LITT MAGAZINE

LITT

How did you get into DJing?

DJ Skeet Skeet
I had been collecting punk and hard core 7 inches and I was playing in those types of bands. When I moved to LA at the age 16, I lost all of my band members. Then I was forced to make music on my own. As I was making my own music, I was trying to create my own sounds and replicate bass and drums. Then I started to discover music like French Touch and Filter House. I really enjoyed that stuff and eventually I wanted to play that stuff and those records. I was part of the first wave of digital DJs. I didn’t have a ton of vinyl nor didn’t watch other djs; then Serato came out and I thought this is really cool because I could make music and play it the same night.

LITT
How is the tour going with Katy Perry?

DJ Skeet Skeet
It has been really really great it has a been a blessing. Everyone hangs out together between sets. It is like an awesome summer camp on wheels. It doesn’t feel like we are on tour.

LITT

How did you meet Katy?

DJ Skeet Skeet
Met her years ago when we were in LA when I was a graphic designer for some clothing lines and she was making side money being a struggling artist. She decided to model one of the clothing lines in the trade show and we started talking and she said she made music and I told her I make music also and we said we should share music sometime.She invited me to a show at an artist café and I was blown away. I said to her at that time “You’re a Rock Star” and not very long after she got signed.

LITT

It seems like you do a lot of stuff what do you consider yourself , are you a producer or are you a DJ?

DJ Skeet Skeet
I don’t know, I consider myself doing what ever I need to do to avoid getting a real job ha ha! That’s how it’s always been. I can’t see myself working in an office. So if someone wants me to direct a music video; great, design a t-shirt; make beats, dj at a night club I’ll do it, but I get the most satisfaction out of producing and djing, so I guess that has been my calling. I am just a guy that likes to make music and I will continue to do it as long as I can.

LITT
So tell me about your djing style how is it different?

DJ Skeet Skeet

The big up I have is that I use my own music. It is nice to be the artist/dj combo because people can come out and see you and see what you do. And beyond that, I don’t only do one thing; like if you go see the group Dead Mouse you know you are going to hear progressive house music for several hours, but if you come see me, you get a mix; sometimes you will hear reggae tone, sometimes you will hear house, and sometimes you will hear punk. So sometime it’s a blessing and a curse because people come to hear me play expecting to hear what they heard the last time and I may play something completely different.

LITT
I think it would be cool to go to a party and hear a mix of genres of music and everyone is still dancing and you can hear something different than what is on the radio. Somethimes you can just predict what the DJ is going to play.

DJ Skeet Skeet

Yeah, you know you would be surprised, a lot people shower to radio, get dressed to the radio, drive to the radio, listen to the radio at work, come home and get dressed for the club to the radio, and then want to go to the club and listen to the radio. People who appreciate all types of music are the people I live for.

LITT
How do you figure out that you will remix a song because you don’t just pick the average song?

DJ Skeet Skeet
You know it is always different. Sometimes I hear a song and I may say to myself “if I did this song I would do it like this” or I may think that song would be so much better if I did this to it. Then I just pick it apart and do my thing. Sometimes the label may come to me and say we have this song and it is not working in night clubs what can you do to make it work? That is probably the most prominent situation. Then when I look at the songs I think about how can I make them more effective in making people move or telling a certain story and I try and piece the story together however I can.

LITT
So who would you like to work with in the future?

DJ Skeet Skeet
Hayley Williams from Paramore, we like a lot of the same music, she has an amazing voice. I feel like she would sound great on a house record. Her voice is so big and powerful.

LITT
So tell me about your new single “I Like it Hot”

DJ Skeet Skeet
So much of this album is just me wanting to get in the studio with my friends and make it happen. That is one of the gifts that I have. That is the great thing about making a DJ record. One song can be punk another can be rap. With this track I wanted to make a rap song, so this song is a rave producer making a southern rap song.

LITT
You were the first DJ on the Vans Warped tour tell us about that experience

DJ Skeet Skeet
I had played with some bands that were part of the punk rock scene. Kevin Lyman a visionary dude, knew that the punk scene was going more digital, so Kevin thought it would be great to have a DJ on the tour. I instantly thought about my 1st experience with music and the Warped tour and immediately jumped on it. It was tough at first because people were used to seeing bands, but at the same time I learned a lot and I think kids out there learned a lot. It was great.

LITT
So you are definitely a trendsetter what kind of advice can you give upcoming artists who are trying to do something different?

DJ Skeet Skeet
Not worrying about acceptance is how you are going to make headway. When I first started djing, my thing was I liked punk, rap and house music and I was wondering how I make all of this work. I got told to turn that crap off a lot times in night clubs, and people called me an idiot, told me I was wrong, but before I knew it people started to catch on and they really liked it. So just be yourself and do what you do and know that what you do is different and that is what is going to make you stand out.

LITT
What can we expect on the tour in Minneapolis?

DJ Skeet Skeet
I will be playing a lot of my original stuff like Dev and the Cataracts and stuff with Nadia Oh & Donnis I Like it Loud. I will be playing some of my remixes of Ke$sha and Black Eye Peas, stuff that makes people really excited and that people can sing to and have a great time.

LITT
Any other projects?

DJ Skeet Skeet
Yes my group DWNTWN if you go to facebook.com/DWNTWNmusic you can get a couple of songs that I produced. It is some great stuff it is one of my biggest accomplishments in my music.