Q&A with Needles X Nodzilla

The Nappy DJ Needles X Nodzilla is the Ghetto Blastic blendmaster of turntables throughout St. Louis. He has been dubbed Best Club DJ by the Riverfront Times and is a Uranus Is Blue endorsed reliable source for dance parties in StL where people actually dance (and look real out of place if they don't). In fact, don't show up to a Nodzilla event without a change of clothes. The groove is so groovy that the walls bleed funk, so warm blooded animalia don't stand a chance. I'm a fan because his DJing saved my life with a song...and it's fun to watch a master at work. XXs, XYs and XYZs of the Universe, get a load of DJ Needles!

Blue: Where are you from, what high school did you go to, and what hood do you rep?

 
Needles: I'm from East St. Louis, Il. I went to Cardinal Ritter College Prep and currently I rep the "grimy" hood of Dogtown.

B: You're arguably one of the hardest working DJs in the upper Mason Dixon Region, bringin' the consistent boom bap soul since 2001. Tell us a little about your beginnin's in the record spinnin' bidness.

 

N: I began doing parties in 1994. My brother Nick had a friend who needed music for her birthday party and I had mad tapes of stuff I taped off the radio and a few cds. Surprisingly, it went over quite well! I got bit by whatever dj bug exists that night and that never went away. A few years later, I graduated from tapes and cds to actual turntables and vinyl and my break came courtesy of Rich Money at the Red Sea. He took a break and let me get on the tables and it's been on from there.

B: Technology in music can get out of control these days. How are you able to keep up with the times while maintaining the rustic feel in your spins and blends? What does your current performance setup consist of?

N: I don't get caught up in needing to keep up per sé...I work with what I have at the time. I will upgrade when the time and funds sync up! As far as maintaining the feel of the spins, I just play what I like. Flat out. I'm of the generation that's kind of a bridge between the music of the 70's/80's/90's and what's happening today whereas we're old enough to remember when the older stuff was new but can also recognize and appreciate the good stuff of today. Currently, my setup consists of 2 technic 1200 turntables, a rane sixty-two mixer, mac laptop, beats headphones, shure and ortofon needles and of course more than not, vinyl.

B: If you could split a pizza with any figure in history from the past, present or future, who would it be and why?

N: I hate questions like this because as soon as you answer, so many other people pop into your mind! Anyway, I suppose it would be J Dilla. I'm a fan of his production and I'd love to just eat my pizza while he spoke. It'd also be dope if he had his mpc with him for some beat-making demonstrations.

B: Your quixotic blends and beat projects have put many an audience in a trance. What type of music inspires you and what do you look for in a groove?

N: I'd say the music that inspires me is vintage funk, soul, jazz & Hip Hop. There's something special about those drums, guitars, piano riffs, violins, horn arrangements and so on. I tend to look for a coherent melodic rhythm in a groove. Something that makes sense straight out the gate. Build up is cool at times, but when you're deejayin, you mostly want a groove that gets people on board quickly.

B: You've taken promotion to the next level with Art Haus: a pop art collage of large afros, tight fades, and nappy dreadlocks. What is the spirit behind Art Haus?

N: The spirit behind Art Haus is simple creativity. The notion of not being locked in some artificial box placed on me by others who have no idea about what art is or can be. My influences range from Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol to my friends Mike 2600, Kevin McCoy and Rhashad Whittier.

B: What do you love most about being a DJ? What could you do without?

N: I love being able to connect with so many people at one particular time on a very unique level. I could do without all the terrible music many people expect me to play.


B: If you could go back in time, what would you tell 10 year old Nodzilla?

N: If I could go back in time, I'd tell my 10 year-old self to start collecting vinyl now, visit New York often and ask Mom for a passport!

B: What would you like to tell your fans?

N: To fans: Come out to my events more!


B: What's next for Nodzilla? How about DJ Needles?

N: There's a Nodzilla beat-tape EP and full-length project in the works then of course more events and mixtapes for DJ Needles...kinda weird talkin about myself like that!

B: Where can the people find you?

N: People can find me on twitter (@nappydjneedles), facebook (nodzilla and nappydjneedles), bandcamp (nodzilla), instagram (nappydjneedles) and ghettoblastic.com

B: Thanks for visiting Uranus!!!

Click on the images to the right to download these blends and mucho, mucho mas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>