First thing would be how did you get into the DJ game and how long have you been doing it for?

S: I got into DJing in the early 80s I would say, because my older step-brother had a friend who was a DJ, I used to go round to his house with my step-brother sometimes and while they were playing ball or something they would just leave me with the turntables and I would just go through his records, and really I learned to beat-match that way. I didn't really start DJing on my own until about 86' I would say.

So how did you then go from learning the basics, and being a DJ and it being a hobby to making a living out of it?

S: I would say Jazzy Jeff man. When I heard him do his thing on record I was like "holy shit! I wanna do that!" so I just got some equipment, after a long time, I started making pause tapes first. I was doing tapes for local bboy crews in Queens, and then when I finally got my first set of turntables, which were shit, I used to try and mimic the stuff Jeff was doing but of course the turntables were belt drive and they would be all over the place. So that's what got me into this whole thing, as well as a couple of local DJs too who inspired me.

You have been a DJ for big household names like Moby and Dido and you have opened for other mainstream acts like the Backstreet Boys, people that you wouldn't normally associate with Hip-Hop. How did you go from your work on mixtapes and battles to doing that?

S: So strange, the Moby thing came through a good friend of mine, DJ Stretch Armstrong, and he used to live with Moby at one point, they were roommates. And Moby was going to do a TV show called Conen O'Brian, and he wanted a scratch DJ to scratch on a track called Body Rock and he called Stretch, and asked him to do it but Stretch said he didn't really want to do it as he wasn't into the scratching and stuff as much as he used to, and Stretch said to him "let me call Spinbad", and I went and auditioned and that was it. And from there on it went a bit crazy.

So are you planning on doing anymore of that type of work, because you haven't really done anything like this since your last gigs?

S: Yeah not really, I mean I was touring for two and a half years, and everything that I'm trying to do comes to a halt at that point, and I'm supporting Moby or I'm Dido's DJ, and I just want to work on my productions and work on my career a bit more. And the touring thing is so hard as well, it takes a lot out of you.

What was the biggest crowd you played in front of, or the best gig you did at that time?

S: We did this thing called ‘Pink Pop' in Holland, and that was like 95,000 people. And of course they wanted me to do a scratch solo, and I was like "oh well ok!!" It's cool though I enjoyed it.

And what would be your best memory of that time touring and giging with these people? You must have seen and done some pretty crazy shit.

S: I don't know there were a lot of things, but I think some of the things I enjoyed most was doing TV shows that I grew up watching, like the David Letterman show. That was definitely a high point because I grew up watching it as a fan, and then I was on there performing, and shaking hands with him, so that was pretty cool.

I know you must get asked this a lot, but could you tell us a bit about the 80's mixtapes, because they are some of the most famous underground tapes ever and even over here people still talk about them and they are regarded as some of the best tapes ever put together.

S: Well basically it started out as a complete joke. A lot of the mixtapes that were coming out of New York at the time, were the Clue type of tapes, where things weren't mixed together, there was no blending or scratching and they just shouted over the top. Basically they had only exclusive songs on DAT and they shouted over them. And I hated it, I couldn't stand and I wanted to do something that those people would absolutely despise. So I picked up the corniest 80's music that I grew up loving, all 45s and records that I collected when I was growing up, and I cut these up and scratched them just to see what I could do with it. And I did 15mins of it and I brought it to Philadelphia, to Jazzy Jeff's studio, and I was like "oh I'm doing this new hip-hop tape, check it out", and he loved it, he was really feeling it and I was like "are you serious? I only did it as a joke", and he said "no man you need to finish it, people are gonna love this" I was like "ok then", and it took me ages to finish them, and he kept on calling me up asking if I had finished it and pushing me to do it. I pretty much did it for him and that's how it came together.

And did you put them out yourself? Do you know how it got out to so many places and how it became the kinda of ultimate bootlegged tape?

S: Fatbeats in New York took a bunch of tapes and sent them overseas and it just went from there really. I never really tried to get them out there.

That's crazy because there are massive everywhere you go in Europe, people do really love it.

S: I didn't realise they were so big until I came overseas for the first time and realised how many people had heard of it. They even made it to Japan and I don't even know how that happened.

You have done a lot of other mixtapes as well, would you say you have a certain style or technique that is yours that you try to put into all your tapes?

S: I'm really into the intros and multitracking those. I always liked doing that, I guess that's part of my style and I always try to incorporate turntablism aspects to it also, with scratching and juggling. It's not all multitracking, all the scratches are done in real time, and I'm into the layering aspect of using the multitrack.

So what is it like being back in London then?

S: Oh man I love it here. It's nice to get away from NY and that whole scene man. Because I'm now doing the radio show in NY, it's the same thing everyday, and it's nice to get away and bring some records that I wouldn't normally get to play in NY too. It's like a breath of fresh air.

Well you got quite a big following over here, and after your last appearance too, I think most people are looking forward to tonight. Was the CD you have just done for fabric, a one take type thing or did you plan it out, with an idea of what you wanted to put in it?

S: I just took a pile of records really, some newer stuff but mainly stuff that I don't get to play in NY, like some old school stuff, Tribe Called Quest and that type of stuff.

Does that type of stuff not get played in NY then?

S: Not really. The crowds in NY just really want to hear the Jay-Z, the R.Kelly, over and over, Sean Paul, Beyonce...

That's a bit weird...Over here people still expect old classics alongside the newer stuff... So how is your residency on Power 105 going then? You started a while back now...

S: It's going very well. I've been doing it for two years but I only started doing the 8 o'clock show since the beginning of June. Before that I was on late nights.

I remember you saying when you started the show that one of the reasons you were doing it was because you wanted to do something different to what most people do on the radio in NY.

S: Yeah I still do, I mean my show is one of the only ones with blending and scratching on the air, and I don't talk either.

Really?

S: Not at all. I have a host and we do some talking bits but most of it is just straight music. And that is different in itself to almost any radio show in NY. So I'm really getting a kick out of it and then the way people respond to it, because you know radio in NY has been the same for ten years. You know, play a song, scream, cut the song out, play another one, shit gets boring quickly.

And is there a lot of politics going on with a radio show?

S: A hell of a lot man! I didn't realise until I started, people taking money to play records and shit like that, you know. It's a bit bullshit, it's not really what it's about, is it?

That is definitely wrong. And are you still working with the guys at StylusWars on the bringle series?

S: No. Not anymore.

Was the one you were meant to do ever released?

S: The first one came out limited, and people wanted more, and there was a whole... Well something happened within styluswars, where somebody left and someone else came in, and I don't think they really picked up any of my stuff, you know.

You have done a few battle records over the years. How would you say you approach making them in comparison to the other work you do?

S: Yeah I did the last one, Jiggy Breaks, a bit differently because everyone seems to be using the same sounds, you know. So I wanted to do one that would be nothing like any other record, so I took a bunch of jiggy records and just took out loads of samples out of it and some of the beats. I just thought of going for anything that a turntablist might want to use really, and take away from the more classic battle records out there.

Let's talk about turntablism for a bit. What's your opinion of the artform at the minute?

S: I mean kids today are doing some incredible stuff, I think battles, to a point, have turned into a circus somewhat. You know what I mean?

Yeah totally, DMC has become a bit of a joke to an extent...

S: yeah I'm more partial to stuff like the old NMS. Like the battle between Alladin and Miz, stuff like that.

You did battle for a while didn't you?

S: A little bit, but again there were so many politics in NY with the different DJs, people that I wouldn't get along with would be judging a battle, and so what was the point in sitting home all day for long times to practice on something I knew I might not get judged on fairly? So I kinda lost interest quickly in it and then found other things to put time and energy into.

Do you agree that the All-Star Beatdown is the best way for battles to develop from now on, with their approach to the whole game and the way they try to go back to the essence of battles and what made the NMS so great. The way in which it tries to minimise the marketing and promotional aspects of it in favour of the music and skills?

S: Definitely. I really think that battles should be pretty much... Well let's just say I think you shouldn't be able to use battle weapons in battles anymore. I know I have made some but it's come to a point where a lot of the kids that are becoming DJs don't even know where most of theses samples came from. And in turn their collection might just be a bunch of battle records and they don't think of going out of it or trying to learn about the history.

There was someone last year in the UK (Blakey) who did his whole DMC routine without using any battle records and tried to make a point of it, and I thought that was great.

S: I can totally respect that. There is nothing wrong with using battle records if you know where they came from and you know your history. If you know your history then that's ok, because you will be able to take things further and flip those samples in new ways, but there must be some sort of education process...

Would you ever enter a battle again?

S: I don't think so, I'm at a stage now where I have so many other things to do I cant really work on routines like I used to. And I don't think I would want to.

Lastly what would be your best battle memory?

S: Ummmmm... When I saw Aladdin and Miz go at it at the NMS in '89 I think it was. That was just incredible, the way Aladdin came out with his new way of breaking the record down and the crowd went crazy for him. And Miz was like "fuck it I'm gonna try it too!" and he came out and did for the first time on the spot and blew it. That was amazing, that was a real battle.

You were one of the first DJs, on the east coast at least, to take all the new technical styles that were coming out of the west coast at the time and include them in your tapes and shows.

S: I definitely tried. I was a big fan of flaring when Q-bert and the other guys first came out with it. They started crabing and flaring and I was like "what is this? What's going on?" And I used to be in close contact with Revolution, who is now my partner, and we got together a few days and we practiced and we were showing each other new tricks and skills and learnt that way.

So that's how you got up on these new styles then?

S: yeah pretty much. It was a combination of that and listening to Babu's mixtapes, Q's breakbeat mix, and just sitting at home and trying to figure out what the hell it was they were doing! I would be like "what the hell are these guys eating on the west coast?", and it motivated me to learn and develop my own skills.

Have you heard any of the new stuff that has come out recently like the D-Styles and Scetchbook albums, the albums with all scratched tracks. What do you think of those?

S: I think they are great I really like them. The thing is for me, I think right now they are still for a certain type of audience only, but things will change, the way they always do.

Would you consider working on something like that in the future?

S: Yes definitely, I would like to. It's an interesting aspect of what we do.

And have you heard of the new DJ bands that are coming out like what Excess has been doing with Ned Hoddings?

S: I haven't had the chance to see them yet but I'd love to check it out, it's good to see people doing different things and being creative with their work and taking the turntable further too.

Do you agree then that there needs to be a balance between technical and musical, in order to really get the most out of these type of projects?

S: Yes, you need to have both in order to flow and evolve. You could be as technical as Q-Bert, and not be as funky or as musical as him and that's not going to pass you know? Jeff always used to talk about this to me saying that it doesn't matter how many tricks you know or how many clicks your flares have, because if you are not funky with it and it doesn't sound good people won't be open to it.

And what about the scratch academy in NY, have you had any input in it or have you worked with them yet?

S: I have been in touch with them. I'm probably going to do something with them next semester. We haven't really discussed any details yet but I'm looking forward to it. I'm honored to have been asked to do something with them.

I heard you have also started working on your own productions. How do you approach it? Do you work with other musicians, or do you plan to?

S: I do produce a little, but I don't play instruments, I play by ear, so I kind of try and find things that fit together and not really looking for someone to play a specific instrument for me.

So what are you working on at the minute?

S: I Have been working on some hip-hop tracks, with some local MCs as well as this guy from Philly called Baby Blak and also Kardinall Offishal. I'm probably going to put out a compilation album with different artists on it.

So do you enjoy producing then?

S: I love it, I just wish I had more time to do it, when I start making a beat I always want to take it further, but with the radio and my other work it can't be hard to get away from it all and find time to just be on my own and work on production.

And do you use any digital equipment either in the studio or live? Like final scratch or CDJs?

S: I use the CDJs 1000, but only when I have to. If it's something that I don't have on vinyl or something that I need or if I have done a particular remix at home and I want to bring it to the radio station then I will use them. I'm not too partial to them though, I really would rather use vinyls, but that is just me.

And do you use them in the studio?

S: Yes they are much more of a use in a studio for your own sounds. For example with Kardinall when I'm working with him and we might want to cut up a hook that he was singing and so we got him to do it and put it on CD and cut it up from there. It's just different ways to implement it I suppose. But there is nothing that can take away vinyl for me. We have to make sure people realise that and find a way to make both co-exist happily next to each other.

So are there any projects people should be looking out for this year?

S: Just a lot of mixtapes right now, hopefully this compilation album later on in the year. Right now I'm doing a best of LL Cool J, which LL is hosting and we are going to have a bunch of new music for it. Other then that, like I said, producing these artists hopefully, but you will definitely be hearing something before the end of the year.

And have you done anymore of the Underground Airplay mixtapes for Lyricists Lounge because I know you did the first one?

S: No, not anymore, I did the first one and I also did a mix DVD for them, which came out last year. I'm also doing a DVD mixtape for Rawkus now, which is going to be Rawkus' last project ever. So it's going to be a best of Rawkus mix DVD. I'm doing all the audio and then working with the video guys and they are going to do the engineering and I will tell them what I want done. It's like an audio visual blend, it's really interesting.

Quick ones

Top 3 Djs: That's a tough one... Jazzy Jeff, Revolution and Melo-D

Hardest scratch to master for you?: Quick transforms man was the hardest to master.

And the one you enjoy the most?: Same transform as well.

Favourite take away?: Curry, I love going down to Brick Lane!

Favourite Producer: Still have to say Premier

Favourite MC for you right now: tough one as well, but Baby Black

First record you ever bought: It was some 80's cheesyness... I'm pretty sure it was an MJ record.

Favourite 80's movie and all time movie: Scarface for all time and Weird Science for 80's.

If you haven't already be sure to check out Spinbad's 80's tapes, widely available if you look in the right places. Also check out for his upcoming new work and our review of his gig in fabric alongside Madlib and Jrocc and the Perverts. Thanks to Melissa at fabric for the hook up and Spinbad for his time.

All pictures by Ella Cooper