Do you ever meet people whom you look at and wonder where they will be in 10 years, knowing that it will be a much more awesome place than you might ever see in your entire life? I felt that way when I met EZRAKH. It was a freezing cold day out in Rahway, New Jersey, the place where the super talented Ezra Jared Khalil Herbert calls home. Armed with a tape recorder and my laptop, I set out thinking I’d find a good DJ, and I left feeling like the settlers did when they found something of worth during the Gold Rush. Incredibly knowledgeable of music, filled to the brim with talent, and possessing the prized ability to make one fall in love with music all over again, EZRAKH has nothing to be modest about. Despite his musical gift, EZRAKH is down-to-Earth, open minded, and ultimately just wants to share the good music of the greats with the rest of the world. So take a moment from your day and check out the one I spent finding out what’s good with EZRAKH:
Retail DJ: I want to start by talking about your trip to Chicago. The first track of yours we featured on the site was your Windy City Mix, which is amazing in that is has a ton of old school house, juke, and all kinds of stuff going on in it. Can you tell us a little bit about that trip? How is the scene in Chicago different from that of New York?
EZRAKH: All in all, it was a great trip. It was certainly an experience going out there. I got to spin at two separate venues. One was the Honey’Comb HideOut [at the Elastic Arts Foundation]. It’s on Milwaukee Ave. in an area they say is a bit like the SoHo of Chicago. It was a friend of mine, an artist named Drunken Monkeee, who threw the party. He’s pretty big in Chicago—definitely a crowd favorite. He has a good following out there. The vibe was great. The second venue I played was the Dark Room, which is also a great venue. They have a great setting, great sound. I DJed not only for Drunken Monkeee’s live performance, but I got to switch off with DJ FreezeRock, who’s a great hip hop and house DJ from Chicago. He actually blessed me with a lot of good house music as well. Like I said, all in all, it was definitely a great experience.
I feel like out in Chicago, they are more willing to explore sounds. They are not afraid of their creativity and being able to show that to people. People really appreciate it there. I feel like their ears are more open, their minds are more open. Though I think that could also be the result of the great blend of people out there. You have a lot of old soul and greats like Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, the evolution of house . . . It’s just a great city, especially in terms of music. It’s a place that has really helped American music evolve, as well as international music for that matter.
Retail DJ: How did that gig actually get started? Was it solely through your friend Drunken Monkeee or had you lived there before and made connections then?
EZRAKH: Well, Drunken Monkeee’s fiancée is actually my cousin.
Retail DJ: That helps!
EZRAKH: Yeah, it definitely helps. A little bit of nepotism. [laughs] But I had met him over the summer at a family reunion, actually, and he was just telling me about the scene out in Chicago. So I told him I DJ, and we said then that we need to definitely link up because as artists, especially underground/non-mainstream artists. I think that one of the key things you have to do is link up with other artists—be they on the mainstream or non-mainstream level. It’s especially important that you connect with artists from other parts of the country and the world in order to create something lasting like an artistic exchange (throughout various cities and different cultures). It can influence a person’s art for the better.
Retail DJ: What are some of the tracks, if you can remember, that you played during your shows in Chicago?
EZRAKH: I’m really big into the UK funky [house] genre, if you want to call it that. The music and the scene is a mix of things: dancehall, UK garage, and Afrobeat. I played a lot of that out there and people hadn’t heard it before, but they were definitely feeling it. One of the tracks I played at both shows was, of course, “Soul Makossa” by Manu Dibango.
That’s a good one. Everybody knew that one, so they felt that. I was able to branch into some Fela [Kuti] and then get on an even deeper side of things in terms of the UK funky[house] genre with Lil Silva, Roska—he’s really good.
Retail DJ: Yeah, I love him!
EZRAKH: Yeah, he’s really good. He’s good at mixing the aspects of deep house, dancehall, and UK garage together. Even those guys L-Vis 1990, they have some pretty killer tunes. They are a little more on the electro side, but they definitely create really good stuff.
Retail DJ: I’ve noticed that in some of your mixes, every now and then, you drop some Brazilian stuff. You’ve even had some funk carioca on a mix. Did you play any of that, or no? Was it mainly British and dancehall stuff?
EZRAKH: Unfortunately, no, I didn’t get to play any of it there, but I am sure they would have liked that as well. When I was DJing, I really hadn’t organized anything. A lot of the time, when I DJ, I start of with some tracks that I feel are a good blend between something that they’ll know, something that’s classic, and something that fits into the sound I am trying to create for a set. Then it’s just all off the cuff. If they feel it, then great. I try to blend in stuff that they know, then do remixes and stuff like that. At the end, I just hope that they’ll feel it, and out there, they did! They definitely do out here as well, but it was just very surprising out there, and I am happy that I was able to experience that.
Retail DJ: As a DJ who’s based in NJ, considering you were talking about feeling things out there and out here, when you say “here,” are you referring to New Jersey, New York? Where is your “base” in terms of playing and DJing out?
EZRAKH: When I say that, I mean New Jersey and, in some cases, New York. I was blessed to have a residency at Bob Bar on the Lower East Side. The mix that I gave the manager was a more funky, Afrobeat mix. And he was like, “Yeah, you know I love this! It reminds me of Fort Greene, back in the days when I partied there. But the thing is—this was a hip hop club. I’d actually done their Halloween party. I would say it’s definitely tough when you have a mainstream crowd, because it’s harder to drop things, to ease certain sounds onto people.
But going back, mainly when I say “here,” I mean New Jersey, top 40 clubs, stuff like that. . . places like Manhattan. But that’s understandable. At those types of clubs, people don’t necessarily go there to gain a new musical experience. But I also spin in Brooklyn. I’ve been to a place in Bushwick called House of Yes. They are really open to all kinds of sounds there. In the venues and small parties I’ve done in Brooklyn, people are definitely more open to different types of music. I feel like the culture in Brooklyn—and no disrespect to Manhattan, because it has a great culture as well—is more mashed up and blended. Even when you look at Manhattan, it’s sorta separated.
Retail DJ: Big time.
EZRAKH: But when you look at Brooklyn—although it definitely has its separations and sections and everything—I feel like there’s a great spirit of culture and love out there.
Retail DJ: So what’s hot in New Jersey right now? What is the vibe musically where you are playing now?
EZRAKH: Well, Jersey’s all about club music, even since the late 80s, early 90s. Nowadays, when you hear the term “club music,” you think of Baltimore club, Philly club, Jersey club, though that’s all an offshoot of the original Baltimore stuff. People like DJ Tameil, Tim Dolla, Brick Bandits, and even DJ Sega out in Philly—they are really creating really hard hitting stuff. They’re making great sounds and they’re able to blend that hardcore, raw club music that you hear with crazy stuff you’ve never heard before. For example, you have remixes of Sponge Bob Squarepants. I think that’s a Baltimore track, actually. And DJ Tameil does remixes of like, Pon de Floor, DJs from Brick Bandits are doing remixes of La Roux, etc.
I feel like generally though, just as a scene or an environment, a vibe, it’s a little stagnant. Props to DJ Walla, because he’s doing his thing, but it’s like an abyss. It’s always DJ Wallah and a lot of heavy hitters out here are doing their thing with parties, and that’s cool because they get people out. But in terms of really just creating something new, I feel like that needs to happen very soon.
Retail DJ: Maybe you’ll be the one to do that!
EZRAKH: Yeah, I hope so.
Retail DJ: Now we are putting all this pressure on you! [laughs]
EZRAKH: I mean, I’ll try! I am working with a couple of really great DJs: DJ Reck and DJ O for 1. They have a radio show, Late Night Left on 107.9, Caribbean Zone. DJ Tameil also does guest sets there. They’re trying to really push for that expansion of sound and music culture.
EZRAKH’s Late Night Left Set (from 2.2.10):
EZRAKH- LNL DJ Set by ezrakh
Retail DJ: Going back a bit, you clearly are one of those people who is deeply into music, and that’s totally respectable and awesome. I was wondering how that all started. Take us back to baby Ezra, and help us pinpoint where this love of music came from.
EZRAKH: Baby Ezra, toddler sister Amy, and older brother…we all used to dance to the rhythm of the washing machine.
Retail DJ: Awww!
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EZRAKH: I guess that’s where it started. My father and my mother both were really avid fans of all different types of music. It was a lot different back then. . . you know, you had a lot of Prince, Bob Marley, even old club music like Robin S. “Show Me Love.” I remember when that came out! My mom liked that song. Our minds and our ears were open at a really young age. My mother did an especially good job at keeping us all cultured and keeping our minds open to different things.
When I was younger, she enrolled me into dance. I tapdanced for years. I also did ballet, but I didn’t really like it. I ended that around 14. Backtracking a little bit though, I started playing guitar around 11. No one was really teaching me anything where I was taking lessons. They were just teaching me my favorite songs. So that was cool, but I quit. I wanted them to really teach me something. I even used to sing in choirs in church and school. But in terms of actual instrumentation and music, after I quit guitar, I just kept playing around and teaching myself things—chords and stuff like that. When I got into high school, I joined the jazz band, the marching band, and started playing percussion. That’s really where everything just came full circle in terms of music.
Obviously, when I was playing the guitar it was cool because I was really into the punk/hardcore scene out here. But in terms of what I’m doing now, the DJing and production, that all came from my playing percussion. If you think about it, the backbone of most modern music is the beat. And, of course, the guitar stuff that I know helps with melodies and even mixing. A mix can sound terrible because they are playing so many different notes that don’t really match. It really helps that I had that guitar training before.
Retail DJ: Do you still have your band uniform?
EZRAKH: No. they had actually gotten new uniforms my sernior year—they were dope! But we’d have to give the uniforms back at the end of the year. I got jackets and t-shirts and stuff, so that was always cool. But yeah, that’s when I really started to figure out that I wanted to be in music.
Retail DJ: So what about all the DJing and production work? How did your interest in music involve into doing that?
EZRAKH: Well, at the heart of it, I am a DJ, but when I really look at it, I don’t even necessarily like referring to myself as a “DJ,” because I don’t want to step on the toes of classic turntablists like, say, DJ Premier, Grandmaster Flash, etc who really knew their way around tables and could do stuff you’ve never seen before or couldn’t even imagine. So yeah, I guess you could call me a DJ. I actually went by “selector” for a while—Selectah Ezrakh. But then I was like, you know, just chop that. I’m going to go by “Ezrakh.”
So I don’t mind when people say “DJ,” but when it comes down to it, when I have the opportunity to speak about this and make it clear, I’m a selector, I’m a spinner. I’m more of a nontraditional musician. That’s what I consider myself, especially looking at it from the aspect of production because production, in itself, especially computer production, when you consider the history of music, is very nontraditional. It usually involves live instruments, so that work, paired with “DJing,” I feel is more my take on nontraditional music and performance.
Retail DJ: In your removal of “DJ” from your moniker, is that your way of reconciling the past of more traditional turntablism with the modern digital turntablism?
EZRAKH: Yeah. I mean, I am sure some people have said, “Oh, he’s not a real DJ. He uses Serato. He can’t cut and scratch like I can.” I haven’t heard that from anybody, but just in my mind, I feel like, when looking at DJ culture right now, a lot of people who do digital turntablism are good. But I just don’t want to step on the toes of the artists and technicians whom I respect a lot.
Retail DJ: In New Jersey, do you see more of the traditional DJing or more digital? I ask because I feel like in New York right now, it’s almost ALL digital, which the exception of a few underground parties or special events.
EZRAKH: I feel like there are plenty of traditional DJs. It’s whether they’re actually going out and either playing the venues by choice or, looking at the club owners, if they are getting hired. A lot of spots are top 40 now. And especially in this economy, it’s not the easiest thing to buy top 40 singles on vinvl all the time. On cds, it might be a little easier, but even then, things are moving away from physical formats. So in Jersey, I feel like it’s pretty much the same thing. It’s similar—probably all around the country, even all around the world, with the exception of, like you said, certain events. For example, have you heard of “I Love Vinyl”?
Retail DJ: Yeah! We featured a set from that party on the site.
EZRAKH: I still have yet to go to the party.
Retail DJ: Go! It’s awesome!
EZRAKH: Yeah, I am a fan of WaxPoetics and a couple of the guys who DJ for them apparently play at this party as well. So I definitely need to check it out. Like I said, events like that, they’re probably few and far between. I feel like, especially in New York, a lot of things are digital. It goes back to NYC being the pop culture capital of the United States, at least in terms of mainstream city culture.
Retail DJ: So speaking of physical, can you tell us what equipment you use?
EZRAKH: I have a Roland MC-505 Groovebox. I’ve made random little beats with that, but it’s a little difficult to master because the screen is a little messed up. I have to replace the LCD or something. It’s actually a friend’s—he let me borrow it. I wanted to give analog computer production a try. SL-1200 MK2 Technic turntables. I have Stanton cartridges, Behringer 646 Pro Mixer (2 channels) and Serato Scratch Live (on my Macbook). I have an M-Audio Oxygen 8 portable keyboard (it’s a regular keyboard, but I have midi set up for it). I also have an M-Audio Midi Mixer. I used to bring that with me a lot when I would do little parties because I didn’t want to bring my turntables out (i.e. when I wasn’t necessarily getting paid, but just chillin’). And these [pointing] are my records.
I don’t have many, but . . . enough. I pulled out some of my favorites:
Joseph Longo (aka Pal Joey) – “Loop D’Loop”
Lidell Townsend – “Nu Nu”
Fu-schnickens, a Tribe Called Quest. . .
Keith Murray – The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World (it’s one of my most favorite tracks – ever).
. . . Jersey’s finest: Naughty by Nature [laughs]- Hip Hop Hurray
KRS-1 – Criminal Minded
Herb Alpert – Rise
Run DMC, the Jacksons 5, Cuban Link, LL Cool J, Todd Terry, and my favorite: Follow Me by Aly-Us:
Thanks to both my brother and his friend Hollywood Nick, who graciously donated a lot of those records. A good deal of them are mine, but I’d say more than half are theirs. My brother used to DJ at some of the skating rinks around here.
To be continued . . .
Check back tomorrow to Part Two!
- Retail DJ
Tags: a tribe called quest, bob bar, brick bandits, carribean zone, dark room, dj 0 for 1, dj freezerock, dj reck, dj sega, dj tameil, dj wallah, drunken munkeee, elastic arts foundation, ezrakh, fela kuti, fu-schnickens, herb alpert, house of yes, joseph longo, keith murray, krs-1, l-vis 1990, late night left, lidell townsend, lil silva, ll cool k, manu dibango, naughty by nature, pal joey, roska, run dmc, the jackson 5, tim dolla, todd terry, waxpoetics, what's good?
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