Interview - DJ n01y0uknow
Over the weekend, I was able to have a interview with my good friend, DJ n01y0uknow (pronounced “No one you know”), A brilliantly artistic mind, multi-talented DJ. Together, we discussed his upcoming project, where his motivations for pursuing new ventures come from and his varied inspirations. Below is our interview transcript.
Aye- What made you get into music? Specifically the art of production and being a DJ?
N0- Hanging out with people who made music, honestly. Like my friend Rose showed me ableton. So I downloaded an old version and was hooked since. As for Dj’ing, I met Dj Holographic during an internship, I learning more about being a DJ and how I could mix that with production.
Aye- Was it necessarily easy for you to pick up?
N0 - Oh no! Those first few years learning were a struggle! I was making stuff off beat, my mixes were awful, and I had no idea how to sample. Like I listened to the first beats I made and I'm like "what was I doing?”
Aye - It's a struggle but they say you literally never stop learning. When you first begin it's horrible, then along the way you pick up stuff as you go. Have you had that moment where things just started clicking?
N0- Right? What's that one quote from adventure time "the first step to getting good at something is to suck at it." Like every day I feel like a new producer when I discover a new audio trick or way to play a synth or sample. I think two years ago, I made a beat for a friend's project and it got some praise. I was proud cause it felt like an actual song and not a basic loop (Laughs). Now I have a better understanding of structure, mixing, and sound design.
Aye - What was that project?
N0 - It was “Downer” off Gogo $pice's Swan Fever EP.
Aye- Also speaking of references, you have so many dope, obscure references to both your music and in general conversation. Do you typically use those as your motivations when creating music or a mix?
N0 - I appreciate that! All the time. Like whenever I start a new project I write a list of inspirations and take some time out to note what makes their projects and mixes so good. Like Tokimonsta is a big influence on a lot of my sound because she takes a basic sample, like a Guitar or Bass, and will combine it with the sound of beer going into a glass. Like for this upcoming project I'm working on, I sampled a lot of tv noises.
Aye - I never knew you were so meticulous with your process. Heavy studying like that can lead to some wild results. Also what kind of noises are we talking, and what type of project is it?
N0 - Yeah! Studying like that helps me get better at production and even discover some weird samples. I'm working on a beat tape called "Couch Potato Music". It's a electronic/hip hop album. I sampled old TV commercials from my childhood, TV static, and some old video game soundtracks. I wanted to have some vocal features but Covid happened (laughs) but it gave me more time to focus not he beats.
Aye - How did you come up with that name? (laughs)
N0 - Being a couch potato (laughs). Originally it was gonna be called “Channel Hopping.” Because I was watching hella TV and doing various odd jobs, but then Covid hit and I was just glued to my couch making beats and watching more TV. So I thought "Couch Potato Music” would be a funny name.
Aye - It really is, so who are your professional music inspirations? Some of your favorite artist to listen to normally?
N0 - (Excited) I have a lot of inspirations! Professional music inspirations are Knxwledge, Matt Martians, TokiMONSTA ,Flying Lotus, Monte Booker, Mitski, Wondagurl, and Teddy Walton. I've been listening to a lot of Kari Faux, Mitski, Vince Staples and Raveena. It's a good break from listening to to my inspirations because they're really good.
Aye - Like you have a lot of good inspirations that aren’t the most popularized of artist. Okay let's talk about your other ventures because you do photography, skate, DJ, play bass, video games and a host of other things. What makes you try to get into these different ventures?
N0 - Honestly, I get into alot of things cause of this weird thing about boredom. As a kid my mom would have me in a lot of stuff (baseball, swimming, golf, art class) so I was always preoccupied and had something to do. Once I got to junior high, and later high school, I would find stuff to get into so I wouldn't be bored. Like, I was into theater for a bit, and then that somehow ended up with me being a puppeteer for my school's sesame street rip off (laughs). So it just went into my adult life. (laughs)
Aye - You were a theater kid?!
N0 - (laughs) yep! I was an extra in a few plays, and then I was a stagehand because I liked background work. There was one production where I got to show off some acting and juggling.
Aye - I never knew this, that’s pretty cool. This is going to be a weird transition but let's talk about your work as a DJ. What made you want to become a DJ?
N0 - Yeah! It was more of a hobby type thing because I have more obscure music taste, but I spun at a few friends parties and found that people appreciate all sorts of music. So I thought "Hey, this could be a move". Plus watching “Boiler Room DJ’s” get a crowd hype makes me want to do that one day.
Aye - Your music taste have a unique way of energizing the room. It’s niche in the best way. Do you find yourself going "Okay this might be too obscure?" Or maybe the crowd will turn up if I put this song here?" What's like your thought process when being booked for a gig?
N0 - Thank you! I appreciate that a lot. All the time (Laughs). I think it depends on the type of crowd. Like I know if its a gig with a lot of people my age, I'll throw in some obscure tracks because I think people in our age group appreciate hearing something funky but not popular or an obscure artist track. Those are my favorites because I get hype seeing someone else get hype about hearing an Smino track or Pharrell remix. But if its a corporate gig, I gotta throw in maybe two weird tracks in between the top 40 to throw them off (laughs). Corporate people don't listen to a lot of music beyond the top 40, old school or what they're kids are listening to.
Aye - But I've seen people react extremely positively to those obscure tracks. But as a DJ, do you find yourself somewhat obligated to introduce the masses to these new sounds or new artist to listen to?
N0- Yeah. I definitely feel a small obligation to do it, more so from an "I shouldn't hold this from the public" People like hearing new things so it's cool to introduce new music the masses.
Aye - Unselfishly so, okay two final questions because this conversation could literally continue for a month straight (laughs). Being a man of many talents, how do you find the time to dedicate yourself to learning these skills? Is there a certain thing you attribute to your success in these fields?
N0 - A lot of time management and having friends who do the same. Like, seeing my friends make beats and or skate every day makes me want to keep up so I don't fall behind (laughs). Also gotta give a shout out to my friends and family, they support a lot of it and help me keep going.
Aye - That's really dope to know and with the final question, is there anything you want to add?
N0 -Just a few things. Shout out to you, because you help so much with all of my music stuff and life stuff. I'm glad we're friends. Also people need to wear they masks.
Thank you for reading!
