Music > Interviews

Scratch Perverts

21/08/15

DJ Prime Cuts and Tony Vegas are Scratch Perverts; their unmatched legacy as DJ battlers began back in ‘96. Foremost turntablists, they moved into DJ’ing, moving between genres with ease and finesse and enjoying a long residency at Fabric in London. They’ve supported The Beastie Boys and The Sex Pistols amongst others and these days continue not only to DJ around the world but also to create their own music. I spoke to Joel, aka Prime Cuts, about his favourite record shops and what the best break of all time is.

What music did you have around you as a child?

My parents split when I was very young so I have two households that come to mind when remembering music. My father would be surprised to read this but I have very fond memories of Bob Marley and Reggae being played at the Stepney squat he lived in during the late 1970s'. I say surprised as he's always been a massive Blues fan, but that didn't resonate with me at such a young age. My mother had a really good record collection from Stevie Wonder to The Clash, Gang of Four and a lot of Two Tone records. That was probably the first record label I fell in love with. My mum actually took me to a Clash/Gang of Four gig at Canterbury Student Union when I was about eight; sadly I can't remember the music as I was probably more interested in fizzy drinks and crisps at the time!

How did you first start using decks and learning how to DJ and scratch?

It was on a terrible Amstrad stack system. I've still not forgiven Alan Sugar for giving me such a shit start on decks.

How did you guys meet back in the mid 90’s?

We met on many occasions without really knowing one each other. Tony worked in Soul Jazz and then Mr Bongo. I was a record collector and would frequent these places but we didn't really meet on a one to one until a few years later. At the time I had no idea Tony was into scratching, and it was quite a surprise to find out the dude with a pony-tail from Soul Jazz was an animal on the decks! When he had the idea of creating a UK super crew I was initially hesitant but our friendship grew outside of the DJing thing and I thought it could be good to be in a crew with a mate. I deliberately got myself sacked from work and never looked back.

What track will always get you up and dancing?

Always Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved by James Brown

What’s the best break of all time?

It’s got to be Apache by The Sugarhill Gang

What’s your most memorable gig of all time?

Playing at John Peel's 60th birthday.

Do you guys hang out with each other when you’re not working?

Tony lives in Hackney and I'm in South London, so we ain't exactly neighbours, but I class our time out on the road as hanging out, so yes we do hang out together. A lot.

Do you use proper vinyl still? Do you still buy physical music? How do you feel about Serato?

I still buy all the music I'm into on wax, and digitise anything that could work in a club, but about 90% of the music I buy isn't for playing out. I use Traktor with vinyl and a Z2 mixer that has a really nice crossfader. The whole Stems thing is an amazing leap forward in technology. I'm a big fan.

Have your audiences changed over the years?      

I'd like to say they're getting younger but the fact is they’re not!

Who do you rate as the greatest DJ’s of all time?

As far as scratching goes, there's a guy called Dee Swift who sadly passed away in 2010 who was without doubt the greatest scratch DJ the UK has ever produced. I wish I had met him. There are a few online clips of his work from around the early 00's and they still sound incredible. He was a very gifted man.

Are there any genres of music you wouldn’t ever include in a set?

I reckon most of Ten Walls’ records.

You’ve run your own record label, Black Gold. What’s the most important piece of advice you could offer someone wanting to set up their own label?

Don't give up!

What are your favourite record shops?

I would say Phonica, Sounds of the Universe, West Norwood Book and Record Bar.

These days you can share music with other people so easily compared to 20 years ago. Do you find it overwhelming that there’s so much out there to hear?

I still use record stores as a conduit to music, and buying stuff on wax also filters things a great deal. Whenever I make the effort to go through lists on Beatport, for example, I find it very hard to get excited about downloading anything. Saying that, I'm about to check out if Dre’s Compton is worth downloading!

We’re very much looking forward to seeing you at Norwich Arts Centre. Can you give us a couple of hints on some tracks we might be dancing to?

Check our Soundcloud page for regular mixes (soundcloud.com/scratch-perverts-official) and these should make an appearance on the night; Obas Nenor’s Change Got To Come, Oliver Sain’s On The Hill, Prince’s Purple Music (Seven Davis Jnr’s rework) and finally Paleman’s Like O.

http://mn2s.com/booking-agency/dj-roster/scratch-perverts/ 

Scratch Perverts play Norwich Arts Centre on 4th September. Tickets available from ueaticketbookings.co.uk