INTERVIEW::
conducted
by
JiZO Jewles
JIZO: Sup Quickie!
How is going bro? Please quickly introduce
yourself to our readers? What nationality are
you? How old are you and what do you call home?
DJ Quickie: Whaatup
Jizo readers! DJ Quickie out of Los Angeles...
26... I'm half Japanese, half Chinese... but to
be a smart-ass, technically my nationality is
all American... both my parents were born and
raised in the beautiful city of Oakland, Cali.
JIZO: How and when
did you decide to become a DJ?
DJ Quickie: My
childhood friends were all into hip-hop... they
were bboys, graf artists, mc's, etc... As for
me, well I couldn't do jack squat... no way in
hell I could ever spin around upside-down on my
head. So while growing up, I did a lot of
sitting around and changing the song while my
bboy homies got down. That was when I discovered
my first DJing lesson, that the DJ isn't always
the "star of the show"... The DJ's #1 job is to
make sure everyone else is getting busy!
JIZO: What is the
biggest advice you would give someone who just
started DJing?
DJ Quickie: Never
give up! To make it as an artist... any
artist... whether it's DJing, producing,
drumming, keyboarding, whatever... you have to
make it your life. Don't model your life after
someone else, but learn things from people you
admire. Allow what people have done before you,
to point you in the direction of greater things.
Whatever you do, never ever think that you've
learned it all. And lastly, don't be an ass!
JIZO: What clubs do
your regularly DJ for?
DJ Quickie: It
changes... even though I don't have a "normal"
job... I try not to make DJing my "work". For a
DJ, one of the worst feelings is to not be into
spinning because you've done the same place, for
the same crowd, playing the same songs 1000
times before. I like to keep it fresh, but you
can catch me weekly in Los Angeles and Las
Vegas. Check www.djquickie.com for more info
(shameless plug)!
JIZO: What are some
of the biggest celebrities you have had a chance
to work with besides Snoop Dogg?
DJ Quickie: Jules &
Sebastien of Jizo Entertainment!!! Hahah... nah
I'm not really into the celebrity thing... Even
though I live here in the heart of LA, I'd much
rather hang out with some straight down-to-earth
good people than schmooze with some "i'm doing
this, and I know this person" Hollywood type
folk. But I can't lie... it's always going to be
cool to open up for a superstar like Snoop.
JIZO: What exactly
is “Rehab” if I may ask? Can you tell us more
about it?
DJ Quickie: REHAB
stands for "Real Experiences In Hip-hop &
Beats". It's a hip-hop and dj oriented community
center in West LA that I built. You can see
what's currently going on at
www.rehabprojects.com. We recently had Nas
in-store.
JIZO: How did end up
becoming Jin's official Asia Tour DJ back in
2004?
DJ Quickie: Catch,
my manager. He's the man with the plan! Touring
with a rap star was never something I thought I
would be doing... But Catch told me I should
just go... and the rest is history! Having never
traveled internationally before (Mexico and
Canada don't count, those are just lower and
upper USA's), Asia in '04 was definitely a
once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. You
haven't lived until you've packed into a club
with no fire codes and been suffocated by
cigarette smoke!
JIZO: Tell us about
your experience as the music director for
nationally known retailer “forever21"? What were
your exact job functions?
DJ Quickie: I was in
charge of the music for about 135 of their
retail locations in malls across the US. If you
walked into a Forever21 anytime in 2004 or
2005... you probably heard DJ Quickie mixing
some Kelly Clarkson with some Jessica Simpson!
Forever 21 was a great experience for me and
opened my eyes up to a whole other world of
djing... By working with F21, I started
experimenting by mixing other genres of music
together like pop, 80's, rock, electronic... and
started putting the music out on vinyl for other
DJs to play. And today so many DJs are taking it
to the next, next level with the whole "mash-up"
movement.
JIZO: A friend of
mine told me you were a member of the "Lambda
Phi Epsilon" Asian fraternity. What are your
best memories as a fraternity guy?
DJ Quickie: WAS a
member?! LPhiE for life! My best memories....
hmm... I can't remember anything I was drunk...
Haha actually the best time was when I went to
Austin for Lambda National Convention. Within 30
mins of stepping off the plane, the homie Dolly
and the Texas Lambdas showed me what southern
hospitality was all about!
JIZO: How did your
recent trip to Tahiti go? How did you get a gig
over there?
DJ Quickie: Catch is
the man with the plan! Jizo-entertainment.com is
the bizzomb! Tahiti was paradise! I have to
say... I am the luckiest DJ in the world. Tahiti
was surprisingly very house music oriented, much
like a European city. Hopefully I showed them a
little about American DJing and paved the way
for other DJs who spin the same club style to go
there in the near future. Hopefully I can go
back someday to visit the friends I made!
JIZO: You are
scheduled to make an appearance in Shanghai on
the 20th of January. Is this your first time
over there?
DJ Quickie: It'll
be my third time spinning in Shanghai... out of
all the Asian cities I've been to... I love
Shanghai the most! The food makes me want to
puke... and you have to watch out for old ladies
on bicycles who will straight trample you
without looking back... but seriously, the
people really know how to have a great time out
there. If you haven't had a chance to go, you
definitely have to go soon to experience one of
the fastest developing cities in the world!
JIZO: Thanks Quickie
and hope to see ya soon bro!
Quickie’s
experience in the music industry also includes Music
Director for the nationally known retailer- Forever
21, Music Talent Director for international Asian
lifestyle corporation- Climax Global Entertainment,
Producer for Promo Wax Retail Service creating
remixes distributed around the world, and Mixtape DJ
for such clients as Puma and Ambercrombie & Fitch.
His world wide recognition has led him to become the
Official Tour DJ for Jin of the Ruff Ryders,
performing in cities all over Asia while also
becoming the featured DJ in Jin’s music video
single, “Senorita”. 