Highs, mids and lows

>>Atlanta’s DJ Klever takes
things as far as he can

USE WHAT YOU GOT: DJ Klever

by SCOTT C

With numerous international DJ battle titles and awards to his credit, Atlanta, Georgia turntablist DJ Klever made a name for himself with his distinct technical skill and style as part of Third World Citizens, Scratch Nerds and the Allies crew with A-Trak and Craze. In 2008, he continues to travel the world rocking parties with wild sets of crunk, booty, hip hop, electro, dance-rock, B-more and new wave, as well as getting ready to drop his own production record, So So Death. The Mirror reached DJ Klever at his home in Atlanta.

Mirror: Here in Montreal, we’ve seen turntablism diminish in popularity and kind of go back underground. Can you recognize the highs and the lows in the culture as the years go by?

DJ Klever: The highs were great! Around ’97 to ’02, everyone’s eyes and ears were on the turntable movement. Some of the high points were DJs wanting to push themselves with the newest scratch patterns, beat juggling and putting together a routine that no one has seen or heard before. As far as the lows are concerned, they’re happening now, because nobody cares anymore about who the world champion is. It just seems that it’s all regurgitated ideas.

M: How have you decided to build on your successful career as a turntablist and take it as far as you can?

DJK: I learned very quickly that just being a ’tablist was only going to take me so far. Before I was a hardcore tournament DJ, I was a musician and a party rocker. So what I’ve done is reinvent myself, incorporated all the years of building my skills, and brought it back to where I started but with a different kind of music—and I still haven’t taken it as far as I can.

M: I understand you were just in China. Have you spent much time in that part of the world, and is there a big difference between gigs over there and here?

DJK: No, I haven’t spent much time in Asia, but I have done shows in Japan and Taiwan. There is a huge difference between gigs here and there. One of the differences is the party people. Out there, it’s very commercially driven, and here it’s more underground, so I can play harder music. Another difference is, there isn’t much of a dance culture there, it’s more on the Top 40-hip hop-R&B tip.

M: What would you like to see in terms of future technological innovations in DJing?

DJK: I think everything is there between Ableton, Serato, visuals and all of the MIDI and effects units that are out there. Now I think that it’s just up to being more creative with all of the technology that’s already available.

M: Do you use Serato DJing software? What’s your worst Serato experience?

DJK: Yes, I use Serato and I also use a TTM RANE 57 mixer with Serato built in. I was doing a show in Alaska a few weeks ago and the music just kept cutting off. The party was crazy, with people dancing and having a great time, but the music would just come on and off and that fucked up my whole night. That’s the only bad experience I’ve ever had with it.

With Romain Rock, Teki Latex and
Hatchmatik at Coda on Friday,
May 30, 10 p.m., $10