You know my steez

by MORGAN STEIKER

This Saturday, Feb. 28, Coda hosts a very special edition of Simahlak’s monthly Gumbo, featuring none other than the legendary DJ Premier. I was lucky enough to talk to Preemo this week and ask him about some of my favourite songs of his. Enjoy!

Gang Starr feat. Inspectah Deck, “Above the Clouds”: “Guru always had the name of the songs before I even made the beat. I remember being on the phone with him and Deck, and Deck was like, ‘Yo what’s the song about?’ Guru told him, ‘Your mental.’ They were on each side of the control boards looking like they were on a seesaw, with their pens and pads out. Meanwhile, I was piecing together the intro on the headphones so I wouldn’t disturb them. The intro is a mix of a record called Flight to the Moon and the voice of JFK. This is before ProTools, when we actually had to leave a blank on the reel and guestimate when the beat would drop.”

Notorious B.I.G., “Ten Crack Commandments”: “It was originally just a promo that me and Jeru the Damaja did for Angie Martinez’s radio show, Top 5 at 9. Puff Daddy was guest-hosting the show one day and when he heard the promo, he went on the air and was like, ‘Yo Premier, if you’re out there, please call me!’ I sold it to him and we made the beat out of it. Biggie already had the name and the concept so he just started rapping over it. He always went in with no paper, no nothing, just off the head.”

Devin the Dude, “Doobie Ashtray”: “I’ve known Devin the Dude for a long time because I’m from Houston. This song was actually a remix. They couldn’t clear the sample they used and they needed something identical so they came to me. I basically followed the original sample on my keyboard and made sure I stayed in the same key so he would still harmonize. I quit piano lessons at a young age but I still know how to find what I need.”

Jeru the Damaja, “Jungle Music”: “I already had the jungle sounds from a sound-effects record but when I found the other sample, it just hypnotized me. I knew it worked but I didn’t know if Jeru would like it. When I played to him, he was like, ‘That’s it, man,’ and started writing right on the spot. He told me he wanted to do a song called ‘Jungle Music,’ that was his concept from the start.”

In other news, tonight, Feb. 26, check out Yo! MTL Raps, a new monthly full of promise firing things up with Loes & Osa, Daybi, More or Les, Dialekt, DJ Who and artwork by El-Vomski and Sirus.

Friday, Feb. 27, F(SOUL) and the Boom Bap Cats are making it happen at the Pound, while Ghislain Poirier will be the very special guest at Blizzart’s weekly the Bridge. Saturday night will witness the epic Red Bull 3Style DJ competition between A-Rock, Truspin, Rilly Guilty, Figure 8, Miles Moore, DJ Spaz, DJ Psychology and Kelly Nunes, with performances by Jokers of the Scene, Speakerbruiser and Smalltown DJs at the Telus Theatre. Place your bets!

UP IN THE SKY? UP IN THE SKY!
DABEATSEEKER@GMAIL.COM