Dj Oji, Baltimore, Usa

Interview Time - Dj Oji, Baltimore, Usa

1.Influences?

My greatest influences include
DJs Larry Levan, Tony Humphries, Timmy Regisford, my dad Frank Morris.

2.Influential artists include :

Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Grandmaster Flash , Sugar Hill Gang, Patti Labelle, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and The Ojays.

3.How I got involved in music:

I am 28 years old and I have been a DJ since age 13.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but Baltimore is now my home.

I am originally from the school of Hip Hop (or should I say the Old School of Hip Hop).
Many of my skills were developed during my teenage years from hours and hours of tape making and back spinning on the turntables on my bedroom dresser.
I had cut a deal with my parents, that if I could save enough money to get one turntable, then they would buy the second.

No, they were not technique 1200's.
They were Pioneer Turntables. I don't even think they had a pitch control. Anyway, the hip hop scene got a little violent after a while. The clubs were closing and people were getting robbed and hurt etc.. It was around that time when I discovered House Music.

"The Paradise Garage" was the venue.
In this place the people came and they partied in peace. You could feel the love in the room. The music was inspirational and the entertainment was just a compliment to the atmosphere.
There was free fruit. There was a small movie theatre.
The party started at 12 am and lasted 12 hours.

Once you were in there you lost all track of time. The DJ's name was Larry Levan. He was an inspiration to us all. His legend lives on.

4. The club :

The Paradox is the Baltimore based club that I have gained both vital and invaluable experience.
It is my opinion, that The Paradox has one of the best Sound Systems on The East Coast.

To pay homage to this club and its owners for continued support of house music, I released a 3track EP last year on Basement Boys Records called The Paradox EP.

I play Paradox usually once a month.

5.Music that I like?:

As a DJ/Producer I am into mostly Garage (vocal house).
However I am also a lover of Disco Classics.
You will find that my set will always include some "old school" flava'

6. Where I play now? :

Today I reside in Baltimore.
I have lived there now over 10 years. I came to go to college
(Morgan State University) and I have never left.
I have for the last 8 years been involved as a DJ on
Morgan State Univ radio WEAA 88.9fm and now for the past 3 years as an on-air personality as well.

I am proud to say that this show airs on Saturday nights
(prime-time ) for four hours from 8pm - 12am.

The show is called "The Underground Experience" and the format is deep and vocal house.
You can access the show on Saturdays at the above mentioned timed via a link to my Website.
My partner for the show is called "Dj Pope", who you can see in the picture below.

www.angelfire.com/md/djoji.

7. Travelling?:

Unfortunately, I have never traveled aboard.
Despite all of the records I have produced, and the much respected recognition of my peers, I have never been blessed with the opportunity to play outside of the U.S.

Fact is, my travel in the U.S.A has been limited as well.
It has always been my dream and therefore in part my motivation for being a DJ/Producer.
I know that one day my hard work and perseverance will pay off.
I am not conceited, but confident in saying that there will be no disappointments in my playing.

8. The scene in America- Is Garage and House music becoming more acceptable?

For those who still have a love for the music, the scene will never be dead.
It has never been as commercially acceptable as is the case abroad.
What it is about house music,
it that once you let it into your ear, it will find its way to your heart and into your soul.

Its just a shame that it is not exposed to the masses. I believe that America would be a better place if house music were our Anthem.
It is a spiritual thing.

One of those Usa Underground labels of mine!!!

9.What are you views on the English Sunday Scene /Speed Garage/2step movement? Is this a fragmentation to far?

Perhaps now I will step on some toes. I will apologize in advance. Why is it that the industry in England feels that is necessary to re-classify or categorize House music ? Every six months there is some sort of new twist on an old sound and it is born a new name. They come and they go. That sound is then changed and exploited by UK industry strong-arms, labels and producers and the creator never gets credit for his/her originality.

Ex. Speed Garage. First of all, it has nothing to do with "the Garage" This music was never played at "the Garage", nor is it what one could assume to make sense, a sped up version of Garage style music. Second Armand Van Helden developed a style of production. He didn't give it a name other than Armand mix. Well somewhere along the line, his style was adopted by a whole nation of producers oversees and it was deemed to be Speed Garage. Not once have I seen him get any recognition for being the creator of this style of music. I have seen producers emerge from the UK . So, I guess I am not a big fan of this style of music.

Every once in awhile, I will hear a song in its classification that will catch my ear, but for the most part it all sounds the same and there are usually no vocals. How can this be helping our industry if there are never any words to identify the song or no focus on the development of artists. Again, I apologize, if I am stepping on any toes, but these things are important to me.

As a disciple of the "Underground"? and having lived and experienced a portion of the Garage era, I know that this is not representational of what it was really about.

10. Influential DJs/Producers for me?:-

Tony Humpheries, Larry Levan, Timmy Regisford,
Francois k., David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work, Basement Boys, Larry Heard (Fingers Inc), Kerri Chandler, Blaze., Ron Trent, Lil Louis, Mood II Swing.

10a. My views on other country involvement :

I am all for other country involvement in this industry.
If this was not present, we would have no industry.
Producers such as Mousse T, Ricky Morrison, Paul Anderson, Boris Dlugosh, D-Influence and Full intention, St. Germaine, Shazz are great

. 10. Who would you like to work with within the Garage and House world:

I would not mind working with any of the above mentioned individuals.

11.Artists/Producers to watch out for:

No particular order.. Roy Davis Jr. (he is the bomb producer), Charles Dockins, DJ Pope + DJ Oji AKA Brothers in the Struggle, DJ Spen (Spensane), Kevin Yost, 95 North, Kimani, Pound Boys,
Braxton Holmes, Big Ed (Boogie Boys ).

If you are into the Washington/Baltimore Sound check this out.
Its worth looking for....

Lastlit I liked to thank - my good friend and graphic artists Ronald Mills credit for designing the Paradox Ep label as well as the POJI trademark (which by the way stands for Pope and Oji)

This copyrighted. If you would like to use articles or stories present within
the Interviews column then please do get back to me,
Carl Brown, Ipswich, England.