of the late 80’s, their drum programming and such.

Since you’re on the subject of that era; how was it collaborating with Percee P on the last album?

CC: Oh man! You know, I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. If you talked about late 80’s hip hop, he was the king. Especially for only having a few recordings, his were the best. It was an honor having him and Big Daddy Kane on the same song. It was a dream come true. I could have retired after that. We also had Juju (from the Beatnuts). They passed on a lot of good things in “Power in Numbers.” To even work with Nelly Furtado on “Thin Line” was incredible, I couldn’t believe it, and she had a great rap.

Finally, why do you think there is such a great interest in DJ culture in your area as opposed to the rest of the United States?

CC: It could be that there are more mobile DJ’s in Los Angeles or San Francisco. But in Miami the DJ scene is huge as well, same in Philadelphia; you could say the same about both also. In the late 80’s Philadelphia was the DJ capital, with DJ’s like Cash Money, Spinbad and Jazzy Jeff. Then in Florida you had Mister Mix, whom I think is actually from L.A. (I’m not completely sure, but he cut like he was). In Los Angeles we had the radio station KDAY and their DJ’s like Joe Cooley and Aladdin who had shows every weekend. That influenced a lot of people like me. They where cutting the shit out of those records. I think what you said has a lot to do with the radio and what kind of programs they had. I know that in New York the thing was more to play songs than to scratch. In San Francisco, QBert and Mike where the ones who helped that movement…

QBert said that at first they didn’t know where it could go…

CC: Yeah. At first, they just were having fun like Mike said in the movie Scratch: “We would get together and sound like a band.” Because of all that, it’s difficult to say where it came from. But it is true the west coast is the turntable capital.

The Audiences’ Listening, the new solo album from Cut Chemist hits the streets soon. Interview originally published in Serie B Underground magazine issue 6. Republished with permission from the author and translated into english by GFJ. Many thanks to Revenge of the Nerds, GFJ and Cut Chemist. For more info on Cut you can check out cutchemist.com and Jurassic5.com.