DJ Yoda and Shlomo at Jamm Brixton – Interview

DJ Yoda is to perform his only London set for the next three months at Jamm, Brixton, tomorrow night before hitting the festivals after kicking off with Glastonbury. Known for mixing film and TV samples and visuals, this might just be any other DJ set – but this evening will be with beatboxer Shlomo.

Buy tickets for DJ Yoda and Shlomo at Jamm Brixton

Taking place on Friday 8 July will blend DJ Yoda’s abstract cut and paste mixing skills and VJing (DJing videos) with Shlomo‘s beatboxing and loopstation skills. It’s how a DJ will work with a beatboxer that makes the evening exciting as both work off each other with their musical weapons of choice, plus we can’t wait to see their approach as audio, video, and looped beatboxing clash.

Past DJ Yoda sets have included mixing Glee songs with Dizzee Rascal.

Meanwhile Shlomo has been tearing up venues with bolstered confidence since winning the World Loopstation Championships and a successful solo tour with Mouthronica (read review).

Following last month’s pre-Glastonbury Lyrix Organix at the Queen’s Head in Angel, we expect a night of improvised music and one-off collaborations – Shlomo returned from America last year after winning the Loop Station Championships in LA, and DJ Yoda has just dropped his Yoda and Friends EP. Both are likely nursing post-Glasto hangovers.

“The new DJ technology has helped me make my DJ sets more interesting,” said DJ Yoda. “I think the music industry is in a state of change, and record companies still haven’t quite worked out their new role in the digital age – give them a few years yet and they will, I think.”

So what should people expect from the DJ Yoda and Shlomo night at Jamm?
“I always try and let people expect the unexpected!” said DJ Yoda “I think I’m lucky that people know me now for playing right across the board musically, so I can see what the crowd seems to want on the night. If people are up for reggae or drum and bass or old hip-hop or whatever, I’ll just take it in that direction!”

And as for the beatboxing?
“Using a combination of my beatboxing and looping skills I’ll create a massive mix of continuous sound, including a whole heap of songs you will know and love mashed up in a new style, alongside some of my own bangers which will get your ears ringing and your feet moving,” said Shlomo.

DJ Yoda is embarking on a UK tour at the end of July. Meanwhile, Shlomo has finished on the festival circuit (which also included collaborations with our friends Lyrix Organix) and will return his one man show, Mouthtronica, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

DJ Yoda and Shlomo quick Q&A interview

Describe how you first got started in music.
DJ Yoda: I started by just messing around with my parent’s hi-fi player pretending to scratch, as the music I liked as a kid had scratching in. I broke it, and then saved up to buy turntables and start practicing. I’ve always been based in North London. And my first track? That was Quid Control featuring People Under The Stairs – check it out on YouTube, I’m still really proud of it!
Shlomo: I was 18 living up in Leeds when I met the front man from Foreign Beggars outside a drum’n’bass rave. I was outside the club in a circle of people beatboxing full blast and he came up and took my number. He called me a few days later and asked if I wanted to come on their world tour! I ended up on the road with them for almost four years.

Has the digital revolution helped you take off and what do you think of music industry right now?
DJ Yoda: Definitely. The new DJ technology has helped me make my DJ sets more interesting – it’s allowed me to do the Audio Visual shows that I do, and it definitely makes life easier. I think the music industry is in a state of change, and record companies still haven’t quite worked out their new role in the digital age – give them a few years yet and they will, I think.
Shlomo: For sure, YouTube has had a massive impact on the beatboxing world – it’s a skill that you need to see and not just hear. As a result the artform has been able to spread across the world in such a short time. Check out this on YouTube:

Is there anything fun/wacky/ or that we don’t know about you?
DJ Yoda: I am a breakfast cereal fanatic and I collect American breakfast cereals. And I like cooking jerk chicken!
Shlomo: Before I got my break from Bjork, I was working in an office typing out Lonely Hearts adverts. I got a voicemail on my mobile from Bjork herself. Everyone in the office thought it must be fake!

Jamm presents…DJ Yoda and Shlomo – LIve & In The Mix and On The Mic on 
Friday July 8th 2011 at Brixton Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, Brixton,  SW9 6LH, between 9pm-6am.
Shlomo On Stage: 12-1.30am DJ Yoda: 1.30-4am
Tickets: £10 Advanced tickets available here